CCEE1728 ~ International Rock Day!

Hi friends!

It's time for another CCEE Stampers challenge #1728 and it's a fun one!

Maryann, our hostess for the month of July, 

asked us to create a card for International Rock Day.

I
I took the rock theme literally to a grand scale ~ the Grand Canyon!
I stamped/colored my Hero Arts National Parks poetic prints 
which was a splurge when they released this set :)
Stamps are just not in the budget, but I knew the minute I saw them, 
I had to have them ♥
The National Parks are an absolute breath of God's beauty,
a vision of grand display.
 

Using hues of red clay dirt and burnt sienna colors for erosion,
these mountainous rocks and beautiful Colorado River grace my card today.
i experimented with these stamps in several different card styles
and I'm really giddy about how all of them came out ...
(those will be on the blog next week!)
because I created a set of cards for my little guy to take to camp :)
 

While I almost always decorate the inside of my cards, too,

this one has a note for my son :)

 

However, here you can see the set in it's entirety ~

and next week, I'll show you the camp card set I made ♥

I love that about the CCEE Stampers and the opportunity 
to create cards outside the box.
No rocky starts to making this card!

How about you?!
We'd love for you to join us with your cards with the rock theme
or using the colors black, white, grey, brown, etc (like me - the etc!)
If you create a card with the DT's theme of Int'l Rock Day,
use the keyword CCEE1728 so we can stop by and leave love :)

And you can see the DT cards here on the CCEE blog.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥
~Kelly

TPB - You are AWESOME-SAUCE!

Hi friends!

I'm getting a late start this Monday morning ~ 

I've been sick since last night and struggling even get up :(

Today's card from The Project Bin was tons of fun to make ♥

This card is en route to summer camp for my son in his 'goodie box.'

I miss him soooo much,

but he's been having the time of his life making friends and memories :)

Since they allow care packages from home at the Scout camp,

I created this brightly colored, cheerful card 

reminding him that he is awesome and loved ♥

You might recognize the papers from yesterday's card ~

I'm keeping the theme going with summery, fresh colors.

The most important thing was the sentiment ~

so I used 2 different stamp sets:  Awesome-Sauce and In my Heart.

 

Remember ~ the fun starts this SATURDAY!!!

Our two day, Christmas in July palooza starts the 15th

at The Project Bin blog.

There will be cards, projects, holiday inspirations, and 2 give-away PRIZES!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

3M: Anything is POP-sicle :)

Hi friends!

 I hope your summer is going super! :)

Our son left for sleep-away Boy Scout camp so this mama 

is having a bit of a hard time adjusting.

He's having an adventure of a lifetime ~

hiking, camping, merit badging, white water rafting, etc!

 Me ... I'm missing my boy ... and making cards :/

On the 9th of every month, the 3 Musketeers (3M) post our cards

based on the image mailed to us by the current hostess.

This month, it's Jeanette, 

and she sent us this darling CC Designs Popsicle girl ♥

This Little Pixie's Popsicle Girl is just super sweet 

and I went with a summer-y vibe with my papers and embellishments,
including on the inside of my card with the matching sentiment. 

You can see the other 3M cards by going to their blogs,
Barb and Jeanette!

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

CCEE1727 ~ Masks

Hi friends!

It's time for a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers ~ Masks!

Our hostess, Maryann, asked us to:

Create a card using a mask, whether it is using a masking technique

 of a stamped image of a mask.

Since I don't own any mask stamps, I went the technique route :)

I needed to create a thank you card for a family

that recently invited my fun and crazy bunch over for dinner.

One comment we get often is "you guys sure are a fun bunch!"

So, naturally, I had to create a "fun" card *grin!*

The wonderful thing I love about the CCEE Stampers

is that we use our own stamps, any one from our stash.

It gets me inking them up again or for the first time.

Today's card is a combo of both:

one old, one new and both from Gerda Steiner Designs.

I used Llama tell you and How are Ewe?

To create this card, I stamped the larger ewe, then masked her off,

and stamped the smaller lamb behind her.

Same thing for the llama, masked off behind the larger one.

And the little birdie is just hanging out :)

I added faux grass by using Pink and Main dies,

stamped a quick sentiment and added enamel dots for grass divets.

You can see what all the designers have made using masks

by clicking the CCEE blog link or on their blogs.

Thank EWE for stopping by today :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Happy Birthday, USA!

Happy 4th of July,

America!

 

Today's card is one I made quickly with .... scraps!

Much like our country, this card had a vision ~

forged on hard work and coming together as one ♥

I really loved the words that were on the small pieces of dsp

and spent a minute reading and pondering them :)

Whatever you plan to do today

to celebrate this wonderful day of freedom,

have fun and be beautiful!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

I'll enter my card into:  The Outlawz - Flag colors
Always fun challenge - patriotic 
cards in envy - patriotic 
shopping our stash- Flag Day 
cut it up - red, white and blue

Joyful Song ♥

 Happy July, friends!

Can you believe it - we are halfway through 2017 :)

And woohoo ~ only 174 more days until Christmas! ♥

Being Monday, today is the day I post on the inspiration blog 

 at The Project Bin stamps.

And Denise, owner and illustrator, has released a brand new stamp set.

It's so heavenly and sweet and it's called Joyful Song ♥

Since I traditionally try to do something new for my Project Bin cards,

I wasted no time inking up my 'something new' with this stamp set!

I also dabbled with another color of the Hero Arts ombre ink ...

this one in hues of green ~ from a chartreuse to a forest green.

Again, I went in ascending colors, stamping horizontally

as you may remember reading from this post.

This card has a lot of layers, too!

Here's a peek at the inside of my card, using another stamp from the set.

I used the ombre ink for the inside as well :)

The Joyful Song stamp set is absolutely perfect 

to get an early start on your Christmas cards!

 

Speaking of Christmas, don't forget to save the date!

July 15-16th - you won't want to miss it.

The Project Bin design team will have cards and gift ideas,

and there will be giveaway prizes! ♥

 

Here's another peek at Joyful Song:

I hope today is positively angelic :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE1726 ~ Fairy Day ♥

Hello friends ♥

Such sweetness  ~ Saturday was Fairy Day!  

 Frances is the hostess again this week for the CCEE Stampers 

and her challenge is create a fairy card.

 

I inked up one of my very first CC Designs stamps

 ~ Butterfly Nora ~

She's been in my collections for years :)

Since she's a 'Swiss Pixie', that makes her a fairy, I'm sure!

Something different I've been dabbling with is my collection of inks.

I'm slowly learning how to use them more,

like today's simple background work.

I'm using the original distress ink by Tim Holtz - classic and simple!

I keep trying my new distress oxide inks 

and can't quite get the hang of them (yet) ...

 looks like I'll be visiting some you-tube videos ;)

For Butterfly Nora, I stamped her, then masked off her silhouette, 

then started sponging around for a warmth around her.

And I love, love, LOVE that I'm revisiting my forgotten stamps

(I have my friend, Barb, to thank for that - challenging our stash!)

It's a wonderful way to use stamps that haven't seen ink

or ink for a long while ;)

Here is the link to all the CCEE Stampers where more fairy goodness awaits:

Joanne Grzelak

Anne Harmon

Vicky Gould

Lois Bak

Liz Williams

Frances Byrne
Maryann Einam
Kelly McKown-Santi

We hope you can join in the challenge this week.  
If you upload your card to a gallery, like Splitcoaststampers, use the code CCEE1726.

I hope you have a fairy wonderful kind of day ♥

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

CYS: This isn't merlot in my cup!

Hi friends!

It's raining here today ~ a good day to stay indoors, craft

and enjoy a refreshing beverage of choice!

Or at least that's what Suzy tells us --

 the hostess for July in the Challenge Your Stash card group. 

