Runs with Scissors

She’s perfected pajama stamping AND she runs with scissors.  Welcome back, Judy!

Well, here I am again at my space on the Penny Black blog.   I’ve been here since really early this morning (I’m still in my pajamas), and I am so glad I got here when I did!   Someone left the big box sitting out with the “Happy Everything” release in it and I couldn’t resist.  I put my hand in and pulled out one of the stamps … and it was the cling stamp “Magical Day.” I love Mo Manning’s images of little children and seniors.  This was a joy to play with.

The challenge for me was to make the wings sparkly enough:  the Wink of Stella pen on vellum did the trick.  I’ve placed the image inside the card and then cut a circle from the front and covered the opening with plastic. The banner is from Penny Black’s creative die set “Triple Banner,” stamped with the sentiment included with the stamp.

Because of all the purple, my finished card reminds me of the poem by Jenny Joseph called “Warning” which begins with the line “When I am an old woman” and goes on to list all the things she will do when she can stop being a responsible and serious adult.  One of her plans is to wear purple.  You can read the poem HERE, and perhaps think of a few ideas of your own.

I’m sure if she had thought of it she would have mentioned a magic wand.  Were I to write the same kind of poem, I would include running with scissors!

Things were going so well I decided to dip into that box again and came up with the woodblock stamp “Noble.” I have to admit to being tempted to put it back, as I wasn’t so sure how to use a brush stroke stamp.

I tried stamping it in light colored ink and coloring with Copics.  I tried stamping in black ink and watercoloring it.  Neither of these techniques allowed the beauty of the floral image to show through.  Then finally I reached for a piece of watercolor paper left from previous attempts, pulled out a few Distress Inks and in the last throes of defeat, just inked up the stamp with Wild Honey, Festive Berries and Crushed Olive and stamped onto the watercolor paper.  Who doesn’t love a happy accident?

I cut the image with a circle die (another circle?), stitched it onto a card base and added die cuts from the Creative Die sets “Flutters” and “Love and Joy.”

When I am in my craft space at home and look at the aftermath of my stamping sessions, I am astounded at the messes I make!  It seems the more creative I became, the more I just push things around, pile things up, and create chaos!  Can you believe that this …

Becomes this …..

How does this happen? I don’t do this in my kitchen.   When I cook a meal, I am very fussy about keeping ahead of the dirty dishes and clean up and put away as I go.   Why, then, do I turn into this alien creature, pushing things aside as I go instead of putting them away?  It’s as if I put on my purple dress and become totally irresponsible.  Are you a neat and tidy stamper or does your desk look like mine when you are done?

After all the stress with the brush stroke image, I felt a need to do something fun.  This time I boldly looked when I put my hand into the box and searched until I found the ingredients to make a card that makes my heart smile … cute!

I love how the blackboard sentiment goes so well with Ms. Ladybug.  The pennants added the right balance to the color scheme and are made with the Creative Die “Pennant.” 

Do you remember the Valentine I made for my granddaughter Evie?   You can find it HERE.

Well, I am told by her parents that she really loved it!

I guess it was hers to enjoy the way she enjoys things best right now!  (Actually, Mom and Dad saved it from becoming a meal and put it safely in her baby book.)

Oh, my… the morning is almost gone!  So glad you stopped by.  It’s time to put the stamps back where they belong, get the little scraps of paper corralled and tuck the scissors safely back into the drawer.  And time to get out of my pajamas!

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:

• Stamps: 40-305 Magical Day, 4377K Noble, 40-308 Cupcake Day, 30-220 Cute as a Bug
• Creative Dies: 51-006 Flutters, 51-021 Love & Joy, 51-032 Pennant
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