A Last Post

It is with great sadness that we, Lindsey’s family, share the following announcement:

In Loving Memory

---

Lindsey Martin-Penny
June 20, 1963 – July 21, 2022

Lindsey was taken from us much too soon by an aggressive, treatment resistant form of ovarian cancer. Lindsey was the wonderful wife and soulmate of Burke Penny, step-mother to Colin (Leah) and “Grandma” to Jocelyn and Gavin, sister of Dr. Jim Martin (Catie), aunt to Scott Martin (Jennifer) and Robin Martin-Godelie (Michael) and great aunt to Kai Martin, Oliver Godelie and Alice Godelie. Sister-in-law to Michael Penny (Ruth Ann) and aunt to Rachel and Fiona. 

 

Lindsey graduated from the University of Toronto in 1987. She spent an interesting and enjoyable year at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec acquiring her teaching diploma. 

 

Throughout her life Lindsey was a creative person: a young artist, a talented vocalist and later pianist, and over the past decade an accomplished greeting card maker. She loved being part of the card making community and made many friends in Canada, the U.S. and other parts of the world. Some of these friendships went beyond virtual and she greatly enjoyed her in-person time with her “stamping friends”. She truly appreciated the loving support of all the card making fraternity over the past months. 

 

Lindsey was a creative and inspiring teacher. Her 17-year career at several schools culminated as a teacher-librarian at Victoria Harbour Elementary School. This was her favourite. She was a lover of books and a fierce promoter of reading and literacy. As a young child she read constantly (even her older brother’s Mad magazines), a habit that continued throughout her life. She was a fan of crime fiction and science fiction but Charles Dickens was her favourite author. Her collection of his works in various forms, books about him, and items of Dickens ephemera is substantial and impressive. An original Star Trek aficionado, one of her life highlights was meeting William Shatner at a McGill University convocation party we attended with our graduating niece Rachel. 

 

She was also a great gardener. What she could produce from tiny seeds was always amazing. Her seven-foot high tomato plants are testament to her very green thumbs. No bedraggled indoor plant was beyond saving and our home showed it. An inspiring cook, she loved creating in her red (of course) accented kitchen. Her love of cats was well known. Innumerable cat-themed shirts, socks, mugs, and other items were always prominent. Lindsey was also a lover of music – many styles and genres. But her favourite was Stephen Sondheim. Her CD of Sweeney Todd (starring Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury) was over the years the most played item in our collection. 

 

Our thanks to the medical staff at the Cancer Centre in Barrie and at Georgian Bay General Hospital. Thanks also to the Home Care team and in particular to the nurses for their kindness. Special thanks and appreciation to Lindsey’s wonderful and caring doctor, McKenzie Blake. Lindsey specifically requested that there be no memorial service. Friends and family are invited to attend visitation at Nicholl’s Funeral Home, 330 Midland Avenue in Midland on Friday, July 29, 1-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. We hope you will come and take time to share stories of Lindsey’s life with family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, would be greatly appreciated.

Trying to Be Funny at Scrap 'n Stamp!

I'm up on the Scrap 'n Stamp blog today with a card for today's Random Acts of Cardness prompt: FUNNY! 

I guess you'll have to visit the blog to see what my funny is. ;) Why not play along for your chance to win a $50 gift card to the Scrap 'n Stamp store? 

For the Boys at Scrap n Stamp!

Happy June! It's the first June Friday, and that means it's time for a new Scrap n Stamp Inspiration Hop! Our theme this month is FOR THE BOYS - time to make some masculine cards. There are two "boys" in my family graduating from high school this month, so I knew what I wanted to make: 

CAS design, not too much bling, not overly cute - concepts I find helpful when needing a masculine card. I picked up these Picket Fence sentiment stamps and dies with graduation cards in mind, although there are lots of other possibilities as well. I decided "happy graduation day" would be my secondary sentiment, and stamped it down a panel of Neenah white cardstock in grey ink.  My mortarboard, from Crazy Things, is coloured to go with my graduates' school colours - two schools in two different parts of Ontario, and lucky me, they both have burgundy/maroon in their school colours. :D For a perfect match, I coloured some white cardstock with the same marker before stamping, heat embossing and die cutting the congratulations sentiment. I cut two more from some scrap burgundy cardstock to add dimension, and one from black cardstock to act as a shadow. For the grad cap, I simply cut three extra black ones. After adding a thin mat of black, I adhered my main panel to some matte silver cardstock. Masculine and classy! 

Hopping and commenting on this inspiration hop puts you in the running to win a $50 gift certificate to the Scrap n Stamp shop! If you happen to struggle occasionally with masculine cards, you might just pick up a few tips along the way, too. ;) Here is the entire hop order: 

SNS Blog --> start here

Lindsey --> that's me!

Karen --> next on the hop

Kia

Annette

Deepa

Meghan

Allison

Susan

Tara

Tracey

MadeByMeghanK

Thanh

Emily

Jessica

SNS IG

If you are inspired to make some cards for the boys, we have just the sale for you! Simply click here or on the sale graphic below: 

Have fun hopping! 

Happy Little Stampers CAS: Hugs

It's time for the June round of Happy Little Stampers challenges, and today brings the CAS Challenge! Our theme for June is HUGS. I have a number of sentiments with the word hug or hugs, but I could only think of one image, and decided to use it: 

This is an oldie but goodie from Paper Smooches. I didn't worry about too much shading when I coloured them in, and added just a simple ground with some green Copic dots. I had a hugs sentiment out as well, but this is so perfect for a new baby, I couldn't resist. I stamped in grey rather than black to keep everything looking a little softer. 

There are never too many hugs to go around, so I hope you'll make a card and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Fabriano grey cardstock, Paper Smooches A Little Lovin & Unity sentiment stamp, Versafine smoky grey ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Photoplay stitched frame dies, Gelly Roll white glaze pen

Color Hues: Black and Yellow

Welcome to June and a new edition of Color Hues! Teammate Hannelie has picked our newest pairing: BLACK and YELLOW. My first thought was bees! So of course I didn't do that: 

I have to admit, this phrase is not in my vernacular. Is it encouraging? Is it snarky? (I know, you're now thinking, if she doesn't understand it, why does she have it? Well, because it was a freebie of course. :D)  I'm going to go with encouraging. You'll notice bees didn't totally leave my mind, as I picked a honeycomb stencil to add some background to my main panel, before stamping the sentiment and embossing it in sparkly black embossing powder. I stamped the buttercups and coloured them with the same yellow ink, using a sponge dauber. They had to be fussy cut. Some Stickles in the flower centres and a trio of enamel dots dress up the card a bit more. 

You will have to visit the Color Hues blog to see how many of the team (and our current guest, Bonnie) went the bee route with these colours! And then I hope you will join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white & Recollections black cardstock, Ink Road Chin Up Buttercup stamps, Versafine onyx black & squeezed lemonade distress ink, Wow clear gloss & Ranger black sparkle embossing powder, ARTplorations honeycomb delight mini stencil, icicle Stickles, Echo Park magic & wonder enamel dots

Snarky Turns Wicked

Happy Saturday! Edna and the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers are back with a new challenge: W is for Wicked! Edna and I both turned to Halloween for our inspiration: 

Bad is several degrees down the scale from wicked, I know, but I worked with what I had. That included a sentiment from one stamp set, the designer boots from another, and some remarkably old patterned paper. :D The boots are coloured in fashionable purple Copic marker, with lime green laces and shiny gold hooks. 

Since I actually made a Halloween card in May, I'll link it up to the May Two Old Bats Anything Halloween challenge. 

Our guest designer and current Queen of Snark, Fran, along with the snarky sisters, have offered lots of inspiration to lure you into... making a wicked card! You have two weeks to join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white & Recollections black cardstock, Echo Park Apothecary Emporium patterned paper, Catherine Pooler Everything But the Broom stamps & dies, Stampin' Up Tee-tee-Hee stamps, Versamark onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle die, Gelly Roll golden star stardust pen

Inkspirational: Photo Inspiration

Inkspirational is back with a new photo challenge! When I first glanced at this, I wasn't seeing a lot to inspire me - I mostly noticed the neutral colours. Then I took a closer look... there are books! And the plants provide a touch of green! And the walls have a very cool texture to them. I was ready to make my card:

I was even able to add a comfy armchair, thanks to the photo. Having a reading rabbit is all me, though. :) I can't decide if the walls in the inspiration are brick or wood, but using a brick stencil gave me a little bit of the same textured look, I thought. Both the bunny and the chair are coloured with Copic markers. It took a great deal of willpower to use that sentiment - where's my U in favoUrite? :D But it seemed right for the little reading scene. 

It's always interesting to see how my Ink teammates are inspired, so be sure to check out their work. And then I hope you'll join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Fabriano green cardstock, Avery Elle Feels Like Home & Feels Like Home Addition stamps & dies, Versafine onyx black & antique linen distress ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz bricked stencil

Seize the Birthday: Use a Stencil

Welcome back to a new challenge at Seize the Birthday! Teammate Vicki has picked our (always optional) topping: USE A STENCIL. I was inspired by Sandie's entry for our previous challenge to pull out a big floral stencil for my card: 

I also wanted to try one of my new mini distress inks, saltwater taffy. I blended it onto the flowers, with rustic wilderness for the stems. I found some dark green cardstock to mat the main panel and white-emboss the sentiment. Pretty and easy to put together! 

Lorraine continues as our surprise party guest, and she and all the regular birthday partygoers have created beautiful cards to inspire you! Make a birthday card and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & (?) green cardstock, Clearly Besotted Say What? stamp, Versamark & saltwater taffy & rustic wilderness distress ink, Wow opaque white embossing powder, ARTplorations Happy Flowers stencil

Addicted to Stamps and More: Die Cuts and Stencils

It's time for some Die Cuts and Stencils at Addicted to Stamps and More! Recently I had a fun time creating some blended backgrounds, and decided to combine a couple of them with die cuts for cards: 

I was also in need of a wedding card, and so these took shape. For the one on the right, I cut the daisy and the love sentiment from a linen panel, then used them for the card on the left. I went with much more intense colours for that card - in fact, except for needing a little extra yellow for the second colour band, I was able to blend the second panel with just the inks left on my brushes. Here's a closer look at each one:

As always, beautiful cards by my ATSM teammates - I hope you'll be inspired to join us! 

Supplies: (1st card) Neenah white and linen cardstock, picked raspberry, squeezed lemonade, twisted citron & shaded lilac distress ink, Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies, LittleB handwritten sentiments & MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle die; (2nd card) Neenah white & linen cardstock, squeezed lemonade, picked raspberry & twisted citron distress ink, Simon Says Stamp fresh daisies, LittleB handwritten sentiments & MFT stitched rounded rectangle die

Keeping It Clean and Simple at Scrap 'n Stamp

I'm on the Scrap 'n Stamp blog today with this clean and simple (CAS) card featuring Anita Jeram stamps from Colorado Craft Company! I hope you'll pop over to see more! 

Color Hues: Aqua and Red

And whoosh, we're into the second part of May, meaning it's time for a new Color Hues challenge! Teammate Cindy has picked our pairing, and it's RED and AQUA. Yet again, a hue in the blue-green section of the spectrum that confuses me! :D I decided a Copic called coral (wait, what?) SEA must count as an aqua. ;) I quite like a pairing such as this for Christmas cards, so that's the direction I went:

Sneaking in an ugly Christmas sweater is merely an extra added bonus! :D I just used the one shade of aqua, but go from a tomato red for the snowman's carrot to what to me is more a "true" red for his scarf and other sweater parts. Amazingly, I also managed to find some patterned paper that echoes the same reds. (And this is why I keep all my old patterned paper pads...) The only drawback to this fun sweater stamp is that the snowflake, by default, stamps in black - but what's a Christmas sweater without at least one bit of bling? 

We have two guest designers for this challenge, Kim and Marcia - so there is lots of inspiration on the Color Hues blog today! I hope you'll join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Basic Grey Aspen Frost patterned paper, Paper Smooches Tis the Season stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, Wow clear gloss embossing powder, Copic markers, MFT double-stitched rectangle die, Hero Arts gem

A Tiny Craft: Flowers

It's the middle of May already, and that means it's time for a new challenge at A Tiny Craft! This month, we are looking for Artist Trading Cards or Coins with FLOWERS. I made a quartet:

I was able to abide by my favourite ATC principle: using stuff I already have. The bases are all from gel plate prints or ink smooshing panels I had already made, and the Catherine Pooler You've got Flowers had already been stamped and die cut. I added to the various backgrounds with some other stamping (mostly Neat & Tangled's Hello Spring), and ended up only adding three of the bigger flowers - but at least I have tiny flowers on the fourth one! I'm not sure I've actually made a one layer ATC before. :) Here's a closer look at each one: 

There is a bouquet of floral ATCs on the challenge blog - be sure to visit, and I hope you'll join us! 

Floral and Feminine for the Sisterhood

Happy Saturday! The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is back with a classic challenge: F is for F WORDS! There is, of course, the definitive F word; and Edna is showcasing a number of F word ideas behind her. For my card, I went with the F words Feminine and Floral. 

My snarky sister Chris knows me well enough to suggest I could also add a third F word: fibbing. :D I was in the mood to make a pretty card that initially hides its snarky intentions, so I pulled out this ATC panel and added some Copic colouring. The rose on her hat gave me the idea to add a rose die cut as an extra element. The Tim Holtz sentiment sticker works well with her "who, me?" posture, I think. The white of the sticker and the ATC background are both toned down with a little warm grey Copic to keep with the vintage feel. 

Given that we're the SNARKY Sisters, I think you'll be impressed at the range of F words from the team and our current guest designer and Queen of Snark, Tristan! Feeling full of fun or fury? ;) Come join us! 

Supplies: Hero Arts sand, Recollections black & Stampin' Up real red cardstock, STAMPlorations retro fashionistas ATC, Copic markers, Paper Smooches roses die, Tim Holtz snarky small talk sticker

 

Inkspirational: Use Something Free or Gifted

The new challenge at Inkspirational is fun and one, I think, all of us can participate in because of this generous crafting community: USE SOMETHING FREE OR GIFTED! I have two gifted items in play on my card: 

My cute little hedgehog and accompanying sentiment are from a set gifted to me by friend and Ink teammate Carol! My background panel is edged with a stencil I received from Uniko as part of a package when I was designing for 25 Days of Christmas Tags. (By the way, Uniko has some free digital images if you're unsure what you should use for this challenge...) After I stencilled the snowflakes, I also blended some of the same ink over them, and then edged the panel by running it along the ink pad's surface. I sometimes like to do this when I don't want to add a mat for another layer. Hedgie is coloured in Copics, and of course had to have some Stickles on his Santa hat. He's popped up on some foam tape - if I currently had some wobbles, it would have been a definite consideration! 

As you'll see from my teammates' cards, free and gifted elements can make fabulous cards! Hope you'll be inKspired to join us. 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Sunny Studio Hedgey Holidays stamps and dies, Versafine onyx black & tumbled glass distress oxide ink, Copic markers, Uniko Let It Snow stencil, frosted lace Stickles, foam tape

 

Feels Like Home at Scrap 'n Stamp!

I'm on the Scrap 'n Stamp blog today with a card inspired by today's Random Acts of Cardness prompt: HOME. I hope you'll head over to check it out! 

Seize the Birthday: Stitching

Seize the Birthday is back with another fun (but always optional!) topping: Faux or Real Stitching! I tend to stick to faux stitching on cards (although I may try embroidery some time). My sewing machine is old, there are no maintenance/repair shops close, and so I like to reserve it for actual sewing. ;) I did make sure I had lots of faux stitching: 

Before adding any stitching, I blended my panel with three distress inks, misted it lightly with water, then crumpled some plastic wrap on it while it dried. This adds some fun extra texture. When it was dry, I used both a stitched cover plate and a stitched rectangle die to add lots of stitchwork. Since I liked my background so much, I kept the rest of the card simple with a die cut balloon and sentiment. 

We have a new surprise party guest for the next two months that I'm sure you will recognize: Lorraine Aquilina, or Lols! She and my teammates have made beautiful stitched cards for the challenge, so be sure to visit and be inspired! 

Supplies: Neenah white cardstock, Koh-in-oor smooth white bristol, kitsch flamingo, shaded lilac & chipped sapphire distress ink, CUTplorations wonky stitched grid texture cover plate & shaker balloons #3 oval, MFT blueprints 24 stitched rectangle & Creative Expressions borderline happy birthday dies

Addicted to Stamps and More: Any Occasion

Addicted to Stamps and More is back with the latest challenge: Any Occasion! Sometimes the occasion can be a sad one, and I have a sympathy card this time around: 

I pulled out these layering daffodil stamps again, since they seemed appropriate for a cancer-related death. I kept the colours a little more muted than my last daffodil card. The lighter shade of green I picked for my leaves seemed a little too light, so I darkened it a bit with a green pencil crayon. I added a little interest to the cardbase with some subtle patterned paper and an embossed strip of green down the left side. The sentiment banner even manages to cover a bit of a layering booboo on one of the leaves. 

With my spring daffodils, I'm adding my card to these challenges: The Four Seasons Challenge: Anything Goes Spring and Just Us Girls word week: flowers. 

Lots of inspiration for many occasions from my ATSM teammates. Make a card for any occasion and join us! 

Supplies: Neenah white & Stampin' Up garden green cardstock, Pinkfresh Studio patterned paper, Sunny Studio Daffodil Dreams & Hero Arts With Deepest Sympathy stamps, Stampin' Up garden green & Catherine Pooler tiara, sauna & garden party ink, Darice diagonal stripe embossing folder, Prismacolor pencils

 

Create Crafty Memories at Scrap 'n Stamp!

It's the first Friday in May, and time for a new Scrap 'n Stamp Inspiration Hop! Tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day, and so we decided on a CREATE CRAFTY MEMORIES hop, with inspiration from the Scrap 'n Stamp team and some special guests!

First off, I should mention... I don't scrapbook. I love making cards and tags, and really, that's pretty much the extent of it. But I wanted to make something a little different for this hop, so here's what I came up with:

That's my boy Duncan! And now his photo has a custom frame. I had picked up a pack of plain wooden frames at IKEA pre-pandemic, and so it was more than time to decorate one. I started by giving the frame a couple of coats of gesso to prep the bare wood, and followed with some white acrylic paint. For decoration, I added the three My Favorite Things cats to the top of the frame - I backed each one with some heavy cardboard for durability. From a design standpoint, they should contrast more with the white of the frame, but from Duncan's point of view, grey is just fine. :D The little paw prints on the bottom corners are from an older Lawn Fawn set. 

An inspiration hop means there's a prize to be had! One lucky commenter will win a $50 gift code to the Scrap 'n Stamp store. Visit and leave a comment at each inspiration stop for your chance to win. Here's the entire hop order: 

SNS Blog

Lindsey --> that's me!

Emily

Kia

Annette

Deepa

Meghan

Allison

Susan

Tara

Tracey

MadeByMeghanK

Thanh

Jessica

SNS IG

Of course there's a sale for National Scrapbook Day, too! Just click the graphic below: 

Hope you enjoy all the inspiration on the hop, and have a great weekend!