Please pray

Hi all,
because I know all of you will...

I wanted to ask for some intense prayer for a good school friend of my daughter's that was involved in a car accident this weekend...Brennan is a junior in high school, plays in band with her and is like an annoying brother my DD (meaning they are close!). He was a passenger riding with two friends when they hit something near a one lane bridge (fuzzy details still); B's bag did not deploy...they were all wearing seatbelts....He sustained serious spinal injuries that will be operated on when he is stabilized. Please pray for his surgery, recovery and the friends who are so worried about him that I seriously doubt any learning will be taking place at school. This particular surgery could cause paralysis, so please pray for a full recovery and no lasting effects. My DH and DD are at the Hospital lending support to the family. (I had class tonight). Many of their friends are taking off school to go up during the day. It is a very serious situation and your prayers and belief in a full healing would be so appreciated. I will keep you updated. Thanks so much.

BTW, the other two friends escaped with cuts and bruises, praise God!

Kim Marie

Taking time

It's so important to take time, isn't it? Ecclesiates tells us that there is a time and season for everything unto heaven. And spring is a perfect example of a time to do so many things! Spring cleaning, spring planting, spring stamping.....okay, so maybe not everyone does that last one, but we do!! Having just received what I am hoping was the last of the winter storms, I look forward to taking time to get back to exercising regularly, laughing together with friends who have been "forced" to stay close to home all winter long by darkness and weather, and preparing for a busy season of ministry and track meets, children's puppetry and long warm strolls after dinner. Graduations and weddings, reunions and birthday parties out on the terrace. Mud races, new leaves, buds on the trees. In other words, LIFE! God is so good to remind me today to also take time to...........

BREATHE!

We can get so busy that time flies before we realize...we have not taken a breath in too long! The little spring green gift box above has a great quote on it. The stamps are from Clear Artistic Stamps and when I got my new favorite set in their Serenity line, I had to make some fun things! Belinda sent me several of these boxes with my last order...isn't that sweet?? Here's another creation using this set, Whispers of Dreams:

I used Papertreyink's new cardstock Berry Sorbet and Perfect Match ink. (the color is similar to Cameo coral...hard to tell in the pic). Then I added a wide strip of the coordinating designer paper Pink Patterns. Doesn't it go so well with the CAS stamp? The little butterfly is from my Clear Artistic Stamp's Country Life set and the Martin Luthor quote is from PTI's stamp set Out on a Limb.

I decided the quote was perfect for this stamp and it helps us to remember to stop and smell the flowers of God's creation. Isn't it all Goodness and Grace? Here's a close up of the quote:



Nothing makes me happier than new green leaves on the trees in the spring. I get so sad when all the beautiful colors fall off and leave naked trees! But the hope of tomorrow's leaves always gets me through the winter, which can seem sooooo long sometimes. Are you in a stretch of winter in your life worse than the weather outside? Well, my friend, take time to thank Him for your blessings and you will begin to see how many of them surround you!! God is faithful to take time to care for you, so take time to talk to him! and to breathe! and Spring will come!

Be blessed!

THIS CAME WITH MY COFFEE THIS MORNING!

Can you believe it??

It's supposed to be spring!! These are a few snapshots of my front yard at 7 am this morn...the tree is actually a lilac tree :( and the plows are antiques I inherited from
my uncle that we use to decorate the yard.

About four inches fell last night and it is HEAVY snowman-type snow. My school delayed opening for an hour, but it was the only one around here that did. Everyone else had a full day! YUCK!


The reason I am sharing it with you is that my SBS sister Sue has a challenge on her blog...well, God bless her heart, her challenge was supposed to be to show off some flowers in your spring garden...but we don't even have grass here! So she was gracious enough to expand the challenge for those of us in the world that are "Spring challenged"....and my weather cooperated just enough to make it exciting. Hoo boy.....

Also, notice my pretty new siggy line....thanks to a bunch of SBS sister's tips and sites, I have downloaded a signature that pretty closely resembles my own. Isn't it pretty?? And fun to do...easy, peasy! Go here to check it out.

