Party with Penny Timeless Blog Hop

Hey, everyone!  It's party time.  Better  yet, it's "Party with Penny" time.  You have all been invited to join the fun celebrating Penny Black's newest release called "Timeless".  It's a whole new collection of stamps and dies with something for everyone.  And when Penny Black says "party", that means "blog  hop".

You probably arrived here from the incredibly talented Heather Telford's blog.  If you haven't started from the beginning of the blog hop, you can go to the Penny Black blog for a full list of all the  participants, aka "hoppers".

To say that I had fun with this new release would be a huge understatement.  Once I started making cards, it was really difficult to stop.  So, today I have three cards to share with you.  And while this release has a large variety of stamp and die styles, today I indulged my love of sweetly cute with all three cards.

30-539 Tea Time, 30-557 Lovely Birthday, 51-006 Flutters, 51-423 Airy, 51-499 Diamond Cut, 51-521 Tea Time Cut Out

My "Have a Lovely Day" card was built layer by layer.  The Diamond Cut background die created the base for the Airy diecut and of course, the Tea Time critter.  And just because I could, I added a purple Flutter-by in the corner.  That sweet and tiny sentiment is from the Lovely Birthday transparent set.  I love those tiny sentiments; you can squeeze them into any space.

30-536 Always Love, 51-499 Diamond CutOut,51-502 swirly stitches, 51-527 Always Love CutOut

If a cute little critter can sneak into a tea cup, why not into a mixing bowl?  The Always Love mini set includes the cupcake and sentiment, too.  I couldn't resist using that Diamond Cut background die again, this time coloring it with Distress inks.

30-542 Critter Celebration

I challenged  myself this time to eliminate the white space that I seem to be so fond of.  I used Memento Luxe inks to blend a background upon which I mounted my cut out image from the Critter Celebration set.  Looks like these teddies are celebrating a birthday with some time enjoy a beautiful sunset and a few butterflies.  Again, I added a teeny tiny sentiment.  Like the other images, I used Copic markers to color these critters.

Now, for some really good news:  Penny Black says it wouldn't be a party without a giveaway, so there will be five lucky winners of a $50 shopping spree to the Penny Black online store.  Just leave a comment on any blog hop post (this one included) to be eligible to win.  The giveaway closes on Sunday, March 10 at 11:59 PM PST and winners will be announced on the Penny Black blog on March 18.

Ooops, my time is up.  Time for you to keep on hopping!  Your next stop on the hop is to the magnificent Therese Calvird's blog, Lost in Paper.  I wonder if Therese loves being "Lost in Paper" as much as I love "Running with Scissors"?

Penny Black Happy Heart Day Blog Hop

Welcome to "Party with Penny", an invitation to join in the fun for the next several days as Penny Black reveals Happy Heart Day, their newest collection of stamps and dies.  

This party is starting with a blog hop!

I am delighted and honored to be included with so many talented artists.  You should have arrived here from the blog of the awesome Sherry Hester.  If you want to start this hop from the beginning, you can go to the Penny Black blog for a complete list of the blog participants.

 The Happy Heart Day release makes my heart sing and my face smile big.  Teddy Bears, bunnies, hearts, love, birdies, hugs, bees, sweet girls, and sunshine … oh, my.  The possibilities are endless.  No matter your style, you will find stamps and dies to make cards for many occasions:  Valentine's Day, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, encouragement and even "Miss You".  

51-484 Lovely Border, 51-494 Love and Miss You;  51-495 Key...cut out, 30-522 Love in Bloom, 30-535 Space Reserved

I stamped the Valentine tree using grey Memento ink and colored the hearts using Copic markers.  On separate cardstock and using my MISTI stamp positioner, I stamped the Teddy from the Space Reserved transparent set, colored it with Copics and then fussy cut the image and attached it to the card face using Scotch mounting tape.  I created that lovely heart border using the Lovely Border die.  Just for fun, I added a gold "key to my heart" from the Key...Cut Out die set.  Finally I added the sentiment by cutting out "Miss You" from the Love and Miss you die set.

The stamps and dies I used to make this card and the rest of the Happy Heart Day release are now available in the 
Penny Penny Black online store.  No more waiting!

Teddy Bears are such fun to color and mixing stamp and die sets allows endless variation.  Who are you reserving that space on the bench for?  I think my two littlest grandchildren would just fit! 

And what is a party without a giveaway?   Penny Black is generously giving away a $50 shopping spree to the Penny Black online store to THREE lucky winners.  To enter, leave a comment on any blog hop post (this one included).  The giveaway closes on Sunday, December 23rd at 11:59 PM PST and winners will be announced on the Penny Black blog on December 31st.

You have now completed the "Party with Penny" blog hop.  I hope you have commented on the blog posts to become eligible to win one of the shopping sprees.

Remember, the complete Happy Heart Day release is now available in the Penny Black store.

And, Penny Black, I know I was last in the lineup due to my habit of running with scissors.  Hopefully, the strategy worked and my scissors and I have done no harm.

Soon It Will Be Christmas Day!

A quick check of the calendar proves it is December.  It is not only December, but it is the eve of St. Nicholas Day.  When we were kids, this is the day we hung our stockings.  St. Nicholas brought mostly oranges, nuts and some candy and we were as excited as if it were a new bicycle! 

In honor of St. Nicholas Day I have made two Christmas cards using a couple of my favorite Penny Black stamps. 

First, here is Snowy, stamped with the woodblock stamp of that name dating back to the year 2002:

Kay Miller is a Simplicity Sister on the Penny Black blog and recently she posted this card, using a color combination of kraft, red and white.  I had to give it a try and love the result:


I have two little grandchildren that will be receiving these cards for Christmas.  It's hard to believe that Evelyn Rose is now 2 1/2 and Jack Lincoln is a year old and walking! 

I have almost finished with my card making projects; next step: mailing them out!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

Penny Black Tags

Because every Christmas stamp collection includes a set to make your own gift tags, I own Penny Black's transparent set Christmas Tags.  I never set aside enough time during the holidays to make my own gift tags, so this set had never been inked!  I sat down lately and challenged myself to get a start on the gift giving season by making tags well in advance of when I might need them.

I stared at the stamps and tried to generate enthusiasm for the task at hand and then something strange happened!  Instead of seeing gift tags, I saw elements that could be used for making Christmas cards!

And here's the rest of the story:

30-199 Christmas Tags; 40-084 Circles and Lines

These tags reminded me of ornaments and I decorated them a bit with gold embossing powder, a sentiment and a few sequins.  I love that Circles and Lines background stamp ... reminds me of the decorations hung at our local mall!

30-199 Christmas Tags; 51-021 Love and Joy; 51-130 Geometrics

 

In real life, this card is made up of a deep green base .. the lighting gives it a bluish cast, which makes it less Green Bay Packer and more elegant.  I trimmed the tree with the little bow image included in the set.  I love the Geometric die cut and use it often to anchor smaller images.

30-199 Christmas Tags; 51-130 Geometrics; 51-021 Love and Joy

 

And for this card, I used the little gift package image, mounted on another of the Geometric die cut shapes. 

Christmas cards are a great place to showcase the deep colors of the season as well as a great place to add sparkle.  I have never been able to make all my Christmas cards the same.  There are so many amazing stamps and dies available, how could I settle on just one design for all my cards?

I had a great time finding ways to use this Christmas Tag set for making cards.  And I know it will be a great set to use when I finally make the tags for gift giving.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see what I've been up to.  The summer has flown by as usual, but I must admit I am looking forward to cooler temperatures.

Lulu

The Penny Black transparent set Lulu Spring is a great set for Easter and springtime cards.  But because I run with scissors, I used this set to make a little girl birthday card.  Don't you love extending how you can use your stamp sets??

30-166 Lulu Spring; 40-327 A Little Bird; 51-033 Silver Linings; 51-027 Triple Banner

I have owned a pair of "fringe-making" scissors for at least 9 years and have never used them.  This morning I came upon them and decided they have free-loaded long enough. I also fussy cut the little girl image.  I love making scenes and these clouds were the perfect finishing touch!

I have a few more "neglected" stamp sets on my desk.  There is no telling where this sassy little muse will take me. 

Thank you for your visit .. hope you are taking time to be creative today.

Snips 'n Snails "n Puppy Dog Tails

I am playing with some older Penny Black stamps.  This one is Boys Will Be Boys and it brought back memories of when my four boys were youngsters.  I don't like to think they were made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails, but they were busy, fun and wonderful.  Their only sister would tell you they were also annoying.
 

30-122 Boys will be Boys; 51-128 Doodles

I stamped the largest image in the set with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Copics.  I fussy cut everything and remounted it on an oval diecut.  It just looked more interesting this way!  I added the "smile" sentiment and red dots for interest and balance.
 
It's a good feeling to take out those older sets and ink them up.  It's almost like they're new again!
 
And by the way, I think that little puppy looks a lot like Cooper would if I turned him upside down!!
 
Thanks for visiting. 

Mother Goose by Penny Black

I don't make very many welcome baby cards, but I do have some very young grandchildren.  I think it is time Grandma sent them a card. 

30-179 Mother Goose; 51-052 Texting

This is the girl version using Penny Black's transparent set "Mother Goose".  Who doesn't love a shaker card?  I am totally unable to use just a single layer die cut sentiment since I've been stacking them three deep!  Sadly, the Glossy Accents and Wink of Stella effects don't show up in my photos.

30-179 Mother Goose; 51-095 Hearts in Circle; 51-025Love Expressions

And by swapping out colors, I can change the look to little boy!  I didn't have sequins that worked with this color scheme, so I just used the Hearts in Circle creative die to make a whole bunch of hearts at one time!  In real life, the embellishments sparkle!

I hope you are able to spend some time doing your favorite thing this weekend.  It is amazing how quickly August is going by.  The Alabama kids have been back to school for a week, even with the temperatures in the 90's. 

Cooper is responding well to his meds and the low activity routine.  He is walking with all four legs on the ground, something that he hadn't been doing lately.  We all miss playtime and long walks, but are committed to healing his owie leg.



Thanks so much for stopping by!