You're FLAMazing!

 

Hi friends!

Wishing you a FLAM-azing day!

This adorable flamingo from Whimsy Stamps

is so summery ~ and so very Florida!

You can see the Youtube for it here!

Summer's almost over here 

and we're almost back in school, college and taking the last vacations!

In fact, we're off to have one last summer hurrah before

The Kid heads to college.

I used Flamingo Summer clear stamps and outline dies

from Whimsy Stamps.

The background was a quick sunray stencil with watercolors

and the images are colored with prismacolor markers.

And remember to shine today!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kelly

Hi! Happy Summer!

Hi friends!

and HELLO summer!  

School is officially out and this is such a glorious time of year ...

The good 'ol days of summer.

 

Yesterday (and today - at 1 am!)

 I had a fun crafter-noon with uninterupted card making

after I dropped my son off at a  ....... yep, pool party!

And just in time, my new Pink and Main stamps arrived to play with ♥

These sending waves cuties are such a delight ...

the minute I spied them, I said let's make a pool party ~ on paper! :)

Here's how I made this trio of friends card:

I really wanted the look of a pool with a thick white border 

so I taped off the 4 sides of the cardstock,

 then sponged out different shades of blue distress ink and oxide ink

in Broken China and Evergreen Bough.

Once that was finished, 

I stamped and colored the 3 friends from the stamp set,

alternating different colors of skin and hair,

and arranged them around the pool.

I had another spontaneous idea while creating this card,

so in the end I didn't add the sunshine but put a sentiment in it's place!

A few clear and aqua color sequins and this pool party 

is ready to begin!

Because summer looks good on you!  :)

If you want to peek back again,

you'll see more of this Pink and Main stamp set soon ~
it's my next stamp set in my 3/3 series ♥

 I've been playing along with the Kathy Racoosin's 

#thedailymarker30 day and already we're up to day 10 ~ woohoo!

I'll enter this into her coloring challenge here.

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

TPB ~ It's Summer somewhere!

Hi friends!

Happy Monday!

I hope your weekend was spectacular ♥

Today's card is channeling summer!

When I made it last week, we were packing our bags to head 

to the beach ourselves for our weekend getaway :)

 

This card was such fun to make.

It's a collaborative card using products from Eyelet Outlet

and The Project Bin from the Instagram hop they had this weekend. 

I used the Summer Fun stamp set, one of my favorites!  

I chose products that reflected a beach/summer theme

since I knew that's what my card would be.

Here's how I made this card:

I started by masking and blending my Tim Holtz Distress Oxides

in Broken China and Squeezed Lemonade and my mini blending tool.

I wanted to create the illusion of sand dunes 

and in order to do that, I created a template out of chipboard.

The palm tree brads were a bit smaller than I planned for

so I went with a 'in the far distance' look :)

And to finish it off the beach scene, I added seagulls,

the quintessential bird at the ocean!

 

Finally,  I created a frame to go around the image and 

popped the whole card onto 3D foam.

This card is really thick, measuring almost 1/4 of an inch!

I really love this card ~  it's so peaceful, serene, calming ♥

I do love living so close to the beach and visiting often ...

hence, the name of my blog :)

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

~Kelly

Relax, unwind!

Hi friends!

I hope your Sunday is going well ~

our day is filled to the brim but in wonderful ways ♥

   

I have another card to share with you as a Guest Designer for March

over at Dare2bArtzy. 

It's my final card and it's been a fun spot!

  Thank you Dare2BArtzy!

Today’s card is using the stamp set Flip Flops  ~

 summer is going to be here sooner than you think,

unless you live in South Florida like me and then it's always summer :)

This card has a lot of layers –

 perfect for the challenge this month: Lots of Layers.

First up, I inked the fun lemonade stamp, colored it with copic markers and blended it to give it a little ‘watery’ vibe.

There is an awesome matching die set to this stamp set – you can see that here.

I’ve fussy cut mine and added 3d foam dots to pop it up from the card.

Lastly, the sentiment is a wonderful reminder 

for all of us to take some time to unwind ♥

Thanks for your visit today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

D2BA: Kick back .... and relax!

 Hi friends!

 Since I live in South Florida, I practically live in flip flops!
(the other half of the time, I'm probably barefoot - LOL!)

I'm thrilled to be on the blog today as a guest designer for Dare2BArtzy
for the month of March.

 Last week, I shared an arctic penguin fun card ♥

 Today, we'll head into the sunshine for some sun 
and sand in our flip flops with this card!  

The beautiful stamp set that is featured on today's card
is called exactly that ~ Flip Flops!

 Too fun!

 

For today's card, I used my D2BA Totally Black premium die ink, 
and stamped out the sentiment in the Flip Flops #16218 stamp set 
onto heavy weight white cardstock using the MISTI.

These inks stamp crisp and perfectly every.  single.  time!

I then stamped the adirondack chair onto textured paper ~

and I didn't continually restamp it with the MISTI
in order to give it a wooden, weather look.

(please note: My deck chair here in this card is stamped with

SU! chocolate chip ink!)

Next, I ran that through my cuttlebug with a sloped, stitched die,

added some twine and buttons and brightly colored paper

to complete the beachy look.

The inside carries over the same theme as the front

with the flip flops and another sentiment in the set.

This stamp set is truly wonderful ~

and one you can use over and over again for a variety of cards!

I'm already working on more cards with this set :)

Here's a look at the Flip Flops stamps set and dies:

 
I hope today you can kick back ... and relax! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!

~Kelly

Riley and Company - Summer Fun!

Hi friends! 

 

It's time for a new Riley and Company challenge,

the cutest little Moose that ever was!

This week, our challenge is ~ Summer Fun!

Our summer has had all kinds of wonderfulness,
but one of our favorite past-times is just being still.
Because of how hot it is here during the day,
the backyard breaths full of life in the coolness of the evenings -
the kids, us, the dogs ...
 all head outdoors to enjoy the beauty of our tropics!
When the kids were little, we build them a wooden play fort,
tree house, slide, bridge, pirate rope, jungle gym, swing set play set.
It's a utopia of wooden bliss :)

It's a beautiful thing to see all 4 kids all lined up on their swings ...
no longer little, but still loving their space ♥

My humble card offering today is using Swinging Riley ~
created with scraps in my bin and using a very old sketch in my files.
The buttons were on my desk and were a nearly perfect match -
You know they had to be on the card :)

Want to Play Along?

If you would like to play along with us of course we would love to have you! 

To play create a card using Riley and Company images.

Once you have created your card/project,

 post to the Riley and Company challenge blog and place a comment with a link to your card/project to this post so we can see what you have created.

 If you upload your card/project to Splitcoast Stampers, please include the keyword Riley1515.   We can't wait to see what you create! 

 

By now, I'm on the road to college!
We're taking off for a few days to get dd to her orientation and registered,
as well as scrambling to get so much accomplished while we're up there.
In the meantime, get our your Riley and Company stamps
and show us your Summer Fun cards!

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly


 

Sweet Summer Days ♥

Hi friends! 

 

*Raise your hand if you want to be here!*

 

 

Today is my turn to post on the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog :)

Today's card is a wonderful reflection of the peace

and serenity of summer 'nothing-ness' :)

 

With summer's end drawing near,

I'm stretching it out by using summer stamps like this one!

I inked up my Hammock in Palms rubber stamp +

colored it with prismacolor markers,

and added a bit of sand embossing powder to the little edge.

And, of course, burlap! ♥

 

 

Truth is, if I head out to my Jeep, I'll find plenty of real sand

from our recent beach trips - LOL!

I've also added a Just for Fun sentiment to the inside of my card
"Thinking of you" .... along with the shells (also JFF stamps!)

You can find all these and many more
in the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps shop!

Thanks for stopping by today ~
Big Hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

 

 CraftyCatz 243 - Lazy Days of Summer
FairyTale 97 - Sun, Beach, Sea
Stampin' for the Dragon -  Sun, Sand, Sea
Aud Sentiments - Thinking of You
The East Wind -  the beach
Our Creative Corner - Summertime

 

Let's Scuba!

 

Hi everyone! 

 I can't believe summer is winding down already ~ say it isn't so!

I'm not ready for the new school year,

which starts in just 2 short weeks.
I'm soooo not ready! :(

 

We love the outdoors here and when blessed with gorgeous weather,
we make trips to the beach!

My 'to-make' list from Pinterest has grown,

including creations needing shells - lots and lots of pretty shells!

The tides haven't brought many to the shore lately,

so we ventured out with masks and snorkels to find them -

and did we ever!

I'm super excited to get started on those gifts now ♥

  

This week's bi-weekly Riley and Company Stamps challenge

is brought to us by Kendra ~ Summer/outdoor sports.
While we don't scuba, we snorkel --

 an outdoor activity that we just love!

I've used Scuba Riley on my card today,

colored with prismacolor markers and added to a card base

with summery, bright colors ...

such a happy card :)

 

Be sure stop by the challenge blog to see the rest of the DT

inspirations!

If you'd like to link up your Riley card to the challenge blog,

or add your card to a gallery,

please use the keyword Riley1614.

Thanks for stopping by!

Big Hugs, Bigger Blessings ♥
~Kelly

I'll enter my card into:  2cute Ink - Animals
Craftybloggers - Summer Fun
Imagination crafts - Summer Holiday/Scene
My craft spot - Summer Fun Colors
Come and Get it - All About Dies
Crafting when we can - Bright Colors
 

Dueling Darlings ~ Sunshine and Flip-Flops!

Hiya friends! 

 It's the 15th of the month and that means the Dueling Darlings 

post their cards, created from a kit sent by a hostess with a chosen theme.  This month our hostess is the lovely Carol (who, btw, is having a birthday today!  Happy Birthday, dear friend - so blessed by your friendship and wish you many wonderful things the whole year through!)  Carol for the Divas (us!) and Melina for the Dazzlers came up with the theme this month:  

Sunshine and Flip-flops ~ 

which is a theme right up my alley! :)

Carol's kit was bursting with fun-ness for the sun-ness!

Lots of yummy papers, cute sunglasses and flip-flops ...

and two images for us to chose from:  feisty Ethel or sweet little Anya.

I chose the Anya as it reminds me of my girls when they were younger,

always ready for the beach and summer fun ~ such fond memories we have :)

  Thank you, Carol, for your deliciously Summer card kit!

Be sure to stop by and see all the Dueling Darling cards ...

you can find their links in my sidebar :)

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

entered into:  
eclitic ellapu - celebrate summer sunshine
creatalicious challenge - all about summer
whimsical designs - Summertime Fun Challenge
Ribbon Carousel - Fun in the Sun
The Paper Nest Dolls - Summer Lovin'

Get your grill on!

Good morning!!  By the time this posts, we'll most likely be on the monorail heading into the Magic Kindgom - not grilling! :)  But what a fun theme for this month's Dueling Darling card kit duel!  Our hostess this month, Tami, sent us this fantastic-ly fun kit with a Whipper Snapper Grill Sargeant image and a plethora of wonderful emellies and cute papers! I chose the red/picnic themed color palette to make a fun summer-ish card and overall, I think it's pretty simple.  I wanted the Grill Sargeant to be the focal point, though I'm looking at my card now and see I forgot to color his spatula - so pretend you don't see that! *smile!*

Card front

   

The party theme continues on the inside! :)

Tami also asked us to include our favorite recipe from the grill.  Since I don't eat meat, one of my favorite items when dh is grilling is to add my veggies to the grill in a foil package or laid out on a skewer!  For me, it's a meal! I adore zucchini and summer squash - Yum!!  Here's one that I use often from my Weight Watcher recipes:

	Grilled Summer Veggies 4 small uncooked zucchini, halved lengthwise
	2 medium yellow peppers, quartered
	2 medium sweet red peppers, quartered 2 Summer Squash,  cut & quartered
	2 medium uncooked vidalia onions, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
	2 spritzes of olive oil cooking spray
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/2 tsp black pepper
	3 Tbsp chives, fresh, snipped

Instructions

• Preheat grill or grill pan. Place vegetables on a cutting board and coat with cooking spray.
  
  
• Grill vegetables, turning often, until lightly charred and tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to cutting board. Cut zucchini, squash and bell peppers into bite-size chunks. Separate onions into rings.
  
  
• Place cooked vegetables in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chives; toss lightly. Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Wishing you a wonderful grill-filled week/end!  Be sure to see my sidebar to see what all the divas and dazzlers made with their Time for Grilling cards and I'll see you all on Tuesday!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly~

You are my Summer :)

Happy Thursday!  It's the 28th and that means the Calendar Girls blogging group post our cards!  This month, our hostess is the lovely Michelle and she gave us the best theme to create - Summer!  Along with a sketch challenge from SCS388, this is what she challenged us to do:

For most of us, June is the month that starts summer...many events are happening...school ending, graduation, weddings, flowers blooming and family vacations.

My challenge is...using SC 388 (found in the SC thread), with any color combination create a card that best suits your beginning to summer, or summer plans. It could be a trip you are planning, a flower that is blooming, a wedding you are attending, or a graduation gathering. Whatever it could be...have fun creating a card to go with it.

Michelle (the "new" 2012 Miss June)

Fun, right?!!  For my card using her chosen sketch,  I used my TGF "Summer" scrapbooking kit ~ this poor set hasn't seen ink in soooo long!  I wanted to pair this with bright summer colors and went straight for orange :)  Our summer definitely starts out a little busy with Tae Kwan Do classes and performing arts camp but once it settles down, we are all about the beach and trips around Florida including Disney World! :)  In fact, we cancelled our plans for being out of town this week/end due to the tropical storm we saw looming and leave in a couple of weeks instead. And of course, the storm is not only gone, we have a gorgeous heaping of sunshine!  

 Here's another peek at the sketch :) 

One of my very favorite parts of this Sunshine Kit from TGF are the sentiments. They are just darling!  

Please be sure to stop by the other Calendar Girls to see what they came up with using this sketch and their summer plans, too!  You can find their link in my side bar.  

Thanks for stopping by today

and I hope your summer is off to a blessed start!

Card entered into these challenges for summer:
CardzTV 111 
Sassy Cheryls
My Craft Spot - 61: Hot Summer Colors!

Card Details: 
PTI White; Orange; Chartreuse;  SU Summer Sun;
Image + Sentiment:  TGF Anya, Summertime; Prismacolor markers; 
CB, trimmer; nesties; DSP = MME; Buttons and flower from Prima;
scrap ric-rac; Twinery mint twine; Fiskars border punch; 3d dots; Tombo

   

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly~

Sending you Butterfly Blessings!

*It's Twisted Tuesday Challenge Time!  This week, we would like for you to create a card that reflects summertime!

The Twist:  Use Red on your card somewhere!*

Link up your cards HERE!

And be inspired by the DT cards this beautiful week of summer!

Hi there!  Another rainy evening here and which made catching up on crafting one of my evening accomplishments.   A few days ago, the kids and I were walking on the nature trails through the mangroves at Key Biscayne.  We had spent a few hours at the beach and felt the calling to explore the area before heading home.  During one of the twists and turns  through the wilderness!  through the brambles, we stumbled upon 2 butterflies dancing and twirling, flying a dance only known to them. It was magnificent flight and an unexpected glance at beauty!  I always think of each moment like that as a gift from God ~ the small surprises and tiny blessings but a great big reminder that God is with us faithfully.  As the butterflies leap and flew and danced about, I felt His presence saying 'Do you see! Isn't it beautiful! I made this for you!"  

I kept that in mind when creating today's card :)  This is actually one I call a hot mess!   You do not want to know how long this card took to make :x  I don't know if I'm "in summer mode" or just crafted out but I stare at the papers for hours, end up cross-eyed and frustrated.  Then one small thing comes along, like the memory of the butterflies, and it just falls in place.  Hallelujah! :)

For today's Cottage Cutz card, I used the build-a-butterfly die from the Spring Blossom collection at The Scrapping Cottage - LOVE!!!  This is one magnificent die, so crisp and precise.  I used the larger die as the backdrop and layered it with the ornate frame.  This is a pretty simple card overall, but in the end, I'm counting it as one of the blessings of having rainy days, special memories and crafting time! 

Be well, and I leave you with a verse from one of my old favorite hymns.  I thought of it when I was stamping the sentiment onto the paper :)  

"When upon life's billows you are temptest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."  

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly~

Entered into these challenges for consideration:  SSCC #145 Use a Flag or Banner
PaperPlay Challenge - Use a die
Word Art Wednesday:  Scripture