Love ya! Off to make some cards!



PS Get well wishes to my stamping buddy and good friend Ann D! Be well and stamp lots, Ann!

HE IS RISEN! REJOICE!

Indeed. Praise God for our Salvation and the Resurrection. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. Be blessed on this day...the cornerstone of our faith LIVES! The cross reminds us that Calvary was our road to Heaven's gates and Jesus led the way to our being able to sit on God's right hand. Praise be to the One from whom all blessings flow. Be blessed!

Kim Marie

JOYfully creating again!

Hi again!
I promised some cards and here are the ones I've had time for! I know! I said I'd create all day Thursday, but it just didn't happen! My prep for my grad class just took SOOOOOO long! All of Thursday and most of Friday! But it is finished, Praise God! Then I was INSISTENT on some time on Friday night...Also during the day, I went prom dress shopping with my girl....nothing good AND affordable! :( So when we got home, I sat at my table and just created! Even when my hubby got home, he made an AMAZING dinner of Salsa and Pesto Salmon with yellow rice and authentic corn tortillas...YUM! And still I sat and worked....so here are the fruits of my labor! (Okay two of three anyhow! I'll save one for tomorrow!) Enjoy!


This breezy card was done using Clear Artistic Stamps Country Life set. Belinda creates these stamps with such a flair for nature and all things pretty. I actually wove this ribbon from some spring colored ribbons sent to me by my SBS sister Suzann. I had to weave it many times to get it just right....and then I just couldn't cover it up! I stamped onto acetate and used my copics to color it in a little. Then I mounted it onto the buttons so it would look kind of 3D...you can see it better in "real life" but I love how it came out! I have been feeling so claustrophobic with all this paperwork, so the sentiment was JUST RIGHT! I will keep it on my desk to make me happy and take time to create! Gotta do it to stay sane, right, sisters??


And this is another card for my SBS sister Gina's sketch. I have been struggling to find a good backdrop for this egg image for WEEKS. Then I suddenly was struck with the idea to tie a bow around the egg and then...poof! The card was so quick and easy (boiled though, not over easy! LOL!!) When I found this DP that perfectly matched the ribbon, I was sooooo excited! See the little flower brad? Suzann sent it to me along with the pretty ribbons and egg image (colored with my copics weeks ago!). The brads are flocked! I love them....I want to use them all right away, they are so pretty in real life.

And with this card, I wanted to let all of my subscribers (all 15 of you according to my blogger account and all 20 SBS sisters!) that YOU MAKE ME HAPPY! You have no idea how much! Although I have only had a moment or two to check blogs everyday...I have had you on my mind a lot! Thanks for being there! What a blessing you are!!

Okay...I gotta go clean house for dinner tomorrow....my boy is coming home from college with his girlfriend and we are eating my DH's wonderful yummy dinner....so cleaning is next on my list! Then I have to practice for a song I am signing in church tomorrow morning...Via Delarosa, if you are familiar with it....Then hopefully, MORE STAMPING TIME!

Life is GOOD!
Be well and blessed!
Kim

Happy Easter and a blog challenge card!

A Four Day 'Break'! Yippee!

I want to stop everything and just stamp...but that isn't possible...but I am going to carve out some time tomorrow--I've promised myself!!

I did want to post this challenge card for my SBS sisters...it was a challenge on my SBS sistah, Gina's blog, The Card Kabin, for the month of March and I have been just aching to try it out...everyone who has made a card seemed to love it! So did I! I liked the Square-ness of the card, with the circle of the image added. As you can see, I kept closely to the sketch for this one...I think I'll try a few more too, just for fun! If you are not one of my SBS sisters who will all be making one for our challenge anyway, why don't you try it too? Let me know in a comment that you did this sketch and link your card...I may just have a little something to thank you for sharing ;) oh, and check out Gina's blog, why don't you? Great card creations over there!

