I'm going to the Mall!

Hi friends!

It's official - I'm another year older!

Yesterday was the culmination of a wonderful week long

Spring Break/Birthday-a-thon ♥

The kids and I were out daily having fun, enjoying the outdoors,

being together, not being in school!
We are taking full advantage of our Year of Adventure :)
 

Glorious it was ~

getting older, not so much!

This is my last year in the 40s :(

They say you are only as old as you feel ....

so that makes me about 101!
 

*wink!*

 

  

There's a new challenge at The Ink Spot,

hosted by Kendra, to create a humorous card in honor of April Fools Day.

With the Funny Bones stamp line, that's easy to do.

These stamps simply crack me up!

I inked/colored up Car Riley

and the "I'm Bored" Funny Bones

to make my funny, cheeky card!

                           Be sure to check out the rest of the DT cards

 for some side-splittin', hilarious creative ideas :)

You can find them here or on my sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!

~Kelly

It's a GREEN Challenge!

 

Hi ya'll!

Today is all about Green!  

I know, sounds like a country cookin' channel, right?

Get out a big 'ol bowl,

grab some collards, some kale, some spinach ...

{↑ all super yummy!}

... and let's talk green!

It's actually challenge time at The Ink Spot!

Our challenge is to use the color green on our cards.

I love this challenge

because I love green!

 My.  favorite.  color.  EVER!!

 So here's what I came up with using Schoolgirl Sophie

and the funnybones sentiment 'winky faces'.

I might add ~ my teenage daughter saw this card,

started busting up laughing and snap-chatted it to all her friends

with "true story!" added on.

well then!

I actually remade this card 3 times :/

It wasn't until I finally took out the green background

and added in a little touch of light blue that it finally came together :)

Whew!

 I hope you are inspired to head over to

The Ink Spot and see 6 fabulous stamp stores all in one place!
 

You can also see my DT teammates + their pretty green cards, too!

Now that I'm done with my card, I can get back to cookin!

Maybe some broccoli and turnip greens ...

(but no brussell sprouts,  those are yucky!! hee hee!)

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

DDD ~ For the Dogs :)

Oh friends ~ 

 I'm PAW-sitive you will love what the Dueling Darlings are posting today!

I promise our "for the dogs" cards will be

 a tail waggin', face lickin', belly scratchin' good time!

Carol is the Divas' hostess this month and Shelly is the Dazzlers' hostess ~

their incredibly fun theme is:  For the Dogs!  

I LOVE this theme! ♥

They shared that:  "we searched the weird holidays for March. 

On the 10-13 it is Crufts--the worlds largest dog show and on the 23rd is National Puppy day....

.thus leading for the theme "for the dogs".

Carol and Shelly, this is perfect!

We are H-U-G-E doggie fans in our home ....

Buddy is my little sidekick and Buster, our rescue dog from a busy Miami highway, has equally stolen our hearts :)

 Dogs are LIFE ♥

Carol sent us several darling image choices ~ so hard to pick,

so I colored up the first one, Bugawumps Schnauzer

(could that name be any cuter!)

Now here's where my card really started going to the dogs ....

I couldn't cover up the puppies on the designer paper!

I.  Just.  Could.  Not.

I felt so bad ... isn't that crazy?!!

I couldn't cut it the paper.

I couldn't pick a side to use and cover up another.

I just wanted to pet the paper and smooch all over it!

Knowing I wouldn't have a card for today,

I finally got my act together, LOL.

I fussy cut the pup, colored it up with prismacolor markers

and 3D popped it off the card ...

And you know,

I love love LOVE my card ♥

I don't say don't that often ....

but this one makes my heart smile :)  

 

 And the inside of the card:

  

  They also posed a question for the challenge:

 Did you have a pet dog when you were growing up? 

Yep, almost always!

Our first family dog that I remember was a sweet Collie named Holly.

I was just 5, my brother 6, and my parents adopted her

 after we arrived at a new military base.

We were kids of the 70's and she followed us like a second shadow,

sweet and kind and as loving to us kids as one could hope for in a dog.

Bless her heart ♥

Now it's time to see what the other darlings have created!

You can find their blogs in my side bar →

I hope today is a playful one!

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings ♥
~Kelly
 

 

We're MAD for PLAID!

Top 'o the morning to ya!

...

and Happy March!

It's time for another challenge at The Ink Spot

and this week's challenge theme was chosen by me.

I love the look of plaid but it doesn't get on my cards very often,

nor do I get to wear a kilt - tee hee!

 I thought that would be a fun theme,

especially since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner.

And, I have Irish/Scottish roots!

I do, I do!

