March 11: D is for Dies/Die Cuts

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? I hope you've had a good week! I'm being distracted by a baby hawk sitting on the fence outside my window. They fascinate me, but so do my little "pet" fence lizards on the garden wall. I hope he just wants to say hello and doesn't need a snack.🫣

But that's not why I called. When I wasn't being squirreled this week, I was happily submerged in dies and die cuts for this week's I.D.E.A.S. schedule. Lots of holidays and holly days called out to me. Here are a couple of the simple designs I made:

Onefer

The Mister is one hunnert percent Irish, divided by two, so we observe St. Patty's Day. I haul out the ol' crock pot to make a delicious corned beef with all the fixins. The crock pot was a wedding gift in 1971 and it still works a charm. (Shoot, I prolly shouldn't have said that.🤞) 

But I digest. I seem to have donated my only shamrock image, so I called a conference with Hammy and Stanley. Between Stanley's British accent and my aaackronyms, it is slow-going, but we are all enjoying the process of getting to know each other. Together we made our own shamrock using a heart die from Cottage Cutz. I free-cut the stem. 

Cool, huh? I used temporary tape to adhere it to the card front as a mask and then blended soft green ink around it. The "happy" is from Memory Box (Happy Script), cut from glittery green paper and the scalloped rectangle frame is from Pink & Main.

Twofer

I have several Easter cards in the works, but (no surprise!) I got squirreled again and made my first 2024 Christmas card instead. I've been wanting to do a hidden word stencil design, so I did. The Joy is from Concord & 9th and the snowfall stencil is from Sarah's Funky Fossil Designs. I did an ombre blending with CP inks. It was easy and fun!

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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! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

*Life is too short!

Challenges:

Shamrock: Cardz 4 Galz (Use some green), and Colorful Options (Celebrating green).
Joy: Stencil Fun (A/G), The Paper Funday (A/G), Christmas Craft Creations (Stencils or embossing folders), Jingle Belles (Holiday cards to die(cut) for).

February 19: E is for Embossing Folders

Hello Stamplings!

I hope this finds you happy as a lark, on a lark, or larking about! Useful word, that! And I hope that some of your larking happened in your craft nest! 

It did in mine. I'm happy to say my I.D.E.A.S. schedule has given me a much-needed shot in the arm! It's early weeks, but so far, so good. This past week I played with embossing folders, some NBUS, some not.

Onefer

This NBUS 3-D embossing folder is a Kath Breen Sizzix folder called, "Linear Leaves." It was a bit cloudy when I took this photo, but I think you can see that I used a coupla glossy leaves from my stash, which were made from a long-ago smooching session. I added a mat and die-cut sediment using some of my stash of fancy-pants glimmer paper. She says, chuffed! 

Then I set it across the room and felt less chuffed as the composition seemed off-balance. I couldn't find a bling I liked, so Hammy suggested the falling leaf. He's a clever lad, but having made the entire card, I was a bit apprehensive about cutting the leaf! Phew! I'm linking to The Paper Players.

Twofer

This NBUS 3-D embossing folder is also Sizzix. It is a Georgie Evans folder called, "Fallen Leaves." I thought it made a lovely background for my "Feather Tree Frame" die from poppystamps. I added a hot foil sediment which was a gift from a friend, with the birthday bit attached on the inside. I'm linking to Simply Clean and Simple.

Threefer

This embossing folder is a Cuttlebug folder called, "Candy Cane Stripe." Before embossing, I covered a panel with a wide rainbow-colored Washi tape that I've had for ages. I laid the tape side-by-side and trimmed the excess, then ran the panel through my Gemini using the e/f. You can just see the seam of the tape at the top and bottom. This is a great way to use up any wide Washi tape. Even regular-width Washi laid diagonally (or any which way) looks great embossed. 

You prolly know what I'm going to say next. I chose the colored flower die-cut ("Bouquet of Thanks" by SSS) and sediment from my stash to complete the card. Then, bless him, Hammy walked across the flowers with freshly painted white toenails and I added the metallic heart in order to join the beautiful gallery over at The Flower Challenge. I'm also linking to Can You Handle the Pressure, which is A/G and has the option of reds or pinks.

Fourfer

I took the Go-Back Machine to make this one, using a Darice e/f. I was inspired by a 2017 post by Pat at Ramblin Stamper. She brayered background ink and then stamped trees directly onto an e/f before running it through her machine. I like to switch things up a bit when I can, so I used a vintage car (from the Tim Holtz "Journey" stamp set) instead of trees. And, yes, the sediment die-cut was from my stash.👍 I'm linking to Christmas Kickstart Challenge and Christmas Craft Creations.

It's not my best work and it still needs a little sumpin-sumpin (maybe a headlight beam?), but I wanted to share anyways, because usually when I try to do something extra with an e/f and ink, it ends up in the round file. This time, for a first try, I was pleased and might even do it again. 

Well, wait now, come to think of it, I did do it again. The second time I stamped a coupla stags on the folder, but somehow I inked them so their bodies were dark on top of the trees, rather than behind the trees.😏 Clearly, I need to do it a few more times to get the hang of which side is up and which side is down. You know, like life.

I.D.E.A.S.

I hope you enjoyed this week's makes! Remember to let me know if you follow along, so I can come visit you and pin your creation to my I.D.E.A.S. Board.

FYI, your creation doesn't have to be posted on a Monday ~ any time during the week is fine ~ and it doesn't have to contain NBUS, snippets, or items from your stash. (But when it does, you feel like you put the capital P on roductive!)

I'll see you next Monday where the assignment is an EzPz "A = Anything Goes!" Always a favorite for card-makers and helpers!🐹

~~~

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! 

*Life is too short!

Mum's the Word!

Hello Stamplings!

Good grief and garbonzos. I had these cards done a week ago, edited the photos, started my draft post, and then totally forgot about it and moved on! I wonder, is there an age limit on this blogging gig? 👵

Oh, well, no matter. Here they are!

I often put an item on my wish list after seeing one of your beautiful cards. Sometimes I follow through and make a purchase, sometimes I don't. Mostly I don't these days, simply because of all the excavation I still need to do on Mt. NBUS.🚧 However, recently my friend Bonnie made a drop-dead gorgeous card using The Ton's Jumbo Spider Mum and I went straight to their website and ordered it immediately. 

I don't know where I was when it was first released, but it was new to me and it wasn't NBUS for long. It's splendid fun to watercolor with Ziggies! I used fall colors for this first outing, but I'm hoping to paint more using all my flowery Ziggie colors. Of course, Hammy loves this set, too, because of all the space that needs winking! This might show the schparkle better if you click to enlarge:

Challenges

• The Flower Challenge: Use a die.
  
• Four Seasons: Fall.
  
• NBUS: Never-before-used schtuff.
  
• Triple B: Fall.
  

Twofer

I'm not sure how this will look on your monitor. Blah or Mwah? As I was looking at my finished fall card, I wondered, "Could a white mum be used on a Christmas card?" Hammy nodded yes. Then I remembered that I have quite a few sheets of ancient ivory cardstock that I've been hoarding. For what? The pearlescent shimmer is beautiful. It's the sort of shine that makes you go "oooh" when it catches the light. 

For this card, I embossed the flower with silver e/p. I found a Christmas sediment that fit in the corner, so I stamped and silver-embossed it on the card panel. This is an uber QACAS design which is a bonus for Christmas makes. I'm sure I'm not alone in having dozens of jars of e/p, most of which I rarely, if ever use, so it will be fun to emboss this mum in all the colors!

You can see the shine better in this closeup:

For some reason this makes me think of a Christmas sugar cookie! 

Challenges

• Christmas Craft Creations: Clean and simple (CAS).
  
• Simply Clean & Simple: CAS ~ optional: stencil.
  
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas: A/G.

Bloglovin'?

Real quick, just curious, can anyone shed light on why Bloglovin' has suddenly reappeared in my inbox? It just disappeared from the interspaces a year ago with no explanation and now it's back. Voododoodo-voododoodo . . .  👻

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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! 

*Life is too short!

Sunflower Season

Hello Stamplings!

Good day or good evening wherever you are! I hope you had/will have a sunny day! If not, I'm bringing the sunshine to you with my card. (Sorry if you are about to turn in and my card keeps you awake!)

Onefer

This sunny sunflower and sweet bees image is NBUS from Whimsy Stamps, called "Sunflower Buggies." I had great fun coloring it with my Ziggies and, of course, Hammy followed behind with his winker. 

It was a head-scratcher trying to figure out how to add a sediment and do something to the sides which were begging for some kind of something. The next time I stamp it, I will stamp it off to the side. I stamped it in the middle because I was planning on stamping two more, one on each side. Then I decided against that idea and after a bit of scratching and cocking my head, the sunny striped Washi Tape saved the day!

Challenges

• Beautiful Blooms: A/G with mood board.
  
• Colorful Options: Yellow and green.
  
• Double D: Sunflowers.
  
• The Flower Challenge: Add spots or stripes.
  
• Let's Craft and Create: A/G + polka dots and/or stripes.
  
• Triple B: Sunflowers (and bees!).

 

  

Twofer

Here are a few more Christmas makes. I used regular embossing folders (not 3D). I know the trick of lightly spritzing the paper on both sides before embossing a 3D e/f, so I thought I would do the same with a regular e/f and I was surprised and pleased with the resulting dementia. The e/fs are from Sizzix and the sediment is from Winnie & Walter.

Challenges

• ABC Christmas: P-Q-R. Mine is Q is for Quick for the white-on-white card on the left.
  
• Christmas Craft Creations: Clean and simple (CAS).
  
• Jingle Belles: Oh Christmas Tree (or pine branches).

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The Mister stopped at the Farmer's Market and brought home fresh peaches and blueberries. He handed them to me with a knowing smile and a question in his eyes. He's irresistible.

Ina Garten's Peach and Blueberry Crisp

It is delicious with vanilla ice cream. 

And it was fun to use "knowing smile" in a sentence.

~~~

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! 

*Life is too short!

Guest Designing With the Snarky Sisters!

Hello Stamplings!

Happy April Fool's Day! This is one of my favorite holidays because I catch The Mister up every single year with some silly lie. 

Sadly, this year my streak is over because yesterday he put his back out really badly. No kidding. Poor guy. I keep telling him a person with a bad back shouldn't put his underpants on by hopping around on one leg at a time. Sooner or later, you know, that foot is going to miss the hole. Pray for me him. Thank you.

My card today is meant to inspire you to play in a very fun challenge in Blogland called Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers! I was fortunate to win recently and I now have the honor of being their Guest Designer! No, it's true. It's not April Foolery. 

The challenge brief is a very timely, "B is for Bunny!" I knew immediately which bunny in my cupboard would be featured!

I laid out my stamps on scratch paper to see whether the drink would fit with the bunny and, goodness, that's a sentence you don't see every day. Even before I had my wodka, I took way too long to figure out whether I should mask the leg of the bunny or the stem of the glass. ❓ Hammy, as always, to the rescue. I'm so lucky he never ages, because my own brain cells are dying off like calculators and checkbooks.

But I digest. On the card front I used a NBUS line stencil from Honey Bee Stamps to lightly blend gray lines. You know that inebriated bunny is going to need something to lean against. A wall "ground," if you will. 

Then I stamped the bunny and then the birthday present martini. Or was it the other way around? Masking is fun. And it gave me a one-layer card, so that's a bonus for mailing!

Then I colored the images, added the appropopo sediment from MFT, and Hammy went to town with his winker. Oh, and then I used a lime green marker and a T-square ruler to add a border around the card front so your eyes don't fall off the edge. That would not be good.

That badge is a hoot and a half! I hope you will check out this fun challenge and play along! Snark is not required (but always appreciated), so no worries if you don't feel like making your bunny snarky ~  all bunny designs are welcome!

Other Challenges

• Retro Rubber: Happy Birthday! My bunny stamp is over 20 years old, one of the first stamps I purchased. It's from an OOB company called Mostly Animals. The martini and sediment are over a year old, also, but I'm not sure how old they are.
  
• Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes option.
  
• SSS Wednesday: Anything Goes.

Twofer

In honor of World One-Layer Card Week (WOLCW), I also have a QACAS OLC Christmas card to share:

April Fool's! It's not really World One-Layer Card Week. (But tomorrow really is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day!) The tree is an old unmarked red rubber stamp that you've seen before. This time I dressed it in silver tinsel and silver ornaments. I added a simple silver sediment and Hammy went to town with his silver schplatter. 

I did a great job making the sky a kind of cloudy milky-way galaxy effect, didn't I? April Fool's! It's a black card and I just forgot to wipe off the excess embossing buddy powder!👵Once again I used a marker to make a faux border, this time in silver. I used to do that trick years ago and I have rediscovered how much it adds to a design, especially a one-layer design.

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Christmas.
  
• Christmas Craft Creations: One-layer card.
  
• Jingle Belles: Tinsel Tree Inspired.

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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!

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