I wanted to make a card for my mom...we lost my dad a year ago this Easter Sunday (March 23) and I know she will be so sad. I wanted something bright and cheery and the sketch card seemed to fit the bill!! The ribbon is from a prize that Suzann sent me for last month's sketch and the cardstock and DP is a mix of SU and scraps. The image is from Gina K and I used my lovely Copics to color it...the card just cried out for bling, so I added some jewels that Amber sent me in her PIF :) Love that pass it forward idea!!

Well, better go! My DH is making dinner and I have a meeting at church tonight...be blessed and I PROMISE to show you some stuff this weekend!

ReJOYce!
He is Risen!
Kim Marie

Happy St. Patty's Day to Ye!!

I love this holiday...everyone I know wears my favorite color and I don't have to give a reason for being a red head!!


Little known Kim trivia: I portrayed an Irish landlady in the play Showboat in high school! I was the only one that could do the Irish lilt when I spoke so he gave me the part. The director asked if I had an old Irish grandma somewhere, but no, my grandma was a blonde, blue eyed English woman. I have been blessed with a "good ear" and have always been able to change my accent and imitate lots of different voices and people. No, you do NOT want to hear my Yoda impression! LOL!!

The above card is made using Gift Art by Belinda Landtroop. She is the owner and artist of Clear Artistic Stamps and every month, she emails those on her mailing list electronic art to use in designing your own creations. They are always beautiful and here is my February card using her designs. I also used Everyday blessings DP from Papertreyink to border the design. I love the celtic knots that are in the illumination of the 'I' in Irish. Isn't it beautiful?



The Clear Artistic Stamp forum has a color palette challenge every month. My take on the color palette is here. I calligraphered a scripture to fill in the top of the card and a white gel pen to accent here and there. The images are from CAS as well. I've said it before but it bears repeating...these acrylic stamps are a DREAM to stamp with! I have been saving these images from the first moments I got the stamps and I HAD to ink them up! They all happened to fall into the color palette at once! Lucky me, huh? Well, blessed anyhow!


So, wondering where I have been??

As I have pointed out to even myself too many times...work has kept me absolutely BURIED. I am slowly seeing a tiny wee light at the end of the long tunnel leading to summer vacation (and Mozambique!) so I crawl that way...still so much STUFF, but a small break is coming if I can make it through two more days!

Sorry to all my SBS sisters...I check in as often as possible, but it's so very hard! I cannot even now believe it is after midnight!! ARGH! Why is 5:30 am so close to midnight? Well, I better run to bed....thanks for being out there looking for me! Hoping to be back soon!

Blessings!
Kim

Wishing you well and a blog candy alert!

Happy Friday!!

What a better way to start the weekend than by
wishing you well!!

Lots of good friends of mine, students of mine and blogging sisters of mine have been very very sick lately (yes, we got it here too!) so here's to praying they are all on the up and up!!

I made this card from DP sent to me through Wish RAK on SCS. As soon as I got the paper in the mail, I went to work! My card uses the paper piecing technique and there are actually three different kinds that I used! The stamps are Gina K's stamps for a cause Make a Wish! to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation. It has some adorable images in that set! This one is for my friend's birthday this month.


Speaking of fundraisers, another stamping/blogging friend of mine has some news to share about her nephew sacrificing his hair to raise money for cancer research for kids. Wendi's nephew's news can be seen here....and Wendi has rallied the BEST of the best stamp companies to donate yummy blog candy for a GREAT AND AMAZING GIVEAWAY!!!! What do you have to do? Well, donate! Click on any link in this paragraph and check it out!!

I hope to post more this weekend, but 'til then.............BE WELL!!!
Love ya!
Kim

The Sweetest thing

Hi everyone!! Hope your week is going GREAT! It's been a slow start, but we are preparing for some icy stormy kind of weather here, so there's always the hope of a snow day....of course here in NY we are also having state exams this week, so the hope is tiny....yet tiny hopes birth great things, do they not?

