The Best of Butterfly Birthdays

I welcome you to Wednesday!

While we're on the subject of Olympic ice dancing, a lot of you have written to inquire whether I am responsible for naming that part of the couple's program referred to as "twizzling." Now why would you ask me that? I always thought the name was already taken to describe the exercise your fingers get when you walk them around the rim of your drinks glass, flirting.

My card today is for three challenges.

Firstly, there is a fun new challenge in Blogland called the Butterfly Challenge. It is owned and operated by a friend of mine, affectionately known by all as Mrs. A. The first challenge is to use piglets and flowers on your card. Wait. What? No, no, that can't be right, not piglets. I was thinking of my friends at Pooh Corner again. It's butterflies, silly, we are to use butterflies and flowers!

Secondly, butterflies are also featured in the current photo inspiration at Fusion, where you can either use the photo or the sketch or fuse them both for your card. My card uses just the photo.

Thirdly, I used two Hero Arts products on my card, so I'm entering the ongoing Hero Arts Birthday Challenge. There are five different categories and from the colors in my card, I think I could enter the rainbow challenge but, to be safe, I'm entering the anything goes challenge.

Remember, just click on the links for the details on rules, sponsors, and prizes and then join in the fun!!

~~~

Here is my card:

Oh, how I love a beautiful patterned paper, like this paper from K & Company. It's so easy to let it be the star of a card, especially when the design is so stunning. I simply added my cut panel to a card base, stamped the sediment from Hero Arts, and finished it off with colored rhinestones, also from Hero Arts. I was going to add a cut butterfly, but then I decided it was gorge just the way it is ~ and easy to mail. 

You can see a little better in this photo just how glittery it is IRL. The patterned paper is already embossed and glim-glammed, but I did add a few more highlights to the flower and butterflies with my Sakura glitter pen because I couldn't help myself.

I will be doing more and more of these patterned paper cards rather than leave my collection languishing in drawers. There's rarely white space because of the pattern so shall I make it a new movement? Will you bring out your patterned papers and let the pattern be the star of your card? In our card-making world already brimming with acronyms (partly my fault) should we call this style QSP for quick, simple, and patterned?  CAP for clean and patterned? Or shall I make this a series? We have QACAS, shall we add QASAP?

Aacck, no more aacckronyms!!

~~~

Update Alert: Thanks to Mrs. A., I have learned that the craftiest hazelnut of them all has already started an entire patterned paper challenge blog!! Yippee! Great minds! Thank you, Hazel! I am entering my card in Hazel's challenge and I hope you will, too! You can find it here: Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge!

~~~


New Friends Corner:

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to two new friends at the Playhouse:

Katie Melhus of Sweet n Spiffy. Katie's blog name fits her perfectly! She has been blogging since 2012 and makes super clean, charming, and CASlicious cards! Katie is a mom who works in a medical laboratory, so scrapbooking and card-making put her in touch with her creative side. In a very big way!

(I'm always impressed by people, such as a lot of you, who can use both sides of their brains. I'm currently working with the remaining two-thirds of one-half of mine.)

Carol of Inky Fingers. Carol has been blogging since 2010 and is a long-time friend here. We both thought she had been a follower for ages, but somehow that step was overlooked, so Carol clicked on the blue button to make it official. Carol has a wonderful eye for design and she is an extremely meticulous and creative card artist! 

Be prepared for a case of dropjaw when you visit these ladies! Welcome, Katie and Carol, and thank you for joining us!!

~~~

When we returned the boys to their parents, DIL Rachel had been clearing out their yard and doing some pruning. She very kindly gave me some cuttings from her beautiful succulents, which I brought home and potted. This morning when I went outside, I found one of them sipping some morning dew. Look closely, there's a little deworb in the very center.

~~~

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 leave a comment and/or 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 the pop-up box opens.
Click Jump to Comment Form; no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!

Clean & Simple Card Making Homework; Hero Arts January Contest

Happy Humpty Dumpty Day!

I made that up because normally it is What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday, but I'm not going on the WOYWW tour today because I'm taking an online class and afters I have funwork assignments to do and this week there are domestic matters like a car tune-up and a washing machine recall repair and crafty matters like orders for Valentine cards, all of which will prevent me from stopping by other WOYWW desks, as I am wanton to do, and if I can't go visiting, then I don't go linking. 

 

But if you came to peek at why I'm not WOYWWing, then hello and thank you for stopping by!  That was really sweet of you, leave a note to let me know you were her and I'll be happy to return the flavor.  Let me know you were her.  Ha Ha, I like that one.

 

~~~

 

I am thoroughly enjoying the online Clean & Simple Card Making 2 series. Yesterday was the second class and I've already gotten so many tips, I can quit my other waitressing job.  The teachers are very generous with their knowledge.  (Thank you, ladies, if you happen to read this!)

 

For my homework last night, I CASEd Julie Ebersole again.  (I just found out from Maile that today is Julie's 50th birthday, so happy birthday young Miss Julie!)  Following Julie's lead, I masked and sponged and masked and glittered and, well, here:

 

You guys, I actually used Distress Ink and didn't leave lines!  First I masked the card and sponged the negative heart die cut and then I masked the heart while inking the "arrow."  It was a maskafest!

 

I put "arrow" in quotes because I don't actually have an arrow stamp of any kind to put through the heart, so out came my Thinking Cap.  Turns out one of the stamps in the Hero Arts Ribbon Borders set made a nice shaft and another from a tiny corner stamp set made a perfect point.  All made even more perfect courtesy of a Stampa-ma-jig.



So next thing I did was lay down a couple of strips of Scor Tape and, seriously for the first time ever, I poured out two solid strips of glitter.  I have several little containers of lovely glitter and have had them for years, but other crafters (Frank Lee) have scared me silly from using the stuff.  Last night I threw glitter to the wind and went for it.  It was pretty darn fun if you ask me.  I was very careful and used a big sheet of paper under the card and then I scooped up the excess like I do with embossing powder and it was all good!  Mwah!

Then again, I haven't gone back out to the Playhouse yet this morning, so ask me later if it's all over everything.  If that's the case, I'll take a picture and post to WOYWW after all!

 

The little heart brad is from Stampin' Up!.  I do have bubble tops, but I couldn't find a paper accent I liked; I searched for way too long before I opted for the brad.

And, finally, it's a one-layer card!  Don't you love it?!  You have to admit that's a lot of dementia for a one-layer card!

~~~

Since I used Hero Arts, I popped over there to see what the current contest is, and squee, it is "Try Something New!"  That Serena Dipity is a hoot.  I'm just getting in under the wire.  My new was Scor Tape and glitter and using two HA stamps that I have never inked!

~~~

 

So that's it.  I'm hoping to get on track with the rest of the class and post my homework card the same day as the lesson, rather than the day after, so I may be back later today with a second post.

 

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy your day. LITS!

Thank you so much for stopping by the Playhouse. Special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment or join as a follower!

Paper:  PTI white
Stamps:  Hero Arts Ribbon Borders
  and separate Corner set; Hugs is
  Hero Arts A1308
Ink:  DI Barn Door; SU! Night of Navy
Die:  Cuttlebug Classic Hearts
Glitter:  Sulyn Xtra Fine; Scor Tape
Corner Chomper

 

Dynamic Duos 20 ~ Color; Clean & Simple 208 ~ Sketch; and Hero Arts ~ Fall Feast

Hi There!

 

I'd like to thank you all for your good wishes and ink wiries about my creaky back.  I'm happy to say that I went all of yesterday without any narcotics!  And, best of all, I woke up this morning able to move with Ease and Grace.  Hallah!!  Today I shall take a teasie so I don't lapse.

 

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had a few little Halloween stamps and for today's card, I pulled them all out for these three fun challenges in no puticular order:

 

Firstly, we have this week's colors at the Dynamic Duos challenge:

 

Lucky Limeade & Basic Black

Optional Halloween Theme

 

Secondly, I'm playing for the secondly time in the Clean & Simple Stamping (No. 208) sketch challenge:

 

 

Thirdly, I'm entering the September contest at Hero Arts which has several options for your playing pleasure:  Fall Feast, A Stamp for All Seasons, or a Color Challenge.  The details are on their blog.  I optioned for Fall Feast.

 

Here is my Halloween All In card:

 

 

I have to say they are really cute images with the exception of that bat what looks like a squirrel what turned into a bat which creeps me out and I wish I had placed him in a less focal locus.  It was a free UM I got with an order and I see why it was free.  Some of you who hate squirrels will think it's an appropriate rendition.  If you want it, just let me know and I will send it to you.

 

~~~

 

I think most of us who share this addiction will continue to make cards and send them by snail mail in spite of this Intertube thing.  We've come to accept the Intertube is not going away and, sadly, people are going to be using it more and more to send their loved ones nontactile cyber greetings. 

 

However, I saw something recently that indicates it is not entirely the fault of the Intertube and some of the blame for the decline in sending tactile cards through the mail rests squarely on the sagging shoulders of parents who have not been properly teaching their children.  In wit, I give you this bit of evidence:

 

Sigh.

 

In my day, when stamps were three pennies apiece, children were chored with the work of applying stamps to envelopes.  At Christmas time some mothers, who had particularly noisy children, were known to send cards to every name in the town telephone book because they knew the kids wouldn't be able to speak for days afterwards due to the thick residue of glue on their tongues.

 

And we kids considered it to be a grown-up Big Girl or Big Boy Moment when we were able to stand on our tippy toes and push those three pennies across the wide post office counter towards Mrs. Halenbendger, who would ceremoniously hand us a stamp with an amazing miniature picture on it.

 

Source

 

Another day, class, Granny will explain what "telephone books" were. 

 

~~~

 

I haven't had the gleeful glee of welcoming new friends to the Playhouse for a while now and so it gave me a bit of a whiplash this morning to glance over and see one!  Please help me give a warm welcome to Kathy K of Purple Princess Diaries.  I love that banner name!  When you actually look at Kathy's URL, it says "Purplicious ...  !"  (I think I found another sister!)  Thank you, Kathy. 

 

Enjoy your Twos Day everyone ~ I hope you have two times the fun!  As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!

 

 

Paper:  SU! black and lucky limeade;

  Stampland glossy

Stamps:  Hero Arts; Good Stamps;

  SU!; Art Impressions; Hooks, Lines,

  and Inkers

Ink:  Memento tuxedo black

SU! and Corner Chomper punches

Retrosketches #19; Play Date Cafe Nudie Metal

Magnivescent Monday Hello!

Well, I prayed for relief for the people in the central and eastern parts of the U.S. from this terrible heat wave and my prayers were answered.  I saw on the weather map this morning that the whole ball of heat is shifting to the west.  That would be where I am.  They're calling for 105 on Thursday.  I'm truly going to be okay with it because we have no humidity, so it won't be nearly as devastating as it was for so many poor folks to the east.  I'm happy to have the hot mess here for a while.

I also want to take a minute for some long overdue thanksgiving.  I had a lovely comment yesterday from "Lu C" (love that!), who has become a subscriber.  I'm still learning on the Blog Front, but I believe that you can be a subscriber and not a follower, or vice versa, and even both if you want.  I have received some beautiful emails from subscribers and I write back my thanks when that happens.  However, there are many of you I don't know, supporting me behind the scenes.  This message is for all of you.  Thank you very much!!

While I had my heat gun out yesterday for the gold card I made for LIM, I went ahead and made a card for the The Play Date Cafe challenge:

Gold ~ Nude ~ Silver

The awesome sponsor for this challenge is:

And I used a sketch from the very fun sketchers at retrosketches which is:

I think I will always chuckle at their drawings, no matter how many times I enter.  So clever.  I hope you will get a chance to play or click over to both sites and be inspired!

So as I was saying, I had my heat gun and Versamark and gold embossing powder out, so I put away my gold powder and took out my silver powder.  Then I took all my clothes off.  I'm not sure what kind of play dates these girls are used to, but crafting in the nude is new to me!  Talk about thinking outside the comfort zone!  At least I was safely tucked in my Playhouse where I can't hear the doorbell ring.  Did you guys read Zelgia's post about the UPS driver arriving before she finished her card?  I tried to reassure her that he's seen it all.

I think the card came together nicely and I only had that one slight burn on my niplet:

BTW, I had other firsts making this card.  I had never used my PTI linen impression plate, or my SU lattice impression plate.  I don't know how they impress on regular cardstock, but I can tell you that they impress like nobody's business on the softer metallic paper.  This card is really shiny and impressive IRL.  Ha Ha, get it, impressive?!  Also, the wheat grass is embossed in silver; the photo of it is not impressive.  But, however, this paragraph is impressive.  Are you impressed?

Luckily for her, my latest follower arrived after I had gotten dressed ~ that would have been too much of a shock for her!  Please help me welcome the talented and very funny Marie of the Bailey Rosy show!

I'm off to the first of this week's lunches in the ongoing month-long birthday celebration.  Mister sasses, "When does it end?"  Well, that depends, does he mean literally or Dr. Phil Osophically?   

Enjoy!   As always, thank you for stopping by to visit.  Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave a comment!
 

 

Paper:  Gold and silver cardstock,

  unknown; Bazzill textured nude

Stamp:  Hero Arts Tall Wheat K5517

Ink:  Stampa Rosa detail silver

  gold embossing powder

Impression Plates:  SU lattice;

  PTI linen

Accessories:  pop dots; gold frame

  brads; gold cord, SU notebook punch

 

Make It Monday #60 and Hero Arts April "Sunshine & Showers" Contest

Happy Thursday!

I thought the Hero Arts April contest said "Sunshine & Flowers."  I think my pea brain is used to those two words together.  If I'd paid attention, I'd have made a rainbow card 'cause that's what happens when you stir sunshine with showers!  My card contains sunshine, so I'm still going to link it. 

I'm also going to link it with Nichole Heady's PTI Capture The Moment Make It Monday #60, which theme is "Generational Stamping."  I learned that technique at a Stampin' Up! workshop, only they called it "stamping off."  When I saw the headline "generational stamping," I wondered if I had a stamp that depicted a baby, a mommy, a gramma, and a great-granny.  Then I saw the video and I was relieved about that.  Actually "stamping off" is a little bit confusing, too.  I thought that was something you did when you didn't get your own way.  (BTW, I can't think of a better name than either one of those two, so I'm not criticizing, just conversing.)

Here is the banner for the April Hero Arts contest:

This month you have so many options there is no excuse not to enter the contest!  You must use one Hero Arts product.  I won't repeat all the other information as it's quite lengthy and I have to save room to ramble.  Click on the link above for all the details.

The Make It Monday challenge blog contains a video explaining the technique to be used, so click the link to check it out.  You must use one PTI product. 

After all that ado, here's my card:

I have another first in my yard this spring, which was my personal inspiration photo for my card:

Mother Nature may be producing odd-ball weather everywhere this year, but she sure is producing beautiful flowers as well!

And I also noticed bees around the Meyer Lemon tree I showed you a few days ago.  What a relief!  All the beautiful blossoms need the bees and it's so great to see them buzzing around the blooms! 

Finally, since he will be going back home in a few days, I couldn't resist one more picture of the grand-Duke.  He came and laid down practically on top of me while I was trying to photograph my card. 

I came in to post, but he stayed outside in the sunshine on the deck doing his award-winning interpretation of a dead dog.

It is my great pleasure to welcome two new followers!  Say hello to Kim and Karen, both of whom have wonderful blogs for your inspiration!

Please enjoy ~ and, as always, thank you for stopping by!   Special thanks to you if you take the time to join as a follower or leave me a comment!

Paper:  PTI white; SU Daffadil Delight; Bazzill

Stamps:  Hero Arts "Long Irises" (F682);

  Papertrey Ink "Birthday Bash Sentiments"

Ink:  Marvy pad and markers
Cuttlebug and Nesties circles

Pop-Dots

CR84FN50 Pink, Orange, Yellow or "POY"

It's a cloudy, gloomy day here today.  The kind of day where it threatens rain, but it never does.  Mother Nature at her teasing finest.  In spite of that, and having a code in my node, I decided to participate in the CR84FN challenge and make a card using these bright and cheerful colors:

I'm pretty sure this is my first time participating in a CR84FN challenge, which is exciting!  And it's Oh, Boy, POY!  It's like POW in the cartoons, only more ladylike.  I have made more cards using pink and orange in the last two days than I have in the last ten years!  Here's what I did this time:

Because of the daffodil, I had planned to make this a Happy Easter card, but then I spied the "live with zest" stamp and decided that seemed so perfect for this "citrus-y" card.  It does make your mouth water for a big, juicy, zesty orange, doesn't it?

Please enjoy ~ and thank you for stopping by! Special thanks to you if you took the time to leave me a comment or join!

Paper:  PTI white; DCVW yellow DSP;

  SU yellow and melon mambo

Stamps:  Michael's WS-044 Daffodil; stem by

  Stamps by Judith I-143; Hero Arts sentiment

Ink:  Marvy orange; Prismacolor pencils

Accessories:  SU ribbon: melon mambo and

  crushed curry; brads; pop dots; glitter glue

Cure for the Winter Blues Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood here, but I took a fancy today to Paper Craft's Moxie Fab World challenge, "Cure for the Winter Blues."  There were several images given to stir your creative juices, for example:

Because they are already sprotting their leaves and little tiny buds, I went with one of my all-time-favorite-classic images: the Hero Arts Hydrangea:

Isn't this stamp a truly "happy, happy" image that never grows old?  I did the darker shading with a Marvy navy blue marker but on the glossy paper it looks so much lighter in the picture.

P.S.  I feel the urge to also insert here a card I made a few days ago, which totally aligns with this image:

in the cream and navy blue:

I was a little ahead of my time.  It won't "count" for this challenge, of course, because it was posted here two weeks ago, but it bears pasting here today for inspirational purposes because the colors are so spot on.

Happy rest of the day to everyone!  I'm off with a friend to see a matinee of The Iron Lady.  We were so bummed that we missed it when it was first in town, but hooray, it has come back!  Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy!

Paper:  SU Night of Navy, Stampland glossy
Stamps:  Hero Arts H2121 Hydrangea, and
  Papertrey Ink Birthday Bash Sentiments
Ink:  SU Night of Navy, Marvy markers
Bling: I think I will add some bling to the centers
  of the flower clusters when I get back home

On a Breeze

The idea for this card came from Shari Carroll created for Hero Arts. I can't find it on either Shari's website or Hero Art's website to give you a link. Shari called the grass stamp "Silhouette Grass," but the one I found at Michael's (just like it) is called "Tall Wheat."  I clear-embossed the stamped image, sponged on distress inks, and then overstamped with en Francois SU stamp.  There are many beautiful card images on Hero Arts and in other galleries on the web using this grass stamp, but you may need to search under both stamp names.

 

Enjoy!