A site for my handmade cards, accompanied by my photos and written meanderings which are occasionally witty, often tongue-in-cheek, and rarely profound. Beginning in June 2013, you'll also see lots of NBUS, which is an acronym I coined for Never-Before-Used-Schtuff. Note: my Privacy Policy can be found at a tab below and you can find my NBUS Challenge online. I hope you'll join in the fun there! Thanks for coming by! Have a beverage and enjoy!

December 8, 2014

Sending a Little Holiday SPARKLE!

Hello, Happy Monday!

There is something extra special about the fresh clean smell of a brand-new Monday this time of year, don't you think? We have the additional scents of evergreen and pine cones, cinnamon in candles or in cooking, peppermint stuck in the cat's fur. 

And visually we have lots of stars and sparkles and sequints, like this:
 
It looks positively edible, doesn't it? Or am I just hankering for a Christmas sugar cookie? I resisted this PTI shaker kit for several months and finally had a cave-in. I'm glad I did. Some trends I steer clear of, but I have to say shaker cards really amuse and please me. And I love the idea of the recipient reciping an interactive card!

The paper for the card base and sparkle are from SU. The patterned paper, the sequints, the sediment, and the star and word dies are all from Papertrey Ink. You can see that I layered several of the sparkle die cuts for depth and interest. 

But what's most interesting about the card is the lack of any obvious Wink of Stella on the word sparkle, which, I mean, just cries out for sparkle, does it not? I winked it, but it doesn't show. I blamed it on the photography, as one does, and the cloudy day, but the truth is, my WOS has been rather anemic for a while now.

I've been refusing to think perhaps my Stella was running dry because I can still hear sparkle in there when I shake it. But this time I couldn't stand the lack of sparkle on sparkle, so I opened a new WOS (after I took my other photos) and this happened.
WOWZA, I'd forgotten how awesome fresh Stella is! I'm rather miserly with my WOS because I resent how retailers outrageously upped the price of it 30-40% immediately it became all the rage in Blogland. (When was the last time you got a 30-40% raise in your salary in one fell swoop?!) I hope someone is working on a competing product which will bring the price back down to a more reasonable amount for everyone.

[ETA: Yes, I did add a drop or two of water to my old one, but I only got a couple of so-so winks from it. You should definitely do that, however, to get every last bit out of it!]

Challenges:

I made this card at the Lake House standing at the kitchen island with my friend, BABE Kim. She was a huge help to me in between fits of laughter. And now, cornveniently, it fits these challenges. Yipyup!
Pixies Crafty Workshop
Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog
The links will take you to the challenges where you can find information on the rules, sponsors, and prizes. I hope you can join in!

~~~

And that's me signing off. I have a job today in the Playhouse helping Hammy, who is a card-making machine!

Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy.  LITS!* 

As always, thank you for coming by to visit the Playhouse and special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment and/or join as a follower! Please let me know you came by, so I can be sure and return the flavor!
  
 
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Some people are changing from the popup form, but I'm leaving it because there is less chance of spam with the popup and you won't have to scroll all the way down to leave your comment. More importantly, I've found out that if you just ignore the robot reCAPTCHA request and click on "publish" like normal, your comment will publish. (So what was the point of putting it on all our blogs???) Hopefully, they will remove it soon!

87 comments:

Inkyfingers said...

What a fun festive card Darnell and the thick sparkle word is stupendous!I've heard that if you add a drop or two of water to WOS, and give it a shake, you can get more use out of it for a while.

Hugs
Carol x

Stamps and Paper said...

Love your gorgeous colours on your fun card Darnell you are right it does look good enough to eat

Anne

Aileen said...

Darnell, did you know you can add water to your pen and it will rejuvinate and have lots of sparkle again. Please tell me you didnt throw it in the bin........ Love your card. I have done a card with lots of sparkle, come have a look. Was going to try entering it in a challenge but dont know how to link to challenges from flickr so will have to wait.Be good!!!!

Kylie said...

I have the PTI Sprinkle kit and the Sparkle kit is on my definite wish list. I love all the goodies that come with. Love your shaker card - can't wait to see more xx

Sarn said...

Very pretty and schparkly indeed.

xxx

Sue said...

Loving the card.

Hope you have a good start to the week. Sue

Lynn said...

Oh the new WOS was worth it...all the sparkle is awesome! I must be wanting sugar cookies too...told Ardyth that her card yesterday reminded me of a Christmas sugar cookie (my favorite!)

Carol L said...

I love this shaker star with all those sequins, and I agree with you on those pricey supplies that don't last! My biggest gripe is the uniball white gel pen. It works great for 6 projects and then dries up! I'm learning to live without one now :)

Chriss Blagrave said...

Hi Darnell :)
The sparkle on your stacked sparkle is WOWZers!
The bright and cheerful colours clearly say Festive! Love this and happy to see your sparkle. I have read you can add water to the weak WOS? I do not own any WOS, yet...but it will be on my list😊
Have a most wonderful day friend! Big hugs ❤️

Pat said...

I love this sequin shaker card Darnell and in such pretty sugary sweet colours which does indeed look good enough to eat and I adore the sparkly 'sparkle'. x

Sharyn Polesel said...

I love your sparkle card with the word "sparkle." And, by the way, that yummy looking star does look like a cookie and it's making me hungry. Thanks so much for joining us this week at Just Us Girls!

Jeanne said...

Positively delightful, Darnell. And my WOS pen is lackluster as well. I read in the comments you can add some water? Not sure how to do that, but if you find out, let us know. I may have to do a little research. Thanks for sharing!

Kristie Goulet said...

I LOVE your fun shaker card, Darnell! I couldn't resist either. ;) Love the sparkle you achieved with your WOS! Awesome! So great to see you at The Challenge!

Happy Dance said...

*Sigh* Can we all have a holiday back at the Lake House??! I remember this gorgeous card...the pink and teal colors really work together, and I'm so glad you didn't resist this technique; you've become a master at it. Shaker cards are just special, aren't they??!! Love this then, love it now. bev

Bonnie said...

Yum, your star does look like a sugar cookie and I'm glad you opened your new WOS so the sparkle could really sparkle! Enjoy your Monday card making frenzy.

Brenda in IN said...

What a difference the sparkle makes. It really make the word stand out and well, sparkle. You have inspired me to try a shaker card. I did it once and all the sequins fell out. They interacted with my desk rather than the card. Must have been crafter error. Now I can't decide if I should do the card now or make sugar cookies. I do love this card and the sequins on the paper too.

oldpunca said...

Dear Darnell your card is so sweet! I'm staring for a while and can't take my eyes away. It is not easy to "explain" the camera what you want to show. :-) But you succeeded on the second photo. It is brilliant!
Have a nice week,
Sonja

Lesley said...

I need to try a shaker card! This one is super adorable! Love the sentiment and the sequins!
Hugs!
Lesley

Marybeth said...

You are too funny... and cat fur!
Love your darling shaker card! That is one set I kinda wish I bought! Love the wink of stella!

Ardyth said...

I see others have mentioned that you can add water to a dry WOS (we talked about that at the Lake House, you must have been visiting your friends that day!) Love seeing all that lovely sparkle in the sun! (did you know your word verification is on?)

Redanne said...

Your card really does 'sparkle' Darnell. You are such an Enabler too, I am now the proud owner of 3 WOS's and I am not even a sparkle person! 30 - 40% !!! That is outrageous! I think I may have just in before the rise - whew!! Big hugs, Annie xxxx

Tracey McNeely said...

Darnell your shaker is yummy enough to eat!

*Vicki* said...

Oh wow this is totally adorable Darnell!! I love the dots and that sparkle on your die cut wording!! So fun and festive too! :) Hugs & Smiles - *Vicki*
My Blog: Stamp Smiles

Ros Crawford said...

Fabulous card and I love the effect of the WOS ... I keep saying I'll buy one ... well maybe DH will add it to my wish list!

Sarah said...

Brilliant and totally edible!! Feel sorry for the cat though!! xx

Jacquie Southas said...

I have a spare WOS ready to go at all times - great job capturing the glittery shine in your photo!

Sharon Underwood said...

What a fun card! I love how the paper has sequins on it to match the contents of the shaker card. Fantastic!

Becca Cruger said...

I don't think there's anything better on a Monday morning than a bit of glitter. Scratch that - lots and LOTS of glitter. :)

I LOVE this card and all it's fun bright colors.

Carole Z said...

Love this card! Fab and fun!!!

Anita in France said...

Good enough to eat at the Lake House, Darnell ... equally yummy now! All that fun you and Kim had at the Lake House is ringing in my ears at this very moment and having me smile all over my face! Lovely ... that's your card and the memory! Hugs, Anita :)

MRS DUCK said...

Hi Darnell
Your sparkle is very onomatopoeic (try saying that after a couple of cans of Stella. . . Wink of or otherwise!)
Never used WOS but I would be thrifty with too at the price it is.
Your card is such fun and has given me an idea or two.
Be good.
Ang x

cm said...

I agree: that shaker is positively, lusciously edible, and the sparkling *sparkle* is just...well, mathematically correct! Super ultra fabulous! I haven't made a shaker for a while now; perhaps Valentine's...
Hugs~c

Sybrina K said...

What a fun shaker card! It does look just like a yummy sugar cookie. :)

Anonymous said...

Great shaker card, Darnell! I have been resisting this purchase as well, but might need to take the leap!
it certainly does look good enough to eat!
Thanks for joining us this week at Just Us Girls!

Cat Craig said...

Great card, I too just opened a brand new WOS, and wow such a difference. Water to my old one and now it give my watercolor pieces sparkle!

Hettie said...

Ooooo! I love this and would love a shakey shakey card. Maybe I will make some next Christmas. Hoping I have finished now!
If you are logged in you can just go past the robot thing and just publish. Worked for me so far!
Hugs
xx

Janis said...

Love your fun and sparkly shaker!! Very festive.

You're lucky that at your house it is peppermint in the cat's fur. At my house, it's the other way around...Ugh!! (But with 20 cats, what can I expect? I have cat's fur in everything! Ha.)
<3 J

jwoolbright at gmail dot com
GIVEAWAY at www.HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com

Jean said...

What a super shaker card,I love the colourful paper and sequins and the wonderfully sparkly die cut Sparkle.
Jean x

Victoria H. said...

You card is just so fun, pretty and makes one want sugar cookies...what can be better!?!? Wonderfully done.

Nora Noll said...

How fun is this card? I so wanted this Shaker kit but have resisted as of yet. I love that star and the fun papers!! I so can relate to the WOS. I just opened a new one last week after resisting for a long time. They are so darn expensive!!

Barb Ghig said...

Such a charming shaker card, Darnell! I love the patterned papers and the font on the sentiment is gorgeous! I'm so glad you opened a new WOS...it makes all the difference on this card...LOVE it to pieces!

BTW: According to Jen McGuire, you can open your old WOS pen and add a bit of water. Shake her up, and away you go with some more sparkle :) It's worth a try, right? Thanks for another great post, Darnell! I really enjoy visiting your blog ~ Hugs, Barb

Bobby said...

I've resisted the kits so far. This one I thought long and hard about. You're making me think I should get it with the cuteness of your card.

Sue said...

So love shaker cards. I bit into that bug when PTI offered the set. I waited online for over an hour to get my order through. The site crashed many times over that night. I agree, Wink of Stella has the market and knows it!!! We can't live without Stella!!! Love your card!!

Kim Heggins said...

Miss Darnell...every time I think about or see a shaker card I just crack up! Most of the times I am home alone and just laugh out loud. I remember how much time it took to make our cards but I would not trade that for anything. What a fabulous and fun time we had and good thing we were not drinking...can you just imagine what your card might look like now??? It is so so beautiful and I so love your use of Wink of Stella, just stunning my sweet friend.

Kim Heggins said...

Silly me...forgot to thank you for playing along with us at The Challenge!

Brenda said...

Wow, wow, wow, I am loving this shaker card! And yep, it looks like a cookie to me too. lol I think we all are craving sugar cookies. I love the "sequin" paper you used and I love this set from PTI, it is on my wish list along with that "sparkle" die. And yes you sure got it sparkling just fine with that new wink of stella pen! I wish I knew what reCAPTCHA was, but I have gathered that it isn't a good thing!! So can't help you, but I sure hope someone can. And you mustn't be the only one cause I've notice that a lot of blogs that I follow all of a sudden has the "number/letter" thing on now. Good luck!!! Hugs, Brenda

My Card Attic: Hazel said...

Gorgeous card Darnell! I found a video a little while back about making your own 'WOS' glitter pen (I used my old WOS brush and it wasn't bad!) because I had the same thought about the price! Here is the YT link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD-8i0c6XDo

Hazel x

Patti J said...

Several of us baked cookies today at church for our food baskets. mmmmmm.....and yes, this looks good enough to eat! What a 'sweet' card, Darnell!!

OH Babs said...

Great card. I have not tried the shaker kit - yet. Wink of Stella made all the difference in the world.

Susanne Vargas said...

Your shaker card is so much fun! And I agree with you - it's even better with the WOS! Gorgeous!

MackieMade Paper Creations said...

This does look like a delicious cookie! It is beautiful!!!!

Lisa Elton said...

Cracking open your new WOS was SO WORHT it!! This is such a cute card!!

wienerhoneymooners said...

The Sparkle on the Sparkle is DIVINE!!! YAY, this card is EXCITING!!

Thanks fo joining Thc Challenge, excited that you did... Sweet shaker!!!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous. So glad you opened a new WOS. Although I would be squeezing every last drop out too :)!

Shona Chambers said...

How bizarre, how did the comment thing turn up?? The joy of the internet eh... I'm sure with your super-brain you will work it all out. I can't believe you resisted the shaker kit all this time, I would have been all over it in seconds. I do love my shaker cards but they can be time consuming, so worth it in the end though and I always feel like a 5 yr old shaking and giggling away. I'm loving the colours on your card, so happy and bright. My WOS is running low so will try the water tip but think I will have to fork out some cash for a new one. Wonder how much it will cost THIS time......

Carole Pollard said...

Great card I love the sparkly design so lovely Love and hugs Carole x

sandie said...

sequins and sparkle-what not to love xx

Kathyk said...

Your sparkle card is fabulous matey

Thanks for the tip about ignoring the word verification and heading straight to publish - it works!!!

Kathyk

Sarn said...

Pixie Di has put some info up on her blog about the blinking WV/Captcha problems Darnell.

Hope it helps.

xx

Sarn said...

You can DEFINITELY publish your comment without adding the numbers though! x

Anonymous said...

What a festive and fun card!!!! I agree, I love WOS but the price is high. I'm sure something will come out that similar and cheaper!

Di said...

Ha!! But only you have so many comments to scroll through Darnell :) OK, OK - I'm OFF the computer now!!

Hugs

Di xx

Rema DeLeeuw said...

Awesome card Darnell!

Jingle said...

This is so fun! I love the glitter! So pretty!

Ustvarjalni utrinki Tamara P. said...

Gorgeous sparcle card
hugs Tamara

Laurie Unger said...

Sure wish I could make a shaker card like this! Every time I try, I somehow muck it up! Love yours!

Donna said...

Cute card! Sugar cookies do sound wonderful! The robot request has appeared randomly all over blog land, no rhyme or reason.

Geri said...

So...I'm obviously not the only one that had visions of sugar plums running wild in the space betwixt my ears...this card really does look good enough to snack on! I love the pink-is background, especially with the 'stacked' Sparkle (wonder what that's like?).

Stella #2 definitely has kicked diluted Stella #1 to the curb!

I'm going to copy my comment just in case it gets eaten, then try posting without following the rules!

Geri said...

It worked! I broke the rules and didn't go to Blogger jail!

Mrs A. said...

I like the sparkle I really do. I bought a WOS a while back and it's expensive here in the UK too. so much so that I have only used it meagly once. Glad your liking my stories. hugs Mrs A.
p.s. Next time I ring santa up for an elf and he says 'I have a old retired one on the shelf you can have him for nought as he didn't get on with the kids make sure I hear those bl----dy alrm bells.

MaryH said...

Yes, it definitely looks very edible..with all the sprinkles & sparkles. Love it! (never done a shaker card either but I like 'em). Amazing what the fresh WoS will do. My clear just went dry, thought I had 2 more. Can't find 'em. Ordered some on Black Fri, and when they arrived, it was the pens, not the brush. I like each for different uses. Also just saw Jennifer McGuire mention adding a bit of water. Just did it, not tried the brush yet. Then I read that clever you awready knew to do that! I'm waiting to find some clear WoS - maybe on sale somewhere! They are too expensive to run dry that fast I think. I believe this is called "what the market will bear". Just got caught up - behind a couple days - Uhgin. Big Hugs. TFS

Alanna said...

What a delightful card. I'm so glad you picked up this kit. And I loved hearing about your wos woes. So glad you had a backup. :)

Laura Norris said...

Love your sparkly cookie card! It does look good enough to eat! And thank you for your sweet comments on my blog. You always take the time to send congratulations when they are in order. You are very sweet!!

Joyce said...

I just love how you turned that Sparkle into a holiday card. It really does look like a decorated sugar cookie, and now you have made me hungry.

Loll said...

Fun shaker card Dolly. LOVE the colours ... definitely looks like frosted sugar cookies ... or sherbert. Yummy!! OK, I have resisted making the shaker cards, but after seeing a few around that are ALL so fabulous, I might have to break down and buy the kit. My wish list is always growing :) Lolly xx

Lyndal said...

Hi Darnell, FABULOUS shaker, then again, you've always been a fabulous mover 'n' shaker :)

KandA said...

Hi Darnell, sorry I've not been to visit for a while but I've really enjoyed having a catch up with all your super cards (and turkey). Love this sparkle card and it does look good enough to eat. Off now to see if there are any fondant cakes left in the tin xx

Gerrina said...

A shakercard that like to draw me to the cookiejar aswell! Beautiful! Hugs, Gerrina

Chris Dring said...

This card DOES make me hungry for a sugar cookie! What a beautiful, sparkly card! Thanks for joining us at Just Us Girls!

Unknown said...

Love your cute sparkly good enough to eat shaker! So glad you caved and got the kit cause it's a goooood one isn't it?

Di said...

I was sooo rude and ran away before saying how lovely this shaker card is! And you do thoroughly shake your WOS pen before using it don't you? Apparently that is a must one demo lady told me at a craft show - so it disperses all the schparkly stuff :))

Sorry I'm a bit late calling by again, not supposed to be peering at laptop really but wanted to just check that the Playground hasn't been overrun by naughty elves!!

Hugs

Di xx

Milka Gubo said...

ADORABLE! Love the design and colors :-D

Victoria Lavender said...

Wow! This is a "Bam!" card! Love it! So professional looking too. Way to go Darnell. Hugs, Victoria

JD/ Jill said...

Really cute card! by the way, I gave you a "shout out" on my blog!

Greta said...

Now this is one fun & festive card, Darnell! Love the colors scheme!

Vicki Dutcher said...

Thanks for the heads up - I missed that! CONGRATS to you too on Top 3~

Yolanda Garrido said...

What a nice card! I love sequins and this card is gorgeous!!! I have been visiting your blog and now you have a new follower! Hugs from Spain!