Trees and More Trees and a Blog Hop Winner!

Greetings!

I was away a bit longer than planned as we enjoyed having the boys stay on after Thanksgiving to help with decorating for Christmas. It's so much fun and so appreciated!

I don't know where the last two days went, just one thing led to another. And then yesterday there was the small matter of the kitchen sink pipe overflowing inside the wall and seeping through the baseboards into the family room, around the corner into the living room, and under the piano. Then you wish your own kid, your neighbor's kid, your nephew or niece, or anyone you know had become a plumber . . . !

So how's everyone else humpin' on this Wednesday, eh? This very last day of November. Now it is full-on the time of year when we're not-even-kidding busy! I mean, seriously, this is all-hands-on-deck for card artists who make holiday cards. And when you only have two hands and two paws, there aren't enough hours in the day!

Which means I'll stop chatting and away we go.

Onefer. (a, b, c)

I'm going to skip the ingradients, but if you are dying to know the man who factured something, just shoot me an email.

Challenges

• Christmas Card Challenges: Anything goes.
• Merry Monday Christmas Challenge: Masculine.
• Sweet Stampin' Challenge: Got the blues?

~~~

Twofer.

Silvery and simples.

Challenges

• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets. Since this was a batchmake, I used up a lot of white and silver sniplets.
• SSS Monday Challenge: 'O' Christmas tree.
• Stamp Ink Paper: Embossing.
• TIME OUT Challenge: Christmas with the option of glitter/shimmer.
• Uniko: Christmas.

~~~

Threefer.

It's very hard impossible to see that I heat-embossed the acetate with snowflakes, so I've tried to help you see them by adding red circles:

Challenges

• CAS Colours & Sketches: Sketch, which I flipped.
• Make My Monday: CAS Christmas.

~~~

Blog Hop Winner!

A coupla weeks ago, I participated in STAMPlorations Giving Thanks Blog Hop. I offered those who commented on that post a chance at my own prize of a $25 STAMPlorations gift certificate. Using the Random Number Generator, I'm pleased that the winner is Trina P. of My Crafting Closet. Congratulations, Trina! I will send you an email. Thank you to everyone who commented!

~~~

Enjoy your day playing with your crafty holiday goodies! 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 walla, no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!
If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me
your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

All Christmas All the Time

Hello, my stamplings!

I hope this finds you all well as you've whooshed your way here to another Friday!

And I hope all my American friends enjoyed a lovely and festive Thanksgiving yesterday without any relatives getting into duels over the election results. We managed to keep politics at bay in no small part due to the fun we had with FIVE doggie guests! Everyone left with a full belly, but now the real eating begins with all the scrummy left-overs!

And now it's all Christmas all the time in the Playhouse! First up are two tags I am finally posting for Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags.

Tag Onefer

The two sizes of tags were cut from a NBUS Avery Elle "Alice" die set. The mistletoe (embossed in platinum) and the NBUS sediment (embossed in red) are from CAS-ual Fridays' "Merry Kiss-mas" set. The NBUS bow (embossed in red) is from Avery Elle's "Winter Wreath" stamp set.

This tag was inspired by Jeanne Jachna on Day 1 when the featured sponsor was CAS-ual Fridays. Here is Jeanne's pretty tag:

Tag Twofer

This tag was cut using My Favorite Things stitched tag. The white embossed ornaments are NBUS from Technique Tuesday's "Holiday Ornaments" set, the sediment is from Technique Tuesday's "Jingle All The Way" set, and the snowflakes are from SU.

This tag was inspired by Jill Dewey Hawkins on Day 11 when the featured sponsor was Technique Tuesday. Here is Jill's pretty card:

Thank you, Tracey, for all your hard work putting this amazing 25-day tag challenge together! The inspiration has been phenomenal!

Card Threefer

I made my OLC using a classic stamp from Stampendous, which was a gift from my friend, Mary H. It was NBUS for me and I watercolored it with my Ziggie markers. The sediment is from Papertrey Ink.

Challenges

• Less Is More: Vintage.
• One-Layer Simplicity Challenge: Peace be with you.
• The Paper Players: Clean and simple: Christmas
• PTI November 2016 Blog Hop Photo inspiration. Obviously, I was inspired by the yellow pickup with the Christmas tree in the back.
• Rudolph Days: Simply make a Christmas card.

~~~

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 walla, no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!
If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me
your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!

We are still a couple of days away from Thanksgiving in America, but I'm posting now as I'll be up to my elbows cleaning and cooking in the next coupla days, just like so many of you. This will be our 41st Thanksgiving dinner in this house with beloved friends and family. We are more blessed now than we've ever been.

I count each of you as part of my many blessings and I'm grateful to have you here! Here is my card for you:

Since I made a few different designs for this time of year, this is a picture-heavy post. I am going to skip the ingredients, but please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

~~~

Uber CAS. (Look, BABES, I found a way to use some of that Washi tape!)

Gratitude.

Challenges

• Cards in Envy: Thank you card.
• CAS-ual Fridays: Be thankful.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use those snippets.
• Simon Says Stamp Monday: Trio-tastic. Use three of something (stitched fishtail banners; three sequins).

QACAS PP.

The green leaf paper is handmade with a lovely soft texture. These beautiful papers only needed the addition of a simple sediment and some of them work for either gender. Bonus.

~~~

~~~

Enjoy! 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 walla, no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!
If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me
your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

And Now ... Back to Christmas Future

Greetings, Stamplings!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to comment on the STAMPlorations Blog Party on my last post. I'll announce the winner of the $25 GC on November 30th, so there's still time to get in on the action if you'd like!

It must seem strange to bloggers from other countries to see us American bloggers flip-flopping back and forth between Christmas posts one day and Autumn/Fall/Thanksgiving posts the next. But what can we do with the two holidays literally just four weeks and three days apart?! And, of course, we have to mail our cards, don't we, so that means ...

Oh, pother, never mind. We'll just soldier on as best we can! I have more Autumn/Fall/Thanksgiving cards in the curlieque, but today's featured cards are for Christmas:

This card was designed around a piece of Brusho art I made. Can you see the sort of "shattered" lines that look like frost on the window? They came from scrunching cling wrap on top of the Brusho paint while it's still wet. You let it sit for an hour or so and then when you lift the wrap, you get this cool effect. I hated to even cut the piece, but I do like how it looks like an icy frost through the window frame. The window frame was cut with a Poppystamps die called, "Small Madison Window." The heat-embossed MFT sediment is from "Season's Sentiments."

When your embossing powder puckers, does that mean it's old or is it just crappy powder? This one is old and I haven't used it for a while, but I don't think it ever melted smoothly. I just pretend I meant for it to do that.

ETA: I've had an inquiry about the white cardstock from someone who has not left me a way to contact them. It is from England and I first fell in love with it when I was gifted some by my friend Anita. Another friend and I went in together and purchased some from a company called Handy Hippo Crafts. You may be able to find other sources for it. If you have any other questions, please email me or leave me your email address in your comment. Thank you!

Challenges

• City Crafter: Beach colors for Christmas.
• Sweet Stampers: (Brand new, challenge #1!) Christmas.

 

~~~

Next up is a Christmas critter you might be familiar with:

Hammy is being represented today by a stamp by Big Red. He is fussy cut and you may just be able to see that the photographer gave him a liberal coat of Perfect Pearls "Biscotti" because the spray tan that human celebrities use is too harsh for Hammy's fine fur. 

The NBUS sediment was free from Whimsy Stamps and Hammy is posing in shimmer paper holly leaves cut from a Memory Box die called, "Glowing Candles" (sans the candles). The plaid Santa hat is NBUS from Tim Holtz Bird Crazy Accessories. I told him he looked quite dashing in it, so now he refuses to take it off! Hammy, I mean, not Tim! 

Challenges

• CAS on Sunday: Pets.
• The Heart Desires: Photo Inspiration: photo and colors. (Check out the Hammy in the photo!)
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets. Scrambling under the gate tonight!
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Christmas critters.
• Virginia View Challenge: Stripes or plaid. Just missed it.

~~~

I leave you with a "Yule" camellia closeup from the garden.

~~~

Enjoy the weekend! 
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 walla, no more car pool tunnel!
Mwah!
If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me
your email address so I can respond. Thank you!