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!