Smooched Acetate Bird. (That just sounds wrong.)

Hello Stamplings!

How are you this fine fresh morning of, um, what day is it? It's so odd to come back from vacation and not know what day of the week it is. Actually, once you're retired you have trouble knowing the day, too, so you can imagine what it's like for a retired person to come back from vacation! I know, I should just look at my phone, right? But it's white and it hangs on the wall and I can't find the date on it anywhere!

That reminds me. Oh my gosh, you guys, have you all seen the skit from SNL about Echo for Seniors? It is so funny, I promise you, tears WILL run down your legs! Just Google "Alexa for Seniors" and the first thing that pops up will be the skit which is now on You Too. I mean, You Tube.

But first, I have a card to share:

Have you ever smooched inks with a piece of acetate which dries into this beautiful sheet that you don't know what to do with? I thought this one from my stash looked so beautiful in the negative of the die-cut bird, which is NBUS from Poppystamps. The purple embossed sediment is from GKW and the stitched scalloped panel is a die from Mama Elephant.

Challenges

• CAS Christmas: Birds.
• Cards In Envy: Favorite holiday.
• The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.

   

~~~

Now if you look at the card, it looks like I just slapped a bit of the colored acetate behind the bird opening, doesn't it? Sigh. I wish that's what I'd done. Instead I used the bird die to cut the acetate and then Hammy and I inlaid each piece into the bird's bits! And since the die didn't want to cut through the acetate very well, I had to trim some of those itty-bitty pieces ... 

... and after all that, it doesn't even show unless you look at it just so:

It is very shiny! We did have fun making it and while Hammy finished up, I put together a coupla three collages for you and we reminisced about the our fun vacation!

Hammy was a handsome part of the table decorations for the Open House. Kelly finally felt sorry for him, fed him a grape, and gave him a cuddle. The last photo shows the pretty daisy hat that Bev made for him! I wish I had a dollar for every time he's asked since we've been home when my friends are coming to play!

Here are some nature shots and the Open House brunch table. I love the photo of the ducks butts in the air as they fished right outside the window!

And here are the peoples:

Yes, that's right, I might have tackled a fish-bowl sized Margarita on my last night in Indy! Num-Nums!

~~~

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!)

A Solo Sunflower and a Forest of Birches

Hello Stamplings!

How's things? My goodness, we've had a sensational weather week here after another very hot weekend. I want to be outside deadheading and whacking and cutting and snipping in the yard (by the way, who knew gardening was such a violent activity?), but I'm not released yet from the doc to do that, so I guess I'll just have to spend time in the Playhouse with the windows open, making cards with the furball. Poor me. 😄

Even making cards inside, I still got to play with flowers!

I used a classic design to construct a platform for this gorgeous sunflower by Technique Tuesday. I watercolored it with my Ziggies and Hammy added winking to beat the band. You might be able to see that I offset a narrow green mat on the left side.

Challenges

• Cards in Envy: Yellow and black.
• CAS Watercolour Card Challenge: Sunflower.
• Retro Rubber: Tic-Tac-Toe. Diagonal upper left to lower right. The sunflower stamp is © 2014 Technique Tuesday.

Twofer

On watercolor paper I washed a sky background using my Zig KGT paints. Then I stamped a trio of birch trees using a Purple Onion stamp. Then I stamped the trees again on another piece of watercolor paper, fussy-cut them, and added them to the right of the stamped image for some dementia. Then I added a tiny sediment and three tiny gems. Now what? Where's the pizzazzazz? Where's the personality? Shouldn't we have Santa? Or at least a reindeer?

Pawing through the possibilities, Hammy chose this old impish SU reindeer. He has the exact face of a fun-loving peek-a-boo playing deer! I stamped him on a snippet, colored him with my Ziggies, and fussy-cut him. Getting him to stand still with his antlers "just so" between the trees took forever, but it was all worth it! Just look at that smile! I couldn't get mad at him if I tried.

Challenges

• CAS Christmas Card Challenge: Tree.
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.
• The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets!

Postlogue

I was looking through my folders for something and came across photos of our stay on Galiano Island, British Columbia a few months ago. I realized I never did share them with you so I did a quick collage of shots taken from the deck of our cabin:

Isn't that view unbelievable? Ferries went through the channel (straight?) all day long until just dark and it was always a treat when they went by. The second photo from the top shows a bald eagle in the tree and - hey, look, there's that impish deer again!

And I can't believe we forgot to share this one!

We were so tickled to find that the owners had left their own little furry friend to greet us in the cabin and be a playmate for Hammy! His name was Bradley and he was so sweet and tender with Hammy, making sure he didn't hurt him when they were messing around. It was an unexpected treat on the trip!

[BTW, some of you noticed Hammy's lighter coat in the last photo of him. I was sorta hoping you wouldn't catch that because I feel awful about using too much bleach to clean him after he rolled in my smooching ink the last time. It's okay. His hamber told me it will grow in darker in no time and now Hammy knows that it's okay to roll around in Tim's inks, but not in alcoholic inks!]

~~~

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!)

Santa's Belt Buckle and Joyful Rusticity!

Hello Stamplings!

I've fallen down on being committed to making my Christmas cards. Thank goodness I didn't break a hip! But seriously, I know that if I don't get back on the scheduled train to the post office by the end of November, I'll be committed to the loony bin instead! You can avert your eyes if the sunshine around you prevents you from enjoying the sight of C cards, but you'll miss a coupla cute designs. 

Onefer

When I was at the Impress stamp store in Seattle I bought a few rolls of Washi tape and this one of Santa's belt was irresistible! A sediment from MFT and shazambam! I believe in the magic of making QACAS Christmas cards! The sunshine makes Santa's belt look tarnished, but PAH-leez! Bite your tongue if you think for one minute Mrs. Claus would allow her husband out of the house with a tarnished belt buckle! Trust me, it is pure gold and schparkly.

This even CASier design captures the gold a little better:

Challenges

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge: AG with option of Washi tape.
• Sparkles Christmas Challenge: Santa.
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas Goes.

and card two:

• CAS(E) This Sketch

 

Twofer

This card was made specifically to participate in the last challenge of Merry Monday which calls for rustic Christmas cards. I sometimes confuse rustic with vintage, but I think rustic means lots of texture with an outdoorsy country feel. The corduroy texture paper makes a unique card background. The birch trees and cardinals are from a NBUS Mama Elephant die. The JOY is from Hero Arts.

You might wonder how I made those birch trees. About (cough) years ago my friend Gail sent me a few goodies and among them were a coupla sheets of soft fabric-like black and white paper with a raised pattern of flocked flowers and flourishes. Hammy, who has a great memory of the specialty papers I have, pointed me to these. It not only adds a texture you can feel, but it makes an interesting pattern on the trees.

I want to thank Lesley and Lori and the entire Merry Monday Design Team, past and present, for all their hard work bringing us Merry Monday Christmas challenges to kick us into gear all these years. You will be missed!

Challenges

• Merry Monday Christmas Card Challenge: Rustic Christmas.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use those snippets!
• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas goes.
• The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.

~~~

Rachel

Several of you have inquired about how our lovely DIL Rachel is doing. With her permission, I can share that she is doing very well. She had a double mastectomy last month and will not need either chemo or radiation. She is still healing and will have her final surgery in September. She wants me to thank you all very much for your care and concern, and for your cards and prayers. We all feel incredibly blessed with the outcome and your friendship!

~~~

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!)

Tag Time III and a Card, Too!

Hello, Stamplings!

Welcome to another Friday which whooshed in here like a ..., as fast as a ...! Oh, dear, I can think of a lot of words and expressions, but this is a family blog (mostly) so none of them are suitable! I'll let you fill in the blank with your own expression in your comment, which will tell me how stressed out you are!

Today I'm up with my reminder tag as Guest Designer at Tag You're It!

Over on the challenge blog, the very talented Hazel is the featured artist with an adorable baby tag.

I mentioned last week that you did not need to make a baby gift tag, unless you needed one. I know a lot of you are making Christmas tags, but I only see one in the TYI gallery yet, so maybe you didn't believe me cuz I'm such a kidder. But it's true, honest!

So to inspire you, for my reminder tag I changed the theme to a Christmas tag, but kept to the main elements of Hazel's adorable design: I was inspired by Hazel's embossed background, pink color, main focal image, and die-cut sediment.

I used a snowfall e/f for the background, the adorable penguins are from Stamps of Life, and the joy die is from Lawn Fawn.

~~~

Are you thinking, "Good to know, but I only make cards."

Aha! Did you know that you can also enter cards at Tag You're It? I didn't know that for a long time, but you absolutely can! So I turned my tag into a usable card to inspire you:

Your card has to have a tag layer, of course, and we still need to see how the Featured Artist inspired you, but other than that, you are free to design in the way that makes you happy!

