Krafty Chicks ~ Stamp Act

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? Thank you for taking a break to click open my bloggeroo today! You deserve a break and a favorite beverage. And sure, I support having a little sweet, too, while you're at it.

Just as I was looking for some renewed schpark to light up my get-up-and-go in the new year, I was asked by the Krafty Chicks to be their Guest Designer for January. What an honor and what perfick timing!

The Krafty Chicks post challenges once a week on Thursdays and for Week 1, the prompt is "Stamp Act." Here is my card to inspire you:

Zany the zebra is part of a NBUS stamp set called "Savanne1" from Craft Emotions, simply stamped in black and white. The sediment is from Dylusions. The double-stitched die is from MFT. And, of course, Hammy brought the zebra to life by adding googly eyes.

Don't you wonder what mischief lies unseen in front of Zany? I'm sure there is a group of her zebra friends gathering in the distance, but what are they up to? Oh, the imagination stirs ~ or maybe the memories! Why, it reminds me of that time back in 1973 when a group of us girls drove into Los Angeles from the sub-Urbs and Cheryl suggested that we ...

Thank you, Krafty Chicks for asking me to guest design this month! You can find all the details and the linky tool on their blog and I look forward to seeing your stamped creations! 

I'm also playing in these challenges:

• Critter Crazy: A/G.
• Simon Says Monday: Something new.
  
• TIME OUT: New.

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Twofer

Another QACAS and NBUS design for you. I've had Tim's Mini Blueprints booze-themed stamp set for (cough) years and I finally broke the seal on that puppy. All of the blueprint images are fantastic! The sediment is from Tim's Big Talk collection. (Hammy scampered up my pant leg just as I was taking a sip, so pardon the spillage.)

Those of you who are eagle-eyed and sober will note that that wine opener would crush that bottle of wine if it was used. Well, you might find, as I did, that if you drink a little wine and then look at it again, the perspective problem goes away! Hic!

Challenges

• Card Concept: Fresh new year. My style is Clean and Simple.
  
• CAS Mix Up: Loose watercoloring.
  
• HLS CAS: A/G.
• Just Us Girls: Word Week ~ Beverage.
• Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: S is for Snarky.
  

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Kudos to the Postal Service

While I had a few cards returned unnecessarily and packages that took forever, I just had to share this positive PO experience. Below is a photo of a card I received from my bloggie friend Aileen in Australia:

Notice anything remarkable? There is NO postage stamp! I've been know to send cards off like that a few times myself, but they've always come back to me. Somehow the post office managed to get this beautiful Christmas card to my mailbox in America and that makes me smile!

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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! And thank you for your positive feedback on my last post regarding Verna and sending cards to seniors.

*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!)

Happy Holidays of Peace Love Joy ~ and Magic

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? I don't know about you, but my bottom is fitting more snugly into my chair today! We missed being with family and friends on Thanksgiving as we traditionally do, but we've been strong so far in 2020 and we don't want to falter now ~ especially with promising vaccines on the horizon. I'd rather be temporarily sad than dead forever! 💀

Fortunately, making cards helps me feel less sad and with so many Christmas cards to make, I'm positively giddy!

I saw this post by my friend Lisa Elton and her colorful Christmas trees schparked this design in my head. The tree and house die is CUTplorations Stitched Winter Landscape. The sediment is stamped in CP Black Jack. I thought it still needed a little sumpin sumpin so I masked and blended a ray of yellow shining on the house. A modern day take on the manger, if you will. Hammy winked the trees.

It turned out that the bottom stitched panel was a little wider than the card base. I could have cut another card base, but I thought it might be fun to add a little dementia, so I stuffed a piece of fun foam behind the hill like a padded bra. Here is another photo to better show you the curvation of the hill with the padding:

Challenges

• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas goes.
  
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything goes.
  
• STAMPlorations November CAS: Anything CAS goes.
  
• Watercooler Wednesday: Heidi's all about occasions.
  

Twofer

This OLC was made using a NBUS wreath stamp from Spellbinders. I needed another wreath stamp like a hole in the head, but I love red rubber stamps that have the shading etched in the rubber to make it easy for you to look like an expert no-line watercolorist. The sediment is from Fiskars. 

I used markers and the 'direct-to-stamp' technique which I love and which is so easy with this stamp. Of course, Hammy was ready with his winker. Even with the red and white accenting, the whole card only took 15 minutes to make.

Challenges

• Less Is More: OLC "Festive."
  
• The Card Concept: I used the Clean and Simple style and I was inspired by the greenery and berries.
  
• TIME OUT: "Quick."

Threefer

Today is my friend Susan's 70th birthday and our mutual friend Lolly is acknowledging the happy occasion with a post and a linkup on her blog Stamping With Loll. Here is my card for Susan which I'm linking at Lolly's.

This nearly OLC card is the result of our last Zoom session where we did a technique of applying Versamark to a stamp, then gently pouncing powdered inks directly on the stamp, spritzing it lightly, and then stamping it onto paper. I used the Passionate stamp by Penny Black, Lindsey Magical powders (which leave wonderful glimmer and schparkle), and mixed media paper. 

At first I thought this would be a bit of a muddy mess because I couldn't really be precise with the powder, but I went along. After I stamped the first card panel, I was surprised and delighted to see how successful the technique was! 

As we all chatted away, I continued spritzing and stamping panel after panel, liking the results more and more each time. I ended up getting 14 gorgeous stampings. I finally stopped when the ladies implored me to "let it go!" 😆 Here they are laid out on the Playhouse floor:

I'm sorry you can't see the subtileties that showed up as the vibrancy of the ink faded. I can't wait to try this again with other solid stamps. Thanks again, Lolly, and Happy very-special-milestone Birthday, Susan!

Challenges

• Fun Friday (YNS): Make a card specifically for someone.
  
• Krafty Chicks: All occasions.
  
• Seize the Birthday: Anything birthday goes, with option of sparkle and shine.

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, but keep safe! LITS!*

I am taking a break from posting for December, although I hope to do a bit of visiting, and I plan to post a December NBUS Challenge for you to share your accomplishments. I'm feeling like the Playhouse needs a reorg and I'll try once again to prioritize and tackle NBUS Mountain. It will also serve to simply remind me of what I have in my cupboards and drawers because, you know, forgetfulness is my super power now! I hope you all stay safe and make your holidays happy the best way you can!

*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!)

Inspiration

Hello Stamplings!

Thank you for taking a break from making/signing all those cards to visit me. It's a chance to rest your fingers. You needed to get up anyway to relieve things, stretch your legs, pour a wodka cup of tea.

That's how these cards came about. Hammy and I took a break and then, of course, we saw a coupla challenges that squirreled inspired us! So, in turn, we thought we would inspire you, real quick like.

Onefer

This card is QACAS all the way and the sediment makes it a bit non-traditional for a Christmas card. All you need is a pretty colored card base and die cuts and you're done. The Poinsettia Ribbon die is from Memory Box and the Hello die-cut was a gift from a friend, so I don't know who makes it.

Challenges

• The Flower Challenge: Use a die.
• Freshly Made Sketches.
• Memory Box: Holiday cards.

Twofer

This design was easy, too, just a little more time-consuming with the layers of pp, but it always feels good to use it. The sediment from Technique Tuesday was stamped in red and heat-embossed in clear for some schparkle. A stocking brad was added for punctuation and shazambam, doners!

Challenges

• The Card Concept: Photo Inspiration. I was inspired by the red and white and by the plaid black and white pillows. My style is Clean and Layered.
• Just Us Girls: Anything goes.
• Shopping Our Stash: Happy Holidays.

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Okay, back you go! 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!)

Dabbing With Baby Wipes

Hello Stamplings,

I hope this finds you doing great! Hammy and I are still playing with our friends at the retreat, so needless to say, we're delirious and our fingers and paws are very inky and happy.

Today I have a scheduled post with some cards I made using a baby wipe method. There are many ways to use a baby wipe on your card; they aren't just for cleaning your stamps. If you go to the CAS Mix Up Card Challenge, you will find links for videos on the technique and there are prolly more you can find via the you tube.

Onefer

What happened was, I white heat-embossed my full-size MFT Floral Fantasy Background and proceeded to color it in with my Arteza fine-line colored pens. I wish I had taken a photo of it pre-baby wipe to show you how very vibrant it was. We're talking VIBRANT and for me, it was way too-too, especially with such a busy Zentangle-ish image. 

So for the first time ever, I took a baby wipe and dabbed across the panel and by golly, it worked like magic at removing just enough color to make me love it! You can see where I dabbed away with a lighter hand in certain places to leave the card with some dementia.

I popped the colored panel up on a scalloped (PTI) turkoyce fun foam panel and I used a vellum strip for the sticker sediment so as not to block much of the image.

Challenges

• Card Concept: #115 {Mosiac Madness}
• Seize the Birthday: No toppings.
• Ike's World: Embossing.

Twofers

I used the rest of the dabbed colored image to make two QACAS designs. The sediments are from Simon Says Stamp. I used a PTI impression plate for the kindness card and an embossing folder for the praying for you card. 

Challenges

• CAS Mix Up Card Challenge: Baby Wipe. I used stamping, coloring, heat-embossing, and dry embossing.
• CASology: Color.

Challenges

• CAS(E) This Sketch.
• The Flower Challenge: Embossing (heat or dry). I used both.

~~~

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!)