OLC and TFC

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? I hope you've had a grand start to the week which has now reached its apexible moment. Have you noticed that people around you, on social media, and on TV have started to delight in mentioning it's blankity-blank days until Christmas?! Sure I'm knee-deep in Christmas cards, but I still want to take a few more minutes to enjoy fall and the delights of Thanksgiving!

Wait. What? It's how many days??!! Just kidding. Relax. You know we always get everything done or do our best trying. Might as well relax while we do our best trying. Besides, as Hammy tells me ~ and wants me to tell you ~ working with paper and stamps and ink is so much easier when our fists and teeth are unclenched!

Onefer

For this one-layer card (OLC), I used a NBUS Inkadinkado wooden stamp with no name, but the number on it is 60-00332. I did a direct-to-stamp coloring technique using Memento markers, but after wards I felt it needed more definition, so I colored it with ancient twinkling Spica pens. Anyone remember those? The sediments were stamped with Delicata gold ink. The embossing folder is called "Stately."

Hammy went to town with the winking, which you can see a wee bit better in the closeup. You'll note he also glossified the ribbon, so IRL, it's uber schparkly!

Challenges

• CAS on Friday: One-layer card.
• Inkspirational: One-layer card.
• Less is More: OLC with winter flora.

Twofer

The panel on this card was made at the recent Indiana retreat when Brenda taught us the Tarnished Foil technique. When I saw that this month's CAS Mix Up Challenge was Oxidized Metal, I cut the panel in half in order to make two CAS cards to play along. But when I went to link the above card, I started looking at videos, and soon realized that oxidized metal is not the same as tarnished foil, even though the look can be very similar. Oops.

Not only that, but I realized I didn't use the "stamping" requirement! Gah! Anyone else have trouble with Brain Fog for a few days after the fall-back time change happens?!!

The best way for me to explain the Tarnished Foil technique is to refer you to Brenda or to this video: Tarnished Foil Technique. It's a lot of fun! The oxidized technique looks like a lot of fun, too, and I hope to give it a try before the CMU challenge ends. BTW, the vertical NBUS Thanks die is from Frantic Stampers.

Challenges

• Just Us Girls: Thanks.
• Rainbow Card Challenge: Metallic.
• Simon Says Stamp Monday: Thanks/Thanksgiving.

 

Threefer

Here's what I did with the other half of the metallic panel. The die cut sediment was a gift so I don't know who makes it. It was cut from white paper so I did a Ziggie wash to tone it down.

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Nellie Notes

What's going on here, Miss Nellie? I toyed with the idea of not telling you what happened and letting you make up your own plot line, but then I realized the story is written all over her face. Both literally and in the look in her eyes!

What happened was, I went in the house for two minutes max. I came back out and Nellie was no longer sunning herself on the deck. I walked over to the side of the house, not there. I called her. No response. I was about to look in the last spot she could be when I heard a rustling behind me. I turned around and here she came squeezing out from under the dirty deck! 

Those spidey webs on her head were all over her back, but she shook them off before I could take the photo. For a little diva, she's quite a tomboy! This weekend we put lattice all around the edge of the deck so now she is free to run free! 

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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!

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!)

New Critters!

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? Did your weather cooperate so you could enjoy that Harvest Moon? It was spooktacular here. I say that because when I headed for the Big House to go to bed Saturday night, I walked around the corner of the Playhouse to get out from under the trees for a clear view of the moon. That's when I experienced what many of us have nightmares about: I walked smack dab into a spider web!

Turns out this plump old woman can jump pretty high when the spirit moves her. In fact, my spirit moved right out of my body there for a second and I'm sure the neighbors wondered what kind of wild animal made that ear-piercing yelp in the night!

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Speaking of wild animals, we are halfway through the CRITTERS Twofer Card Challenge, so I have my reminder cards for you.

Hammy chose to be used as the critter on the reminder cards rather than as the opening act on the 10th. But is this Hammy? Or Hammy's friends? Or is it a gerbil masquerading as a hamster? We aren't sure, but he is part of a delightful stamp set I received from my friend Jane, called "Precious Pets 2" by The Card Hut. 

Onefer

For this simple CAS design, I used a circular loopy e/f and a hamster wheel from the "Wheelie Like You" set by Lawn Fawn. This guy is having a moment and things aren't going shackityzam right now. He's overturned the hamster wheel and gotten himself stuck in the middle! But that's all right. The NBUS sediment from "Positive Thoughts" by Precious Remembrance reminds him that challenges make us stronger!

Challenges

• Crafty Animals: Anything goes.
• Inkspirational: Crop. You can only see the head of the little critter through the wheel opening.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Bling it on.

Twofer

For my second design I masked and stacked my CRITTERS and repeated my sediment so Jane knows just how much how much how much how much how much how much I love her gift! I don't have the packaging for the sediment. Hammy carefully picked out and assigned all the pairs of googly eyes to match each personality. 

Challenges

• Lost Coast Portal to Creativity: Make It Funny.
• Rainbow Card Challenge: Brown.
• Simon Says Stamp Monday: Monochrome.

  

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Here are the design layouts of my two cards so you can see how they differ when stripped of all their bits and pieces.

I love all the amazing and fun CRITTERS that are already in the Twofer Card Challenge gallery this month and I can't wait to see what you add!! You have until the end of the day on September 24th to play along!

Surprise ~ Meet Nellie!

One day you don't have a Bichon Coton de Tulear and the next day you do!

Not only do we sorta share the same name, but don't you think we fit the saying that "all dogs and their owners look alike?" I mean, just look at that shaggy hair, beautiful face, and amazing fun-loving smile! And the dog is darling, too!

What happened was my sister-in-law Nina made a promise to a dear friend a year ago that she would find Nellie a good home and she did just that. But then life intervened and that home didn't work out after all. I'm pickled tink that we could come to the rescue because Nellie is the sweetest dog ever! Even though she is eight years old, she immediately settled in like she's been with us since she was a puppy! 

And not to worry, Hammy's delighted with her, too, especially after I reassured him that Nellie will never take over his duties as my faithful assistant!

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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!

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!)

Spring-a-ding-ding!

Hello Stamplings!

I've got a lot of spring art on the blog today, thinking especially of those of you dealing with this year's second winter dervishing its way from Colorado through the Great Lakes and eastward. Since you can't see anything but blowing snow outside your window, I'm glad you stopped in here to take your mind off it. And I'm glad to see you have your beverage!

Onefer

That beautiful pink paper has a lovely sheen and the MFT frame is cut from glossy paper. The white-embossed egg is from an out-of-business company, and the white-embossed sediment and vellum butterfly are both from Happy Little Stampers.

Who's that, you ask? Hammy has his friend Fitzwilliam visiting and he kindly let Fitz be in the card shots today. They met online. We are taking care of Fitz while he has some corrective eye surgery at a well-known clinic here in the Bay Area. I know, right? You'd think the surgery would be for those rather large ears, unusual for a frog, but we don't embarrass him by mentioning it.

Here's a closeup of the pretty sheenification:

Challenges

• Country View Challenges: Easter and/or spring.
• Inkspirational: Pop it up.
• Rainbow Card Challenge: Perfectly pink.

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I made quite a few cards with this design, using different papers and colors, but they were too similar to post them all. The only ones a bit different were these two:

Challenges

• The Color Throwdown Challenge.
• Fusion Card Challenge: Play with the photo ~ Easter eggs.
• Moving Along With the Times: That spring feeling.

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Twofer

Next up is a QACAS card made with a NBUS Freida Curve die from Memory Box, attached to some pretty pp. The sediment is from the Essentials Greetings set from Simon Says. I made several and you know how frogs are, once you take one photo, they want more taken:

After I took the above photo, I overheard Fitz telling Hammy that he thought the fronts of the cards were a bit meh. I had to agree with him once I got down to his level and looked at them. So I added more interest with some polka-dotty spring wellies:

Challenges

• Cardz 4 Galz: Pretty papers. (I used two.)
• CAS on Friday #155: Spring.
• Memory Box Challenge #48: Clean and simple.

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Threefer

Another CAS design, this time for a spring birthday card using Altenew's Beautiful Heart stamp set. For this card I followed the brief laid out by host Susan at the CAS Mix Up Challenge. We are to use the technique of "layered stamping with  heat embossing." I heat-embossed the flower using SU melon mambo and Ranger white e/ps, and for the leaves I used WOW olive and Ranger white e/ps. Another new technique to me and I have to say, it really does add a lot vibrancy to your images!

I added some additional shades of pink to the flower with my Ziggies and popped it and the leaves on a leafy embossed background. Can you see the sediment? In order to keep all eyes on the flower, I simply stamped it with Versamark and white heat-embossed it for shine.

Challenges

• Altenew April Inspiration Challenge: See photo below.
• The Card Concept: See photo below. I was inspired by the pink flowers for my clean and simple card style.
• CAS Mix Up Challenge: Layered stamping with heat embossing, stamping, die-cutting, and dry embossing.

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

As always, thank you for coming by and staying a very long time to visit the Playhouse! Special thanks to you if you took 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!