Elephants to Ants

Hello Stamplings!

How are you on this numerically historic date of 2/22/22? 

My heart goes out to my friends all across the UK and Europe from Storms Dudley and Eunice. I was going to make up a funny story about Dudley and Eunice and that third wheel Franklin, but there's nothing amusing about the damage they have caused. The photos I saw of the waves crashing onshore were incredible and terrifying. I hope you are all safe and power has been restored.

Another week has slipped by, but this week I have been kept busy ... um, I'll get back to you on what has kept me busy when it comes back to me. In the meantime, I did drop everything yesterday to make a coupla cards for upcoming birthdays and challenges.

Onefer

Sorry, not sure why this looks blurry on the monitor. This design is a combination of BUS and NBUS!😂The effalumps are from an ancient set of stamps from WPlus9 called, "Unforgettable." I couldn't believe it when I finished fussy-cutting them and put them away in the stamp set, turned the set over, and there were matching dies that I'd forgotten I had. Slap! Crafting Who Old. It's a thing. We should think up a new aaaaaaackronym! 

The balloons were blended through a SSS stencil using CP inks and I used a NBUS birthday greeting from SSS (112437), cutting one in pink and one in navy to make a shadow. Hammy added scorelines with his new tricycle. I love that he can get three perfect lines with one pass!

Challenges

• Color Hues: Navy and Pink.
  
• Seize the Birthday: Dichromatic.
  
• Snippets Playground: AG using your snippets. I used snippets for my ellies and sediment.
  
• The Paper Players: CAS from Ann: Wild about wildlife.

Twofer

Here are more critters, this time the insect kind using a simple and classic design to make a birthday card for a friend's grandson. The bugs are again ancient, this time from SU, but can you believe the grasshopper was still NBUS?! The ant might be, too, but I'm not sure. The NBUS sediment is from the same set. These are the types of stamps I've held on to, but now I'm trying to use them at least once and then pass them on.

Saying that reminds me of how many times I would inwardly giggle at meetings when the speaker would say, "I'm going to pass out ... these brochures ... ." Sometimes I actually wished a boring speaker would pass out! Another phrase that tickles me is when a TV announcer says, "The victim received multiple injuries, including a wound in the back bedroom." Remind me, where on the body is the back bedroom located?! Sorry, I do have a dark sense of humor at times.😊

Challenges

• Addicted to Stamps and More: Birthdays.
• Less is More: Birthdays. Happy 11th Birthday and best wishes for more continued success!
  
• Let's Squash It: Grasshopper green and include an insect.

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You haven't had the pleasure of bird talk lately, so here is a back yard update:

This is my view through the Playhouse window. I was pleased to catch so many in the shot. I've seen them literally all around the bowl, but usually they are dispersed by the time I lift my phone to take a photo. (Hmmm, I think I just figured out where my missing time went ... staring out the window!)

And here is the Mister holding up a pane of ice he removed from the bird bath so the birds could get to the unfrozen water beneath. Isn't it cool how it lifted out in one piece?

And we can't leave sweet Nellie out of the gallery ~

She's discovered that she can dog-handle the living room pillows and make herself a perfect perch for the late afternoon sunshine through the window. Let's all say it together: Awwwwwwwwwwww!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and 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!)

These Were a Hoot To Make

Hello Stamplings!

What a weekend in the U.S.A. with the Super Bowl on Sunday and Valentine's Day on Monday. And as for where the rest of the past week went, I have no idea. I looked under every nook and granny to no avail. 

Before another week flies by, I want to get these posted ~

As any wise white owl knows, it's best to be camel fladged. All the better for keeping those sharp big eyes on the mouse below! I used Stone Effects embossing paste through a NBUS woodgrain stencil to make a tree for the owl. The branch is made from an MFT die and the Paper Smooches owl has been winked and schparkled by Hammy.

Challenges

• AAA Birthday: Pattern. My pattern is the embossing paste wood bark.
  
• Seize the Birthday: No toppings, although the owl is liberally winked!
  
• SSS Wednesday: Emboss it.

Twofer

This was one of those cards that just fell together and left Hammy and I tickled as heck. CAS Christmas wanted a scene and I don't make scenes. Well, I mean, I've been known to make a few scenes, but not, you know, on my cards. Ahem. Nor do I have Christmas landscape-y types of stamps.

So I pulled out every stamp I could think of that could be possibly maybe somehow developed into a scene. Already on my desk was my basket of NBUS dies, so I flipped through that. Then shazambam, when I saw the ancient NBUS MFT lamppost and looked over at the Penny Black stamp of the mouse covering her eyes ~ a scene was born! Using my black pen, I added a few snowflakes, extended the hill, and added a lined (and scored) curb. The NBUS sediment is from Trinity Stamps, "Have an Ice Day."

