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!

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