Sweet Birds and Their Houses

Hello, Stamplings!

And just like that - snap - we have whooshed through the month of February! EGADS!

Should we bring back the word "egads," do you think? Everyone now says OMG, but aren't we getting bored with that and ready for something new? Or rather old-that's-new-again? I like the sound of it.

HLS March CAS Guest Designer

I was delighted to win the Happy Little Stampers January CAS Challenge, which means I get to appear on the new challenge for March as the Guest Designer! The prompt this month is HOME.

I went with a home for a feathered friend rather than for a people friend.

I scribbled some Ziggies onto my craft map and then smooched the edges of my watercolor panel in the inky mess to create a subtle background for my floating metal birdhouse. The birdhouse is from Studio g. The sediment is from "Whatnot Sentiments Four" by Your Next Stamp. The sweet bird is from Memory Box, die cut from a left-over piece of previously smooched paper. Very QACAS.

I'm sure you've got lots of goodies in your craft home to come up with an awesome card to enter! Maybe even more than one!

ETA: Kylie told me the start date for the challenge was March 1st, but she had been drinking ... no, stop it, she just misspoke. It actually doesn't start until March 3rd, so that's why it isn't up on the Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge blog yet. Oops! All of you just got a head's up, lol! Whoot!

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Of course, Hammy and I rarely make just one card. After all, there are two of us, so making two is the least we could do! 

In the sweet package of giant metal brads from Studio g there were two birdhouses and two birds, so Hammy wanted to flip the plot for the second card. Here the birdhouses are from an ancient wooden stamp from Hooks, Lines & Inkers dated 1993! Haha, some of you weren't even born then! Cough. I got rid of most of my wooden stamps a year ago, but there are some, like this one, that are so charming I had to keep them. The sediment is from Penny Black's "Sweet Wishes" set. 

Egads, were you wondering about the structural integrity of the wee birdhouse above? Allow me to  reassure you that this nesting development is over in the Carlton Hills area. The, erm, plump percher is Eugenia, but she doesn't live there. She is just in the neighborhood visiting her cousin Cindy, who is a chickadee on her father's side. The whole reason Cindy lives there is because Eugenia collapsed her last home, so after several months on the wait list, Cindy is happy to finally be in Carlton Hills because she enjoys Eugenia's chirps and stories. Now they both feel safe where the birdhouses are specially constructed and engineered to withstand the forces of rooftop landings up to thirty times the circumference of their total scale diameter.  I knew you would want to know.

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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!

*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! If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

Back on Track

Hello, Stamplings!

It was sad to see the Olympics ending. They are phenomenal athletes and I'm so relieved that everything went off without a hitch!

Every time I sat at the computer and posted a heart card this month, I would turn to Hammy and point to the sign hanging over the hot tub in his cage. It says, "Don't forget Christmas!" But what have we been doing these last few weeks? That's right, eating candy hearts and chocolate and forgetting about Christmas! Naughty.

So we're doing some simple Christmas today.

Bowzer looks so Christmas-y in his bow! Except for the bow, this is a one-layer card using an old wooden stamp from Stamp Gallery. I don't know who makes the cool whimsical Christmas tree. The sediment is from Penny Black and the oval shadow is from PTI.

Challenges

• ABC Christmas: C is for clean.
• As You Like It: Your favorite way to use a sediment and why. I love stamping my sentiment directly to the card front. Prior to the MISTI I could always cover any boo-boo with a sentiment panel; now I can more confidently stamp right to the card front.
• Merry Monday Christmas Card: Photo inspiration.
• Rudolph Days February 2018: AG Christmas.

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This one is a one-layer Christmas card. I just love that bowed bone that comes in the Katzelkraft dog set (as does the dog). The wall texture is a NBUS "Scritch Scratch" stamp from Technique Tuesday and the NBUS sediment is from Lawn Fawn's "Winter Gifts."

Challenges

• CAS on Friday: One-layer wonder.
• Crafty Animals: Anything goes.
• Lost Coast Portal to Creativity: More than two legs.
• Mix It Up: Clean and simple.

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I didn't have a very good time at the dentist's office last Thursday. Not that anyone does. My dentist, who is very sweet, accidentally shot a nerve in my cheek. Usually I can tell when that happens, but not this time. When I got home and the Novocain wore off, I developed a large hematoma in my cheek, migraines up in my head, and a resulting bruise that looks like I got hit in the side of the mouth with a car.

But I'll be fine. These things happen. I'm sorry this has meant I haven't been doing much visiting. Thank you for understanding. I have two appointments to go to today and tomorrow which means everyone will be staring at me in the waiting rooms. The Mister refuses to go wait with me for fear of being arrested and I don't blame him!

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Well, shoot, I can't leave you cringing, so I have a funny for you:

I think that tattoo karacks me up more than anything! Even more than men in tights! 😊😊😊

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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!

*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! If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

Lots of Love!

Hello, Stamplings!

How are you? I don't know about where you are, but here in America, we are having the weirdest winter of bitter cold one day and summery hot the next day! It's really no wonder there is so much sickness going around when our immune systems don't know whether to wear sandals or snow boots!

We are settling back in after our fun long weekend adventure with the boys. Hammy was chafing at the bit to get on the computer and see what challenges were beckoning. (Warning: this is a Big Mug o' Beverage post.)

We started with this number:

Here we have an OLC that fits the bill for a coupla three favorite challenges. I paper-pieced the doodled flower stamp, watercolored the hills and the little doggie with his heart, added the sediment, and added the score lines at the top. Of course, the heart is winked, but doesn't show. That doggie is an old wooden stamp and the sediment is modern, but aren't the two of them perfect for each other?!

(I know my watercoloring looks a little puddly, but that wasn't from my paints, that was from a certain little doggie getting piddly, as dogs do.)

Challenges

• CAS Watercolour Card Challenge: Heart.
• The Flower Challenge: Paper-piecing.

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Twinfers

Wait. What? Yes, that's right. Please don't confuse these next two cards as the kind of twofers we like to see in the Twofer Challenge, because these twofers are identical designs ~ that makes them Twinfers!

First, a birthday card:

I wondered how the fabulous Heartstrings die from Concord & 9th would look cut from this red and white foil and vellum paper from SU. The paper is in a candy cane pattern, so I've only ever used it for Christmas, but why limit it to that? Above is the heart cut from the textured paper and then painstakingly inlaid with all those pieces of vellum. 

BTW, that beautifully textured white paper was a gift from my friend Sue after I complimented her one day on the paper she used. Did I mention she sent it from the UK to America?! Card artists are such kind and generous folk!

Challenges

• HLS February CAS Challenge: Hearts.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets!
• Seize the Birthday: AG, no toppings.

Below is the outline part of the die-cut heart, made into a Hello card:

That makes your eyes go a little bonkers though, doesn't it?! Sorry. I'm not loving the flag sentiment banners on these two cards. I mean, I love them, as such, but I wish I'd gone with something smaller that didn't compete with the heart for focus pocus. We live and learn. Sadly, sometimes that happens after the foam tape has stuck to the card!

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I'll leave you with some photos of our weekend with Adam and Henry.

They are hardy young men! That is me in the upper right photo all bundled up at the bottom of the rock. It was about 52 degrees and blowing a gale, but those imps are in shorts! We had a great time!

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Enjoy your day! (Me, not so much cuz I'm off to the dentist to get another crown!) But, seriously, you enjoy yours! 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! If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

Ace of Hearts & Flowers

Hello, Stamplings!

I hope you are having a great weekend wherever you are! Papa and I are having fun with the grandtwins over the long President's Day weekend! The weather will be beautiful so we'll be walking on the beach, fishing along the river, and hiking among the redwoods, making memories!

Beforehand I made a coupla more Twofer cards for you. I mean, I can't very well ask you to keep making heart cards until February 24th for the Twofer Card Challenge if I don't stretch myself, too! I'm enjoying finding ways my heart stamps and dies can be used other than once a year for Valentines!

Onefer.

I bought this NBUS stamp and die set (cough) years ago from CAS-ual Fridays because my sisters and I love playing cards when we get together, but I put the set away and completely forgot about it! And it's such a cute set! The border is Washi tape from Mike's and I've glossified the small hearts to make them look like enamel embellies.

BTW, the set comes with lots of sediments! This sediment, "You're Aces" can be used for a graduation or any type of celebratory occasion card, or a thank you card, or an encouragement card, etc. ~ and it works for both gals and guys.

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: CAS (Clean and Simple).
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Add A Die Cut.
• TIME OUT Challenges: Hobbies (no twist.) For me and my sisters, playing cards qualifies as a hobby ~ maybe even a sport!

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Twofer.

Using the same exact hearts, I made fragile long-stemmed flowers for this airy birthday card. The stems and leaves are from MFT's "Build-able Bouqet." Simply adding some matching matting, doing some winking, and adding a butterfly 3D sticker finishes this pretty card!

Challenges

• Butterfly Challenge.
• Cardz 4 Galz: Stamping (no digis).
• Color Throwdown: Amazing colors below.

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HEARTfelt thanks to all of you who have already played in Twofer Card Challenge #2!! If you haven't played yet (or you want to play again), I hope I have inspired you! Mwah!

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My little heart flowers remind me of these sweet bulbs blooming again in the back yard, so here are my annual photos for you!

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Enjoy your day!  No, seriously, enjoy!  LITS!*

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and a 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 favor!

*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!

Musical Birthdays and Heartfelt Hugs

Hello, Stamplings!

Are you finding it difficult to step away from the Olympics and do anything else? I love the skating in particular and can watch it hour after hour! I think I must have been part of an Olympic ice-dancing couple in a former life. Oh, hahahaha, the very idea!

I did roller skate as a kid for a short time, but I never ice-skated. Poor Mister tried to teach me to ice skate back in the glory days of our dating. Back when he didn't have to worry about a hernia from picking me up when I fell. And fall I did, again and again! I'm not saying I did it on purpose to have him put his arms around me to help me up. Okay, yes, I'm saying it.

Thanks to a reminder from Hammy, I did tear myself away from the TV to make this ...

Using an MFT die, I cut a rectangle frame from a stamped musical background stamp from SU. The NBUS "Elegant Musical Staff" is from Poppystamps. This QACAS design was specifically made to help Less is More celebrate their 7th birthaversary!! Congratulations, ladies, and here's to many more!!

Coinkadinkily, a tweak of the design ...

made this card perfect for the photo inspiration at TIME OUT Challenges!

Thirdly, another heart design ...

A deep red coral embossed panel made a fun background for the splattered (but intact) heart from Concord & 9th. A simple card filled with love and hugs! Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!!

Challenges

• Die Cut Divas: Love is in the air!
• Moving Along With the Times: Love.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets!

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Enjoy your day!  No, seriously, enjoy!  LITS!*

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and a 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 favor!

*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! p.p.s. Did you notice one of the frames of the musical cards is upside down?! I know nothing of musical notes and they all looked every which way to me! I paid attention with the second card and noticed the cut-out part had numbers on it, so I know that the second gold card is right-side up!

My Hearts for Twofer Card Challenge #2

Hello, Stamplings!

Happy 10th of February already! I thought it would take ages between one Twofer Card Challenge ending and a new one beginning, but the time whooshed by and here we are again! I do hope you aren't sick of making cards with hearts! 

Here is my duet to inspire you:

Onefer. Wedding card.

This multi-layered card is for a summer wedding of a dear family friend. I don't know yet what their colors are so I went with a shimmery neutral theme. The paper is a beautiful specialty paper. If you click to enlarge, maybe you can see that it is a silky linen shot through with creamy white embossed lines. Too bad there isn't "feel-avision" on our blogs!

I filled my design landscape with the gorgeous and intricut NBUS heart. It is an M&C Boutique die that I received quite a while back from my friend Ros. The pattern is roses and butterflies. I kept the bits in place and popped the heart on foam. I tied it to the card with a creamy velvet ribbon to symbolize two souls uniting as one. In case that was too subtle, I added layered sediment dies to let them know they are now together forever! Or forever together!

It just occurs to me that when I find out what the wedding colors are, I can replace the ribbon with one of a different color which will make it more personalized without changing my design. Whoop!

Twofer. Valentine card.

For my second design, I used pops of color and left a lot of white space by setting the same heart die off the edge of the card. Here you can see the pattern of the die a little better and again I used a pretty linen card base. I like that there are only three elements to the design: the heart, the butterfly, and the sediment. With the help of my MISTI, I could stamp the sediment in colored ink repeatedly for complete coverage. Can you see that the little heart is wearing a bit of gloss?

The butterfly was made by running the same heart through the cutter with a piece of pp. I then freed the butterfly to use it to punctuate the message of the sediment. You might notice the bottom wings appear differently on the "freed" butterfly. What happened was I wasn't paying attention and I accidentally cut through the left dealie-bobber on the bottom of the butterfly's wings when I was freeing her from the die-cut. Oops. It seemed only right to amputate the other one for balance purposes.

This Valentine card is really a love note. It's the perfect size to slip into the Mister's motorcycle tank bag so he finds it when he goes on a ride tomorrow!

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Here is the official prompt badge for February

Head over to the Twofer Card Challenge to see the amazing Twofer designs the rest of the Design Team has created for your inspiration!

I can't wait to see what Twofer designs you create for two separate occasions! (At least you won't have to go digging around for your heart stamps and dies like you did for your feathers!!😊 Mwah!)

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Enjoy your day!  No, seriously, enjoy!  LITS!*

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and a 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 favor!

*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!