July Blind Box .- New Video!

Hi friends!

Today is a MARVELOUS day! 

 Our 3rd daughter is graduating from college today!

She's already finished all her classes in the Spring

and they've delayed graduation due to Coronavirus
with no intention to have another one so it's today via Zoom!
It's a huge milestone and we're so SO very proud.

We have a HUGE surprise for her 

with a commencement ceremony here at home

with all the pomp and circumstance

and she has no idea what we are about to pull off this surprise!

 I have a new video up on my YouTube channel

with the Blind Box from Marker Universe!

I thought it would be fun to try for the summer
 and stay-stuck-at-home moments during July. 
 A little adventure!

Here is the video if you'd like to see it 
↓



This was so much fun!

If you remember from this post, this was the 3rd something
that I signed up for :)
I'm still learning my way around and so far, it's been a blast.

I used the Picket Fence Studios Sweet Dear Friend
for the art and the rest was the box!

Here's a peek at my card
↓

Thanks so much to all that have subscribed and liked ..

I appreciate you!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!

~Kelly

Shaded Stencils ~ Day 5!

Hi friends!

I hope you are all doing well ♥

Spring card camp is still going strong - and fast!

This camp is kicking my cardmaking up a few (hundred) notches!

It moves quick and it's easy to fall behind 

so I created these two cards while throwing a little shade.

As in ... Stencil Shading!

It was taught by Lydia (from SCS) and

here's. where. it. gets. funny!

After camp #1, I placed some orders for new toys and they've all arrived ...

except for one, which has the flower stencils in it.

But no biggie ~ we are in a quarantine and safety first!

I figure if that is the worst of it then I'm good!

I have quite a few stencils, but no florals so I had to improvise ...

so I used a notebook ~ an older one from my stash from The Dollar Tree.

The plastic covers are cut through and they look like a stencil

so why not!

When in Rome, amiright?

I went from this ↑

 And got this! ↓

I used Ranger Ink distress inks and Picket Fence Studio Life Changing Brushes

(the tiny ones for nooks and crannies)

and lightly blended through the stencil (notebook) area.

In order to keep the colors from blending together, 

I blocked it off as I blended to keep the colors separate.

The THANK YOU sentiment is from Concord and 9th

and I popped it up on 3D foam and added a few sequins.

I love that these are made from things I had right here at home :)

Shelter in and shop your stash!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

12 favorites of 2019 :)

Hi friends!

It's almost time to celebrate a brand new year ~ 2020!

  I love symmetry and I love even numbers 

and find them somewhat good luck-ish! 

It's always fun to look back at my favorite cards of the past year ...

and some that were my absolute favorites.

These cards are probably the ones that made my heart smile the most

and I am proud to call them mine ♥

 

January 

(Mama Elephant)

February

 (The Project Bin)

March

(Honey Bee Stamps)

April

(Stamping Bella)

May

 (Picket Fence Studios)

June

 (lawn fawn)

July

 (The Project Bin)

August

 (lawn fawn)

September

 (Lawn fawn)

October

 (The Project Bin)

November

(Lawn Fawn)

December 

(MFT Stamps)

 

Did you also have a favorites post for this year?

I know it's often hard to pick a 'favorite', 

and sometimes we just pick the ones that speak to our hearts.

I can't wait to share the new year with you all!

Here's to 2020!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

I'm sorry for the things I said ....

Hi friends!

 We're home from vacation!

It was SO. MUCH. FUN!

My kids are so energetic and a blast to hang out with ♥

I managed to barely keep up ride every roller coaster at all the theme parks, enjoyed the sights of our fun side trips, relaxed,

enjoyed the surf of crystal blue waters and sandy white beaches,

  ate ridiculously yummy foods 

AND!!

checked off a couple of scrapbook/stamp stores off my bucket list

that I'd wanted to visit in my state of Florida ~ yay!

(post on the 'road trip' coming later!)

If you ever get to Whim-So-Doodle, be sure to meet Doug!

He's an absolute gentlemen and the "fluffiest" salesman in the biz :)

Isn't he adorable!

He sold me a lot of crafty goodies! :)

Photo: Whimsodoodle on Instagram

 I'm back to card making and still in summer mode :)

Using 'Summer Fun' from The Project Bin ~

this sentiment right here, LOL!

It's hysterical! 

I love being on the design team for Denise, owner/creative genius behind TPB.

She's such a sweetheart and innovative in her stamp line ~

truly unique for what's out on the market.

She's always coming up with fresh, new stamp sets so

be sure to see the new ones in the shop!

On our trip, I saw some of the most AMAZING sunsets on the opposite

coast of Florida and that was the inspiration for my card today ↓

 

In addition to the stamp from The Project Bin,

 I used a die from Lawn Fawn and distress oxide inks from Ranger ~ 

Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio and Mermaid Lagoon.

The black ink for the sentiment is from Picket Fence Studios:  Intense Black.

I almost always use Momento Tuxedo Black but I noticed

 it was not as vibrant of a black with the distress oxides -

 as soon as i used the PFS, it was much more prominent. 

We were blessed enough to swim in an ocean

 just as beautiful as this blue

~ isn't it marvelous how things around us inspire us!

 

Here's a look at the entire Summer Fun stamp set ↓

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I hope it's sunny and gorgeous or perhaps, cooling off, where you are :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE ~ Use those stencils!

 Hi friends!

And much like this unicorn,

 I'm absolutely on cloud 9 to be on vacation :)  

There's a new challenge from our hostess Vicki

at the CCEE Stampers blog: Stencils!

 

 It's so funny, 

I was just talking to a dear friend about using stencils

the other day and how they are quite popular right now.

For me, they are my most under used stamping tool!

I do have quite a few - 

yet never really seem to use them that much!  

My card is using Picket Fence Studios darling unicorn - For You.

The stencil is geometric grid from MFT 

and I've used the amazing Distress Oxide Inks from Ranger.

The sentiment is from a different stamp set as I needed 

a small font so I used my Hello Bluebird sentiment stamp.

Be sure to stop by the CCEE Stampers 

and see what the DT has made using the stencil theme! 

There is also a linky where you can add your cards, too!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Adjust Your Focus!

 Hi friends!

I hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start!

How is your daily coloring coming along?

We're up to day #8 of the coloring challenge!

And as they say ...

if life gets blurry,

adjust your focus and capture the good times!

 

 I love 

- LOVE! - 

 stamped images with girls 'n cameras!

 I took photography in high school 

and spent hours developing my 35mm film in the dark room.
I had visions that I'd travel the world with my Nikon FA

taking black and white photographs like Ansel Adams :)

I even won First Prize and 25 bucks at the county fair

 for a picture of my kitty cat, Tiggy!

 ♥

But somewhere between developing fluids and figuring out the f-stops,

I think either my teacher,

  or perhaps my parents,

told me to quite daydreaming and go to college and get a real job.

So, there's that!

 My card today is a masking of 2 stamps.

I adore the images from Picket Fence Studios and font of their sentiment stamps!

They quickly caught my eye when one of my dear and very talented friends, Angela, started posting her design team cards.

I quickly purchased this camera stamp, called Beautiful Girl ~ Karen

at a time when life was on hyper-drive! 

This week, a new order arrived and I decided to add two stamps together

and spent the afternoon coloring all the little houses

 from this background stamp :)

While I debated adding a sentiment to the top,

it looks busy enough so I thought it would be better inside the card.

The inspiration challenge at SCS today was a great springboard ~

I saw this sensational Venice, Italy toile and my mind started clicking!

And yes!

I still take photographs ...

just on a digital camera now!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly