2025 ~ Word of the Year + Crafty Goals!

 Welcome 2025!

Each year, I share on my blog a word of the year 

that becomes my guide in this journey called life.

I don't usually seek a word, it always manages to find me,

usually in the most obscure times like out jogging or sitting in church.

True story!

This year was almost different.

I had another word in mind, one I thought was 'mine.'

I even took the proverbial 'Dayspring quiz!' like every year 

and it gave me a completely different second word.

Oh boy.

So, I sat with the first OG word for a bit, marinating in it ...

until one night, something absolutely life changing happened.

It tore to the core of my soul.

I sobbed for 2 hours, absolutely broken.

And finally I said "Heavenly Father, I can't do this!"

And I swear on my father's grave I heard, "Yes, you can.'

(to which I literally looked up to the dark sky

having a 'Are You There God' Margaret moment.)

And I felt ... peace.

PEACE.

There you are.

My little word.

I found you 💚

It reminded me that while we might be in the trenches,

 it doesn't mean the battle can't be won.

Peace, for me, is living an abundant life 

and growing on a personal level,

and building a vision for goals that brings harmony on my journey.

Inner peace is incredibly healing.

I just have to seek it, live it.

PEACE.

AND FUNNY THING!

Not too long ago, I bought a tshirt on a whim (TikTok Made Me Buy It)

and the t-shirt that says "If it costs your peace, it's too expensive."

PEACE.

There it is again, that word.

And I was still marinating in the other word when I bought it.

So, today ... I put it on :)

January 1, 2025

Oh! And peep the new hair cut!

I also chopped off 10 inches of hair.

I left to get groceries, walked past a salon, went in

 and said chop off my hair!  

I was in a moment of total crisis and chaos but my stylist 

 ~ who I met for the first time & luckily didn't judge 

or call for a Baker Act ~

 took my tears and insanity in stride AND gave me a bomb AF hair chop!

Total whim but at least I'll go into 2025 a few pounds lighter!

I also forgot the groceries but that's another story 😏

CRAFTY GOALS!

2025 has some in with the new, out with the old.

A peek at my vision board for a visual here!

* I'm delighted to be on the Whimsy Stamps design team,

continuing onward with another year! Thank you! 💗

* I was invited to join the Crafty Meraki DT - me?! 

After the shock, I said YES! and will navigate this new adventure.

* One Plus Twelve card challenge ~ my favorite card challenge!

It's one that I created with the idea of stretching

our stamps and I just adore the challenge.

This will be the 7th year.

One stamp, Twelve months of cards!

* 3 Musketeers mystery image card creation group continues!

* Cards For All Seasons Instagram Wednesday card group!

We have rebranded but still going strong! 

* Kell-of-a-mess (formerly Hot Mess cards)

I'm returning to the fun of making a mess, but only on cards!

* 2 NEW challenges! I have ideas upon ideas 

and am excitedto bring this to fruition!

  My brain is always on hyper-drive

and the things I come up with are absolutely wild! TBA ~ Stay tuned!

I've decided to cut back on all the IG hops due to time restrictions

and possibly shelf my YouTube channel.  

Between the hauls, unboxings and cards

 (why I started my channel in the first place),

my cards were the least favorite among my viewers.

EEK!  

Low viewer count, lots of thumbs down ... harsh!

I go back and forth of restarting videos

so that's an 'maybe pile' for now and

I'll be adding more REELS to Instagram instead!

Thanks for making it this far 💗

I wish you a year ahead filled with all the blessings!

Peace! 

2022: Word of the Year ♥

Hi friends!

The clock has struck midnight,

and it's officially 2022!

 I love the fresh start to a new year ~

a clean slate, an entire 365 days that say I'm here...

what are our plans?!

This is my 11th year of blogging my Word of the Year

and I hold on to my Word of the Year as a mantra ...

a gentle reminder of how I journey the twelve months ahead.

As always, I don't chose my words.

Rather, they chose me.

From the moments in my life that were funny to the mundane,

the moments of worry and of triumph,

and every little moment in between,

they whisper to me...

and I listen.

This year, it came to me pretty early on and in a moment of great worry.

It was there.

So calming, so beautifully refreshing and nurturing.

And for the FIRST TIME in the 35+ year history of my words,

it's a noun!

My 2022 Word of the Year is RIVER.

River = an abundant stream or source with a copious flow,

outpouring.

I was sitting in my oncologist's office and my wandered ...

thinking of the places I love and things I hadn't done.

I burst into tears, then laughter, sitting there all by myself 

in that black plastic chair.
We were at a castle in Germany, and my son (just about 2)

wanted to walk through this castle moat river - with no shoes!

So we did!

It was an adventure, crossing over the pebbles and stones

smoothed by years of the flowing river.

and there it was.

River.

A river, whether it's graceful and calm 

or swift and turbulent,

 still flows forward.

Whatever is meant for me in this life, 

no matter the force or course that's flowing,

that's the direction I want to go.

It beckons ... follow it ♥

What's coming in 2022!

I've rebooted my YouTube channel 

and have several new series planned for this year.

I'll be posting several card/projects this year

 on my channel and some here on my blog.

They are super fun, some super messy and meant to inspire!

My motto is:  If it make it up, I'm going to create it up!

1.  What's New In '22! ~ I love to thrift and recycle and upcycle.

I plan to vlog my trips to the thrift stores, share what I find,

and how I 'flip it' to something useful and/or modern.

I'll do some blog write ups, too!

What's old is new and will be new in '22!

2. Creative Art Play! ~ I love making creative messes 

and playing with unique art ideas .. this series combines them both!

This is the make it up, create it up idea where I come up with some doozies.  I'll have ridiculously fun items that I use in my artwork/cardmaking and they are WILD! 

This series has me SO EXCITED!

3.  Alice in Colorland!  ~ My granddaughter, Alice, is the apple 

of my eye and we love to color.  My daughter had a great idea

and she suggested that Alice pick my color palettes to create my cards.

AND, since she's only 3, she will choose just. 3. colors. 😱

I'm excited for this one (and a bit nervous, LOL! 3 colors??)

BUT, because she's 3, she reserves the right to change her mind

as she pleases and it may be 3 or 30 .. who knows!

 "Here, Oma!  THIS!"

Yes ma'am.

4.  One Plus Twelve! ~ My favorite card series ever!

This is my 4th year of this challenge and I just love this series 

where I take one stamp (& only ONE) 

and make a card once a month.

The idea: we spend a lot on our stamps and then often use them 

only once ~ this stretches the use of our dollars we spend

and at the end of the year, have 12 cards made from one stamp!

5.  PLAN my RIVER guide!

I signed up for 52 week vision board community 

where we use our PLANNERS each week 

for gratitude journaling, art prompts, and goal setting.

I'm using mine as a springboard for RIVER

(Refreshing, Imaginative, Visual, Enlightened, Radiant) art.

yep, I came up with that myself :)

There are no restrictions on myself to be perfect, be right or on time!

I'm going to go with a river's ethereal pace and create freely,

letting the creative space in my brain flow onto the pages.

In addition, 

I'll also continue to share my Dueling Darlings 2 card kits

as well as the quarterly Mission Possible cards

and a quarterly card camp with some crafty friends.

And I'm still on the CCEE Stampers DT which is super lovely group!

I'm also learning how to make FLIP books,

 Memory Dex cards and 

ATC 3-d build-upon TAGS

 with wonderful friends I've made on YouTube!

We chat and text and I say "I can't!" and they say "you can!"

Thank you ♥

Finally, aside from cheap thrift flip purchases, 

 I plan to use more of my own supplies.

I don't plan purchase more than I need

 and be more earthly conscious.

I have enough :)

And these are my grand plans for 2022!

As I reflect on our night last night, surrounded by family

and laughter and love, 

it was an amazing reminder of what matters the most.

I'm keeping 2022 in perspective and guiding myself

through a peaceful RIVER.

Be blessed :)

Thanks for stopping in!
~Kelly

Made to soar ....

Hi friends!

Happy Saturday :)

I hope the start of your weekend is filled with wonderful plans

and you'll be enjoying it in all ways that make you smile!

You may remember that my word of the year for 2021 is Soar 

and I invite you to read my blog post here on how it found me :)

I was equally excited to see earlier in the year that Altenew

had released a stamp set with this exact word!

I knew instantly I had to order it ~ and yet I think this may be

only the second time I've used it this year!

And ......

I'm using it now for the Inspiration Challenge at SCS

and this is the photo that inspired me to create this card.

I kept the overall idea the same and did a quick watercolor wash background and ran that through the Big Shot when it was dry.

I popped it up onto a simple white frame background

and then stamped/die cut the birds to mimic flying.

 

Wishing you all things wonderful as you head into the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by :)

2020: Word of the Year ♥

Hello 2020!

I am convinced I must have been Cinderella in my past life.

Yes, I married my prince charming :)

And while I occasionally wear glass slippers wish for a fairy Godmother,
I know that I'm very VERY blessed ♥

But here it is - nearly midnight on the first day of the new year -

and I'm already watching the clock nearly strike twelve!

I do love the freshness of a new year ...

 the clean slate, the chance to start anew.

There's a certain magic in knowing the next 365 days of the year

can be anything you want them to be.

Every year,

 and for the past 8 years here on my blog,

I have a Word of the Year that becomes my 'mantra.'

It's one that inspires me, and often nudges me,

and reminds me to grow as a person on different levels.

 

The funny things about my Word of the Year

 is that I don't choose them. 

They always chose me ♥ 

My husband wanted to go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve this year.

 I find that a lot of my funniest thoughts happen when I'm sitting in church.

{You might remember this year when I was daydreaming in church

and I got my WOTY ... loud and clear!}

This year - as righteous as holy water - there it was again.

I was on my phone sitting in the pews, lost to the latin prayers being said,

and took a quick scripture quiz on what my WOTY could be.

After 20 or biblical questions, it was the exact word I'd been contemplating!

:::: cue the angelic music and rays of light ::::

And I just knew.

I said it out loud for a couple of days,

trying it on for size.

And, unlike most of my clothes, it fit.

Bloom.

 By definition, bloom, as a verb, means:

 to mature into achievement of one's potential;

to flourish in freshness or excellence;

to shine out.

I'd been thinking of this particular word

because there is so much growing I hope to do.

As a wife.

mom.

grandmother.

steward.

daughter.

sister.

friend.

crafter.
writer.

It's more than just living - growing - in the moment ...

it's thriving, reaching, exploring, soaring!

Bloom.

On a creative level, my hopes are to carry this into my card making.

In order to bloom best, I'm also giving myself the gift of creative freedom.

If the 'one a week for 52 weeks' didn't work,

I'll just adjust the way I set out my potted self to grow :)

This is, after all, a wonderfully FUN journey of paper, stamps and ink!

What do I have planned for this year?

This!.

1. There's room for leftovers!

For this card series, I'll create a card with anything left over

from a crafting session.

Goal: Try to keep/use as many bits and pieces as I can in a creative way
and add them to a card.

2. Carded, Twice.
The world needs us - now, more than ever.
We're big on recycling ~ in our home, as volunteers locally helping to clean up our waterways, previously in classrooms.
Goal: Finding ways to reuse an item of a recycled nature on a card!
Items will be used, not tossed, on CARD + for the second time (Twice!)

Waste not, Want not!

3.  Grab it and Add it!

Don't you love having a stamp set with 8-10 stamps on it?

And then sometimes we use ........ one stamp.

In this series, I'll create a card by GRABBING a random stamp set

and ADD on as many stamps as I can from the set on to one card.

Goal:  Once a month,  using a different stamp company/set.

4. A grateful he(art)

Becoming an Oma to my darling granddaughter, Alice, 

has gifted me a love I could have not imagined.

She is the greatest treasure and my sweetest joy!

Seeing life through her eyes has given me a sense of grace and beauty

that I want to carry over into everything ♥ 

Goal:  Reach into my joy jar and pull out a word at random

and create a card based on that one little word ~
this will be a quarterly project!

In addition to these, I'll still continue on with The Project Bin design team,
the CCEE Stampers challenges,
 my One Plus Twelve card challenge for the second year,
 the 3 Musketeers, the Ready Set Go

 and Hot Mess Success challenges and the Crafters of Faith card groups.
And my newest venture, Stamp What? as created by my son
to use my 'old dusty Stampin' Up stamps'
 and he'll surprise me by choosing which one!

So, while I don't have a Jaq or Gus and I can't wave a "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo",

I'm excited to see what 2020 holds!

"Have enough courage to start and enough heart to finish." 

- Jessica Yourko

I always believe there's room to grow.

and thrive. and reach. and explore.  and soar.

I just hope I'm on time for it!

Happy New Year!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

2019: Word of the Year

Hello 2019!

It's a new year, a fresh start, the beginning of a beautiful journey!

Each year, and for the past 7 years on my blog,

I have a Word of the Year that's purposeful ~

one that inspires and encourages me to do better ...

BE better.

 What I love about this year's word?

Like many of them in the past, I didn't choose it ...

it chose me :)

In the wonderful way the word tilts and turns,

somehow we find each other, my word and I,

 and

  I. just. know. 

See .... I had a word.

A different one.

I loved that word!

 I remember seeing it and thinking "Yes! That's the one!"

Last week, I was at home about to leave

and I looked back at my beautiful family.

In our home, there is a lot of laughter and love abounds!

As I stood in the doorway and glimpsed  

at their belly-laughing, side-splittin', good time havin' moment,

 I almost gasped.

There it was.

Gift.

 The word itself just warms my heart ♥

Each and every single day, we are given moments so precious.

I love seeing how He works through me, guiding and teaching,

and making it so crystal clear in one quick glance what He wants me to know.

 2018 was whirlwind but filled with grace and beauty.

 I also learned sometimes I didn't always see what was right in front of me.

Where I saw dismay, there was joy.

Where I saw heartbreak, there was blessedness.

Where I thought I was gracefully unbroken, I was being given a gift!

I just wasn't looking.

According to Merriam-Webster, gift is described as:

- a thing given willingly to someone without payment, a present.

- natural ability or talent.

In reading this, I know that both not only apply to me,

and my intentions for 2019, 

I cherish it!

yes.

this is my word ♥

 In keeping with tradition and carrying my WOTY into my crafty goals,

 I've set ones that are attainable and giftable!
.

My crafty goals for 2019: 
.

1.  Christmas cheer all year!

  Oh How December was a blur for me!

It was one big 900 mph, fueled by Starbucks month of merry madness!

I was SO BLESSED to receive so many beautiful cards and happy mails,

and yet I was only able to make cards for my family.

This year, I'll be focusing on holiday cards all year long!

So it might be Easter or 4th of July and you'll see Santa on my blog! :)
.

2.  52 card challenge (not the real name!) :)

Starting this week, you'll see a themed card that will start off

a whole year of cards, one a week for 52 weeks!

I won't spoil the surprise but I'm super excited!

 My family and I had a hilarious contest to come up with the name 

for the 52 cards challenge and mine actually won :)

*insert fist bump!* 

.

 3. One Plus Twelve 

Although the name sounds like a posh boutique, it's a stamp, paper and ink!

I've picked one stamp that I will use all year long, once a month,

as a personal challenge to see how many ways I can use that one stamp creatively!

I've named it One Plus Twelve =  one stamp + 12 months! 
.

4.  James 1:17
'Every good and perfect gift is from above'
This is the scripture I've chosen for this year to go along with my word.
We each have a gift, a talent, to share with someone.
Sometimes my itty bitty brain gets filled up with things I want to do!
I'll spend this year aimed at gifting more.
  .

 As we start a new chapter in a brand new year,
it's a gift to my heart knowing we are on this journey!

 2019 is here!

It's in plain view - for us to see, encompass, believe in.

Gift.

Live yours ♥

Big hugs, bigger blessings!

~Kelly