Dies Through the Seasons

Hello Stamplings!

I hope this finds you well! Well in health, well in spirits, and well in creativity!

This week the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar is D = Dies/Die Cuts (which can also be fussy-cuts). Dies are having a heyday right now and I got so charged up, I did a threefer. Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound naughty.

Onefer

For this card, I was inspired by the photo at the 

Inspired By Challenge ~ specifically the frame and the colors of the leafy spray on the mantle.

I found papers in my stash that have a lightly embossed feel, so I used a creamy one for my background here. I used a woodgrain paper to cut my stitched rectangle frame. The vases are dies from Paper Smooches. The stems are a combination of dies from SU and MFT. The sediment is from Gina K's, "A Little Love." 

I'm also adding my card to Cut It Up, where the brief is to add a sentiment and to Snippets Playground, where the brief is to use your scrappy snippets.

Twofer

Here is another piece of the pretty paper I found ~ this time in a beige color. Nothing original about this design, but I can't remember ever doing it before and I love the simplicity of the scene.

Looking at it on my monitor now, the lads and I are karacking up because it looks like we tossed a coupla dog turds on the grass beside the pile of leaves!😂It's okay because the recipient is a dog-loving friend with a fall birthday and a wonderful sense of humor!

Challenges

Addicted to Stamps and More: Birthday.

Cardz 4 Galz: Create a scene.

Krafty Chicks: Birthday.

Threefer

And, thirdly, the challenge at Color Hues schparked another Christmas card for the stash. The poinsettia is an old beauty from Waltzingmouse, colored with my Ziggies in all pinks, even though it came out a bit rusty rose in the photo. Hammy and Stanley were thrilled to have a big field upon which to use their new winkers and when they were finished, I fussy cut it. 

The gray background paper was decorated with a Dotted Scallops cover plate die from Pinkfresh Studio and gold bling and a simple sediment finished it off.

Other Challenges

The Flower Challenge: Add embellishments.

The Holly and Ivy Christmas: Anything Christmas goes.

Just Us Girls: Die Cuts - Florals.

      

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💐I don't say it often enough ... Thank you very much to all the card challenges out there who provide us with endless inspiration and challenge us creatively!👏

~~~

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar: D = Dies

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your creations using your dies! Your card may help motivate someone out of their creative schlump! I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their designs last week! Mwah!

Enjoy your week! 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!

*Life is too short!

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Delicate Flowers

Hello Stamplings!

Welcome to the beginning of a new week! There's lots going on in the world and not all of it good, so thank you for coming to a safe space for a little ray of silliness and card fart.

This is week three of the June I.D.E.A.S. Calendar which means E = embossing, wet or dry. I had a spree doing both on my creations. I started by stamping and then heat-embossing these flowers and leaves in clear e/p and painting them with my Ziggies.

This stamp set was part of the Simon Says Stamp card kit in May 2019. Yes, that's right 2019. I'm among friends. The SSS kits are very popular and many of you may have seen this, if not own it. One of the stamps was stained, but I can't find that I posted it and the other stamps were all NBUS. 

What happened was (as near as I can figure), back in June 2019, there was a small 3.2 earthquake along the Hayward fault near here. There was no damage, but it was enough to cause everything on Mt. NBUS to shift and this set slipped into a deep crevasse. 

And there it remained until last week when Hammy and Stanley were crev-assing around and things shifted again. Never a dull moment here! I decided to use the whole set in one sitting before it disappeared again. The only funny thing that happened was realizing halfway through painting that I didn't have dies for this set. Not sure if SSS ever made them.

So I sent the lads off on another excavation, this time into the box under my desk that contains antique crafting tools ~ in this case, scissors. Remember scissors, or skizzers as we like to call them? That was a lot of fussy-cutting, but the old tool still worked fine. As did the skizzers.

Embossing folder is Sizzix 662765. Sediment strip from Memory Box. The pp is from Craft Consortium.

Alphabet Challenge: Embossing, wet or dry.

The Flower Challenge: Add embossing, wet or dry.

Seize the Birthday: A/G (no toppings).

The embossed oval and foiled sediment were gifts, so maker unknown.

Addicted to Stamps and More: Any occasion.

Allsorts Challenge: What makes you happy (crafting and painting) or A/G.

Embossed panel was a gift, so folder unknown.

SSS Wednesday Challenge: Fur, feathers, and/or flowers.

We Love Stamping: June: Nature or A/G.

Embossing folder by Darice. Sediment (v.o.) might be from PTI.

~~~

That was a fun spree! As you might be able to see in some of the photos, the stinkers had their winkers running overtime! Even though you may not have this set or be able to purchase it, there are many sets out there with similar images, so I hope these designs inspire you.

If so, you will find a linky tool below for you to share your creations using your wet and/or dry embossing! Your card, in turn, may help motivate others out of their creative schlumps or give someone a step-off for their own design! 

I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Enjoy your week! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!* As always, thank you for coming by to visit and leaving a comment!

Hang in there!

*Life is too short!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Birthday Embossing

Hello Stamplings!

And Happy Monday to you as you begin your week with high hopes! Whatever they may be, I hope they come to fruitition. (Which makes more sense than fruition. What's a "fru?")

All around our neighborhood, hydrangeas are blooming with their many tiny little flowers all balled up into one huge flower. They are one of my most favorite flowers and I was inspired to bring out an old favorite stamp and paint.

Onefer

This stamp is Essentials by Ellen Mondo Hydrangea. I stamped the flower and leaf in black, heat-embossed in clear e/p, and then painted with my Ziggies before die-cutting. 

The lads went to town winking and then all three of us schplattered with diluted guache on the flower and leaf and with diluted purple ink on the background panel. That panel was embossed with an SU Sizzex e/f and attached to a lavender card base.  Finally, the flower was attached using foam squares. The sediment is a foil greeting from Memory Box.

Challenges

Beautiful Blossoms: Mood board with purple hydrangeas.

Cut It Up: Send me flowers.

Seize the Birthday: Flowers.

The Flower Challenge: Add spots or stripes. (Or both!)

Twofer

For this QACAS design, I used my NBUS gingko leaves 3D e/f from SSS with a panel of watercolor black paper which gives it a lovely texture. Then I simply swiped the raised bits using a piece of white chalk turned on its side. The circular sediment is also from SSS.

Challenges

Alphabet: C is for circles.

Let's Craft and Create: No patterned paper.

Little Red Wagon: D is for die cut.

~~~

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar: E = Emblossing

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your creations using some form of embossing. Your card may help motivate others out of their creative schlumps or give someone a step-off for their own design! 

I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their designs last week! Mwah! 

~~~

Enjoy your week! 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!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday next Monday. We will be with friends so I will not have a post. See in June!! (Another year whooshing by way too fast!) 

*Life is too short!

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More Spring Tulips!

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend/holiday as we whoosh around to another Monday! We enjoyed having family and friends with lots of delicious food and laughter. Nellie was in dog heaven, hoovering up any bits that were crumbed to the floor!

Today I have a quick share, using this week's I.D.E.A.S. Calendar. This is the third Monday of April (and Happy Birthday to my big sister Diana!🎂) and the prompt is E= Emblossing. 

I used this "Layered Tulip" die from Waffle Flower a few weeks ago and at that time I cut a couple of extra flowers. They were intended for Easter cards, which didn't happen in time, so I used embossing folders and made two spring birthday card designs instead, painting the flowers with my Ziggies.

Onefer

This one features an embossing folder that is new to me, sent to me by a friend as a card protector with her card, so I don't know who makes it. I lightly blended CP inks over it in pastel spring colors before popping on the painted tulip and the sediment. The fishtail banner is from PTI. 

It's hard to see, but the lads winked the entire tulip. Poor critters, they pull such long faces when they see the photos, confused because on the camera screen (and in real life), the schparkle from the winking is blinding, but it goes missing when the photos get to the gallery. Er?😶I reassure them that the same thing happens to all of us. Then I put on their "Hammy the Hamster" (Bubbles/The Monster) DVD and they're good again.

Challenges

Just Us Girls: Moodboard. I was inspired by the colors.

Seize the Birthday: Layer it.

The Flower Challenge: Spring flowers. 

Twofer

This very QACAS design using the second painted tulip features Craft Concepts "Stately" e/f. I used hammered card, three gold balls, and a partridge sediment strip from Memory Box. Ba-boom!

 

Challenges

Krafty Chicks: CAS.
Little Red Wagon: Birthday

~~~

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar: E = Emblossing

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your creations using embossing, whether wet or dry. Your card may help motivate and lift others out of their creative schlump or give someone a step-off for their own design! 

I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their designs last week! Mwah! 

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I'm leaving you with a bouquet of irises from the front yard of our neighbor George. 

Enjoy your week! I'm off to make a ham samitch!  

*Life is too short!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Flowers and Berries

Hello Stamplings!

How was your week? I hope you are doing well! Isn't it nice to be able to work in the garden again or watch new growth coming up as bulbs or buds? Things are so unsettled in the world right now, especially here, which makes me appreciate nature more. On the other hand, I have to acknowledge that nature can be cruel and my heart goes out to all those impacted by the ravaging storms of the past week.

Here at the Playhouse, we hit on two seasons.

Onefer

It is the first Monday of April and if you're using the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar, that means I = Ink (any color medium). I did a faux watercoloring using the "direct to stamp" method of coloring the stamp, spritzing, and then stamping onto watercolor paper. The wildflowers are beloved wooden Hero Arts stamp sets called "Real High Country Wildflowers" and "Fanciful Filaments."

Hammy found an unmarked sediment which said "hello spring" and I unceremoniously cut the two words apart to use just the spring and Stanley added a few schplatters. I used a NBUS unmarked border embossing folder to add extra interest and create some balance.

It felt like it still needed something so I girded my loins (sorry for that imagery) and did that thing I see famous and/or brave card artists do and I added some sketch lines with my fine line Pilot pen. I was hesitate at first, but I like the results and had fun trying it.

Challenges

Allsorts: Spring flowers.

Addicted to Stamps and More: Any occasion.

The Flower Challenge: Use spring colors.

Behind the scenes: My wildflower panel above is an odd size for me. That's because just as I finished it, I decided the pink tulip needed a little juizz, so I took my waterbrush and touched it up. (Pink tulip? you might wonder.)

Then I famously looked up at a squirrel outside my window, looked back down, and, absent of mind, brushed a speck off the panel. Oops.

I tried wetting the schmear and blotting it up, but it was no go. Hence the cropped panel and the reason "hello" had to be removed from "hello spring." It was actually a happy accident because over at NBUS, we are sharing our April Fool's Boo-Boo cards if we have 'em! So it's all good!

Twofer

I made this card because I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and the image reminded me of my NBUS "Create-in-Quads" stencil from Taylored Expressions, called "Mistletoe." The sediment is NBUS from SSS "Holiday Greetings Mix 1."

There is shading on the berries, as well as winking by the lads, but the bright sunshine washed them out. I'm glad the gold schplatters still came through. 

Yes, the mistletoe is upside down, but this is another example of how fun card-making is when you want to follow a sketch and there are no mistletoe police to take away your artistic license.

~~~

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar:  I = Ink

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your inky creations. Your card may help motivate and lift others out of their creative schlump or just give someone a design idea of their own! I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Thank you so much to everyone who shared designs last week! Mwah! 

~~~

Enjoy your week! 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! 

*Life is too short!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter