Crafters of Faith: Isaiah 60:19

 

Happy Friday!

                                       I hope your weekend is off to a good start!                                                    Today's card is fro the Crafters of Faith card group                                                            and our hostess this month is Liz.

       We are making cards this month based on her challenge and scripture:

Isaiah 60:19 ~

  The sun will no more be your light by day, 

nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,

 for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

                           

Thank you, Liz!

Her challenge, along with the scripture is to use radiant or sundials

on our cards somehow.

Thank you, Liz!

Her challenge, along with the scripture is to use radiant or sundials

on our cards somehow.

I used the MFT stencil die to create sunbeams

and this little cutie is off to the beach!
i used a snow hills die to mimic waves that she is standing in.

Here is the inside of the card:

One of my HAPPIEST places!

The beach!

I know this isn't the most spiritual card

but that isn't necessarily the only requirement of the group.

We are faith-filled, creative and talented cardmakers!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ...

~Kelly

Hot Mess ~ Success #3: Wrap it up!

Hi friends!

A little late getting online today as the Boy Scout troop

had a FUN-raising garage sale today starting at 6 am.

way. too. early!

 

 

You may remember from this post that once a month,

my crafty group of friends invited me to join them in making Hot Messes!

We take a technique with any messy quality and turn it into a card ~

and Barb, the hostess for October, said make it a Halloween theme.

  I previously saw this technique 'string wrap block art' on Splitcoaststampers

and thought it looked intriquing.

I kept putting it to the 'try this later' shelf and finally did.

And it IS fun ...

 Just not for me, LOL!

The idea is you dip the block of wood wrapped with string into paint ~

I chose to use ink.

I just daubed up the string by inverting an ink pad in varied colors.

By pressing it directly to the white cardstock,

it leaves a variety of blocked colors 

and you can basically create any number of patterns you want!

I've used Frightfully Sweet by My Favorite Things stamps,

last year's very popular Halloween stamp set :)

I colored the images with prisma color markers in colors to match the ink stripes,

and they are popped up on 3d foam dots.

The sentiment is a quick stamp with Picket Fence Studios black ink.

And that's October's messy card!

I wish I had more photos to show you on the process

but I could't find them on my phone.

You can see what the rest of the messy crew made today by

visiting Barb, Jeanette and Terry!

I'm sure they're SPOOK-tacular!

Tried a new techinique - check!

Made a mess - check!

Success!

Thanks for stopping by!

.

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Happy International Coffee Day!

Hi friends!

Today is a REALLY fun and awesome day to celebrate ~

 one I like a latte!

 Today is a day to celebrate COFFEE!!

 

That's my blood type!  I swear it.

   

While I knew about and celebrate National Coffee Day,

I was today years old when I heard on the radio

that it's International Coffee Day!

 To which I say ...

Cheers!

 My card today is using My Favorite Things 

Sweater Weather in the Woods.

This stamp set stole my heart!

I stamped/cut the critters and then colored them roughly

with Copics and popped them up on Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam.

The background is a simple sky piece that I made 

with my Ranger Distress oxide inks and the MFT Cloud Stencil.

I ran the panel through my gemini jr with a stitched die

for this simple, clean one layer card.

And the sentiment is also from teh Sweater Weather set. 

This set has endless possibiilities!

I know I'll use it often ♥

 

 Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CYS: I BEE-lieve In You!

 Hi friends!

I'm buzzzzzzing by today with a fun card for the 

Challenge Your Stash (CYS) card group.

I'm the hostess for August and many of us are back to school

 (or about to be!)

so I chose a very simple theme:

Stencils!

At the time of choosing a challenge, I picked something that would be easy.

But I had NO IDEA how many stencils I own!

I started going through them to decide on a card design

and kept finding one after another :)

  

We crafters are funny that way!

Sometimes I surprise myself - shopping in my own stash, ROFL!

 I decided on today's stencil:  Burlap by Stamp Anniething.

I actually purchased this stencil for an upcoming project.

I tried it out - liked the results -

 so it became the stenciled background for this card :)

Don't you just love my worn out blending tools!

I'll let you in on a secret ....

I. Love. Them! 

They are so smooth and effortless and glide across the paper when I blend!

I just replace the little circle dauber thingies as/if needed.

The market seems to have many companies coming out with their own,

and I have some fancy blending brushes

but these are my absolute favorites.

  

Using distress oxide inks (tumbled glass, scattered straw),

I used a light blend to get a mixture of both colors.

I added the stamped/die cut bees and hive from MFT Meant to Bee

including a matching sentiment.

Overall, it's a very clean and simple look

but I'm Ha-BEE with it! :)

 Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings! ♥

~Kelly

CCEE: Sewing Machine Day!

 Hi friends!

You are SEW awesome!

Lois is the hostess for the CCEE Stampers for the month of June
and tells us that today is National Sewing Machine Day!

  She asked the team to make a card with some stitching on it --

 either actual stitching, faux stitching or stitch-edged dies.
I've not yet ventured into real sewing on my cards!

It's funny ~ my mum spent YEARS as a seamstress
and has created beautiful gowns for many ladies.
She said she learned to sew as a small child,
and as a teen in a small shop on the outskirts of London.
Foom wedding dresses to bridesmaids, proms, quilts and dolls for charities.
She handmade all of my dresses and rompers when I was growing up
and just is so VERY talented!

Me?

I can't even sew in a straight line with a handle needle and thread!
So, I took the route of using a die with stitching 
and a sewing theme, LOL!



I ran to Hobby Lobby this week 
and was lucky to find a small sewing machine stamp set for $1.60!
I've used just the sewing machine from the Stampabilities set on this card today,
and the Sew Raggedy doll and button jar stamps from Craftin Desert Divas.
The stitched die is from My Favorite Things 
and I waited a long time to add this to my collection!
It's one of MY favorite things :)
  I set aside my normal prismamarkers and colored with promarkers
and really love the soft look they have.

You can see what the DT created this week ~
it'll have you in stitches! ♥
You can find them on the CCEE blog ← here
as well as link up your card, too, if you'd like to play along!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

I'll enter this into:  Passion for Promarkers:  Use Pink (the hearts!)

Celebrating Arbor Day!

 Hi friends!

Today's card is for the final April challenge at the CCEE Stampers

with our hostess, Lynn!

Her challenge for us this week is TREE-mendous!

She writes: Tomorrow is Arbor Day!

 Therefore, I am asking you to let a tree 

  be the star of your CCEE design this week! Pull out your favorite tree stamps and join us in celebrating Arbor Day. 

Here in South Florida, we have the most beautiful tabebuia trees 

that blossom only for a few weeks in the spring.

  They burst with beauty and vibrant colors of pink, lavender and golden yellow!  As I'm driving, I often see the wind rustle through the branches

 and they float down to the streets, similiar to falling snow.

Oh, it is a sight to behold!   

 For my card today, the star-of-the-card tree is from the My Favorite Things stamp set(s) Sending Blessings.

I used my prismacolor markers to color the trunk 

and dotted around the branches with the tip of pinks/peach markers,

 giving it a small dot to represent the tabebuia.

 I colored the Pure Innocence girl and the puppy (from a different MFT stamp set, Birdie Brown's Friends at First Sip)

 The border/hills are from various dies in my stash :)

  There is a matching sentiment to this card, on the inside :)

In addition to stamped trees, remember that Arbor Day is a wonderful way

to see how trees can benefit your community!

We've adopted several fruit trees from our local adopt-a-tree program

and our backyard is flourishing with avacados, mango, lychees

and a hybrid sour orange tree ~

as well as a sea grape and, of course, palm trees!

Be sure to stop in the CCEE Stampers blog and see what the Design Team

has created and link up your cards!

If you chose to use an online gallery, or something other than your blog

use the keyword CCEE1917.

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly 

Bonjour!

 Good morning, friends!

One of the most wonderful cities I've been blessed to visit

in our travels is Paris!

It was on my long Bucket List 

and it has resonated with my soul each trip we've made.

 I fall in love all over again with this enchanting city each time!
 J'aime la France ♥

 

From the architecture to the history,

the art and culture and quaint cafes and restaurants,

there is so much to love.

On our most recent trip, our hotel was off the cobblestone beaten path,

tucked neatly behind the bustling Champs-Élysées busy-ness.

To see all of Paris in a week, we chose the best mode of transportation

 in order not to miss a thing:  our feet!

Only the day trips to Colmar, Palace of Versailles (etc) were by rental car

and, holy bananas, driving through the Arc de Triomphe?!!

life. changing. 

 It was devastating to city the news of the Notre Dame Cathedral

and my heart was on Paris when I created this card.

Rather than see the city as it is,

I wanted to create a softer card remembering how it was ♥

To create my little Paris scene, I used the stamp set 'In Paris'

 from My Favorite Things

and colored them with my Zig Clean color brush markers.

The background was sponged with Ranger Ink Spun Sugar

distress oxide inks 

and the sentiment, also from the In Paris set, was added with Momento

Tuxedo Black ink. 

Oh how this scene evokes wonderful memories :) 

Wishing you a happy day of blessings and 

focusing only on the beautiful things!

  Vivre la vie pleinement ♥

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

Splash in the Puddles!

Oh friends, have you heard?

The Daily Marker has begun!

Being one of the Goodwill Ambassadors for this round,

 and this being my 5th year of coloring along with Kathy R's daily challenge,

AND this being one of my BIGGEST crafty goals I could ever hope for, 

I simply must say ...

color. color. COLOR!

It's a beautiful thing!

You can color a little, 
you can color a lot!
You can color just an image,
you can create a whole card :)

I've printed out a variety of my favorite stamp companies
(I could never chose just one!)
and I'll be posting a variety of stamps and coloring through-out February!
 
Today's card is the 'brother' to the one I posted yesterday.
Having a son brings back the fondest memories
of romping through mud puddles, splashing in the freshly fallen rain,
and playing in the yucky mud :) 

My son and I are very close 
and this Puddle Jumper stamp set from MFT Stamps makes me smile!
The sentiment is the same as yesterday, too - from Sending Blessings.
 One of the sweetest memories when I was creating this card:
I picked this sweet stamp set in person!

On my trip to MFT stamps in Eustis, Florida ...
Bucket list crafty moment:  CHECK!
  

The background is using the Swiss Dots embossing folder
and an array of Ranger Ink Distress oxides.

 Thanks for stopping by today!

I pray you are all staying safe in the storm 
and that it starts to warm up for all of you!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

CCEE1905: National Thank You Month!

There's a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers - 

celebrating National Thank You month!

Liz is the hostess for January and gave us this challenge: 

 It is National Thank You Month!

 So, before the month is over, make a thank you card, 

and send an unexpected thank you to someone
 whose small act of kindness has not gone unnoticed by you.

 

Here is my card for the challenge, using MFT Rain or Shine.

This is the card I've also created for the CYS Challenge group - 

to emboss and use it somewhere on the thank you card.

I used the thank you sentiment from MFT stamp Sending Blessings!

The embossing is the background from an old favorite:  Swiss dots!

Be sure stop by the blog to see what the rest of the DT has created!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings!

~Kelly

CCEE1903: Favorite Hot Beverage!

Hi friends!

There's a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers this week:

Favorite Hot Beverage!

There's no hiding what mine is ♥

(hint:  starts with Star and ends in Bux!)

Oh how we LOVE each other, 

my grande triple nonfat caramel macchiato and I :)

My card is a mix of something new, something old!

I scooped up the new MFT Birdie Brown Friends at First Sip

the second it was available during their new release!

If there was ever a stamp set created for me, this one is it!

Coffee?  Dogs? 

Yes, please! 

That's the something new!

The something old?

The designer paper.

Yep, the one under the images ...

This is my 5 minute card!

I was scrambling to look through my paper pads and mat stacks

to find something to match the images I'd previously colored

(normally I do it the other way around - and mostly for this reason!)

and I stumbled upon my old My Sunshine stack from DCWV.

Such a fun 12 x 12 paper pad and

as I flipped through it, one in particular caught my eye.

I  thought I'd just let that small corner of the dsp do all the talkin'!

From the banner to the decorated spray paint sun, it's all part of the paper! 

All I did was add some die cuts and popped up my pre-die cut/colored images!

Be sure to stop in and see what the rest of the DT created using

their favorite hot beverages!

You can see all the pretty cards here on the CCEE blog.

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Color and shake me happy! :)

Hi friends!

I hope you are having a good start to your weekend!

We're in the last days of our winter break from school ~

Monday is not going to be snow much fun

but my card sure is!

 I LOVE this week's color combination at MFT Color's Challenge!

The colors are so serene and winter-y ♥

And making cards just for fun makes my heart smile!

 

 It's no secret that I love, love, LOVE snow ~

but I also love my My Favorite Things stamps and dies!

They are the near and dear to my heart

and I find myself reaching for them often.
 

I also like using the 'oldies but goodies!'

This stamp is Warmest Wishes by Birdie Brown, circa 2014!

To create this card, I've paired it with the peek-a-boo heart die-namics

to create a shaker card - filling it with snowflake and iridescent sequins.

For the front, I added a few of the snowflake sequins and

popped a crystal gem in the center.

Since this stamp is a little older, from 2014, I used my SNC to

create the cut out and added her to front with tombo.

I'lll add my card to the current color challenge 108 :)

Sending you a flurry of love!

 Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings! ♥

~Kelly