Her theme for this month's card group is 

"make a card showing off your favorite beverage." 

It's no secret that mine is coffee.

Preferably wrapped in a Starbucks sleeve ;)

But one thing I drink a lot of and is actually a favorite of mine is water!

Yep, water.

Which is technically a major component of coffee ....

so there you go.  
ROFL!!

Since making a card with water was a bit confusing for me,

I chose to make a card using my favorite beverage memory. 

When dh and I were first married - reaching our 1st year anniversary -

he had a great idea to take us camping.

me.

camping.

As in .... outside. In a tent.  

me?

Alllllright! 

 Always up for a good adventure, I was all in.

We actually had a great time,

but some reason, I kept trekking the 3 miles

 (barefoot, in winter, up a hill, carrying 20 pounds of coal to light a fire ...)

Kidding!  Just seeing if you were still here *wink!*

 up to the general store to buy grape soda.

I wasn't even a big fan of grape soda!

 But on our way in, I saw the old coke machine 

and new what the choices were.  

And I couldn't stop thinking about it - during the day, all night.

Grape soda, grape soda, grape soda .... 

And that grape soda may as well as had a neon sign,

buzzing "Pick me, Pick me!"

I was digging in the car seats, under mats, in the ashtray for coins

and plunking them down into the machine, guzzling those purple beauties.

Flash forward a week after we got home .....

at the Dr's office, he joked:

"Been having any cravings lately?

Because you are going to be a mom!"

The funny thing is:

I wanted no part of it after that week 

and my oldest "grape soda" daughter isn't a fan either.

But we sure were back at camp - LOL!

So in honor of my oldest daughter,

this is truly NOT a glass of merlot .... it's grape soda :)

I'll enter my card into the Your Next Stamp challenge #67 -

I used their sketch, and color combo which you can see here!

I used a stamp set that might be retired - Quirky Animals.

These stamps are a riot.

I used a sentiment in the stamp set both inside and outside the card,

but my blog post is so long and busy, I'll skip the inside.

The first sentiment I used is a single line - 

I just masked and stamped, then turned it and remasked, restamped

to create the corner Happy Birthday.

  So cheers to you - 

whatever you have in your glass :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Mondays with The Project Bin ~ Sail, repeat!

Happy Monday, friends!

It's a little naughti{cal} on the blog today ♥

I adore the nautical-ocean-beachy looks, including on cards,

so  today I'm featuring 'Anchors Away' by The Project Bin!

My son's recent adventures of boating and tubing were my muse :)

Since I typically try something new each week with my TPB cards

this week is no exception week:  Ombre ink!

I've spied these new Ombre inks from Hero Arts 

on several social media sites and, because I'm a curious sort,

was very intriqued. No time like the present to give it a try!

 For today's card, I inverted the ink pad from vertical to horizontal
 to have a gradual change in ink color.
Stamped the opposite direction, 
you'll get more of a striped version of the same look.
Equally pretty but stripes with stripes - I wanted a more uniform look.

The Anchor's Away stamp set is so versatile.
Take a peek at this gorgeous set and let your mind sail away with imagination! 

Now before you go ~ remember to save the date!
We have a wonderful Christmas in July blog hop planned
with holiday inspirations, cards and giveaways!!

A big thank you to the original artist who inspired my card,
 found on Pinterest!

 I hope you are enjoying summer to it's fullest ~
Be well, friends ♥

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

I'll enter my card into:  Dragonfly Journey #95 - Red, White, and Blue-tiful

National Flamingo Day!

Hi friends and T.G.I.F!

Today is National Flamingo Day ~ perfect for us Floridians! 

 It's one of my very favorite birds ~

magestic in color and grace and they have such a sweet temperment. 

We are so lucky to see them here locally ♥

 

They are also a great inspiration for art.

Today's card is using my new Lawn Fawn stamps and dies ~

not sure why I haven't bought this set before now :)

I know, my card is typically "Kelly bright"

but today called for festive colors and lots of pink! :)

I hpoe today is a pink-a-licious happy flamingo kind of day for you!

Even if it's the plastic one in your front lawn *wink!*

Big hugs, bigger blessings!

~Kelly

 

Exciting news!! CCEE1725 and RSG #2

Hi friends and happy World Music Day!

Today's card is super special to me for two reasons :)

First, I am so excited to share that I'm now 

a CCEE Stamper's Challenge DT member :)

Thank you for the gracious spot to join your team, CCEE ~
I'm beyond heart touched ♥

The CCEE Stampers are self described: Cheers + Challenges Eclectic Ensemble!

The amazing team consists of:

Frances

Joanne

Anne

Vicky

Lois

Liz

Lynn

Maryann
and me! :) 

I love how the CCEE finds things like quirky holidays and celebrated days

to use as a spring board for card making.

Right. up. my. alley!

Our hostess, Frances, gave us a theme for CCEE1725: World Music Day.

Thank you, Frances :)

  

My card is also the 2nd card for my Ready, Set, Go! Challenge group!

Barb, this month's hostess, and asked us to created a card using R, S and G! 

My R - Rainbow, ribbon

My S - Sequins

My G - Guitar

 

  

For World Music Day, I used Rockstar Anya from The Greeting Farm stamps.

I've had this stamp for FOREVER!

I chose this one to represent WMD for a very special young lady,

as talented with her voice as she is the electric guitar.

And her hair has been just about every color of the rainbow, 

so rather than color her hair, I paper pieced it with leftover dsp ~ perfect!

I added the follow your dreams sentiment, stamped right onto the dsp,

 as it better fits the purpose of the card for her.

  

 

 The RSG! challenge is with 2 of my besties: Barb and Jeanette.

We 3M group {created by Jeanette} - just taking it up a notch {created by me!}

Each month we will have a challenge that's really out there ~

we thinking outside the box.
Thanks, Barb, for your fun theme!

Whew - I appreciate you reading my long post today!
It's an exciting day for me,
to be able to share the creations made from the heart ♥
I hope you are able to find inspiration in all that is around you, too :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

Mondays with The Project Bin ~ Ink Blowing!

Happy Monday, friends!

This is by far my favorite day of the week for card posting ♥

Regardless of how crazy busy the week has been, 

I know I can always pull out my TPB stamps and just create ~

enjoying the adventurous and creative side of stamping.

It's Kelly² (yes, two Kellys!) day on the TPB Inspiration blog.

For my TPB cards, I try to incorporate a new technique, like today.

I saw a new-to-me-technique on SCS for the featured stamper

(and wow ~ her name is Kelly, too!)

It's called Ink Blowing and involves very few tools:

card stock, aqua painters, reinkers and a straw.

The fun part:  I had one of two of those available - the cardstock and straw!

I do have aqua painters but they are packed away, reinkers sold off ...

so what does a stamper do?

Improvise!

I used the fun Vitamin Sea image from Summer Fun,

perfect stamp set for this time of year!

I stamped that out in lime green ink from Kelly Purkey

 (this is shaping up to be a Kelly day! ♥), 

then die cut a few shapes and glued that together.

Then I got to ink blowing ....

I used a plain 'ol flat, size 10 sable paintbrush and ink ~ water combo.

Once I had the ink into my palette, I added a few drops of water 

and dipped the brush, then blew the air from the straw onto that 

to create the splatter effect.

Rinse, repeat with 2 other colors and the background is complete!

The only ribbon I had was the wide width so it had to do

(again, improvise is the key word!)

 and propped up the stamp with foam and ta-da!

I'm totally going to try this again and already have some ideas

on how to tweak this more to my liking :)

Here's another look at the stamp set - perfect, right!

Tomorrow, we're off to hike in the Everglades in one of Florida's elusive parks.

I'm half excited, half scared outta mah wits! LOL!

I'll be sipping my Starbucks all the way there to give me

super woman powers :)

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly