Hi Drangea!

Happy October!

And Happy World Card Making Day! I know it was October 1st, but I think we should celebrate it every day, don't you? We are part of a era from yesteryear continuing to carry on our hobby so peoples find Happy real Mail in their mailboxes now and then! Pat yourself on the back! And if you can do that, then going to that yoga class is paying off!

I scheduled this post so I could make sure and take part in two new challenges that I'm becited about in Blogland. Here is my card:

I very lightly embossed the card with We R Memory Keepers Next Level quilted e/f. The hydrangea from Essentials by Ellen was cut from a snippet of watercolor background I made from Brushos and stamped in black Versafine ink. The sediment is a gold peel-off. I added a gold organza ribbon and shazambam a lovely fall birthday card done!

Oh, and I lightly sprayed some Perfect Pearl Mist "biscotti" over the the flower for a little schparkle.

So let me tell you about the new challenges:

• CAS Watercolour Challenge. My friends Loll Thompson and Bonnie Klass already have a card challenge we love called "CAS Mix-Up." They have now started another monthly challenge with an emphasis on watercolour ~ and a theme. The first challenge is to make a CAS (clean and simple) card with an autumn theme. There is also a DT call. I hope you can join in!
• The Flower Challenge. My friend Aileen Ryan has also just started a new challenge and, as you can tell from the title, the brief is all about flowers! The first challenge is "Anything Goes." I hope you can join in!

Other Challenges

• Addicted to CAS: Watercolour code word.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use those snippets! My snippet is my flower.
• Retro Sketches: Head for the archives. I chose #75.

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Speaking of flowers, I totally forgot to share these sunflowers photos with my sunflower card post the other day. Total senior moment as I rushed around getting ready for my travels. I didn't even know you could buy sunflowers in pots with multiple heads. Maybe it's an ornamental sunflower plant, but that's okay, it was so cheery with lots of baby buds!

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Happy Fall Y'all! 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! Mwah!

*Life is too short!

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Sarntangle Spring Birthday

Good Day!

I am home with my body clock all out of whack, but it was worth it! I had such a fun time with my sisters and, as you saw earlier, meeting Mary and Bonnie!

Now it's home again, home again, jiggidy jig!

Before I tackle Mount Laundry, I wanted to share a card I made earlier this spring for my friend Sarn of Stamping For Pleasure that I remembered was in my "not yet blogged" (NYB) folder:

A simple watercolor smooshed background stamped with one of Sarn's limited edition "Sarntangle" stamps and a v.o. stamp from Hero Arts.  The square stitched dies are from Lil' Inker.

Challenges

• Colour Me...! 
• Retrosketches.
• TIME OUT: Grunge, With the Option of Embossing (if my card is grungalified).

~~~

Here are more photos to share of my holiday. The first is of me with my sisters and the second is a collage of mostly lily pad flowers which I don't remember ever seeing before. I was as enchanted by them as I am of my sissies.

Donna, Diana, Doris (Dood), and Darnell

It was a precious time for all of us, blessed by good weather, and lots of laughter. Knock wood, we have managed to meet annually for fourteen years with everyone arriving and departing safely with no loss of luggage. Well, there was that one time in New Mexico when the airline had to deliver Diana's "misplaced" bag, but still, that's pretty awesome!

Okay, off I go before the hamper explodes! The hamster is also nearly exploding with happiness to have me back in the Playhouse again, not to mention the Mister!

~~~

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!

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February 2015 PTI Blog Hop and More

Hallo and Welcome to the 25th of Another Month!

That means it is time for the monthly blog hop at Nicole Heady's Papertrey Ink blog and it's time for the monthly Christmas card Rudolph Day hookup at Maureen's Scraps of Life by Scrappy Mo blog.

So using PTI products and my own Twofer Campaign, I made these:

Nicole suggested that we use the quatrefoil die (or the like) over a watercolored background, like this, smooshed or otherwise:

photo credit: Micklyn via society6

I was curious to see if I could apply Versamark ink directly to a die in the same way that I would with a stamp and then heat emboss the image. I'll be darned if it didn't work! Here are the two dies I used. The large one is the PTI quatrefoil cover plate die and the small one is the PTI text block Christmas die.

Details

For this first one I used the faux watercolor technique that you've seen me use often of late, where you ink your stamp or your acrylic block, mist it, and then stamp it to paper. I am currently sorting through my Mt. NBUS and labeling schtuff and I had just come across the PTI "Birthday Style" set, so I thought I would juezz up my card by adding a sexy corner squiggle. Then I cut a fishtail flag, walked the edges around a marker, and stamped the sediment from SU. Wallah!

Wait. What? It turns out that the PTI Birthday Style die makes three squiggles if you don't break the die apart, and so naturally Hammy started fiddling around with adding another squiggle in the corner ... or maybe in the other corner ... or on top ... or hey! I cut another set and made a mirror squiggle because to me it looks like a giant holly leaf. Yes? In an arty-farty way? If you squint at the squiggles?, she asks, cocking her head to the side.

In addition to the PTI Blog Hop and Rudolph Day Challenge, I'm also entering my card in these challenges:

• Retrosketch: Sketch below.
• Addicted to Stamps and More: Holiday

~~~

For my twofer card, I wet a piece of watercolor paper and swirled on my cheap dime-store watercolor paints. I don't like that the pattern looks a bit like a map of the world, exspecially because of all that ocean turquoise blue, but that's where the colors wandered, so that's what I went with. It's very unlike a map of the world close-up IRL.

Also, the embossed Christmas text script is hard to read in photos, but is very clear and pretty IRL. I thought I would be arty-farty with this one, too, in the use of my colors. And also, the middle raindrop is light pink IRL, but it looks lavender on screen. The raindrops are from Crafty Notions.

The card base is embossed with a Craft Concepts e/f called "Stately." True story: I saw this folder on my friend Cathy's blog, so I asked her who made it and she told me. I was able to find it online, but only via Amazon UK and it could not be shipped to America. So I emailed my friend Di and asked her if she would buy it for me and mail it to me, which she promptly did.

Are we a cool supportive community of friends or what?!

Challenges

• Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge: Nontraditional Christmas colors.
• Christmas Card Challenges: Anything Goes.
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: 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 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!

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me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

Splats of Spring ~ NBUS #123

Hello Again!

Continuing from where I left off yesterday, here is my second card for Nicole's Make It Monday challenge which is "Watercolor Splats." I hope you get a chance to play, too. The only requirement is that you use at least one Papertrey Ink (PTI) product.

The fireworks flowers are NBUS from the PTI "Meadow Greens" set and the sediment is from SU. I watercolored the background using a child's watercolor paint set and added water splats with my brush. The ribbon is Michael's and the two little daisy-covered clothes pins are recycled from an ages-old store-bought birthday tag.

I'm also entering this card in these challenges:

• Retrosketches

• City Crafter Challenge

• Curtain Call Challenge

• CASology

Please click on the links provided if you would like to play along and/or find out about the rules, sponsors, and prizes!

~~~

New Friends Corner

I'm thrilled to welcome these new friends today!

Tracey T. of Cranberry Cards. Tracey has been blogging since 2010. She is a mom, a teacher, a designer, and an award-winning card artist. Her cards are always colorful, feminine, and impeccably constructed. You will be uber inspired when you check out almost four years of consistent craftivity by Tracey!

Susan Zuzarte of Imagine. Create. Express. Susan has been blogging since 2009. Another fabulous designer, Susan has won many awards for her works of art. If you think I enter a lot of challenges, wait until you see the long list that Susan manages to combine! I love her clean and simple card art and I know you will, too!

Eve of The Purple Paper Puncher. Eve has been blogging since 2013. She lives in the UK and is already an award-winning card artist. I know she would appreciate your visit and your encouragement by following her. In turn, you will appreciate the inspiration she provides, so it's a win-win!

Helen of Molecraft. Helen starting making card art in 2007 and has been blogging since 2010. Another team designer and award-winner, Helen's cards are CASlicious, adorable, and inspirational and, boy, I wish I'd found her back in 2010!

Thank you, ladies, and welcome to the Playhouse!!

~~~

Friends and Twins Card Art

In addition to your wonderful comments, I was very fortunate to receive Easter cards from a lot of you! I have updated the "Happy Mail" tab at the top of my blog, if you would like to see the newest additions.

I have to take a moment to share with you that the postal services around the world really outdid themselves with this holiday. Not only did the majority of the cards which I sent very late make it to their destinations before Easter, but I received a couple of cards that I can only assume arrived here via the Miracle Express Mail! Check out these cards that traveled from the UK to the USA:

First up is a card where the large and beautiful bling erupted from the envelope in such a way that part of the address was torn. Nevertheless, it arrived safely with bling intact!

Second came this beautiful card that arrived with THREE SIDES COMPLETELY OPEN! 

Not only was the card unharmed, but inside the card was a small gift of a clear stamp set. STILL INSIDE, people! How is that even possible?? I usually have rants in my pants about the mail disservice, but I have to give credit where credit is due, so MWAH to the postal peeps this time!

 ~~~

Finally, with a grandma's pride, here are cards that Adam and Henry made on Sunday. I'm so happy they still love the Playhouse and making cards! (And my Washi tape! Do you think I should enter their cards in the current challenge at The Paper Players?! LOL!)

Adam made a card for his Mama ~ note the prodigal dolphin stamp:

And Henry made a card for his Bama (me):

In the interests of full disclosure, I will tell you that I made the big yellow blossom a long time ago and Henry found it in my stash. All the other elements and design are his work.  I consider it a compliment that Henry often writes on the inside, "I love you. I like you." There are times we don't much like the people we love, so to be loved AND liked is the bestest!

~~~

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:

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Click Page Down to reach the end of the post.
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Mwah!

Papertrey Ink March 2014 Blog Hop Challenge ~ NBUS #118

Hey! I hope the brand new week is going well for you!

I am popping in today to play in the Papertrey Ink (PTI) blog hop challenge, hosted on Nichole Heady's awesome {capture the moment} website. This month's beautiful inspiration board is:

Lots of fun images! I see that rainbows are still on-trend in Blogland and I decided to focus on that. To participate in the March blog hop, we need to use one PTI product and we are encouraged to let it shine, baby, in high gloss drama!

For my card I used my NBUS cover plate from PTI called "Mighty Oak." I spent a LOT of time trying various card designs with it. Some days you simply have to kiss a lot of frogs before your love-sick hamster decides to stop taking selfies to send to Ms. Thing. A little help here, Hammy?!

Bless him, he still comes to my rescue and in the end, I went with a CAS softly-colored rainbow of oak leaves:

After impressing my paper (and her parents) with my Big Shot, I outlined each leaf with my SU watercolor pencils. Then I used a tiny brush and water to drag the color from the outline over each leaf. Next, I painted on glossy Mod Podge Dimensional Magic. And finally, I stamped the sediment from PTI's Birthday Bash Sentiments in Kaleidacolor ink. Shazambam!

The above photo is okay, but looks rather flat. Ah, not so! In order for you to see it better, I flipped my card on its side and slouched it a little so that the sun could catch the high gloss drama. (After which he had to put a cloud over his face to recover.) 

As we like to say, it sure is pretty IRL.

~~~

I'm entering my card in The Card Concept Challenge which is to create a birthday card. This will be my second entry for this birthday challenge. I believe my card this time is "Clean and Graphic," if I'm reading the style descriptions correctly. This is really a fun challenge for stepping outside your standard style, sister, and learning and seeing first-hand what the different styles are!

I also think my card fits Arielle's current Retro Sketches sketch.

I haven't played at CAS on Sunday for a while, so I was happy to see that I could enter the current challenge of "One Layer Wonder."

******

Please click on any challenge link to find the details regarding rules, sponsors, and prizes, check out all the DT inspirations, and then join in the fun!!

~~~

New Friends Corner

I'm delighted to introduce you to Linby of Crafty Linby. Lynn's smiling face is in the dictionary next to the word exuberant! To quote her: "Over the years I have always made things and tried new crafty hobbies. I've done macrame (in the 70s when it was all the rage!), crochet, knitting, dressmaking, quilling, pergamano, fimo, stencilling, my own chocolate Easter eggs!, x-stitching, scrapbooking and cards."

And if that weren't enough, she also works full time and has been blogging since 2009! It makes me want a lie down just thinking about being that energetic! But, oh my, it's all to our benefit, as you will see when you go for an inspired visit to meet her! Take your comfiest chair! You might even get a choccie bunny!

Thank you for joining us, Lynn, and welcome to the Playhouse!!

~~~

We enjoyed family time on the weekend, including the opening day of Little League. Here are Adam and Henry with Dan offering encouragement from the outfield:

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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 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:

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Click Jump to Comment Form; no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!