RSG: Christmas paper and tape!

 

Hi friends!

Today's card is for the 3M card group where we take a card challenge 

(and not just any card challenge)

and make it more extreme! 

The idea is to think outside the box and 

S*T*R*E*T*C*H the creativity :)

This month, it was my turn!

I will have a video of this cardmaking here on my channel!

 I would love for you to see it :)

So, the idea was IN with OLD, and OUT with the NEW!

A little twist on the New Year's mantra.

My challenge was:

Typically in January, it's out with the old, in with the new! 

For the RSG challenges, that would be too easy.

This month, we will Ring in the OLD, out with the NEW! 

I'd like for you to take a scrap or leftover sheet of your Christmas paper - any design you like - and use it as the 'designer paper' for your card. But wait! When we wrap our gifts, we use tape.  So your second required element is to use clear scotch tape. Be creative in the way you use it!

You may use a small stamp/sentiment if you like but let your recycled Christmas paper and scotch tape be the star of this new year's show!

How fun is this!

I debated myself on which scrap to use but finally settled on ...

the puppies!

It was a blocked pattern and as I looked at it, I saw a slimline

in my head and used my new lawn fawn Valentine die cuts

 to cut out my card base.

For the tape element, I used a heart shape die from Hero Arts

and created 'windows' and that's where I used the tape ...

Barb and Jeanette are also joining me this year

and you can see their cards as well on their blogs.

This turned out super cute!

I absolutely love the idea of recycling and 

the paper would have been discarded ~ until now!

I can't wait to show you the creative process of creating this card :)

One final look:

Thanks for stopping by!

Ready, Set, Go - Gingerbread!

 Hi friends!

Today's card is for the Ready, Set, Go card challenge ~

which is a card challenge group with a twist :)

The challenges are a little a lot harder to do

and almost always make me think outside the box!

I'm super lucky to be the hostess this month 

and chose a theme I AH-DORE ... Gingerbread!

 Gingerbread is an taste that's not for everyone so rather than eat gingerbread cookies, we're focusing on baking them!  Create a card (or project) that FEATURES  a gingerbread man/woman. Next step in the recipe, since gingerbread rises when you bake it, have a raised feature on your card. This can be as easy as glitter glue or stickles or really fancy like a pop up card - your choice!  For the next step, use one of the colors of the word G-I-N-G-E-R-B-R-E-A-D and use that color as your trimming (hairbows, bowties, etc.)

Ready, Set, Go!

 

 

For my card, I've used the adorable Waffle Flower Stamps Cookie Time!

I am so in love with this!

I confess - my favorite part?'

The kitty cat that I stuck behind the gingie house!

I stamped/die cut the images and colored them with my copic markers

and created a simple focal point with distress ink in Shabby Shutters.

There are so many stamps in this set, I didn't even get them all on the card!

These gingerbread cookies are running about causing some mischief :)

Barb's card is here and Jeanette's card is here 

as they are joining me in the RSG challenge this year.

As always, I'm delighted when my blog (post) inspires you, too, 

and if you'd like to play along and create a card, please do!

*heart smile!*

And here's another look at my card ....

1. Gingerbread theme - check!

2.  Raised element (it's up on foam dots) - check!

3. Gingerbread cookies don't have bows to color :) - check!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings :)

~Kelly

RSG: Hello Suns{hi}ine!

Hello friends!  

Today's post is the card-that-almost-wasn't!

I'm in such a cardmaking funk and coming up empty 

everytime I sit down to make a card - or half cards!

I finally sat down today ~ watching the rain falling outside -

so calming and serene and oh. so. green!

I stared out that window for the longest time ..

half daydreaming, half hoping to come up with a card idea :)

Once a month, the Ready-Set-Go! card group has a theme

and we create a card.

It all started here and we call it challenges that are 'outside the box.'

This month, I was the hostess and mailed out a chipboard WORD 

 and said "make a card!"

We all have a different word:  Happy, Hello and Love.

They were added to an envelope without me seeing,

closed up and I mailed it to the other 2 ladies ... sight unseen.

My word: Hello!

I love the word Hello ~ and had NO idea where I was going to go with it.

I just grabbed a ton of stencils and some Distress Oxide Inks,

blender brushes and some paper! And got to thinking ....

  Hello - Blue Skies!

    Hello - Sunny Days!

                                              Hello - Pool Time!

I decided to go with the sunburst Ray of Light stencil from My Favorite Things.

Because I didn't really have a direction of where I was going, I dug through my stamps until I found something 'sunshiney' and found this sentiment from my Paper Smooches stamp set:  Spectrum.   I love that it says {hi} in the middle!

I never even noticed until photographing this card that it's holographic!

It looked silver .... and twist and turn it a littl bit ... and it's rainbow!

Groovy!

You can see Barb's card and Jeanette's card on their blogs.

Oh!

And if you have seen my mojo,

please sent it back my way! :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings 

~Kelly

Card entered to:  Word Art Wednesday #452-3

Little Red Wagon - Use a Stencil

RSG ~ What happened in .......... 1930?

Hi friends!

It's time for another Ready, Set, Go card challenge 

and this month, Jeanette gave us the theme:

What event happened in 1930?

 Here's her challenge: 

My dad's birthday is in July. He was born July 27, 1930. 

The Ready Set Go theme for July will require a little research. 

My dad will be celebrating a milestone birthday later this month 

so in honor of him I want you to find some fact about the year he was born (1930) 

and use it as inspiration for your card. Easy peasy, right?

Awwww!  Happy Birthday to dad!

My dad's birthday is also in July ~ although his is in heaven.

Funny thing!

When I was searching for events in 1930,

I did what almost everyone does - went to the internet!

And as soon as I typed 'what happened ...'

that's as far as I got before it automatically said

 'What happened to Monday?' in the search bar.

Haha! How many people lost a Monday that they needed to google it?! 

I know I never what day of the week it is 

so safety in numbers, I say!

So I did some searching and didn't really have stamps to fit the bill.

So I improvised.

In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh, an American astronomer,
 discovered the planet Pluto.
It was the 9th planet in our solar system until it was later
reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. 

Aw, poor Pluto!

Here's my card representing looking into the night sky at the solar system.
I've used Lawn Fawn's Wish Upon A Star
and Ranger Ink distress oxide inks for the background.
I'm sure in the middle of the star system there's a planet or two!

You can see Barb's card here and
Jeanette's card here and what they chose from 1930!

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

RSG: It's unbe-LEAF-able!

Hi friends!

Today's the day for a new theme of Ready, Set, Go!

challenge group, 

a spin off of the 3M created by Jeanette!

We take ordinary challenges and turn them into extraordinary,

out of the box, stomach turning, nail biting challenges!

Well, maybe not that extreme :)

But close!

This month, I was the hostess and instead of throwing down the gauntlet

of a really hard challenge, I made mine a little more tangible.

I bought 3 wooden carved gorgeous leaves from a mom and pop shop

(say that 3 times fast!)

while we were vacationing in Tennessee a few years ago.

I saw them and thought we could use them somehow 

and packed them away ... 

until now ♥

My challenge was:

I've enclosed a leaf that I purchased years ago when we first started

the 3M thinking one day we would use it. 

 Now is the time!
I bought it during our winter mountain vacation in Tennessee 

where we had glorious blankets of snow. 

I also adore the changes of the leaves and all the gorgeous colors of autumn

so the leaf will be the focal point of your card!

 

Here is my card, using Gansai Tambi watercolors,

a white embossed leaf imprint from Unity Stamp Co 

Kit of the month: Moments between Moments.

I LOVE THIS KIT!

It's definitely up on my favorites list!

The sentiment is also from Unity Stamps Co and a newer stamp 

called A little warmth. 

You can see Barb's card here and Jeanette's card here

with their fall foliage cards!

Thanks for stopping by!

And just in case you needed a quick peek ...

only 34 more days until Christmas!!!

So close!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

RSG: Music from the 70's!

 

 Hello again!

 

This is my 2nd post for today ~

and I'm singing!

Slightly off-key, as I usually do :) 

It's time for a new challenge with the card group:  Ready, Set, Go!

It's a challenge that Barb, Jeanette and I started 2 years ago ...

almost to the day!

It's a card challenge ~ kicked up a notch or two.

 

I was the hostess this month and chose a theme of:

 Time Capsule: Music from the 70's!

 

 

Time Capsule!

This month, we are taking a step back into the glorious 1970s! 

In a time where hair was defined by icons like Farrah Fawcett and bell bottoms were all the rage, and bicycles had banana seats and candies like mary janes and bottle caps were favored, and the average of a new house cost $23,400!

The 1970s was an era of eclectic style and music. It was considered to be a golden age for vinyl records and Sony Walkman permanently changed the music game!

So turn back the radio dial and hear ONE SONG on the radio. Who's voice do you hear?

Create a card with that song AND artist in mind ~ using the song title/song lyrics to create a card for the May 2019 RSG.

For the extra challenge, use one element on your card described in the song (i.e., dice, pink flower, blue sky, etc - you get the idea!)

 

 

 Growing up, we heard a lot of country music and radio music ~

from George Straight, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline all the way to

 Creedence Clearwater Revival to Grateful Dead!

My dad like a little bit of rock n roll and a whole lotta country!

 

One of those country artists we'd hear often was none other than Glen Campbell!

Rhinestone Cowboy was a very popular song.

Even today, 

on that rare occasion that it pops on a station that plays 'oldies but goodies' 

I sing along!

Albeit slightly off-key :)

 

 

I thought it would be fun to ink up Saddle Up and Celebrate from

My Favorite Things stamps and create my Rhinestone Cowboy card.

I've even used the paper pack from their recent retirement sale,

and dies that were already in my craft supplies from past MFT purchases.

And the addition of the rhinestones was a nod to the song!

 

This was a fun card to make!

It made even better using the sketch from the challenge

today at Splitcoaststampers. 

 

 You can see Barb's card here

and Jeanette's card here.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly 

RSG: Portion Control!

    Hi friends 

and Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a house full of guests and family ~

a few extras (like every year!)

so I'm scrambling to get cards done and posted :)

Today's card is for the Ready, Set, Go! Challenge

with Barb and Jeanette and I.

I was the hostess this month with a theme of:  Portion Control!

Typically in November, we gather together with friends and family and celebrate the bountiful harvest with gratitude and thanksgiving! 

 And that usually includes lots of food :)  

No need to loosen a button or unbuckle the belt for this month the RSG!

For the crafty side of November, we’re going to show portion control!

  On this month’s card, use only a portion of your image!

  No full stamping ... only part of your image can be on the paper.

  For example, have a large flower stamp? Set it off the the edge of the paper!  You can add more than one - creating a collage effect if you like - but no full images, including only highlighting part of it like a spotlight technique

 (as the full image is visible below it.) 

 Have fun choosing your image and enjoy keeping the portions Lighter! 

At least for your cards ;)

For my card today, I used the stamp set Santa's Elves from My Favorite Things ~

a stamp set that I was lucky to win from MFT!

It was on my wish list for a long while and now it's in my home and heart!

I've made 3 cards with this set already ♥

I created a little cut out with some die-namics, paper, cardstock, ink + foam!

This card POPS!
Literally :)

  
I popped up the frame with 3d foam for dimension and let only 
a portion of the elf and tree be shown.
I embossed a sentiment from the same set for the front,
and stamped another on the inside!

I still decorate most of my cards on the inside,
but this one bears showing ♥

 Speaking of elves, it's almost time!
One of our TREASURED holiday past times is bringing out Buddy the Elf!

  I'm still having software troubles and my cards often look a little blurry.
They aren't :)
 If you click directly onto the photo, it usually shows up clear!

One day a little elf will show me I'll figure out all the techy stuff! 
Meanwhile, you can hop on over to Barb's blog and Jeanette's blog
and see what they made with Portion Control.

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

Ready, Set, Go: Green Pastures!

Hi everyone and happy Saturday!

It's been a wonderful start to the weekend for me! 

 I received some absolutely fantastic news via email ... 

though I can't tell you until November ♥

{shhhh!  Here's a little sneak peek!}

  I. am. so. excited!!

  

I've also been able rest and make some cards :)

I have a lot of catching up to do from ones I've missed

 through-out the busy year and get started on some new ones!

 Back in August, I was the hostess for the Ready, Set, Go! Challenge,

The challenge was to choose a quirky saying that today's younger generation would probably wonder what it means!

For example:  "He's as a slow as molasses in January!" 
"Do you have ants in your pants?" and
"Madder than a wet hen!"
LOL!
Some of the sayings from an era long ago and 

days gone by might even still be with your family today, like for us! 

For this challenge, to make things really interesting,
 we did not come up with our own saying - that would be too easy!

The challenge was to come up with 2 quirky sayings 

and send it to the partner to create a card ...... like this! ↓

Barb sent 2 sayings to Kelly, Kelly to Jeanette, and Jeanette to Barb!

These are what Barb sent to me:

First one is not really a saying, just a name my mom would say when someone was trying to help—but not really that helpful.  She would call them Helpful Hannah.  And, we still use that one.

Second—A special one to my dad as a farmer was that the “corn needed to be knee high by the 4^th of July.”  He was a great farmer and took special pride in having some of the best crops in the area.  Out corn was always that high and maybe shoulder height some years. 

I couldn't really figure out how to incorporate the first one,

 so I went with the second one Barb sent to me!

I loved her words about farming and her special memories of her dad ♥

I inked up my Birdie Brown's Green Pastures and Pure Innocence 'Hay There",
both from My Favorite Things.

I thought they were perfect for creating a farm card :)

I kept my card mostly green and white for the namesake of the stamp,
and designed this fun mashup of several of my own previous cards!

And that's it from me! 
You can see Barb's card here and Jeanette's card here.
Be sure to stop by on or around November 15th
to see what we're doing next month!

Big hugs, bigger blessings.
~Kelly