Happy Easter, Bunnies!

Hello Stamplings,

I hope you're having a good day and maybe even a wonderful vacation if the kids or grandkids are off on spring break from school!

I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm normally an uber-CAS card designer. A tiny image of a frog and a sediment made a card, or maybe a bevy of mature ladies holding up a bar with their elbows, etc. Hence the term QACAS for quick and clean and simple. But this past week, when I have a million other things to do to prep for company, me and the lads decided to try scene building! 

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This is week two of April, so the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar is D = Dyes. Ha ha, see what I did there? Did you dye your Easter eggs yet? Of course not. Eggs are too expensive. 

The wooden fence is a piece of pp and the grass was made using a NBUS stencil from Waffle Flower and then painted. The fence hole is a stitched oval and the sediment is a sticker, propped up. The hanging leaves are from Altenew's "Leaf Canopy," still one of my favorite leaf stamps and dies.

This Paper Smooches bunny has clearly been working a triple shift or else she is over-sampling the liquor cabinet, but we don't judge. And I think you can see that the lads did a bang-up job winking up the place!

I'm playing in the Inkspirational Challenge where the mood board is decorated Easter eggs and in Inspired By ... Bunnies. 

Besides the white snippets used for the leaves, bunny, and grass, I used lots of pp snippets for the eggs, so I am hopping over to the Snippets Playground with this card. There will be a perpetual Easter egg hunt this week and lots of eggnog. 

Wait. What? Isn't eggnog for Christmas? Turns out the original eggnog recipe dated 1482 has just been unearthed and the eggs used in the recipe were removed from their shells by a small blow hole, so the shells could then be beautifully decorated for Easter!  (Source: a very small AI encyclopedia located in the core of my brain.)

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Ah, what an idealick springtime scene this is, combining old and new. I started by stamping the NBUS hill and tree line stamp from Stacy Yacula's MFT stamp set called, "Scene Builder." The clouds and the stamped grass and flowers are from the same set. After stamping the horizon, I fussy-cut a mask and blended the grass and sky. I think the wee bunnies are from PTI and the sediment is from GKW. 

This stamp set is from 2019 and I couldn't wait to use it. But then it came and I asked myself why I ordered it because, as I said, I've never been much of an all-over scene-builder kind of card designer. Turns out it's really fun and there are more stamps I haven't used, so hopefully it won't be six years before I do another landscape.

Challenges

Addicted to Stamps and More: Die Cuts and/or Stencils.

NBUS: A/G using never before used schtuff.

Shopping Our Stash: Hippity Hop.

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Happy Passover and Happy Easter to you all! Enjoy this time with your family if you are fortunate to be together! I'm resharing this fun photo of the grandtwins I ran across yesterday ... which is when it seems like this was taken!

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar:  D = Dies

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your creations using dies. Your card may help motivate and lift others out of their creative schlump or just give someone a design idea of their own! I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Thank you so much to everyone who shared their designs last week! Mwah! 

*Life is too short!

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Flowers and Berries

Hello Stamplings!

How was your week? I hope you are doing well! Isn't it nice to be able to work in the garden again or watch new growth coming up as bulbs or buds? Things are so unsettled in the world right now, especially here, which makes me appreciate nature more. On the other hand, I have to acknowledge that nature can be cruel and my heart goes out to all those impacted by the ravaging storms of the past week.

Here at the Playhouse, we hit on two seasons.

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It is the first Monday of April and if you're using the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar, that means I = Ink (any color medium). I did a faux watercoloring using the "direct to stamp" method of coloring the stamp, spritzing, and then stamping onto watercolor paper. The wildflowers are beloved wooden Hero Arts stamp sets called "Real High Country Wildflowers" and "Fanciful Filaments."

Hammy found an unmarked sediment which said "hello spring" and I unceremoniously cut the two words apart to use just the spring and Stanley added a few schplatters. I used a NBUS unmarked border embossing folder to add extra interest and create some balance.

It felt like it still needed something so I girded my loins (sorry for that imagery) and did that thing I see famous and/or brave card artists do and I added some sketch lines with my fine line Pilot pen. I was hesitate at first, but I like the results and had fun trying it.

Challenges

Allsorts: Spring flowers.

Addicted to Stamps and More: Any occasion.

The Flower Challenge: Use spring colors.

Behind the scenes: My wildflower panel above is an odd size for me. That's because just as I finished it, I decided the pink tulip needed a little juizz, so I took my waterbrush and touched it up. (Pink tulip? you might wonder.)

Then I famously looked up at a squirrel outside my window, looked back down, and, absent of mind, brushed a speck off the panel. Oops.

I tried wetting the schmear and blotting it up, but it was no go. Hence the cropped panel and the reason "hello" had to be removed from "hello spring." It was actually a happy accident because over at NBUS, we are sharing our April Fool's Boo-Boo cards if we have 'em! So it's all good!

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I made this card because I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and the image reminded me of my NBUS "Create-in-Quads" stencil from Taylored Expressions, called "Mistletoe." The sediment is NBUS from SSS "Holiday Greetings Mix 1."

There is shading on the berries, as well as winking by the lads, but the bright sunshine washed them out. I'm glad the gold schplatters still came through. 

Yes, the mistletoe is upside down, but this is another example of how fun card-making is when you want to follow a sketch and there are no mistletoe police to take away your artistic license.

~~~

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar:  I = Ink

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your inky creations. Your card may help motivate and lift others out of their creative schlump or just give someone a design idea of their own! I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your designs! 

Thank you so much to everyone who shared designs last week! Mwah! 

~~~

Enjoy your week! 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!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Aqua Amour!

Hello Stamplings!

And here we are again, almost whooshed through another month! I hope you're doing well and you had a great week! Mine could have been better, what with doctor visits, a trip to the ER, a UTI, and migraines. When it rains, it pours!

In light of all that, I have simple designs for you today. Because this month has five Mondays, it's S = Stencils week on the I.D.E.A.S. Calendar. I don't use my stencils often enough, so this is good for me. 

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After I'd made my cards for today and had them on my desk ready to be photographed, I realized how the C.P. Skylight aqua ink matched this little box of notes I have. A little styling for my photos and a great opportunity for Hammy and Stanley to steal the show say hello!

This QACAS design is another in my goal to use my silhouette dies. The little gal and NBUS sediment are from Flourishes. I used my plain geometric stencils from back in the 1900s. Maybe even from the 70s when I made artwork to hang on the son's nursery walls. After stamping and stenciling, I added some dementia by using a dandelion e/f and a bit of matching bling finished it off.

Challenges

Addicted to Stamps and More: Any occasion.

CAS on Friday: Spring.

Cardz 4 Galz: Springtime.

Twofer

Yes, Christmas. But wait. The great thing about card designs is that you can cock your head to the side and visualize how you might use the design for a completely different occasion. So what stencils do you have that would work as a side (or top or bottom) border? Pick your colors and away you go!

For this card I used my NBUS "Snowflake Soirèe" from The Greetery. I used CP inks in Skylight, Daydream, and Twilight. The sediment is stamped in Daydream. I removed it from its packaging years ago, so I don't know the company, but I'm guessing My Favorite Things. For punctuation, I used the stencil to add a wee snowflake.

Challenges

Christmas Kickstart: Color challenge: no red, green, or gold.

Jingle Bells: Flat OLC.

Just Us Girls: A/G Stencils.

Rudolph Days: A/G Christmas.

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I have to share this with you.

You might remember that I authored this silly (but perhaps profound?) saying a few weeks ago and my sister Diana made found it calligraphed and flowery in an antique store!

Thank you, sis!❤️

~~~

I.D.E.A.S. Calendar:  S = Stencils

You will find a linky tool below for you to share your stencil creations this week to help lift others out of their creative schlump! I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your design! 

Thank you so much to everyone who visited and linked last week! Mwah! 

Happy April Fool's Day! Enjoy your week! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!*

*Life is too short!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Spring Fois Deux (I.D.E.A.S. Calendar A = Anything Goes!)

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you are finding a spring in your step as we are now fully into spring! Unless, like some of you, there was snow coming down on the first day of spring! Or you live upside down and you are fully into fall. In that case, I do not wish for you to have a fall in your step!😬

Maybe we should all sit down and check out everyone's favorite week of my I.D.E.A.S. Calendar which is A = Anything Goes!

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This design was schparked by the blues and greens color challenge at the Color Throwdown. And a lot of challenges have "spring" as their brief, which led me to my NBUS "Lovely Lily of the Valley" die from Lawn Fawn. 

These sweet little flowers are oft times white, but look at this photo I found! Who knew? Or is that AI?

Anywhistle, just to be different (and because I have gobs of it), I used cream card as my card base and to cut the dies. I don't know if it was the paper or the operator or the product, but it was a bit of faff getting clean cuts. But I per-severed and then painted with my Ziggies. Then I took a rest and Hammy and Stanley went about winking all the bits, as one does they doeth.

Then I faffed a bit more, laying the stalks and leaves this way and that, but it all seemed a bit flat, so I decided to go through my e/fs and see if one of them might juizz it up a bit. When I saw my NBUS "Cross-Stitch" e/f from Taylored Expressions, I got the idea of gluing down the flowers and then running the whole panel through my Gemini in the hopes it would look like a counted cross-stitch. It was a risk after painting all those wee lilies, but, phew, it worked.

It wasn't until after I'd embossed it, that I realized I should have stamped on a sediment first.😶No worries, let's cross-stitch that, too, then! I used my wee Lawn Fawn triple frame label set. The sediment is from Verve, older than your grandma, but still good as new!

Challenges

• Cardz 4 Galz: springtime.
  
• Color Throwdown: blue, lime, green.
  
• Just Us Girls: spring mood board with Lilies of the Valley.

Twofer

Keeping spring in mind, this design was schparked by another color challenge, this time Color Hues. I had the little flower outline stamp on my desk. I had removed it from its wooden block some time ago and stuck it in with my silhouette stamps. I also saw that Lin was hosting the current Seize the Birthday challenge and she was looking for "things with wings."

The lads went up NBUS Mountain and starting pitching birds and butterflies and dragonflies off left and right. Well, not one to move if I don't have to, I reached down and picked up the one that landed on my bazooms. Thankfully and perfectly, it was this wee NBUS hummingbird from Memory Box that comes as a multipiece die. 

You know how much I love hummingbirds and how fortunate I am to have them come to my window feeder every day all year long. And Goodness knows how many photos I've shared on here of these delightful birds in their brilliant blue, purple, green, and red feathers. Pulling my artistic license from my sleeve, I used a piece of pp to create an unusual (to me) array of green and yellow feathers for this little gal. 

The rest of the design came together easily, punctuated by hammering, stitching, piercing, scalloping, blinging, and winking. You know, the usual. Oh, and I did have to give her teeny feet.

Challenges

• Beautiful Blossoms: Mood board.
• Color Hues: Lemon and lime.
• Memory Box: Petal power.
  
• Seize the Birthday: Things that fly.
  

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You will find a linky tool below for this week's I.D.E.A.S. Calendar prompt of A = Anything Goes. So, no matter what you create, you can link here this week to motivate others out of their creative schlump!

I love seeing what you create, visiting you, and pinning your design! Thank you so much to everyone who remembered to link last week! Mwah!

~~~

Enjoy your week! 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!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (I.D.E.A.S. Calendar E = Embossing)

Hello Stamplings! ☘☘☘

I hope you're doing well as we celebrate the day Erin goes braghless! Wait. What? It's "Éire go brách" and it means "Ireland forever." The Mister is 50% Irish thanks to his sainted mother, so that makes me Irish by association, at least for one day a year. Plus leftovers.

This is week three on my I.D.E.A.S. Calendar, so it's E = Embossing (any which way).

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The embossing folder featured in this design is an ancient brick wall e/f by Tim Holtz, using the debossed side. It's been in my BOB for a long time because I originally used a very red (you might say a brick red) ink swiped over the whole thing. How to tone it down? I ended up swiping over it with my Dew Drop Brilliance "Platinum Planet" and I was really pickled at the pretty color and sheen that resulted.

I noticed that Just Us Girls (Word Week) wanted "Green" and so did Simon Says Stamp Wednesday, so I pondered through my various leafy choices. I didn't have any sham rocks, so I chose a NBUS die called, "Garden Tub Filler," by The Greetery, cut from a lovely very gated green pp. For the tub, I used The Greetery's "Pretty Pot" die and I managed to find a teeny-weeny Happy Birthday stamp for the sediment. (A good time to once again thank Iliana for the invention of the MISTI!)

After I finished my card with a marker line border, I saw that the Colorful Options challenge for March had a cute mood board called, "It's Not Easy Being Green," with Kermit and friends. The next thing I know, Hammy, who had been on my shoulder looking at the monitor, started jumping up and down and clapping! Any fool knows you can't do that without falling, so he rolled down my arm and into the bag of M&Ms on my lap. I have no idea how they got there, but, of course, they went flying and I had to grab Nellie because she'll eat anything. Phew! Never a dull moment!

Where was I? Oh, yes, I was sharing that Hammy got excited because he has been playing with my little collection of old froggie buttons for years, waiting for this moment to use them on a card! Stanley joined in and together we decided that the climbing frog buttons worked the best for this design. (But first I had to add little eyeballs to the poor little blind boogers with my white gel pen and fine black marker.) The end.

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This QACAS double-embossed delight was made to welcome the first day of spring on Thursday. A multi-leaf unmarked 1D e/f is layer one. It got squished a little by layer two, which is Simon Says 3D "Leaf Bundle." Coming in at layer three is a sprig of Pink Fresh Washi tape leafy greens and the cherry on top is a sediment tab from Memory Box.

You gotta love a 3-minute egg card! And a design that lets you use any two embossing folders and any type of topper! C'mon!👏👌

Stop the Schlump

You will find a linky tool below for this week's I.D.E.A.S. Calendar prompt. If you use any kind of embossing on your card, please link it below.

Thank you to everyone who linked last week to inspire others. I love visiting you, seeing what you create, and pinning your design! Mwah!

~~~

Enjoy your week! 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!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter