A site for my handmade cards, accompanied by my photos and written meanderings which are occasionally witty, often tongue-in-cheek, and rarely profound. Beginning in June 2013, you'll also see lots of NBUS, which is an acronym I coined for Never-Before-Used-Schtuff. Note: my Privacy Policy can be found at a tab below and you can find my NBUS Challenge online. I hope you'll join in the fun there! Thanks for coming by! Have a beverage and enjoy!

August 5, 2024

August's Inky I.D.E.A.S.

Hello Stamplings!

And Aloha August! Did you know that the original name for the eighth month was Sextilis? That's a rather tilisating bit of trivia, isn't it? If you'd like to know more, I added it at the end of this postoastet. No, I haven't been drinking (yet). I'm just celebrating a reduction in the temperature for two whole days!

And a new month means I start over on my I.D.E.A.S. with a concentration on inky creativity for this first week. Today's cards were made from backgrounds I created (cough) two years ago while on a fun Oregon retreat with friends. 
To make pretty bold prints you smear ink cubes over a stencil and then liberally spritz the stencil with water. Next you lay a panel of watercolor paper over the top and press all over with your fingertips or a brayer to transfer the ink to the paper. You can often get more than one print. Gina K. has a video: Stencil Spritz Technique.

The scallop frame is from Pink & Main, the banner is from PTI, and the leaf is NBUS from SSS called, "Lush Leaves." (I thought at first it said, lust leaves!😆 Hey, maybe The Mister substituted wodka for my water again. He's such a lark!)

Here are the rest of the cards I made with the help of a coupla cute hamster fellas:
In addition to using my NBUS, this I.D.E.A.S. schedule has freed me up to look at and use my unfinished background panels and die-cuts. Techniques are so fun to do, but I'm really bad about turning all the panels I gleefully make into finished cards!

I remember when self-discipline was a thing I had on my Traits Resume. Who erased that? Also, self-control. Where dat go? I think they are more important than self-driving cars, but nobody asked me. They just came and stole my self-stuff.

Sorry I digested. Let me know if you get inky this week, so I can 📌 you! Even if you don't let me know, I hope you get a chance to get inky this week!

~~~

AUGUSTus, cont.

You're surprised I remembered, aren't you? Now that I'm in the bottom half of the ninth inning of my life, large chunks of my brain have turned into ball corpses, but this time I held a thought! Here you go:

In the original 10-month Roman calendar, August was the sixth month with 
30 days and was originally named Sextilis. In 8 BC, the Roman Senate rewarded Octavian Augustus a month in his honor. The founder and first emperor of the Roman Empire, Octavian Augustus selected Sextilis, which under the Julian calendar was the eighth month with the addition of January and February. 

Renamed to Augustus, there remained the issue of the month having fewer days than Julius (July). Whether Octavian adjusted the number of days to match that of July is uncertain, but the result left February with 28 days except in a leap year and September and November each gave up a day to October and December to avoid a trifecta of 31 days in a row. For hubris or pride or both, the Julian calendar came to be. 
 

Courtesy of National Day Calendar.com 

~~~

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! 

*Life is too short!

29 comments:

Julie B said...

Wow you've blow my mind with your August facts Darnell! Fab cards too, by the way and well done for getting around to using them. Glad the heat has abated for you, it's dropped here too but more rain in the forecast just as the hay has been cut! :)

kiwimeskreations said...

Thank you for the smiles your posts bring to me Darnell - if that's what hubby does to your water, tell him to keep it up :)
Glad to hear 'The Boys' are earning their keep and assisting with the card making when you get too tipsy on your (ah hem) water...
Loving your backgrounds - like you, I have a lot of backgrounds to use up - it is such fun just puddling with inks and sprays that I get carried away a bit and make waaaay more than I need.... then someone has the gumption to start a 'patterned paper' challenge - I mean, why use someone else's designs when you have oodles of you own?? ;)
Blessings
Maxine

Aquarius said...

You've made excellent use of that delicious inky background and educated us re the Julian calendar along the way - great stuff 🤣

Sue said...

Gorgeous cards Darnell I love reading your blog! Sorry I haven't been around much but we are both feeling a lot better hugs Sue x

Jeanne said...

Looks like you had fun with the cards you shared. They are very pretty, Darnell. You and your helpers are on a roll. Interesting story about the naming of August! I think I like August better than the alternative!

Lynette said...

Pretty backgrounds, pretty cards!! Great job of using up some parts that have been around for a while. I keep working on it. Interesting tidbits of information. :-)

Bonnie said...

Isn't it a good feeling to use some of those fabulous backgrounds that we seem to hoard? They made five fantastic cards and a chance to remember a fun time and the people you shared that time with! Interesting info about the calendar. It's all I can do to keep up with today!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Gorgeous backgrounds with that inked/spritzed stencil technique, Darnell - just love how you finished them all off too!! i think the cute owl one is my fave but all are fabuloso!! Thanks for the inky inspiration!!

Loll said...

LOVE your collage of beautiful and artsy cards, Dolly! What a fun technique!! Thanks for the history lesson ... it was really interesting, but probably won't remember it long enough to pass along. Darn! :) xx

Loll said...

Playing along .... xx

Brenda in IN said...

These colors made great cards using this technique. I like all the different looks you got. It's wonderful to know I can come here and learn things I didn't know I needed to know but complete my education. Thank you. I joined IDEAS today with my card.

Liz said...

Super collection of cards Darnell, great way to use those backgrounds you’ve been hoarding.
Liz xx

Gerrina said...

I love this technique and use it often to clean my stencils... They look great in all the different ways you used them! Feels good to use something from the background box he? I love that mine is getting emptier and emptier... I am trying a Summer Challenge again this year; each day a new prompt for two months... so glad I have a stamping date most Thursday afternoons to stay on point with that! Hugs, Gerrina

JD/ Jill said...

I like your inky cards. Very pretty and creative...
Keep cool. (Yes It's very Hot here too!)

Cheryl W. said...

I love the different ways you used those panels to make some pretty awesome cards. They're all so colorful and fun. Your history of the naming of August was a treat, too. But I think I prefer "Sextilis" to August. Think how much fun we could be having with that name!

TK said...

Bravo! Great cards AND you used panels in the ol' box -- a trait to honor, because well... mine are still IN the box!
Love your tidbit on August too -- a wee bit special in my corner of the world

Lisa Elton said...

You've not only given us a fun group of happy cards, you've given us a fun bit of history!

Christine Alexander said...

such pretty backgrounds and your factiod made me smile :)

Em Louise Fairley said...

All the cards are beautiful, Darnell xoxo

designbydonna said...

What a great play with the inks. Love all those backgrounds. Kudus to you for using from your stash. My stash seems to grow faster than I can use it up.Thanks for the chuckle of the day. Maybe that will come up on Jeopardy! some day.

Karen said...

I've never heard (or totally forgot; like you, my brain is suffering from age-related problems) the story about the number of days in a month. Love your cards with the fab backgrounds. I have envelopes filled with card "fronts"-many, many embossing folders and stamped or die cut ones. Somehow it always seems easier to start anew rather than look for a starter in my stash! Have a great week!

Cat Craig said...

lovely and colorful, hope you manage to stay cool.

Donna said...

Fabulous collection of cards!

Bobby said...

Good for you for pulling things unfinished and giving them a home on some wonderful celebratory cards, Darnell.

Robyn Oliver said...

More wonderful inspiration from you Darnell... using pre-made backgrounds... and only 2 years old... wow I'm sure some of my stuff is probably a decade old... but is great to finally get some use because they were worthy of keeping. Lovely colourful backgrounds for your super duper frames.. love them, have a wonderful day, hugs Robyn

Carol L said...

Those backgrounds all made such beautiful creative and colorful cards, and good for you using them all after 2 years of resting. The calendar explanation certainly goes deep and it's interesting how our modern calendar came to be. I'm glad to just turn the page each month and not have to think about it LOL

Lisa T said...

Those backgrounds are gorgeous - what took you so long to use them!? Stunning cards Darnell xx

Pat said...

Sorry Darnell, I'm rather late with a comment again, and I do have a card for Week 1..as you can see I don't have a great deal of self discipline and sadly I never have..lol. I love your bright and beautiful cards using this fun technique of inking a stencil and and spritzing for some wonderful backgrounds, something I have never tried but it looks so pretty on your cards, and such wonderful added images and sentiments to zhuzh them up...strange spelling isn't it? I have also learned something new about the Julian calendar, not sure it will stay in my brain for long but it is interesting all the same. x

Sandra H said...

Totally stunning cards Darnell the colours and design are beautifulx