Cheers! Joy!

Hello Stamplings!

Quick! Come in! Welcome inside from the triple digit temps we are having for a week! I'm not complaining because I know many of my European and American friends suffered with extreme heat for a lot longer this past summer.🫠And we are blessed to have air conditioning.

And, hey, it's October! We've made our way through ten cars on this twelve-car train called 2026! As it's the first Monday of this month's journey, the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar is I=Ink, so I revisited a couple of my favorite inky techniques.

Onefer

The leafy panel was made by smooching a NBUS Watercolor Resist Paper from Spellbinders into a pool of fall colored Lindy Magicals watercolor powders. Hammy and Stanley took turns manning (?) the spritzer pump to create just the right pool consistency for smooching the leafy resist paper. 

Then the fun continued when they donned their fluffy slippers and polished the panel after it was dry, which made the glossy leaves shine. You can see in the upper portion where it looks like the ink didn't cover well, but that's actually the schparkle magic that happens when you use Lindy's Magicals! 

I added die-cut leaves from SSS ("Lush Leaves") cut from glossy paper to keep the shine going and the die-cut sediment is from The Ton ("Easy Expressions Birthday").

Playing in: Color Hues (Amber and Burnt Red [two Clairol colors I tried out back in the '70s!👱🦰]); AAA Birthday (Big and Bold); and Little Red Wagon (Autumn Colors).

Twofer

I'm panicking a bit realizing that I have to mail my overseas Christmas cards in November and this train isn't stopping because I'm way behind. Gulp. But you do what you can and everyone is in the same boat. Erm, train. (I can't keep up with my own Ana Logies.)

The pretty pine cone image is from a NBUS red rubber stamp from Prickly Pear ("Pinecone ATC"). I colored it direct-to-stamp with markers, spritzed, and then stamped it on watercolor paper. There is a lined rectangle frame that's part of the image, but it didn't ink well. Then I biffed it further when I tried to draw it with my ruler and a marker, so I covered all that mess with a dark green pierced frame from Papertrey Ink. Then I added a mat of corduroy dusty coral paper to add even more dementia and interest. After flipping a carrot, Stanley had the pleasure of adding the heart punctuation.

Playing in: Addicted to Stamps and More (Christmas); and Snippets Playground (all snippets were used for the image, frame, and mat).

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

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse! 

I'm sorry I haven't been around to visit and comment very often. I've been dealing with pain down my left leg since March. First, we checked the hip, next we checked the knee, and next I also developed something unpleasant called 'drop foot' on my right side. (At least now I list to both sides evenly, lol!) It turns out to be a compressed nerve in my back and I'm waiting for a date to start physical therapy, so hopefully things can decompress soon. 

I'm thankful I can still manage to make a couple of cards and a post once a week and I'm thankful for your kind visits to me even when I don't reciprocate as often as I'd like.❤️

Mwah!

*Life is too short!

CAS Mix Up Challenge Guest Designer!

Hello Stamplings!

It was an honor for me to win the August CAS Mix Up Challenge and, as a result, I am thrilled to be posting today as the Guest Designer for the October CAS Mix Up Challenge.

Blackout Embossing!😶

As it happens, any time I get ink anywhere near an embossing folder, it turns into the dog's dinner. (An expression I've never understood because my dog's dinners are pretty good!)

But I'm not one to back down from a challenge and I'm so glad I didn't! I had fun with this technique and I'm so tickled it worked for me!

The 3D embossing folder I used is from Simon Says Stamp called, "Feathery Fronds." It's unusual as an autumn foliage choice, but I like unusual choices and the folder has deep indentations, which is what you want. The NBUS sediment is from "Autumn Bounty" by Altenew. The banner is from MFT. (Don't forget to add stamping to your design!)

Before embossing I blended CP fall colors all over a panel of Strathmore Mixed Media paper. I lightly misted the panel and then ran it through my Gemini. For the blackout-ing, I used my brayer, running in both vertically and horizontally. My hands and arms sometimes get to dipping and swaying, even without wodka, so asking them to carefully swipe an ink pad back and forth over paper is like asking me to land an airplane. 

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I have to tell you, this was one of those magic moments that happen with crafting! It is really cool to see the result in person. Not only did the brayer give me needed control, it allowed me to smoothly add more ink to places that needed it for a really polished finish.

There are several excellent videos posted on the CAS Mix Up Challenge blog. I found them very helpful. In fact, I got so into it, I ended up making three different designs. The other two are full-panel designs, however, so I will save them for another post. 

Which reminds me to remind you not to forget the "CAS" part of the CAS Mix Up Challenge. The easiest way to accomplish this is to cut down your mixed media artwork as I have done with my card. 

To the left is the definition and there are also amazing DT designs on the main blog as examples of how to use the blackout embossing technique to make beautiful CAS designs!

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Thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse! And thank you to Lolly and the Design Team at CAS Mix Up Challenge for their hard work each month and for always expanding my creativity! I look forward to seeing what you create this month using this fun technique!

*Life is too short!

CASlicious Seasons

Hello Stamplings!

Thank you for stopping by today! Last week went by very slowly, which is something you rarely hear me say. I think it is the changing of the seasons that does me in. I'm an early riser and I have a hard time getting up when it's dark outside. 

While I adjust, I'm thankful I can use this wonderful hobby to combat the darkness by making light and bright cards to lift my spirits. This is A = Anything Goes week on the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar and I went uber CAS = clean and super.🤭Ha, that was a slip of the ginfers, but I might be onto something. Very few cards we make are really simple, are they? Even if they don't have a lot of elements, they can take time or be difficult. So how about CAS = Clean and Super?!

Onefer

For my Onefer, I used Donna's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and brought out one of my favorite fall stamp sets. This rake and the autumn sediment are from the "Fall" set (2012) by Technique Tuesday. I stamped the autumn using a Kaleidoscope ink pad. The rake was stamped, clear heat-embossed, painted, and fussy cut. Oh, and, of course, winked by Hammy and Stanley! I add some rusticity by lightly inking the border. The circle sediment is from Memory Box.

Playing in: Allsorts (Anything Autumn); CAS on Friday (Autumn/Fall); Freshly Made Sketches; and Seize the Birthday (Use Fall Colors).

Twofer

For my Twofer, I was inspired by the September challenge at Pinkfresh Studio. Both the beautiful wreath and the gold-embossed sediment are from my NBUS Pinkfresh Studio set called, "Seasonal Sprigs." I painted the wreath using my Ziggies and, as with my Onefer, the lads were delighted to have lots of tiny areas to wink!

The Pinkfresh Monthly Challenge also has a theme and you are welcome to link your design using just the theme, or just the colors, or either/neither. They just want to see you have fun and link your new creations using their products. I used just the colors and I loved painting these hues on a Christmas wreath where you might not expect to see them!

Playing in Addicted to CAS (Circles); Pinkfresh Studio; Rudolph Days; and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Christmas in September).

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

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse!

*Life is too short!

Sunshine and Snowtime

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you've had a wonderful two weeks! It's been busy here, but a very productive and fun kind of busy.

I missed die cut week on the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar, so today is all about E = Embossing. But, of course, die cuts and ink like to be included whenever possible.

Onefer

I went with another sunflower this week. I have several of them, but this one is NBUS from Scrapbook.com called, "Sunflowers."  I'm actually using it pretty quickly after buying it on sale. (I'm afraid if I turn around, I'll see all the old virginal items on Mt. NBUS glaring at me!)

The background embossed flowers aren't sunflowers. I could tell because Altenew put "Daisy Bed" on the 3D folder. But what the heck, I think they do a fairly good job of impersonating sunflowers. A simple sediment, a black frame, and, of course, lots of winking by the lads finished it off. 

Playing in Krafty Chicks (CAS); Seize the Birthday (Add a Sediment Strip); and The Card Concept (Sunflower Delight; I was inspired by the sunflowers for my CAS design style.).

Twofer

This delightfully sketchy Christmas tree is NBUS from the Tim Holtz's set, "Season of Magic," in collab with Simon Says STAMPtember. Something about the set really grabbed me and I starting using it right away. It's versatile and so far I've made some cards in simple black and white, some gold heat-embossed, and some watercolored with the Distress Stains. 

Tim is having a video demo on Saturday, which I can certainly use, but I couldn't wait to have a play.

For the tree background panel, I used a snowy e/f and then backed that with a v.o. piece of bumpy green paper I found. To make the texture even bumpier, I embossed it with a pebbly Sizzix 3D e/f (662825). That was a bit much for the thin pp, so some of the bumps popped, showing the white core. That was a happy accident because now it looks like colored bubble wrap. 

I think you can just make out that Hammy and Stanley sprinkled the tree with some snowflakes that came with the kit. This was their first time flaking together, so it was a bit of a blizzard. You don't know until you try and now they will be finding snowflakes in their cornflakes for months to come!

I'm delivering my card to the Snippets Playground, along with a thermos of hot toddies and a blankie now that the evenings are drawing in and getting cooler. I used snippets for all three layers. (Not the sediment, which is premade from Memory Box.)

Getaway

It was perfect! And that handsome man you see is celebrating his 77th birthday today by heading off on a motorcycle tour in Europe, one year since his bad accident. I'm so proud of him for all his hard work to make it happen and I thank you for all your prayers this past year. (We would appreciate a few more to keep him safe until he is home again.❤️)

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Enjoy your week! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!* As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse! Mwah!

*Life is too short

So long, August!

Hello Stamplings!

Well, that's summer. I hope you closed the door behind you because a lot of folks don't want to see any more of 2026 summer! I know it's not official for another few weeks, but I am hoping Lady September puts on her fall hat right from the first!

When I think of fall I think of leaves, and since it is a rare 5th Monday of the month, that means this is S = Stencils on the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar. After that opening, I know you were expecting a card done in fall colors, but, no, I copied the example on the leafy stencil packaging because I love these spring and summer colors. I'm just trying to keep your brains confused. I don't want to be the only one confused around here!

Onefer

I actually have two Onefers. The NBUS stencil I used is "Leafy Background" from Pinkfresh Studio, designed by Inna Moreva. The sediment is NBUS from Gina K. 

Then I saw the AAA Colourful challenge which had similar colors, but with the addition of blues, so I had another play:

The die-cut sediment is from Simon Says Stamp, attached to a panel to which I stenciled random leaves and added score lines and pop bling that was popular a few years back. Hammy has gotten quite adept as picking colors to match the cards. My collection of dots are so old, the gluey backing is failing, so I remove it and glue them on, rather than have them fall off during mailing. 

I tried the Nuvo drops and still have (cough) little bottles of them, mostly brand new because I could never get them to perform for me. Not even Hammy could make them work. I suppose it's like making pancakes ~ you'd think, in time, you'd get good at forming them, but not us. Does anyone want several bottles of Nuvo drops?

But I digest. I have a feeling I will be using this pretty stencil a lot, next in fall colors, and perhaps even for Christmas cards?!

Playing in AAA Colourful (Colourboard #31); Just Us Girls (Stencil Week); and Seize the Birthday (A/G).

Twofer

For this week's Christmas card, I started with the sketch from the talented Michele F. for Freshly Made Sketches. Some of you might recognize the background striped paper as being from PTI back in the last century. I love the linen look and feel and how the bright colors make me happy. 

I used a rounded corner stitched die from MFT as the angled element of the sketch and for the middle focus pocus I used a peppermint candy stencil from SSS. After masking and blending the two shades of pink, I die-cut the candy using a circle stitched die from MFT. The Ho Ho Ho sediment is from Impression Obsession. A few silver sequints were picked out by Stanley for the finishing touché.

Playing in Freshly Made Sketches; The Paper Players (Tic Tac Toe: diagonally top right to bottom left); and Rudolph Days (AG Christmas).

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

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse!

*Life is too short!

Et Wallah, Anything Goes!

Hello Stamplings!

Welcome to a new week! I hope it's a great one! We've been busier than ticks on a deer with appointments and lunches and seeing long-time friends. In spite of it, I managed to tuck in some relaxing crafty time. I hope you've had some, too!

It is A=Anything Goes on the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar, which is always a fan favorite here! 

Onefer

Fortunately, last week my updated Artistic License arrived by post, so I was able to take an old favorite hydrangea stamp (Mondo Hydrangea from Essentials by Ellen) and color it in unusual colors. Normally hydrangeas grow in hues of pink, blue, purple, and I think white, but I thought this beauty would be a perfect candidate for the current Color Hues challenge of yellow and orange. Besides, I haven't painted with my Ziggies in ages and I so enjoyed it! 

Then a funny thing happened, which seems to be happening every time I create, which is fine since funny things are good. I stamped the hydrangea in Versafine black onto watercolor paper. When it was dry, I stamped it again using Versamark and clear embossing powder. I already had my embossing stuff out, so the image was powdered and dried with the heat gun. 

But as the powder was heated, it started turning a sort of funny white/gray color. "Ern?," I thought, laying my right ear on my right shoulder, "what's happened to my clear powder?" I was committed at that point, but a good attorney got me out. Wait. No. Different story. I finished the embossing and then I saw that the embossing powder I had out on my desk was white, not clear. Now that I think about it, since clear e/p and white e/p are both white powder, it's a wonder I haven't done that several times before! 

After I finished painting the hydrangea, I stamped the sediment from Gina K. and blended yellow ink around the rim to frame the image, bring your eyeballs into focus, and keep the card one-layer.

Beside's Marcia's Color Hues challenge, I'm playing in AAA Birthday (Flowers); Inkspirational (Word Prompt: Garden); and We Love Stamping (Summer Blooms).

Twofer 

For this quick Christmas card, I die-cut some pretty red cardstock using a NBUS die from Scrapbook.com called, "Nested Swiss Dot Rectangles." For the center, I used one of my favorite stamps from Simon Says Stamps set called, "Holiday Greetings Mix 1." I stamped it in Versamark and heat-embossed it in white. (After checking the label!) 

Sorry you can't see the shine from the embossing or the white gel pen I used to fill in the berries and leaves, or the white acrylic paint schplattered about by Hammy. I attached the finished panel to a snowy embossed background panel.

Stanley's job for this card was to punch out the red swiss dots. Needless to say, the little darling went about it with reckless abandon!

Playing in: ABC Christmas (R is for Rectangle); Addicted to Stamps and More (Any Occasion); and Allsorts (Embossing: Heat or Dry - both used).

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

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse! Stay safe!

Mwah!

*Life is too short!