Shaker Butterfly and Surfing Granny (Not Me!)

Hi there, my friends!

Our town was jam-packed with graduation parties over the weekend as both high schools released their Seniors out into the big bold world. I wish them all the best as they embark on the rest of their lives, lives which will be filled with peaks and valleys. The important thing to remember is that valleys are always followed by peaks ~ even though sometimes it's a long hard climb back to the next peak!

Wouldn't that be a good marketing approach for a hiking shoe company?!

I want to share a card I made yesterday to join in the celebration for my friend Ardyth who recently celebrated her milestone 50th birthday! The link will take you to Ardyth's personal blog "Maskerade," but the celebration is being held over at her Muse challenge. 

I used Die-Namics wonky dies and Memory Box butterfly dies. The sediment is NBUS from Rubber Dance Stamp.

Normally the brief at Muse is to CASE (copy and share everything) a specific series of designers, but this week we are to CASE any of Ardyth's own cards. Ardyth and I have known each other since we both started blogging over five years ago, so I have lots and lots of her cards in my to-CASE folder. It was fun searching through the years and in the end, I chose this card which she posted August 4, 2016:

Ardyth usually makes square cards, but I was lazy and made my card an A2 size, so I wouldn't have to make a square envelope. (Obviously, Hammy and I need to have a talk about getting an Old World monkey with opposable thumbs to help us out.)

Happy Birthday, Ardyth! I wish you many, many more!!

Challenges

• AAA Cards: The 3rd Big Birthday Bash! Congratulations, AAA!
• Butterfly Challenge: L is for Layers and/or the colour cream.
• Memory Box: Celebrating Birthdays.
• Muse Card Club: Celebrating Arydth's birthday.

 

~~~

For my Twofer today, I had fun making this:

I used a single NBUS Die-Namics stitched rounded die to cut three appetures this way and that way and then I used the negative openings as a stencil and the positive cuts as a mask to blend the top and bottom rounded rectangles using Distress and Oxide inks. Come again? I mean, I don't know how else to describe it, but it sounds more complicated than it was. 

I used the round blending tool to make my sun by simply inking and pressing the tool into the paper.

Then for the center rectangle, I again used the negative opening as a stencil and I stamped a NBUS Inkadinkado stamp that I received as a gift from my dear friend Brenda quite a long time ago. A very long time ago. Cough. Using inks and my aqua brush I painted the stamp image and the background. After wards, I ran the one-layer panel through the BS using a waves e/f and attached it to a card base.

The sediment is from the Die-Namics "label tape" set of dies and stamps. The inside says, "a Happy Birthday!"

Gotta love a surfin' granny! I noticed that this granny's many curves have turned into just the one circular curve just like mine has done!

Challenges

• CAS(E) This Sketch!
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes.
• Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers: B is for Beach.
• Watercooler Wednesday: Anything goes.

~~~

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 to return the flavor!

*Life is too short!

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Mwah!

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Frogs and Hydrangeas

Hi there!

Thank you for whooshing through your week to get here today ~ the very last day of March already!

I'm popping in to remind you that the Tag You're It challenge is still going on! I'm honored to be the Guest Designer for this challenge and this is my second inspiration tag for you:

I cut my tag from PTI's colorful sequin DSP using an MFT Die-namics stitched tag. The adorable fat-headed frog is from Purple Onion. The lily pad is from SU and the "ribbet" is from Inky Antics. The NBUS Happy Birthday stamp and die is from the Concord & 9th set, "Eat Cake and Celebrate." I added a few sequins and colored hearts. The ribbon is from PTI.

Those googly eyes are such fun to add and you never know until you download your photos what kind of personality the plastic eyeballs have given your critter. Seeing my frog on the big screen, I think he looks like he might have just put a jelly bean up his nose. I mean, if he had a nose. Now that you mention he doesn't, then I'm guessing he did potty somewhere he shouldn't have.

The featured artist for this TYI challenge is the talented Gayatri Murali and here is her tag for you to CASE:

Gayatri's tag is so darn cute and there are so many ways you can interpret it. Plus, don't forget cards are welcome at Tag You're It!! Here are the rules of the challenge:

If you LOVE creating Clean and Simple TAGS or CARDS, this challenge is for YOU! Every two weeks we'll feature a designer's project for inspiration. You'll link up your creation, then come back to see if IT was TAGGED as the winner! Our focus will be tags but a card, scrapbook layout and journaling card with a tag, even if it's teeny tiny, is acceptable. Even bookmarks and scraplings can take the form of a tag. Just have fun and be creative with TAGS!

Hop over to Tag You're It to get more DT inspiration and join in the fun with your take on Gayatri's card! You have until next Wednesday, April 5, at 9:00 AM EST to play along.

Other Challenges

• Moving Along With The Times: Into the woods.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes.

Twofer

I also have a card to share today. I made this for the current Muse Challenge:

I don't often find my timestars lining up so I can play in this challenge, but I MADE time for this one because I adore hydrangeas. It's very hard for me to walk by a hydrangea challenge without going inside!

I used an embossed panel from a Recollections pad to cut my stitched MFT oval and attached that to a splattered card base. I die cut the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Hydrangea and stamped the companion image on a scrap of Brusho panel I made last summer. The sediment from Hero Arts is heat-embossed in platinum on vellum.

And here is the beautiful inspiration MUSE card made by Sonja K: 

You can see that I CASEd Sonja's card layout with my kraft-colored stitched-oval panel, hydrangea die and stamp, and embossed vellum sediment.

I used to have blue hydrangeas like that in the yard but they couldn't take the summer heat here, so this year I am trying out a hydrangea in a large pot that I can move into the deep shade if need be. It came in this happy neon fuchsia color!

Other Challenges

• City Crafter: In bloom.
• Simon Says Stamp National Crafting Month.
• Watercooler Wednesday: Anything goes. (A new-to-me challenge!)

~~~

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

I'll see you tomorrow! 

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 to 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:
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Good Intentions (Hiccup!)

Hello, my stampling dumplings!

I feel like there is a bit of a hush around. Have you noticed?

It's the quiet of waiting for the season to change its outfit, depending on where in the world you live.

It's the quiet between the loud happy screams of summer and the somber soberness of school starting and homework.

It's the hush of expectancy in Blogland as new companies pop up, challenges restart, and transitions happen within design teams.

It's the holding our breaths while squinting at the calendar, unready to accept that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are very nearly rear-ending us.

Such deep thoughts and the hush of everyone sleeping has left me thus:

Yup, bubbles and booze, baby. Throw in a crown and a magic wand and what more does a girl need? If that were me lounging in a martini glass, however, my heels would have been kicked off. But hey, good for her for keeping her's on!

The swirlie-girlie is "Stella With an Olive on Top" from Stamping Bella and the NBUS sediment is "Meant to Behave" from Impression Obsession. I colored with my Ziggies, embossed with my Cuttlebug bubble e/f, and backed the whole thing up with a piece of peacock-colored PP.

Challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Photo Inspiration.
• Cuttlebug Mania: Anything Goes.
• Less Is More: Colour Challenge: Peacock feather colours.
• Muse Challenge: Anita B. of Neet & Crafty. I was inspired by Anita's colors, the balloons which I imitated in bubbles, and the festive nature of her card! 
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: STAMPtember it.

~~~

See No Evil ...

I have to share this incredible photo:

When the kids were picking up new puppy Jack, our son Dan walked around the place giving some love to the other puppies and taking photos. He happened to grab this shot (that's his hand in the foreground) which has not been photo-shopped in any way. I mean, what are the chances that these puppies would get themselves configured in such a way that the puppies on each side had a paw over the eyes of the middle puppy, just as Dan snapped the photo?! Amazing and soooo funny!

~~~

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!

Those are leaf shadows, not puppy chews.

*Life is too short!

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IT'S HERE! NBUS CHALLENGE #7

Welcome to NBUS (Never-Before-Used-Schtuff) Challenge #7!!

Let's get right to it! 

Anything Goes With NBUS!

August 27, 2016 through September 5, 2016

• You must use a NBUS item on your creation and share with us what it is. It doesn't matter if it is old or new ~ although that old virginal schtuff would really like some attention!
• You must be a follower via the blue "Join This Site" button on my side bar to your right where all the happy little faces are!
• Link your post back to here and cut and paste the NBUS badge into your post or on your side bar.
• You may enter a total of three times. New work only please.
• Link up your creation using the Inlinkz button at the bottom of this challenge in the usual way.
• Please enter only four other challenges in addition to this one, for a total of five.
• HAVE FUN!!

For how you enter if you don't have a blog, please click HERE. For the history of NBUS and to see prior challenges, please see the tab above or click HERE.

