12 Kits of Occasions: August with Michelle

I apologize in advance for the poor photography...I am on vacation and forgot to take the cord that transfers cards from the camera to the laptop and had to use my cellphone.  Not great!

A Spoon Full of Sugar: The theme for the August edition of the 12 Kits of Occasions.

You will be humming this song before you finish visiting every one of the 12 Kits of Occasions member's blogs blogs today...that old Mary Poppins song still comes to mind when I think of Get Well, Feel Better and other cheery ways to encourage someone on the mend in a hurry.  Our hostess this month is Michelle Ferguson of I Card Everyone.  Michelle is the newest member of our group of card designers and she was a little nervous to be hosting for the first time.  She should not have worried one little bit...she sent a fabulous kit with lots of stamps, die cuts and beautiful patterned papers for us to work with.  See what I mean?

Michelle also included a surprise element to our kit that we had to figure out for ourselves, something that seemed just a little off theme.  I honestly did not know what it was!  Michelle's kit was so good that everything looked like it went together.  I took my package with me on vacation and had a nice day making four cards.  The photography did not quite go as smoothly as I forgot to bring the cord to send the pics from my camera to my laptop...hence, the cell phone snapshots... forgive me in advance!  Here is what I made:

Please sure to go to our 12 Kits of Occasions blog to find links to the other team members and their cards made with Michelle's wonderful kit.  I actually can't wait to see who won the surprise part of our contest...I'm still not sure what the out of place item is!

Thank you Michelle for a great card package this month!

12 Kits of Occasions-Christmas in July

Welcome to the July edition of the 12 Kits of Occasions, a monthly posting by friends who exchange card kits throughout the year posting what they make on the last day of each month.  This month I am the hostess and had a great time collecting lots of Christmas elements to include in my kit.  This month in addition to our usual designers...Lisa Elton of My Paper Tales is joining us as a guest designer.  Lisa makes beautiful cards and I hope you stop by her blog and see what she has done with my July kit.

In case you are wondering...here is a picture of our kit ingredients that we all worked with this month.  Thank you Tracey for taking the picture for us!

For a full listing of the kit ingredients, you can always look on our 12 Kits of Occasions blog at the top of the page under Supplies...everything is listed in case you are curious about the paper or stamps we used to make our cards.

There's lots to see, so here are the cards that I made with our July holiday kit.

It was very rewarding to know that I have made a small start with my Christmas 2015 cards...please be sure to stop by the 12 Kits of Occasions blog to see what everyone else in our group made with out kit.

12 Kits of Occasions Second Helpings

Who's ready for seconds?  Today is a day you can say, "Yes, please" without a single worry about overeating or going over your daily calorie count.  LOL.  The second helpings for today belong to our 12 Kits of Occasions Card group and they will probably look vaguely familiar to anyone who follows our little group month by month.  Our second helpings are a combination of papers or embellishments from any 2015 card kit already received.  Every month our kits contain so much...there is always room for leftovers!

This card uses leftovers from Marybeth's Song of the South kit and a few wooden stars from Jeanne's For the Boys kit.  I loved the country/down on the farm look to the patterned papers from Marybeth's kit and Jeanne sent so many cute 

doo-dads, I could embellish a dozen cards.

This card was made using some of Tracey's Pretty in Pink patterned paper and again, more wooden embellishment from Jeanne and her For the Boys kit.  I didn't realize how easy it is to color those wooden pieces with copies.  They fit any color combination you want.

I only had time for two cards this month, June was a busy month for me...I am the hostess for next month and was busy getting my dozen July kits ready for mailing.  I will give you a little clue as to next month's theme "HoHoHo".   I bet that theme is hard to imagine in June where the temperatures are very close to the triple digits!

Be sure to check our all of our groups Second Helpings...here's a link to the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog where you will find all kinds of inspiration using the kits from 2015!

Montana Monkey Softie

I have been waiting for some time without any distractions so I can make a few softies...finally got that time this week while I am on vacation in Montana.  I mailed a big box of supplies to myself and they were waiting at the post office to pick up the day we arrived.  I love looking at all that beautiful felt and embroidery floss in all the matching colors!

