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

Crafters of Faith: Light of my Life!

Good morning!  I'm so so sorry I haven't been blogging much and missing many visits to you - trying to squeeze enough minutes in the day to stretch my way around :)  But today's card is one I whipped up last night for Crafters of Faith blogging group ~ a group of christian bloggers that met and bonded on SCS to craft, fellowship, make friendships and more!  This month, our hostess was none other than the illuminating Carolina! This is the challenge she gave us this month:

 My challenge is:  The Light of my Life!!!. I got inspired by the stamp set from Our Daily Bread "Light of the World". It has a lighthouse, which I'm a big fan of, and has my favourite sentiment that belongs to my favourite Hymn "The Lord is my Light and my Salvation Whom shall I Fear?.

1. Try to use a lighthouse in your project or something that represents LIGHT in your world/life.
2. Use at least two different scrap of designer paper.
3. Since the theme is light use some bling on your card/project.

Can we say LOVE!  What a beautiful theme to work with!  I have several lighthouse stamps, but after inking a few of them up last night, they were all so huge and detailed and it just would not fall into place.  Sometimes cards are like that, right?  I ended up using a smaller lighthouse and coloring it oh so subtly instead and paired it with Jersey Shore paper from SU.  For my bling, I put a trio of descending rhinestones in the corner of the card and actually the button is full of sparkly glitter - that part didn't come out in the photos, but it's blingy and shiny, too :)  

And ....... I also have to announce the winner of my Birthday Blog Candy give-away - I thank you all for the birthday wishes, sweet words and for posting the candy to your sidebars!  I did read each and every comment and saw your side-bar postings -  thank you!  I wish everyone could win, but since there is one goodie bag to giveaway this time around, the random winner is ........

Emkay,

 who said "It's so generous of you to share such an awesome prize

for your birthday. I will add it to my sidebar.

I hope you and your kids have fun over the spring break, and I hope your new

Cuttlebug arrives soon."

Congratulations, Emkay - please contact me at Kelnkids@aol.com so I can get your information and your goodie bag mailed out to you!  

Thanks for stopping by today - be sure to visit the other crafting sisters of faith - you can find them in my sidebar and see what they have made!

Big hugs,

Bigger blessings!

~Kelly 

It's a very Happy Birthday! :)

Hi friends!!  It's the 28th of the month and today is a special day - it's the time that the Calendar Girls post their creations with a theme!  This month, our hostess April, who is really Miss March (bwahaha!), gave us a interesting theme to say the least!  She challenged us to create a birthday card with a twist - use the colors schemes and sketch challenges from SCS coordinating with the day, month and/or year of our birth.  I did the color scheme part (I read it as either/or - my bad!) and just had a time and a half with the colors - of the vast list, I drooled over many and most, but all the ones using my day, month and year were not so great - eek! :x  Finally, I settled on the month/year and that gave me Chocolate Chip, River Rock and Baja Breeze.  Nice :)  I used my Kraftin' Kimmie stamp Francesca and colored her in similiar hues of blue and browns. The huge fabric flower was an after-thought, hand-made by a friend locally that sent it to me in a birthday giftie :)  It's huge, lol, but it fit the colors of Francesca's dress pockets AND ..............


in lieu of a tag, I used a flower!  Why a tag?  I am not a big fan of tags per se, and I needed to fill the space since this card is also the one I am doubling as my CASE of Marilyn's card for the SA's case card challenge!  It's a two-fer! For this case challenge, we were asked to view Marilyn's blog and pick a card to case - I chose this card below.  I originally wanted to use Stampinbella's cupcake Bella but at the last minute switched it out for Francesca and this card literally just fell together!  Marilyn's gallery is amazing!  She can color fantabulously, and I chose this card on purpose since the colors of my March CG challenge jumped out at me :)   I LOVE, LOVE this paper from Parisian paper from SU and picked it intentionally when I saw the blue in the background of Marilyn's card.  I gave it the side panel of flowered paper with the big flower instead of a tag - hopefully that will be just fine :) I also squeezed in a bit of lace to mimac her ribbon - and some blue pearls for fun!

Inside of the card :)

Here is Marilyn's card that I chose from her blog to CASE  -
gorgeous, isn't it! :)
http://www.onestampingfool.blogspot.com/2011/02/once-upon-time-cupckake-fairy.html
I think this should take you to her post!

 Be sure to stop in and see what the other CG's made with this bday/color/sketch challenge!  

You can find them in my sidebar right over there :)    ---->

And today is the last day to enter the blog candy if you are interested!

The candy draw closes tonight at midnight -

a winner will be selected at random and 

posted sometime on/before the weekend :)

**And thank you to my sweet, sweet friends who sent me these gorgeous

birthday cards! They meant the world to me!  I am truly blessed!

I have them on a ribbon card line going across my scrapbook desk :)

Your friendship is truly some of the best gifts a girl could be blessed with!**

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

Frohliche Gerburtstag!

Good morning!  I hope your weekend was marvelous!  Ours FLEW by - one daughter had a most fantastic choral show with the Young Americans that come to their school to perform once every 3 years.  They are absolutely amazing and such wonderful young talent - she was so excited, and blessed, to be able to perform with them!  We also had a slew of birthday parties and squeezed in seeing The Hunger Games (do not miss that one, esp if you read the Trilogy - riveting!)  Even our weather today is so nice, it has taken me 3 hours to get home after coffee with my girlfriends this morning! :)

Without further wait, the random winner of my free Riley stamp for the Riley and Company blog hop is April of April's Alley - congratulations.  For an entire list of winners and to see the hop in review, please visit the Riley and Company blog here!


Today's card is using Smiley Balloon with a propped up 3d smile :)  This card is going allllll the way to Germany!  I created an accordian style fold - haven't done that in awhile ;) and nestled the Riley on the front as the focal point, message on the inside.  The papers are from SU and they reminded me of Spring colors - I found the closest match in my prima flower stash as I could.  This card was such fun to make!  

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be by to visit soon if I haven't already :)

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Riley's SPRING stamp release and giveaway!

Hi! 
If you are here for my Birthday Blog Candy

Give-away, click here!**

If you are here for the Riley and Company new Spring Stamp release, then welcome!  The countdown to cuteness has arrived!! I have two items to share with you today.  We've been introducing the new Spring (Easter) stamps all week and now you can peek and purchase the gorgeous new Moose-ables cards and apparel!  You should have arrived from the  fabulous France's blog - you will not want to miss her creations.  But if you need to start at the beginning, start here - and the names are listed below if you get lost along the way.  So sit back and be prepared to drool!  And for one lucky winner, each blog will be giving away an UM stamp of your choice from this release for a candy draw - so be sure to leave some love along the hop! :)


First up, I have a card for you using Buster and Riley!  This one is probably one of my absolute favorites - so joyful, so happy and cheerful!  This could easily be used all through the year as a friendship, fellowship, pick me up stamp! For this card, I channeled one of my own from this post :)

 Next up, we have "I carrot a lot about you!" Spring Pail.  I was aiming for a carrot look, orange bottom - green leafy top, lol! How'd I do?! :)  This wee paint can is actually a giftie for my Secret Sister in the DDD :)  I don't know if she stops by my blog, so she may/may not see it - and it will be sans chocolate being that I live in SOUTH FLORIDA :)  Not the best thing to mail from here to there, but I'm sure she will be pleased with what will be inside ;)  

The paint can pail is decorated on the inside with DSP - tied green ribbons in all colors and added Spring Flowers Riley to the top.  It's removable so if she wants to use the pail for a marker holder (etc), she can still enjoy Riley all year long :)  This makes a WONDERFUL teacher/church helper/friend gift, too!

Now that you have seen the two images on my blog, be sure to hop on over to the next stop, Silke!!  Her uber amazing creations are not to be missed!

If you should get lost along the way of the hop, or need to start at the beginning, here is the entire hop order.  

Riley and Company Blog

Cindy

Frances

Kelly {You're here!}

Silke

Laurie

Jovita

Michele

Joy

Therese

Enjoy the hop, and remember the specials/deals that are going on right now for the next 24 hours!

* ONE (1) UM stamp to be given away on each blog for one lucky commenter!

*If you place your order within the first 24 hours and spend $25.00 in the store, you will receive the brand new Riley "share a smile" logo stamp, and this is not available for purchase!

*Stamps and Mooseables are available as soon as the blog hop begins

promptly at 10 PM EST on 3/22/12!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Big Hugs,

Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

Surprise! Here's a HUG! :)

Whoooooooooooo is ready for another sneakie peakie

from Riley and Company?

ME!!!!! :}

How about a SURPRISE card!! :)  Riley is definitely a special delivery, tucked inside his little envelope!  He's super adorable and wonderfully fun giving special Riley HUGS!  I have been calling this release the Countdown to Cuteness!  And one more day and it's here - release time!!

I'm sure you've seen the deets, but just in case, 

remember the BLOG HOP from Riley and Company starts

THURSDAY, 10 PM EST on March 22nd!!

Free exclusive Riley SAS Logo stamp with any order 

over $25 placed in the first 24 hours!

And the DT have been showing you some

sneakapeakalicious samples all week long!  

Be sure to stop by their blogs - located in my sidebar

 or on the main blog site and see what they have made!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

We'll see you for the BIG hop!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

Chocolate MOOSE, anyone? :)

Hiya!!  It's sneakapeakalicious #4!!  And today I'm showcasing this soon to be released Riley and Company  stamp called Chocolate eating Riley.  And he looks suspiciously like me at Easter, hee hee! :)  I just love this lil guy, happily sneaking into the easter chocolates.  Today's card also includes an inside view, and I did a little shadow stamping which I am seeing all over blogland ~ it was fun to have an inside different than my usual ones to show off Riley in two different ways.  Aren't the new sneaks just the sweetest!!  

Here's today's card!

Thank you for your visits, your sweet words!

I hope you are as excited for the new stamp release as I am!

And, did you see the new bi-weekly challenge for the Riley and Company blog?  IT's use your Spring stamps, polka dots!  Fun, fun!!

You can enter your cards here!

Be sure to Hop with Riley and Company on

March 22nd, Thursday at 10 PM EST!

Sneaks are going on all week, 

check the DT blogs (on my sidebar) for all the 

sneakapeakalicious new stamps being released!

Free exclusive Riley SAS Logo stamp with any order over $25 placed in the first 24 hours!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

Sending Easter Blessings!

Good morning!  I'm back with yet another adorable peek at the new Riley and Company stamps!  Today, I bring you two images from the upcoming new release, which will be this Thursday,  March 22nd ~ an evening to mark your calendars so you can hop along with the new stamp release at 10 PM EST!  
The stamps I've used for you today are Easter Basket and the brand new Lulu with Riley!  This lil set is a candy treat bag with matching card, sentiment added to the inside.  I used the same dsp for both, just changing up the l/o a bit.  These treats bags were so much fun to make!  After making this delicious sample, I've decided to make them for his classmates for an Easter treat this year :)


First up, the set together :)

Be sure to stop by the DT blogs to see what goodness they have created for you today see with the new stamps sneak peeks!  The blog hop will be here before we know it!

Big hugs,

Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly