Christmas All The Way

Hello Stamplings!

I'm here. Remember when I used to say the week had whooshed by ~ back when I was younger and posting every day or every other day? I can't believe I ever did that. Now, at this age, whole weekS are whooshing by and I just sit here, stunned.🌀 

Especially this time of year and especially since I'm having a flare up of Arthur Itis in my thumb/wrist. It's hard to make cards and type with only one hand, as many of you know.

But enough about me. How are you doing? I hope you are well and if not, I hope you (and your mojo) feel better soon.

Before Arthur came to roost, I had a bit of fun in the Playhouse!

Onefer

This sweet bunny is NBUS from the "Silent Night" stamp and die set from Honey Bee Stamps. He is stamped in black ink, clear-embossed, and given a silver fur coat with my Ziggies. 

The background is an embossed birch forest using a Darice embossing folder. It was embossed on glossy paper, made light blue with a prayer and CP stone blue ink. Oh, haha, I also used a brayer! I made a snowy hill so Bunny could sit and play with his big feet and tickle his toes while listening to the blue bird sing* Christmas carols.

*In this photo, the bird is singing the seldom-heard "Be Merry" song by the Christmas Minstrels, not to be confused with The New Christy Minstrels. It goes something like this: "Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry, Be Merry," and it's often accompanied by a cocktail with a cherry.

Challenges

• Let's Squash It!: Make a Christmas card.
• Little Red Wagon: Winter.
• The Paper Players: A color challenge.

Twofer

I made several embossed birch trees on glossy white paper, so for once I made a second card right then and there. Go, me! This time I used the Birch Trees die from Cottage Cutz over top of the embossed birch trees. I cut one layer in white gloss and one layer in black for a shadow and glued them together. Because I like b/w and red together and because I had used glossy white paper, I die-cut the sediment in red glossy paper. I used the same red for the outer borders, as well as for the little bird.

Actually, that little red glossy bird is part of another birch tree die I have. (No one needs this many, said no one ever.) This one is from Mama Elephant. I actually die-cut several of them and then spent prolly an hour placing them in different branches, here and there, always in odd numbers, as one does. 

One, three, five, seven? Okay, no more than that, Shirley? In the end, I climbed up out of the rabbit hole I was in and as you see (with invaluable assistance from Hammy), I settled on one solitary bird. We think one is more impactful somehow, because, you know, Art.

Challenges

• Can You Handle the Pressure?: A/G. No twist.
• Christmas Kickstart: Trees, trees, trees.
• Happy Little Stampers: Anything goes with dies.

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

©Rachel Wilhelm

I may not be back for a while, what with my thumb limitations, a long-weekend destination wedding to attend, company coming, Thanksgiving, and a load of Christmas cards yet to make ... ~ 🌀!

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse, being a follower, and leaving me some love! Happy Thanksgiving! I am blessed by ~ and I appreciate ~ the gift of your friendship and support!

Mwah!

*Life is too short!

Elephants to Ants

Hello Stamplings!

How are you on this numerically historic date of 2/22/22? 

My heart goes out to my friends all across the UK and Europe from Storms Dudley and Eunice. I was going to make up a funny story about Dudley and Eunice and that third wheel Franklin, but there's nothing amusing about the damage they have caused. The photos I saw of the waves crashing onshore were incredible and terrifying. I hope you are all safe and power has been restored.

Another week has slipped by, but this week I have been kept busy ... um, I'll get back to you on what has kept me busy when it comes back to me. In the meantime, I did drop everything yesterday to make a coupla cards for upcoming birthdays and challenges.

Onefer

Sorry, not sure why this looks blurry on the monitor. This design is a combination of BUS and NBUS!😂The effalumps are from an ancient set of stamps from WPlus9 called, "Unforgettable." I couldn't believe it when I finished fussy-cutting them and put them away in the stamp set, turned the set over, and there were matching dies that I'd forgotten I had. Slap! Crafting Who Old. It's a thing. We should think up a new aaaaaaackronym! 

The balloons were blended through a SSS stencil using CP inks and I used a NBUS birthday greeting from SSS (112437), cutting one in pink and one in navy to make a shadow. Hammy added scorelines with his new tricycle. I love that he can get three perfect lines with one pass!

Challenges

• Color Hues: Navy and Pink.
  
• Seize the Birthday: Dichromatic.
  
• Snippets Playground: AG using your snippets. I used snippets for my ellies and sediment.
  
• The Paper Players: CAS from Ann: Wild about wildlife.

Twofer

Here are more critters, this time the insect kind using a simple and classic design to make a birthday card for a friend's grandson. The bugs are again ancient, this time from SU, but can you believe the grasshopper was still NBUS?! The ant might be, too, but I'm not sure. The NBUS sediment is from the same set. These are the types of stamps I've held on to, but now I'm trying to use them at least once and then pass them on.

Saying that reminds me of how many times I would inwardly giggle at meetings when the speaker would say, "I'm going to pass out ... these brochures ... ." Sometimes I actually wished a boring speaker would pass out! Another phrase that tickles me is when a TV announcer says, "The victim received multiple injuries, including a wound in the back bedroom." Remind me, where on the body is the back bedroom located?! Sorry, I do have a dark sense of humor at times.😊

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Birthdays.
• Less is More: Birthdays. Happy 11th Birthday and best wishes for more continued success!
  
• Let's Squash It: Grasshopper green and include an insect.

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You haven't had the pleasure of bird talk lately, so here is a back yard update:

This is my view through the Playhouse window. I was pleased to catch so many in the shot. I've seen them literally all around the bowl, but usually they are dispersed by the time I lift my phone to take a photo. (Hmmm, I think I just figured out where my missing time went ... staring out the window!)

And here is the Mister holding up a pane of ice he removed from the bird bath so the birds could get to the unfrozen water beneath. Isn't it cool how it lifted out in one piece?

And we can't leave sweet Nellie out of the gallery ~

She's discovered that she can dog-handle the living room pillows and make herself a perfect perch for the late afternoon sunshine through the window. Let's all say it together: Awwwwwwwwwwww!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and keep safe! 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!)

For YOU, My Monkeys

Hello Stamplings!

To those of you celebrating today, Happy Father's Day! We will be going over to our son's later this afternoon. The twins have jobs for the summer now, but they will end their shifts in time to join us for dinner. I know. I can't believe they are 16 either! I'll try to remember to get a photo.

And speaking of trying to remember, I'm going make an effort to create with my flower images more often. I think I've told you before, I buy a lot of floral stamps, dies, and stencils, and when I pin, bookmark, or file someone's image to CASE later, ninety percent of the time it's a floral card. Yet, slap my biscuit, I rarely reach for flowers when I get an idea for a card; it's usually critters! (Possibly I'm being influenced by a certain hamster?)

So yesterday, I made TWO flower cards! Gome!

Onefer

Not only that, but it's a NBUS set! This sweet set is called Magnolia and it's by Craft Emotions. I'll be using the other beautiful images soon and coloring them in the more traditional pink hues, but it was fun painting this one in blue and yellow. I used my Ziggies and Hammy added just a light touch of winking so the blue and yellow didn't mix to make green. The sediment is from Verve and the frame is Pointed Rectangle Frames by poppystamps.

Challenges

• AAA Birthday: Flowers.
  
• Less is More: Pale blue and yellow.
  
• Perfectly CAS: One corner.
  
• The Flower Challenge: Clean and simple.

Twofer

This was really fun. It is also NBUS, this time by Crafter's Companion for Gemini. The package contains an embossing folder and stencils. You emboss first and then there are two stencils so you can place them over the embossing and color some or all of the dandelions. So there is wonderful texture from the e/f and the stencils make it very easy (although not perfect, lol) to blend color on the puff balls. I used my blending brushes and CP inks.

The sediment is from Tim Holtz's Snarky Small Talk booklet. I don't know how I've missed these, but better late than never. There are dozens of really funny sticker sediments, so prepare yourself for seeing a lot of them since they are right up my sarcastic alley! Especially now that I'm of a certain age where what little filter I used to have is starting to fray away completely. Oh, dear!

Challenges

• Just Us Girls: Color week: orange, poppy red, and hot pink.
  
• Let's Squash It!!: Nature meets watercoloring.
  
• Simon Says Stamp Monday: Beautiful blooms.
  
• Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: T is for texture.

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REMINDER: The June Twofer Card Challenge ends on the 24th, so there is still time to play! The prompt is 🌞SUNSHINE!🌞 so if you're making a sunny summer card, why not make two and join in? I'd love to see you there!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and keep safe! 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!)