Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Rudolph Days, Too

Hello Stamplings!

Greetings on this day before Thanksgiving! I'm wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so very thankful for YOU and to show you how much I prechiate you, I broke out in NBUS and made you two gratitude cards!

Onefer

Last year I received a card from my dear friend Harriet using this beautiful Gentle Leaf Collage die from Poppystamps. I loved it so much I immediately bought it. Then I put it away. Once again, I wish I had a second story on the Playhouse. That way I could leave all my NBUS out in the open until it's used. Santa, are you listening?! 

But, no matter, as long as it gets used eventually. The sediment is also NBUS from the Choose Joy set by PTI. I heat-embossed it in copper as befits autumn. The stitched border is from MFT and the background is a piece of pp. The schplatters are by Hamself, back from his travels just in time to play with the Thanksgiving turkey wishbone!

Challenges

• Poppystamps: Fall frolic.
• Shopping Our Stash: So thankful.
• Work It Wednesday (SSS): Autumn/Gratitude.

Twofer

This second card of thankfulness features one of my favorite therapeutic activities: inlaid die piecing. The NBUS Feather Tree Frame is from Poppystamps. It was cut from and backed with two shades of light-weight glossy paper. It's almost like wrapping paper and I have no idea where it came from. I have several sheets of it in different colors which have been around for donkey's ears. The NBUS "Perky Thank You" die is from Memory Box. It was cut from a red and gold-embossed snippet in my stash.

Challenges

• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets!
• Stinkin' Inkers: Die-lirious and punchy.
• Words 2 Crafty By: Thankful to have a cup.

Threefer

I have to toss in a Christmas card ...

... because this is the marvelous Maureen's last Rudolph Days challenge of the year. Thank you, Mo, for reminding us each month throughout the year to work on our Christmas cards stash! This lovely NBUS wreath called "Homespun" is from Penny Black. I purchased it on my recent fun retreat in Nashville, Indiana. The sentiment is from GKW and the little berries were made with Nuvo crystal drops. It's hard to see, but the pine cones are dotted with snow and glossified.

Challenges

• ABC Christmas: W is for Wreath or X is for fauX.
• Penny Black and More: November challenge is Christmas.
• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas goes!

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We had a great time with the grandtwins over the weekend! They did a fantastic job decorating the tree! Even Nellie got into the Christmas spirit!

Nellie's Santa outfit was a hand-me-down and it was a tad too tight for her, so it didn't stay on long. I hope someday she'll forgive us for laughing so hard when the hat slipped down over one eye making her look like a Christmas pirate!!

~~~

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

I'll see you next month! 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!)

Cute / Classy / Cozy Christmas

Hello Stamplings!

As the title says, I have a Threefer of CEE creations for you. No, that's not a new aaackronym I made up. It simply stands for the letter C in the alphabet soup. You know, just me being cilly.

When I saw the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch last week, it was SO clean and simple that I had to play along, so I made this set of triplet cards. Then I looked out the window and the challenge ended. But that's okay, I'm sharing them anyway because they're cute and they fit other fabulous challenges.

These cute critters are NBUS, from Stampingbella. I embossed the card base with snow. Then I heat-embossed three snippets of icy blue vellum with platinum e/p using three different 'peace, love, and joy' stamps I own. I watercolored the chicklets with my Ziggies, fussy cut them, and popped them on ice. A twist of lemon and they're delish!

Challenges

• Perfectly CAS: Christmas
• Pixie's Snippets Playground: Use your snippets!
• HLS: November CAS: Tis the season.

Twofer

I covered a white card base with a piece of vellum that came speckled in gold. Over that I placed a sediment that was heat-embossed in platinum on vellum. Next, I white heat-embossed this beautiful Waltzingmouse poinsettia on metallic gold paper, fussy-cut it, and attached it to the card front. Hopefully, you can get a sense of the shine and schparkle from the gold and platinum.

Challenges

• The Flower Challenge: Add spots or stripes.
• Just Add Ink: Just choose two: stars, spots, sparkle. My card has spots and sparkle.
• TIME OUT: Celebrations.

Threefer

The underskirt on this pretty card is a background I made using Lindy Magicals. Over that I laid a panel of white which was die-cut with a NBUS Creative Expressions "Poinsettia Edger" die. The sediment is from Hero Arts.

Challenges

• CAS Christmas: Warm and cozy.
• HLS Anything Goes With Dies.
• The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.

~~~

Even though it will be weird to have our Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving, with Thanksgiving being so late, we are having the boys with us today and tomorrow to help put up the tree and decorations. We want to keep up that tradition because they'll be all grown up soon. If all goes well, there will be a 2019 photo posted soon, but I shake my head as I type this ... doesn't it seem like you just saw the 2018 photo of them with the tree?! Anyway, I'm glad they're here because Hammy has been off visiting his family and even with sweet Nellie here, I always miss him when he's away.🐹

Enjoy your 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 wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Fiona Hill for President! 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!)

Oxi Metallic

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you're having a great day!

I'm popping in real quick to share an oxidized (non-Christmas) metallic make with you.

As usually happens with these mixed media makes, this was not the least bit intimidating! It was easy and fun. I used a sheet of T. Holtz silver paper and splashed alcohol inks about. I love the way these two play together! 

Once dry, I embossed with a 3D panel from Sizzix 662455. The flowers and flourishes and pearls really do look oxidized and the sheenanigans are incredible in the reality of life! I attached the panel to a square card base that I first embossed with a pierced rectangle die. A simple sediment finished it off.

Challenges

• Addicted to CAS: Birthday. 
• CAS Mix Up: Oxidized Metal plus stamping plus embossing.
• Craft Stamper Magazine: Take It Make It.

This time I really meant real quick! There's a first time for everything!😲

~~~

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!)

PBSC and TCC Greenery

Hello Stamplings!

Happy weekend wherever you are! I have more wonderful Christmas inspiration for you today.

First up is my reminder of the Penny Black Saturday Challenge which is in full swing! So many of us have beloved Penny Black stamps or stickeroos in our possession and that's all you need to enter the challenge because it's always "Anything Goes." 

And this month you have the option of entering tags, if you'd like. Here is mine to inspire you:

The Penny Black stamp featured on my tag is called Christmas Lights. Using a background made from Lindy Magicals, I die-cut a stitched tag from My Favorite Things. The stamp and Penny Black sediment (Merry Delight) are both gold-embossed and I added clear baubles over the red colored ornaments to add dementia. A pretty gold ribbon with a double bow finished it off.

It's lovely to see so many entries in the gallery and I hope you'll get a chance to enter, too! The challenge is open until December 6, 2019, and there is a $20 prize from 1-2-3 Stitch!!

TCC

Speaking of reminders, I normally post by Twofer Card Challenge reminders on the 17th, but rather than have three days of posts in a row, I am including them here ...

... especially since I loved this stamp so much I also used it for my TCC reminders! I want to thank the artist for creating an image that Hammy and I feel can be used every which way!

Here it is as a sideways OLC:

And here it is upside-down!

I'm just whackadoodle enough that this way is my favorite way! There's just something about the elegant flow this way. Of course, if we do angle it this way, then we have baubles that appear to defy gravitas. No worries. Hammy suggests we think of them as Christmas lollies on the tree! This design is all about gold embossing, shiny gold card, and schparkly gold bling!

Challenges

• Country View: Handstamped.
• Sparkles: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
• Sweet Stampers: Christmas.
• Watercooler Wednesday: Marsha's All About Occasions.

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Remember, this month the Twofer Card Challenge has a TWIST! You are allowed to make two different designs using the same stamp, die, or stencil for the SAME occasion! I can't wait to see your lovely holiday greenery Twofers (in any color) in the gallery! The challenge is open until the end of day on November 24th.

~~~

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!)

Felix

Felix wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings. He had just left through the back door of the paint factory where he worked. He hoped the boss hadn't seen him because he had been fired from every other company in Franklin Township due to his insatiable curiosity. The truth was, he was a living cartoon stereotype of a cat. And now he'd done it again.

As he slowed to a lope and stopped, Felix realized he was standing in the alley behind Miss Peterson's house. She taught piano lessons. “Great,” Felix thought, “all I need is for one of those kids to see that I spilled pink paint all over myself!” He knew they would taunt him mercilessly, just as they had done before with the mustard, and then the feathers, and all the rest.

Felix hurried further down the alley looking right and left for somewhere to hide. When he reached the dead end, he sat down, thoroughly dejected. Time slowly passed and Felix became aware that clouds had gathered.

Rain?!

Felix stood up on his back legs and raised his paws in the air, prayerfully thinking, “Oh, yes, please, please, sweet merciful rain!!” Even though he was deathly afraid of water, Felix jumped up and down and twirled around, hoping the universe would let loose.

 

Finally dizzy, Felix spun to a halt and looked up to see huge raindrops begin to fall. "WHOA,” he thought to himself, gulping. “Steady on, ol' chap!"

Digging his claws into the uneven gravel, Felix whimpered as he realized the universe wasn't going to let him get away with this latest CATastrophe scot free. First, he was going to have to take some pain right smack in the face from the biggest raindrop he had ever seen!

Darnell Knauss, Author

Cornelia Wenokor, Illustrator

©11/15/2019
Vol. 1 Ep. 15
See The Back Stories tab at the top for all episodes.

(There will be no back stories in December.)

Holiday Branches

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you're having a great week! I'm knee-deep in all products Christmas and am shocked (as I am every year) by how much of it is NBUS. Do you think Hammy has figured out how to get on the computer in the middle of the night and order things?! I'm not complaining because it's like Christmas when the mail comes, but he needs to finger out a way to give me more hours in the day to USE everything!

Anyhoozle, we're all busy this time of year, so I'll prolly do more posts, but quick ones, just to share the cards I'm making which may spark ideas for you. Today I have cards I made using a NBUS full-size Holiday Branches stamp from Echo Park. The design itself is a CASE of a card made by Jenny Mullens, which  I saved from a Craft Stamper magazine ages ago. Thank you, Jenny!

The great thing about using a full-size stamp is that you can cut it in half and make two cards using the same design, as I've done here, or you can cut it into even smaller pieces for borders, small panels, etc. Wait. What? Clumsy me. What I meant to say was you can cut the stamped panel in half, not the actual stamp! (Is it bedtime yet?)

To begin the card, I did a watercolor smooch panel on mixed media paper using shades of green Distress Ink. (It's Evergreen Spruce that takes on a bluish tint.) For the first card above, the white heat-embossed sediment is from The Ton. The die-cut sediment on the second card is from Creative Expressions. The white paint lines on both cards were made with a Pen-Touch paint pen, a gift from Lolly, and the schplatters are watered down gouache paint.

Challenges for card one:

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Make your mark.
• CAS Watercolor: Monochrome.
• CAS Christmas: Warm and cozy.

Challenges for card two:

• Country View: Hand-stamped.
• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas: Anything Christmas goes.
• Krafty Chicks: {Winter.}

 

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Here's one of another Twofer I made using the same stamp heat-embossed in white. I wanted to show you how pretty it looks on gold paper. The yummy-textured snow paper is from my friend Chrissie. I'm don't know the manufacturer of the Be Merry die. I used an American Crafts gold metallic pen for the transition line.

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps: Anything goes.
• Cards for Galz: Let it snow.
• Christmas Kickstart: Snow.

~~~

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!* Please keep the residents and fire fighters in New South Wales Oz, in your prayers as they deal with the catastrophic fires.

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!

Note to Bette: I don't have your email address, so I hope you see this. Chester's card was made by Cornelia. The stamps used for Chester are from Cats on Appletrees. In the future, if you ever have any questions about the card illustrations on The Back Stories, you can always click on Cornelia's name at the bottom of the story and that will take you to her blog for details about her amazing cards. Thank you for asking!

*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!)