It's the first day of spring!

Hi friends!

It's official - spring has arrived :)

Here in Miami, it's perpetually summer

 (except for those .... like .... 3 days of 75° "winter" we get!)

But everywhere else?

Spring has sprung!

Today's post is a fun one!

That's because it's time for a new challenge at Ready, Set, Go!

Once a month, the RSG take turns coming up with some really wild

out-of-the-box card challenges that really makes us think.

Barb is our hostess and this is her challenge:

 

 We post on March 20^th and that is the first day of spring in 2019.

  My challenge for you is to design a card or project that shows an obscure sign of spring—not the typical rain boots, birds, umbrellas, etc. 

 It can be something that you remember from being young or something from school that you recall. Or, do some research on the web to see how spring is celebrated in other countries or any uncommon sign of spring! 

 Ready, Set, GO!

I love this challenge!

I knew right away that mine would involve springtime from my childhood:

Living in Germany ♥

For 5 years, we lived in a tiny German town and,

 like much of Europe, the winters got chilly.

Many of the German theme parks and open air events close for the winter

and when spring arrives, they open up.

I remember the year my parents piled my brother and I into the car

and drove the 3+ hours to Baden-Württemberg to the big amusement park.

Oh, the memories! 

Today, my non-traditional spring card, is visiting Germany's Europa Park :)

I've used the cutest little guys from Lawn Fawn coaster critters

to create the amusement park scene.

This set is just the dreamiest!

The background piece is a watercolor panel - I let that dry

and then stamped/die cut and colored the critters with prismacolor markers.

 

 The inside of the card has a couple of the sentiments -

 there are many cute ones in the set!

It's taken me until today to ink it up

 BUT!

 I see many possibilities with this stamp set :)

 Here's a view from the side - such a dimensional card!

It truly makes me smile :)

And that's it for this month's Ready, Set, Go challenge!

Thank you, Barb, for the wonderful trip down memory lane :)

You can see their cards here ↓

Barb

Jeanette

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big hugs, bigger blessings!

 ~Kelly

Kaleidoscope of birthday colors!

Good Morning, friends!

 I'm getting a late start to my crafting/blogging today

 but I'm here! :)

 

I love color ♥

The brighter, more vibrant and bold, the better! 

To me, bright colors are cheerful and happy

 and really make for a wonderful surprise in crafting

 ~ those POPS of color!

I've committed to making a birthday card every Monday in March

 with a stamp from The Project Bin!

Today, I have 2 cards to share 

and I've used the stamp set Born Yesterday.

  It's always fun to find new ways to get creative with card making.

For today's set of cards, I went on a treasure hunt through my supplies

and spotted my alcohol inks and yupo paper.

Perfect!

I created a variety of backgrounds in various colors

 and just let the inks do as they wished.

I am IN LOVE with how these came out!

It's a fun technique and with this creative process, 

you probably won't get the same look twice!

 

Here are the two completed cards using the stamped sentiments

in a creative way to showcase both the paper and the stamp. 

This is how they came out:

 

   

Card #1 

And card #2! 

 Once the background pieces are dry (I always leave mine overnight),

it's time to assemble.

I picked two backgrounds at random 

and added them to the stamped sentiments from Born Yesterday.

These are stamped with Momento Tuxedo black ink. 

These colors just make me smile!

 March is bursting with birthdays in our family - and extended family - 

so it's nice to have some on hand ...

ready to go!

You can find this stamp set that I've used in the shop

We also have an inspiration blog that you can see each week day ...

and there's a brand new stamp set about to be released that is just DARLING!

Keep watching! ♥

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE1911: Shoe the World!

Hi friends!

I'm the hostess for the CCEE Stampers for the month of March

and I've chosen a new challenge for this week!

 

 

 Tomorrow is National Shoe the World Day.

 Each day, over 500 million children,

 teens and adults around the world do not have a pair of shoes to wear,

 and despite the terrain and the climate, they walk barefoot.

 Let's create a card using any shoe - cowboy boots, heels, flip-flops,

to help the awareness to donate any shoes you no longer need.
You can read more on this here at this site.
Even if it's just one pair, it can make a difference!

I used a VERY old Stampin' Up! stamp set called When I Grow Up, circa 2005!
This was one of my very first stamp sets ~
and I actually slated it for donation once, then pulled it back out!
I have used it several times since then ~ 
this week included.

My card is oh. so. very. simple!
This is one of those have an idea in my head cards
but eh on the actual creation :)
But it's okay ~
 it's a day of awareness and attention to a national day of need!
I added the row of shoes to the bottom only ~ stamping it twice.
The sentiment is from a Simon Says Stamp set.

Here are the shoes my son just put together for church ~
he's outgrown all of them within months!
Growing teenage boys - what's a mom to do!

 
Be sure to stop by the CCEE Blog and see what the rest of the DT has created!
 
As always, thanks for stopping by my blog.
Big hugs, bigger blessings!
~Kelly

Quirky stamps, bargain sales and some good luck!

Hi friends!

I hope you're doing awesome!

My son's middle school theater troope has a show this week

and they have been working very hard behind the scenes

with props and memorizing lines and costumes!

I'm so excited for all of them and can't wait to see the show :)

 Of course, I had to make a card for my sweet boy!

He's so sweet and often walks by the table and says 

"Oh, that's neat!"

 

 

I wanted to make a 'break a leg' card for him

but didn't realize how few of these sentiments that I have.

And then I remembered ....

 

those bargain stamps!

 

I was very fortunate to have spotted a trio of brand new

   Waffle Flower stamps on eBay last summer.

They were a quirky lot of stamps ~ a real mix and match 

of mermaids and critters and Christmas and some Good Luck!

The seller mentioning buying a HUGE bulk lot 

and sorted the ones she didn't want.

I thought they were adorable and gave them a new home ♥

 

This stamp was perfect for me and creating a special card ~

I feel as if it was meant for me ♥

  

 It was so much fun creating with the paint paneling (previously painted)

and I stamped right onto the paint with Momento Tuxedo Black Ink.

I added foam tape to the back to give it some dimension

and then added carnival dew drops (ret'd) from Honey Bee Stamps.

The show is tomorrow night and Thursday night ~

this mom is nervous but excited to see the performances!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

MEOW is the time to celebrate!

 Good morning, friends!

MEOW is the time to celebrate! :)

Monday is the day I post to the Design Team blog at The Project Bin!

That's always fun!

Even more fun, I've decided that each Monday this month,

I'll post a birthday themed card!

You may remember this birthday hottie (hee hee!) from last week,

which was the final image I needed to use to complete a card 

with each image in the set!

Yay!

You can see them here, here, here, and here!

For today, I'm combining two classic stamp sets:

Feline Good and Fun is Good!

I love, love, LOVE this kitty cat stamp and die set!

It's PURR-fect!

The kitty cat is stamped onto card stock

and I chose one with texture to mimic the 'fur'.

I added a base of alternating colors to match the designer paper ~

and stamped the 2 sentiments from the 2 different stamp sets 

right onto the cardstock.

These are the sets if you'd like to see them that I've used today

and you can find it in the shop at The Project Bin.

 

Do you have a kitty cat?

I'd love to hear about yours!

We have one for the first time in over 35 years as my husband is allergic,

but he allowed our daughter - who was away at college -

to bring one home when she found it on the campus.

She named her Finny 

(and promptly went back to college, LOL!)

and now we have a rescue kitty who is just as sweet as pie!

Here she is ~ always laying on my crafting and LOVES to be where I am ♥

Yes, we love her - she's the cat's meow!

 Wishing you a PURR-fect day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts!

 

Hi friends!

  I hope your weekend has been wonderful!

Once a month, my friends Barb, Jeanette and I 

 create a card based on just one stamped image!

This group - the 3 Musketeers - is Jeanette's brainchild 

and it was fun to be invited to be a part of it!

It's super fun because our cards are always so different.

We take turns choosing an image and this month, it was my turn to hostess. 

We're a Scout family!

My daughter was she was a Girl Scout for many years

and now my son is a Boy Scout and just made Life Scout rank!

 March 12th is the Birthday of the Girl Scouts!

It's the day when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered 

the first Girl Scouts as an organization.

There were 18 girls and they registered in Savannah, Georgia.

"Truly, ours is a circle of friendships, united by our ideals."

~ Juliette Gordon Low

 I thought it would be fun to create a card with a Scout stamp

so I found my The Greeting Farm Anya stamp from Cute Troop.

This stamp set is long retired but still a favorite!

Since my daughter started her Scouting venture as a Daisy,

I used some background paper with daisies on it.

I asked Barb and Jeanette to add peach somewhere on their card

as a nod to the Georgia connection :)

 Here is the inside of my card:

Girl Scouts definitely involves friendship, honor, loyalty and teamwork!

I used a sentiment inside the card from another stamp set from
The Greeting Farm - but it works :)
When I sat down to create my card, I couldn't find the sentiments 
that actually go with this set .. so I did my best scouting and improvised!

Barb's card is here and Jeanette's card is here with this image!

Do you have Scouts in your family, too?

What is your favorite part of Scouting?

I loved Scouting with my daughter

and didn't mind camping in the tents and cooking and earning the merits badges!

Now, with my son, my husband took over and it's a good thing!

Camping tween-age boys = smelly boys, LOL!

NO. THANK. YOU!

Hee hee!

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

~Kelly

 *note!*

 TGF does have a angel policy but I asked Marie - owner and creator of TGF -

 for permission + she gave her blessing to stamp out 2 images for my 2 friends!

COF: Live life to the fullest!

 

 Hello again!

 

Today is the day the Crafters of Faith group post our cards

based on a scripture and a challenge.

 

 

 

One of my bestie's, Barb, is the hostess for this month's challenge.

She writes:

Challenge: It is about Living Life to the Fullest:  Please make a creation that expresses how you live your life to the fullest or illustrates something you plan or wish for in the future.
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Oh, this topic had me pondering of which stamp to use!

Living life to the fullest to me is incorporating my love of family, friends ...

then there's is the all-fulfilling church,

and we, as a family, love to travel and vacation together.

But that's sort of a given (for me) ..

things that are naturally meant for me.

So to really step outside my comfort zone,

to be bold,

to take healthy risks,

to take chances

to LIVE ....

now that was my a-hah moment! 

 In the theme of living life to the fullest,

I have a personal mantra.

It always includes 3 things ...

always,

always,

ALWAYS!

I would tell my kids every single morning, without fail ...

1.  I love you

2.  Make today count

3. Be kind.  To someone.  Anyone.  Including yourself!

 

And I start repeating those words through-out my day,

whispered from my lips to my own ears ♥

Back to my card!

I absolutely LOVE the September Kit of the Month from Unity Stamp Co!

It's the September KOM 9-16 called Moments Between Moments.

I remembered

 that. one. little. sentiment 

from this kit and paired it with the camera girl stamp.

In fact, I loved it so much - I made 3 cards!

This is the first in the series -

 I'll show you the other 2 next week :)

This one is very simple, a CAS card, inside and out

but I was focusing mainly on the sentiment as the focal point.

The card group, if you are on Splitcoaststampers,

is open for anyone to join!

We make a card once a month and just generally chat in between the posting :)

We'd love to have you!

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

CCEE1910: What does your name mean?

Hi friends!
I'm excited to be the hostess for the CCEE Stampers Challenges
for the month of March!

Monday (3/4) was Fun Facts about Your Name Day.
The challenge - what does your name mean?
(and if the name can't be found, 
create a card based on the letters in your name.) 

Kelly is an Irish surname having been used since the 20th century
and it means 'warrior.'
To research it further, it's anglicized from the Gaelic "Ceallaigh',
an Irish byname meaning 'bright-headed and 'frequenting churches.'
I sure love that!

I went with 'warrior', the most updated meaning
and I used a Kraftin Kimmie Artemis stamp.

I've colored the image with a hybrid Copics and promarkers 

and added it to a card base with bright colors.

The sentiment is from another stamp company but matched so well!

Do you know what you name means?

It's so fun to research it!

If you'd like to create a card, too, head over to the CCEE blog

and follow the linky - we'll stop by and visit!

You can also see what the DT chose to create this week! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly

TPB: PoP uP cArD!

Another birthday?

 You are hotter than ever! :)

Hi friends!

Today I'm sharing a card over on The Project Bin blog ,

the very company that recently held a contest that helped me meet all of you!

Denise, owner and designer of The Project Bin stamps,

truly is one of the sweetest ladies in the stamping community!
She's creative, innovative, generous, funny and all around awesome-sauce!

You can read all about The Project Bin stamps here!
There is also a gallery of photos under each stamp set -
click it, and it will take you to all the samples.

Today I've made a POP UP card

using The Gratest, yes, spelled just like that :)

It's a pun inspired stamp set perfect for many occasions, especially birthdays.

This is standard A2 size card,

with a twist!

When the card is open, it pops ups with an insert panel 
that has a second message - another sentiment from the stamp set :)

Although this card isn't for my husband, he saw the completed card
and thought it was the funniest thing ever!
If it makes HIM laugh, it must be pretty neat ♥

  

Here's a quick peek at the die I used to create the 'notch' 

that allows the card to PoP uP!

This technique is super simple yet has a lot of pop :)

I'll definitely use this technique again!

Here is the stamp set all together:

 

Have a super day!

Big hugs, bigger blessings ♥

~Kelly