CCEE2202 ~ Penguin Awareness Day!

 Hi friends!

There's a new challenge at the CCEE Stampers this week!

We're celebrating Penguin Awareness Day. 

 So put a penguin or two on your card!

Mine is SUPER simple but does showcase

the super cute penguin :)

I've used the penguin from MFT Stamps Penguins In Paradise,

the MFT Stamps cloud stencil and speech bubble dienamic

(disguised as a domed die for the sand!)

The wonky rectangle die is from Pink and Main

and I've colored this with prismacolor markers.

The popsicle is a grape one ~ my granddaughter's favorite flavor popsicle!

You can see all the penguin cards today on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Kelly

Coffee, Tea and Avacado? Yes, please!

 

Hi my friends!

I have a new to me technique in cardmaking - 

making my own paper color !

I did, I did!

I'll probably try MAKING my own paper one day, too!

LOL!

But for now, I deciced to give this a go!

Can I just say ........... SO. MUCH. FUN!

You can see the video here

and .............

there's a giveaway! :)

The pink background is actually paper dyed with avacados!

I boiled them in hot water and then set different papers

into the mixture, varying in weight and quality.

I did the same for tea ........

and coffee!

As in from my Keurig! 

I was not going to volunteer my treasured Starbucks in the name of art :)

Head over to my YouTube channel to enter to win the coffee, tea, etc -

open internationally!

Thanks for watching and 

for your visit today!

Be blessed!

~Kelly

Trash to Treasure #1!

 Hi friends!

I love LOVE to thrift shop!

I am constantly wandering the thrift stores

for things I can flip :)

Not for selling .......... to create with!

I will have a new series this year on my YouTube channel

with my thrift store finds 

and flipping them into something useful.

I am forever seeing unique and fun items 

and thinking

"OH! That would be a great .........."

I've already found/flipped a few super cute things!

Today's post is not a technical flip but a trash to treasure nonetheless.

My daughter was clearing out a shelf and 

this huge Search and Find bookwas going to donation.

I quickly changed my mind and decided the comics would be

cute for junk journals, planners, crafts and more!

And ....... I made some envelopes!

They turned out delightful ...

and you can watch the creating video here!

Was this a thrift success?

YES!

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed,

Kelly

DD2 ~ Strawberry Ice Cream!

 

Hello friends!

It's a super fun day today ~

the return of the Dueling Darlings card group, the DD2!

AND ..

there's ice cream!

Strawberry ice cream, to be exact :)

YUM!

Jeanette  and I (Team Jeanette and Team Kelly, temporarily)

are the hostesses and sent card kits to each of the group members.

Our theme is strawberry flavored ice cream

and my image chosen is from Colorado Craft Co called ice cream mini.

I sent ice cream designer papers and pink embellishments!

I confess:  I really don't like my card.

But it hasn't been the best week here for our family 

and plans to start over didn't happen  ... so I'm just going with the flow!

because ........ ice cream!

 

Here's the full card design team list:

Barb

Carol

Darlene

Jeanette

Kelly (you're here!)

Lorraine - SCS Gallery

Terry

Tracie

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed,

Kelly

CC2201 ~ New!

 

Hi sweet friends!

The CCEE Stampers challenge blog is back from a holiday break

and we are ready to create!

Our January 2022 hostess is Lois and the theme this week: NEW!

What is new for you this first of the year?

Think new craft supplies, new technique, new products!

Santa was very VERY kind to me this holiday

and I scored big time in the craft area!

One of the sweet gifts included a ton of new copic markers 

and a shelf to hold them all in!

Here's the video on my YouTube channel creating this card:

I'd love for you to subscribe - let's be friends!

(giveaway coming up this weekend!)

So my new:  Copic markers!

I made a penny slider card so I could make this little cutie spin.

I haven't done one of these in ages!

I used Pink and Main stamps and dies called Plane Sweet.

And yep, I jumped on the TikTok helikopter song share, LOL!

It's super catchy - and we made one at home with all of us spinning :)

Here's my card and to see it spin, head over to YouTube!

Be sure to check out the other crafters on the team

by heading here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed,

Kelly

Hot Mess Success ~ January's watercoloring!

 

Hi friends!

It's a fun new year with the return of a fun card group ..

the Hot Mess = Success!

Our bestie Barb is the captian of this ship 

and I'm along for the ride for as long as I can each month.

Now we are 6 - a wonderful half dozen :)

Barb, Carol, Darlene, Jeanette, Kelly and Terry we are ...

and messes are what we make! :)

I have a video of these cards on my YouTube channel here!

This is probably my FAVORITE card making technique!

I. do. not. like. messes.

Not one little bit!

But creatively, the messier it is, the happier I am!

