Hello, Penny Black friends. Goodbye March, April and May, and greetings to my favorite month, June. When I turned the calendar page to June, I thought of the first lines of the poem “What is So Rare As a Day in June?” by James Russell Lowell:
What is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days.
My sentiments exactly. The unsettled days of spring are behind us and the perfect days of June are here. I’ve always thought my June 1st birthday was the best day possible for a birthday. And as I grow older I appreciate those birthdays even more.
How appropriate that Penny Black’s newest release is titled “Sunshine and Smiles”. The lovely days of June sunshine and the inspiration of Designer Elizabeth Allan’s work this past week have made me eager to once again put stamp to paper with the newest Penny Black stamps.
The Enamor transparent set includes five floral images, a butterfly and a sentiment. It’s practically a card making kit in a package. When I saw this image I immediately thought “black and white”. When it came time to make a card with that black and white design, I realized it needed some “sunshine and smiles” so I added the pink pearls and used a pink and black floral designer paper from the Beau Jardin collection. Much better.
Even the perfect days of June must sometimes bow to the need for a sympathy card. I prefer a clean and simple style when making a card to express my condolences. The bird images included in the Winged Beauty slapstick set are incredibly detailed for their size. I decided they needed no addition of color for a sympathy themed card and I’m pleased with this classic look.
I tried various techniques with this Trumpet Song Slapstick/Cling image before settling on coloring the stamp directly with Distress inks. Again, I am delighted with the detailed image: note that perfect little bird. This image is versatile enough for any occasion and could be used in either elegant or casual designs. Morning glory vines are a vivid memory from my childhood when I was fascinated by their generous early morning blooms.
June also brings memories of when my kids were little and we all were impatient for the last day of school. I enjoyed the freedom from the rigid schedule that was necessary to make sure everyone was where they should be every morning and on time. It was especially time consuming every winter morning to locate enough mittens and caps for everyone; in our house, they were as apt to become as lost as the socks in the dryer. Our home was located half a block from the community swimming pool which became the focus of the kids’ summer. Our Saturdays were spent at the kids’ swim team competitions and when the season was done, the kids and I would take our pop up trailer and head for camping on the shores of beautiful Devils Lake in Baraboo, Wisconsin. We parked under the pines and enjoyed the freedom of swimming in the lake and climbing the surrounding bluffs. An ice cream treat from the campground store after an afternoon of water play and an evening around the campfire were highlights. We were only thirty minutes from home, close enough to make trips to the house to do some laundry and replenish the groceries. I was probably the only Mom who took her waffle iron along in the camper; we were the envy of our camping neighbors!
It was a struggle for all of us when Labor Day arrived and it was time to switch from the freedom of summer vacation to the confines of the school year.
Penny Black’s floral images may represent summer’s sunshine, but we must include some summer smiles. Every one of the six images in the transparent set U R the Gift will bring a smile or more. Summer birthdays are a good reason to gather the family, preferably outdoors, to celebrate. Penny Black sure knows how to throw a birthday party.
I recently made a resolution to revisit my collection of Penny Black stamps from previous releases. I haven’t inked up my A to Z stamp set since Mother’s Day so I used it to make this “love you” card, decked out in pink and a mixture of patterns. That Retro background is an older stamp, too, that deserves more of my attention.
This little guy from the Easter Friends slapstick stamp is out of season, for sure, but I was in the mood to color with my Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol and this image was perfect for that. Sometimes I just want some “coloring therapy”, with no complications. I’ve combined designer papers from the Painted Blooms paper pad. If I am allowed to run with scissors, an Easter card in June should not be too surprising!
Have I mentioned that Cooper is devoted to Mr. RWS? It’s a known fact, but even I did not realize how deep that devotion went. Mr. RWS was temporarily out of the house hitting a little ball in an attempt to have it land in a little hole, leaving his half finished jigsaw puzzle behind. Cooper, ever eager to please, decided to help. He even knew to sort out the straight-edge pieces.
It must be time to put away the stamps, inks and paper; and especially the scissors. If one is making Easter cards in June, one needs to take a nap before one comes to or causes harm.
I’ve enjoyed sharing this time with you, but most of all, I’ve loved bringing Sunshine and Smiles to your day. I spend time at the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery admiring your work, too. Oh, and if you’d like to read the rest of Mr. Lowell’s “What is So Rare as a Day in June” poem, HERE’s a link.
Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:
Stamps: 30-298 Enamor, 30-286 Heartfelt, 40-376 Winged Beauty, 30-283 Snippets, 40-198 Every Happiness, 40-377 Trumpet Song, 30-306 UR the Gift, 30-277 Happy Days, 30-274 Posted with Love, 40-056 Retro Pattern, 30-287 A to Z, 40-300 Easter Friends
Dies: 51-140 Diamond Border, 51-003 Chat Bubbles, 51-055 Shades, 51-041 Friends Frame
Designer Paper: Beau Jardin, Painted Blooms
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Thanks, Judy, for all of the summertime inspiration today! Before we go, we have a little announcement.
The winner of our recent Sunshine and Smiles giveaway is Carla Hundley. Carla, please email us your selection of $25 worth of products from our online store, at info@pennyblackinc.com. Include “Sunshine and Smiles Winner” in the subject line of your email.