Going to the Chapel

Happy Monday loves!  Hubby and I enjoyed a wonderful date night last Saturday at a gorgeous wedding.  The couple had one of the more creative registries I have seen.  We were able to purchase a romantic dinner for them on their honeymoon.  So you know I couldn't wait to make a fabulous wedding card/money holder.  

Pretty pleased with this bride stamp I found at Michaels.  Once I saw the trim and embellies, I knew they'd coordinate well.  The pink pops against the layers of traditional wedding black & white.  These papers are mostly scraps from old projects.

 Can you believe that is a strip of page border along the hem of the dress? It just screamed wedding to me...don't embellishments talk to you?   The border and the Just Married heart are by Jolee's.  

Inside of the card with the $$$. I hope the bride enjoys her card I made as much did making it!  Nothing says love like handmade. Supplies not mentioned above: Cardstock:  (White) Recollections Pink (Close to My Heart) Thanks for taking a peek.

Creative Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my happy little polka dot inspired blog.  I  am tickled pink that my friend, Norma Gomez invited me to participate in this creative blog tour.  It's a chance to check out some wonderful blogs, meet some new crafty friends and learn some different techniques.  Norma is an amazing mixed media artist--her work is bold, colorful and soulful.  I can tell she puts her heart into every piece she creates.  To find out more about her art, please visit her blog Little Honeybee Studios here.
What am I working on now?
There's lots of excitement in my paper-filled world these days.  I am transitioning to a bigger work space (woo hoo) in my home and creating a new product line. 

Here is my new, larger (10 × 10) room that was the kids' hangout. Once it's cleared out, I will start painting in the next couple of weeks.

This is my beach-inspired palette.  The beach is my calming retreat, so what could top bringing the sand, sea and surf indoors to transform this room?  Hope you'll follow my blog for updates on my new space!

This summer, I decided to update my line of greeting cards for Divine Designs by Nancy,  a retail florist, who carries my work. The new collection features fun, whimsical, colored images.  I started coloring with Copic markers last year and once I came across the digi stamps from Whimsiedoodles, I could not stop!   I appreciate the ease of printing, versus stamping the image and how the stamp can be customized each time.  The playful style of her stamps makes for the sweetest birthday, anniversary and sympathy cards.

 2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?
I think I have a unique way of mixing old and new and colors and patterns while adding a touch of whimsy.  I tend to layer, and include texture and dimension, even with my cards.

3. Why do I create what I do?
Creating is both therapeutic and rewarding for me.  Paper is for me, what soil is for a gardener.  Whether I'm designing or laying out a scrapbook page or a greeting card, there is something so soothing about the feel of paper and working it with my hands that nourishes my soul.   I think my family would agree, a crafting mommy is a happy one!  The look on someone's face when they see a handmade card or mini scrapbook album is priceless as well.  It's my way of spreading a little joy to others, one creation at a time.

 4.  How does my creative process work?
Did I mention how much I Iove paper?  My process usually begins with just the right papers. I choose colors and patterns that make me smile, I'm talking a huge grin. I do buy paper collections, but I enjoy pulling from different ones, for a coordinated but eclectic feel.  Sometimes I rely on a sketch for the layout, but most of my designs are organic.  Once I have a feel for the paper layout, I pick accents to add that chunky look and textured feel, all with a vintage flare.  I'm probably most productive when working alone, with a little Adele or Miguel playing in the background, but often I craft near my hubby and kiddos.
I invited two of my papercrafting sisters to play along on this creative tour.  Look for their posts on Monday, September 1st. Melissa Lopez, from My Whimsy Life, has been both long- time friend and mentor to me.  I admired Melissa's style from the beginning.  From shabby-chic to vintage inspired, her wedding place cards, gift tags, cards and altered home decor in her Etsy Shop are simply gorgeous.   She's some exciting things in the works you won't want to miss, so stop by her blog, My Whimsy Life.
I also invited Shalana Glass, a Close to My Heart Consultant, paper craft instructor and card making wonder!  We recently met when I joined the Scraps of Color Creative Team.  Her designs are fun and she is constantly coming up with new ideas, which inspires me to make more!  Check out more of Shalana's creativity on her blog, Scrappin with Shalana.  
Thanks again for spending a little time with me!  For daily updates, new works-in-progress and giveaways, follow me on Facebook here.  To see my full product line, stop by my Etsy shop here.

 

Back to School Pixie on the SOC Blog!

Hello lovelies!  I hope you are enjoying a sweet summer.  Today, I am posting over on the SOC Blog.  Head over to see details on this cutie-pie sketch pad and pen I altered for my tween!

Thanks for stopping by!
{{Hugs}}
Kimberly

Hello Summer!

Hey Polka Dotted Bliss fans!  It has been WEEKS since I've crafted but we've finally adjusted to the summer schedule. I found a little time, well a LOT of time, to let the creativity flow this past weekend.  I made a couple of cards for a "Hello Summer" swap with the girls over at Scraps of Color.  Here are the two cards I made for Treva ;)

Pink and green, flowers and ladybugs...they all remind me of backyard bar-be-cue's, eating watermelon and catching fireflies, how about you?

 Thanks to my my good friend DonnaK over at Created by Donna K, I can't seem to get enough of coloring digital and stamped images with my Copic markers...I think the hair is the hardest part though lol!  This cutie-pie pixie is from Whimsiedoodles.  I love that her website has freebies and tutorials, check out her yummy goodness here.

 What could be more summertime than a pretty pink flower?  I just had to add the last bit of my Stampin' Up Celery ribbon to top it off.  I sure hope Treva enjoys her cards!

Thanks for stopping by!

I linked this project up to: Craftin' Desert Diva's Craft it up Linky Party #35

Supplies: 

Pixie Digital Stamp - Whimsiedoodles

Dear Friend Rubber Stamp - Michaels $1 Bin

Cardstock - Recollections, Paper Trey

Patterned Paper - DCWV Nana's Kids, K&Company Kelly Panaci Blossom

Celebrate 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July creative friends!  I designed today's project for the Scraps of Color Blog.  I have a little secret to share...I have been making mini albums and layouts for other people so much that I have fallen behind in my personal scrapping!  Anyone else in that same boat?  The good news is, it's NEVER to late to document those special times.  I might not get every single picture from my kids' childhoods, but I can certainly capture some of my favorites, right?  For this project, I didn't buy any new supplies; I created my own "kit" from what I had on hand, and I made most of the embellishments to scrapbook these pictures of my daughter's 1st July 4th.

If you work mostly with kits, try something new by going through your stash and pulling papers that coordinate.  I pulled from some Americana, Christmas and Valentine's papers.  And yes, I hand cut all those pennants for the banner...call me crazy, cutting with scissors is like therapy for me lol!

I did use my Cricut for the title and the stars, and added a little faux stitching with a white Gelly Roll pen. 

Not excited about your own handwriting?  I printed out my own journaling for this page.  I printed out the text on the same size sheet of copy paper until I got the placement and font size the way I wanted it, I printed  it on my cardstock.  I could have kept working with this layout, but guess what, it doesn't have to be perfect...it's more important to get it done :)

Are you planning any July 4th layouts?

Supplies: Cardstock - Recollections; Patterned Paper - Heidi Swap Believe, Recollections Valentine, The Paper Studio Patriotic Words; Twine: Michaels; Burlap - JoAnn Fabric; Faux Stitching - Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen.

Thanks for stopping by!

Up, Up & Away for Father's Day

Have you finished your Father's Day cards yet? I have been hanging on to a stamp set with a hot air balloon for some time now, waiting for just the right project, I guess!   Finally decided to use it this year; think the cards turned out kinda cute in a masculine way!  I entered my cards Scrapping 4 Fun's Father Day Challenge here.

Seafoam green, Kraft and white...something about this color combo that is soothing to the eye!  

I've been using Versafine ink lately, and I'm really impressed with the quality of the stamped images. 

For this card, I altered the stamp with this jumbo sized button, so cute!

 Lots of layers and texture, just the way I like my cards!  The vellum cloud paper is from American Craft's Dear Lizzie line and it is layered on top of a sheet from DCWV's the Modern Meadow Stack.

Materials used: 

Recollections Kraft Cardstock, Recollections White Cardstock 

Have you finished your Father's Day cards yet?

Thanks for stopping by!

Card-Making for a Cause!

 I have been thinking about ways to do more for my community while doing something I'm passionate about, and my daughter's preschool Silent Auction gave me the perfect chance.  I donated a card-making class for 6 ladies and spent the past couple of weeks getting ready for it.  The girls had different skill levels, so pre-made kits were definitely the way to go.  I hosted the party Saturday night and it was a blast! 

I served some appetizers so, my daughter got creative and embossed the napkins for me...

To keep things simple, before the  class party, I folded the cards, cut the cardstock and made the embellies, like these punched butterfly with faux pearl centers. 

 I separated the materials for each card into a cute baggie.

For the first time ever, I went to Pinterest for some clean and simple (CAS) card inspiration.  I don't do a lot of CAS cards, so I needed help with layouts lol!  The ladies did great with the first card, a bowtie and shirt combo for Father's Day, inspired by this card.  I found the free bowtie printable here.  

 They got to emboss and stamp a little with this second Pinterest-inspired butterfly card found here.

They quickly got the hang of embossing with the Sizzix Big Kick and combined that with paper-weaving for a fun "Thank You" card.  We modified the original card pinned here.

What a fun way to spend a Saturday night and all for a good cause...I think I like this teaching thing! Do you craft for charity? Thanks for stopping by