My dad and uncle worked for an entire year on our genealogy

and traced our family's ancestry all the way back to Scotland ♥

In fact, we are direct decendants of Sir William Wallace,

the Scottish knight that fought during the Wars of Scottish Independence until his defeat at the defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to throw in there ..

"you know, Mel Gibson?  From Braveheart!"

I know ........ just the actor's portrayal of Sir Wallace - hee hee!

Just bein' silly, of course!

  

Speaking of silly, I LOVE this silly little leprechaun!

I call him Jiggles since he's jumping up and doing a little jig :)

He's available at Cornish Heritage Farms

in the digital stamp section and did you know the downloads are instant.

No waiting, instant printing, coloring, paper crafting!

The Happy St. Patrick's Day sentiment is also from CHF.

My card is might look slightly familiar,

because I modeled after one of my other cards that I loved ♥

Please be sure to stop in and see what the rest of the DT created using

MAD for PLAID!

You can find their inspirations on their blogs listed at the right →

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, Bigger blessings!

~Kelly

The Ink Spot: Winter Fun Challenge

Hi friends!

YAY!

Today is a SNOW day!!!

Surely I get to have a snow day off, too - 

even if it's only for the new challenge at The Ink Spot!

Sledding Riley is having a lot of fun, that's for sure ...

zipping down the hill.

And how I wish it were me :)

While we have a sunshine, palm tree laced, tropical paradise here,

I do miss my winter and snow very much!

So I am living vacariously through Riley ♥ 

Have you heard the news about the monthly stamp kits from The Ink Spot?

You may remember from this post - or from our Facebook page - 

that there is a super fun packed, wonderfully full

 stamp kit you can sign up for and it's delivered monthly, right to your mailbox!

Be sure to stop by all the designer's blogs 

to see what Winter Scenes they have created :)

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly
Card entries;  Clear it out - Twine
Retro Rubber (Riley stamp is at least x4 years old!)
 
 

DDD ~ Be a Kid at Heart :)

 

Happy Monday, friends!

I hope your Valentine's celebrations were lovely ♥

Today is the day that we Dueling Darling post our cards.
The DDD = the Dueling Darling Divas or Dazzlers,

a card kit exchange friendship group.

{The Divas have one card kit to work with, while the Dazzlers have another,

however, the theme is the same

 It's always fun to see what we "duel" up in cardstock,

 papers and wonderful images!}

This month, Kadie and Paola are the hostesses 

and their wonderful theme is:  

Be a Kid at Heart!

I can do that! √   

Kadie sent the Divas our super cute kit this month ~

I had a hard time deciding which papers to use ;)

Here is the card I made with the adorable Mickey Mouse image,

matching fun image and sparkly sequins.

The second part of Kadie and Paola's challenge was to add a heart

somewhere on the card and give your card to a child ♥

The heart brad in the kit didn't make it to my card,

but I can definitely share my card with a child ~ my own!

My dd2 will be heading to Disney's casting call

next month for an audition ....
this card will be perfect tucked into her overnight bag,

filled to the brim with love ♥

Please be sure to stop by and see what all the DDD's

have created with 1 theme, 2 different card kits!

You can find all the links in my sidebar right over there →

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly
 

Card entries:   FanTastic Tuesday 124- Square cards/Cute

                    Die Cuttin' Divas #253- Die cuts and Kids's Theme (Hello ↑ is a die cut) 

 

3 Musketeers: Love Graffiti ♥

Hi friends!

February is so much fun!

It's such a wonderful month, this February of ours :)

There is so much pink, red, hearts, and LOVE ♥

 

This sweet little Penny Black hedgehog 

surely has the right idea with 'tagging' the fence.

                 We should all have a paint brushes and color our world :)

 I remember when my son was much younger,

we read "Harold and the Purple Crayon" together.

I was so inspired by his reading 

that we did a recreation on his own bedroom wall!

His eyes were huge with wonder and delight,
while my husband just shook his head in disbelief,
and our girls did a trio of "Hey!  Why didn't WE get to do that!"
  

He chose his Purple Mountain's Majesty crayola
 and started to doodle ♥

He drew train tracks and happy faces,

a dog or a bunny (or maybe a mix of both),

scribbled out his name ...

it was truly memorable 'graffiti' and impressive art ♥

Back to my card :)

It's post day for the 3 Musketeers!

I'm running behind this month ...

because I'm running everywhere else - LOL!

Jeanette was our hostess and I absolutely adore this cutie! ♥

Coincidentally, our purple crayon, wall doodling "little boy" is now 11 ♥

He has his school's Principals' Honor Roll Assembly today.

We could not be more proud ~ straight A's again this semester,

including in Art :)

I can only hope that his artistic side continues to flourish,

though scribbling on his bedroom walls was a one shot deal :/

Thanks for stopping by!