So, a few bits of news to share! First, I am happy to find out that the Friendship challenge card I posted on Clear Artistic Stamps in February was chosen a winner. That's nice, right? The stampers on that forum are so WONDERFULLY FUN! And I love to play with Belinda's images...so pretty! And my name was also randomly chosen on the SBS sister's February challenge sketch (Suzann's)...another nice thing...and the sisters on that forum are AMAZINGLY FUN!! (and my most loyal readers...thank you sistahs!) How sweet is THAT?

Also, I have decided to join a ministry team to Mozambique this summer to help build a church and present some children's ministry with puppets and drama (that's Kim Marie! always with the drama...LOL!) We will start saving money (it'll cost over $2500. So, less spending $ on stamps!) and praying for the people we will work and minister with and getting (GULP!) shots....the ikkiest part! Better than getting malaria, though! And I am going alone (with the team) this time, my hubby will be home with my girll This is my first trip to a country that speaks a language I do not! That part will be strange, but ministry is always exciting....mostly because I know I am in smack dab in the middle of God's will and that is an AMAZING place to be! And so sweet!

And, we learned today that my girl is being scouted for her sport of choice, soccer, by a few colleges...how exciting is THAT?? She is an amazing center midfielder...or maybe left midfielder...what do I know? Anyway, I do know she's very blessed to be gifted on the field. This is so thrilling! And so sweet!

And my son is coming home from college for Easter weekend...I cherish his visits even more knowing that in May, he will graduate and become very busy with living and working, etc. He will probably have little time for his momma! sniffle, sniffle. I am excited for his next chapter in the adventure of life, though. He will be a mechanical engineer...something to be proud of! He is so sweet!

But what is the sweetest thing? Let me tell you...the love of
God and knowing His will for your life...that is ALL sweet! God is my refuge and my shelter. He is my joy and my comfort. He is my all in all...everywhere, all the time, forever! Yahweh, you are my rock and my anchor! In you will I live and breathe and have my very being! I thank my God for all of you!

Oh, hey, I do actually have a few cards to share with you today....you are all soooo patient to have read through all of this :) On the other hand, it is a blog, so I expect you probably expected some blah, blah, blahging, right? LOL!

These cards are using my newest "stuff" from Papertrey ink....Nichole came out with this BEAUTIFUL paper, ink, ribbon and designer paper that ALL MATCH!! She even calls it the Perfect Match Color Collection! Even the stamp set, Everyday Blessings, that's just been released matches the DP! I've been just dying to try it all out! Here are my cards! (I also used the Aqua mist paper on my Tilda card posted this week!)

The first card uses the Aqua mist card stock and ink and Spring Moss twill and ink for the edges of the cardstock. The flowers are SU Close as a Memory (one of my top 5 fav SU sets) and the scripture is from PTI's Everyday blessings set. This stamp set has wonderful sentiments and a beautiful filigree cross...check it out! I had a heck of a time with lighting, so the picture doesn't fully do the card justice. The Everyday blessings paper is WONDERFUL, too! In fact the PIF's I sent out have samples of it....(sneak peek to my SBS sisters who are getting one!)


The second card also uses PTI's Aqua mist CS exclusively. I inked the base card with Aqua mist ink and then used SU Eastern Elegance rub ons on a separate piece of the CS so I could distress the edges....PTI's CS distresses like a dream! There are no stamped images on this card! I added the aqua mist wide grosgrain ribbon and a brad....funny thing...when I added the brad, it "caught" a thread in the ribbon and made a neat indent that I really really liked! The coloring on this card is closer to the Aqua mist CS color in real life...but the ink color is closer to the first card...so you decide ;) I liked both cards a lot! I gave the first one to a friend at work as a sympathy card. I will mail the other one to my MIL, who is struggling to recover from surgery....she needs a lift!

Wow...I think this is my longest post ever! Oh and one more thing! I mentioned that my friend Holly tagged me this week...well, here's the deal:

I'm supposed to tell you 7 random facts about me, and then turn around and tag some others.

1. I love the color green because when my sisters and I (four girls)were young, it seemed more often than not, we would all get the same gift from people, but in different colors...and my gifts were always green, Kelly was yellow, Kris purple, and Kori, blue. Imagine if you can, a girl's slip with green smiley faces on it! That was one of my favorites :)

2. I was going to be a journalist, but didn't like the competitiveness of the profession. I was a reporter on our high school newpaper, but there was this girl who kept 'fighting' to get more bylines than me...no thanks! I just wanted to write! Now I teach kids to write...more fun!

3. I decided as a teen that I would never marry a guy in the military (my uncle was career army and we never got to see him!)...and then my boyfriend joined the Navy! We married two years later! He didn't stay in beyond his time, so it was short-lived, but not fun for me!

4. My son is named after Geoffrey Chaucer, the 'father' of English literature. I wanted him to be named Rodian after the character in Crime and Punishment, but my DH refused me! That's okay...my son IS such a Geoffrey (pronounced Jaw-free).

5. I had moved 23 times by the time I was 23. Long story! Needless to say I have lived in only two places in the last 20 years.

6. I waited 6 years between my two kids so that they could be only children for a time. With a brother and four sisters close in age, I always wanted more time alone :)

7. My grandma, Arietta, raised me for awhile when I was growing up. She was very important to me and I think of her quite often. Our birthdays are about two weeks apart and that had always been a connection for us. She passed away on my birthday years ago. I am sure God has made her a guardian angel for me. My daughter's middle name is after her and I am so glad she was alive when my girl was born. She was so proud!

Who to tag next? Let me think on it!
Enjoy the week.....pray for a snow day!!!
Kim

Our swap and a wedding...can there be more Joy??

Happy Sunday all!

I think I told all of you about the 3 x 3 swap I was hostessing for a group of stamper friends...it's the first swap for many of them and it was so neat to see the diversity of ideas...every one I accepted for the swap was my favorite for a time that lasted only until I received the next one! I thought I'd share them with you so that you could get inspired...whether for a stamp design idea or inspired to have a swap among your closest stamping pals :)

In order from the back L-> R, the designers are: Becky, Ann, Kathy and Roxanne and from the front: Peggy, Deby and Wendy. Actually, Becky made two...one similar card for my swap pile and one to thank me for hostessing, so I put in the TY one. That was so nice! Click on the picture to make it bigger and see the detail.

Oh, my card? Well that's right here:

I used SU's Polka dot and Paisley set...so cute!

I wanted so very much to use acetate to make my card. I had my husband buy a box of write on transparencies. I used white craft ink on the overhead film, but then I had a heck of a time trying to get it to dry thoroughly! I used my heat gun, waited a week or so and even heated it again! No luck! Finally I used different overhead transparencies made specifically for ink jet/laser printers. It had a rougher 'toothiness' to it, but it took the ink AND it dried! (With heat gun, in about 15 seconds!) Finally, I was able to get exactly what I pictured on the card! Being clear, it is hard to get a good picture, so I put it on pink paper. Only the front of the card is stamped. Inside there is a blank pink square which is hidden when you have the card closed. Hope you can see it! Everyone in the swap is already ready to do another one! Tee hee!

Next up is a card I made for my friend's wedding. I love this image from Gina K's Heartfelt Hits I set. It is SOOOO Grace Kelly, isn't it?? I also used SU's soft sky and Night of Navy....two of my favorite SU colors. Once I inked the couple in Versamark onyx ink, I glittered up the bride's dress with an SU glue pen and Dazzling diamonds glitter. You can see how she sparkles in the close up shot.

It was nice to make just a simple card and still have it look elegant. You can see in the sentiment that it has a ..... at the end. Inside I simply used the word 'bliss' (SU Noteworthy stamp...the print type matched PERFECTLY) and then layered it with white and night of navy in the center of the card. I was very pleased with the result.




I almost forgot...I put a piece of clear acetate over the couple so glitter wouldn't get everywhere. In the close up you can see the N.O.N. blue (as opposed to SU N.Q.N blue ;)
is a frame over the entire image.

What do you think?

That's it for tonight's post. I have some school work to get to tonight and a gift to ready for my friend's 40th birthday tomorrow....a few surprises ;) tee hee!!

Be blessed!

Kim

PS I was tagged by my blogging/stamping/CHF friend Holly on her blog Glitter, stamps and Ink, oh my!....I'll tell you more in a post tomorrow if I have any energy by the time I get home from my jobs (about 8 pm tomorrow night!) God is SO good to me!

The weekend again already!? Joy!

Hi everyone! How was YOUR week? Mine seemed so long....yet here it is the weekend AGAIN! Life is so busy! I did get some late nights of stamping in, so lots to share this week...

First, though I wanted to say THANKS! to all who are visiting my blog and leaving comments...they are SO encouraging to me! You all are really the BEST! I wanted to start by sharing this card:

Yes, she is the other Tilda and Co. image my SBS sister Sue sent me all the way from the UK...I again used my copic markers that I won from Gina K's blog candy contest a month or so ago....lots of you are asking about the Copics (Gina pronounced it cope-ick...with a long 'o' sound). So here is my take on them in a mini-faux interview with myself (hey, any excuse to talk to myself and rationalize it as 'normal' is okay, isn't it? Tell me I'm in the right blogsphere, here, if you would ;) This is one 'faux' that is more of a friend, yes?? Tee hee!

Faux: So, did you always want these Copic markers...like, from the beginning??

Kim: Well, they looked good from here, but actually, Faux, all I could think of was: oh great, another new 'must have' thing...no way....but in reality, I have a pen obsession! It's true! I do calligraphy and love to write words as I doodle and I have ALWAYS loved pens; actually I love any kind of writing utensil! But Copics are pretty pricey, so I was back to 'no way'....

Faux: And, then, how did you come to have these 'must haves'?

Kim: Oh, I commented on Gina K's blog and she picked my name out of, like, 1400 names. Who can argue with FREE?? And of course I was so blessed! She has the BEST blog candy!

Faux: Yes, we know, we read your blog about that, here. And I understand you chose Copic Box B. What made you decide that box over boxes A, C, or D?

Kim: Well, it was an intense decision....I got some online opinions on the Gina K forum on SCS, but everyone had a different opinion. I called Gina K and asked her opinion as she is an amazing card and stamp designer and I respect her and her love of the pens. I mean, markers. She actually suggested box A, then told me that her artist daughter actually preferred box B as a good starter set. It comes with a blender pen and has lots of skin tones. The skin tone thing was the thing...I always have had trouble with getting good skin tone coloring of my images....and my daughter is also artistic and she is forever drawing people, so.....

Faux: And what do you think of these pens? Okay, markers?

Kim: Love them...glad I won them, because the cost is still prohibitive for me...but they are VERY easy to color with. There are no overlapping "marker" lines, which is sweet...your image looks so SMOOTH. The pens are double sided...one side is a brush and one side is a (SUPER SWEET!) calligraphy point! Just what I needed!! More calligraphy pens! And there are a MILLION things that you can do with Copics, which are alcohol based, that I am only beginning to learn and explore. So the coolest thing is that it is a new adventure for me! And I have learned that they are refillable, so they will literally last forever...on earth anyhow!

Faux: Would you recommend this adventure to others?

Kim: Absolutely! Gina K has a "club" where you can purchase the set in installments if you wanted to pay a bit at a time. If you want to stop in at my house in NY sometime, we can play with them, too! And if you visit Gina's blog, be on the lookout for amazing blog candy....the set I won was the SECOND time she has given some away! Her blog is a favorite as I LOVE her stamps! Even now, I await my latest NEEDS to arrive! :) {By the way, her blog candy this week is a Scor-pal!}

Oh! I have some chores to do! I'll be back sometime soon! Be blessed and check in again....more to post!

Kim