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!

October 25, 2015

The 25th = PTI & Rudolph & Pixie!

Greetings,  my friends! Happy Sunday Funday!

Short and sweet today as you are no doubt here to hop and unless you're very athletic, it get tiresome to stand and hop in place for any length of time.

First up, I have my card for the October 2015 Blog Hop Challenge for Papertrey Ink (PTI). If it's the 25th day of October that means the 25th day of December can't be far behind ...
Blog-hop-logo
Blog hop inspiration
I chose to use the ornaments for my inspiration so I could use my NBUS "Ornament Trio Cutout" from Poppystamps. I used nontraditional PTI DSP for my die cut inserts and for the matting. The NBUS sediment is from PTI's "Stocking Prints" stamp set.

Now you might think this is tiresome fiddly work putting all those pieces into the negative bits, but I'm a person with a hamster to help me and we both enjoy jigsaw puzzles ... this way we can get that same jigsaw satisfaction and make cards at the same time!

Today's Twofer

In fact, the above card was so much fun, we made a whole nother card for the monthly Rudolph Days Challenge! This time we used sparkly silver and mirror red, green, and gold cardstock from my stash:
The scripted joy die is from Winnie & Walter. This shows the shine a bit better:
You know how hard it is to capture shine in photos, so you can just imagine how pretty this card is IRL. (If QACAS stands for Quick and Clean and Simple, than what shall I call this? SACAS as in Slow and Clean and Simple?)

I'm entering this metallic version in Rudolph Days Challenge hosted by the sweet Maureen. This challenge opens every month for Christmas cards and runs from the 25th day to the last day of each month throughout the year! I hope you can join in!

Pixies Crafty WorkshopI'm also entering my card in Pixie's Snippets Playground. This is the 200th challenge run by the sweet and talented Di Wray! This challenge is simply to encourage all of us to use our scraps ~ or snippets as my British friends say ~ and that's it! EZPZ! We all have scads of them and I find this challenge a wonderful reminder to use mine; just like my NBUS acronym reminds me to use my new product.

Not only that, but the ladies who join in are a HOOT! We have a Playground and a head mistress and a mascot and a tree house and a bike shed and swings and a donkey ... oh, and so much more! There are prizes, too! It's been great fun seeing a lot of my friends join in across the pond and I hope you can, too!

Congratulations, Di, and thank you for all you do!!

~~~

Enjoy the HOPS and 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 join as a follower! Please let me know you came by, so I can be sure and return the flavor!
*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrolling:
Click CTL + Home. 
Click the Home tab under my blog banner which resets the post.
Click Page Down to reach the end of the post.
Click Comments and the pop-up box opens.
Click Jump to Comment Form; no more car pool tunnel! Mwah!
If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave
me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!

112 comments:

Lynn said...

I was looking at those ornaments...and thinking I could do snowflakes and then went another direction...am loving the spectrum of color on your fabulous dies. So cool Darnell!

TK said...

Pretty cards! I've enjoyed that die from afar for awhile, I just love Christmas ornaments. Great shine, great colors!

Kathyk said...

You are plainly blessed with more patience than me!!! These are gorgeous, Darnell.

Hope you are having a splendid weekend

Kathyk

Rema DeLeeuw said...

I love how different these ornaments turned out. Gorgeous Darnell...

Nancy Penir said...

Rushing over to Darnell's Playhouse to comment! Above 20! Miracle! Hi sweet Darnell. 2 clever and festive ornament cards! Both soon to be CASE-d by me! Love them! You always amaze!

~amy~ said...

ooooohhhh.....love those ornaments! Both cards are simply awesome Darnell!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous Darnell! Those ornaments are gorgeous!!

Sue said...

Loving the cards.

Hope you are having a nice weekend. Sue

Melissa L. said...

Oh! Gorgeous, Darnell! BTW, thanks for sharing the pics of you, the hummingbird and your grandsons. Lovely! I've been thinking about you and your husband - praying for healing. xo Melissa

Tracey McNeely said...

Darnell your cards are fabulous! I love those ornaments and how you coloured them--cool!

victoria h said...

they are fab baubles- you must be patient! Gr8 Christmas cards.

Dr Sonia S V said...

WOW both your cards look fabulous ...the shine is so gorgeous
Cheers
Dr Sonia

Barb said...

Your ornament cards are lovely Darnell. Now I do enjoy fitting little bits in like this. Barbxx

Sarn said...

LOVE your bauble cards Darnell.

PSST: Come and see me behind the bike sheds - we are having an illicit 200th week party. And there's apple bobbing . . . and we might just have some rockets and loud bangers to set off. Shhhh!

Hugs, Sarn xxx

Loly Borda said...

Both are so pretty Darnell! My favorite is the one with metallic inlaid paper. Awesome job! Big hugs!

Susanne Vargas said...

It always amazes me how different cards can look just by changing the colors! Love the shine on the second one and the nontraditional papers on the first! Great die and beautiful cards!

Marybeth said...

Gorgeous inlays on both of these Darnell! Nice way to use this die one of my versatile favorites! Hop in one place...haha! My humming bird feeders come today and I cannot wait to use them. Hugs to you both!

Sally H said...

wow, wow, wow, Darnell! These are so gorgeous! I love them both! What a wonderful contrast between the two, pastel and mirror card. Stunning!

Linda said...

Darnell, these are all gorgeous.

Birgit said...

These are great cards! I love the ornaments-both cards and it is so unique how these ornaments are presented-love them

Kathy Mc said...

Loaded with awesomeness and lots of patience, Darnell. Definitely worth the effort though as both cards are beautiful.

scrappymo! said...

Oh my goodness...these are so gorgeous! I must say I love the one you did for RD with the mirri paper underneath the diecuts! It has so much sparkle...

Thanks for taking part in the October Rudolph Days Challenge.

Lisa said...

Oh wow, these are absolutely stunning, Darnell!! So worth the effort!! They are gorgeous!! Love the shine, too!! Beautiful cards!! Have a great day :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

Carol said...

These are wonderful Darnell, what a gorgeous die. Carol x

jimlynn said...

Oh wow! These are so pretty! Love the colors on the second one. Great cards for the holidays.
Lynn

Kelly Szafron said...

Beautiful cards! So much work put into them, they are very eye catching.

Jenny L said...

Hi Darnell,
what very super cards.
The designs are so great a always.
Wonderful work involving Hammy too.
Love and big hugs from my house to yours.
Lots of crafty love. Jenny L.

Liz said...

Fabulous cards as always, Darnell. I especially love the second one with all the shine. xx

Helen F. said...

Wow, Darnell! Love how your shimmer-glimmer ornaments look, both cards are simply beautiful :-)

cuilliesocks said...

Hi Darnell, beautiful cards, the baubles are gorgeous, fabulous colours and design, Kate x

Verna Angerhofer said...

I always love Christmas ornament cards and yours you created are absolutely wonderful! And, well worth the time you and Hammy took to fit all the pieces together.

Anita in France said...

That's one fabulous ornament die, Darnell ... and you've showcased it beautifully on both cards ... pretty DP on the first ... and all that amazing metallic shimmer on the second ... gorgeous! Hugs & bisous, bisous, Anita :)

Pat said...

I love both the cards using these pretty bauble dies Darnell and the pretty pastels on the first and the lovely sparkly finish on the second both work really well. Hope you have had a good weekend and that the Mister is progressing well. x

Ruth said...

These are fabulous! It was so worth it all the time taken to piece them little bits back in. Really makes them look stunning. Xx

Jill Norwood said...

Darnell these are both FABULOUS!!!!! Love Christmas ornaments! What a great die!

Bonnie T. said...

Incredibly beautiful ornaments on both your cards! Fabulously designed!

conil said...

Soooooo pretty. I feel another winner coming on. Partial to this inlaid diecutting and this die is a must have, seems to me. Perfect for this tech-ni-cue.

Unknown said...

Love these Christmas cards and how they look embossed into the paper xx

Karenladd said...

Whoa!! Those inlaid die cut cards are just gorgeous...even though they must take a looooooong time to make this beautiful. Both versions are fabulous but I have to say that the one with the mirror paper really knocks my socks off. This just shows that clean and simple can still be spectacular!

Marcia Hill said...

Loving both of your SACAS cards Darnell...they are both simply lovely and I bet the sparkle and shine in real life is amazing! So glad Hammy is there to help you!! :0)

oldpunca said...

Two very pretty cards, dear Darnell. I like the sparkle shine on your "twofer".
Have a nice week,
Sonja

Kathleen said...

Two great cards but the second one is my favourite


Kath x

Jenelle said...

Such awesome cards, Darnell! Those ornaments are so fun!

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

Both yours cards are just stunning, Darnell!! Such a great way to make CAS! Love, love these ornaments!! The first one card is really spectacular!!! You have made very busy, but the result of your jigsaw puzzle is simply fabulous!!

Jean said...

Fabulous Bauble die, and fabulous cards you made with it as well. I especially like the second one with the shiny colours.
Jean x

Birgit said...

OH I just love your shiny little bauble cards, Darnell! I'm loving that die cut!

Jean said...

These are just gorgeous!

Greta said...

Beautiful Christmas cards, Darnell! I especially love the metallic ornaments!

Diana K said...

You are so fortunate, having a hamster helping you with your cards! Maybe that's what I need? Darnell, you really are the limit but you sure make awesome cards! Love these.

Redanne said...

Your twofers are stunning Darnell and I can quite understand you (and Hammy, of course) sitting there and filling in the little blanks, it was worth every single moment you both spent - the results are gorgeous!! Hugs, Annie xx

Gina said...

Oh wow!! These are so pretty! I love the color combos. And I really like the shiny card.

And this time when I visited, I decided to tour your playhouse. WOW!!! What a fun place to create. :)

The Paper Toile said...

How pretty! I love the shimmer!

Pam said...

Beautiful, beautiful, Miss Darnell. I love these cards. All that shine makes me happy!

Martha said...

Darnell, what beautiful cards you've created.
I love how you captured the shine.

Nora Noll said...

What lovely cards!! I really like the second one with the SHINE!! Christmas = shine to me for some reason. FABULOUS design!!

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

These are gorgeous! LOVING those ornaments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lynn Put said...

Such wonderful ornament Christmas cards! Love the different shades of color and shimmer.

Kay Miller said...

Oooooh these are both just gorgeous Darnell! I love this technique too! I don't mind putting all those tiny pieces back in either! I think it's fun!! Have a great week my friend!! ((Hugs))

Mona Pendleton said...

So very pretty! The ornaments look fabulous! Happy hopping!

Megan J said...

Hi Darnell, both of your cards are gorgeous! I want a picture of you and the hamster filling it in!!! have a good one...Megan

A Crafty Person said...

Amazing cards!! Those ornaments are so beautiful.

LesleyG said...

Baubleisciously bootiful card, what a fab die xxx

Lizzy Hill said...

Fabulous cards - it would kill me to pop all those pieces in - but great result - especially the shining one:) lovely!!!!

Kim Collins said...

I just love what you have done. I really need to try this technique. You are very inspiring.

Cheryl W. said...

These cards look amazing! That's a great die-cut. Must be a little fiddly putting all those pieces back in, but hoo-boy, is it worth it! Love the results.

Joyce said...

Love these ornaments in your non traditional colors. Fantastic cards.

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

Beautiful cards Darnell! So sweet! It looks amazing with those shine!

sandie said...

not here to hop, just admire! I really love how you have mixwd up the colours on the first die and the colours on this one have to be my fav! Have a good Monday x

Jane Willis said...

Absolutely gorgeous, but oooooooh the thought of putting all those tiny pieces into those openings! I'm not the most patient person in the world, I've had nightmares about stuff less fiddly than that. You must be an absolute model of patience to do it all twice over!
Jane

kiwimeskreations said...

Oh My Goodness - what an incredible pair of cards Darnell - especially the shiny one!! You really have a eye for detail and patience to place all those teeny tiny pieces into place!! Just as well you have Hammy to help :-)
Blessings
Maxine

Rose said...

Love both your cards. Such a pretty die & I admire your patience but it's well worth it.

ionabunny said...

Hi Darnell, love the stripes, but the metallics are just so glamerous. Hurrah for tiny hamster paws. Bet they are a big help with the fiddle factor. Hugz

Linda said...

Someone's got patience ...... Well worth it though, those baubles are amazing! Love the shiny ones, they're right up my street! Can't believe the Christmas decorations will be coming out soon ...... they're already in the shops here and we've not even had Halloween yet! Have a lovely week Darnell xx

nwilliams6 said...

What amazing dies and gorgeous papers. I love dies so much but have to cut back on my purchases as they started having their on category in my budget! These are sooo pretty and unique that they are worth the spend. Lovely cards - I think I like it with the gold the best but they are both gorgeous! Hugz

Gerrina said...

The cards look both beautiful! Love the striped background on the first and the shiny paper on the second too! Have a good week, hugs, Gerrina

Di said...

Hi Darnell - wow and double wow! Two stunning cards there and what immense patience you have! I can't pick a favourite between the two, both just fabulous!!

And thank you so much for your very sweet words here - the Playground is a lovely place to run round in, even when searching for illicit cider!

Hugs

Di xx

Jeanne said...

These cards are so very pretty, shiny and sparkly. Just about the best kinds of cards! Have fun with your friends. You make the group sound wonderful. Have a great week as well. :) Hugs, Jeanne

Cindy H. said...

Beautiful cards, Darnell! Love the shiny ornaments.

Bonnie said...

I wondered what one would do with this die! I'm glad to see now and admire your patience in finding and putting all those little pieces back in!

Renata said...

Darnell, naredila si dve krasni, sijoči božični voščilnici!
Lep pozdrav!
Renata

Ustvarjalni utrinki Tamara P. said...

Fantastic Christmas cards Darnell
love them all
hugs Tamara

Jacquie Southas said...

LOVE the metallic version - so festive & fun, Darnell! I find fiddling little pieces into place strangely theraputic :)

Petra Swart said...

Love your SACAS cards, Darnell!!! Those ornament are so beautiful!!! Think I should get those dies - I love to do puzzles!!!!
Have a wonderful week!!!

Sue said...

Dear Darnell, these cards are totally gorgeous. Sheer genius idea to combine the die cuts. It looks really beautiful and very stylish. I love these. Hope all is well with you.
Sue...xxx

Sharon Underwood said...

Beautiful ornaments, Darnell! Love the pretty shine!

Marlena M. said...

These cards are so cool! I love the look, Darnell~

Pia S said...

It never stops to amaze me the impact colors have on a design. These cards, very similar designs, yet very different looks. I love this kind of post, so inspirational.

Carole Pollard said...

Wonderful cards today love the baubles such gorgeous designs Sorry not been around for a few weeks been on my hols Love and hugs Carole x

Lynne in NI said...

Woweee your bauble cards are so pretty! Great job with your jigsaw, I just know I would have mixed my pieces up! ;)

Sue said...

I love those ornaments. Very pretty! I love the colors you choose for both cards. Beautiful!!!

Taunya Butler said...

Such amazing and awesome cards - love how they turned out and I applaud you and hammy on the meticulous accuracy with which you made these stunning cards!!! Sheering really loudly for you, can you hear me??? Have a wonderful day!!

Donna said...

These ornament cards are so stunning Darnell, anyone would be excited to receive them!!

Canonbury creations said...

Lovely cards Darnell you and Hammy are to be commended on your patience!
Val x

Karen Petitt said...

Darnell these are so beautiful! Love those dies and the shine is gorgeous in the photo's so must be amazing IRL. I hope you and the Mistah are doing well hun, sorry I can't be around much right now as I'm struggling health wise.

I just noticed your update below - I have had this with my OH and he is on warfarin for it permanently. It will settle eventually is all I can tell you - for some it is quicker than others.

Take care my lovely friend, hope to be back soon Karen xx

Linby said...

Two stunning cards and although you like jigsaws I bet keeping hold of all the pieces was tricky, I know from a similar experience!
Thanks for joining in with Rudolph Day this month.
Lynn x
GDT

Lisa Elton said...

These are lovely Darnell, the ornaments are so pretty!!

Carol L said...

The ornaments are gorgeous, and fiddling around with negatives like this is one of my favorite things to do! I love the varied colors and shapes!

Dana M said...

Absolutely stunning Darnell! Your patience paid off :)

Janice said...

I love your bauble cards Darnell, gorgeous colours you have used, they look very classy! 👍
You are a very patient crafter, maybe I will give this technique a try!
Janice x

Jeanne J. said...

Gorgeous ornament cards Darnell! The shine you captured is eye candy!

Geri said...

Oh dear....you've done it again. Yep, I'm adding this die to my must have list as soon as I finish this post! "Schticking" all the wee pieces back into their little houses is definitely something I would love to do! Love the pastels, love the shimmer, love the shine, and love the non-traditional, gradient colors on your first card :)

Whisper said...

WOW what a stunning collection of cards and all so different too, Luv Sam x

Cat Craig said...

Fantastic cards and good for you to puzzle on through...so worth the efforts!

Maarit at Violets Corner said...

I admire your patience, Darnell, and the festive feeling. Very clever use of the dies.

Love and hugs
Maarit

Bobby said...

Love your SACAS cards, Darnell. I like jigsaw puzzles too but their pieces aren't quite as tiny and these. That is one lovely die and it looks good no matter what paper you use - colored or metallic.

laurie said...

So pretty Darnell.... I just love those ornaments! Festive and fun. Have a great day!

Hettie said...

Wowzer!! Just love these cards Darnell. So clever.
Hugs to you and Hammy!
xx

Twinks Stamping said...

Absolutely gorgeous!!!! xx Jan xx

MaryH said...

You & Hammy always amaze! Two extremely beautiful, glistening (and no doubt very fiddly) cards. Bet Hammy's little fingers came in handy for inlaying the intricate tiny bits! Tell him he did an outstanding job. Love this, with the jewel colors on these pretty ornaments. And you did TWO! My hat's off to you, (but then I don't have a Hammy...good excuse, hey?). Thanks for sharing your genius to brighten the day with these 2 pretties. Hugs!

OH Babs said...

WOWZA these are really lovely. They look like it took a lot of painstaking work, and it shows. Sorry I am late in writing but I have been out of town. Hahaha :)

cm said...

What a team you and Hammie are, and sharing your mutual love for jigsaw puzzles sure off with this stunning duo! Gorgeous! Applauding the fiddling...
Hugs~c

Daria said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.