~~~

 

I can't wait to see the amazing creations you make using your Never-Before-Used-Schtuff!! Thank you very much for participating and for being incredible friends and followers and supporters! Your friendship and your encouraging comments keep me going! MWAH! 

Don't forget to leave encouraging comments on each other's creations, as well!

If you have any questions, please email darnell dot knauss at gmail dot com.

~~~

I'll leave you with this EZPZ QACAS card:

I did a bit of blending with Distress Inks for the background. The NBUS sediment is from Technique Tuesday's "Happyville Sunshine" set. I'm not only trying to use my NBUS, I'm trying to fit a little exercise in my daily routine, so I upcycled that sensational tree diecut from a store-bought card I received a few years ago. 

This card fits the current AAA Cards Challenge where the brief is "blending" and the Muse Challenge where Marilyn is the talented card artist to be CASEd. I was inspired by her warm sunset colors and how the white focus just popped off those colors. Here is her beautiful card:

~~~

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

*Life is too short!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Sailboats and Snowflakes!

Hello, my friends.

This blog is meant to be a place of escape where you will find imagination, inspiration, and joy. But before we can be playful today, I must once again take a moment to say my thoughts and prayers go out to all the hundreds of families whose lives have been irreparably damaged by the latest insane terrorist attack.

I don't know about you, but I certainly have a small minority of friends and family who think making cards, and especially blogging, are inane hobbies. But I would argue that with a world turning progressively more angry and inhumane, any measure of kindness and light we can shine towards each other helps to balance the scales in a positive way.

~~~

Hammy and I are here for our weekly paper crafting show brought to you as always by the Mojo Manufacturing LLC located in a backyard shed near the western coast of North America. Whether you enjoy experiencing your Mojo with an instant kick of satisfaction in the form of Mojo Juice or more slowly ingested as Mojo Jelly, we guarantee you will become a repeat customer. Please see our ad in your local independent newspaper.

What's a newspaper?, I hear some of you ask. I don't have time to teach you today, grasshopper, so you'll have to go ask your Uncle Google.

But I do have time to show you a coupla QACAS cards I made:

The dies used are "Lighthouse" by Memory Box created for Frantic Stamper and the NBUS sailboat and wave are from "Marina Sailboats" by Poppystamps. (The waves are made from snippets of pp.) The sediment is from PTI's "Birthday Bash Sentiments" set stamped in, what else, SU Sahara sand. 

My card is a DJKASE of a MUSE. (Wait. Please don't spell Muse with all capital letters because confused readers will think it's another aackronym meaning, say, Masking Using Styrofoam Erasers or some such.)

The lovely designer who sparked my creativity is this week's Muse Card Club Designer, Jenni Murray of Jenni Jems and this is Jenni's fabulous card:

Jenni's card

Isn't that a wonderful go-to design for you to put in your go-to folder for when you need a CAS design to go to the outgoing mailbox? I followed Jenni's design elements and her coloring and I used a simple sediment under the images. I hope you can join in the Muse Challenge. Or in these challenges:

Other Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: 200th Challenge and Fourth Birthday celebration!! Congratulations!!
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use those snippets!

~~~

I loved Jenni's CAS composition so much I made a Christmas card, too!

The snowflakes are from Simon Says Stamp's "Let It Snowflake" die set. The sediment is NBUS from Penny Black's "Yuletide Greetings." All the sponging on today's cards was brought to you by my digit daubers and SU's Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery.

Challenges

• CASology: Cue card: ROW.
• Muse Card Club: See above.
• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes.

~~~

The Mister thanks you all for your get well wishes. His finger is recovering nicely. And, yes, he did ask the ER doctor if he would be able to play the piano after his finger healed. The doctor, even though he was just a whippersnapper, didn't fall for that old chestnut. 

Some of you are too young to know the word whippersnapper, aren't you? Rather than give you more homework, I will take a second to define that one for you. Think of it in its compound two parts: whippers and napper. Napper is self-exploratory, but "whippers" is an outdated word for the grain end of a wheat shaft. In the 1600s wheat was harvested and divided into the grain ends (whippers) and the shaft ends. It was grueling work and invariably the harvest patrol on horseback would find the youngest workers trying to sneak naps on the whippers pile.^^

~~~

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy! And be safe out there. 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 walla, no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!
If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me
your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

^^A total lie.