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings ♥

~Kelly 
 Card entries:  Penny Black Saturday Challenge:  LOVE

 

It's a LOVE thing! ♥

 Hi friends!

It's me, wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day ♥

I told my husband 'Look!  It's me on a card!"

With a smile and careful consideration,

 he offered "Baby, that is definitely not you on the card."

Well, I looked again and lo and behold, he's right!

I sadly do not own those cool heart shaped glasses!

Hee hee! :-)

{And the inside of my card}

Confession time!

One of my favorite things about celebrating Valentines

is seeing the decorated shoe boxes come home from school

with all the little handwritten To and From names and notes!

I love to go through them with my son

and see the assortment of U R My Best Friend,

I ♥ U, Be Mine, U R So Sweet and so on -

soooo cute!!

I'm old fashioned, I s'pose ....

I see pins and boards on Pinterest of the cutest 

Valentines treats and handmade tags and cards

BUT ..

I think the kids should make them!

I really do!

My son gets out his little magic markers and writes his name

as many times as it takes

 for Sunday School, classroom,

teachers, speciality area teachers ...

I believe in lost art of letter writing, thank you notes, hand written cards ♥

He doesn't mind and but does say the kids in class think

 "It's all about the candy, mommy!"

Yeah ....

I'm all about that life, too :-)

I'll enter my card into the Art Impressions monthly challenge: LOVE
Simon Says Stamp: Have a Heart
Friday Mashup:  LOVE 

Thanks for stopping by today!
Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

The Ink Spot - NonTraditional Valentine's Day cards ♥

Hi everyone!

It's time for The Ink Spot Challenge team to 

create a card with Joy's fun theme:

Non-traditional Valentines!

Super cute!

and, that's actually one of my favorite themes in card-making ...

off the cuff colors during holidays that are normally this or that :)

How about Blue!  Orange!  Teal!

(Nope, not channeling the Broncos for a win - LOL!

I don't even watch football!)

 

And the card inside:

Stamping Riley is getting ready to send some love!

I inked up Riley and colored him with prismacolor markers,

adding him to a colorful palette of blues and orange ..

and that tiny little red doodle heart just happened to be on the paper

I was cutting and thought it just had to stay! :)

You can check out what the rest of the Design Team

has made using non-traditional Valentine's Day looks

by checking out the blog/links here! 

I'll enter this into:  As You like it:  Layers
Craft Rocket:  Love  
Crafty Addicts: Cute, Cuddly

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

I love you!

I do - I love you, friends!

Thank you for chuckling along with me and our camping adventures!
But, it's nice to be home and crafting again - that's for sure!
This was an incredible productive weekend at my little craft kiosk ....
I managed to make 8 cards - woohoo!

Today's card is from the progressive challenge at From the Heart Stamps,

 a delightful digital stamp company 

with some of the cutest lil digis you'll ever see ♥ 

 I've been playing along with their monthly progressive challenge since last year 

(and even before that ♥)

 and just love the stamps you receive each month. 

 I was too busy to play along in December,

 and as you can see by the late date, almost missed January! :/

Aside from being adorable, the image was very versatile, too ~

could be Christmas, or just winter, or and adorable love card 

based on the sentiments generously supplied with the digi.

I went with the latter - LOVE!

Here's my card submission, inside and out:

 This color combination is one of my all time favorites - 

from the day I put Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette and Real Red together

one year making Christmas cards ♥

Thanks for stopping by ~

I hope your weekend was marvelous!

Big hugs, Bigger Blessings!
~Kelly

January's *Adventure* - Camping!

Hi friends!

You may remember {from this post} that this is the Year of Adventure!

Instead of new year resolutions, I've claimed a *One Word* for many years now. This year's *adventure* is real life, crafting, or surprises along the way!

January's adventures took us camping!

Suffice it to say, I am so not a camper,

especially knowing I'm going to be in a tent, sleeping bag, with dirt and bugs!

This was a big, big, B-I-G stretch for me!

But my wayfaring, adventurous spirit took over 

and we hit the open road with a "come what may" attitude :) 

We found ourselves in a very rural, rustic area of central Florida
on the outskirts of Lake Okeechobee.

With a lack back semblence, there was a distinct feel of a time gone by.

They still say howdy and ma'am and, with a tip of the hat, wish you a good day.

It's just a stone's throw from Miami,

worth the nearly 3 hour, one way drive. 
Far removed from the hustle and bustle of our daily life,
I appreciated the unspoiled way of life.

We found ourselves arriving in the evening after a horrible Thunderstorm
 ripped through the camp with 30 mph winds and saturated the grounds,
making it too rain soaked to pitch tents.
The few of us that braved the storm to get up there
 were granted access to "higher grounds" until morning,
 putting up the tents in the darkness of the night
with just lanterns and moonlight!

\

 

 This is what I could see outside the tent ~

Nothing! 

Prayers said, tents up, we 'adventured' on.
We set up a make shift "get through the night" camp,
assembled our small stoves and ate around the campfire.
Those of us that braved the first night sat chatting
under a million stars on the chilly, clear {and now rain-free} night.
 
We huddled into our tents for the night ...
my always reading son dove into his new book
by the lantern's light,
and I later watched him in beautiful slumber by the light of the moon ♥

 

The next day was postcard perfect -
absolutely STUNNING weather, sunshiny skies and just cool enough 
to make everything wonderful ..
canoeing, hiking the nature trails, merit badge lessons, scavenger hunts,
and so much more. 

A few more families showed up late in the evening 
 just in time for camp karaoke, scary campfire stories and more s'mores!
(I won't post any of the pictures with other scouts, which is most of my pictures) :(

One of my very very VERY favorite things to do is canoe,
and as soon as the sun rose in the mornings
(and since I wasn't in charge of breakfast or scout duty!),
I channeled my inner Nicholas Sparks to venture into God's creation ↓

  

Be still my heart.

Through twists and turns, strong current and freezing water,
I was one with the river ♥

 

 

 For trip one, I cleared nearly 6 miles :)

Back on land .......

 We took nature hikes - THROUGH this!  
Our Den Leader thought it would be 'great experience!'
I think he took Frost's "Take the path less traveled" to heart ...

Eventually, all roads lead to Rome - right?
We would find actual trails and paths, here or there .... 
 

 

 Many paths ventured into the wet marshes, a vast beauty of the Everglades

that must be seen at least once in a lifetime ♥

One scout didn't follow the 'blaze' on the trail and

found himself upon this grass ........ except, it's not grass!

Look again - that's water! ↑

 

      My son wanted to catch mommy a fish for dinner so badly.
We were told at the camp bait shop that the fish weren't biting -
too cold for Florida fish and the water was too high from the previous weeks' rain
but with good spirits (and luckily camp food!) he & the other Scouts had fun :)

 

 The lake was glassy and smooth, ripple free and eerily calm + beautiful.
I prayed that my son (and the scout friend with us)
would not rock the canoe!
Water mocassins,
alligators basking in the mid-morning son, one on a nest of her eggs.
Great lesson in WE are the visitors, it is THEIR home! 
   

We were informed that we were in for some bad weather again that night,
and sure enough, 3 am brought howling winds, torrential rain, freezing temps
(by Florida standards, especially since we were amidst many citrus growers).

Some of the families had packed up and headed out,
but my husband's confidence in his new Coleman tent, 
fantastic 'hurricane force tent staking' and,
apparently, his newfound "Be bold, baby! Be committed!' stanza
was included in the Year of Adventure.    
O-kay!

Just in case, I mapped out the way to the SUV,
flashlight in hand and knew I'd be sleeping with one eye open.
And based on the symphony of dad's snoring in tents around me,
probably not much at all!
Sleep eluding me, I briefly opened the tent flap 
to see a crisp, clear night with so many stars lining the sky.
What an incredible gift to behold ♥      

  

 Sure enough, by 4 am, the rain arrived in full force. 
But, thanks be to God, the tent held up fabulously!
Not a single drop of water made it's way inside. 
In the morning, we surveyed camp and found much it had blown away.
 Anything that had been left out
(tables, tarps, stoves, etc) were all strewn about and not all of the tents made it. 
Many families were soaked through and spent the morning 'drying out' 
everything on tree branches and fence posts.  
My bestie brought out her dad's ancient coffee percolator
and we got the fire going for one of the best cups of joe! ♥ 

The sunrise also brought sunshine, and it stayed with us the rest of the trip!
 With Arrow of Light requirements mostly done,  
we had a lot of free time to explore and trek and hike and play :)
The Scouts voted me 'best on the river'
and my heart smiled :)

What's a little last night's rain going to do to Scouts?
Give them opportunity!
We put our rainboots and waterproof hikers on and explored!
   

While tromping through mud and muck and whatnot,
I hear my son ....
"Mommy!  Look at this little guy!"
  
Have mercy.

It. Is. A. Snake!

    Poor thing didn't survive the night,
but still ....... son, use a stick! 

Although we stayed another 2 nights and 1 day,
it rolled quickly into each other and before we knew it - 
time to head for home!
Bugs, rain, reptiles, exhaustion and all things crawling aside,
we had an incredibly fun and adventurous time, unexpectedly so :)  
I was actually as sad as my son to leave for home,
though I missed the girls and the fur babies.

January was so much fun, I can't wait for February's adventure!

Adventure Awaits ...
Find your tribe!
~Kelly