Runs with Scissors and NEW VIDEOS

If you are here to run with scissors with the talented Judy Jung, don’t worry, she’s here! But first we have an exciting announcement that we wanted to share with you today.

Want to be the first to view five brand new technique videos from designer Jill Foster featuring our newest brushstroke stamps? It’s easy and free… just join the Penny Black Club! Sign up before Sunday, February 18, and beginning Monday, February 19, we will email you a link to view each video demonstrating how to get the most from your brushstroke stamps. Click HERE for more information about our club and to sign up.

Note: If you are already a club member, you do not need to sign up again, just watch your inbox on Monday for your first email.

And if you want to join in the stamping fun, here’s a list of the brushstroke stamps Jill will be featuring in these videos. All are available in our online store and linked below.

40-598 Becoming
40-592 Lilacs
40-597 Spontaneous Joy
40-600 Blissful Blossoms
40-595 Belle (exact match die cut available, 51-415 Belle Cut Out)

And now be sure to scroll down for inspiration and smiles with Judy!

Happy Runs with Scissors Day, Penny Black friends! Since Valentine’s Day is over, we may now create our own reason to celebrate and before we know it, spring will be here. Feel free to name your own holiday … and celebrate in your own way.

The Sweet Spring release from Penny Black is a good resource if you are suffering from winter blahs. It’s been said before, I know, but this release has something for everyone: flowers, critters, fashionistas, little girls, wizards, dogs and cats. The assortment of dies is incredible: the stacking dies, the wood floor, the backgrounds, the starry sky, the flowers, the sentiments, and … well, you get the picture!

I have had an awesome time playing with this release. Inspiration and ideas come easily when everything is fresh and new.

There is no more teasing, no more waiting. The Sweet Spring release is now available in the Penny Black store. Maybe a few new stamps and dies will help you celebrate the new holiday you’ve invented.

I’ve used the Leaf Pattern die as the background for my Bodacious flower. I colored each using Memento Luxe and Distress inks. The sentiment has been stamped on a tag made with the Tagged die set, a staple in my collection. Because we are anticipating the coming of spring, I’ve used spring colors for this card.   That Leaf Pattern die, however, will be awesome in fall colors and adorned with leaves or fall colored flowers. A card maker cannot have too many background dies.

Brush stroke stamps are a Penny Black specialty. Here I’ve stamped the Spontaneous Joy image using Memento Luxe ink, lightly applied to the stamp. I used my MISTI stamp positioner in order to make sure I had a completely stamped image, but learned that the fine details of the flower can disappear if you apply too many layers or too much ink. Spontaneous Joy will be the perfect image for so many occasions. Using a stronger color could make a more joyful rather than a calm themed card.

The Wonky Squares die also creates a great base for Penny Black images. Here I’ve mounted the diecut with foam tape cut very, very thin in order to create dimension. After going through all that tiny cutting and pasting, I realized I could have just layered several diecuts and had the same effect. (Boing!) My non wonky flower and butterfly from the Happy Together transparent set look right at home on their wonky base.

A New Friend

Sometimes people enter our lives unanticipated but happily welcomed. They quietly flutter in and land softly in butterfly fashion, bringing a smile or soft sigh of appreciation.

In the January 24^th, 2015 edition of Runs with Scissors I told the story of my adopted son connecting with his birth mother. Perhaps now is a good time to update this love story.

Unfortunately, my son’s unselfish birth mother was dealing with cancer and lived only a few months after making the connection. I say unselfish because she minimized her health problems and before plans could be made to meet in person, she lost her battle with cancer and we lost the chance for a reunion. What a shock to learn of her death but how thankful I was that she received my long letter and the photos and died knowing her son was very loved and had a family of his own. Concealing her illness from the child she gave up for adoption was her second greatest gift to him.

When I received a copy of the obituary, I sent a card and note to the address I had for her, knowing that she had been living with her mother. Months later I received a note from the birth grandmother, Mary, expressing her gratitude and asking me to let my son know that he is in her daily prayers along with her other grandchildren. I then safely tucked away the obit and the letter, along with the birth mother’s letter to me. It was all more than I could have prayed for, to have had the chance to say thank you and to put the birth mother’s mind at ease. And now I knew there was a grateful grandmother, too.

And here comes the butterfly part. Mary sent a Christmas card this year saying she had some news and would like to correspond by email. And so began a relationship I could not have imagined.

Her news was related to her health and she was awaiting results of some biopsies and wanted me to know. After an email or two back and forth, me encouraging and she resigned to whatever happened, the diagnosis was reasonable and not immediately threatening.

We continue now with frequent emails, she learning more about me and me learning more about her and her family. She signs her emails “Your Friend”. She is a 94 year old woman with the email address of “Madmary” who drives herself to church several times a week and volunteers as a secretary for a charity another two days a week. In her spare time she crochets dish cloths and donates them to yet another non profit. Except for shoveling snow and chipping ice, she is totally independent.

I am reminded of that 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that Mr. RWS recently completed. Mary and I, through our emails, are piecing together the life she and her daughter had after the adoption and our life with the baby after the adoption. At one point Mary asked if my son would consider meeting some of the family.

When that question came up, I knew it was time to talk to the adopted son. I had to check baby books in order to remember which son was adopted, and then I called him. It was important to me to respect his wishes regarding contact with his birth grandmother and possibly meeting the family that would love to meet him.

Well, to my joy, he was thrilled to know I was corresponding with the grandmother and said maybe this summer he would take a trip to meet the family. I dropped a very large hint that I would love to go along!

So this unanticipated but welcomed connection to my son’s birth family just quietly, like a butterfly, landed in my life one day. And then the good news I could share with this praying grandmother that perhaps we will meet this summer is her own butterfly. This is as good as finishing a 2,000 piece puzzle; a puzzle that has taken decades for two families to complete.

I combined two dies from the Sweet Spring release to create a place for Ms. Yoga from the Breathe set to do her thing. I am so excited to have that Wood Floors die; it is a genius idea and will provide comfort for critters and humans alike as they grace our cards. The uniqueness of the Stitched Square and Circles dies sets them apart from any other. You have one square die that is the size you use the most as well as an assortment of varying size circles, each with a unique pattern around the borders. I tucked an Airy sprig onto my card to add lightness (and airiness).

I don’t know which die set caused my heart to flutter more: the Wood Floors or the Floral Arrangement, which is seen here. After cutting out two of the Floral Arrangements, I colored them by using my blending tool and Memento Luxe and Distress inks. I used one whole diecut and part of the second to provide a frame for my sentiment. The sentiment is from the Smile Today set and will be a favorite, I’m sure, as it fits easily on the front of the card and is the lead in for whatever message you are sending on the inside. I created the background by blending Memento Luxe ink onto white cardstock and then stamping the Letter Background image with the same color ink. I treasure my woodblock stamps.

Does anything say spring better than tulips? This image is from the The Bunch cling set. This sweetie is a treat to color and the little puppy is like an added bonus. It is not very obvious in the photo, but I’ve added detail under the sentiment using the Rows of Stitches die. The die has three rows of stitches and can be used in so many ways, but this time I cut off two of the rows (because I could). Is there a more spring-like sentiment than “bloom”? It is one of the sentiments in the Bloom Magical die set.

Last week I shared a photo of Evelyn at Christmas and this week it is Jack’s turn. He is now three and loves everything green … including broccoli!

When a new shipment arrives from Penny Black I share with my buddy Cooper. I keep the contents and he keeps the box. Cooper loves when a package arrives because several years ago a package included a candy mint treat which he enjoyed. He has never forgotten that one time surprise and looks for another with each package’s arrival. We could all learn about hope and optimism from Cooper.

I have packed away my new stamps and dies and stowed the scissors until next week. Thank you for the time you spend with Cooper and me each Saturday. And for those who may be wondering about that darned jigsaw puzzle:

My agenda for today includes a stop at the Penny Circle Flickr Gallery to see what you have done with your Penny Black stamps and dies. Remember, the Sweet Spring stamps and dies are now available in the Penny Black store. No more teasing!

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies

Card No. 1: 30-478 Sublime, 51-007 Tagged, 51-413 Bodacious, 51-432 Leaf Pattern

Card No. 2: 30-464 Choose Happy, 40-597 Spontaneous Joy

Card No. 3: 30-465 Happy Together, 51-124 Wonky Squares, 51-128 Doodles

Card No. 4: 30-473 Breathe, 51-441 Wood Floors, 51-422 Stitched Square and Circles, 51-423 Airy

Card No. 5: 30-461 Smile Today, 51-428 Floral Arrangement, 1999L Letter Background

Card No. 6: 40-603 The Bunch, 51-420 Bloom Magical, 51-411 Rows of Stitches