Cards and Critters Gallery

Greetings everyone!

How are you? I hope you had a great weekend and the greatness is following you into the week!

I'm slowly getting snuggled back into my routine. Today I'm showing you the fronts of some of the thank you cards I made. It's nice to have cards gracing the ol' blog again!

I used my Brusho backgrounds and Memory Box Distressed Collage dies.

For this one I used my NBUS "You're So Sweet" stamps from Simon Says Stamp.

This design I sto CASEd from my neighbor Chrissie at the Happy Little Stampers Retreat. Thank you, Chrissie!

As often happens with learning a new technique, you'll be seeing lots more Brushos ahead. I know they've been around ages already and I'm late to the scene.

~~~

England Epic Log

You might have noticed that Hammy took a back seat on my England trip. That happened so he could make a "surprise" grand entrance at each location. Ever since we've been home, however, he's been insistent that he be given his 15 minutes of FAME!

So here is the Hammy Gallery: "England From a Teacup" with his notes:

I traveled in a pretty little makeup bag, along with my very own flag of the UK. The bag was comfy and I could breath fine, but it bent my whiskers something awful!

Starting in Southampton in the foreground, you can see I had a blast at each stop along the way.

I was able to spend the entire Retreat weekend out of my hiding place and among talented friends. To show off, I learned how to balance a bottle of glue on my head.

The best part? Everywhere I went, I got lots of cuddles!

It was a pleasure being a tiny honorary member of the English society. As my friend Shirley said, it was a bit like being a tiny Olympic torch of love being passed around from friend to friend!

Me, again. Speaking of friends, when I started planning this trip almost a year ago, I made an assumption that the friends I knew in each particular county of England all knew each other, too, and were already friends because they lived nearby each other. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a lot of them didn't know each other, so it was a wonderful bonus to sit back and watch new friendships being formed around the tables at each location. I was thrilled to be a Friendship Matchmaker everywhere I went!

Introducing Jack

It's was a busy weekend here with the boys and the granddogs.

Wait. What? Dogs with an ess? Why, yes! Allow me to introduce Jack, a German Shorthaired Pointer:

Duke's got a new playmate!

Duke loves mini-duke, but then again ...

~~~

It's hard to beat a new puppy for cuteness, but I'm leaving you with this:

Yup, Hammy has a new playmate, too, thanks to my friend Annie! I think we need to have a Naming Contest, don't you? Let me have your best ideas!

~~~

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!

NOTE: Anybody else having trouble with the "follow" button now that they have changed this feature (again!) to make it easier to unfollow? Being able to unfollow is all well and good, but now every time I go to follow someone I get the broken e symbol with an apology. It's been going on for several days and I'm curious if it's happening to others. Thank you!

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CTS GD ~ You're On My Mind

Greetings! 

I'm home safe with Hammy and we're reunited with the Mister! It was a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm happy to be home!

I'm interrupting my ongoing travel diary to present this scheduled post which came about as a result of a happy win at Case This Sketch back in April. I am honored to be here today as the Guest Designer for the current challenge!

Here is the challenge sketch:

And here is my card to inspire you:

When I saw the sketch, my ancient wooden stamp called "Pecking Order" by artist Carolyn Shores Wright immediately came to mind. In the past I have colored the image with colored pencils, but for today's cards I used my KGT paints for their rich and creamy color. I used an oval frame for my sediment to mimic the plump little bird bodies. And then I was stymied by what sediment to use. I think I went through my very large sediment inventory three times round, but nothing really rang my chimes, so I set the card aside.

A few days later I happened to be writing a note inside a "thinking of you" card. As I wrote to let my friend know she was on my mind, Hammy ran out from under my arm and pointed at my CTS card which was sitting there. Aha! A perfect sediment to send a caring card and also punny because that poor birdie holding the sediment has three other birdies literally ON his mind! And since I couldn't find the exact stamp I wanted in my collection, I just wrote it out by hand.

~~~

While I had my paints out for this detailed stamp, I took the trouble to paint two images. For my twofer, I fussy cut the image and trimmed it to fit the card base, nestling in my vertical "thank you" sediment from Endless Creations.

I hope you will be able to join the challenge with your own unique take on the sketch! There are so many possibilities! Click over to CAS(E) This Sketch! to see the other incredible cards from the Design Team!

~~~

As soon as I can (allowing for jet lag), I will be back to continue with my last few days in England!

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!

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A Year in Preview

Happy January 2016 and welcome to my first published novella!

So many of you are doing magnificent year-in-review posts with your favorite cards from 2015 providing us with so much inspiration. THANK YOU!!

But instead of doing that, I am writing this Year in Preview. Truly, it could bore you to sobbing. I am feeling the need to put my thoughts into the cyber air for my own benefit and I understand if you choose to skip it.

This is going to be a new year's resolution thesis with lots of waffling and reflection. I don't know where it's going to lead because I'm going to ruminate as I go. That means I'm going to both think deeply and chew my cud, according to Webster. If you are curious and want to stay and read along, you might want to grab a drinkie-poo and something for your own cud to chew along.

But first, for those of you who aren't interested in either rum or ruminating, I have a card to share and then you can be on your way. Here tis:

This is another thank you card and another shaker card I made using the Fuse Tool. This one was made using my NBUS (never-before-used schtuff) kite shaker die from Simon Says Stamp. The sediment is from PTI.

(You should be able to "page down" to skip to the end to comment.)

Challenges

• Inkspirational: A Thank You With Something New.
• Paru's Card Making Challenge: NEW.  [A brand-new challenge in Blogland! Check it out!] 
• Sweet Stampin': Something New (stash or event).

~~~~~~

So, okay then.

Reflection

Murals Your Way

I don't know about you, but when I take down all the Christmas foofarah, I want to keep going and do a cleaning and purging of the whole house. I mean all the way to the back of the linen cabinet and into those nasty lower corner kitchen cupboards that I'm getting too old and too large to worm into.

As I've mentioned recently, this past year has reminded me again and again of how short life can be. I don't want to get morbid about it, but time marche whooshes by. Even if I'm lucky and able to keep making cards for a number of years, it's still a finite number of years.

I also do a CPR (Clean/Purge/Reorganization) of the Playhouse at least once a year when the urge to purge strikes. You'd think that would work, but it's the kind of CPR where I basically recycle or give away a tiny bit of my crap, er, craft schtuff and then just rearrange the majority of it to the point where I can't find anything. Thank you, yes, I can see that most of you are nodding your heads in kinship.

Advanced CPR

Well, I'm calling quits with that version of CPR this year. Instead, I'm going to upgrade to the advanced version and stop the practice of simply resnuffling. As I open my cubbies, cabinets, and cupboards, I am going to perform advanced CPR and get the heck caught up around here. I'm just starting the process and already I've looked at some things with a quizzical "Why?" hanging in a thought balloon over my head.

The List

Since I like lists, I made this one to pull all the hamsters into focus. The plan is to:

1. Go back to serious excavating of Mt. NBUS,
2. Give lots of schtuff away,
3. Catch up with my follower friends,
4. Finish those Online Classes,
5. Work on those Unfinished Cards,
6. Learn the techniques in my "must DO" folder, and
7. Make more DJKASEs.

~~~

1. Go back to serious excavating of Mt. NBUS.

I did well this year with limiting my new purchases so Mt. NBUS is not too much higher, but it sure doesn't seem to be getting much lower! Sometimes a new cute thing will come along and, by golly, I want it, but it's getting harder and harder to justify it. So I'm going to be using my existing NBUS schtuff with every single post. She says, fingers crossed.

2. Give lots of schtuff away.

In order for this to work, the theory of "One Woman's Trash is Another Woman's Treasure" must prevail. I'm pretty sure this theory is still in practice if my own purchasing of other crafters "mystery boxes" is any indication!   

The question that Hammy and I have been struggling with and rolling around the wheel the last few weeks is how to handle the logistics of giving schtuff away. We think we have come up with a way, but if it doesn't work, we'll close it down and think of something else. 

To implement this process, you'll see a tab at the top of my blog called "Giveaways." I will take a picture of the item(s) and keep the item(s) up for ten days. 

If you are interested in the item, you need to leave a comment on the Giveaways page with the name of the item (maybe an item #, I'm not sure yet) and your email address so that I have a way to contact you for your address. 

I plan to put up nice schtuff since I like to think my schtuff is mostly nice and something someone may like. We'll play it by ear. For instance, I was wondering what you think of this. You know how you buy a set of clear stamps and they come on a sheet and usually have 5-10 stamps? Well, at my age, I don't need a lot of the "extras" on the sheet; often I only want ONE of the images. So I may put sheets of stamps up with one missing because it seems a waste to me to have them sitting unused in my drawer when someone, particularly someone new to stamping, may be delighted to have them.  

And, after all, it's not like I'm going to be selling things. It'll be free. I'll even pay to send it anywhere in the world that you are. 

On the 11th day, I will remove the item(s) and have the hamsters choose the winner(s) if anyone commented. If no one wanted it, I will donate it to a charity or school.

Also on the 11th day new item(s) may be added. I say "may" because if I'm too busy doing other things or on holiday, there will be times when there are no items for giveaway on the page.  

How does that sound? Please share if you see any glaring problems with this idea. Once I streamline everything, I will put all of the conditions on the Giveaways page when I'm ready to go.

3. Catch up with my follower friends.

I feel like I have definitely lost touch with a lot of you and I've been just a so-so bloggie friend to the rest of you for the last several months. Everyone has been very understanding, but I have missed that part of my whole blogging experience and I'm going to try and figure out a routine that encompasses dedicated time for visiting and commenting.

4. Finish those Online Classes

I have paid for two three online classes that haven't been finished. They are all about watercoloring which I love and want to do more often. Lord knows I have all the supplies!

5. Work on those Unfinished Cards and Bits and Pieces.

You see all the containers in that picture? All these things were part of last new year's reorganization, if not year(s) before. A whole year (at least) has gone by and I haven't touched any of it. I can't stand it. 

Old templates, special items, gizmos, napkins, and half-finished cards, patiently waiting. They needn't wait any longer! They have been more than patient. If they can't be finished for one reason or nother, they will be recycled. They are not going back into captivity.

6. / 7. Learn the techniques in my "Must DO" folder and make more DJKASEs.

We've talked about this before. How we'll never have enough time in our lives to do all the new techniques and CASEing and PINS we want to do, no matter how young we are! But I hope I can finally do some of those that really speak to me. I put these two items together since so often a technique that I want to learn has been posted by some fabulous card artist and explained via a card. Hence I should be able to learn and DJKASE at the same time.

~~~

Well, to bring this full circle, how's that for cutting off more than I can chew?! Perhaps. But I know one thing for sure, I need to apply advanced CPR and I'm hoping by putting this all down in writing and sharing it with you, I will be more accountable for following through.

Are you starting your new year with CPR plans, too?

My Posts

I'm not sure how my resolutions will affect my posting. I may be posting less frequently as I quietly work away on my goals and/or discover that a lot of what I'm doing is not post-worthy. Or I may post more often with less words (ha!) and more cards.  I'm not sure how my efforts at self-discipline will impact my playing in challenges, but time will tell.

Hopefully, getting a handle on my mess and catching up on my classes and techniques and unfinished cards will not take too long once I put my butt in the saddle. Life, of course, is the one in charge, so we'll see if karma likes my plan and let's me get on with it.

If all goes well, I will be decluttered and caught up with all of you soon. Being less overwhelmed means I should also be able to get back to a bit of story-telling now and then and I'll be ready to take on NBUS Challenge #6 in March. WooWho!!

~~~


Thank you if you're still here! Nothing like reading someone else's stream of unconsciousness! Mwah! You're just the BESTest friends!!

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!

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Mums and Metallica

Greetings!

Are you becited?! We are down to less than one week from Christmas! It's Crazy Town everywhere as people scramble to, well, wrap things up!

I'm here today with something other than a Christmas card, but close. It's a thank you card for a Christmas gift, in shiny Christmas colors.

 

I actually wanted to use this NBUS die for a Christmas card, but I never got around to it, so I'm glad to use it now. The die is called "Delicate Mum" and it's from Poppystamps. The "thanks" is from Winnie and Walter. It was really fiddly taking out the red bits and replacing them with the gold bits. Now I sorta know what it feels like to be a dentist.

Challenges for the above card:

• CAS(E) This Sketch. (CASEing Alice's card.)
• Inkspirational: Bah Humbug!
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Die-Crazy.
• Stamp Ink Paper: Thanks.

The above thank you card is going to my nonbloggie friend Donna who is a quilter. We had lunch recently and she gave me this beautiful ornament which she made. The sheen of this fabric shot with gold is magnificent in real life and her hand-stitching is fantastic!

~~~

Of course, I had to do little some thin some thin with the positive mum, but I had reached the end of my fiddly patience. Since the smallest hamster, Harvard, who adores fiddling, was actually busy with his violin lessons, I put this little minimumly fiddly card together for a December 28 birthday:

While it is mum-like in real life, but up here it looks like an albino spider laying on his back wearing his Christmas slippers and waiting for his belly to be rubbed. Out. 

Sparkly Washi tape and a heat embossed PTI sediment and that's that. I tried to use my Versamark pen and first white-emboss the celebrate and then red-emboss the rest, but I kept biffing it, so I finally operated on the stamp and now I sorta know what it feels like to be a surgeon.

Challenges for the above card:

• City Crafter Challenge Blog: The Heat Is On.
• Freshly Made Sketches.

Today's Twinfer Card / Mister News

Tomorrow is the eleventeenth birthday of our twin grandsons, Henry and Adam! I thought the boys might like a little metallica this year:

We are heading over to have lunch with them and then we'll see them often over the long Christmas weekend. Yay!

Speaking of family, I hate to tell you that my poor Mister is down again. Even though he still cannot sit for long without pain, he had recovered from the hamstring injury to the point where he was able to return to hiking and he went back to the gym last week. Happy whistling had recommenced in the Big House.

But then on Wednesday's hike, on the flat part, he tore the meniscas in his right knee. You guys, that would be the OTHER leg! Yes, I hear you gasp.

I'm not even kidding. Back we went to the doctor who determined that rest and ice are all that will be needed. That's a huge relief, but it does add more time to the other end of a very long time-consuming hamstring recovery.

That's the update, but we know it could be so much worse and if all he needs is the healing passage of time, we have much to be grateful for.

Still, I am gonna need another refill on that chocolate drawer!

~~~

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! (Linda S., I have no contact information for you, so please email me at darnell dot knauss at gmail dot com. Thank you!)

*Life is too short!

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It's a Loose Moose

Hi there! Happy Saturday!

Wacha doing? Chilling on the weekend? Surfing around for card ideas? Catching up with friends? Googling yourself ...

Yesterday during my nursing lunch break, I went out to the Playhouse to read this week's challenge themes aloud to Hammy as he chased his tail. It's a thing we do. That's his way of thinking, remembering, connecting the dots, lining up the ones that jive with each other, eggsetra. When I got to the Christmas challenges and told him that Merry Monday's challenge was to use a moose, he squealed and did a somersault halt.

When Hammy squealed, that made me squeal, too, even though I didn't know why. It's funny how reactive we are, isn't it? Then we both looked at each other, startled by our squealing. Hammy quickly reminded me that we have had an orphan moose die-cut in our Bits Box since the last century. Well, hello! That made me squeal for reals.

And I made this with it:

I grabbed some pretty linen paper in both white and embossed cream. I cut the snowbank with a Paper Smooches "Borders" die. The adorable bit of moose ribbon that I've been dying to use is also ages old. The sediment, however, is NBUS! It is from Stamping All Day. The hooveprint shadows were hand-drawn. 

The rusted jingle bells and gold threaded twine made for a festive collar for the big guy. I bought them rusted like that. Seriously. I'm lazy like that.

I'm trying to picture how the conversation went between the store owner and the jingle-bell maker when the owner told him she would buy several hundred packages of jingle bells, but only if the manufacturer first left them out in the rain to get rusty before packaging them.

It makes me giggle to think of it, but, I mean, c'mon, you have to admit they're perfect for the moose bling so the gal knew what she was doing!

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Anything Goes.
• Colour Me ...! Striking.
• Less Is More: Masculine.
• Merry Monday Christmas Challenge: The Moose is Loose.

Today's Twofer

Recently I made a few thank you cards and one of them went to my friend Kylie who runs Happy Little Stampers (HLS) along with a few other challenges and companies. When Hammy and I saw that Simon was holding a watercolor challenge, we thought it would be a good time to post this:

I was trying to replicate the logo for HLS. HLS is a wonderful forum for crafters and I think you will enjoy joining in! Here is the logo if you're not familiar with it:

That was fun! I used my KGT paints. I'm entering this card in Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Wonderful Watercolor.

~~~

New Friends Corner

Here are five more talented new friends for you to get to know!

Diane Marsh of Keep For Ever Cards. Diane has been blogging now and then since 2009. When life doesn't get in the way ~ which it occasionally does for all of us ~ Diane shares her beautiful cards lovingly made for family and friends. Diane will also inspire you with her conscientious use of her scraps!

Jan Clothier of Scrapbooking Stuff. Jan is from New Zealand and she has been blogging since March of 2013. She has been scrapbooking for about six years and making cards for a little over a year. Like so many of us, Jan enjoys entering challenges.  She has won many awards for her CAS cards which show her magnificent attention to detail.

Majo Wybranietz of Majo's Art. Majo has been blogging since 2010. She is a designer whose work has been oft-published and she is well-recognized for her challenge wins. Majo also shares with her readers tips and photo tutorials on new techniques. You will be inspired by Majo's talented card designs and altered art creations!

Janice Stone of Jan's Journey. Jan is brand new, having just started her blog in May! She is so thrilled to be on this wonderful new blogging journey and her enthusiasm is very contagious! I know it would mean the absolute world to her if you stopped in to say hi and introduce yourself. And while you are there, you can admire her fabulous cards!

Carole Burrage of Mother's Little Helper (TruCarMa on Splitcoast Stampers). Carole started blogging in - wow - 2007! She is one of the founders of our little community in Blogland and you better believe you will find a ton of inspiration at her place! And I don't just mean card inspiration. Once you read Carole's "About Me," you will be inspired by how she manages to juggle all the life balls that have landed in her basket!

~~~

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!

The kids and kidlets are coming over for lunch today, so we're looking forward to that as we are now in the sixth slow and boring week of recovery!

*Life is too short!

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