Ornament Christmas Card

I have another Christmas card to share with you today, with lots of sparkle and bling. I used a cutter file from Visual Designs by Chris (Ornament Card Front) to create this card. I love this file because there are only 2 cuts to make, one for each layer. And you could just stop there and have a beautiful card. I, of course, couldn't resist adding some extra details. The background was embossed with the Large Snowflake Cuttlebug folder. I used a gold paint marker to add pen stitching around the outside and to color the tops of each ornament. Using my i-rock, I attached some red, green and gold gems to one of the ornaments. I added green, red and gold Stickles to a couple of the other ornaments. I also added a clear rhinestone that I colored with the gold paint marker to the other ornament. I just love all the sparkle!






Challenges:
*The Pink Elephant (Challenge #128 - Snowflakes & Sparkle)
*Creative Craft Challenges (Challenge - Faux or Real Stitching)


Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Antler Cards

Here are 3 cards I made using a file collection from Accents by Eddita (Antler Holiday Card Collection). The patterned papers are from Cloud 9 Design. I used the Large Snowflake and Ornament Collection embossing folders. These were quick and simple to put together, and I love how they turned out.








Challenges:
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #55 - Decorative or Altered Corners)


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Winter Wishes Snowman Card

Here is a Christmas card I made using a cutter file from Visual Designs by Chris (Skating Snowman). The background paper is from DCWV (I think). The snowflake background is cut from ice blue vinyl. I added black Stickles to the eyes and buttons on the snowman. The little pom-pom on the hat has Sparkly Fluff added to it. The sentiment and snowflake stamp are from K. Andrew's Winter Wishes stamp set. This snowman is so adorable. He makes me smile every time I look at him.

Challenges:
*Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #42 (Christmas - no green)
*One Stop Craft Challenge (Challenge #160 - Let it Snow)


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Gearing Up For Christmas

I cannot believe Christmas is only a few weeks away. I am slowly getting back into crafting, beginning with a bunch of Christmas cards I plan to share over the next week. But for today I want to share an advent calendar I made last year. This is a project I made using a file collection by Jen Adkins over at Paperthreads (Countdown to Christmas).


Here is my completed Countdown to Christmas project. It took me over a week to complete, but it was so worth it! I am so very happy with how this turned out. And I can use it for years and years to come. The base of the project is a cookie sheet and all of the little elements are magnets. As you remove each piece, you can simply attach it to the backside of the cookie sheet.




I used 2 different patterned papers for the base of the cookie sheet. The paper is attached using decoupage paste. I made it into a grid using some green ribbon. I printed the numbers out twice, once in red and once in green. Then I used a circle punch to punch out the numbers. I glued these down in alternating colors inside the squares of my grid. The title is cut from some sparkly vinyl I had.




When I glued the paper to the cookie sheet, I let it hang over the edges. To clean this up and make it look more finished, I went around the whole cookie sheet with some striped Christmas ribbon I picked up at Joann's.




I had so much fun decorating all the different elements. I used markers to go around the outside edges of all the pieces and to add details. Lots of Stickles were used to add color and sparkle. I used some colored rhinestones for the man's eyes and a metal star charm for his hat.




I used markers to add details like the girl's eyes and nose and the snowman's mouth. More Stickles were used. I used rhinestones for the snowman's eyes and silver circles to decorate the one tree. The other tree has a star charm on top.




I used a white gel pen for the gingerbread people. The penguin, Santa, the hat and the stocking all have sparkly fluff added to the white parts. I used some googly eyes on the reindeer. Santa's eyes and the center of the snowflake are rhinestones. The bottom layer of the snowflake was cut from holographic paper.




I hope you enjoyed seeing my advent calendar. My plan is to start blogging regularly again so please come back and visit.

Challenges:
*Scrapalicious USA (Christmas Project Challenge)


Thanks for stopping by!

My Cute Little Scooby Doo

Just wanted to share some Halloween pictures.








Thanks for stopping by!

Kelly

Winner of Big Blog Candy Giveaway

With everything going on, I had almost forgotten about the big giveaway. I have been trying to clean and organize everything in the house and I stumbled upon the boxed up goodies. So I figured I should probably draw a winner.

According to Mr. Random.org, the winner of the Blog Candy Giveaway is . . .




Congratulations, Tina! Email me your mailing address and I will get your package out to you as soon as I can.


Kelly

Moving Forward

It has been 2 weeks since I lost my husband. That is such an odd expression, isn't it? It sounds like I have misplaced him, like a set of car keys. Or that we have been separated while shopping in the mall. If only that were true. That he had just been temporarily misplaced, and would soon reappear. This has been the longest 2 weeks of my life. And yet, in some respects, I can't believe it has already been 2 weeks. I never in a million years thought that I would be a widow and single mother at 35. It still seems so unreal, even as I go through each day without my beloved husband. I have been keeping extremely busy, which is a big help. There is so much to deal with, so many little things that you don't realize. And my husband didn't have a will (we thought we had plenty of time to get things in order). So there has been a nightmare of paperwork and legal hoops to jump through.

On the positive side, there has been an incredible outpouring of love and support. From family, friends, classmates, business clients, online friends, etc. The cards, emails, prayers, comments, etc. have been a great source of comfort to me. I have read each and every one of them several times, and I will continue to turn to them as needed. I have had a lot of company, which I appreciate so much. People stopping by to check in on us, to bring us food, to play with Alex and talk to me, to just be here for us. I really don't want to be alone at all. That is when my mind has time to wander and think and contemplate my incredible loss. So I just try to keep busy so my mind can't veer off in those directions.

It is odd what brings up the emotion and tears. I had to run to the store to grab a few essentials the other day. As I walked past the dairy section, I was brought to tears. Keith drank soy milk on his cereal and as I glanced at the soy milk and realized that I didn't need to buy any now, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I miss him with all of my heart and soul.

There was a wonderful turnout at the calling hours and funeral service. Family, friends, business clients, old classmates, etc. And some people traveled so far. We live in central New York and there were people there that traveled from as far away as NYC, Philadelphia, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. It really shows how much people care that they are willing to take time out of their busy lives to come and honor Keith's memory and support his family during this difficult time.

The day of the funeral was a gorgeous day, unseasonably warm and very sunny. As we drove to the cemetery, the fall foliage seemed brighter and more colorful than I have ever seen it. In recent months, my husband had been on a spiritual journey, finding his way back to God. In the weeks before his passing, he said he was the happiest he had ever been. And he was excited to start on the next chapter of his life, a new season. So the vibrant colors of the leaves seemed so appropriate, signifying a new season for Keith. We had thought the next part of his journey would be with us and it is still more painful than I can even describe, but there is some comfort in knowing how at peace Keith was in his last few weeks. That God had helped him to find an inner peace and happiness before he had to leave this world, and me. So in some ways it is comforting. But I also have moments of incredible anger. How could God take him from me now? Keith was so excited to share his story and his journey so that he could help others. And we had so many plans for our future together. The fact that there is no future for us brings me incredible sadness, anger, and regret.

Thank you for all of the sweet comments. They truly do help. And thank you for your continued prayers.

Kelly

Love and Loss

My life has been wonderful and blessed. At least until Wednesday, October 5, 2011. That is the day that my world was turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same again. That is the day that I lost my best friend, my soulmate, my husband. That is the day that my "everything " was taken from me. It started out like any other day. I was taking the recycling out to the curb. My husband said he wanted to take a walk. I put Alex down for his nap and hopped on the computer. And then there was a knock at the door. And there was a cop standing on my front porch, telling me I needed to come to the hospital, that someone had seen Keith collapse while on his walk. And then we got to the hospital and I saw him lying there on the table, not responding, with so many people doing everything they could to bring him back to me. But his heart had given out and it would not start beating agian. He was gone. And a piece of me was gone as well. I am left incomplete, no longer whole.

To better understand Keith's place in my life and in my heart, here is a little backstory. I met Keith when I was 16 and he was 19. It was the summer before my junior year. He was friends with my best friend's boyfriend. The four of us spent a lot of time together that summer, hanging out, playing mini golf, going to the local Renaissance Fair. We got to know each other as friends and then it blossomed into so much more. That is the summer that I found the love of my life, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I felt so blessed that I had found him at such a young age so we would have a lifetime together.

We dated throughout the rest of my high school years, all through my college years. I came home from college every weekend to be with him. He had started his own computer business just before we met and I would work with him there during the summers. After I graduated, we moved in together and I went to work with him full-time. Ever since that time (June 1998) we have been together practically 24-7. Over the years, many have asked how we managed so much togetherness. They were amazed, like it was some sort of challenge to be together so much. We relished it. Why wouldn't you want to be with your best friend all of the time? In 2003, we finally made it official and got married. Keith has told me he felt married to me almost from the beginning, so to him it was just a piece of paper. And our life didn't really change after the ceremony. The only real difference seemed to be my last name. Otherwise, our life together marched on happily just as it had before the wedding.

We spent many wonderful years together, just the 2 of us, and then we decided we were ready to bring another member into the family. In December 2009, we welcomed our son, Alex, into the family. And then we were 3. Keith was so excited to be a father and he was an incredible, loving, wonderful father. He was the one to give Alex his baths, he made sure he told him how much he loved him every day, he loved to play with him, and take him for walks, and to the park. Earlier this summer, we took Alex to the circus and I don't know who had more fun, Alex or Keith. It was such a joy to watch them together. And Alex looks just like his Daddy. Everyone always comments on that. And now it is so bittersweet to see my son's sweet face.

We have been together for 19 fabulous years. And before Wednesday, that sounded like a long time. But it isn't. It is such a short, short period of time. We were supposed to have another 50 or 60 years together. We were going to start trying for another baby. Keith wanted to buy an RV and travel around the country as a family, seeing all that the country has to offer. We were going to grow old and grey together. And now all of those hopes, dreams, and plans have vanished.

Keith was a beloved member of our families, of our friends, of our business clients, of so many in the community. There has been such an outpouring of love and support from so many. I have been hearing from our high school classmates that we haven't spoken to in 15 years or more. And they all still remember what a truly incredible man my husband was. He is the smartest person I have ever met. He is kind, loving, sweet, fun, wonderful, incredible. And I am going to miss him so much. He has always been my rock, my anchor, my support. How do I go on without him? How do I raise our son to be the man Keith would want him to be? How do I get through each day without a hug and kiss from my husband? Without hearing him say I love you? Without feeling his hand holding mine? How do I get through the next minute, the next hour, the next week, the next year? How?

Please keep me and Alex in your prayers. We have a long, difficult journey ahead of us.


Kelly

Batty for You

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

I am sharing a Halloween card with you today. This is a square 5x5 card, rather than my usual 5x7 card. It is based on a sketch provided by Creative Craft Challenges. The background paper is Green Crepe Ruche paper from the Paper Temptress. I love the texture of this paper! The patterned papers are from K & Company (the glittery orange swirls) and Cloud 9 Design (black swirly paper and orange paper with swirls). The Halloween ribbon is from Walmart. The cute little bats are from Filekutz by LisaJane (Cute Halloween Faces). I used orange Stickles for their noses and added googly eyes. The smiles were drawn in with my white Sakura Gelly Roll pen. The sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Fall-O-Ween Stamp Set). Orange rhinestones and buttons were added to finish the card.






Thanks for stopping by!

Sunflower Birthday Card

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

Today is my friend Sue's birthday (Happy Birthday, Sue!) and I want to share the card I made for her. Hopefully she received it in the mail already. Otherwise, this may spoil the surprise. Sue really loves sunflowers, so I used a great file I have from Jen Adkins Designs (Summer Sunflower). The background paper is from KI Memories. I cut the sunflower out of yellow cardstock and the leaf out of green cardstock and then added pen stitching (Jen already has the lines in the file so you can use your pen tool or cut them as dashed lines). For the center of the sunflower, I used 2 layers of brown embossing puffs on top of the brown cardstock. This stuff is really cool and I like the effect it gives here. I used some brown grosgrain ribbon from my stash on the left edge and tied a cute little bow. The sentiment is stamped using the Amazing You set by K Andrew Designs. Then I added a few clear rhinestones to finish it off. I am very pleased with how it turned out and I hope my friend likes it.





Challenges:

* Whimsical Wednesday (Challenge: Anything Goes)
* Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog (Challenge #63: Anything Goes)



Thanks for stopping by!

Spider Halloween Card

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

I have another Halloween card to share with you today. This is such a fun holiday to create cards for. I only sent out 2 or 3 Halloween cards last year, but at the rate I have been making them, I think a lot of people are going to be receiving them this year. And besides getting yummy Halloween candy, I guess getting a cute card in the mail will be the next best thing. :-)

The background paper on this card is K & Company (Tim Coffey Halloween). The spider web is from Jen Adkins Designs (A Tangled Web) and I cut it from a sparkly silver vinyl. The spider is from Shelly's Art (Vampire Spider). I adhered the body using a foam circle and then glued his feet right to the card. The sentiments are from K Andrew Designs (Fall-O-Ween Sentiment Stamps). I also used a Stampin' Up ribbon and some black gems to decorate the card.




Challenges:

* Love to Crop (Challenge: Use Your Scraps)




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Birthday Rosette with Buttons

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

Can you believe it? I'm back again the same day. It is World Card Making Day after all, so I guess it is only proper that I should post another card. :-)

I am sharing a birthday card this time. The background paper is from KI Memories. I added Stampin' Up Ruffled Ribbon in Lucky Limeade. Using my Bazzill In Stitch'z template, I created the stem and leaves for my flower. The flower itself was made from a file by Sam & Hailey Designs (Rosette Fold Flowers 1). I added 2 buttons for the center of the flower and a few more buttons as accents on the card.




Challenges:

* Birthday Sundaes (Challenge #28: Who's Got the Button? Birthday Card)
* Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #35: Anything Goes)



Thanks for stopping by!

Poinsettia Christmas Card

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

I have a Christmas card to share with you today. The background paper is from the Seasonal Paper Pad by Cloud 9 Design. At the top of the card, I layered a Stampin' Up ribbon on top of a plain red ribbon from my stash. Then I used my Creative Memories oval templates to create the tag. The sentiment is from K Andrew Designs (Winter Wishes Stamp Set). The poinsettia is a digital stamp from Just Laury at Paperthreads. I printed it out on a shimmery white cardstock and colored it with my Marvy LePlume II markers. The center of the flower has gold gems adhered with my i-rock. I also used green gems on the tag and in the lower left corner.




Challenges:

* Card a Day Blog (Christmas Card Blog Hop)
* Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #32: Any Occasion - Must Use Ribbon)
* My Craft Spot (Challenge #26: Ribbon)
* Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #35: Anything Goes)
* Scrapalicious USA (Challenge: Anything Goes)


Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Greetings

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

I have another fall card to share today. I have never sent out fall cards in previous years, but I have been having a lot of fun creating these fall-themed cards, so it may become a new tradition. The background paper is from Cloud 9 Design (Seasonal Paper Pad). The two corners are from I Scrap Designs (Big Frilly Corner). I added pen stitching and stamped a sentiment using K Andrew Designs' Art Stamps. A few gems were added using my i-rock. The maple leaf is from Sam & Hailey Designs (Itty Bitty Autumn Leaves) and has pen stitching and a Peachy Keen face stamp (Everyday Characters).




