Simple and Fun

Hello Stamplings!

Welcome to the last day of July! Goodness, I didn't think it would ever get here! NOT! I hope this finds you enjoying summer (or fall) because it's whooshing by!

I want to let you know that we are safe from the terrifying wildfires raging in Northern California. I hope the same is true for the rest of you living near any of the several wildfires burning out of control around the world.

Hammy came back from his adventure raring to go, so we had a lovely crafty weekend with lots to share with you!

Onefer

We broke out the Clarity Stencil Brushes for this QACAS nautical design. I have two left hands when it comes to blending inks with TH doolie-bob blending tools, daubers, and cotton balls. I am better with blending since the Vancouver retreat where I blended with my expert artist friends, but for me the brushes still work better. I used an old unmarked line stencil and an old unmarked rubber stamp for the moon/sun. The sediment is from PTI and the embossing folder is Stately from Craft Concepts.

Challenges

• Less Is More: One-layer card with stripes.
• Seize the Birthday: Toppings: stripes.
• TIME OUT: Photo inspiration.

Twofer

For this OLC QACAS design, I used a Tim Holtz stencil number 10, masking a circle and a square for the images from Paper Smooches, "My Peeps." I used an SU Sizzix stripe embossing folder and I colored the cool chick with my Ziggies, giving her some cool chick eyeballs.

I'm linking to Back to Basics and Beyond (use an embossing folder) and Use Your Stuff (free week / color suggestions).

Threefer

This card was made for the current challenge at Inkspirational where the brief is to make a card in ten minutes or less. Using a linen card base, I stamped the Uniko "Beautiful Blooms II" flower and colored it with my Ziggies. I stamped the simple sediment and ran the card front through the BS using the same striped embossing folder I used in the card above. 

This card is so simple, it's silly, but I know the lady who will find it in her mail box will be thrilled to know I was thinking of her. It only took me a little over four minutes to bring someone joy!

Fourfer

Finally, another Christmas card. I'm so far behind I can see my own wide load in front of me! For this card, I used a star stencil and a dauber to daub stars in gold Brilliance ink. Then I spanked splashed the panel in Oxie aqua ink and when dry, I drew panel lines with a gold pen. The gold reindeer is from my stash and I die cut the holiday sediment in silver glitter foam.

I'm entering this card in the current Jingle Belles challenge where the brief is to use the blog banner as inspiration. I'm also playing in the July Rudolph Days Challenge.

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A Break in the Action

I've been having a serious flare of my Crohn's Disease for the last several weeks which is now necessitating bowel resection surgery. Surgery will be on August 2nd, so I'm taking a short break. I'll be back on August 10th with my Twofer Card Challenge inspiration. While I'm gone, please be naughty, have fun, and remember . . .

Enjoy your days! 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!)

Same Difference

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you are safe and dry wherever you are. And contented.

The Mister and I were discussing current events and at one point I shrugged and said, "Same difference." He knew immediately what my next words were going to be: "Hey! My friends who live in my computer will want to know the etymology of that idiomatic phrase!" And I got right on it.

The term "same difference" doesn't actually make any sense and is not grammatechnically correct. What you're actually saying is that a thing is not the same, that it is different, but that the difference is so slight as to make it not worth noting, hence: same difference. The earliest known use of the oxymoronic phrase in print was in 1945 in a book titled, "I am Gazing Into My 8-Ball," by New York gossip columnist Earl Wilson.

Today my twofers are, in fact, different. 

This is one of my QACAS (quick and clean and simple) cards that are easy to make and easy to mail. In a large mixing bowl combine a colored card base and a freshly washed leaf of white paper pierced with your awl or an Avery Elle Dotted Die. Gently fold in a NBUS "Swirling Cutwork" die from Memory Box, a sediment inked to match the card base, and three itty-bitty blings. 

Twofer

This sunset-colored rose duo is a CASE (copy and share everything) of my friend Lolly's beautiful coral rose card. Please check out Stamping With Loll to see her card and read her post where she explains this fun technique so well! I changed my paint colors slightly, used a different sediment, and splattered my card panel with gold. (Hammy went on a two-day backpacking trip with his cousins who are visiting from New Mexico, so, gasp, this card is not winked!)

Challenges

• Back to Basics and Beyond: Use an embossing folder.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything goes.
• Stamping Sensations: July: In my garden.

~~~

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!)

Splashing About

Hello Stamplings,

I had started an opening in my usual perky way, but I've changed gears to share a bit of sadness first. I promise I'll end on a happy note. All across any country, there are incidents and accidents that happen every hour of every day: car accidents, roller coaster accidents, animal bites, killings, tornadoes, falls down stairs, etc., etc. It's never-ending and sad for all those involved.

But an accident occurred near Branson, Missouri on Thursday that is so tragic it bears noting. A boat capsized on a lake when a sudden storm came out of nowhere. It was an amphibious boat. Seventeen people died ranging in age from 1 to 70. That's horrible by itself, but unspeakably, NINE of those people were from the same family.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the members of that devastated family and the other families who lost loved ones in the accident. Suddenly, your painful elbow doesn't hurt as much, the fight you had with your cousin seems ridiculous, and the scorching heat will pass. You just want to hold your family close. Nothing else matters as much.

~~~

I had a bit of a splash earlier in the week before all this happened and my first card turned out to be a bit prophetic.

Onefer

The drops are from Designs by Ryn. Hostess Nancy is encouraging us to have a splashing good time this month at CAS Watercolor. You can find an excellent video about this technique here. It's as simple as it sounds. Splat some watercolor inks or scribble some watercolor markers onto a surface, spritz liberally with water, and then splash your card panel into the ink.

Personally, I think it should be called the "spank" technique because I feel more like I'm spanking my craft mat. Bad mat! Hammy, of course, likes to run in as close as he can so the pretty colors splash all over his fur. Sigh. I try to adopt that attitude, too, after having ruined a few nice tops because I forgot to change before I spanked my ink.

Challenges

• CAS Watercolour July Challenge: Splash Watercolouring.
• Color Throwdown.

Twofer

This birthday design is not CAS, but it is simples as can be. For this card, I splashed a whole card front panel. I thought the NBUS Bloomtangled Cover Plate #2 from Stamplorations was perfect to let the background be the star. I used a pink vellum for the white heat-embossed sediment from WPlus9 so it didn't detract from the splashy background. 

This card reminds me of a pretty summer dress with an eyelet bodice. Raise your hand if you've ever heard the word "bodice."  What a lovely old-timey word that is. Or was. Come to think of it, the word eyelet isn't exactly bandied about any more either. I think I need to up my word relevancy so I can be straight fire with the young'uns.

Challenges

• Fusion Card Challenge: Playing with just the inspiration photo.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Use a die or punch.
• Use Your Stuff: Birthday.

~~~

Speaking of old-timey ... I mentioned recently that we went to a wedding last weekend. Dan and Rachel and the young misters Adam and Henry also attended. These 13-year-olds were gentlemen and well-behaved throughout the ceremony and reception which lasted a few hours. As we left to walk to the car, the boys stopped to visit the restroom and came out looking like this! 

They did this apropopo of nothing but their imaginations. With a raised eyebrow and a pointed look, their father asked, "What's happening here?" They responded, "These are our Frontier Socks." What a hoot!

~~~

Give-Away Winner!

Several of you entered the drawing for the hamster Coffee and Tea set and Hammy drew the winning name out of a teacup. Congratulations to Lisa of A Mermaid's Craft!! Lisa, please email me your mailing address and I will get the gift in the mail to you.

(Don't mention Hammy's whiskers in your comment. He's a bit self-conscious about them. He has never been able to get them to straighten out after he was in the suitcase for so long traveling to and fro England a coupla years ago. Sshhh!)

~~~

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!)

Reminder TCC #7 ~ Hammy and the Teacup

Hello Stamplings!

JUWelcomeLY!

I hope you had a great weekend! The Mister and I went to beautiful Monterey for a destination wedding and had a super time. The wedding couple have known each other for six years and yet they were literally jumping up and down and giggling with happiness! Well, the bride was, but we could tell the groom was giddy on the inside! We've known him since he was a baby, so it was a very special celebration.

I came home and got busy with the hamster making reminder cards for you for the July Twofer Card Challenge. The prompt is "Beverage" and, of course, these cards HAD to happen! He was very good about sitting in the teacup for me to take many photographs until late in the afternoon.

Just look how chuffed he is to be the center of attention again!

Onefer

The background is an embossed glossy paper which I made into a shaker card. I bought some glittery tulle (cough) months ago when everyone else was using it to make their shaker card fronts and I finally got around to using it. I love the look. I'm sorry I didn't get a good angled shot showing the schparkle in the tulle and the little bits of jewels.

This sweet Hammy is stamped using a Your Next Stamp stamp and die set called "Hammie - Coffee and Tea." (The name is misspelled, but that's okay.🐹) The stamped sediment is from MFT.

Challenges

• Just Add Ink: Just add "T" = Teacup.
• Lost Coast Portal to Creativity: No human body.
• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Add a little sparkle.

 

Twofer

Using the same hamster teacup, I made this birthday design. Because I colored the teacups in rainbow hues, I left the hamsters uncolored. I'm questioning that choice now as they do look a bit like the albino hamster family you find in the very back of the pet store!

The background is a piece of specialty paper from GKW that I've had in my stash forever. The flagged "Happy" die is from PTI. I layered it a few times for more dementia. Hammy thinks if you squint your eyes, it looks like it says "Hammy!"

I don't often say when I really like one of my own cards because, you know, I'd rather hear it from you, but I have to say it this time. With all that winking and glossing on those teacups, the sheen and design of the background, that silly smiling hamster, and the thick special shelf for the teacups, I'm crazy in love with this one!

Challenges

• CAS Mix Up Challenge: Colour your die cuts, stamping, and die-cutting.
• Inkspirational: Birthday.
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets!

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Thank you if you've already played in this month's Twofer Card Challenge!

If you haven't played, won't you give it a try? Many of you say the thought of making two different designs with the same stamp or die is intimidating. It might help if you think of it as making two cards for two different sketches. Make them two days apart, if that helps, but don't forget to capture them both in one photo for linking. A lot of us make several different coffee-related card designs throughout the year, so I know you can do this beverage thing!💕

~~~

Surprise Give Away!

Since I showcased Hammy in the teacup as my "beverage" cards today, he wanted to offer a special prize to one lucky commenter. No matter where you are in the world, if you would like to be in a draw for your own "Hammie - Coffee and Tea" set, please say so in your comment! I will announce the winner in my next post in a few days.

 Your Next Stamp

~~~

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!)

Flying Gnats and a Coupla Cards

Hello Stamplings! I hope this finds you feeling terrific!

I'm dealing with a bad case of random thinking. I've told you before that at my age, I'm finding my thoughts have become word gnats. They flit in and out of my consciousness in such a way that I can't form a complete sentence, find the right words, or remember what it was I was going to tell you.

When I compare my thoughts to gnats, do you know the bug I'm talking about, or is gnat a regional word? You might call them chiggers, or midges, or fruit flies, or no-see-ums. They are pesky minuscule flying critters that sometimes fly around your left eyebrow, your ear, or the base of your nostrils. The phrase that something "bugs you" comes from being harassed by one or more of these guys!

You start by just waving your hand in front of your face. That doesn't work. You do it a few times anyway.

Now you're getting slightly agitated so you try to kill the dang thing by clapping your hands. As an external optimist, each time you clap, you are positive you caught it and you open your hands expectantly, only to find them empty. Before you can even go back to typing or coloring, it's back again!

By the fourth or fifth time, you completely lose your mind and just start clapping the air all around your face like a woman possessed, elbows flying, until you get too close to your own fool face and knock your glasses off your nose which sends them flying across the desk and onto the floor where they skid to a halt under the legs of your (dog)(hamster)(cat). Because, you know, by now you've woke the critter, who stands there ears up and eyes wide, ready to save you. He's not sure from what, because he can't see anything and, by the way, is that you? He isn't sure, given your disheveled hair and clothes, your red face, and that wild and crazy look in your eyes. And why are you panting? Play ball?

Well, there you go. I was telling you all this to explain how I was having trouble corralling my thoughts to open my post today and now you've prolly clicked off because the opening is too long!

Tomorrow's word of the day will be "irony."

~~~

If you stayed (or scrolled) through all that, real quick here are my cards:

An uber QACAS card, this sweet thing was made with PB Stickeroos. I matted the image to a colored card base and added a simple sediment punctuated by a trio of flat sequints.

Challenges

• Always Fun Challenges: Anything goes.
• Less Is More: Olive and Tangerine.

Twofer

It's Christmas in July throughout Blogland and I used a "Stitched Poinsettia" die from Poppystamps to make this bright red and juicy card. I cut the image from the card base and left the cut in the opening. Then I cut it twice more, once again in red, and once in green for the leaves, which I plumped with my stylist. The "merry" die is also from Poppystamps, cut from white foam.

Challenges

• AAA Cards: Christmas in July.
• CAS Mix Up July Challenge: Coloured die cut, stamping, and more die-cutting. (Oops. I went to link my card and I misread the brief. Please note YOU are to color your die cuts, not cut your dies from color paper!) Alternatively, I will enter this in the CAS Christmas Challenge as my second entry for "Poinsettia."
• Stamp Ink Paper: Christmas in July.

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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! (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!)