I'd love to see your tag/card linked! You have five more days before the linky closes!

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Holiday.
• Little Red Wagon: Penguins and Polar Bears.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: AG/use your snippets!
• The Merry Christmas Challenge: AG Christmas. Optional: Animals.

 

~~~

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 to return the flavor ~ even if it might take a while this time of year!

*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 the pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! P.S. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Mwah! 

Stenciled QACAS Stars

Hello, Stamplings!

Welcome to a wonderful new week! How are you? I hope you're fine and you had a fun weekend! 

Are you enjoying fall? Have you noticed how things seem to quiet down once school starts again and the days are shorter and darker? Critters migrate and we don't blame them. We pull out our winter clothes and start nesting for the colder months. 

For card artists, thoughts turn slowly towards Christmas ... okay, knock off the poetry! Let's face it: our thoughts don't turn all gentle and zen-like towards Christmas. More like our heads whip around like Regan in The Exorcist when we realize it's only (cough) short weeks until our cards need to be in the mail! I know you know what I mean. I can see the sweat beading on your upper lip.

Well, never fear. Hammy is here with a QACAS OLC that you may steal CASE for batch-making!

QACAS=quick and clean and simple; OLC=one-layer card; CASE=copy and share everything.

All you need is a stencil, some ink, some finger daubers, a mask, and a Christmas sediment. It's better if the mask is some type of something to cover an area of your card that you don't want inked, but if you want to wear your Minnie Mouse mask while you're stamping, I'm okay with that.

I laid down a strip of painter's tape where I wanted my sediment to be, then I used my finger daubers to bounce the inks through a star stencil. I used a stencil that was a gift from Lolly. I used Oxie inks in nontraditional colors of broken china and wilted violet and faded denim. The sediment is, I believe, from MFT. The lines were drawn with my faded denim DI marker.

And thazit. I made several others using different ink colors and also a different design where I masked off a portion of the stars in a diagonal pattern with a diagonal Christmas sediment.

It's an easy way to make a colorful and mailable card with minimal effort. When you have lots of Ccs to make, that's the name of the game!

Challenges.

• Inkspirational: Designers Choice: one-layer card.
• Less Is More: One-layer card/stars. I hope there is an acceptable amount of white or "empty" space. I mean, if you narrow your eyes and let those smaller stars recede into the background, you'll remember that in space there are bazillions of light years of depth in between stars. That's a LOT of empty space, right?! 
• The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.

~~~

Just a QACAS quickie post for me this time! 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 to return the flavor!

(source unknown)

*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 the 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!

NBUS Challenge #12 ~ Day Three!

Hello, Stamplings!

Welcome to Day Three of our ten-day challenge to USE NBUS! For all the details on the history, rules, and prizes, please go here. If you have a card to enter today, the linky tool is below!

Thank you to all of you who have already entered! I love the enthusiasm!!

I have two cards for Day Three:

The beautiful NBUS sediment from Hero Arts is not funny, but I'm hoping you find the card itself humorous, given the look on the face of that jiraffe with a knot in his kneck ~ maybe from carrying around a jiant jingle bell! The giraffe is a NBUS stamp from Katzelkraft which I colored with pencils and Ziggies.

Here's a closeup of the metallic red jingle bell I cut from a Lil Inker die.

I just love that side eye and the way the artist drew the mouth. Our dogs would look just like that after they'd done something naughty!

Challenges

• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas Goes.
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas Goes.
• Jingle Belles: Tic Tac Toe: red, cardstock, bling.
• The Merry Christmas Challenge: Anything Christmas Goes.

~~~

So what happened was a few weeks ago was my friend Susan sent me a funny cartoon perfect for us card artists:

Har-Har! Corny, but pretty cute, right?

Some of you might remember that we have a niece who recently became a doctor. Her name is Kathrine and she chose her specialty at the same time Susan sent me the cartoon. 

Well, so, given her specialty, Hammy insisted that I make Kathrine a personal card! I used the "cardiologist" cartoon above for the front of the card ... and then I hand-drew my own cartoon using her specialty on the inside and typing the sediment on the computer: 

Groooooan?! I couldn't resist! (BTW, I know it doesn't look like Kathrine gave the gentleman very good news, but I'm sure with diet, exercise, and some medication, he'll be able to change the path he's on for the better!)

~~~

Off you go now! Use that NBUS!!

Enjoy the challenge! No, seriously, enjoy!

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 the 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!

An InLinkz Link-up