Cottage Cutz - a spot of tea!

**For my Riley and Company post, click here!**

Hi again!  I'm back with post #2 for the day - a Cottage Cutz card using 4 of the new spring time dies from The Scrapping Cottage!  This is a big size card - 5 x 7 and plenty of room to add on the Tea Time Border, the flower vine and the tea pot!  I added the stitched flower and faux button to the front of the teapot and let the tea pot be mostly the focal point since the card paper is a bit busy.  It's propped up on 3d dots and really pops off the card :)  I also added the teapot border to the inside and some gems for 'steam'.   Here's the card up close:

Here is an overview of 3 of the 4 dies used for this card!  You can find them here in the TSC shop!!

Thanks for stopping by today ~

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

   Entered into these challenges for consideration: 

Dilly Beans - Bling
Jelly Park- Girly Girl

Riley, you're a star!

Hi friends!  I have three posts for you to view today!  First up, I have a card I made for my daughter's friend :)  They became fast friends in a chorus class in Middle School and luckily ended up at the same High School.  He shared with her last week that he is moving their Senior year and she wanted something to remind him that he'll always be a shining star!

For my card design, I followed the new bi-weekly challenge that Riley and Company has this week - 3 stars, 2 buttons, 1 ribbon.  This week, I used Hollywood Star Riley and paired it with some festive papers from Basic Grey.  I made the 3 stars using a star punch, added light yellow buttons and some twine for the ribbon and tada! This card really bounces off the paper as it's all lifted up on 3D dots.   I usually decorate the inside of the card as well but I'm sure a teenage boy won't mind too much, lol!


Be sure to upload your cards to the Riley and Company blog, too!  We'd love to see what you create!  If you use a gallery like SCS, please use the keyword1012.


Thanks for stopping by and I hope you can stop by for the next two posts! :)

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly


Card entered into:
SJCrafts - Favorites! (riley, of course!)
Crafts and me - punches and dies
Amuse Challenge blog - Color my world
Whimsy stamps - make it pop!  (dimension)
Stamping for the weekend - anything goes

So Lucky to have you!

The book of James has taught us that "every good and perfect gift is from above" and that's so much of how I think of all of you :)  I'm truly blessed to know such amazingly wonderful people online!   I wish I could report that I was feeling better but whatever this horrid cold/flu like symtoms/fatigue that I caught needs to just find somewhere else to be!  But with my son being so active, the girls in school functions and performances and projects/exams keeping them up til the wee hours of the night ... so does mommy!   Can I get an AMEN on all those that know what I'm talking about :)


So for today, I have another mostly simple card for the mini-challenge that I gave out in the COF thread!  I threw down the gauntlet this week to create a card based on this photo inspiration!   I asked the girls to use any shades of green, purple and/or yellow and include a flower .....  I, alas, have a big old clover but have some flowers on my dsp! *grin!*

I went with slightly different shades of purple and green that this photo - I used  Kiwi Kiss (LOOOOOOVE!) and Lavendar Lace (not so loooooove! ;) and the adorable MFT a` la mode wishing you luck.  I figeted around with this card so much I eventually lost sight of what my original idea was! 

::: Note to self - go find some sketch challenges and play along! :::

 That's it for me for this afternoon!  I'm off to pick up the kiddies and then chauffeur one to tennis, Tae Kwan Do, stop off at the school store for poster board and project needs and dd and her 3 friends have to do a 'cooking' experiment as well .......  think good thoughts for my granite counter tops and wooden cabinets! ;)

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

It's a Twisted Birthday!

Hi there, friends :)  I'm under the weather here -- ended up feeling really sick Monday mid-morning and waited for it to pass ...  went about my day feeling so fatigued and blah and now my throat is on fire, my bones ache and my nose is half stuffed up, half running - lol!  I think this comes as part of the 'crash and burn' from being so diligent in taking care of everyone but myself - eek!  So this will a short post but long enough to tell you that there is a new Twisted Tuesday Challenge this week!  

This week we are all about Birthdays! 

 The twist is to use ribbon!

In honor of Melina's birthday, owner and creator behind the Twisted Tuesday Challenge blog, we're celebrating with a creation of a card/project showing birthdays.  For my card, I am actually using the card that didn't make it to my blog when my husband was in the hospital - blogger did not launch (doh!) so it never showed up here, but lucky me, I can show you now - YAY!  I actually LOVED how it came out.  CAS is not normally my style and this one just fell right into place.  For the ribbon, I went with twine.  The 3 balloons are dies from Cottage Cutz and I propped them up with 3D dots for added dimension.

That's it for tonight, I'm climbing back into bed with my blankies, pillows, Nyquil, two crazy pups down my my side wondering why mommy won't get up and play, and 4 kids that are either running amuck or under daddy's watchful eye, lol!  Guess I'll find out tomorrow when I leave the confines of my snuggly bed :)

You can link up your cards here to the challenge blog!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings

 and I'll be by to visit you all soon!!

Much love!

~Kelly


Entered into:  Amuse Challenge blog:  Dies
Creative Craft Challenge:  Anything Goes
Whimsy Stamps:  Spots and Dots

Bugaboo:  Anything Goes!

Happy CINCO de MAYO! :)

Good morning!  Happy 5 de Mayo to all of you!  I hope you are enjoying the splendors of this festive weekend!  And since we are celebrating, how about a Bear-thday card using this adorable die from The Scrapping Cottage!  I made this birthday card using Birthday Peeker Bear die and the mini doily from the new release Cottage Cutz collection, added fun papers from MME and embellies :)  I adore how this came out and hope to create a few more this weekend if time permits!  We have quite a bit of running around to do playing catch up!

Thanks for stopping by today! Here is one more look at the 

dies that I used on this bear-thday card! :)

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

I'm a very late Calendar Girl! :(

Hi friends ~ it's officially 12:01 here on May 3rd - and today is National Day of Prayer!  What a glorious way to start the day and let it carry you through!  For me personally, I start and end each day in prayer with a multitude of times in between.  It warms my heart, puts a smile on my face, and refreshes my soul :) 


Hebrews 4:16 says "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Truly he hears us, our prayers.  He is bigger than any storm we could possibly be facing - an anchor I held on to so tightly during the last month.   But remember ... with our God we can scale a wall! (Psalm 18:29)  


Each month, the Calendar Girls group posts a challenge for us to follow and create a card based on those instructions ...... and this month our hostess, Miss April (who's real name is Terry!) gave us a whopper of a challenge!  Woah Nellie, did I do a double take with this one ~ but what fun is challenge if it doesn't make us go outside our comfort zone!  Although I struggled with the sketch and more so with the measurements, I finally created my barn quilt card :)  

 And from the 4 sketches I chose to work with this one:

Thanks Terry for this awesome challenging challenge! :)  Be sure to stop by the rest of the Calendar Girls and see what they did with this awesome sketch -- you can find them in my sidebar.  


Blessings to you all this most precious of days in rememberence of our Savior, the one who gave his life so that we may all have this one we are graced with!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Twisted Tuesday - sketch challenge :)

Happy Tuesday!  Still raining here and while dh is resting on his last day of recooping, I'm chaperoning our 2 oldest girls to a chorus festival 3 counties away ... yay for 3 hour bus rides, one way! {Doh!}  We leave at 5 am and get back in the way dark of night but it is a huge honor to perform and return for judging on the solos and ensembles.  I wonder if I can get that big 'ol tour bus to pull through a Starbucks drive-through on the way ..... *Grin!*


Okay, my REAL reason for posting is today is the bi-weekly challenge at the Riley and Company blog with a twist!  Literally, a Twisted Tuesday sketch ;)
Here is the sketch I used for my card ...... totally not happy with it at all, but as the old adage goes, it is what it is ;)  


Our hostess at Riley and Company this week is Joy who challenged us to create a card using text paper from a book, newspaper or a type/print DSP! I chose this MME dsp with newsprint on it to match the Wagon Riley stamp, sentiment on the inside to match ;)  The gorgeous big material flower was added to mimic the sketch design and was a leftover from a card kit from my friend, LJ!   Now if you link up your cards to a gallery other than the R & Co blog, please use keyword0912.

Front of card ;)

and the inside!

And here is the sketch I followed from the Twisted Tuesday Challenge this week!  

  

We would love to see you create with this sketch -- be sure to link up your
cards to the 2TT blog here!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big Hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Crafters of Faith: Mother's Day :)

Hi there, friends!  Today is the Crafters of Faith blogging group monthly post and this month our hostess is Olga!  She asked us to create a card with a Mother's Day theme and these requirements:  Use at least one die, 5 x 7 in size and create an envelope!  Although my card is a 5.5 x 5.5, the rest of it is right on with the challenge :)  


For my card set, I originally planned to make a more traditional card with a scripture.  But I really wanted to continue my "Take it off the Shelf in 2012" mantra so I pulled out my SU! set that I've had since it was released :)  I've only inked up the little boy so it was fun to create this whimsical card using the darling little girl stamp.  My mum - born and raised in England - loves yellow and LOVES flowers, so I think she will smile when she sees this non-traditional card (and they actually celebrate Mum's day in March in England) :)

And that's it for me - still trying to catch my breath, find my way, refresh my soul :) I'm behind in crafting - behind in all areas other than prayer and faith :)  The kids have had me running to and fro while dh rested most of the weekend - errands and 'rides' he normally would do fell to me - including driving in the rain that did not stop ALL DAY today!  Each day gets a little better, a little easier and that's just all part of the journey :)


Please be sure to stop by the other Crafters of Faith - you can find them linked in my sidebar and see what they have created with this fun theme from Olga! x0x0

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Cottage Cutz Spring Blog Hop!

Good morning! Welcome to The Scrapping Cottage Blog Hop for April!  You should have arrived here from Carol's amazing blog where you saw her fantastic creation!   If you just arrived, I'm so glad you did and you can start here at the very beginning where you can see the entire blog line up.  We have so much to share with you today using the amazing Cottage Cutz dies so grab your favorite morning drink and enjoy the hop!!


For my Cottage Cutz creation today, I made a wonderful Springtime window card using The Scrapping Cottage die.  This beautiful die cuts so crisp and clear!  I added TSC's mini butterfly to the window for added flair - but the beauty continues on the inside with TSC's flower vine in matching papers and colors!  

 From here, please be sure to head on over to superbly wonderful Cheryl!  You won't want to miss her Cottage Cutz creation!  Be sure to leave comments on all the blogs along the hop including The Scrapping Cottage and you might be one of the lucky blog hop winners!  
  
Here is a quick recap of the Cottage Cutz dies that I used:  

Thanks so much for your visit today!  Have fun with the hop!

Big Hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

It's a Twisted Birthday!

Hi friends - sending blessings your way and praying your week is off to a good start!  I'm on pins and needles this week as we head back for results after weeks of tests, waiting.  I thank you so much for the emails, texts, cards and all the wonderful words of comfort you have shared for my husband and I.  Coincidentally, our Anniversary is this week - 19 years married (but 28 years together), 4 beautiful children, and a lifetime of wonderful memories.  I ask of Him nightly to bless us 28 more years together - minimum - *smile* and that His mercy reach down this far and wrap us in His loving arms of hope.  


But how about sharing a smile!!  How this card made me smile to make, so bright and whimsical and full of color - you all know how I love COLOR!  It's for the new Twisted Tuesday Challenge that starts today -- Make a Birthday card for a child!  The "twist" is that you must include a funny sentiment to go with it and I was truly stumped on that one!  I have tons of funny but in order match this adorable PI Birthday girl I created one that sounded like it matched.  And - forgive me! - but the balloon design on this particular PI drives me crazy that it's cut off! :x  So I made my own by extending it outward to make it a full balloon and added the sentiment to the inside.  You know me, I adore doing the inside of my cards as much as the front.  

Happy Birthday!

Side view

Inside of card ;)

You can find the challenge HERE on the Twisted Tuesday Blog.

The Challenge:  *Make a birthday card for a child*

The Twist:  Make a funny sentiment to match your card!

Please remember a few details:

Here are a few things to remember:

~ Submissions close Sunday at 9pm (CT)

~ You may combine your creation with as many other challenges as you'd like

~ Remember to link back to 2TC in your post

~ No back linking, create something new and exciting
~ If you link your creation to any online gallery, please use the keyword 2TC2
~ You may enter up to 3 times per challenge

Thanks for your visit today!

Big Hugs,

Bigger Blessings,

~Kelly

Riley is having a ball!

Good morning - short post today...  I had 3 hours of sleep last night and even grabbing a Starbucks on the way home from taking kids to their schools isn't cutting it.  We have back to back appts today that tend to run loooooong, but at least I can squeeze in this post for the new bi-weekly Riley and Company challenge!  Our hostess this week is Michele L.

Michele has challenged us to create a small gift box/ treat bag. 


For this week's Riley and Company challenge blog project, I created an explosion box.  Or a version of it.  That's all I'm sayin' ;)  I didn't have the template handy so I just 'winged it' and Riley is just so absolutely adorable, he could be on just about anything - how could you not smile :)  I used one of my favorites from Riley - Bouncing Ball Riley....  Oh.  So.  Cute!

The closed box ;)

A peek at the top

Once you have created your card/project come back here and place a comment with a link to your card/project to this post so that we can see what you created. If you upload your card/project to SCS don't forget to include the keyword RILEY0812. We can't wait to see what you create!

It's Tax Day today, April 17th! Ok - so NOT the "moost" fun we all have each year - but we are going to make it better for you!

FOR ONE DAY ONLY (that would be today), our ENTIRE site is 17% off!

That's right - EVERY SINGLE RILEY is 17% off!

BUT - it's one day only folks!

Simply enter "Taxday" in the coupon code section when you check out and you will reap Riley's type of tax day savings!

Thanks for your visit today - be well, hugs those around you!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Cottage Cutz - It's Picnic Time! :)

Hi Blogging friends!  It's been awhile since I've been able to craft/blog - I'll hope to share an update on that soon.  But for now, I wanted to share with you a new journey that started this April ... I'm delighted to share that I'm now part of the CottageCutz Design Team from The Scrapping Cottage!   You may have seen this news - life's curveball kept me from posting the same time, but today I'm excited to take you on a picnic!   Wouldn't it be wonderful to do this IRL, too :)  And what picnic wouldn't be authentic without some cute bugs to come along with us?!  Our virtual picnic includes a basket, linen tucked in and an adorable set of note cards inside the basket :)


For my CottageCutz post today, I made a picnic basket from a template I've had for awhile - I had fun making this again.  I added the beautiful Hummingbird and flower die to the front of the basket, nestled into this gorgeous ornate circle frame die.  I made a set of cards with similar patterns using the butterfly, grasshopper, ladybug and dragonfly die cuts.  And just like Noah, I thought the bugs should go in pairs of two :)  These dies are so crisp and clear and make a bold, beautiful impression!  When I was creating this picnic basket, I thought how nice this would sit on a teacher's, church friend, dr's office desk - reach in, grab a card as needed! :) 

Here is the picnic basket ;)

a sneak peek inside

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope to have some more creations to show you soon.  

Big Hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Here are the die cuts again that were used to create the picnic package above:

Spring into Action ;)

Hi friends - short post tonight but I sure wanted to share with you some pretty fun news in card making :)  For this week's bi-weekly challenge, I'm the hostess!  Since Spring is April 8th this year, I put forth a challenge the Riley and Company DT - and all of you - to created a card "Spring-ing into action with Riley!"  We'd love for you to create a card or project that moves!  Consider pop-up cards, wiper cards, waterfall, slider, swing flop cards - SCS has tutorials for about 40!   When you load your cards to a gallery, please use the code Riley0712.

For my card, I made a slider/spinner card - Riley is off on a journey to wonderful places! This card slides up and down, thanks to a strategically placed penny ;)  His hot air balloon is paper pieced in matching paper to the card and I used Cloud background paper because today's post for the Twisted Tuesday Challenge is to use clouds on your card, the non-stamped kind! You can find the blog here.  For the sentiment (computer generated) I used one of my favorite sayings from Dr. Suess from "Oh the places you'll go!"  and started the quote on the front, finished in the inside :)

Thanks for stopping by - and thank you for the prayers for our family.  I'll keep you posted, this will be a worrisome week, that's for sure, but God is great and knows our hearts and needs long before we do.  *Hugs, sweet friends!*

Up, Up and ....

Away!

You're off to great places ...

Inside of card :)

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings,

~Kelly