Keep it Simple: Pastel Pretties with Patti
Our Happy Heart Day collection is in the spotlight again today…
…and Patti Kehl is wowing us with her pretty pastel creations.
For her first card, she’s featured the ‘love’ sentiment from our Creative Die set, 51-487 Love Train, along with the ‘you’ from 51-339 You Enjoy.
Next, her soft and sweet coloring and background sponging adds even more cuteness to the love birds from our miniature 3 x 4 inch transparent stamp set, 30-524 Happy Hugs.
And how sweet does the key and heart locket from our Creative Die set, 51-495 Key… Cut Out, look when cut from silver cardstock? Perfection! (Exact match stamps and coordinating sentiment from 30-523 Key to My Heart.)
Finally, we just adore Patti’s soft coloring of our miniature transparent set, 30-530 Fairy Love, along with the whimsical stenciled dots (25-007 Dotlets) in the background.
Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies
Card One: 51-487 Love Train, 51-339 You Enjoy
Card Two: 30-524 Happy Hugs, 30-534 All My Love
Card Three: 30-523 Key to My Heart, 51-495 Key… Cut Out
Card Four: 30-530 Fairy Love, 30-523 Key To My Heart, 25-007 Dotlets
SIMPLICITY Sneak Peek
Inspire and Explore: Virginia’s Valentines
So who is here to inspire us with cards featuring the newest stamps and dies from our Happy Heart Day collection?
It’s the talented Virginia Lu!
Her first card is has a bright color scheme and a modern vibe as she features our Creative Die, 51-496 Strings of Hearts.
for the products featured on the card above
(originally posted HERE)
51-496 Strings of Hearts
30-523 Key to My Heart
Next, she’s given our Creative Die set, 51-484 Lovely Border, a new use by embossing her background using each die in the set.
for the products featured on the card above
(originally posted HERE)
30-523 Key to My Heart
51-495 Key…Cut Out
51-484 Lovely Border
It would be impossible for us to love this sweet card even more than we already do. That rainbow background puts it over the top!
for the products featured on the card above
(originally posted HERE)
30-529 Lovable
51-491 Lovable Cut Out
51-484 Lovely Border
51-485 Hearts Around
30-523 Key to My Heart
In addition to fun techniques and backgrounds filled with interest, Virginia also demonstrates her clean and simple stylings on this bear-y cute card featuring our miniature transparent set, 30-534 All My Love.
for the products featured on the card above
(originally posted HERE)
30-534 All My Love
51-484 Lovely Border
We’re not quite done yet, here’s one more Valentine from Virginia that as us smiling. Her artsy background is such fun!
for the products featured on the card above
(originally posted HERE)
30-523 Key to My Heart
51-492 Hearts Galore
30-529 Lovable
51-491 Lovable Cut Out
Runs with Scissors
Hello, hello and hello! Here we are in the depths of January, with its cold and snow. However, along with that January brings us extra minutes of daylight each day. Who doesn’t love extra daylight?
Oh, how much fun I have had with the Happy Heart Day release. I almost feel guilty for enjoying the cuteness so much. Now that I’ve made a big batch of Valentines, the next step will be to put them in the mail. There were many friends who didn’t receive a Christmas card from me and my plan is to surprise them with a Valentine instead.
If you’ve not sent thank you notes for your Christmas gifts, these delightful images and loving sentiments combined would make great thank you cards.
I chuckled to myself when I added the fluffy clouds from the Silver Linings die set to my card. Of course there would be clouds on the way to the moon! This sweet Teddy from the Space Reserved set was fun to color with Copic markers. I added a Lovely Border and pretty backing paper to finish the card. Mr. Teddy looks right at home sitting on the edge of the moon holding his glittery heart.
This cloud from the Bee Mine mini set is raining hearts onto the awesome sentiment from the Kisses and Wishes mini set. That stitched row of tiny hearts from the Stitched XOXO set adds the finishing touch. How fun to make a sunny yellow, touch of glitter Valentine.
Be still my heart! Could this be cuteness overload? This hedgie from the Loveable mini set is the perfect messenger to deliver this BIG love message from the Lovely Border die set. Just stamp and color the hedgie and run it through your die cutting machine using the matching Loveable Cut-Out. Those cut out dies make life easier and add such a perfect look.
Left Overs
By Cooper
Well, everyone, she’s done it again. That Woman has been whining and complaining about what to write for Runs with Scissors this week. I just couldn’t take it anymore so I volunteered to step in again. She did leave me a few scribbled notes and told me to do my best to put together a blog post.
To be fair, it has been five years of almost weekly posting, a story almost every time, so maybe it’s appropriate to give That Woman a break. When I look at the Table of Contents for the more than 150 blog posts she’s written, I understand why finding a new idea for a story could be a challenge.
The list begins with the story of the Christmas Light Tour and then includes Halloween, Thanksgiving, February Love Stories, Mothers’ Day, Fortune Cookies, Grandkids, Spam, a Weeping Driveway, RV’ing years, Ethiopia Mission, Laundry, Trips, Weddings, Funeral, Friendships, Bucket Lists, and back to Christmas again.
I am wondering if I help That Woman out again if she would consider changing the name of her posts from Runs with Scissors to Runs with Canines or something similar. Or maybe “Runs with Cooper’s Scissors”. On second thought, I would rather have treats than naming rights.
So, I am looking at the notes That Woman gave me and the first one says “Write about what you know”. Well, what I know is That Woman finally came through with my very late Christmas presents last week. I did enjoy the farmyard animals and their exclusive sound when squeezed (or in my case, bitten). I was pretty tired of the same old squeaker sound in my old toys. But why she thought it necessary to bring a puppy into the house, I don’t know. That little guy is one noisy, busy, flipping little puppy. He ignores my attempts to make him stop the frantic yipping and flipping. That Woman is able, however, to make him stop. I think she rubs his belly.
That Woman’s notes mention “cleaning up” the rest of 2018 events. Well, I agree. January is a good time for “cleaning up”, but I would think That Woman would focus more on her bulging closet than last year’s events. But, here goes:
That Woman parted with two very favorite, well worn items last month. First, it was her terry cloth bathrobe that was at least 15 years old. That robe snuggled her after every shower for all those years. It hung on a hook in at least four different bathrooms, including the RV, always there to take away the chill and absorb the extra water. It seems that one day That Woman realized she could see light through what used to be the thick terry cloth and even noticed little black spots (mold?) that no longer disappeared after washing. The new terry robe is now hanging on the hook in the bathroom, bright white and unstained and even a bit longer. I did notice, however, she was unable to throw out the old robe and it is on a shelf in the closet. She does get a bit sentimental over her belongings.
Speaking of sentimental: That Woman has a special relationship with her shoes. No, not a lot of shoes, just certain ones. That Woman wears only clogs when it is not sandals weather. Sporty clogs during the week, and “dressy” clogs for church and other dressier occasions. The dressy clogs have higher heels, thus making them dressier. Well, two Sundays ago That Woman noticed that the shoes felt “squishier” than usual, actually making them even more comfortable. But that “squish” sound was a bit annoying so she slipped one shoe off and to her shock noticed that the entire heel had burst, like an air filled balloon might. Those shoes were only 13 years old and That Woman was not ready to part with them. In a moment of extreme bravery That Woman threw those shoes away and was happy to find an almost identical pair in time for last Sunday’s church service.
Oh, here’s a note about Christmas Day at church in Atlanta. (honestly, that was weeks ago and I did not go along to church that day so I was glad to read this note).
That Woman noticed that a woman several pews in front of her was using American Sign Language (ASL) to “sing along” with the beautiful Christmas music sung by the church choir. She was fascinated with the beautiful and energetic signing done in time with the choir’s singing. Her arms and hands and fingers changed between delicately and forcefully to sign the words so that even one unfamiliar with ASL could determine what the words might be. The very best part, according to That Woman, was the energetic, spiraling upward, arms outstretched “Allelujah” at the end of the music. It was a goose bumpy, eyes tearing, sacred moment. How beautiful it was to see ASL being used to worship.
Well, that’s it for the notes except for the one saying, “Things I wish I had done…”. Sounds like a future Runs with Scissors post. I just live in the present and don’t concern myself with past or future events.
I think there was a time when we called this “spotlight coloring”. Maybe not quite, but focal point coloring might be a good name for this technique. The kraft, red and white color combination makes this a good card for the big or little boys in your life. I’ve used the Special Friend mini set for the image and the Love and Miss You die set for the sentiment. I may find it difficult to send these Valentines off in the mail!
This card reminds me of the little Valentines we used to share in elementary school. I made the heart by cutting out the heart created by the Hearts Around die cut and then distressing it with shades of Memento Luxe inks. That cute little bee from the Bee Mine mini set added just the right amount of “cute” to make me smile. My original idea to use that bee was to have two of them on one card, but because they are so identical, it didn’t work too well. So guess what I did? …..
I used that second bee from the Bee Mine mini set on this card! I love that the Strings of Hearts die cut resembles a honeycomb when it is done in yellow. Now that I reflect on my design, I see I could have placed a border around those edges! What is that saying? “Too soon old, too late smart”! Next time for sure.
Poor Cooper! There were no presents under the tree for him at Christmas. How did we let that happen? So we over-compensated and recently ordered six new toys for him. Cooper loves it when packages arrive at the house; he still remembers the one time there was a piece of candy inside the package, even though it was years ago. Five of the toys were farm yard animals that made the appropriate animal sound when squeezed. Interest in each of those was fleeting but the last present he opened revealed an almost life like, battery operated puppy, complete with puppy sounds and actions. This little guy walks while he yips and every few seconds does a backwards flip. Cooper acts like a concerned doggy daddy, trying to quiet the noisy little puppy and make him hold still. He grabs the pup by the nose, leg or tail and shakes him a bit, trying to quiet the noise and stop the action. As soon as a nearby adult turns off the puppy, Cooper settles down and rests, content that the spoiled little puppy is now behaving. From what we know of Cooper’s first two years, he was around puppies a lot and has not forgotten what they sound or look like. Not sure what kind of parent he would have been, since he does not tolerate puppy sounds well!
Time to stow the scissors and thank Cooper for pitching in this week. Seriously, if anyone has suggestions for story ideas, please mention them in the Comments. The Penny Black stamps and dies are almost magic and practically make cards with no help: the stories, not so much. Every writer dreads facing a blank screen or sheet of paper with not a single idea of what to write about. Mojo is needed for writing as well as art work. Of course, a more exciting or interesting current life would help this writer, too.
I am off to visit the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery to view your exciting and interesting Penny Black creations. Thank you for your visit and especially your comments and ideas. Cooper is taking a bow and looking pretty smug.
Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies
Card No. 1: 51-033 Silver Linings, 51-484 Lovely Border, 30-535 Space Reserved
Card No. 2: 51-484 Lovely Border, 51-486 Stitched XOXO, 30-527 Bee Mine, 30-528 Kisses and Wishes
Card No. 3: 51-484 Lovely Border, 51-491 Loveable Cut-Out, 30-529 Loveable
Card No. 4: 51-416 Stitched Stackers, 51-494 Love and Miss You, 30-531 Special Friend
Card No. 5: 51-422 Stitched Square and Circles, 51-485 Hearts Around, 30-525 Words Sweet, 30-527 Bee Mine
Card No. 6: 51-496 Strings of Hearts, 30-527 Bee Mine, 30-530 Fairy Love
Bible Journaling with Penny Ward
Once a month, Penny Ward joins us with her inspiring and gorgeous Bible journaling pages featuring our products! You can read more about Penny and her Bible journaling tips HERE. We love her approach to Bible journaling: “I journal in a Bible to show my love of God and particular scripture most of the time. God gave me the crafty gene and I am showing him what He gave me. I am sure He loves it in His book no less. I also have a second Bible for reading.” So whether you are new to Bible journaling or a card-maker looking for stamping ideas and techniques, we welcome both you and Penny as we celebrate another EXTRA fun Friday with our fabulous friend.
This month Penny Ward brings us a very special Bible Journaling project featuring our transparent stamp set, 30-535 Space Reserved.
She’s creating a fabric Bible cover!
She’s embellished her cover by stamping a couple of our 30-462 Flourish Borders.
And she’s also featured sentiments from our transparent stamp sets, 30-409 Faith and 30-532 Love Sentiments.
Ready to create this customizable Bible cover yourself? Don’t miss Penny’s informative and inspiring photo tutorial and complete instructions linked below.
Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies
30-462 Flourish Borders
30-409 Faith
30-535 Space Reserved
30-532 Love Sentiments
Keep it Simple: Mayline Works her Magic
Creating fantastic Valentine and love-themed cards with our Happy Heart Day collection need not be tricky! Today we share with you playful card ideas that also “keep it simple.”
And who better to work her magic with our newest collection than the talented Mayline Jung.
Take a peek at the stamps and dies she will be featuring… can you spot all of the creative ways she’s used them on her cards?
Keep it Simple Tip: If you want to create a card but don’t want to design an intricate scene, don’t be afraid to use just a portion of an image. On this card, Mayline fussy cut the bear from the Space Reserved set, excluding the bench and balloon, but leaving her with a perfectly posed bear to sit within the “frame” of her card.
for the products featured on the card above
30-535 Space Reserved
51-492 Hearts Galore
30-526 So Much Love
Keep it Simple Tip: How to create a magical night sky? Using an ink blending tool and foam pad, blend Distress Inks onto smooth white cardstock using shades of black, blue, and purple. Splatter with water and watered down white acrylic paint. And if your sky isn’t perfect, no worries! By adding die cut stars and a moon-themed image, it will automatically be perceived as sweet starry night.
for the products featured on the card above
30-535 Space Reserved
51-492 Hearts Galore
51-461 Starry Night
Keep it Simple Tip: Use our Strings of Hearts die to create a frame as well as a background. Simply cut the heart design from the center of a white rectangular panel. Use the leftover outer portion as your frame and adhere it to a pink notecard using dimensional adhesive. Then insert the heart die cut piece into the center, adhering it directly to the pink notecard. Tuck a critter or character peeking out from the side and your card has instant charm.
for the products featured on the card above
30-530 Fairy Love
51-496 Strings of Hearts
30-526 So Much Love
51-492 Hearts Galore
30-534 All My Love
Keep it Simple Tip: Mix and match stamps and dies to get even more from your stamping stash. For example, don’t you love how Mayline has added the birds from our 30-524 Happy Hugs set to the pup and his crafty creation (30-531 Special Friend)?
for the products featured on the card above
30-524 Happy Hugs
30-531 Special Friend
51-405 Love and Roses
30-535 Space Reserved
Keep it Simple Tip: Keep your coloring simple with just two or three bold solid colors but give added interest to your background by repeatedly stamping the focal point image in a very pale, light color.
for the products featured on the card above
30-534 All My Love
30-535 Space Reserved
Keep it Simple Tip: Combine our 51-492 Hearts Galore Creative Die with any of our new characters or critters so they look as if they are bursting with heart day happiness. Simply use the die for your background and layer your focal point cutie in front. And don’t forget to sprinkle a few of the hearts at their feet for even more charm as well as to “ground” the image and give your overall design a finished look.
for the products featured on the card above
30-530 Fairy Love
30-532 Love Sentiments
51-492 Hearts Galore
