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!

April 21, 2013

Happy Birthday, Big Sis!

Hi Everyone!  If you are peeking in here, that makes me happy because it means you are getting some crafty time for yourself!  I have a card today for four challenges:
 
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CFC #99 ~ CAS-ual Fridays "Birthday Bash."  The prize is sponsored by the fabulous:

http://www.cas-ualfridaysstamps.com
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LIM Week 116 ~ Less Is More "Case It"

We'd love you to display our banner
 
We can CASE Jen's card or Chrissie's card or both.  I chose Jen's, which you can see via the linkie. 

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Pixie's Crafty Snippets Playground Week 69  ~ Just use scraps or snippets! 
 
I don't normally wear a flower in my hair.......
 
I keep telling Di that she needs a logo for her challenge, so until she comes up with one, I think I'll put her picture as the logo!!
 
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RIC #34 Reem Acra ~ Runway Inspired Challenge,
 
 
where the sponsor is the wonderful company, Ellen Hutson!
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That's the challenge line-up.  Sorry it's long today.  By the time I get this written, prolly two of them will have closed!  But last night after dinner out at a Scottish Gastro Pub*, with our extraordinary twin grandsons and their parents, I was too jazzed to sleep, which means the little cray-cray hamster in my head had to take over and she's a bit of an overconceiver! 
 
(Lucky for you, RIC only allows you to combine your card with three other challenges.)
 
~~~
 
Finally my card:
 
 
I was inspired by the stitched layers in Jen's card and by the label she has in the bottom right with the flags below.  I hope will see the same design element in my card.

This card is not only for the challenges, it's a cyber Happy Birthday to my only older sister, Diana.  Happy Birthday, Sis!  I hope you have a great time today at the alligator reserve!  Please don't fall into the water in your enthusiasm to take a stunning photo!
 
~~~
 
The other day I mentioned that I had a tool to remove the shanks on buttons and several of you wanted to know more.  Here is a picture of mine.  I have no idea where I purchased it, but you can find many options when you ask the ever-amazing Mr. Google.
 
 
You may find wire snips work just fine.  All I know is I had a whole container of buttons, so I found it was worth it.  You can see the side view here; it slices through the thickest shank like butter. 
 
 
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*So, BTW, the pub listed "hedgehogs" as an ingredient on the menu!  I'm not kidding, look:
 
Chicken:  pressed thigh, cabbage, mustard, hedghogs, carrot butter
  
I was outraged on behalf of all the hedgehogs world-famous in the card-making community and I so informed Kristoph our waiter.  He said he gets that comment second after, "What is 'bubble and squeak'?"  He assured me their hedghogs are a type of mushroom and not an adorable critter. Phew!  Now about the "pressed thigh," . . .  Stop it.
 
~~~
 
Enjoy your day!  No, seriously, enjoy your day.  LITS*!
 
Thank you so much for stopping by the Playhouse. Special thanks to you if you take the time to leave a comment or join as a follower! 


 
Life Is Too Short!


Paper:  PTI white and true black; Stampland glossy;
  SU! real red, basic grey
Dies:  Memory Box:  "Perched Reed Bird" and "Twigs
  and Berries"; Lil' Inker "Stitched Rectangles"
Mrs. Grossman's stickers
Glossy Accents

58 comments:

Jenni's Jems said...

Aw Darnell this is simply gorgeous and the pop of red just finishes it beautifully! x

PapierGirl said...

Darnell this card is stunning - it just pops and the sentiment is placed perfectly! You had me laughing - I could picture the conversation you were having with the waiter!! Thank goodness it was a mushroom! I have never heard of that type of mushroom, but after some of the things I have seen on menu's......who knows these days! :)

Anonymous said...

Stunning, Darnell, so crisp and perfect ... love the dash of red picking up the lipstick in the RIC! Anita :)

Nan G said...

Nice interpretation of the fashion inspiration pic!! A fab card!
p.s. thank you! I'm sure the little embellies will pop up somewhere with a new look. :) hugs

stampwithsandy said...

Darnell this is gorgeous! Love the colors, the white space, and those dies are fabulous!

joy said...

LOVE this adorable card - the red berries are perfect for the RIC! And, I giggled when reading about the hedgies, too!!

Tracey McNeely said...

Perfect card for your sister Darnell and a great take on this challenge too! Love those dies.

Ustvarjalni utrinki Tamara P. said...

Gorgeous card Darnell,
wauuu
hugs Tamara

Redanne said...

Ooooh yes, love that gorgeous card Darnell, the black and white with the touch of red is my fav combo when I make cards. I did have to smile about the hedgie mushrooms and glad you did not ask him anymore questions about the thighs...... Hugs, Annie xx

Sue - said...

Absolutely gorgeous card. Had a chuckle about your menu but having 50% Scots blood it doesn't sound like any Scottish menu I've ever seen!

MagsB said...

Oh Darnell, what a chic and elegant card! (And if you haven't tried 'bubble and squeak' give it a go, it's yummy!)

Have a happy week!

love Mags B x

Carol L said...

Fabulous!!! Any sister would be thrilled to receive such an awesome card! I absolutely love it!!!

Bobby said...

Lucky you to be able to combine 4 challenges. This card is lovely in it's simplicity.

Joyce said...

Your card is just beautiful, and good for you for combining 4 challenges. I love to be efficient that way, too.

Sue said...

A wonderful card Darnell. A prefect CAS design and great colour mix.
Sue xx

Jen Nelson said...

darnell this is fabulous

Thanks for joining us this week
Jen xx
"Less Is More"

Linda said...

Your card is very beautiful. Very stunning.

Hettie said...

Gorgeous card Darnell. Very CAS.
I was showing my friend your workroom yesterday. We are both wondering how far from New York you are and whether we can swing by for a play when we go!
Tee hee!
xx

Cathy said...

Fantastic card Darnell, love your take on all of those challenges :) Sounds like you had a very fun evening!!

Mrs A. said...

Super CAS card. Liking the colour combo. There is a certain fish in Italy that when you see it in the English translation just says Gilt Head!! Hugs Mrs A.

Geri said...

Beatifully balanced! Love the stitched mat - really seems to anchor the image! Using grey and black really does make the red pop! Tucking the sentiment along the branch is perfect, perfect, PERFECT!!!

Kim Heggins said...

Beautiful card Darnell, I am sure your sister will love it! Who does not love "bubble and squeak"??? What a fabulous name for a yummy side dish. There is a little breakfast/coffee shop close to me that has it on the menu, but no hedghogs, bummer.

JD/ Jill said...

Great Cas card...I'm sure your sister will love it.

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

So beautiful Darnell, love it! The pop of red is striking with the black. I hope you had a wonderful weekend, Shirleyx

Kim S said...

Absolutely lovely! Definitely into my inspiration file!

Lisa Elton said...

D0n't you just love it when you can make one SPLENDID card for several challenges!! Well done Darnell, very pretty ;)

Colleen said...

Darnell, you just crack me up...I loved your comment on my blog...so true about belts...just yesterday a boy had his pants down to his...well, below his...you know I don't even know how the pants stayed up, I think he was walking with legs spread wide apart...lol...!!! love your card and so envious that you can pull so many challenges together and come up with this fabulous looking card...love the simple, lots of white space and the little bits of color! Keep the stories coming...love them!!