I have made a few softies now and every one I make I learn a little something that makes them not only easier to make, but more tailored to the two sweet babies I make them for.

Here's the monkey I made yesterday:

Had to use my iPhone for the camera so the picture isn't as good as I would want, but this little guy has a loop sewn in the top for a teething ring and inside his stuffed little belly is a rattle disk so he makes lots of noise for my sweet baby grandson.

Here's a picture of the rattle disk I used.  I got it from While She Naps and is made specifically for use in stuffed animals for babies.  It's very safe and secure.

I glued some stuffing to the top and bottom of the disk before I added it to the tummy area of my softie.  It is padded really well and makes a great, but not too annoying rattle!

I also added a tail to my softie using an additional arm and cutting a slit in the back side of the monkey.

Tomorrow I am going to make a second version of this monkey in "girly" colors for my granddaughter...and then...maybe an owl?  Not sure, but I will have fun trying to come up with something else before I have to head back home.

12 Kits of Occasions Let's Hear it for the Boys

Let's Hear it for the Boys!

Remember that old song?  Footloose with Kevin Bacon is one of my all-time favorite movies.  This month the 12 Kits of Occasions group had a lot of fun with our "boys" themed kit provided by our hostess Jeanne Jachna of A Kept Life.  Jeanne is a master at creating fabulous kits for us, full of lots and lots of die cuts and stamped images and sentiments which make it very easy for the rest of our group to create cards no matter what the theme is.  This month, masculine cards were up and once again we had a ton of options with Jeanne's kit.  Here's a picture of the kit that Jeanne sent us:

Thank you Jeanne for a really fun kit this month!

Here are the cards I made this month:

 

I loved digging through the box of die cuts Jeanne sent us...most of my cards are very simple, but Jeanne's cute die cuts make even a simple card stand out.  I think I am all stocked up with masculine cards that should last me quite a while!

Please check out our 12 Kits or Occasions blog for more details about this month's kit with a list of specific stamps and dies as well as links to the other designers playing along this month.

Raccoon Softie

This is the third softie I have made with PTI's Design a Softie dies.  Unfortunately, the first raccoon I made met an untimely end in a very nasty cat vs raccoon accident.  These dies are such fun and just perfect for my sweet little grandson Jaxon.  He is now 6 months old and he loves to snuggle something soft as he is falling asleep at nap time.

 I used the tie accessory die for the eyes and cut the arms down and folded them over.  The eyelashes were perfect for the paws and I added some black strips to an additional arm to make the tail.  

I will try to take a picture of Jaxon with his new softie tomorrow...if the cat doesn't get to it first!

Edited to add pic with Jaxon:

12 Kits of Occasions: April with Tracey

We are tickled pink today...at least our 12 Kits of Occasions group are as we share our April kit with a pink theme just perfect for Spring.  Our hostess this month is Tracey McNeely of In My Creative Opinion.  She sent each of the members of our group a beautiful package of everything pink...with lots of pretty papers, feathers, flowers and twine.  Here's a picture of our kit ingredients:

                               

My first card is my favorite and also used up the most kit ingredients on one card.

                            

I loved the pink and white straw and the cute banners.  This card is a heavy one and definitely a "hand it to you" rather than mail it kind of card.

                        

My second card used some of the beautiful patterned papers along with one of the mini feathers and sequins that Tracey included in our kits.

I used a pinked rectangle to cut out one of the sentiments that Tracey sent us and ended up using the negative space along with the die cut flowers.  There is a touch of woodgrain added to the white on white too.

Pretty as a picture...that's how I felt about the cute tulip stamps...and that little pink paperclip?  Loved it!

This post is short and sweet...my excuse can be seen in the picture below.  You can find out more about the products we used this month as well as links to the other designers in the 12 Kits of Occasions group over at the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog.  Thank you Tracey for the fabulous kit, which you obviously put such thought and care into creating for us this month.

As if our kit wasn't enough pink, here's another reason why I am tickled pink this month...my second grandchild, Blakely Shea was born just last week and she is adorable and oh so pink!  

12 Kits of Occasions: Song of the South with Marybeth

Today is the last day of March and it's time to share the March edition of our 12 Kits of Occasions cards.  This month our hostess is Marybeth Lopez of Marybeth's Time for Paper.  Our kit this month was right up her alley and it really showed in the beautiful kit she put together for us.  The theme is Song of the South and our ingredients just scream country, homespun, down on the farm and canning in the kitchen goodness.  I had such a fun time pairing up the beautiful patterned papers with the sweet stamped images and die cuts.  Here's a picture of the kit ingredients that Marybeth sent us:

I'm going to share my favorite card first...I love the cute PTI On the Farm animal die cuts.  

I colored the sunburst with copics and popped up the cloud frame with foam. This card was such fin to out together...I had to make myself stop from adding just one more little thing!

My second card uses one of the cute supersized banners and a yummy-looking cupcake served on an elegant country dish. 

I loved the little chef and the What's Cooking sentiment...my third card came together in no time.  

I saved the cute canning jars for my last card...nothing says country like those PTI jars!

I hope you will check out our 12 kits of Occasions blog...there you will find out more about our 12 Kits of Occasions group with links to the other members of our group and their beautiful cards made with Marybeth's kit.  You'll also find a detailed list of this month's kit ingredients. We also are lucky enough to have a guest designer joining us this month.  Renee Lynch of It's A Patchwork Life who also happens to be the founder of our little group is joining us and I am sure she put her Tennessee country charm into her cards.  

Thank you Marybeth for a very fun month...I really loved this kit!

12 Kits of Occasions: February with Sharron

Wow.  It's been a long time since I have made some cards...I almost forgot how to write up this blogpost!  Here's what I have been busy with:

My sweet little grandson Jaxon is now 3 months old and starting this Monday I am officially retired and I get to take care of him during the week while his mom and dad work.  I've been stocking up on lots of baby supplies, and I've got Warren busy putting together a jogging stroller right this minute.  No, not planning on jogging, but no sidewalks around my house and I'm planning on taking Jaxon for a walk every day I can.

This month our 12 Kits of Occasions group all received a beautiful package of goodies from our hostess Sharron Gregory of        .  Sharron must have been stamping and die cutting for weeks getting this package together for us...the theme is Bye, Bye, Birdie and it is fabulous!  Ready to see the kit we all received?

Photo Courtesy of Kelly

Here are the four cards I have made with Sharron's kit:

 I used MFT Blueprints #22 for my collage style card.  I love all the cute script die cuts Sharron sent us.

 I just added a little copic shading and some of the gorgeous twine to the patterned paper from our kit.

 I love the idea of that sweet bird perched on the swing.

Again, more of the pretty script die cut words and some music notes along with the soft and pretty patterned paper from our kit.

That's it for me this month, but you are going to want to check out what the rest of the 12 Kits of Occasions team has made this month. The kit details are posted over at the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog.

Thank you Sharron for a very fun month of sweet little "birdie" fun!

Fusion Card Challenge: Happy 1st Anniversary!

Happy New Year!  Today, I am lucky enough to be joining the Fusion Card Challenge and a whole slew of creative designers in celebrating Fusion's one year anniversary.  A special thank you to my friend and Fusion Designer Jeanne Jachna of A Kept Life for inviting me to join in this happy occasion.  One year ago today, the Fusion Card challenge made its debut with one of the most interesting challenges in blogland.  I am sure you are all familiar with this challenge...if not, where have you been all year?  LOL, this challenge could not be any easier to play.  Every two weeks there is a new challenge posted with both a gorgeous picture or a great sketch to use for your inspiration.  Use either, both or fuse them together to create "Fusion" with your card.  How easy is that?
Here's the challenge for the anniversary celebration:

I used the beautiful photograph as my inspiration.  

I loved the soft pink, tans and the chalkboard in the photo and used stamps from My Favorite Things and a few Memory Box dies to reproduce the yummy looking ombre swirled cake in the photo.  My attempt at making twine tassels did not turn out (they were terrible), so I used a die cut Verve banner across the top instead.

Congratulations to Fusion Card Challenge on their first anniversary and again, thank you Jeanne for inviting me to play along.

Be sure to stop by the Fusion Card Challenge blog and wish them a Happy Anniversary...and don't forget to play along with this special challenge.