2016 Holiday Card Series: Card #3

Hi ya!

So let's talk about card #3...I enjoyed making it, Stamping Bella is ranked in the top 10 of my favorite stamping companies so I get pretty darn excited about most of their stamps. Most of the time when I am making cards I don't typically do the same card in mass production, unless I am making cards for a client. ( I find that unless I am getting paid for it repetition is not my friend.) I like the process of making cards and when I finish one card I feel like the slate has been wiped clean and the next one has the potential to be anything!

I also do something to the inside whether it be generation stamping (this is where you ink up your stamp & stamp it off onto scratch paper one or two times & then add the image which gives you a lighter image that can be written over & still easily read). Adding small stamped images in the bottom right hand corner such as snowflakes or one of the characters from the front of the card or adding some strips of paper that coordinate with the front as well. I feel this gives the card a finished feel while still allowing most of the inside to be a blank space for the giver to write their message.

On this particular card I chose to go with the strips of paper that match the front AND a stamped image on the inside. This is what I would like to talk about...typically when I create something and I am finished with it, I let it be. I enjoy it for what it is and remind myself that this craft is handmade and perfection is not the point and not to bash your own work. I'm gonna deviate from this little rule for just a sec...because I REALLY don't like the inside of this card!!!!

The stamp image is from Stamping Bella, the paper is from Doodlebug Designs, the ribbon is from my stash. I colored the image with my Copic Markers. I may still add some more sparkle to it, I am pretty sure that I added Wink of Stella in Clear but I think that Spectrum Noir Sparkle in Clear shows up so much better.

I don't normally cover up this much of the inside so that more a message can be written but when I was making this card I just love that sentiment and I was thinking that that sentiment says it all. Looking back I wish I had stopped with the center white piece, I like the image stamped in the middle and the sentiment it is the other two pieces of patterned paper that are distracting to me.

Ok that's all, thank you for allowing me to vent and I can now move on. Don't get me wrong overall I like the card and I WILL be giving it to someone for Christmas but I won't be putting this final touch on any future cards. I think for me this falls under the "sometimes more is just too much" category.

I share my thoughts on the inside of this card because I think it could be helpful to you should you see this and haven't yet made this same mistake it could be the thing that keeps you from making said mistake. OR if you have made this or any other creative choice that in the end you decide you wish you hadn't you won't feel the need to trash your creation but will be able to focus on what you do love about it realizing that "this is how we grow". (Insert best impression of an art teacher's voice here.) OR should you find yourself not making anything even though you think you would like to give it a go but don't want to disappoint yourself, LET YOURSELF PLAY! After all it's a card people! It's not going to the Smithsonian, it is not going to represent paper crafting in our time for the future generations. Truth be told it might not even survive the trash can before the calendar flips over to 2017. The best part you will most likely never know what happens to your creation once it leaves your hands and that is perfectly okay. No really it is.  :)

So create with abandon! Try new things, different things, odd things because this is how we figure out what we like and discover new things we like. My go to store for most of the items I use is a well loved FaceBook group Scrapping For Less where you can pre-order new released product and find the best prices on everything. Whether it is brand new items or essentials you won't find a better deal or better customer service. Can't stand to wait? You don't have to, just head over to scrappingforless.com where we have in stock items at fantastic prices and these items ship next day!

Looking for more inspiration? Head over to Fresh and Renewed and check out Teresa's Holiday Card Series!

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

2016 Holiday Card Series: Card #2

Hi ya!

Here is card #2, it is a little wintry scene of adorable critters! It could have easily been a one layered card but the thought of doing all that masking made me want to abandon my craft room. I really do love the effects of masking but I have to be in the mood for that.

The masking that I did took me four tries, I repeat FOUR! I am not afraid of redoing something, in fact, I am quite a fan of it. If I do a technique or anything for that matter and it doesn't look right to me I can't let it go, I have to redo it. Thankfully the rest of the card went very smoothly even though I admittedly was holding my breath as stamped the paw prints in the snow.

I used the stamp set Joy to the Woods from Lawn Fawn and the die set as well to create this card. I also used Lawn Fawn's Stitched Hillside Borders to create my snowy hills.

I truly enjoy using distress inks and blending with them and the colors "tumbled glass" and "stormy sky" making what I think is the perfect winter sky. This card was fun to make and as it came together  I was happy, happy, happy! All the little critters came out to be adorable and when I embossed my sentiment with white detail embossing powder also dusted the squirrel it made me think the little guy had just popped out of a hill and the landing of the embossing powder couldn't have worked out better. The inside of the card stumped me for a bit because I didn't want to add any bulk to the card but then my eyes landed on the paw prints stamp and boom! I decided to add a final detail to the card and added dots with my white gel pen to create the look of falling snow. (More breath holding, I'm lucky I didn't pass out while making this card!)

On to the next, if you are interested in these types of products so that you can make your own cards or other paper crafts head on over to scrappingforless.com it is a great website with wonderful prices!

 Don't forget to check out Fresh and Renewed for some more inspiration!


Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :) 

2016 Holiday Card Series: Card #1

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and if you did any shopping I hope you found some great deals!!! I LOVE making cards and I feel like Christmas cards are so much! I will be sharing with you my Holiday Card Series beginning today and then continuing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through December 23rd.

Not only will I be sharing with you my creations but I will also link to my friend Teresa's blog at Fresh and Renewed. We hatched this idea together and even though we often made cards either on our own or while we were FaceTiming we have supporting each other on this goal of sharing these cards on our blogs.

Image is from Penny Black "Christmas with Mimi" used black card stock for the base, MFT Pierced Oval, Bo Bunny Glitter Paste in Wasabi on a chevron stencil. I used Marvy Uchida Snow Marker for the hats. Colored image with Copic Sketch Markers. Put Stickles on bow, used black Pearl Pen on eyes for a touch of gloss and Wink of Stella Brush Pen on hearts. The sentiment is from Crafter's Companion stamp set "Home for Christmas" which I heat embossed using Versamark Ink and WOW! detail embossing powder in white. 

 Don't forget the majority of my supplies I get from Scrapping For Less and there are two...count them TWO ways to order with Scrapping For Less. Pre-order recently released materials from the FaceBook Group Scrapping For Less or go to the website at scrappingforless.com to get in stock items shipped to you next day! Happy Creating!

I did a second generation stamp with the "Christmas with Mimi" Stamp so that I could write on top of it without it being difficult to read. 

So come with us and get in the Spirit of the Season whether you are looking for inspiration or just enjoy looking. I hope you make the most of the holidays with your loved ones and that you enjoy my cards as we head toward Christmas Day!



Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :) 

Go Take a Look and Get Your Own Newton's Nook!!!

Welcome to Newton's Nook: Holiday Release @Scrapping for Less!

I am so excited to announce that ScrappingForLess.com is now carrying Newton's Nook!!! If you are new to Newton he is an adorable cat that has been the inspiration for some of the stamps over at Newton's Nook Designs. I love their stamps! They are high quality, fun to color and even more fun to create with.

The stamp set that I am working with is "Holiday Hounds" which is full of wonderful dachshunds! I don't have a wiener dog myself but I sure do love them. They are so very adorable and I do have several friends that have doxies in their lives. Which in my mind makes this stamp even more perfect for making Christmas cards and tags with these cute little critters.

So here is what I did with these little doxies:

By clicking here you can grab your own set!

 When the website opened we had a grand opening and one of the questions that Teresa (the owner of Scrapping For Less) asked everyone is "What other companies would you like to see on the website that I currently don't carry?"

Here is the beautiful and exciting part...Newton's Nook was one of the companies mentioned to her in answer to that question and now within a month of the website opening Newton's Nook is being added! It is so exciting to see something come into existence especially because a company LISTENED to the feedback of its customers! It is this type of customer service, the willingness to find out what her customers want to see and then to go out and make it happen for them that makes me so proud to be a part of Scrapping For Less FaceBook Group and now ScrappingForLess.com!


  Leave a comment on each blog and you will be entered into a random drawing for a product goodie! Also, since this release focuses on the holidays all of the Newton Nook offerings are from their holiday line up. So go take a look at this wonderful stamping company and see if you are able to look through the stamps and not find one that you just have to have, (for me I won't be able to stop at just one)!   ;)

Your next stop in this blog hop is
Stacy Tiedemann 


Here is the Line Up For the Blog Hop (so you make sure you got everyone to get entered for the drawing!)
Scrapping For Less Blog

Yvonne Morentin -Adventure Of The Creative Mind
Sandy Bell Hentzel
Teresa Russell
Kimberly Smith (you are here)
Stacy Tiedemann

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :) 
 

How Did This Happen? AGAIN!

Happy Wednesday!!!

This is the mess I started with yesterday. I cannot count the times I have cleaned up, reorganized, moved around and redistributed the items in my craft room! I am very much an out of site out of mind person so if there are things that I want to use on a regular basis I need to have easy access to them.

I was beginning to feel boxed in and had been carving out a big enough space to make something for a few weeks by the time I reached my limit and could take it NO MORE! So it was time once again to re-evaluate where my stuff should live. (yeah, yeah I know they are inanimate objects, don't worry I'm not chatting them up) I want and need the things that I use constantly to be with in arm's length.

So that is what I did, and oh my goodness, organizing and finding new places where things will work better takes SO MUCH LONGER than just cleaning up! I'm sure I am telling you all something you already know. What I do want to share and the whole reason for this post is I am going to walk you through the questions I asked myself in order to determine where to put what.

I make cards 95% of the time so every time I looked at an item and needed to decide where it should live I asked myself the following:

1.  Will I need to use this on every card I make? If the answer to that question was yes then that told me it needed to be within reach. Within reach meaning I don't have to get up from my craft desk and preferably that I don't have to open a drawer to get to it. (Think tape runner, scissors, paper trimmer, etc.)
2. How often will I need to get to this item? Take my watercolor paints and brushes, I don't watercolor every time I make a card so even though I like to have them close by I am okay with them being in a drawer. 
3. Will organizing this item in this manner also add to the decor of my room? I know this might seem weird but I tell you the site of my 8.5x11 cardstock paper all lined up by color makes me happy and look so pretty to me! 
4. Do I keep forgetting to use this? I love sequins and I really love to see them used on my cards however if I don't keep my sequins in front of me then they don't get used. I forget about them entirely until I am admiring the card of someone else and think how great the sequins look on their card and then (forehead slap) think I have those why didn't I do that! 
5. Is this item something that I want the option to use even if I don't use it constantly? Such as glitter, foil paper, those kinds of things. 

This is how I decide where to place things in my room. So after going through all those questions with every single item I laid my hands on I ended up with this...

 Now I'm ready to CREATE!!! :)

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

Confessions of a Night Owl

Hi Everyone!

I am a night owl. I was raised as a night owl, my mother was a night owl. It is in my blood. She LOVED to play bingo and when she would come home late after a bingo game (typically around midnight) she would wake me up and we would go into the living room and have a snack while watching a television show (usually SOAP, Golden Girls, or Designing Women). That was very special to me.

I also hated going to bed, I always have, I don't want to miss anything! I remember staying up into the wee hours of the morning playing Mario Brothers on my Nintendo or watching movies like Look Who's Talking, or Steel Magnolias. I remember staying up all night long talking with my cousin when she came to visit and the house was quiet. Then as I got older and began to scrapbook then make cards I would go to crops and we would all be laughing and talking and creating and I would stay up until my eyelids just wouldn't obey me anymore. I loved it! Staying up late for me has always felt special, like you're stealing time. Even now around 10pm I hit a second wind and I want to DO something, make something, sometimes yeah, even clean something.

In reality my schedule isn't like that though. It can't be in order for me to be awake and present when I need to be and do the things I need to do on a daily basis. I am a stay at home wife by choice and I take on the responsibility of doing all the house stuff, all the food stuff, all the stuff I used to spend one of my weekend days doing to get ready for the work week and keep life moving along. I now do all of that while my husband is off at work so that when he is home our time together is just that- ours. While I love that benefit of being a housewife and my weekends no long feel robbed while having to adult for the upcoming week my creativity doesn't always willingly follow a schedule.

I guess this little chat will fall under "getting something off my chest" because I don't have an answer or a plan to change it. I am just acknowledging that even when I am dead tired because I have been up since 6:30 or 7 AM no lie, 10 or 11pm rolls around and I want to start a card or color an image. I typically refrain and go on to bed because I have tried staying up in the past only to sit in a tired stupor in front of what I am working on. Maybe I am just looking to commiserate if there are any you out there like me...A night owl, living the life of a morning person...not the attitude of a morning person mind you, but at least the schedule.

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,

Kim :)

Getting My Cards Up on FaceBook

Hello Everybody!

Ever find yourself intending to do something and you keep telling yourself that you will do it soon and then soon becomes later, later and later. That is the predicament I have found myself in recently. I tend to make more cards than I send and my stash keeps growing and growing. I have been meaning to put my cards on my FaceBook page for quite some time and I finally took the time to do it!


Here are a couple of the cards that I am adding to my FaceBook Page:

If you or anyone you know is looking for a card come take a look, you may find a card you are looking for or you may find inspiration, either way you are welcome to stop by! :)


Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)