Hello Stamplings!
I hope you're doing well! The sun came out here and what a difference that makes to literally everything! I even have a few bulbs and the hardenbergia flowering, so I will send you off with your usual spring bouquet at the end!
Onefer
This week's I.D.E.A.S. is "A = Anything Goes," so that's easy. I started with a sketch challenge and then found a color challenge and then came up with a NBUS stamp set. This is where Hammy and Stanley are a big help, especially having two of them now. I had dozens of options and having them run back and forth so I could try on this and that made the job easier. When we got to the Flourishes stamp of the little boy fishing in silhouette, we all squealed. It was a wonderful AHA moment!
Sorry my CP Coral Cabana looks so pink in the photo.🤷
Playing in:
Color Hues ~ coral and yellow
NBUS ~ never-before-used-schtuff
We Love Stamping ~ CAS
Twofer
I used the The NBUS "Color Spots" stencil from The Greetery. The images are from an ancient SU stamp no longer in the packaging. The lads ran around the edge of the white panel with a black marker to distinguish it. They took their time and did a perfect job ~ although I did turn a little blue from holding my breath!
Sharing a Brilliant Hack
I'm not sure who coined the word "hack" to mean "genius," but the poor thing is getting a workout: You can hack off a dead branch. You can hack into a computer. Grandpa had such a bad cold, he hacked up a lung. A disreputable newspaper reporter used to be called a hack. But I digest.
I am delighted to pass on a crafty hack from my friend Vicki Dutcher (here) who saw it on Facebook. A lot of us have removed our older rubber stamps from their wooden blocks. Then, when we want to stamp them, we sometimes need to use double-sided tape to stick them to the MISTI, which can be a mess. Not anymore! Someone discovered that the little sticky mats used to hold a cell phone in place also work perfectly for holding our nonsticky rubber stamps in place!
Vicki showed her success and I tried it for the above card and it's brilliant!
I don't want to put a link to Amazon on here because Blogger can be funny about links and hits, so to find the ones I bought (FIVE for $4.99!!), just search on "5PCS car dashboard." Of course, you can choose from several companies that make these types of mats. If you have trouble finding them, let me know and I'll email you the link.
As you can see, the ones I got are small (2.75x5). They have no residue on them. You just slap them on your MISTI cover and then peel them off. They stick so well, you have to tug and they do stretch out like silly putty, but they spring right back into their original shape.
And there are so many things that these little sticky pads can be used for! For example, if you're like me and you haven't purchased a product to hold your stamp pads in place on your desk while you use them, these work amazing for that, too!
Thank you again, Vicki, and thank you to the originator of the idea, whoever you are! Much appreciated!
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!
Mwah!
*Life is too short
I was never smart enough to peel my rubber stamps off the blocks, but that is a brilliant hack. Love your silhouette stamped on the lovely ink blended background! Thanks for sharing with us at Color Hues! Your twofer is lovely, too. I love that pretty patterned paper that screams Spring to me. Unlike you, it will be awhile before we see any blooms. We have lovely helebores that bloom early but everything is buried under many inches of snow. We, however, have escaped it all to southern isles and are enjoying a week of sunshine and warmth.
ReplyDeleteWonderful cards, Darnell. Happy to see your (and the lads') delightful creation! And your pretty posies. Thanks for sharing that neat hack. I had no idea. Hope you have a happy week!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards, Darnell xoxo
ReplyDeleteWell that was fun to see 😀
ReplyDeleteWhoops I hit publish before saying your cards are quite fabulous! Glad you liked the hack. I am using my mini sticky pad everyday 🥰
ReplyDeleteTwo fun cards, filled with Spring colors and sweet images. Thank you for the "hack" of the phone stickies, I can't say I've ever even heard of them but may take a peek at Amazon. And your yard flowers are BEAUTIFUL! Can't wait, though my first bulbs are poking through the soil
ReplyDeleteD, I want to come visit your lovely garden! It looks like Heaven to someone who sees only white at the moment!
ReplyDeleteYou're also making me want to go fishing - I LOve how you've created that HUGE setting sun and its reflection on the water!
Two fab cards and one great idea = just what a girl needs on any given Monday!
=]
Two lovely cards in Spring colours and then you're sharing pictures of some of your Spring flowers - like a breath of fresh air. Thanks too for the 'hack'. Not a product I was aware existed but it certainly sounds like a very useful item to own. Anything that helps with our crafting efforts is always welcome.
ReplyDeleteTwo fabulous cards Darnell l like the fishing image l used to have a rod myself caught many a fish, 2nd card love the stamps, your flowers are truly blooming so nice of you to share them xx
ReplyDeleteA brilliant hack Darnell, I usually use a Prit stick but even then there is sticky residue! Love your silhouetted fisherboy, a great combination of challenges, I do love it when that happens. Thanks for being inspired by the Color Hues colours too. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely to see your sunshine. Love your card, especially the colour spots and wonderful colourful background paper. Thanks for the tip. We will all be looking into that now. I have loads of unmounted rubber stamps that this would be great for xx
ReplyDeleteI love silhouette cards. Do a background and stamp and done--no coloring. Thanks for the sticky hint. My misti is always a mess.
ReplyDeleteWonderful cards Darnell and oh my what beautiful colours in your garden..I have snowdrops at the moment but nothing else hugs Sue x
ReplyDeleteMe again. I forgot to thank you for joining us at we love stamping with your first card. I completed get why you were so excited when your stamped your little fisherman so successfully. It is perfect. Thanks for sharing those lovely spring flowers too. Our daffs will be out soon, as long as the weather doesn't go cold again xx
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful image of the boy fishing Darnell, and I love the large sunny area with the pretty coral pink which works brilliantly, and then the second with the super check background and the two arched shapes with the added stamped leaf and flower which look great, and finished perfectly with the enamel dots in coordinating colours. x
ReplyDeleteSorry, as I pressed 'publish' I suddenly realised I hadn't commented on your beautiful photos of the really pretty flowers..so welcome this time of year. x
ReplyDeleteYour two tone inking is so smooth, Dolly! It amazes me and I love that boy fishing! It brings back memories of taking Luke fishing. Love the botanical prints and that plaid paper is dreamy! Beautiful flowers too!
ReplyDeleteThat big gorgeous setting sun is marvelous, Darnell and I love the silhouette. It makes me think of our son who loves fishing! Two fantastic cards today!
ReplyDeleteThose boys have done good by you, Darnell. The little boy fishing is such a sweet silhouette to use with your wonderfully ink blended panel. That plaid is gorgeous and brings out the color of your stenciled arches. The black outline was such a good idea.
ReplyDeleteSun? I'm not sure what that word is. Nothing but snow here and definitely no colorful flowers!! Michigan usually skips right over Spring and goes from Winter to Summer, so enjoy all that Sun and colorful flowers for me! Both of your cards are great Darnell and I'm loving the first card with the silhouette and matching sentiment...it's perfect! And what a perfect hack for using wood block stamps in your MISTI...I will definitely have to try that! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Color Hues...we always love seeing you in the gallery! And thank you also for the sweet birthday card with all the hearts and thinking of me on my special day...I totally appreciated it!! Hugs. :0)
ReplyDeleteThe way you arranged your silhouette image and the curve to sit just perfectly together is so clever! And that hack is a goodie - might need to go shopping... Thanks so much for joining us at Freshly Made Sketches.
ReplyDeleteI love the silhouette and colors of the first card!
ReplyDeleteThe colorful plaid on the second card is so pretty and Spring-y!
Oh, how I love your cards today, Darnell. They remind me of Spring...and warm sunshine. I can almost feel it. Your flowers are glorious, too. Thanks for brightening my day. As for the hack, I'm going to look for those sticky pads. I haven't removed the stamps from their wooden blocks yet, but I've been wanting to.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for that hack as I recently started pulling off a bunch of my wood mounted rubber stamps. I'm heading off to Amazon right now! p.s. Love the card!
ReplyDeleteThe sun certainly does help a lot, eagerly waiting for it in our parts, Spring is coming!
ReplyDeleteYour card has such a peaceful feel to it and such an imaginative design, a perfect CAS card for our theme at We Love Stamping challenge, thanks for joining us.
B x
Another fabulous twofer, such springy colours to cheer us up, and your lovely flowers too. Managed a bit of gardening, with a rare bit of sunshine, all the new growth and bidspong was a delight…….meant birdsong but Google was funnier 😂. Also thanks for the reminder, I’d seen the hack, then immediately forgot 🙄 mwah xxx
ReplyDeleteYour first card is beautiful thanks so much for sharing it with us at We Love Stamping. Such a pretty second card with the bright plaid too. Now as for your 'hack' sounds just what I need so thanks for that, I will go and investigate.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your creativity with our colors, Darnell! That sentiment is so perfect and the font is so pretty! Thanks for sharing with us at Color Hues. The color spots on card two were so unique as well. I am saving this to my inspiration folder. Hope the sun stays out this week, we all need it right now more than ever! HUGS!
ReplyDeleteI had better start at your first card. Which is amazing, what a wonderful use of the sketch, I love it. Your second card is so pretty with the lovely blocks of colour and the pretty paper to match. Such pretty stamps too. As for the hack? Why didn't I read this yesterday? I had used Prit Stick to add a non mounted stamp, it failed, as I couldn't get my stamp to stamp evenly, even with 10 times of stamping and a couple of pieces of cards too. grrr. I'm off to Amazon to search out the "hack". Gorgeous flowers too. We have daffodils, and crocus singing their hearts out, it's Spring. I hope it is, although snow and freezing temperatures are warned for next week. x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards and like the soft spring colors. I have these 5PCS car dashboard mats in my Amazon card, thanks for passing on Vicki's tip!
ReplyDeleteWow! Your Flourishes card is absolutely genius and I do not use the term lightly. It's a real work of art to my eyes. Using it with the sketch is brilliant! Your second card is pretty with the artful leaf and flower and the pretty plaid background. I'll have to think about those mats. I have considered unmounting my SU backgrounds so I could use them in the MISTI. Thanks for passing that on! It's so lovely to see your flowers. I can only dream. Our yard is torn up once again, this time to replace the sewer line. The garden is almost completely gone.
ReplyDeleteTwo beautiful cards! Love the serene feel' of the first one and what a great tip for the 'self-unmounted' stamps! Hugs, Gerrina
ReplyDeleteLove your silhouette card - fab array of makes today, glorious colour choices and photos too
ReplyDeleteKathyk
Adore your flowers! And such beautiful cards. Love the design of the first card and I always love a silhouette=hope all is well x
ReplyDeleteHello Darnell. It has been a long time since I visited and I am catching up a bit. Your cards are wonderful and so creatively CAS. Love the Spring colors as well as the techniques and stamps. I love the idea of that sticky mat and I just ordered some - thanks to you and Vicki for that tip. Hugz
ReplyDeleteOoooh! I don't know which is more fabulous. The sticky pad idea or your cards! I just adore the simplicity of this one. Reminds me of my grandson who I often call Opie. (Of course I had to explain that one to him. LOL) Thanks so much for playing with us at Color Hues Darnell!
ReplyDeleteWonderful cards! Love them both! Thank you so much for playing along with us over at the Color Hues Challenge!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards and flowers, Darnell, and thanks for sharing the tip!!
ReplyDelete