Off The Edge!

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? I know a lot of you are enjoying being outdoors in the garden or on vacations and traveling again and that's part of the reason for my long absence.

More below, but first, my card, which I made before our travels:

This month our Group of Seven Cardmakers weren't able to Zoom, so Lolly picked an old tried-and-true technique of "Off the Edge" for us to play with and share on the Group blog on the 28th. (I'm a bit late.) It didn't matter what image, style, or design we used ~ it only mattered that part of the main image was off-the-edge. You can see other examples by clicking on the link to the Group blog.

I love the off-the-edge look and usually achieve it by stamping my image off the edge of the main panel so it falls off into space. But this time, I stamped the image off the edge of a masked and blended background shape using a homemade stencil. I used markers to color directly onto the Penny Black stamp before misting and stamping. It was pretty that way, but I decided to use my waterbrush to move the ink around on the tulips, which really brightened them. Hammy waffled about adding schplatters, but decided to stop at winking to let the tulips be the star.

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Any Occasion.
  
• Less is More: Anything Goes.(Keep it CAS).
• SSS Wednesday: Anything Goes.

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Travels and Tribulations

Thank you to those who have checked in with me. I intended to post here the second week of June, but I got too busy preparing everything for going on vacation and just didn't have time. 

Then we went on a much-anticipated, long-planned vacation to Europe to do a driving tour of the Alps. We landed in Germany and drove a loop with stops in Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and back to Munich to fly home. And for their high school graduation gift, we had the pleasure of our grandtwins' company on the trip! 

The Mister (otherwise known as Papa) planned everything and he did an excellent job. He has taken a similar loop twice now with a group of motorcycle friends, so he is familiar with the area. Everything was spectacular, even the weather, and now the twins will have loads of memories of their old geezer grandparents to reflect on years from now.

Sadly, on the third day of the adventure, I came down with the worst head cold of my life. One so bad that even now that we are home, I'm still suffering. The Mister came down with it on the flight home, which is also sad, but we feel so blessed that he didn't catch it sooner. He did hours of driving and showing us the sights. Without him as driver and tour director ... well, it doesn't bear thinking about. Fortunately, so far, the boys haven't caught this evil bug.🙏

This cold is the whack-a-mole of all colds whereby it flits around from each of the orifices in your head; one day worse here, the next day worse here. You think you're better, but no.

Besides feeling like a zombie, the most bizarre symptom for either of us has been intense conjunctivitis in both eyes! Apparently you can get that if you have a cold. Who knew that was a thing?!😝 No fever, though, and it's not Covid, so we also feel blessed about that. Could always be worse!

I'll share more photos when my energy returns. This has taken me days to type. Thank you to everyone who has sent me a birthday card! I have a lovely full basket of cards waiting for Sunday, but I may take several days to open them. My focus button is also on the fritz and I want to give each of your beautiful handmade cards the full focus and attention it deserves! Mwah! 💕

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Enjoy your day and stay well! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!*

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower! 

*Life is too short!

Best Day Ever!

Hello Stamplings!

How are you doing? Are you outside more often, enjoying the fresh colors of springtime or the last colors of fall? I hate to jinx it, but our weather has been glorious! Our busy lives continue with family, projects, traveling, appointments, and visitors. Life! Hurrah! But when I can, I escape to the Playhouse for playtime with Hammy.

Onefer

Because I was short of time, I decided to simply pounce ink over this hydrangea image and I was pickled tink when it worked. Now that I see it on the monitor, however, I think I'm going to color in the flower centers with black to define each cluster of petals and give it a more finished look.

I have a few of these slim ink blenders from The Rabbit Hole. You can see they have small round brushes for blending. And since my hydrangea stamp from Ellen has small-ish round petals, I just gave pouncing a try using pretty hydrangea colors. It's a different look, but I quite like it. Plus, it's QACAS and that's always a bonus! 

Hammy winked the flower, of course, and he is now on a mission to sniff out other images that will work for this technique.

Challenges

• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: AG.
  
• The Flower Challenge: Use your favorite flower.
  
• We Love Stamping: CAS and AG.

Twinfer

I made the grandtwins simple graduation cards using their favorite colors. 

Many of you have watched these young men grow up in the blink of an eye. We're so proud of them and wish them every success in life! (Yes, I look like Lilli Pution, but in all fairness to them, I have shrunk a bit!) 

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!* As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse! 

*Life is too short!