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!

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!