Anonymous said...

Simply beautiful Darnell-These colours look so good with your lovely design:)
Glad you had a nice meal out-and was happy to hear that no real hedgehogs were harmed !
Hugs,Nessa xx

Di said...

Brilliant card Darnell! Love the cleanliness - stunning impact.

Got a shock seeing myself staring back at me - OK, OK, I WILL do a logo. I have the snippets playground keys as the basis (truly!!) - just a question of working out how to do it. Watch this space - but not toooo hard :))

Hugs, Di xx

Tara Cardwell said...

Wow this is stunning! Sometimes its hard to combine challenges - sometimes they just go together naturally and this is certainly one of those cases - can totally see both Jen's card and the dress in your card.

Chrissie said...

Hi Darnell, just back from my Rhine (wine)cruise...how right you were... all the drinks on board were included in the price and boy were they plentiful! The diet starts this week.
Wandering around all the fab CASes of LIM cards this week, I have been amazed how fab they all are. This is terrific!
Thanks so much
Chrissie
"Less is More"

nwilliams6 said...

Great card - love the colors and it is a great rendition of the inspiration photo. Love the button shank remover too - TFS.

Karen M said...

Stunning card Darnell - I just love it! Hugs xx

Sarn said...

What an utterly fabulous creation Darnell.

Hugs
Sarn xxx

Taheerah said...

Love your card. The colours plus graphic layout make it so striking!

Ardyth said...

While I adore your card, may I speak up on behalf of 'big' sisters everywhere. We KNOW we are older than you. Sometimes we are bigger than you and sometimes not, but really there's no reason to say more than 'sister' when you wish us happy birthday! Phew! Glad I got that off my chest. I am the oldest of 4 sisters in my family! lol!

Aileen said...

Stunning Darnell. A super card which fits all your challenges perfectly. x

Gillian R said...

oh wow, this is gorgeous, I sense a winner for this one

Suze Bain said...

I love this card Darnell, absolutely CAS perfection! Xx

Denise Price said...

Your card is gorgeous. I love how everything is black and white except the two berries. So striking!

Canonbury creations said...

Love your card Darnell, brilliant take on the Lim theme this week, love that pop of red! Btw I fully agree with Ardyth:)
Val x

Unknown said...

gorgeous card!!! i love the sentiment following the branch...and the pressed thigh...find out for me?

Greta said...

Wowzer! Good thing you couldn't sleep--this is one amazing creation!

Sian Ridley said...

What a beauty! I love that silhouette and everything about this card :)

I'm with Ardyth - us OLDER sisters do not need reminding that we are in fact the eldest, we are quite aware! I am the eldest of three and my brother is enjoying rather a little too much that I have a big birthday coming next year!

I have to say though, receiving a card as beautiful as this one would indeed soften the blow somewhat! :)

shirley-bee said...

I'm on the side of the younger sisters. My older sister turns 60 tomorrow, a fact which I've enjoyed reminding her of. I consider it a duty of a younger sibling.

I love the card, it's so striking but it's got a wonderful serenity about it.

Ji Hye said...

I love it! It looks so great.

Bonnie said...

This is simply beautiful, Darnell! Looks like a winner to me! Thanks for the heads up to the ATCAS Facebook shout out. I would never have known otherwise.

Jingle said...

This is so pretty! Thanks for playing along over at CAS-ual Fridays!

Jenny said...

It's a good job I'm here on my own coz I'm hooting with laughter at your post Darnell, you're a real tonic!!
Gorgeous card, the pop of red is just the perfect nod to the models lippy and I can see how Jens card inspired you too :0)
Jenny x

Kelly Griglione said...

Oh I am dying over the pressed thigh!! That's so naughty!

LOVE your fabulously stylish CAS birthday card, Darnell! The stitched panel really sets it off. And the black/gray/red combo is so dynamic. SO glad you linked it up with the CAS-ual Fridays challenge!

Stempelomi said...

what a lovely card!
I will say thank you for your nice comments on my blog! I'm always happy to hear from you.

Hugs,Beate

Brandi said...

Wow! What a gorgeous card! Love the pop of red!

Juls said...

Stylish card! Fab use of snippits!! Hugs Juls

Unknown said...

Wow, Darnell! This is a real show stopper. So simple and elegant. Love!

Viv said...

Super duper card Darnell, you do make me laugh...I think you might just be as crazy as I am lol...my DIL calls me crazy granny too :) Viv xx

Jennifer Rzasa said...

Hi there! I love the stitched border around your card, and the cute bird. Thanks so much for joining us on the Runway :)

Wida said...

i wanted to comment something funny and witty like you do on my blog, but in the pressure of it all, I am kind of choking! I love the hint of red in your card. This element which reminds me of the models lips is one I totally missed! it's a gorgeous CAS card :)

Sanketi said...

Simply lovely! Thanks for joining us at CAS-ual Fridays this week!