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!

Amazing!

Amazing is the name of the Penny Black transparent set that includes the sentiment tag and sentiment on this card.  The white panel is one layer, with masking used to make the flower appear it is behind the tag.  I think what most endeared this set to me is the polka dotted border on the tag.  It looks like multiple layers, but that is how the stamp is made.

30-243 Amazing;30-113 Petal Party; 40-310 Star Ivy

I created the black and white background matt using Penny Blacks's Star Ivy slapstick stamp, embossing with white on black cardstock.  Black, white and red is a favorite color combination of mine.

The set includes several other tags and sentiments, making it a stamp set you can use in many ways for many occasions.

Cooper's diagnosis is a partial tear of his ACL.  We have the choice between conservative treatment or surgery.  Both options carry the requirement of weight loss and low level activity for several months.  For now we are spending time researching and thinking.  Cooper is faced with losing so much of what makes his life enjoyable; more food, going for walks, running in the yard, and playing catch with his toys and tug of war with his blanket.  He is still feeling the effects of the sedation and the trauma of a day at the vet's today.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.  I think I am feeling some trauma myself.

Thank you for stopping by. 

Fun with Penny Black

Don't you love it when you get a great idea and it actually finds its way onto a card?  That's what happened when I had an assortment of Penny Black transparent sets on my desk.  I haven't used these sets very much, but once I had this idea the ink pads came out and some stamping began!

30-247 Life's Journals; 30-306 U R the Gift; 40-327 A Little Bird

I masked the mouse image and stamped over it with the library card image, and because I had finished the card before I thought to add the "RECORD", I just stamped that on a scrap of cardstock, cut it out and pasted it onto the library card.  I also stamped an extra mouse and pop dotted it to the original stamped image.  The ink bottle is high lighted with Glossy Accents, which doesn't show well in the photo.  Of course, then I added the Happy Birthday sentiment, making the card a good addition to my stash.

I love that kraft paper.  I learned about it from Sandy Allnock.  It's called Dessert Storm (an unfortunate label, but I love the paper) and made by Neenah.  Did you know you can go to your local Staples store with special paper requests and they can order for you and when it comes in, you go pick it up.  No postage fees!  I love this shade of kraft .. not too light, not too dark.

Cooper goes to the vet tomorrow for an exam of his leg and x-rays under sedation.  He is so frightened at the vets' that he is too tense for a good exam.  It will be hard to leave him there for the day as he was so upset when we did this for his teeth cleaning.  But meds aren't fixing the problem and we need to get him back on all four legs again!

Have a great week!  The Georgia grandkids are back to school today!  And one is entering high school.  Truly, time flies!!  Thanks for your visit!

Let's Chat by Penny Black

This transparent set Let's Chat by Penny Black contains thirteen stamps!  My intention when I pulled this set out was to use the sentiment "happy hello".  And then I just added more stamps to my Misti until I liked the arrangement.  Even though the colors are bright, this could be a guy card because of the graphic design.

30-244 Let's Chat

These "hot" colors remind me of our hot Alabama in August weather.  And today is the day I decided I could not stand the weedy patch of landscape that surrounds the dying rose bushes, so I spent some time cleaning up that space.  I guess I decided the rose bushes should be allowed a "death with dignity".  I murdered the petunias last month and three of the four Knockout rose bushes are dead or dying.  I am going to assume the sprinkler system is not aimed correctly to water the non-survivors.   So much for trying to raise flowers again.

This has been a week of appointments for Cooper and me.  I finally made and kept an appointment with the dentist and Cooper had to see the vet for his right rear leg that doesn't want to spend much time in contact with the ground.  It's a close call, but we spent more at the vet than the dentist and I had two teeth taken care of.

So far I don't see much improvement in Cooper's limping situation but my teeth are great!

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy these last summer days.  The kids here go back to school next week. 

Enchanted Garden by Penny Black

It's a very stormy day and there is no better time than now to play with some of my "older" Penny Black stamps.  Both of the cards use images from Penny Black's transparent set Enchanted Garden.  I love that it's possible to obtain such different looks from the same stamp set! 

30-205 Enchanted Garden; 51-007 Tagged

I've colored with Prismacolor pencils on kraft, added some white enamel dots (sadly, the color from the flowers bled through).  The butterflies just found their way onto the card somehow! 

30-205 Enchanted Garden

I love a black and white color scheme.  I thought about adding a little red heart, but chose instead to stay with only the two colors.  This contemporary style heart is quite versatile and need not be filed away until Valentine's Day! 

I am revisiting stamp sets that I've loved when I first added them to my collection and then set aside for a newer set.  I don't believe there is a finite number of ways to use our stamps.  And setting them aside for awhile and then revisiting can be very inspirational.

Chores are done for the week; except that daily make meals thing.  Honestly, I have grown weary of planning and cooking meals.  Maybe not even the cooking so much, but the planning!!  Maybe I need to focus on being more grateful that I live in a country of abundance and the problem is choosing.

Have a great day!  Thanks for your visit.

Sunshine in the Rain

"Sunshine in the Rain" is the name of this classic Penny Black slapstick stamp. 

40-058 sunshine in the rain; 30-014 salutations

I love paper piecing!  Cutting and pasting is so relaxing.  After pasting all the elements into place, I added some shading with Copic markers.  Glossy accents make the boots and umbrella shine!  I am going to enter this card in Simon Says Stamps Wednesday challenge encouraging the use of Penny Black stamps and dies.

Our friends really are "sunshine in the rain", which makes me love this image even more.  And I hereby resolve to start sending more of my cards instead of collecting them.  I know finding a card in my mailbox really makes my day, so why aren't I sharing those good feelings??

We are experiencing much more sunshine than rain here in northern Alabama.  And the heat is holding steady in the 90's.  I feel sorry for the kids in their crisp new school clothes who will be starting school here next week.

There is an announcement on the Penny Black blog today welcoming a new designer to their team.  Be sure to check it out!  Her watercolor art is beyond amazing.  She is Micheline (Mimi) Jourdain who has been guest designing for the blog for a while and is now a permanent designer. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope your life includes friends who are your sunshine in the rain!

Jumbo Love

The Wednesday challenge on the Simon Says Stamp blog is "anything goes" and they are spotlighting Penny Black stamps and dies.  How could I resist?

Add ca30-209 Jumb Love; 51-025 Love Expressions

I've used the adorable little ellie from Penny Blacks transparent set Jumbo Love along with the sentiment from the creative die Love Expressions.   Sounds like the perfect match to me!!

I am resolving to spend more time in my craft room during this unrelenting spell of hot weather.  It's July in Alabama and I am annoyed that it is hot and humid!!

I know Simon Says Stamp would love to see what you can do with Penny Black stamps and dies.  It's not a requirement, but it is an opportunity to use those great Penny Black stamps!  Click here for information.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Penny Black Christmas in July

It's been a week of Christmas in July on the Penny Black blog.  I know I've said it before, but this time I really mean it .. this is my favorite snowman of all time .. it's Penny Black's Snowy, a woodblock stamp from 2002! 

2521 K Snowy; 51-058 joyous wishes; 51-066 crystal trio
 

I've used Penny Black Creative Dies for the snowflakes and sentiment.  I added texture to the scarf and hat by going over the Copic coloring with the blender pen.  Since it's been in the 90's here in Alabama, it was a relief to think about snowflakes and the holidays.

I am back from my nine days in Wisconsin where I spent my days taking care of baby Jack who needed to stay home for one more week after his surgery.  I am delighted to report his recovery is complete and could not have gone better  He is a delightful baby and has an amazing big sister in Evelyn.  Leaving was difficult after spending so much time with the grandbabies. 

It's Saturday and once again you can find me on the Penny Black blog. 

 

If you would like to see photos of the adorable little ones, just click here and you will be transported to my Runs with Scissors column, where I have happily posted pictures.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Winged Beauty by Penny Black

Oh, my!  I have sadly neglected my blog lately.  I blame it on the fact I've not been "Livin' the Dream" lately.  For some reason, this spring saw several members of our family dealing with surgeries, not to mention my two month bout with shingles!  But that's all behind us and it's time to get back into the craft room and stamp the stress away.

40-376 Winged Beauty; 40-385 Collage of Wishes; 51-140 Diamond Border; 51-027 Triple Banner

The bird and branches images are from Penny Black's slapstick set "Winged Beauty".  I've tried stamping them in various colors, but I always go back to neutral tones.  I am amazed at the amount of detail in these small stamps.  I seemed to lose some of the detail when I colored the images. 

I am sending this card to my much younger brother for his birthday in a couple of weeks.  I'm  not sure what he thinks of my hand made cards, but I know his wife appreciates them!

I've added Liquid Pearls opal accents to the branches and the Diamond Border diecut.  I like the texture it adds and it is not too "blingy" for a guy!

I am flying to Wisconsin tomorrow to take care of baby Jack so Mom can go back to work after being with him for two weeks post surgery.  It was pretty serious surgery, but Jack came through like Superman and isn't even holding a grudge!!  We are so grateful that all is well.  And I am grateful and thrilled to be able to spend a week spoiling him (shhhh, don't tell Mom and Dad).

It's been tough on my mojo lately, but once I spend time with Jack and Ev and other family in Wisconsin, I know I will come back renewed, refreshed and lonesome!

Tomorrow I will be running with scissors on the Penny Black blog ... I think there will be some red, white and blue for the holiday!!  Thanks for stopping by!!  Have a fun and safe Independence Day.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

There is a new challenge up at the Hero Arts Blog.  Some of the Hostess alumni are joining in for this month long challenge.  Of course, there are prizes!





This hydrangea stamp is one of my all time Hero Arts images.  And of course, it is a wood block stamp which makes it more special. 

My three in a row choices are heat embossing, birthday theme and watercoloring.  The Hydrangea was stamped with black VersaFine ink, heat embossed with clear embossing powder, water colored using my new Zig Clean Color brush marker, and then fussy cut to place it on the La Letter background.  I added some white enamel dots to give the flower some dimension.

You have until the end of June to enter the Hero Arts Tic Tac Toe challenge.  You can pick any three options in a row to create your card using Hero Arts stamps, dies and stencils.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope your summer is off to a good start. 

Sunshine and Smiles

Hello again!  I have finally joined the human race after a lengthy and painful bout of shingles.  My advice:  if you are in the recommended group for a shingles vaccine, run don't walk to receive it.  I lost more than two months of my life, had to cancel two planned trips by air and then had to cope with learning to live without pain meds.

But that's all over now and thankfully I was able to spend some time stamping and keeping up with my visits to the Penny Black blog.

Penny Black has been celebrating a new release called Sunshine and Smiles for the past couple of weeks.  My Runs with Scissors column today includes cards made with the new release as well as a card or two using some of my older Penny Black stamps.



This Penny Black image from the transparent set I Heart You is very much about Sunshine and Smiles, even though it is from a previous release.  Just a fun image to color. 

 Hope you'll stop by the Penny Black blog ... Cooper's hanging out there, too.

May Flowers by Penny Black

We've had the April showers; time to share some gorgeous May flowers.  Cooper is checking out the petunias; hope you will visit the Penny Black blog to see the cards I've made using some beautiful Penny Black stamps.






Thanks for stopping by.  See you at the Penny Black blog where I am running with my scissors.

Time to Smell the Roses

I'm running with scissors today on the Penny Black blog.  And Cooper is smelling the roses.






Hope you'll stop by for a visit.  Click here.

Masculine Cards with Penny Black

With Fathers' Day coming up as well as the need for cards for the men in our life, it's time to make some masculine cards. 

Add caption

I'm running with my scissors on the Penny Black blog today.  For more masculine card ideas be sure to stop by.  Just click here.

Never Too Old to Learn

 

It's all about celebrations and graduations today.

 

To find out why Cooper decided to start studying  go to the Penny Black blog by clicking here.

All About Special Women

I am running with my scissors on the Penny Black blog today .. and it's all about the special women in our lives ... including our Moms!!



I love this slapstick stamp by Penny Black.  It's called Centerpiece, and it surely is.  I've colored with Prismacolor pencils, blended with Gamsol.   There are so many ways to color this image .. and I'm trying several!

Just click here to be transported to the Penny Black Blog.

Time to Celebrate from Penny Black

Now that spring is officially here, we can look forward to spring celebrations:  graduations, Mothers Day and Fathers Day.

30-294 The Sweetest

Penny Black's Time to Celebrate mini release has stamps and dies for the spring celebrations that are coming up.  And of course, they work for birthdays, too.  It's a mini release with maximum potential.

I'm sharing cards I've made using this release on the Penny Black blog today.  I would love for you to visit.

Running Cutely with Scissors

 

 

I am very late posting my invitation to join me on the Penny Black blog today.  But it's all bout cute and adorable; my favorite !!

 

 

Hope you'll stop by for a visit ... I love cute and adorable!!   Just click here to be transported. 

Think Spring!



30-282 Efflorescence



It isn't easy to think Spring when the roads are closed or impassable due to freezing rain!  But I gave it my best shot today on the Penny Black blog where I am running with my scissors.

Penny Black has added 6x6 Designer Paper pads to their collection.  I've used paper from the Gentle Whisper pad for this background.  The rose is a stamp included in the transparent set Efflorescence.  I've been meaning to look up that word but for now it means four gorgeous floral stamps in one set.

It's been some seriously awful winter weather the past few weeks.  The school kids have missed so many days they may have to forfeit their entire summer break.

I was delighted to ignore the icy white conditions outside while I made spring happen in my craft room.  Well, there was a little whining involved, too.

Hope to see you on the Penny Black blog.  Just click here.  And thanks for your visit!

Tutu Sweet

This little cutie is from Penny Black's transparent set Tutu Sweet.  I just love her little hairdo!

I have paper pieced her darling outfit, using the designer papers in Penny Black's newly released 6x6 paper pad Gentle Whisper.  The embossed background was done with the new embossing folder my friend Sally sent me.  I love how it matches the pattern in the paper.



Today is a Run With Scissors Day on the Penny Black blog.  You can see the other cards I made using the paper piecing technique and the new Penny Black designer papers.

Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop

Welcome to the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop.  My hostess colleagues and I feel privileged and very happy to be together once more to share what we've created with the fabulous stamps from the new Hero Arts 2015 Spring release. 

If you’ve been following along, you’ve just arrived from  Kathy Racoosin's blog!  Awesome, huh?  Kathy has a magic touch!  If you just came for a visit and want to start at the beginning of the hop, just go to the Hero Arts blog where it all began.

Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly drawn comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day’s starting post at the Hero Club Blog. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning!

If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Arts Club Blog. Also, please report broken links to: blog@heroarts.com.

The new stamps are available in the Hero Arts online store as of today.  Just click on the caption under each card for ordering information.

CL833 Stamp Your Own Salad

I created the background for the card base by using the leafy beet top stamp.  Love using my stamps in more than one way.  The beet is colored with Copics, fussy cut and attached to a diecut circle.  I cut the sentiment stamp to change it from a square to a linear stamp.  Love doing that, once I got over the fear!

 

CG662 Triangle Background; DC130 Flowers

I white embossed the Triangle Background stamp and then using my distressing tool, rubbed over the image with Weathered Wood Distress Ink.  The sentiment is stamped in soft grey VersaFine ink.  The flowers were heat embossed and fussy cut and arranged onto a circle diecut which was then attached to the rectangle.  This is a stamp and cut set, which included the banner die.

F6069 Thanks for Being You

Don't you love when a sentiment can be the focus of a card? This large woodblock stamp is perfect for conveying your message without distraction.  I stamped and heat embossed with Luxe ink Teal onto a circle diecut which I added to lacy designer paper.  I colored the seam binding with Distress Ink to match the monochromatic color theme.

I hope you can tell how much I've enjoyed being part of the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop and playing with the Spring 2015 stamps.  Thank you for being a part of it all.

It is now my joy to send you to the next stop on the hop, my dear friend and most talented artist Donna Mikasa, who is now part of the Hero Arts family as a designer.  I was certain this would happen when I first saw her work on the Hero Arts blog years ago.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This little guy represents me, frantically writing out and sending my Valentines!  It seems that once I have them made my brain says "mission accomplished" and the finished cards sit on my desk until I suddenly remember to mail them.  Thankfully, I got all thirteen of them in the mail on time for them to arrive today!

30-273 Furry Affection

This little guy is from Penny Black's transparent set Furry Affection. Just a little Copic coloring and  a background of patterned paper

I'm not hanging out at home this morning, even though I have dinner tonight for thirteen people.  Just had to have some time to Run with Scissors on the Penny Black blog.

Hope your day is filled with love ... and at least a little chocolate!!  Thanks for your visit.

Watercolor Attempt

After seeing all the gorgeous watercolor creations lately, I had to try!  I love my new Koi watercolors and had lots of fun "playing".  Not happy at all with the result, but here it is!  I can only get better, right?

4233K Butterfly Kiss; 51-025 Love Expressions

After putting my paints away, I picked up my scissors instead .. Come see what it's all about on the Penny Black blog today where I do a better job of running with scissors than I do with a paintbrush!
 

Purple Procrastination

So, ok, I procrastinated even longer!!  Here are the last two cards I made instead of purging!  I guess I was in my purple mode!

30-026 Tiny Wishes; 30-053 Betsy bluebell

30-123 Fancy Flowers;51-041 Friends Frame; 30-226 Kind Words
 

Now that I've had fun with some of my older Penny Black stamps, I may just continue playing instead of cleaning.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you take time to play ... the cleaning will always wait!