Barely a moment...and a bald eagle!!

Hi all!

I've been super busy and had some computer glitches...the makings of a difficult time posting and such....everytime we could get on, I'd check in as much as possible and then...blip! It is kind of scary how much you begin to rely on the technology, isn't it??

Anyway...I have FINALLY been able to post this challenge sketch from SBS9....it was a color challenge to use green and brown in a card...I thought to myself: great...love green, love brown. Ha! Not so easy when those are you only colors! Of course, I think FROGS!! And even then it was a stretch!

Here I used Prism CS, Cornish Heritage Farms stamps and a mix of copics and SU markers for coloring. The frog is actually paper pieced on solid green paper and given "lift" with dimensionals. It's in by a little squeak! It is an April challenge! The scripture is a bit "off" but I think it's because the frog sloshed a little and it ended up crooked! LOL! I thought pairing the scripture with the frog (love the worm's face!) worked. Mean, you think?? ;)

Also, this is a picture my husband took on his solo canoe outing last week...incredible isn't it? To me the eagle is a perfect illustration of the majesty of our God. When I 'met' a rehabilitated eagle a few years ago, I was in awe of its regal bearing and it made me thankful that God is so good and so wonderful. I was changed significantly by that one little thing. The eagle's name? Liberty. Isn't that just.....great??

I trust the Lord is blessing and keeping you all well and busy! I'll check in whenever I can! (and a shout out to my sbs9 sister Suzann...on a cruise!! She can't say hi to us, but she can see us from there!! ;) **me waving**

Love ya!
Kim Marie

Winners and a card :)

Wow! I received 19 comments on my blog hop post. Thank you!! You are all so wonderful and super supportive!

There were only 2 correct guesses on my question: How many PTI sets were used in my project...the answer? SIX! I used images from: Green Thumb, Believe, Little Lady, Everyday Blessings, Out on a Limb and Snowflake Serenade!

Since I only had two people guess correctly, the winners are:

Regan and Kathy H!!

I will send each of them a roll of Papertreyink's new ribbon colors, Lemon Tart and Summer Sunrise! Email me your addresses, ladies (even in Canada :) and then be on the lookout for a blessing!


Oh! And here's another card I did for the challenge over at Cornish Heritage Farms! It's much different than the more "serious" cards I made for the other challenges. We had to use two or more backgrounders on this....yes, I colored every alphabet letter separately! I figured,

why not?!

Have a great week! Be blessed!! God is SO good, isn't He??

Blog Hopping with PTI!! Welcome everyone!

Welcoming all blog hoppers!
As anyone who reads Frog of Faith knows, I love Papertreyink! Tonight is a very special event over at PTI...on the 25th of every month, Nicole and PTI are sponsoring a "Blog Hop". Twenty five blogs are being "showcased" and those who choose to participate are challenged to create a card according to the...well, challenge! This month, Nicole has asked Forum member bloggers to create a project using bits and pieces of her newest designer paper Father Knows Best. I didn't land on the randomly chosen "showcased" list, but she has invited any and all blog hop participants to post a link over at the forum...So! What you see above is my challenge project!

My inspiration:
Making a quilt on a line was my first thought when I saw the patterned paper squares Nicole gave us to work with...I once came upon a framed quilling project similar to this several years ago at a women's retreat. I always felt it was a card waiting to happen! Then I saw the designs, the challenge and **POOF!** the ideas came back and TA DA!

BLOG {HOPPER} CANDY ALERT: All the images you see in the card above are Papertreyink...I used many sets...How many, you ask?? Can you guess?? Comment with a guess on this post and for all the correct guesses posted by 5 pm Saturday evening (EST), I will choose a random winner and will send you a roll of Papertrey's new ribbon color, Lemon Tart!

For the watering can, I embossed clear EP onto one of the patterns from PTI's Pink Patterns DP and my favorite little grasshopper was stamped onto a dotted pattern from the sleeve of a papertreyink package I received (never waste GOOD DP...even on the packaging!!) I also used PTI's Perfect Match inks: Aqua Mist, Blush Blossom, Berry Sorbet and Spring Moss. Some of the images are faint on that last quilt, but I didn't want to reink them...they are darker in real life and I like them! The only paper I used that isn't PTI is some Brown Prism paper behind the third quilt. The calligraphy, and the ant, are my creations :) If you click on the image, you'll see it much better!! I also added some dimensionals under the left edges of each "quilt" to make it look like the little breeze the words were riding on was blowing each quilt....kind of hard to see in the picture! What do you think?? To see more creations for the challenge(and if you are a forum member), click here. What fun! More creations with PTI treasures!

Here are two more cards using PTI images. Both of these cards use Green Thumb...one of my favorite sets....there's my grasshopper again!! The second card uses one of PTI's newest colors of ribbon and CS, Summer Sunrise as well as her March release color, Berry Sorbet (CS). All ink on these cards is SU.

And hey, here's my last project for the post...this is actually for my Backgrounder Blitz challenge over at CHF (I used the scalloped lace BG'er) but I'll put it here because I used PTI ink, (Berry Sorbet) and cardstock, AND stitched ribbon(both Summer Sunrise)! The pattern for the purse was from Nichole Heady's blog and it uses an acrylic card box cut in half (purchased from PTI). I use these beauties for gifting 3x3's. Aren't they GREAT?!

Wow! I'm so glad you stopped in to visit! Feel free to drop in any time...maybe we can share a gelato or a caramel latte next time! Hope you have a lot of fun on the rest of your blog hopping adventure! I know I am! Don't forget to leave a comment and a guess for some blog candy!

Be well and blessed, honored friends and guests, alike!

Americana and some music :)

HI! Thanks to those of you who checked out my picture gallery over at CHF! I don't think I've put all of them on my blog before, but many of them have appeared here once before. Here's a few more cards I've made for the Backgrounder challenges over at Cornish Heritage Farms....



This is my Americana kisses card! I have loved red, white and blue (and thus flags) since I was a kid...my mom's birthday is July 4th! And I LOVE fireworks! So anytime I can use red, white and blue for anything it's a good time!


This challenge was to use the "kissing" technique...that's where you ink up a backgrounder, then using a solid stamp like my houses, you press the two together so that you end up with ink on the solid stamp from the backgrounder!! Instant smooching!! Then you stamp your solid stamp onto paper and voila...a designer image!! The stars were almost solid images...they actually have vertical lines...when I inked up and kissed the Canvas BGer from CHF, it made a grid-like pattern...cool, huh? The wide strip behind the stars and houses is the actual BGer design. I used the Primitive Beginnings set again (love it!) for most of the card, although the flourish is from SU's Baroque Motif. What think ye? :)

Here's a card that required stamping a backgrounder on something other than paper....I used acetate to make a little 3x3. CHF is actually going to sell really GREAT, heavy duty acetate in 8.5x11" sheets for cardmaking, and let me tell you....this is GOOD! I use overhead projection sheets and they really aren't heavy enough to use. They work, but it will be nice to have it be a good quality "stock". I am excited to use the new stuff...it comes out on Friday with the BGers I think...I'll let you know!

Anyway with this card I used CHF's Music BGer and, although I'm trying to use only CHF stamps for their challenge, I HAD to use this little "note" for the card...it comes from an old SUtag set. I really like the look of it. Simple and kind of elegant.

Thanks again for taking a peek! More to post tomorrow, if I can carve the time out!

Blessings, all!!

Blitzed!

Hi all! {FYI in this post: BG and BG'er stands for Backgrounder} ;)

Vacation is over and life is back to swimming in the raging river of activity....it's hard to just jump in the turbulant waves after being out for a few weeks, but after a bit of paddling, you get back in the tide of things! Okay, enough water analogies! :)

I did have quite a bit of stamping time over the break (the most time since last AUGUST!) and I have been posting cards for a "Backgrounder Blitz" over at Cornish Heritage Farms forum.They have the BEST unmounted BG'ers EVER!! You should see all their designs!! Check them out >>here<<. I wanted to post a few here today and over the next few days, so you can see what I've been up to! I've also been DOING a lot of "away from the computer" activities as SPRING IS HERE! So forgive my lack of "here-ness", SBS9 sisters and friends...I'll do better soon!

Here's two of my creations for the BG challenge at CHF:

The first challenge was a sketch card and I used CHF's Primitive Beginnings set. It is a very Americana set with a lot of "olde world" appeal. It also seems to fit well into the latest 'grunge' movement in images. The BG'er is retired.

This card was the day 2 challenge. We needed to use a partial BG image on a card. The tulips and Victorian BG are also all CHF and the sentiment is from their Delicate Wings set.

Doing these challenges really stretched my creativity with using Backgrounder stamps! The reason CHF is having this "party" is that they are unveiling a new release of Backgrounders on Friday, which is when these "Backgrounder blitz" challenges are done....by the way, if you want to join in the fun (sorry it took so long to mention it! Oh, and you need at least one CHF BG stamp to participate) you can have a chance to win one of their BG'ers! Even if you DON'T have a BG'er...check out the forum's gallery....it is FULL, FULL, FULL of inspiration and beauty!!

To see the BG cards specifically, type BC01, BC02, BC03, BC04, or BC05 into the search and you'll see mine and others. If you want to see my gallery cards, the album is named kimmet123. Hope you get a chance to take a peek!!

I better go...the river calls!!

Blessings, all! God is so good!

More cards....I LOVE vacation!

Isn't this the truth?? Home IS where my heart lives....my favorite people and animals live here! And I have so enjoyed my vacation...got a lot of "tidy up" done and a lot of relaxing stamping, too! This card is my SBS challenge sketch for April. I have been just dying to use my Primitive Beginnings from Cornish Heritage Farms. I have also wanted to use the Prism paper I won months ago...I love the colors (Brown Suede collection) and they go so well with the DP from SU, Apple Cider. (retired). The paper has this great "orange peel" texture to it and it really is a dream to work with! This challenge is by my SBS sister Lulu. It looks like this:








Here's another card I made last week for a friend who is recovering from surgery. I received this Tilda Magnolia image from WishRAK as I love these images so much, I wished for them and a lovely SCS friend sent me some! So nice! The DP is also from Wish RAK and the cardstock is Papertreyink's Berry Sorbet....this CS is delicious!! I mean not just the name...but this color is so beautiful, it looks good enough to eat! All the colors are wonderful! The sentiment is from PTI's Mixed Messages and the brads are OTC. This little girl has my hair color...you didn't know my hair was Copic Set B, color E08 did you!!!??? I outlined the image in Copic's cool grey no. 1 to make her "pop" out a little more; can you tell?? It's a technique ;).


Now, vacation is almost over, but I plan to use the rest of it very wisely...still, I wish I could be like my kitty, Grace, here...Lie around all day and take a nap from watching me stamp, stamp, stamp....ah, to be so lucky!!

Enjoy your Thursday!!

And round and round we go......

Have any of you tried these Carousel notes from SU?? They are very addictive! And they are HUGE!! The envelope they fit in are 6 x 6" squares! With my vacation time, I have had more time to stamp and decided to give these carousels a whirl!! :)


I made this one for one of my favorite stampers in the WORLD, Gina K...in case you haven't seen her new stamps, Kindred spirits, you HAVE to get over there!! She is such a tremendous business woman and now with this stamp release...well, let's just say she will revolutionize rubber stamp images with these real to life stamps of woman of all shapes, sizes, ages and heritages....to follow the journey of introduction to this absolutely fabulous set on her blog, click >>here!<< and if you like recipes, plan to have your printer hooked up and going while you travel!!


By the way, the stamps on this first card are from one of my other favorite stamp companies, Papertreyink. The sentiment is from Mixed Messages; the pot and stems from Green Thumb and the ladybug from Little Lady. I LOVE PTI stamps....Nichole's PTI is my "Stamps of True Beauty" company!



This card was for my niece Jackie's birthday last week. I used SU rub ons for the sentiment and around the edges and an image SBS9 sister Jackie (hey, same name! Funny!) sent me in a swap of Penny Black images! I colored this adorable kitty and tulips IMMEDIATELY after I got the image...Copics are so BEAUTIFUL to color with!! Can't you just reach out and pet that kitty!?



And finally, this carousel card is for a faith-filled friend who has blessed my life recently...she has brought great joy to my heart! I love the color combinations! The flourishes and sentiment are SU Love and Happiness rub-ons, but the "Joy" image is from Papertreyink's Snowflake Serenade set...I am totally ga-ga over the font...as I am ga-ga over all words beautiful!! BTW, the green background easel is the only thing I could find to hold up these carousel notes! Doesn't the color of it match my card! LOL!

Are these carousels fun or what!? Whee!!! More pix to post tomorrow!! (darn camera!!)

What a blessed day!!

Finally! Daffodils!! See, we DO get flowers :) These beauties are in my front yard: just the first of a whole BUNCH of flowers we'll see this year. They made my whole yard look GORGEOUS ;) and all for my birthday! Our day was so warm...in the 60's I believe...so GREAT!

Thank you, SBS9 sisters, stamping cult buddies, and Wish RAK friends!!! Here are some more cards I have received for my birthday!

Thank you Manna! I love the colors (green and orange are my two FAVS!)and the glittery flower...so so pretty!!! And your message blessed me!

Thank you, Suzann! Wow...I loved this card the minute I saw it on your blog and what a blessing to get it in my mailbox! You are TOO kind!! Of course the embossing is my favorite...love the combination of Cuttlebug folders! And paper piecing!!! So pretty!!

These next cards are from a few of my "stamping cult buddies" {As my daughter fondly refers to my friends who stamp with me}. I'll show more next post, as my camera battery DIED in the middle of my picture taking! :o

From my friend Roxanne, who happens to be an "hall of famer" this week on Splitcoaststampers....She is so excited and I was as thrilled to get this card from her this week! Love the polka dots!! Thanks, Rox!

These next two photos are of a card my friend Wendy made....well, Wendy and Eric, her super cool husband who helps her make cards...I added a pic of the inside, cause it's so cute how they made a little window and a flower inside...adorable, huh?? Thanks Guys!!

Pretty blessed, aren't I?? You are all such a wonderful part of my life and I am blessed beyond measure!!

What a great birthday!!

Laughter is free...thank goodness!!

Hi All!
I've has some nice days off in the beginning of this glorious two week vacation! I'm proud to announce that every plastic bowl in my cupboards has
a lid and every lid has a matching bowl!! I know, you laugh! But this pantry issue has been driving me crazy and now I have solved it! Even with the sun shining and some 50 degree weather, I am rejoicing in an organized pantry!

I have also had more time to reflect on the wonderful things God blesses me with every day! My top five this week:

1. My bible...such wonders inside! Praise God, I am free to read it without fear of secret police knocking at my door in persecution! I am thankful and keep my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world in prayer, as some of them are under this atmosphere of persecution every day!

2. A hot shower! Oh how I love to stand, eyes
closed under the hot water....I have taken many a cold, fast shower on the mission field...sometimes with just a dribble of water coming from a tap....how blessed I am!

3. Laughter. I love to laugh, listen to others laugh and laugh at myself. Laughter makes me happy and it's free!!! I just had to use the sentiment on the card above to post this week. Laughter heals and comforts. Praise God for laughter! (the card is April's sketch for the CAS forum).

4. Sisters. I have three biological sisters. I love them to bits. We all have 'K' names and I love that connection, too. My sister Kelly sent me a card for my bday.... The front has a older sister withholding the remote from her baby sister saying, "because I'm older"...." and it says, "When we were kids, you always reminded me that you were older" and the inside verse: "Now I'm just returning the favor!" Isn't she funny?! I can only imagine what I might get from Kristy and Kori....

I am thankful for my SBS sisters as well; they have given me so much encouragement! They are a connection around the world. I am also thankful for my sisters in friendship as well as my sisters in Christ. We are towers of strength for one another and certainly they one of my favorite sources of laughter!

5. Jesus Christ. How can I thank Him enough? He has blessed me with everything I have and everything I am! He really is my #1 all the time. If you don't yet have Him as your best friend, think about it and give it a shot. You WILL NOT be disappointed! Praise God for a Savior who loves me unconditionally.
............................................................

My SBS sister, Manna, had this link on her blog...it tells you what your birthday scripture is depending on the date of your big day. As my big 45 is going to be on April 16th, I thought I'd share mine here:

Hebrews 4:16 NIV Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

You are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Can you say AMEN!!?? Well, I can! AMEN!! If you want to see your birth verse, click here:

http://www.birthverse.com/mybirthverse.cfm

Hey, have a great Thursday! I think I may get some stamping in today...if so, I'll post!

What is God blessing you with today? Feel free to comment and let me know! I'll be happy to rejoice with you!! And do me a favor today: Laugh your socks off, will ya??!

I love April!

Finally. Warm temperatures! It was in the low 50's yesterday...and we were loving it!! It always amazes me how relative the temps are....in August a 50 degree day means winter is coming! In April, we think it's summer!! We don't have a hint of spring growth yet, but it has to be coming soon!! I'm looking!!

And with April comes what I consider one of my favorite things...birthday cards! I'm not as good at getting them out as I would like to be, but I am blessed by those with a gift for remembering me...and so humbled that someone would take the time...so here are a few of the gifts I've received in my mail box this week! (all from my SBS sisters across the ocean!)

From Natalie in West Yorkshire, UK:

I love hedgehog stamp images...but a hedgehog with yellow roses and a straw hat is just too precious! The DP is all different pieces....gives it so much texture and life...I LOVE texture! And primas! I love primas!

From Suzanne with an 'e' :) in Bristol, UK:

So adorable! Love her toes! And the textures! and the rain dots! She is all around sweet! The butterfly DP makes me wish for spring even more! Love her colors and braids, too! and more primas!

From Louise "Lulu" in Essex, UK

What a unique and lovely card, it's 8" long! Each of the tiny flowers is a separate embellishment...and on the dress it's just so classy.... I love the rub on sentiment on the ribbon with the buckle as well! What a great sketch!! And you can't really see it but the frame around the dress sparkles! So neat! Again, I LOVE TEXTURE!

From Katie in Wales

I am SO addicted to the Tilda images...and this sweet-cheeked little one is darling! The flowers (ahhhhh....flowers!) of the DP match her little string of blossoms and the little prima and button, with the ribbon to bring all the colors together, make it perfect! I have GOT to get that cuttle bug out more!!! (like TODAY!)

EDITED TO ADD: My birthday IS next week!! I was just saying thanks early! No worries! I celebrate all of April....it's good to be alive :)

Thank you so much sisters! You gladden a winter-weary heart!

Happy Belated birthday, Gram!

This has to have been the longest week ever!! I am on vacation now, though, thank God.

And since I was so crazy busy this week, I didn't have a chance to post this post in memory of my grandma, Arietta. I had planned on posting it on April 1st as it was her birthday, and though she passed away from this life April 16, 1993, I think about her every day. She was and is my guardian angel! We have always shared our birth month and always talked about how we could be twins and how no matter how big I got, she would fit in my pocket and go everywhere with me! I am 5' 8-1/2" and she under 5'; so little! I named my daughter after her (middle name) and she was the first person I called when my daughter was born. Gram would often joke that only a fool could be born on April 1st. She "fell" for every joke my brother and sisters played on her that day! And she is one of the reasons I so love Jesus. Although our "church" on Sundays was watching Oral Roberts or Robert Schuller on TV, we had scriptures all over the house. They comforted me on many a fearful or sad night. And she is also one of the reasons I went to and granduated from college. She told me I HAD to go...when I was 5! So it was never a choice for me! It just was expected!

On the day she passed away, my aunt called to tell me. It was my birthday! and I was devastated. But as the day wore on I realized that she went to be with the Lord on only one of the two days that would matter to me. And that it was on a date I would always remember. I so miss her still! But I know she is having a great time in heaven, sitting at the kitchen table and chatting with my Great Aunt Betty every day. Happy birthday, Gram!
Love ya!



Just to update you, Brennan is home and recovering in his metal halo...please continue to pray for him...the halo could be on 6, 8 or even 18 weeks....he continues to heal. Praise God!

Prayer update

Thanks so much to my sister and friend prayer warriors!

Latest update on Brennan: they have decided NOT to do the surgery...instead they are looking for him to be in a halo (bolted metal frame from his midsection to his head keeping his spine rigid) for the next 8 weeks. This is good news. Surgery could have led to something not so good, so we are encouraged....he is hoping to go home on Friday! Is God good or what?! Thanks again for praying and keep it up if you would....this is a long recovery...just having a metal frame bolted to my skull for 8 weeks would freak me out! But he is young and our God is faithful to heal and deliver! Thank you for your willingness to be a part of this miracle! I will let you know how all this goes! Enjoy a card I made recently with CAS' set...I think of you all daily!

Blessings!