Merry Holiday Bubbling and 2,021 Wishes for Next Year!

Hello Stamplings!

I miss you! I'm popping in from my Bloggie Break to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year! Thank you all for coming to visit me last year and for leaving your loving comments, even at times when I've been very lax about returning the flavor! Mwah!

Here we all are, bringing you a smile. 

Back: Dan, Rachel. Front: Adam, Kevin, Darnell w/Nellie, Henry.                                         Duke, Jack

Well, you can't see our smiles, but we hope it brings you a smile, nevertheless. We will never forget Covid Christmas 2020 that's for sure! I can imagine the great-great-grandchildren looking through the dusty box of photos decades from now and asking, "Dad, is this the bank robbing branch of the family?" Hey, we have to chuckle to keep from crying!

For those of you who are new friends, the dogs on the right are our granddogs who didn't come for a backyard visit when the photo on the left was taken. Where's Hammy? He's in The Mister's left shirt pocket. We only took two photos because the kids were in a hurry that day and no one noticed that Hammy had chosen that moment to dive down for a raisin!

How About A Game?!

I thought a fun thing for us all to do when we're sitting around is come up with 2,021 reasons why we are welcoming the New Year of 2021. I'll start ...

1. Vaccinations.
2. Hugs.
3. Family get-togethers.
4. Friend get-togethers.
5. Crafty get-togethers.
6. Visiting elderly friends.
7. Indoor church.
8. Hugs.
9. Eating out.
10. Uplifted spirits.
11. Continuing to Zoom.
12. Going to the gym.
13. On-time mail delivery.
14. Vacations.
15. Dieting.
16. Sobering up.
17. Hair salons.
18. Mani Pedis.
19. Hugs.
20. Cleaning lady.
21. Cruises.
22. Movies.
23. Sporting events.
24. Concerts.
25.  ...

Things we won't welcome (and I prolly won't bother with):

1. Wearing shoes.
2. Wearing zippered trousers.
3. Wearing makeup.
4. Dieting.
5. Sobering up.
6.  ...

~~~

Enjoy your holiday! No, seriously, enjoy as much as possible while staying inside your bubble and keeping safe. LITS!* 

I know for many of you the isolation and loneliness, especially during the holidays, is soul-crushing. Know that I care and I am sending you much love and virtual hugs. 

I look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

*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!)

Happy Holidays of Peace Love Joy ~ and Magic

Hello Stamplings!

How are you? I don't know about you, but my bottom is fitting more snugly into my chair today! We missed being with family and friends on Thanksgiving as we traditionally do, but we've been strong so far in 2020 and we don't want to falter now ~ especially with promising vaccines on the horizon. I'd rather be temporarily sad than dead forever! 💀

Fortunately, making cards helps me feel less sad and with so many Christmas cards to make, I'm positively giddy!

I saw this post by my friend Lisa Elton and her colorful Christmas trees schparked this design in my head. The tree and house die is CUTplorations Stitched Winter Landscape. The sediment is stamped in CP Black Jack. I thought it still needed a little sumpin sumpin so I masked and blended a ray of yellow shining on the house. A modern day take on the manger, if you will. Hammy winked the trees.

It turned out that the bottom stitched panel was a little wider than the card base. I could have cut another card base, but I thought it might be fun to add a little dementia, so I stuffed a piece of fun foam behind the hill like a padded bra. Here is another photo to better show you the curvation of the hill with the padding:

Challenges

• Rudolph Days: Anything Christmas goes.
  
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything goes.
  
• STAMPlorations November CAS: Anything CAS goes.
  
• Watercooler Wednesday: Heidi's all about occasions.
  

Twofer

This OLC was made using a NBUS wreath stamp from Spellbinders. I needed another wreath stamp like a hole in the head, but I love red rubber stamps that have the shading etched in the rubber to make it easy for you to look like an expert no-line watercolorist. The sediment is from Fiskars. 

I used markers and the 'direct-to-stamp' technique which I love and which is so easy with this stamp. Of course, Hammy was ready with his winker. Even with the red and white accenting, the whole card only took 15 minutes to make.

Challenges

• Less Is More: OLC "Festive."
  
• The Card Concept: I used the Clean and Simple style and I was inspired by the greenery and berries.
  
• TIME OUT: "Quick."

Threefer

Today is my friend Susan's 70th birthday and our mutual friend Lolly is acknowledging the happy occasion with a post and a linkup on her blog Stamping With Loll. Here is my card for Susan which I'm linking at Lolly's.

This nearly OLC card is the result of our last Zoom session where we did a technique of applying Versamark to a stamp, then gently pouncing powdered inks directly on the stamp, spritzing it lightly, and then stamping it onto paper. I used the Passionate stamp by Penny Black, Lindsey Magical powders (which leave wonderful glimmer and schparkle), and mixed media paper. 

At first I thought this would be a bit of a muddy mess because I couldn't really be precise with the powder, but I went along. After I stamped the first card panel, I was surprised and delighted to see how successful the technique was! 

As we all chatted away, I continued spritzing and stamping panel after panel, liking the results more and more each time. I ended up getting 14 gorgeous stampings. I finally stopped when the ladies implored me to "let it go!" 😆 Here they are laid out on the Playhouse floor:

I'm sorry you can't see the subtileties that showed up as the vibrancy of the ink faded. I can't wait to try this again with other solid stamps. Thanks again, Lolly, and Happy very-special-milestone Birthday, Susan!

Challenges

• Fun Friday (YNS): Make a card specifically for someone.
  
• Krafty Chicks: All occasions.
  
• Seize the Birthday: Anything birthday goes, with option of sparkle and shine.

~~~

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, but keep safe! LITS!*

I am taking a break from posting for December, although I hope to do a bit of visiting, and I plan to post a December NBUS Challenge for you to share your accomplishments. I'm feeling like the Playhouse needs a reorg and I'll try once again to prioritize and tackle NBUS Mountain. It will also serve to simply remind me of what I have in my cupboards and drawers because, you know, forgetfulness is my super power now! I hope you all stay safe and make your holidays happy the best way you can!

*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!)

I Tip My Hat and Thank You

Hello Stamplings!

How's your day going? I hope you have/had a Sunday Funday! We're all fine, grateful to make it through another week in good health when so many haven't. Thank you for your good wishes about my mystery allergy attack last week. I'm all better now and still have no idea what set it off. 

I'm plugging along with my Christmas cards. In a year where I've basically been a shut-in, you'd think I would have had my 223 cards done by August! Hammy and I talked about it and he reminded me of all the days I sat numbly staring at the TV nursing a wodka. Oh. That explains it.

Kidding, just ki(hic)dding! These are the jokes, fokes.

Onefer

I made this card using a Sizzix embossing folder made for Tim Holtz's Alterations line. After embossing, I painted the snowman using my Sparks "Mermaid Sparkle" paint. Then I lightly stenciled a coupla snowflakes in the corners using my Pebbles Pearlescent Chaking Set that hasn't seen the light of day since the turn of the century.

I used aqua fun foam as a mat behind the snowman panel and purple fun foam to die-cut the joy sediment from Lil' Inker. The whole shebang was adhered to a card base and another card got its wings. Sorry. Wrong story.

Challenges

• CAS Christmas Card: Hosted by Trina, she wants non-traditional colours.
  
• SSS Monday: Happy Holidays.
  
• Uniko: Sparkle.

Twofer

This month's Zoom craft session with Lolly and friends focused on using our powdered inks. One of the videos Lolly recommended was this one by Dina Kowal: Watercolour Powder Techniques. After Zooming with my friends, I tried one of Dina's techniques which involved taking an e/f and then scribbling over the raised portion with a white crayon. Then when you apply your Brushos (or other brand), the wax from the white crayon acts as a resist.😲I really love how QACAS and effective this simple technique is! 

Hammy added more interest with some schplatters of POSCA white paint and wallah, stop the clock, another card got its wings. Sorry. Can't help it. 

Challenges

• Double D: Winter Blues.
  
• Just Us Girls: Colour Week: purple, navy, green.
  
• SSS Wednesday: Christmas.
  
• TIME OUT: Quick. 

~~~

My fun and lovely DIL Rachel sent me a coupla 2020 funnies. Enjoy!

And my favorite:

I've given up drinking 'til Christmas.

Bad punctuation.

I've given up. Drinking 'til Christmas.

~~~

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans!🦃I have many things to be thankful for and one of them is your friendship and encouragement. Mwah! 💋

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, but keep safe! LITS!*

*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!)

Seeing Stars Again!

Hello Stamplings!

Well, that week went by fast! 

Dang, I promised myself I wasn't going to say that again in 2020. As horrible as the year has been, we want it to go by fast, and yet we complain about how fast it's whooshing by. What are we, teenagers? 😂

Speaking of whooshing, I'm stopping in quickly today because I am blown up by some allergy and I'm miserable. Although I suffer from seasonal migraines, I don't usually have problems with allergies. The Mister, however, occasionally suffers, so I asked for one of his nonprescription allergy pills. Instead of helping for eight hours, it only helped for about 45 minutes. Dismayed, I asked, "Hon, what's the expiration date on those allergy pills?" 

"1998."

Geez. Old people. Ya gotta love us!

~~~

Circling back to the opening line, I can't believe the current Twofer Card Challenge has only one week left for you to play! It's our last challenge of 2020 and the prompt is STARS. This month there is a TWIST and there are fabulous PRIZES to be won, so check it out! 

Here are my reminder cards to inspire you:

The stamp both my designs have in common is the MFT Shooting Star. I made two different occasion cards, rather than two holiday cards. The card on the left uses a panel of pp in silver and Char Truce. Each of the tiny stars inside the circles schparkles! The stitched scallop die is also from MFT and the sediment is from GKW. The large shining star is cut from silver fun foam. It is the inset star you get when you cut the shooting star. 

(I wish you could see Hammy looking at himself in his mirror, turning this way and that while wearing the outline silver shooting star around his shoulders with it trailing down his back like a cape!)

For the encouragement card, I cut the star from the card front once and from a piece of black card once. I inlaid both pieces back into the card front as shown. Then I used my markers to color the rainbow and I used a little itty-bitty star in my stash to stamp inside the star in matching rainbow inks. That was a bit nerve wracking. I mean racking. Did you know that the correct spelling, according to publishers and purists, does not have the w? You learn something wnew every day.

~~~

I hope you will get a chance to use your ⭐★🌟STARS🌟★⭐ and play along with TCC #33! There's a ton of sensational inspiration on the blog from our talented Guest Designers, Design Team, and awesome gallery!

~~~

~~~

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, but keep safe! 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!)

A Puppy and QACAS Christmas

Hello, my dear Stamplings!

I hope that you are having (or had) (or are about to have) a great day whatever you do (or did). Can you imagine how irritating it would be if I did my whole post that way? I won't. But I'm tempted.

The reason I'm tempted is because I'm really, really punchy right now. The Mister and I have been kept up every night for four nights by a rotten critter under our house. It's a small house so every scratch and movement of a pebble sounds like a monster is about to burst through the floorboards and devour us in our sleep. (Gee, sorry if you are reading this at bedtime!) The soonest exterminator we could find isn't available until Monday.😫

Always something! But, never mind. A card will take your mind off that.

I used one of my many Nestability label dies for the aperture on this cute card done up in black on a pink card base. Gosh and golly, I think I have every size of those labels and I never think to use them. (Slap!) I heat-embossed the sediment (from PTI) using SU's blushing bride e/p. The little dog is an ancient button I've had in my stash for years. Hammy added the little bone from Doodle Bug . . . 

Challenges

• AAA Birthday: For a child.
  
• Seize the Birthday: No toppings.
  
• Watercooler Wednesday: Helen's all about occasions.

. . . There is a story behind this card. One of my nieces recently lost her beloved Chesapeake Bay Retriever and to help fill the loss, she got this darling little dog:

She's a Havanese and her name is Mimi. She only weighs four pounds now, but she'll get to seven or eight pounds. Quite a change from an 80 pound dog, eh? Can you believe those eyebrows? They karack me up! 

Here's a closeup of the button:

You'll see that I colored the tan button with my black marker, except for the snout, eyebrows, and paws to make the button look as much like Mims as I could make it, if you ignore the ears. I had a lot of fun creating this card to make it personal for Katherine.

So now we have three Bichons in the family: our Nellie, my niece's Mimi, and her mom's dog, Cisco. We safely got together with them last week for a quick visit and photo op!

Stop it! How cute is that? They are bred to dance on their back feet, even as puppies! You're entirely welcome! You can come back and look at it anytime you get out of shorts.

Twofer

This very QACAS Christmas card was created using Altenew's Vibrant Spray Die Cut Tape! It's a Washi tape in sticker form. I ordered it after seeing my friend Di make a beautiful batch of cards using it. It comes in a wide large roll. I laid a strip of it down the center of a heavy 8.5 by 11 white card and then I cut that down the middle of the tape to get two front panels. I was able to make 64 Christmas cards with one roll of tape!

I know there are roses on the design, but I  thought it would work just fine for a Christmas design because the colors are Christmassy. The sediment is from Happy Little Stampers. And you know who 🐹 has spent the last several weeks carefully placing three little sequints on each card, bless his crafty little heart!

Challenges

• Altenew Washi Challenge: Wild with Washi contest.
  
• Just Add Ink: Inspiration photo. I thought the colors were perfect.
  
• Krafty Chicks: Christmas.

~~~

Enjoy your day and have a great weekend! No, seriously, enjoy, but be safe! LITS!*

Can someone please tell me when the Medicare commercials will STOP???!

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!)