My Little Shoebox partners with Core'dinations , a Becky Fleck Sketch and 2 Giveaway's

Wooohooo I just received an email telling me I will be getting a visit in the next 2 days from the man in brown. Yup u heard me....the My Little Shoebox CHA release is headed to me and in to my waiting arms. I am so excited to work with these beautiful new designs that Helen has created. If you have not seen them make sure you visit the MLS Blog for a peak.

Once I get them ....it will be a mad rush to get my work done, shipped out in time for Suzy & Helen to get my designs to Florida. What I am excited about though is I won't be to far behind. YAY....I will be heading to CHA too. Not just my designs this time.

Helen is soooo spoiling us and rented a HUGE 3bath GORGEOUS town home for us to stay in with top of the line amenities. All work and no play......naaaahhhhh not us girlie's. We even have a Disney trip planned ....How Fun !

Ok well enough of that and on to show u just how Awesome the My Little Shoebox is when it is paired with Core'dinations:

This is a Happy Birthday card. I tried giving it a vintage appeal and hand stitched the beads on after beading them on wire. I also beaded the kraft envelope. I luv little details. FYI I have the kraft policy 10 envelopes up for sale in my Etsy shop (unbeaded), so swing by and visit it.



This is a layout using the FAB Core'dinations. This cardstock is sandable and it exposes another color underneath it's layers. The picture is of Isabella the day she was born. I also added a touch of vintage by adding the paper lace that was given to me during a vintage swap I recently participated in.



So that was Isabella as a newbie and this is Isa as a BIG girl :' (
She is loving swimming. I can't believe she will be 2yrs old next week.



Of course most of my pics of Isa look like this....always in Daddy's arms.




Talking about all grown up. Here is my niece Mercedes. Such a camera diva. She is getting so big......................sigh..................... In this layout u can really see the effects of sanding the Core'dinations cardstock. I created a fabric flower, layered a punched out paper flower and a button on top of that.



Boys will be Boys..... my boys sure know how to Live , Laugh and Love. When it comes to water they become just like fish. ahhhh to be young again !



Here is a mini album I created with some kraft board (you can find some in my etsy shop). I than covered it with My Little Shoebox pattern paper and used a great mix of the yummy Core'dination colors and some of the MLS diecuts.



I also want to show you some of my recent work I have uploaded to my Etsy shop.
If you take a moment and visit me there at my shop & convo me thru my shop telling me which is your favorite card/product. I will than throw all the names of those who convo me into a hat by my next posting and one winner will receive their fave item.



Last but definitely not least. How excited was I when the MLS team was asked to work with Becky Fleck and her fabulous Page Maps Sketches for July.
Here is the Sketch Becky sent me.



Here is what I created using her wonderful sketch:



Ok I also have another giveaway. I just received the May Cards Edition that has some of my work published in it. I am giving away this edition and adding a few surprise goodies to it. Trust me you will not be disappointed !!!! All u have to do is leave me a comment here on my Blog on your favorite online craft/scrapbooking store that you like to buy from. The catch is I really want to hear why it's your favorite store. What makes it unique and what keeps you going back to it. Once again by my next post I will pick a winner (or 2 with different selected goodies) out of a hat. So please take a moment and share ur thoughts.
Here is the mag:

and this is the card in this publication...thanks for letting me share:


One last thing before I sign off. I just want to remind you guys to swing by "A Kiss on The Chic" and take a look at this months Kit. They are GORGEOUS. What a talent Laura has, to combine so many unique, fantastic products together!

Well I think I got it all. I want to THANK all of you guys for visiting me. I really do appreciate all your kind words of encouragement. They really mean alot!

Many Hugs and well wishes to all and have a Blessed Creative week.
Norma Kennedy

Check Out my Etsy !

Ohhh that almost sounds dirty. hehehe For those of you who may not be familiar with Etsy, It is a wonderful place that allows regular folks (like me) to sell items. Its similar to ebay but with out the auction. Oh and you can only sell Handmade Items, Vintage Items or Supplies to create with. Really Cool huh ?! Here is my link Bella Art Designs and you can also spot some of the items I have in the store by taking a peak at the widget on the left side of this page. If you have a shop on Etsy make sure to leave me a link and I will come and visit you.

I am super excited because I have some FAB things going on. Ever just want to spill the beans when you know you shouldn't? Me oH mE OH MY....you all should hear about it in the next few months.

In the meantime I'm gonna spill the beans on what FABULOUS kits Laura has going on over at A Kiss on the Chic ! The Love Theme kit that I worked on for June is BEAUTIFUL in every way ! Take a peek and don't hesitate on picking this kit up or they will be gone before you know it !
In this layout "Adore You" I used a good mix of Prima and Heidi Swapp.


In this layout "You Still Make My Heart Flutter" i got to use the way cool Heidi Swapp invisibles. It was a lot fun and easier than I thought to use !


In this Heart Album "There Is No Doubt I Just Love You"
I used some of the Heidi Swapp diecuts.
I also placed this Heart Album in my Etsy shop.


I have also worked on My Little Shoebox and have some layouts and projects to show you. I am soooo super excited to see what they will put out for CHA. Helen is so talented and the sweetest lady. I am sure they going to be just as hot as this past release was !
Now I am only going to show you a few samples I did with the "Enjoy Life" line because I want you to head over to the new My Little Shoebox blog to see the rest of them along with the work of all the other team members. Suzy has been super busy creating a new FUN blog for you guys. She has posted the new FAB Design Team members along with the hilarious Chit Chat Show that Erin and Heather has put together.
MLS projects:
This album"Sweet Baby" was created using Clear Scraps All Mixed Up 3 ring chipboard album. MLS teamed up this month with Clear Scraps using their really cool albums.


Here is another wonderful album using Clear Scraps mixed with MLS products.


Here are a few layouts using MLS:
"In Safe Arms" this is our Poppie.
Poppie is super special to me! My father died when I was a young girl and he has been just that to me. I love that Isabella adores him and loves him so much.


I just adore my oldest sons personality. He is so sweet, charming yet dorky and always knows just what to do to make me SMILE.


Now the base for most of my projects come from Cut Card Stock.com . They have such a fantastic variety of cardstock including kraft cardstock, metallic cardstock and so much more. Their prices are super FANTASTIC so make sure to head over there and check them out !!!!!

Well I hope I was able to inspire you to create today.
Have a Blessed and Creative week.
Norma Kennedy

Pink Paislee, American Crafts, Cut Card Stock.com and A Kiss on the Chic

What a crazy few days. My dear sweet daughter decided to shove a pop corn kernel up her nose on Wednesday. Yup you heard me right ! The crazy thing about it is it happened so fast and while she sat on Damien's lap. I was actually laying down on the couch and we were watching a show when I heard a blood curdling scream. I hear Damien say....oh my goodness she just shoved a pop corn kernel up her nose. From there we rushed to the ER. That alone was a nightmare. Isabella and I were there for 4 hours and they were not able to remove the kernel. They tried all kinds of tweezers and suction tubes but she had managed to stick it so high up in her nose that they were worried to do damage. So they recommended a Nose Surgeon. UUUggghhh just when you think it couldn't get any worse. I head over to the CVS pharmacy. I was there over 3 hours. The antibiotics that the DR. really wanted her to be on was no where to be found in NW Indiana. I guess the Bactria in her nose needed a certain percentage of different antibiotics and they could not nail it down. So after 4 Dr. consults and Pharmacist who could not apologize any more then he all ready had, I was finally on my way home. Oh did I forget to mention CVS gave me a $50 gift card for all my trouble. Yesterday we saw the Nose Surgeon and they removed a pop corn kernel the size of a huge round cheerio. It was indeed STINKIN huge. Thank God that she is well and the foreign object has been removed !!!!!! Here is a picture of Isabella Easter morning looking so sweet but please do not be fooled.

I had a wonderful Mothers Day this year. It was very low key and we grilled and it was very nice.
Damien's step sister brought her little girl over a few weeks ago and I took some darling pics of her. Here are a few:


I than created a brag book for her as a special Mothers Day gift sing Pink Paislee, Basic Grey and by new Bind It All toy. Here are a few pics of it:


I was super excited when I got home last nite from teaching a card class. I received an email for more published work. This time its for Paper Trends Handmade book. How exciting !
What's really exciting is what's going on with A Kiss on the Chic.com
Oh my goodness ....Laura's kits are becoming so hot and everyone wants one. How crazy is this that her kits sold quicker than we even had a chance to show them off. That's right I said SOLD OUT. Well here is a few things I did with the May Kit:



Something I gotta tell you about Laura's kits are that she really works hard at adding unique and special touches to her kits. I of course could not resist making a bracelet with the Maya Road Chicky charms that came in the kits:

Now remember to be ready to jump on June's kits because they will sell like hot cakes. She has 2 very special kits prepared for June. One is a Love theme which I will be working on and the other is a FAB 4th of July project kit.

I also made some very simple cards for Embellish-It using some of the American Crafts products that Barb sent me. The store is packed with these fantastic goodies and believe me they are bright and so FUN to work with ! Make sure to swing by and see what she has. Here is what I created with some American Crafts:

last but not least. Here is a card I made using cardstock from Cut Card Stock.com as the base for my card. I used the Mangue Yellow in the Malmero Perle' line. You can't see it in the picture but this cardstock has such a BEAUTIFUL shimmer/sparkle to it.



I also want to point you towards the Cut Card Stock blog because this month Linda Albrecht was the guest designer. She is unbelievably amazing. So if your looking for some inspiration make sure to check out her work.

I also wanted to share some great artistic site finds with you:
The Circular Life
The Sleep Trip
Hooger Brugge

Hope you enjoyed visiting.
Have a Blessed, Creative Day !
Norma Kennedy

A Tutu, My Little Shoebox, Cut Card Stock.com and more projects

Some one please explain to me why I have such a hard time consistently posting. Once again I have tons of work to share with u guys that I am super excited about.

This month My Little Shoebox sent me a wonderfully jam packed box of goodies. Along with their yummy products (as if that wasn't enough) they sent me a ton of Hambly products to work with. I was super excited because I have not worked much with their overlays, stickers, rub-ons or papers. Well lets just say I had a load of FUN !!!!!
Here is what I created incorporating MLS and Hambly together:
I really am so pleased with this layout "A View From My Heart"
I have never created anything quite like this and I pushed my self to step out of my comfort level by actually cutting my pictures out. Everything on this layout from the overlays to the stickers are Hambly and MLS except the three Prima flowers.


This next layout "She Asked" was brought on by my desire to use as many of the overlays from both company's that I could. I glittered and stickled some of them. Journaling reads: "How does one become a butterfly? she asked.You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."


This next layout "Perfect" I cut out the center of my MLS Scalloped pattern paper. I glittered the scallop edge. I used some of the die cuts and overlay pieces. I also incorporated some of the Hambly rub-ons.


On this layout "Angel Face ?) I really wanted to keep it simple. Used some of the MLS die cuts for my picture background. Than I added some Hambly wing rub-ons . MLS chipboard and Mini Alphas are a must have for any ones stock. I also used Hambly stickers and MLS Overlay and die cuts as the bottom border.


Phew and I still have cards and a tag to show you.
On this card "Good Times" I used the MLS paper underneath the Hambly Overlay and a Hambly border sticker.


On this next card I used the Gorgeous Petal card from Cut Card Stock.com as my base. I used MLS for my pattern paper along with their minis,Chipboard and die cuts. I than accented it with some of the YUMMY Hambly stickers.



I had fun creating this next tag. I hadn't done one in a while. Again I mixed Hambly Overlays and MLS die cuts and chipboard. I luv how whimsical it turned out.


I also created a journal this week. I joined a circle journal group at CMK. I am super excited about getting to know this GREAT group of girls better. I decided to make my album topic on inspiration. Where and how one receives their inspiration. All of the cardstock is from Cut Card Stock.com that I stepped out. I used some of their gorgeous metallic paper. This paper is soooo addictive. I also used their chipboard cover underneath the GCD pattern paper. I than bounded it together using my Zutter.



Sugar and Spice and everything nice....that's what little girls are made of ! Oh and TUTUS and sparkly stuff. This month is full of little girls birthdays. My cousins little girl and my good friends little girls and I decided to make them all Tutu's. I saw this on You Tube on how to make them and thought to my self huuummm I can do that. I plan to make them little hair pieces to match and maybe a fairy doll as well. This one I made for little Christina. I decided to make it Blue, White and Red because they are the Puerto Rican flag colors as well as the US colors . I thought how CUTE would she look at a 4th of July parade wearing this.



So a few weeks ago Mercedes came over and was helping me with laundry. We were laughing at how it is that socks seem to go AWOL. I know that right now there are a lot of published books on making creative items with these odd socks. So I decided to give it a try. Here is what I came up with:

Cute huh ?! It was super easy to make and I did it under 40 minutes.

This has been a super fantastic yet busy week. I booked my flight for CHA so I am excited about that. I also had a few calls for published work and am excited about a few booked photography jobs.
Speaking of photography I took some fun pics of Isabella. She is so goofy and yet such a sweet girl. She luvs sporting dad's hats. I have even made her a basket of them for her to play with. Funny she has a basket of Tutus/costumes and now a basket of hats.


Thank you for visiting me.
Have a Blessed and Creative week, Norma Kennedy

A Kiss on the Chic.com and Embellish It

eeekkk I have so much to share with you guys in this post. I have had a super Fun this month creating with some fabulous product.

Laura from A Kiss on the Chic.com has outdone herself this month. For April she has put together not 1 or 2 nor 3 kits but 6. Yup you heard me right! 6 jam packed Beautiful kits. She created a Baby Boy, Baby Girl, Childhood Boy, Childhood Girl, Teen Boy and Teen Girl kits. I got to play with the Childhood Girl kit and here is what I created with it.
I created this whimsical door hanger. I also pieced the girl by just cutting tidbits of Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday and Sassafrass Life is Beautiful cardstock and PP.
.

I luv Pink Paislee and was tickled to see I had gotten some in this kit. I created Daddy's Big Girl using the Pink Paislee Fascinating line.

Nothing like being able to scrunch and crumble up paper. Well this is what I did on this next layout "My Little Pop Tart". I used some of the beautiful vibrant Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday, Saturday PP.


I am so excited to show you some cards I just finished up where I used some GORGEOUS Prima and Basic Grey PP. When Embellish It me sent me my package this month to work with I was super excited because Prima and Basic Grey are 2 of my favorites. Make sure to check out all the new additions to the store. Including a huge variety of Prima's new beautiful flowers.

In this Vintage love card I used a ton of Prima goodies. The bird is an Inkadinkado stamp called Birds Galore. I stamped it black and than embossed it with an iridescent sparkle embossing powder.



In this "Friendship" card I used another bird stamp from the Inkadinkado Birds Galore set. I crinkled the Prima PP and stitched it to the cardstock from Cut Card Stock.com. The friendship stamp is an older stamp from the Wonderful Word's set from Stampin Up.



Now look how Cute this little owl stamp is ! Hoo Hoo There | Rachelle Anne Miller | Stampavie Stamp. I also used some of the fabulous Basic Grey Marrakech.


OK I am almost done . For this next card I am going to post some extra pics of how I created the rickrack flower. I have been playing lately creating fiber and ribbon flowers. I got the idea when I was looking for new storage to put it all in and I got to thinking I really need to be using it and not storing it. So in this next card I used some more of the Basic Grey Marrakech and some more Inkadinkado stamps from the Happy Days set.


The base for all of my projects and cards you see here are from Cut Card Stock.com. Make sure to check out their Gorgeous Metallic, Linen and Double Sided paper.

pphheww I don't think I have forgotten anything. However I do want to mention to keep any eye out for a Give Away I am doing soon. I am also working on a tutorial on sewing and making some very easy little girl summer dresses.

Have a Blessed and Creative Day, Norma Kennedy

My Little Shoebox and GCD Studios

I am super excited to post today. I have so much to share with you guys. I have got to tell you that Helen (owner of MLS) is a pure Genius. Her designs that were just released have been fantastic to work with. I cant seem to get enough of all the CUTENESS. I want to share with you guys that at 2 Peas in A Bucket they are holding a contest that MLS is sponsoring. So if you have recently made a project or layout using MLS make sure to head over to the gallery and load it up for a chance to win some their awesome products.

Here is some work I just finished using the "Turtles and Tress" line:

To create this mini-album what I did was I used all the die cut journal tags and used my Zutter Bind it All to bound them together. I created the front and back page by using cardstock and some of the "Turtles and Trees" pattern paper and cutting slighter larger than the tags.


Here is a sweet little card using some of the PP, cute die cuts and the fabulous green mini alphas.


I created this layout with the GORGEOUS scalloped die cut pattern paper in this line.
I simply scrunched it up and inked it a bit and sewed it directly to my page. I know that this picture does not show the credit to Elton John for my journaling but I forgot to attach it before I took the picture. I did however attach it after wards.


Now for my next project.......
Have you heard of GCD Studios ? Oh my goodness because I just found some of their PP and I am in luv with the texture and the sparkle that they offer. The PP has such a cool linen texture to it and will make any layout/project look fantastic !
Here is the layout I made called "Love Grows Here" :


I also want to remind you guys t head over the Cut Card Stock Blog. They are also hosting a simple give away. You leave a comment on the Blog on what how the store/blog is doing, what kind of changes you would like to see and you can qualify for a fabulous prize package.

Well I think that's all for today. I have some cards an other projects Ill be posting soon so make sure to come back and visit.

Have a Blessed and Creative Day, Norma Kennedy

A hand made Address Book and a Pretty Apron

I recently was on an address book hunt. I quickly found out that the pickings are very slim ! I found out that most people are using their computers or digital devices to store their address's in. I really wanted a physical book I could sit and browse thru.....go ahead and call me old fashion, I'm OK with that. I wanted something pretty but I was also wanting something that would function for today's techno world . I wanted to be able to include websites/blogs, emails and birthdays for all family members. I also wanted a spot to be able to add pictures. After searching high and low I realized If I wanted something like this I was going to have to make it myself. So I got busy.

I started by making a template in PhotoShop. After much thought I decided to make the address book a landscaped 8.5 x 11. I choose this layout for many reason. I knew I could easily print all the information I needed on this size and it would limit my cutting. After much debate (thanks Cindy for being so patient in this process) I decided to use the Wausau Royal Linen® 80 lb Cover wt Cardstock in NATURAL from Cut Card Stock. The texture in this paper is fantastic and perfectly gave it a rich feel. Luv it !


I than decided to use some fabric I all ready had at home that I had gotten on clearance at JoAnn's last year. I knew I wanted some pretty matching pattern paper and I didn't have to go far to find some.....October Afternoon was just what I was looking for:


I was clearly on my way. Once my printing was done and my card stock cut I worked on my search tabs. I decided to use the yellow My Little Shoebox mini alphas. A perfect fit for my tabs. I also was a bit worried about all the handling the alpha's would receive and I wanted them to hold up well so I Modge Podged the tabs.


I was than ready to punch the binding holes. Before I punched my holes I created the cover pages by cutting and using the 12 x12 Chipboard from Cut Card Stock.com . I than glued on a layer of felt to the cover pages so that when I added my fabric it would give my book some substance:


I than started working on my fabric. I knew it could get tricky since I wanted to be able to bind it, cover it with fabric yet not have any seams showing. I did not want it to be glued together either. I created a pattern and was ready to start stitching. Binding it all was actually the Fun part and super easy using my Bind it all:


I created envelopes to hold little odds and ends like receipts and added them to the front before binding. In the back I created extra pages for notes (not pictured):


Here are some pictures of it finished and the spine:


Here is the cover. I made some fiber flowers for the front and just ended up pinning them for now since I'm not sure I like the way it looks. I will have to play a bit with adding something a bit more simple. All in all I am pretty happy with it. I spent about 5 hours on it all together. I know that my next one will turn out so much better an go lots quicker. I'm thinking Christmas gift. What do you think ?


I will quickly post some pictures of a reversible Apron I made for my friends little girl Gracie with a matching little doll. I had some extra fabric so I made Isa one too. These are super easy and fun to make.


ETA: oPPS forgot to mention about a cool punch from EK Success new slim line I just got. This one is called Swiss Cheese and I cant wait to actually make something with it.



Have a Blessed and Creative Day, Norma Kennedy

A Kiss on the Chic.com and new Blog Deisgn

I finally got all caught up on my paper projects and I was sitting here thinking...... I need a new look. A few weeks ago I noticed a new Digital kit that caught my eye by Liz Tamanaha (aka Paislee Press), so I decided to play with it. I luv her designs and it has been a while since I have taken the time to just sit and play with Photoshop and digital work just for me.

I also played around with some more of Isabella's pictures...poor thing. Since she is home all day with me she is my photoshop guinea. hehehe it cracks me up cuz she actually is starting to pose and smile when she sees me coming with the camera and than continues as if nothing.

I also finished some projects for A Kiss on the Chic.com
I worked on a Cafe' Album by Clear scraps and made a few layouts and a card. Laura's kits are so jam packed with so many goodies ! Make sure to take a peek at everything she offers at A Kiss on the Chic Blog. I think she sold out of these pretty quick but make sure to jump in on the action for April's Kits. Here is what I did with the March Project Kit:
Cafe' Clear Scraps Album


My 2 Miracles


You Bring Beauty into My World


Kindrid Spirits Card


ETA: I almost forgot to send you guys over to the Cut Card Stock Blog. They are spotlighting Danielle Flanders Fabulous Creative work and they are also giving away some more of their awesome cardstock. If you have not had a chance to work with their Gorgeous Metallic cardstock, this is a great way to win some so jump on in and leave a comment ! Check out the Cut Card Stock.com store.
Well I think that's all for today. Have a Blessed Day,
Norma Kennedy