So for this month, I made 2 cards ...

both with goppy wet watercolor pieces that ended up ruined.

After looking at them again, they just gave off bits of life!

Green Goddess:

Here's my 2 card which represents the ocean :)

Blue Bayou

And that's it for this month's messy cards!

Be sure to check out Barb

Carol

Darlene

Jeannette

and Terry!

Thanks for yur visit!

Kelly

New technique card/ video!

Hello friends!

Happy Monday!

 I hope your week is off to a good start :) 

I have a new video up on my YouTube channel 

making quite a mess a fun new technique card! 

One of the joy of papercrafting for me is being adventurous

 in my creating and having fun in the process.

I found a random wall tile in Dollar Tree

and originally attempted to use it as an embossing folder.

It didn't work!

I tried again, this time with distress oxide inks.

Even then, there was a bit of a learning curve!

All is well that ends well!

LOVING how this turned out .......

after all :)

I love for you to check out my channel and subscribe!

Thanks for your visit - and for watching!

Be blessed,

Kelly

3M: Happy New Year!

 

Hi friends!

Weeeeeee're back!

The 3M {3 Musketeers}  have returned for our 7th year

and 89th mystery image card!

(got those stats from Barb and she's never wrong!) :)

This month, I'm the hostess and sent along a New Year's image

from Stamp Anniething called Annie Happy New Year.

Even though it's the 9th, we are in a new month 

with many plans, goals, resolutions, inspirations!

My card is a reflection of the traditional New Year's colors

of black and gold with flecks of pink.

It's colored with my copic markers

and this little party girl is thinking of 2022!

We are 9 days into 2022 

How's everyone doing with your goal setting or resolutions?

Along with this month's challenge,

 I asked us 3 to write some of our new year's intentions.

You can see Barb's here along with her card

and Jeanette's here along with her card.

Like a RIVER, I plan to just keep going forward

and "if I create it (in my head), I'll make it!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed,

Kelly

Conversation Hearts - Shaker Style!

 

Hi friends!

If you remember conversation heart candies, raise your hand!

Me!

I always looked forward to those on Valentines,

reading each of the little words like they were secret spy messages.

U R Cool!

Be Mine!

Cutie!

You Rock!

So SO CUTE!

I have a new video up on my YouTube channel

for handmade embellishments :)

It's an open collaboration where many of us will create them

to have on hand for the many needed occasions - 

shopping our stash and building our supplies of ephemera!

I used my Hero Arts infinity heart dies

and die cut a bunch of little hearts in 3 sizes

in the colors that coordinated with the real candies.

The shaker element:  acetate behind the top heart

and a layer of foam in between for depth and height.

I filled each of the shakers with shaker mix 

after stamping the bottom cardstock layer with sentiments 

from Lawn Fawn's  Just My Type stamp set.

There are so many hearts left, I'll be able to make quite a few

card candies / embellishments / ephemera!

Thanks so much for your visit today!

Be blessed :)

~Kelly

The ONE new in '22 ~ January!

 

Hi my friends!

It's time for my FAVORITE card challenge ~

One Plus Twelve!

This is my 4th year doing this personal challenge,

one I made up literally in the middle of the night ...

perks of being a night owl :)

The idea!

To chose ONE stamp to use all year long (once a month = TWELVE months)

Then, at the end of 2022, there will be 12 unique and different cards.

The most fun is deciding which fun stamp will be the one showcased!

It's also a great way to stretch the use of our purchases ~

sometimes, we buy a stamp, use it only once and then it sits :)

My ONE new in '22:

Pinkfresh Studio's Butterflies

I chose this stamp with intention and was mindful of the belief

that butterflies are symbolic for representing change, endurance, hope, life.

It was a deeply personal decision to chose a butterfly 

after a medical issue in March of last year.

There are many, many butterfly stamps on the market,

but I fell head over heels in love with this one at it's debut in April 2021.

I've held on to it for a LONG time :)

When you know, you know  ♥

For January's card, 

I used watercolors to color both the butterfly and the background.

I used the matching die cut to give it the outline and popped it up on foam tape.

For a bit of elegance, I added a die cut circle of vellum for under the butterfly.

I'm slightly obsessed with this card, truly!

After 2 years of using flowers (MFT Stamps and last year, Altenew),

this one is all that I wanted it to be, especially for the first card in my series!

You can join me on YouTube where I talk more about the series,

this card, the company, and more!

My friends Barb and Jeanette are joining my challenge again this year

and you see their cards on their blogs.

Here's a final look.

This set has 2 butterflies, one full and one side view - so beautiful!

I'm really excited to create with this sensational butterfly 12 times this year :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Be blessed ;)

~Kelly

Entered to:  Pink Fresh Studios - AG Challenge January 2022

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