Runs with MOTHERLY Scissors

Holy sunshiney Saturday, Batman! I know April showers bring May flowers, but this sunshine on the weekends is so much better … gives the umbrellas a chance to dry off, too.

It’s all about Mother’s Day this week. It’s a great chance to use our pinks, purples, pastels, and pretty papers. And the great products from the Bring on the Happy and Time to Celebrate releases.

This is a day to recognize many kinds of mothers:

• Grandmothers
• Mothers-in-Law
• Godmothers
• Stepmothers
• Moms to be
• Foster mothers
• Birth mothers
• Adoptive mothers

If there has been a woman in your life who has been “like a mother” to you, this is the time to honor her, too.

This background was made using a floral stamp from the Efflorescence transparent set, embossed with white and then applying Distress inks with the blender tool. I love that the large sentiment from the Kind Words transparent set can take center stage.

Definition: Efflorescence: The period when a flower bursts (effloresces) into bloom. (Now you know!)

I began by stamping the Divine flower onto cardstock, then carefully taping the stencil over the image. I then used Distress inks and the blending tool to color the flowers. I fussy cut the flower and mounted to the Petals die cut background, layered over white and then purple cardstock. The Word Express transparent set has more than thirty titles of relatives and friends; including “dude” and “buddy” for those in a more informal relationship.

The pink designer paper from the Painted Blooms paper pad was perfect to add shading to the Rose diecut. The background paper is from the Gentle Whisper pad. This is a good way to send Mom a rose that will bloom forever.

After several unsuccessful attempts at watercoloring this beautiful flower from the Come Rain or Come Shine transparent set, I fell back to my comfort zone of emboss resist.   After much indecision about which designer paper I should use to matt my floral image, I chose to use them both; and a touch of black is always a good thing.

Oh, oh; I see a pattern here. More emboss resist. Love these blooms from the cling stamp Effulgence. Notice the raised circle sentiment? Originally I had stamped the Happy Mother’s Day directly onto the card stock. It wasn’t quite straight and I didn’t want to start over because of a crooked sentiment. So, I used a circle die and cut the sentiment out and put it back a bit cocked using dimensional tape. I like this look better than the original plan. Did you notice the “love” diecut as a stem for the flower?

Definition: Effulgent: Shining forth brilliantly. (Another word added to my vocabulary!)

I must say, this post is the first (and probably the only) time I have been able to use the words “efflorescence” and “effulgent” in the same narrative. Thanks, Penny Black, for the opportunity.

Recently, I’ve had a vision of bright flowers set against a dark background. While this card isn’t the picture I had in my head, I am happy with the result. I stamped the Centerpiece image and embossed it with white embossing powder. I colored the flowers and vase using Prismacolor pencils, blended with Gamsol. I went over the flowers and vase with a touch of white pencil to provide some shading. The white butterfly and “You” sentiment really pop against the black background. This cling stamp is so perfect for so many occasions and such fun to color in any medium. Honestly, nobody does flowers like Penny Black!

In my Runs with Scissors blog post on January 24^th I shared with you that my adopted son had received word from his birth mother that she would be open to contact if he so chose. Over a period of a month or so, letters and emails were exchanged and I was blessed to be able to put together a packet of thirty photos along with a seven page letter in which I shared from my heart the story of his growing up. For both my son and I it was an amazing experience. For me, it was an answer to prayer to be able to thank the woman for the gift of my son.

This will be the first Mother’s Day that my joy of being my adopted son’s mother isn’t lessened by knowing there was a woman out there who didn’t know what became of the child she gave up for adoption. This Mother’s Day her heart is at peace. And so is mine.

Be sure to honor the special women in your life with a card this Mother’s Day. You can never say thank you too often. Also, the two recent Penny Black releases (Bring on the Happy and Time to Celebrate) have everything you need to remember birthdays, give encouragement and honor special occasions. Just add ink, paper and bling.

Cooper and I wish all of you a Happy Easter!   Our plan is to enjoy our ham dinner on the patio with jelly beans for dessert.

Since I found Penny Black’s studio all neat and tidy when I arrived, I’ve made sure it looks that way when I leave. (Thanks, Mom, for teaching me that). The scissors are safely stowed and I need to get home before the rain starts again. I can’t wait to see the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery filled with Mother’s Day cards. Thank you for your visit and thank you for your comments.

By the way: no Peeps were harmed in the shooting of the Cooper photo. (No guarantees for their future, though.)

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:

• Stamps: 30-226 Kind Words, 30-282 Efflorescence, 30-106 Word Express, 40-372 Divine, 40-374 Effulgence, 40-132 So Blessed, 40-388 Centerpiece, 30-283 Snippets, 30-236 Come Rain or Come Shine
• Creative Dies: 51-042 Petals, 51-124 Flower Tags, 51-093 Heart Felt, 51-023 Rose, 51-137 Swirling Wings, 51-036 Wishes
• Stencil: 25-011 Intertwined
• Designer Paper : Painted Blooms, Beau Jardin
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