You bring me JOY!

Hi friends!

You may remember this commercial for the Cadbury Egg tryouts,

where different animals auditioned to be the bunny!

I just love it and how cute it is,

seeing each of the cute animals trying so hard to be the bunny ♥

It reminds us to be our unique and authentic selves,

and do the simple things .. 

like find the joy in every day!

 

This HOPPY set of cards for the online spring card class

is taught by Julie Ebersole!

I loved her clean and simple style cards ~ it's relaxing and serene,

just what I've needed lately!

I have a bunch of cards to mail this week

so I chose a joyful stamp and die set that's whimsical and sweet ♥

For my card duo today, I've used a My Favorite Things 

stamp and die set 'Bubble Over With Joy'.

I've colored one card partly with colored pencils like Julie did

and one with promarkers.

Even though I've used a heavyweight #100 cardstock,

it's a one layer CAS card so even lighthanded, markers can seep :)

Here's a peek at the inside, lifted flap:

Thanks for hopping over to my blog today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

RSG ~ We need some T.P.!

Hi friends!
.

Today is my husband's birthday and our home has been so. much. fun!

It's been lively and a happy kind of loud and we've had a grand 'ol time all day ~

 ending just now with his very VERY favorite - steaks on the grill!
 .

Well ~ not for me ..

I'm happily a vegetarian :)

But between that, the panko fried shrimp and empanada that I hand made
 ~ and my daughter's yummy calamari ~

AND

a Spanish style 'nata' cake, we're all stuffed!

The kids and 2 friends of our daughter are playing board games

 and it's a HOWLING mess from what I'm hearing ...

lots of laughter and hysteria!

I'm debating between hiding in my room or joining in, LOL!
 .

So .... my card!

 .

This is my card for the Ready, Set, Go Challenge group ...

a group where the challenges are a little more extreme

and make us think way way outside the box. 

Jeanette is the hostess for April and gave us this challenge:
.

  For the April 2020 Ready Set Go theme, 
I want you to find a heartwarming story from this pandemic.  

Use it as inspiration for your card. AND… because that in and of itself is too easy for these extreme themes… I also want you to pay homage to the early reports of people buying/hoarding toilet paper. How? By including something on your card that begins with the letter “T” 
and something that begins with the letter “P”. 

 Ready, Set, Go!

You can see Jeanette's card here
and Barb's card here
as they posted their cards earlier this week.

This challenge was hard for me

not because I couldn't figure out what card to make ..

but because I had TOO MANY IDEAS!

There have been so many heartwarming stories amidst the sadness.

But for this challenge, I settled on an action - rather than a specific story.

 I've LOVED the stories of teachers reading bedtime stories like this one

to the children in their classrooms over the internet.
No doubt for the younger school children,
 this has been hard to understand
and the teachers reading stories to their classroom children is heartwarming ♥

.
I used from Our Story by Birdie Brown from My Favorite Things 
and imagine the little ones snuggled up reading along
or listening as the teachers read from their favorite story books!

My letter T:   tabby cat, teachers
My letter P:  patterned-paper, paper-piecing

As always, I hope all is well in your little corner!
I'm still 'carding' away at camp ~
and loving every minute of all my *homework!*

Big *air* hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

CCEE2014 ~ Garden Month!

Hi friends!

 It's a brand new month and our hostess at the CCEE Stampers

 for the month of April is Frances.

She has a wonderful challenge for all of us ~ 

Garden Month! 

Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace. ~ Old French Proverb

According to the Days of the Year web site, April is Garden Month.

 So the challenge this week is be inspired by a Garden .... 

flowers, plants, trees, insects, garden shed, etc. 

Anything that you might find in a garden is good for this challenge.

 

Even though we are social distancing, it's always nice to be in the backyard

and take walks around the block where flowers are blooming here.

 I love sunflowers!

I naturally fell head-over-heels in love with the Birdie Brown Sunflower Sweetheart

and it's perfect for a visit to the garden ~ and on a card :)

I've colored the images with prismacolor markers and copic markers,

alternating colors.

I created the grass by taking a piece of plain white cardstock

and using distress oxide ink in Peeled Paint and cut with a die.

I left the green 'grass' purposely peeking out beneath the white top layer

and added the images, popped up on foam.

I've decorated the inside as well but can't show it just yet 

since I'm sending this to a friend!

For all of the Design Team cards, please head over to the blog here!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE2004: Ice, Ice, Baby!

 Hi friends!

It's COLD here in Miami, Florida and 

I. am. so. happy!!!

It's been a GORGEOUS 33° with the wind chill

and temps hovering around 50° ..

woohoo!

I am absolutely loving - and taking advantage of our 1 day of winter ♥

And it just so happens that the new CCEE Stampers Challenge

this week is all about ice, ice, baby!

Lynn is our hostess for January and said:  

 

 It seems to me I have been bundled up 

in sweatshirts and sweaters for weeks now!

 Baby, it’s cold outside.  Let’s see those icy creations!! 

Add your glitter and shine to make some shimmery winter beauties.

 For today's card, I've made an easel card with a winter scene

using several stamps from My Favorite Things.

Dashing By (ret'd) and Snow Buddies.

I chose this fancy fold style for the Christmas challenge at Splitcoaststampers

for the month of January.

 Side view

 I created and colored this before I took the online color class

but I do love it!

It was also created in my 'pink christmas' phase, LOL!

I love this style of fold because it's actually an A2 size card

when folded and flattens right up for a perfect sized mailed card.

 We'd love for you to play along, too!

You can add your cards to the Mr. Linky at the bottom of the post here

and you can see what the rest of the Design Team has created this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Entered to:  SSS: Wednesday:  Pets!

Santa's Day Off!!

 Hi friends!

If you ever wondered what Santa does in his free time,

I'm pretty sure it's this!

Karaoke!

 

Tee hee!

I just love this card :)

I love making cards just for the fun of it - 

being inspired just by being silly!

 

Santa is from Jingle all the way from MFT Stamps

and probably one of my favorite Santa stamps.

For this card, I used my Ranger distress oxide ink in black soot,

masked off a section to leave unmarked to resemble a spotlight

and blended and blended until it was finished.

For the sentiment, I heat embossed WOW white embossing powder

on red cardstock and created the funny song he's singing,

popped him up on foam for dimension and that's it!

Super fun, super cute!
He was actually part of a series I had planned to make ...
but like most of my best laid plans, I never have the time!
You may - or may not - see another one or four before Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

RSG: One of these things!!

One of these things ...
is not like the other!

Growing up, that was a common saying in my house!

My mum used to say that to my brother and I.

He's just a little over a year older than me 

and we could not have been more opposite!

She's laugh and say "One of these is NOT like the other!" 

Hello there friends! 


I'm in a little card group with 2 friends called Ready, Set, Go
where, once a month, we create a card that's a little more challenging.
It's a group I made up one night when I probably should have been sleeping!
Since I'm the hostess this month,
the challenge is "Opposites attrach ~ switch it up
 and add 2 things that don't necessarily belong on a card."

For my card, I'm combining one of my FAV-O-RITE things - critters! ♥
I've used, of course, another favorite - My Favorite Things stamps.
I can't resist anything Birdie Brown :)

The direction I was going in my card went WAY off course,
so this card is completely as planned an improvisation!
I have a winter scene of the Alaskan arctic with snowy mountains

and cute polar bears with the aurora borealis

and ....... omgostrich, it's an ostrish!
In the arctic?

 My background panel is one that mimics the aurora borealis  ♥
The polar bear cuties are ones I colored during The Daily Marker
and I hope to add all the images colored to cards eventually!
At least I'm one card down now ~ woot!
 The stamps sets I've used are My Favorite Things
Polar Bear Pals and Oh My Gostrich

You can see Barb's card here

and Jeanette's card here.

 Here's another funny photo I found with this theme ...

I thought this photo of 'one of these things is not like the other' was so funny!
I actually had to look twice before I saw it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

School started this week and wore me out

and tonight is a feet up, jammies on kind of night.

Monday will be here again in a blink ;)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE ~ Vacation Destination!

Hi friends!

Summer is winding down and in a few more days,

school starts up!

My son is very excited to start high school (gulp!)

and while I'm normally not excited that summer is over,

 I'm loving, and living, the excitement through his eyes!

So how fun that the new theme at the CCEE Stampers this week is ...

vacation destination!
Anne is our hostess this month and asked to also add a 3D element.

  I'm heading to Paris ....

want to come along?!

My card is using the My Favorite Things stamp In Paris (ret'd)

and Oh La La, I'd love to be here again!

I've been blessed to see France (and Paris) twice

and loved seeing the Eiffel Tower at night so that's what I went with!

You may have noticed I have a slight obsession going on 

with my distress oxides and making backgrounds!

From making galaxies to underwater, I just can't. stop. using. them!

The frame was creating using the MFT gift box die for the 'window'

and the girl is from another set "Adventure is Calling."

I colored her with a combo of copic markers and prismacolor markers.

 For the last piece, I heat embossed Bonjour with versamark and WOW white embossing powder and a heat gun. 
 The 3D element is the popped up traveler!

 You can see where the rest of the DT has headed off to vacation!

The blog shows all their wonderful cards

as well as a link up (very bottom of the post) for you to link your cards.

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

I'll enter this to: Rainbow Card Challenge ~ Purple!

Bring out the Sunshine ♥

 Hi friends!

Today at the CCEE Stampers challenge blog the theme is:

Cheer Up the Lonely Day!

What a sweet, sweet thought ♥

Vicki is the hostess for July and gave us this as her challlenge this week:

Most of us probably know an older person who may or may or live alone

  Let's make a "Thinking of you" card and actually send it out! 

 If you don't know anyone, send it to a local nursing home 

and address it to "Someone Special" or any other phrase  you can think of.

Let's cheer up some people today!  Have fun!

My card might look a little familiar ;)

While I just created this card, I used previously colored, stamped images
from The Daily Marker challenge!
I colored these on day 9! 
(we're now up to day 27!)
 

This set is from My Favorite Things stamps and it's called Bring Out The Sunshine.

This is one of the two identical images I colored for the Dialy Marker Challenge.

I hope - with lots of luck and peace and quiet and some 'me' time 

to create cards with all of the loose images that I've colored so far!

You can link up your cards here on the blog,

as well as see what the DT has created.

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE: Celebrating Outer Space!

Hi CCEE Stamper Fans!

Blast off! 

It's May!
 That means a brand new month 
and it is time to introduce our new hostess:  Frances!
She has a wonderful line up of challenges this month ~ stay tuned!

Tomorrow 3rd May is International Space Day 
and the 4th of May is Star Wars Day ~
May the FOURTH be with you! :)

I've created 3 seperate cards for this challenge because I
got out the distress oxide inks and had
way. too. much. fun! 
Since it was space themed, I used my Space Explorer stamp set
from the always perfect Torico's Birdie Brown series at My Favorite Things.

Here's card #1 ↓

 

 Here's card #2 ↓

 And card #3 ~ the string idea was inspired by this YouTube video!

 

 And all of the friends in one place! ↓

All of my images were colored with Copic markers or promarkers

and the dies used were also from My Favorite Things,

except the Space Explorer set.  

These have been cut out with my Brother Scan n Cut,

and the embossing is actually a combo of something new I tried.

I was going for a crisp impression by using a combination of white ink

and white embossing powder ~ and while it gave a grainy, almost moonlike

appearance, it's not something I'd probably try again :)

I'm just OVER THE MOON with these cards and 

so excited with how they turned out ~
Mission Accomplished!

Thanks for your visit!

Big hugs bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE: National Drop Everything and Read Day!

 Hi friends!

There's a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers blog

and it's one dear to my (bookworm) heart!

Tomorrow is National Drop Everything and Read Day!

Lynn is our hostess for the April challenges

and asked us to create a card which features a favorite book, favorite book character(s), or a reading theme stressing the importance or value of reading.

Ohhhhhh perfect for a bibliophile like me!

 

 For my card, I've used the perfect Our Story from Birdie Brown at

My Favorite Things stamps.

What is SO much more amazing with this adorable stamp set

is that I picked it up in th.e real life brick and mortar MFT store!

It was a DREAM come true trip for me 

and I'm still on Cloud 9 remembering it ♥

To create this card, it took a little bit of creative imagination!

I wanted to go with a wallpaper type look

and thought it would be unique to use my distress inks on designer paper

rather than white cardstock.

I used washi tape to mask as I sponged along and blended with

 Cracked Pistachio, Scattered Straw and Squeezed Lemonade.

I do love the look of it and am THRILLED with how this card turned out :)

The sentiment is stamped onto the kraft cardstock - a match to the 

card base and the inside, which I left purposely uncolored.

You can see what the rest of the CCEE Design Team created 

for National Drop Everything and Read Day here.
  If you'd like to play along in this challenge.

you can link your card at the blog or

 If you post it in an online gallery,

  please include the keyword CCEE1915 in your card description.

Happy day to you

and thank you for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly