The Penny Black Blog

Fun Friday with the Lovely Layers Ladies

August 18, 2017

Once a month the Lovely Layers Ladies dazzle us with their detailed and fun creations. Today we’re pleased celebrate Fun Friday with this dynamic duo.

Yenni Natalia kicks things off with her bright, yet delicate, creation.

Next, Emilia Sieradzan, AKA Lady E. has for us a charming and luscious design.

One more thing… TGIF!

“Like” our page on Facebook for exclusive inspiration by Birgit Edblom!

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies

Card One: 30-426 Cheerful Critters, 51-353 Cut Out Borders, 51-051 Tabs & Toggles, 51-151 Whirl Wreath

Card Two: 51-300 Light as a Feather, 51-353 Cut Out Borders, 51-014 Nature’s Song, 30-338 Special Thoughts, 2025M Music Note Background

Absolute Elegance

August 17, 2017

by pennyblackinc

Thanks for joining us as we continue to take a closer look at our newest holiday stamps, dies, and designer paper pad from our Be Merry collection. All new products are NOW AVAILABLE in our online store.

Be Merry. Be Elegant. Be Creative.
That’s certainly the theme for today’s holiday inspiration.

Watch directly on YouTube HERE.

Introducing 40-556 Snowy Perch

Card above also features 30-387

Introducing 40-557 Starry Tree

Card above also features 30-251, 51-080, 51-171

Introducing 40-559 Berry Circle

Card above also features 51-387, 30-316

Introducing 40-570 Tree of Holly

Card above also features 30-251, 51-095, 30-307

Introducing 30-442 A Festive Season

Card above also features 40-556

Introducing 30-435 Three Kings

Card above also features 30-438, 51-379

With today’s post we finish up our “come take a peek” videos for our Be Merry collection. Thank you for joining us and be sure to stay tuned as our designers have lots of NEW holiday card ideas, with complete supplies and instructions, coming your way featuring this beautiful and versatile collection! Plus, there’s still time to enter…

What better way to BE MERRY than a giveaway! We have for you THREE WAYS TO WIN… pick which works best for you, or enter on all three social media platforms! THREE happy stampers will win a $25 shopping spree to our online store. Here’s how to enter:

1: “Like” our Facebook page and leave us a comment there.
2: Leave a comment here on the blog during the next two weeks of BE MERRY posts.
3: Follow us on Instagram and leave us a comment there.

Note: You don’t need to do all three to qualify, please pick whatever works best for you, although we’d certainly love to connect with you in all three places. We will be choosing one winner from the Facebook entries, one from the blog entries, and one from the Instagram entries so the more ways you enter, the greater your chances of winning. Giveaway closes Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 11:59 PM PST.

Seasonal Sentiments

August 16, 2017

by pennyblackinc

The perfect sentiment can add so much to holiday card designs. Whether you love stamped or die cut sentiments, or both, we’ve got you covered.

Watch directly on YouTube HERE.

Introducing Creative Die Set 51-382 Tis the Season

Card above also features 40-578

Card above also features 40-574

Introducing Creative Die 51-367 Peace and Holly

Card above also features 40-568, 51-007

Introducing Creative Die Set 51-368 Ornamental Branch

Card above also features 40-559, 51-136, 30-238, 51-352

Introducing Creative Die 51-380 Feliz Navidad

Card above also features 40-577, 30-247

Introducing Creative Die 51-377 Blessed Night

Card above also features 40-561

Introducing Creative Die 51-379 Adore Him

Card above also features 30-435

Introducing 30-434 Joyful Wishes

Card above also features 30-446, 51-363, 51-273, 51-095

Introducing 30-436 Sweetest Moments

Card above also features 40-573

Introducing 30-438 Peace & Love

Card above also features 40-560

Introducing 30-440 Joy & Happiness

Card above also features 51-400, 30-441, 30-435, 51-271, 51-353

Introducing 30-444 Full of Merriment

Card above also features 40-583

1: “Like” our Facebook page and leave us a comment there.
2: Leave a comment here on the blog during the next two weeks of BE MERRY posts.
3: Follow us on Instagram and leave us a comment there.

Have you added some new goodies to your wishlist? We can’t wait to see what you create with them for our “Holiday Head Start Challenge.”

Cute Christmas

August 15, 2017

by pennyblackinc

Today is all about cute… from critters to whimsical snowy scenes, these stamps and dies capture the joy of the season.

Watch directly on YouTube HERE.

Introducing 30-445 To All…

Card above also features 30-258, 30-387

Introducing 30-443 Under the Mistletoe

Introducing 30-441 Christmas Hugs

Card above also features 51-372, 51-395, 30-448, 51-287

Introducing 30-439 Gather Around

Introducing 30-437 North Pole Treasures
and Creative Die 51-364 Ornament Tree

Card above also features 51-400, 30-446, 30-307, 51-090

Introducing 51-400 Modern Tree

Card above also features 30-441, 30-443, 30-439

Introducing 51-369 Snowflake Tree

Card above also features 30-434, 40-572, 51-271, 51-088, 51-090

Introducing 51-381 Trees and Hills

Card above also features 51-387, 30-448, 51-090, 51-066, 51-273, 30-387

Introducing 51-386 Tree Silhouettes

Card above also features 30-380, 51-352, 51-353

Introducing 40-572 Trimming Time
and 40-575 Getting Ready

Tag above also features 51-387, 40-570

We hope all of these Christmas critters have you ready to deck the halls. Or at least trim the trees on your holiday creations!

And before you go, don’t miss this week’s card on our SIMPLICITY site…

Hello Autumn

August 14, 2017

by pennyblackinc

Today we’re excited to share with you a special addition to our Be Merry collection… come take a closer look at Hello Autumn! All new products are NOW AVAILABLE in our online store.

Introducing Creative Die Set 51-360 Pumpkins & Leaves

Card above also features 51-397, 30-414, 30-404, 51-033

Introducing Creative Die 51-361 Witches Duo

Card above also features 51-360, 51-327, 51-247, 30-249

Introducing 40-555 Chubby Witch

Introducing 40-554 Hello Autumn

Introducing 40-553 Witchy

Introducing 40-552 Same Tree

Card above also features 40-581

So even if the leaves aren’t changing quite yet, do any of these autumn-themed stamps and dies have you anxious for the golden glow of fall?

Runs with Scissors

August 12, 2017

by pennyblackinc

Once again, hello Penny Black friends. At last, the sneak peeks and teasing are finished and the new Be Merry release is available from the Penny Black Store. I have been busy test driving the new stamps and dies and once again I have to say this release has something special for everyone. Penny Black’s unique style shines through the classic, elegant, cute and artistic styles of stamps and dies. You can make your projects as simple or complex as your muse leads you.

Today I have included two one layer cards that work well for making multiples and for sending through the mail. I’ve also indulged my love of snowmen and cute in general.

My hope is that you see something here that helps put you in the mood for making your holiday cards.

The Three Kings transparent set will give you many options for making a card expressing the true meaning of the Christmas holiday. Here I blended Distress Oxide inks to create a night sky. After thoroughly drying the ink, I stamped and heat embossed the images and the Bible verse. I used my MISTI in order to get a good layer of Versafine black ink as the base for my clear embossing powder. And those little white dots? Those are the punch outs from the Snowflake Stitch Frame that were scattered all over my desk. I picked each dot up with a tweezer and dipped it into some adhesive and applied it to the background. A little time consuming, but I am happy with the look. I am just not good at “flicking” white liquids.

This is almost a one layer card and it would be super easy to make in quantity, using the Holly Frame die. The circular piece in the middle is an ornament with its top cut off from the Joyful Ornaments die set. I experimented with various color combinations before deciding on the red and kraft color scheme. That Holly Frame is awesome no matter what color or background you place behind it. My head is swimming with ideas even as I write this.

Go big or go home, they say! This bold and beautiful snowflake is the Stitch a Snowflake die set which consists of this large snowflake and the smaller center snowflake. I chose a silver and aqua color theme here, but the possibilities are endless. The sentiment is from the Joyful Wishes sentiment set which includes seven awesome holiday wishes.

ARFID

No, ARFID is not another new word. It is an acronym for Adult Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – probably better known as “picky eater”. And that’s me!

I am beginning to believe there is a genetic component to being a picky eater. My father was a strictly meat, potatoes and vegetable person. And don’t ever mix them all together in a casserole and please limit the vegetables to peas, carrots and corn with an occasional green bean if necessary. Hold the cheese, hold the sauces, hold the garlic and any other spice. Onions were allowed. All desserts were rejected except for apple pie; no nuts other than peanuts.

As a child, there were more foods I would not eat than foods I would. The list really made no sense to most people, but maybe other picky eaters could understand.

My first requirement for any food I ate was that it be plain. Like my father, I did not want foods mixed up. I also did not eat lettuce, cheese, dinner rolls, most vegetables, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, butter, pizza, hot dogs, eggs (except hard boiled), salad dressing, creamy soups (actually, creamy anything) and milk. One of the worst days of my childhood involved succotash, served by friends of my parents at their home. Hmmm, I wonder how my Dad managed that?

When I went off to college and lived in a co-op house, I pretty much survived on the jar of peanut butter and loaf of rye bread I stashed in my desk. At the dinner table, I tried to sit furthest from the House Mother who knew about the peanut butter and had taken on the role of food police. Finally it became too embarrassing to let friends know I wouldn’t eat pizza or Chinese food so I gave them a try. Once I fell in love with pizza, I was upset with myself that I had lived in Italy for two years and had never eaten pizza. And who knew that egg rolls had nothing to do with eggs?

Over the years I discovered broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus and cauliflower. Peas and lima beans, however, will never again touch my lips. Lasagna and macaroni and cheese are still way off limits for so many reasons: cheese, sauce and texture. I now enjoy bacon and eggs and a limited selection of salad dressings. That doesn’t sound like much, but has made eating out much easier.

When I researched ARFID I learned that people like me experience food differently than others. We tend to prefer bland and processed foods based on looks, smells or textures. Sometimes it is presentation, or a different type of noodle or different brand of whatever that causes us to reject a food.

I realize there are a lot worse syndromes than ARFID to deal with. You might even be saying “get over it”, “just try it”, “one bite”, “you’re just being stubborn”. I have heard all of these things and many others while people cajole or encourage me to try new foods. It just doesn’t work that way. As I child, I would sit for hours at the table after everyone else was done because I wasn’t allowed to leave until I had eaten my dinner. It was lonely staring at the food I couldn’t eat when it was warm and certainly couldn’t eat after it got cold. Eventually I learned to stuff my cheeks with the offending food to dispose of later.

Mr. RWS is an adventurous eater. He enjoys new foods and is able to eat most anything, even if he doesn’t care for it. This ability served him well on his trip to Ethiopia several years ago. And food was one of the reasons I didn’t make the trip.

That is the difference between a person with a normal relationship with food and those of us with ARFID. Mr. RWS may not care for a particular food, but he can and will eat it if served. If something is served to me that is not on my “will eat” list, I cannot eat it to be polite. If I can get it as far as my mouth, I certainly cannot chew it and swallow it.

All of this makes dinner invitations a bit tricky. I used to just push things around on my plate trying to make the portions seem smaller and pretending that everything was delicious. As an adult, I have learned to explain to my host or hostess that the problem is me, and I am just fine and they don’t need to worry about whether I will be hungry or not. Usually there is something at every dinner that I can eat, whether at someone’s home or at a restaurant. And if Mr. RWS is sitting next to me, it is all good. He always has room for his own dinner and the portion I don’t eat.

My brothers are 11 and 12 years younger than I and since I left home right after high school, they have no strong memories of me and my eating habits as they grew up. However, both of them have ARFID also, and a more serious case than I! Bless their wives who cook separately for them and have finally, after so many years, accepted that their husbands are not going to be expanding their food horizons. Their level of “pickiness” makes me look like an amazing eater! Additionally, my sister and I each have a picky eater among our children.

My oldest son shared a story with me one day that made me realize how my eating habits had affected my kids. On one of his first days at college he returned to his dorm and his dorm mates, raving about the amazing sauce that was on the chicken sandwich he had at the local McRestaurant. (Our small town had no such place). As he described the creamy white sauce with the amazing flavor to his friends, they began laughing in disbelief. The sauce he was describing was mayonnaise! None of my children had ever had it. Needless to say, he was embarrassed and I heard about it! Thankfully, he has since become a very adventurous cook and eater.

I am hopeful that the ARFID disorder has died out and skips the grandchildren. Their parents are wiser about dealing with food issues. There just are none. Food is served and children are free to eat or not eat. They are amazingly well nourished and eat a healthy variety of food. Their Grandma is the only problem eater when she visits.

If I had to choose a favorite card today, this would be it. I am so happy to have a Santa included in this release; but no ordinary Santa! This unique and jolly fellow is from the North Pole Treasures transparent set which includes other classic holiday images. This is a one layer card, easily made in quantity and sent through the mail.

The Trees and Hills die set is going to be perfect for creating backgrounds for your holiday images. There are two dies in the set, and here I’ve used them both to provide a wintry landscape for the snowman and pup from the Merry Delight transparent set and the matching Merry Delight Cut Out set. Is there anything cuter than a snowman with his little pup?

I had to indulge my fondness for snowmen this week. This is an image from the To All … transparent set that I fussy cut and popped up on mounting tape. I tucked a few trees from the Modern Xmas Tree die set and added a fluffy little cloud from Silver Linings. I am thrilled that this release includes this stackable die set Snowflake Stitch Frames. I believe it will be useable all year long. This is the die that donated the little white dots for my Three Kings card.

Cooper’s leg seems to be healed once again. We have cautiously increased his activity level and given him back his toys. Like dogs everywhere, he doesn’t hold a grudge.

It’s time to clean up and say good bye for now. The scissors are where they belong and I am off to check out the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery. The Be Merry release is now available in the Penny Black store. Hooray and happy shopping! Thank you for sharing time with me this week. I do hope I haven’t discouraged anyone from issuing a dinner invitation. Just, please, no lasagna.

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies

Card No. 1: 30-435 Three Kings, 51-379 Adore Him

Card No. 2: 51-366 Joyful Ornaments, 51-374 Holly Frame, 51-389 Hedgy Joy, 51-389 Hedgy Joy Cut Out

Card No. 3: 30-434 Joyful Wishes, 51-376 Stitch a Snowflake

Card No. 4: 30-437 North Pole Treasures

Card No. 5: 30-448 Merry Delight, 51-387 Merry Delight Cut Out, 51-381 Trees and Hills

Card No. 6: 30-307 Holiday Snippets, 30-445 To All …, 51-033 Silver Linings, 51-375 Snowflake Stitch Frame, 51-400 Modern Xmas Tree