Challenges:

* VDBC Forum (Newsletter Challenge)
* Peachy Keen Stamps (Let's Face It Friday - Leaves)
* Whimsical Wednesday (Challenge: Fall Colors)


Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Scarecrow

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

Today I want to share a fall card I made to enter into a few challenges. The background paper is Bazzill cardstock. The sun is made from a file by Carrie's Creations, which I tweaked a bit to get the look I wanted. I gave the sun a face using a Peachy Keen face stamp (Wide Eyed Kids). I also added a bit of pen stitching. The fence is from a file by Butterfly Designs. I used the Distressed Stripes embossing folder and went over the embossed areas with walnut distress ink. I used small brown buttons to accent the fence posts. The scarecrow is from a file by Shirley Clark Designs. Isn't he adorable? I attached the pumpkin with foam circles for added dimension. I added the Happy Fall sentiment using my new mix-and-match stamp set from K Andrew Designs (Fall-O-Ween). Finally, I added a few more buttons under the sentiment.

Challenges:

* Peachy Keen Stamps (Let's Face It Friday - Sunshine)
* Paper Cutz Challenge (Challenge #110: Button Up For Fall)


Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Card - Peace

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

Christmas is less than 3 months away and, for those of us that send out handmade cards, that means it is time to get started on the Christmas cards (if you haven't already begun). Today I am sharing a quick and easy card I made. The background paper is from a DCWV Christmas Stack that I bought a few years ago. The paper already had the trees printed on it and I just added some colorful gems with my i-rock to look like ornaments. At the top I made the tag using a file from Jen Adkins Designs (Peace Bracket Tag). The word Peace was written with my pen tool. I used plain white cardstock and then combined red and walnut ink with a stipple brush to color the tag. Then I adhered the tag with maroon ribbon. This card came together really quickly and I am very happy with how it tuned out.





Challenges:

* Scrapalicious USA (Challenge: Peace)
* Sparkles Forum Challenges (Challenge #21: Something that Sparkles)



Thanks for stopping by!

Autumn Glass Block

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

Today I want to share a fun project I made a couple of years ago. This was before I had a blog where I could share my creations with the rest of the world. And since it is a fall-themed project, I figured I would share it with you now. I picked up a glass block at Hobby Lobby, one of the ones that already has a hole in it. I used cocoa brown Gallery Glass paint to give the block some background color. Using 2 files from Sam & Hailey Designs (Itty Bitty Autumn Leaves & Itty Bitty Trees), I cut the tree and title from vinyl and applied it to the glass block. Then I wrapped some lovely ribbon around the outside, tied into a large bow on top.






You can also put Christmas lights inside. Here is a photo of it lit up.




Decorating these glass blocks is a lot of fun. I have also made a couple of Christmas ones. I will share those when it gets a little closer to the Christmas season.


Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Balloon

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

I have a birthday card to share today. It is based on the current sketch challenge at Peachy Keen Stamps (Sketch 61). The background paper is from KI Memories. I used my Sew Easy for the two lines of embroidery floss on the left edge. The color is Twilight glitter floss. It is hard to tell from the photo, but it is really sparkly. The balloon is a sticker from EK Success. I drew in the balloon string and the pen stitching with my white Sakura Gelly Roll pen. The Happy Birthday sentiment is a stamp from Katie & Co. (I think it came from the $1 bin at one of the chain craft stores). I stamped it with white pigment ink and then embossed it with clear glitter embossing powder. Finally, I added some blue gems with my i-rock. And I didn't use my cutter at all! Can you believe it?






Challenges:

* Peachy Keen Stamps (Sketch Challenge 61)
* Celebrate the Occasion (Challenge #31: Birthday - Must Use Balloons)
* Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #34: Monochromatic)
* Sparkles Forum Challenges (Challenge #21: Something that Sparkles)


Thanks for stopping by!

Filekutz September Challenge

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

As you may know, I am on the Creative Design Team for Filekutz by LisaJane. She is currently hosting a challenge at her blog. You get a free file and all you have to do is make a project that uses any/all of the file. Great deal, right? Plus, the winner of the challenge will receive a wonderful prize (see photo below).

Here is a picture of the free Cut File offered for this month's challenge:

And here is a look at the prize package.

With all of that being said, here is my take on this month's challenge. The background paper is from KI Memories. I used the gorgeous frame that was part of the free file and cut it from two shades of blue mica/metallic paper. I also used another Filekutz file (Just Bee-Cause) for the cute bee and the sentiment. The sentiment is cut from vinyl. I added light orange rhinestones to the centers of the flowers in the frame and also created little rhinestone flowers using two shades of blue rhinestones.





I think it turned out pretty cute. What do you think? I am pretty good about remembering people's birthdays, but I may have to send someone a late birthday card just so I can use this card. LOL


You still have time to head over to the Challenge Blog, download your free file and enter the challenge. The deadline is Wednesday, September 28th.


I am also entering this card into this week's Birthday Sundaes challenge (Challenge #27: Belated Birthday Card).


Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Ghost Card

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

I have a Halloween card to share with you today. It is based on a sketch over at Card Patterns. The patterned papers are all from a new stack I got at Joann's the other day (Cloud 9 Design Seasonal Paper Pad). Not that I need any more paper, but who can resist? LOL

The cute little ghost is from Sam & Hailey Designs (Halloween Collection). I added ribbon from Michael's along the bottom edge, just above the scalloped border. The black round gems and silver teardrop gems were all adhered with my i-rock. Have I mentioned how much I love this tool? I also added some pen stitching around both the black and orange ovals. The mailman brought me a great package today with my new K Andrew Stamps. One of the sets I received is the new Fall-O-Ween stamp set, which is where the Boo sentiment and the little bat and moon came from. Kristal's stamps are wonderful and she donates at least $1 of each set she sells to a worthy charity. How great is that? You get a fabulous stamp set and give to charity at the same time. Woohoo!






Challenges:

* Card Patterns (Sketch Challenge #133)
* Getting Cricky (Simply Sunday Challenge: Halloween)


Thanks for stopping by!

Wedding Shower Card

For my Big Blog Candy Giveaway, click HERE.

One of my mother's sisters has lived in Germany for over 30 years, and we don't get to see her and her beautiful family very often. My aunt, uncle, cousin and his fiance are currently visiting for 3 weeks. My cousin is getting married in the spring and wanted to introduce his bride-to-be to all of the family that won't be able to make it to Germany for the wedding. It has been wonderful to visit with them and this Saturday the family is throwing them a wedding shower. I wanted to create a special card for the happy couple and this is what I came up with.

It is based on a sketch by Aussie Caz for the September Sketch Challenge at Paperthreads. I made another card using the same sketch earlier this month, which you can see HERE if you missed it. The red background is embossed with the Hearts & Doves folder. To decorate the card, I used some great heart embellishments from Shelly's Art (Valentine Set). On the top border, I adhered heart gems with my i-rock. I used sheer ribbon along the left and bottom of the card and tied a little bow in the corner. I embossed part of the tag using a border from Just My Type. The Love sentiment on the tag is also from Shelly's Art (True Love Kit). I used more sheer ribbon on the tag. Finally, I added pen stitching using my white Sakura Gelly Roll pen and a red marker.






Challenges:
*Paperthreads (September Sketch Challenge)
*Party Time Tuesdays (Challenge #34: Monochromatic)
*Anything Goes Challenge Blog (Challenge #50: Anything Goes)
*You Had Me at Craft (Made It Myself Mondays)





Thanks for stopping by!