Hello, friends! Things are pretty busy here at the Penny Black blog. This past week has been all about the new Winter Wonderland release, but we who run with scissors are not yet ready to put away the Fall 2014 release! And who is going to argue with a woman foolish enough to break the scissors rule?
At our house, when there is a variety of food choices in the refrigerator and the cook (that would be me) wants a night off, we declare the dinner menu to be “hodgepodge”. In other words, each of us is on our own and we each have a different meal. We finish up what’s left from previous meals before a new meal is prepared.
Well, today is the hodgepodge version of Runs with Scissors. I had some perfectly good ideas I wanted to try using the Fall 2014 stamps and dies before I opened my box of Winter Wonderland goodies. So here goes:
I used the Autumn Jewels Creative Die set to cut an assortment of leaves from gold foil paper and previously watercolored paper. I mounted them on woodgrain paper and matted with more gold foil. The sentiment is stamped with Delicata gold ink. There’s gold Wink of Stella on the watercolored leaves to add a bit of bling.
The Filigree Foliage set includes six different leaves. I’ve only used three of them on this second Thanksgiving card. I created the background using the filigreed leaves embossed in white and then distressed using a variety of colors. I’ve placed the stacked die cut sentiment on a strip of vellum. I love using stitching to attach vellum to my cards.
Before I leave Thanksgiving and go on to Christmas, I have a little story that may illustrate how hodgepodge sometimes creeps into my life unexpectedly. There are times I am not able to finish one project before another pops up, causing a bit of hodgepodge in my brain.
The other day I was spending more time than it should have taken to arrange for flights to Milwaukee for Christmas. I had reward miles on my credit card that I wanted to use and hadn’t been able to find flights online for which they would apply. I called the telephone number on the back of my credit card, but before I could be connected to an agent, I was instructed to first answer questions presented to me by an automated voice (in order to serve me better) and then endured twenty minutes on hold before at last reaching a real human. I was finally and gratefully talking with the agent, discussing dates of travel and our need for times that would accommodate our two hour drive to Nashville in order to fly on their airline. From the corner of my eye I noticed my husband waving at me, trying to attract my attention and interrupt my conversation. I tried to ignore him, but he was getting a bit frantic, so I handed him an envelope and pen that was handy so he could write down what was so urgent. This is the message he slipped across the desk:
Well, the temptation was to ask the agent to “please hold, our customer is busy assisting others at the moment”, but I managed to signal to Mr. Runs with Scissors that as much as I would have liked to assist with his dilemma, I could only manage the task at hand and he was on his own! I am really quite talented at body language!
I would like to tell you this story has a happy ending, but after further review the agent and I discovered their airline had no rewards seats available for the dates I needed them, and even worse, does not have a route that flies into Milwaukee!
Mr. Runs with Scissors and I don’t drink, but some days it seems like a good idea.
The We Three Kings cling stamp is one of the reasons I wanted to work with the Fall 2014 release a bit more. I painted the smooth side of water color paper using distress inks and water and allowed it to try before stamping the three kings image. I let the background colors determine the color of their robes, but wanted the beards and inner garment to be white. I used my trusty Signo white pen to color those areas. My gold Wink of Stella pen added a touch of glitter to their crowns and the gifts they hold.
The transparent set Frosty Fun has five adorable images and I had only used one. I couldn’t resist this little mouse and it was a perfect opportunity to use my Copic markers. The sentiment is part of the Joyous Wishes Creative Die set and as always, adds the perfect detail.
While the Fall 2014 release features dies and stamps for Halloween and Thanksgiving, they also offer opportunities to make cards for other occasions, too. I’ve used the Fall Flutters cling set to create a background on linen textured paper. I stitched a plain white panel across the middle, added one more stamped leaf and the deer from the creative die set Leap of Joy. I used a birthday sentiment this time. The leaves and the deer can be used all year long to make masculine themed cards, so no need to pack them away with your holiday stamps.
That birthday card reminds me that someone in our family had a birthday last week!
Poor Cooper! He just didn’t want anything to do with posing with his birthday cupcake and candle! I didn’t think he should be unhappy on his birthday so I edited this photo of Cooper and his blankie. Every evening at six Cooper brings me his blanket for a game of tug of war or “wave the blanket all around so I can chase it”. It’s uncanny how he knows when it is six o’clock
I gave up on a posed photo and just let Cooper enjoy licking the frosting for a bit. We substituted the cupcake for one of his doggie treats and called it a wrap!
Well, now that I have enjoyed my Fall 2014 stamps and dies one more time I will be ready to play with the new Winter Wonderland release next time. The inspiration projects this past week have been amazing. All of the new stamps and dies are available in the Penny Black store as of yesterday. This new release has something for everyone .. again!
I am so happy to share the Penny Black blog with you! Cooper and I love reading your comments. But now it’s time to tidy up and put things away. The scissors are stowed, the floors are swept, and cleanliness reigns once more. Many years ago I saw a sign hanging in a workplace that said “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Someone added their own bit of wisdom by hand writing “But around here it is next to impossible”. On that note, I will leave you.
Hope you have just enough hodgepodge in your life this week to make things interesting, but not impossible.
Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:
Stamps: 40-335 Fall Flutters, 40-358 Filigree Foliage, 40-347 We Three Kings, 30-256 Frosty Fun
Dies: 51-072 Autumn Jewels, 51-071 Words of Gratitude, 51-067 World of Wishes, 51-058 Joyous Wishes, 51-062 Leap of Joy
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