Poor little mouse reminds me of me on ice skates!

Challenges

• AAA Cards: Black and white + one.
  
• CAS Christmas: Winter scene.
  
• Krafty Chicks: Christmas.
  
• Peace on Earth: Anything Christmas goes.

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and keep safe! Life is too short and that's the troof.

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!

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!)

Gold ... More Gold

Hello Stamplings!

I hope this finds you well! I am so enjoying the Olympics, especially the ice-skating events. The Mister tried to teach me how to ice skate one time, but it was a short lesson. He was very patient, but I was hopeless. I think that might be why the skaters impress me so much and it breaks my heart when they fall. They train so hard and wait so long for these events.👏

Onefer

This card was schparked primarily by Susan's faux cloisonné challenge prompt at CAS Mix Up. For me, trying to create something for the challenge gave new meaning to the word "challenge!" I didn't have any suitable glossy magazine photos, so I used a glittery glossy piece of pp. I'm not sure if that's okay, but I like the way it ended up looking like an expensive brooch. (You know I want to go off on a tangent about the spelling of that word vis-a-vis the pronunciation, but I will absolve.)

The flower is from the Beautiful Blooms II set by Uniko, which I believe is one of Bev's early sets. I wanted to make something to commemorate her ten years in business. Congratulations, Bev, and cheers to many more!🍾

The leaves are from Gina K's "Stitched Leaves" set. From this angle, they look tres cloisonné. The NBUS sediment is from an unmarked feather set. Everything was heat-embossed in princess gold, including Hammy's toes. Honestly, you can find anything online these days, including teeny-tiny low voltage heat guns. You know, thanks to you, he thinks he's a star!🐹✴I'm going to have to get an assistant for my assistant!

Thank you, Susan, for the fun I had trying something new! 

Challenges

• Cardz 4 Galz: Make it sparkle!
  
• CAS Mix Up: Faux cloisonné.
• Just Us Girls: Word week: Friends.
• Snippets Playground: PP used for flower and leaves.
  
• The Flower Challenge: Occasions.
  
• Uniko: 10th birthday celebration! Congratulations, Bev!
  

Twofer

This QACAS card was also inspired by Susan's prompt because when I was looking through my pp drawers, I found this awesome piece of ancient turquoise handmade paper, shot through with black and gold. The photo doesn't do it justice.

The design was also inspired by Bonnie's stunning card here. For my card, I used a heart die from M&C Boutique, cut in shiny gold which appears holographic in the sunshine. I used a pink card base to make the heart pop and added a simple old sediment, which I think is from SSS.

Challenges

• Addicted to CAS: Hearts.
  
• Fusion: Valentine cupcake sketch and photo. My card fuses both.
• Use Your Stuff: Hearts/Love.
• The Paper Players: Laurie's theme: love and friendship.

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and keep safe! LITS!* If I'm not back before Valentine's Day, I wish you a lovely romantic time with your sweetie.💏 If it's a blue day for you, I send you hugs and wish you a happy celebration-of-you day!

Mwah!

*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 Love Twofer

Hello Stamplings,

I hope you are doing well. Every day I hear about more and more friends who have Covid, or someone in their family has it. On this side of the globe, it's easier to stay in and keep safely crafting where it's warm and cozy. On the other side, spring is sprunging, so it's hard to stay in. Be careful out there. 

I just realized that if sprunging were a word (which it isn't), the g would change from hard to soft. It's like the word dung. The g is hard, but if you say the word dungeon, the g is soft. Shouldn't it be dung-e-on? "You there, this has to stop! Throw that man in the dung-e-on!" Nope. Not the same. I love words.

And I love making cards and playing in challenges, so here we go, doe-c-doe!

Another simples QACAS design. The background die is from Reverse Confetti. After I cut it, Hammy put the cut-aways back in place for the wow factor. The NBUS die is from Gina K.'s awesome "A Little Love" bundle. In real life the red is deep red and the black is pitch black.

Challenges

• Color Hues: Red and black.
• Make The Cards: Create a Valentine.
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: With love.
  

Twofer

Lolly kindly gifted me with a pack of beautiful pp a few months ago. I've made several cards with it, letting the pp be the star and only adding simple sediments. Thank you again, Lolly! I see a lot of you have been making really quick cards by embracing the use of the gorgeous patterned paper you've been hoarding. 👏 All together now: FREE THE PP!!

😂 That would sound like a medical condition if this weren't your hobby!

I will enter this as my first entry this month at NBUS #35. The pp is new. Remember you can enter whenever you use anything new to create! And starting this month, there will be guest designers to help me thank and encourage you!

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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy, and be 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!)