Shamrocks and a Small Small World!

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? Unnerved? Nonchalant? Terrified? I do hope you are all well and your older family members are well, too. 

Thankfully, we have our wonderful Blogland community where we can escape the madness, immerse ourselves in our art, and then gift that art to others to spread comfort and cheer! Bravo to us! And to wodka and chocolate. Oh. Was that out loud?

I immersed myself in green after seeing so many of our beloved challenges calling for it!

 

You can chalk this one up in the QACAS column inspired by CTS! I love the beautiful Washi Tape filled with shamrock flowers. It's a big roll and sadly, no, I don't remember where I got it from. You've seen it before and you'll see it again unless I decide to wallpaper one wall of my Playhouse with it! 

You saw the shamrock stencil a few posts ago, too, for a different design. I made it using an SSS/Memory Box die called "Floral Burst Collage." I used a green pp to cut the positive flower and then I traced and Ziggified two negative cuts for the other two flowers, which Hammy promptly winked. The shamrocks aren't quite as washed out as they appear, but the schparkle from the winking makes it hard to photograph. The NBUS sediment was dissected to fit; it is from Lawn Fawn's, "Happy Happy Happy Add On" set.

Challenges

• CAS March Watercolour Card Challenge: Luck of the Irish!
• CAS(E) This Sketch!
• Double D: It's all about the green!
• Little Red Wagon: Etc., etc., etc. (three of something). I have three shamrocks and three words in my sediment.

Twofer

Another QACAS self-exploratory design that's pretty cool to look at. The kind of thing I would stare at in a gallery, cocking my head this way and that. The 3D circle stencil is from Dylusions. The Hello die is from WPlus9. (BOB had it, so I used it on the front even though this card is a birthday card with the birthday sediment inside. I liked the way the word hello seems to be squishing down the netting.) The NBUS net die is from Gummiapan.com.

Challenges

• Seize the Birthday: Touch of green.
• STAMPlorations March Stencil Challenge: Always anything goes.
• Watercooler Wednesday: Marsha's "All About Occasions."

To Warm Your Heart

I'd like to share a story about this last card. A true story. Honest.

October 2018: 

I received an email out of the blue from a young lady named Kerstin. She asked me about whether I would be willing to sell her a die that was no longer available. Rather than sell it to her, I ran off several die cuts for myself and mailed the die off to her for free. She lives in Sweden. She said to let her know if she could ever return the favor.

June 2019: 

I saw the net die I used above on a brilliant soccer card made by my friend Sue over in England. I asked her who made the die. She replied that it was a Gummiapan die sold by Hochanda. Unfortunately, the postage to mail the die to America cost much more than the die. Like one does, I spent hours trying to find the die on other sites without any luck.

Well, that was too bad.

But, wait! Gummiapan is a Swedish company! Sweden! I connected the dots! 

So nine months after first "meeting" Kerstin, she got an email out of the blue from me asking if she would be able to purchase this die for me here in Sweden. She graciously did just that and tossed in a couple of other dies as well! Thank you again, Kerstin!

March 2020
I finally used the die that I just HAD to have nearly a year ago, lol!!

So when it comes to things like viruses, it's not good to live in a very small world, but when it comes to things like friendship and kindness and this wonderful hobby, it's amazing to live in a small world!!

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Which reminds me to remind you that there is a fabulous Hop (with prizes) happening to celebrate International Women's Day ~ and women encouraging other women ~ over at Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful. You can hop and link up until March 22nd!

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Enjoy your day! 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! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling: Click CTL + Home. Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post. Click Page Down to reach the end of the post. Click Comments and a pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Mwah! (p.s. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!)

Maple Leaf Time and a Recap of the Crafty Stampers Retreat!

Hello Stamplings!

Ready? Have you been to the bathroom and grabbed your favorite beverage? I mean, not that you keep your favorite beverage in the bathroom, but you know what I mean.

For those of you just here for cards, first up a quick coupla cards for a few challenges. And an example of one of the new-to-some-of-us techniques we did at the retreat:

Just before I left for the retreat, I saw this post on my friend Verna's blog and I checked out the video made by David (the owner of Poppy Stamps) where he shows how to die-cut and watercolor plain white napkins. I borrowed the Poppy Stamp maple leaf die from Brenda and demonstrated the technique at the retreat. It was fun and easy to do, although we found that we needed to add bits of liquid glue here and there to keep the compressed layers together, especially if we were heavy-handed with the water part of watercoloring. 

On the left below are closeups of the leaves I made and used on two other cards. If you look closely at all these leaves, you can see the great wrinkly texture you get from watercoloring on the napkin die-cuts.

Challenges

• CAS Watercolour Card Challenge: Maple Leaf. Happy 3rd Birthday and best wishes for many, many more!!
• Day of the Month Card Club: Celebrating Word Card Making Day.
• Less Is More: Rainbow.

 

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Crafty Stampers

October 6-11, 2019

Top row left to right: Linda [Oregon] (Lin's Craft Corner), Greta [Oregon] (GG Creations), Kara [Wisconsin] (Bright Hope Creations), Maria [Ohio] (Maria's Merry Makings), and Colleen [Oregon] (One Smile Lifts a Spirit). Front row left to right: Brenda [Indiana] (Inkspired to Stamp), me [California], and Sharon [Indiana], Brenda's sister-in-law. Brenda got us each an apron with pockets and Sharon embroidered the retreat name "Crafty Stampers" and personalized one for each of us!

The Farm House Brenda rented was set in the idyllic outskirts of Nashville, Indiana. 

The house was charming, with plenty of room for all of us and the weather was absolutely gorgeous every day except Friday when we had to make several trips to load up the cars. Then it poured buckets, of course! You had to climb a steep hill to see it, but there was a lovely pond on the property and a shelter house with a swing, which Colleen enjoyed. There was also a well-disguised butterfly and bushes laden with these amazing cup-like clouds of spider webs (bottom center.)

Here are some shots of all of us:

Top left: We covered the picnic table with beach towels and enjoyed cocktail hour every day in the beautiful outdoors. Top right: We turned the living room into a dining room. Bottom: Lunch (after craft shopping) in the town of Nashville, IN. Greta invited two crafty Indiana friends to join us for our outing. On the right foreground are Kathy and Linda.

Small group shots:

Left to right, top: Kara and Colleen (what's a few ants among friends); Maria and Greta. Left to right, bottom: Brenda, Linda, Kara, and Sharon dining at the Bird's Nest; and Linda, Sharon, and Maria lounging after dinner.

Hard at work play:

Col letting me know my shirt was on backwards. (Yeah, so?) In the photo on top left are Kara, Colleen, Maria, and Brenda. You can see the enormous wood dining room table which was perfect for crafting. Top right is Brenda and Greta at the die-cutting station and it appears Colleen is checking to make sure Greta's shirt is not on backwards.

Bottom left we see the beautiful smiles of Linda and Colleen. That's me in the bottom right playing the role of a waitress taking Kara and Linda's orders for ooey-gooey sticky buns. Yes, that's right. Haven't you heard that calories don't count during stamping retreats? Brenda's doctor told her that, so that's the truff!

And last, but definitely not least:

Hammy has a new lady friend! I must say he wasn't much help with winking during the week, unless you count his winking at Cassie Kitty, who is Brenda's wee crafting helper!

I'd like to thank Brenda for an enjoyable and productive craft retreat where lots of happy memories were made! She planned everything to a tee and we wanted for nothing! I had a blast and I miss everyone!

Thank you, too, for staying until the end. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you ever get the chance to meet, greet, or retreat with one or more of your crafty friends, don't let the opportunity pass you by. Because we've gotten to know each other over the years by visiting each other's blogs and commenting, we get along as if we've know each other personally for years!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!* While you're at, how about making two designs for the Twofer SWEETS challenge which ends near midnight on the 24th? I know you all have cupcakes and/or cakes!🎂

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! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling: Click CTL + Home. Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post. Click Page Down to reach the end of the post. Click Comments and a pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Mwah! (p.s. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!)

A Sort of Blues Brothers

Hello Stamplings!

Annnnnnd here we are, swooshed right into Friday! Oh, my gosh, my hair's an absolute mess from the hot wind blowing me in here. And, poor Hammy, when I opened the door it blew him right underneath the bookcase and into the corner! It's a very easy way to gather the dust bunnies so I don't have to get down on my hands and knees, but bless him, it does make him sneeze. 

Okay, so. I was going through my Blue Phase when I made my cards today. 

Wait. What? What does that mean? I have no idea, but I've read of people going through this phase or that phase, so I thought I'd try it. It just sounds pretentious. If I ever do a Memwaar, these would be my phases: chocolate, hippie jeans, candy, the Beatles, wallpaper, chocolate, wine spritzers, candy, stretch pants, cross-stitch, choc ... slap! Oof, thank you for stopping me! That was only one decade.

Onefer

What happened was, I asked Hammy to open the tab for challenges and read me what was happening, au currantly, while I was cleaning out my Christmas stamps drawer. Well, I wasn't listening very well and when he got to Less Is More, I thought he said "blue duck egg, plum, and white." I immediately thought of Gunther, who IS going through his blue phase, so naturally the egg he laid is blue. (Thankfully the bird kingdom is way more advanced than humans and the males of the blue duck genus are the egg layers.)

Googly-eyes help Gunther see better and, although it's hard to tell from the photo, he is heat-embossed in black. Speaking of the photo, I'm sorry about the unfortunate angle.

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, imagine my surprise when I just now went to link to the challenges and I discovered that LIM does NOT actually want blue duck eggs, they are merely looking for the color of "duck egg blue." 

It does, however, beg the question. I mean, why name a color "duck egg blue," if there wasn't such a thing as blue duck eggs? She asks, cocking her head. So I'm entering anyway.

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Happy 7th Birthday!!
• Less is More: Duck egg blue, plum, and white.
• Seize the Birthday: Anything goes.

Twofer

I think I made Harry the Stuffie correctly. He was made specifically for Bonnie's "Something Blue" brief over at the CAS Watercolour Card Challenge. He's verwee verwee blue. I used my Koi Watercolors to paint him. And didn't Hammy do a brilliant job winking every crevice? The stamp and sediment are from Stampingbella. Again, googly-eyes completed the picture.

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Enjoy your day! 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! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling: Click CTL + Home. Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post. Click Page Down to reach the end of the post. Click Comments and a pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Mwah! (p.s. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!)

Poppies Popping Up All Over!

Hello Stamplings!

With all the rain we've had this year (hallelujah!), the whole state of California has had a bumper crop of our state flower, the California poppy. You may have even seen photos on television of the largest area in the state where they are super abundant this spring, bringing visitors from all over the world. It's very fitting, therefore, that this month's CAS Watercolour Challenge features the beautiful poppy!

It's one of my favorite flowers, so I couldn't not play along!

This beautiful free form poppy is from Concord & 9th. It is such a show-stopper that a card needs nothing more than a simple sediment. This one is from GKW. I used copper e/p for both the image and the sediment, watercoloring the image with my Ziggies and a water brush. The mat is also copper. Before I added the popped-up sediment, I masked the flower and let Hammy schplash around in a pool of DI and roll around on the card front. Finally, after a shower, blow dry, and a reeeeeally small glass of sherry, he winked the poppy.

Here's another angle showing the coppery scrumminess:

Challenges

• CAS Watercolour Challenge: Poppy.
• CAS(E) This Sketch.
• Work It Wednesday: Spring flowers.

 

Twofer

A few days ago I messed around with my NBUS Ken Oliver Liquid Metals. I dropped some copper onto a glossy card and then, not knowing better, I added some blending solution. I don't know if I did it wrong or what, but the two didn't get along. The metallic bits separated from the ink and looked like pepper on the paper. I then added some terra cotta alcoholic ink and blew that around with blending solution. It made the spot bigger, but it wasn't pretty with the bits in it, so I just set it aside.

So then what happened was, as I was clearing my work area after making the first card, I saw the set-aside "fail," picked it up and went "Erh?" with a cock of my head. That always gets Hammy's attention and we both realized that it was just about prezackly the size of the Concord & 9th poppy. So I sort of lined it up over the splat and stamped. And now I love it! That just shows, as many of you have said before, don't throw away those inky "fails!" 

The giant MWAH from CASual Fridays and a smattering of sequints was all that was needed to complete this OLC. Here is a closeup of the metallic bits that separated from the ink. Extra texture, right?!

Challenges

• Krafty Chicks: Flowers.
• The Male Room: A/G, optional twist: OLC.
• Simon Says: Beautiful blooms.

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And here are a coupla photos of our own local native poppies:

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Enjoy your day! 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! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling: Click CTL + Home. Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post. Click Page Down to reach the end of the post. Click Comments and a pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Mwah! (p.s. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!)

Holly and Joy, Two Girls From School

Hello Stamplings!

I'm in a rush. Yesterday I was in a tizzy. I'm sure tomorrow I'll be in volved. You feel me, right?

I'm popping in to share a coupla cards while my sugar cookies are baking in someone else's oven, she says hopefully.

This is Holly. She's from Stampin' Up. Her base color is platinum (natural) and her green and red accents are by Zigfield Ziggies. Just before she walked down the red carpet paneled runway, she was lightly winked by Hammy. She schparkled when the floodlights hit her as she walked with Grace. Grace was there to steady Holly because Holly is getting up there in years, yet somehow she never gets old.

Challenges

• Back to Basics: Resist technique.
• CAS Mix Up Card: Emboss resist, plus stamping, plus watercoloring.
• CAS Watercolour Card: Thank you.

Twofer.

And here we have Joy. Joy prefers to lie horizontal along a card for photos. She's a rather large-boned die and unlike the other girls in her family, she can't quite fit in the vertical position. I can relate. But, goodness, isn't she a beauty with her O turned into a filigreed fresh-fallen snowflake? Her full name is Seed Snowflake Joy and she came to me from Poppystamps. I dressed her in a cream bolero over a gold-infused coral* watercolor paper. 

Challenges

• Poppystamps: Merry & Bright.
• SSS Wednesday: Christmas.
• Watercooler Wednesday: All about occasions. Congrats on your 200th challenge!!!

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*Coral is the color of the new year declared Pantone. I'm not sure who Pantone is, but it's their job to tell us. I decorated my home in corals and blues back in the late 70s. The new color makes sense because have you noticed that lately you're seeing your old clothes (or your mom's) everywhere on the telly? Suddenly actresses aren't wearing the form-fitting gorgeous sheath dresses. Instead, they're wearing dresses with elastic waists (like old Simplicity patterns I used to make!) or long halter dresses that I used to love. Pants are high-waisted and flowery blouses have flowing sleeves. 

At first I thought I was having flashbacks that no one else could see (don't judge, I'm on a lot of meds), but then my friend told me at lunch yesterday she noticed the same thing. I mean, even wallpaper is making a comeback. What can be next? Pant suits, blue eye shadow, and headbands?

I love the memories it all brings back and the fact that I've lived long enough to see it cycle back! For proof, yes, that's little ol' me in a grainy photo taken August 1970. I'm looking adoringly at the Mister from atop the ferris wheel at Asbury Park, NJ. Aaaah.

~~~

Enjoy your day! 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! Please let me know you came by so I can be sure and return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling: Click CTL + Home. Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post. Click Page Down to reach the end of the post. Click Comments and a pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Mwah! (p.s. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!)