Peachy Keen, Coral

Hello Stamplings!

What's happening? How is everyone? Things seem to be so quiet in Blogland. Or at least in my neighborhood. Is it a late Feb Funk? Did I just invent that or is it another outtake of Covid? Besides the pandemic droning on, I'm guessing it's because this time of year we are up to here with winter in the northern hemi and hankering for spring when there are longer days of light. 

Not to mention the Blogger issues. What the Feb Funk is going on? Some of my friends' blogs aren't loading at all, some aren't publishing comments, some are no longer translating to English, some followers are dropping like flies, and some photos and copy/pastes are no longer loading in posts. 😞😟😠

But hey ho, let's keep our chins up, better days are coming, and all that. To lift your spirits, I brought you some flowers from the garden along with wishes for a lovely day!

This very QACAS card makes me happy and I hope it does the same for you. I used a NBUS stamp set called Printed Rose from Fun Stampers Journey. I inked the first rose in the background with a peach CP ink, made a mask, and then inked the second rose in front with several inkings. The leaves are from the same set and the sediment is from GKW. As you can see, Hammy went to town with his winker!

Challenges

• Color Hues: Peach and green.
• Less is More: One layer card - flowers.
  
• The Flower Challenge: Use your latest stamps or dies. I only bought this set last month which has to be a record for time spent on NBUS Mountain!
• TIME OUT: Congratulations on your 7th year! Happy Birthday and thank you!
  

Twofer

At a Zoom craft session with friends, Loll led us through a technique where you bleed your stenciled images with sponges. Here is link to a video describing the technique: Kristina Werner. I used a Tim Holtz poinsettia stencil and makeup brushes to ink up the stencil with DI. 

After wards we were to use our brushes or sponges to bleed the ink around the images and make them intentionally messy. I mean, arty. I didn't think I would like this technique because the images were so clear and pretty after inking through the stencil, so I let Hammy do the messy bit. And it turns out that I do like it! It's different and cool and that was something I always wanted to be in high school. Wait. What? Okay, well, cool then.

I used an MFT stitched tag die to cut down the stenciled panel, added a ribbon, and popped it up over a pretty coral e/f floral background. The peace die is from PTI's Wonderful Words Christmas, cut from a snippet of gold mirror.

Challenges

• 52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Tags on cards.
  
• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas goes.
  
• UnstampaBelles: Anything goes.
  
• Watercooler Wednesday: Marsha's All About Occasions.

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, and keep safe! 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!)

Fun With Folders

Hello Stamplings!

Normally, I like to finish my coffee with you while we chat about chatty schtuff, but today we are going to get right to my projects. The reason being is because I've got a batch of Christmas cards on the conveyor belt and you know what it's like to start a batch and then get disterupted. Think Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory!

At this month's Zoom session with friends, we played with embossing folders, another crafty product I have a bunch of, but tend to overcook. 

Onefer

This is so brilliantly schparkly and golden that even the camera was successful in reflecting it without the need of a closeup!

I have a Gemini Jr. which I love for cutting dies, but pursuant to paragraph two above, I never got around to learning what sandwich it likes to eat when I use an embossing folder (e/f). So this Zoom session was also great because it forced me to figure out the menu for both my regular e/fs and my 3D e/fs. The e/f I used for this card came with the Gemini Jr. It's called Regency Swirls. 

I learned two different techniques making this card. 

The first was double embossing. For that, you emboss your card front using one e/f and then you run it through a second time using a different e/f. First, I ran my blue-green panel through the machine using SU's 3D e/f called "Subtle." Which it is. And then I ran it through again using the Regency Swirls e/f.

The second technique was heat embossing part of the textured pattern you achieved during the first technique. For that, you pat your design's little bottom with your embossing buddy (or the like) to keep the embossing powder (e/p) only where you want it. Then you lightly tap your Versamark ink pad here and there in places where you want your e/p to stick. 

I chose to use gold e/p and as you can see, haha, I apparently wanted the gold to stick everywhere! It's not aickshully the right artsy idea the technique is meant to convey, but as I always say, you can never have too much gold.

As such, I matted the card with glimmer gold paper, crop-0-diled the corners, added a schparkly gold ribbon (ribbon!), and then finished it with a thanks die from Simon Says Stamp in matching gold paper. I'll be making more of this beautiful gilded design for Christmas cards.

Challenges

• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use those snippets! My blue-green paper and the sediment paper are snippets.
  
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Layer it up.
• UnstampaBelles: Inspire with a twist of thank you. Who inspired me to get into this craft? Sadly, it was so many years ago, I have lost touch with the ladies who invited me to my first SU workshop because they are no longer enjoying this hobby. But I do know ~ and am happy to be dear friends with ~ the ladies who first welcomed me into Blogland and the wonderful world of challenges, so this thank you is for them!
  

Twofer

Real quick, this design was made using a technique you are prolly familiar with. The one where you ink up your e/f, spray a piece of watercolor paper, place it in the folder, and then run the e/f through the machine. The e/f I used is a NBUS Spellbinders Floret Cluster. I used a portion of the piece to make a panel which I backed with a narrow plaid mat to keep the design CAS. The hugs sediment is from MFT. It was cut from the same embossed panel, which Hammy then backed with another cut made from black fun foam.

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, and be safe! 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!)

Hello, Hugs, and Joy!

Hello Stamplings!

We are running headlong through February as if our pants were on fire and here in California, we have temperatures to reflect that. With a roly-poly stature and a tendency to heat up at a moment's notice, I wish winter could have stayed around a bit longer. 

Bless you, please don't hate me if you're freezing where you are, wishing winter was long gone. It's always the way, isn't it? But, hey ho, weather's gonna do what weather's gonna do, so we might as well get comfy by stripping down or layering up and getting on with it!

Thus, I have the simpliest possible designs to share with you.

To start with, a twofer I made a while back to use up some pretty pp.

1.

The little square NBUS flowers for both cards are part of a set of dies called "Floral Squares" by Pinkfresh. I'm not sure who makes the hello. The stitched frame is from MFT. For this card, I added glossy accents to the petals for a stained glass effect, which Hammy loves to ice skate on.

Challenges

• Double D: Saying Hello.
• Simon Says Monday: Frame it.
• UnstampaBelles: Who am I? Someone who likes things to be neat and organized, who loves bright colors,  and who's always ready with a friendly smile and a welcoming hello.

2.

I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder for this design and I cut the MFT sediment from the same pp. QACAS at its finest.

Challenges

• CAS on Friday: Color challenge.
• Krafty Chicks: Clean and Simple.
• The Male Room: Use embossing. Men need hugs, too. Especially if they have booboos.
• Stinkin' Inkers: Make an impression.

       

    

 

Threefer

On a light gray card base I stamped a star galaxy and then heat-embossed it in clear. Can you make out that I masked an area with a star shape before stamping the galaxy? In the center of the empty star space, I white heat-embossed the "Joy" portion of a Christmas Joy stamp from Stampendous. In the corner, I stamped the remainder of the greeting. 

Here is a closeup where hopefully you can see that even the gray card base is embedded with tiny glitter. Not by me, by the manufacturer. 

Challenges

• AAA Cards: One corner with option of using older supplies.
• CAS Christmas Card: Joy.
• CAS(E) This Sketch!
• Simon Says Wednesday: Add a sentiment.

    

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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 whenever my nursing duties allow it.

A head's up. Sadly, the shady spammers have figured out a way to send their crap via the Contact Form some of us use on our side bars as a safe way to get in touch with each other.😠I've taken the form off my side bar here and off the Twofer Card Challenge side bar. If you need to get in touch with me, please see the information on my profile page. 

*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!)