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 9, 2013

Merry Monday #87FD; C4C#215; NBUS #81; PBSC; PSP #102

A magnificent Monday awaits you as you start a fresh new week!  It's invigorating!  
 
Today is my second Monday having the honor of being the December Featured Designer at Merry Monday!  I do hope you take the opportunity to visit both the MM site and the individual DT and participant sites for loads of Christmas card inspiration.  And, please, join in the fun!  This week our sensational hostess Lesley has given us this challenge:
We are to create a card with a mitten on it, or make a card in the shape of a mitten.  I made a mitten banner for you, thus:
 
My NBUSes (never-before-used schtuffs) today are the alphabet letters I used for "noel" and the sweet top banner die which comes with a heart embedded in each flag.  I covered over the hearts with my little glazed and fussy-cut mittens which were just the right size.  Just for the fun of it, I made the card with nontraditional raspberry ripple, which is also a delicious drink!
 
***
I'm happy to say that I used snippets on my card, which means I can join in the fun at Pixie's Snippets Playground!  The girls will be delighted that I made a set of matching mittens for Parsnips!

***
I'm also linking to a new-to-me challenge called Crazy4Challenges where we are to incorporate something from each of the letters in the word "NOEL."  How fun, right?! 
 
***
Here are the "NOEL" elements of my card:
(N) = NBUS
(O) = octuplet (8 flag banners)
(E) = embossing
(L) linear
***
I'm also linking up with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge for December where the theme is "Christmas."  The alphabet stamps on my card are PB.
Photobucket
Please click on the links for these sites for all the rules, sponsors, and prize details.
 
~~~
 
My PhotoIn our new friends corner today, I am so happy to introduce you to Heather North of Creative Blessings.  Heather has been blogging since 2011 and has a wealth of videos and awesome card art that I promise will completely inspire you!  Thank you, Heather, and welcome to the Playhouse!
~~~

My mitten banner card reminded me that I have been wanting to share with you an amazing banner/bunting I saw a while back on a post by Linda, a blogging friend of mine.  Check this out:
DSCF2645
You can find more pictures on her blog, SUch is Life!  Here is a close-up of one of the letters:
DSCF2651
People, seriously, she made this awesomeness out of the brown paper packaging that comes as filler in the boxes of supplies we all get from various crafting and stamp companies.  I had to share coz I thought it was pure genius!  Creativity does, indeed, live in Linda's home!!
 
~~~
 
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! 

Displaying Darnell Signature.png 
*Life Is Too Short!



Project Details
Paper Ivory watercolor; SU! textured raspberry ripple
Stamps SU! mitten (unknown set); PB "Brushstroke" alphabet
 InkSU! raspberry ripple
AccessoriesRibbon:  SU! raspberry ripple.  Dies:  La-La Land Craft heart banner;
Lil' Inker sentiment flag. Sequins:  Darice; Glossy Accents

54 comments:

Kim S said...

SO festive with its raspberry ripple and banners!! And a great job using octuples for NOEL!!!

Lisa Elton said...

What a cute cute card Darnell!! Those little mittens are as sweet as can be! I'm off to check out Linda's blog, that banner is fantastic!

Alanna said...

Such a fun card and I adore pink on Christmas cards.

stampwithsandy said...

Darnell it is so much fun to see you as a guest designer at Merry Monday; I love it! Your mitten banner is absolutely the cutest. It is so well balanced by the banners and sentiment beneath. Mwah!

Julia Aston said...

What a sweet little mitten banner Darnell! love the color mix!

Sammy said...

Gooooooorgeous! The colour is so fab and I adore the mitten bunting! I have that die too, and it's my favourite! x

Viv said...

Fab mitten card Darnell!

Pat said...

What a fab bright card - love that pink. Those cute mittens are lovely and complemented by the noel bunting underneath. What an unusual little stamp, I must start looking at SU products. xx

Benzi said...

I do love raspberry, Darnell, and the mittens and banners are just so pretty. What's better than mittens with all this cold weather?

Glad you shared Linda's banner, too. Wow! That is a long banner and must have taken her a while. Crafters are great!!!

Wendy said...

What a fun card, Darnell!! I LOVE your color combo and your adorable little mitten banner!! The NOEL flags are a great addition too! Happy Holidays! :)

Happy Dance said...

This is just as sweet as can be! Love the pinks and reds together. And a big ol' congrats for the FD gig at MM. How cool is that? Sweet little flags, lovely letters... the whole card is perfectly composed, my friend. Very, very festive!! Bev

Karen P said...

Beautiful card, love the rich pink and red tones and the flag die cuts are stunning xx

cm said...

Another wonderful card for MM today! Your raspberry rippled, mitten-bannered, noel-pennanted card is sheer delight! I just realized mittens are not part of my stamping repertoire as they are in my wardrobe collection (multiple pairs, multiple materials - the down-ones are amazing!), so I have to wear my 'adapt' thinking cap. Hope to play, should the sparks and pings work out! Have a fabulous Monday!
c

Inkyfingers said...

Wow, this is so so pretty Darnell. I love how you covered the little hearts with the mittens - they look so festive. Linda's banner is so amazing!
Hugs
Carol x

LeAnne said...

Love your pretty raspberry mittens, Darnell, as well as your pretty banners! A fun cheery creation!

jimlynn said...

Great looking banner by your buddy Linda! Very pretty.

....and I love your mitten and sentiment banner on your card. So colorful and just adorable!

Lynn

Joni Andaya said...

Simply Beautiful! So love the pink :)

MaryH said...

This is so merry & bright in your lovely raspberry. Ummm...makes me want something to drink I think! Loved all the tiny mittens on the banner..that was some fussy cutting on these, but a perfect trim on the sweet banner. Liked the ribbon trim you had as a border to hold the 2nd set of banners with the pretty noel spelled out. Good NBUS if I might say so. TFS & Hugs

Redanne said...

Congratulations on another GD spot Darnell. Not only are you clever at thinking up new words, you are so clever working out that octuples fits in with the challenge (never heard that one before - cough). The banners are delightful with the mittens on your gorgeous card. Hugs, Annie xx

Kristie Goulet said...

Very festive and fun card, Darnell! Love the colors and the cute mitten banner. Love seeing your creations.

JD/ Jill said...

Very festive and creative Christmas card. I'm always amazed that you managed to fit a card into so many challenges...Way to go!

Geri said...

Mission accomplished - you totally made my Monday merry with your post, full of pics and fun stuff to read!

Fabulous card that showcases your talent beautifully and your endless creative ability! The mittens are so cute & warm & fluffy looking. Brings back memories of drying mitts, toques & scarves when the kidlets would come in from playing in the snow!

Love the non-traditional colors and LOVE the NOEL banner!

Awesome card Darnell!

PS Ya think that the recycled paper banner nearly knocked me off my chair...oh yeah!

Ustvarjalni utrinki Tamara P. said...

Gorgeous so festive
hugs Tamara

Anonymous said...

Raspberry Ripple deliciousness, Darnell ... those sweet little mittens are awesome ... you must've knitted them cause there's so much yummy texture on them! Anita :)

Carole said...

sweet raspberry ripple...mittens should be bright, and your card is very merry. Now I know why I saved the yards and yards of brown packaging paper.

505whimsygirl said...

Hi Darnell,

Very cute card and such nice bunting! It's amazing what we can recycle.

Hugs,
Kay

Bonnie said...

I admired these little mittens so much that I unraveled them and put them all together into a BIG mitten! It took some fancy knitting and now I'm behind on everything else, but I think red mittens with snowflakes rule!

Unknown said...

Cute, cute, cute Dippy. Just love the mittens and the great banners.

Hugs.

Karendipity xxx

cotnob said...

This is a fabulous Christmas card Darnell, I love the pinks and your mitten banner.
I'm sorry I have not been to visit for a while but I have been rather poorly, I'm on the mend now so hopefully will be back to visit again soon.
Pauline
x

Jenny Marples said...

Love this banner card Darnell. Such a lovely hot colour. Jenny x

Karen Davis said...

Hi Darnell :) Gosh I love your pink card. What a great idea to cover the hearts with mittens. I love the sequins holding up the banner and the Noel pennants are a perfect finish.

Nan G said...

Darling card! Love the non traditional color. What a cool creativity banner!

Barb Ghig said...

Looks like I'm a bit late for the party, but I'm so glad I stopped by to see this gorgeous card! I LOVE all the pink, and those mittens are just too cute! How clever you are to use your sequins to hold up your banner, too! WTG with combining all these challenges, Darnell!

Tracey McNeely said...

The sequins and the cute mitten banner--LOVE this Darnell. I also love the paper bag banner too! Ready for the holidays?

Shannon J said...

Oh do I ever love those mittens! Sparkly and shiny and textured and pretty! And the sequins holding them all up - awesome!! The colour scores a 10 for me too!!

Karren said...

Love the colors you used in this fabulous card, Darnell! Your banners and flags are so cool, as are your wee mittens! Hugs.

Susan Joyce said...

Your mittens are really cute Darnell, love the little snowflakes and the flags and banners.

Loll said...

Hi Dolly. Love your mitten and sentiment banners. Fun bright colors - a really happy card. Lolly xx

Anonymous said...

Superb DJ, I love the re-purposed heart banner (that one is on my wishlist!), the cute mittens and the PINK! The banner strips are fantastic and I never knew PB did alpha stamps either! Very cool card.

Hugs
Brenda

Bobby said...

I love the cute mitten banner. It reminded me of the Three Little Kittens. And the colors are so fresh and bright. You're doing a great job as Guest Designer.

Canonbury creations said...

Unusual colour Darnell but I love your mittens and the card works so well:)
Val x

Diane said...

Super cute card...love those little mittens...wish I could find the time to play in the challenge, too...where does all the time go anyways???...Have a great day !!!

Mrs A. said...

So. Are we all getting mittens then!! If so can I have pink ones please with a fleecy linning. Lol.
Hugs Mrs A.

Colleen said...

Love your cute little mitten card, Darnell...I can always count on you for inspiration!

Heather North said...

Thanks for the shout-out and letting me come play at the playhouse! :) Very creative use for the NOEL challenge. I just love your pop of Christmas pink!

Marie Bingaman said...

Hey Darnell! Great card! Love the color combo, and the itty bitty mittens are too cute! :)

Sarn said...

Beautiful snippets card there Darnell. Love your banners.

Hugs, Sarn xxx

Di said...

Super card Darnell - love those mittens :)

Hugs, Di xx

Jenny L said...

Hi Darnell,
what a fab card. Great design too.
Lots of crafty love. Jenny L.

Greta said...

Terrific MM card, Darnell! Not sure if I'm going to come up with a mitten card. Doubt hubby would buy calling my always messy desk Santa's workshop--LOL!

Lesley said...

Love those mittens and the glitter! Fabby design too!

Kim Heggins said...

Fabulous card Darnell and I love all the pink...so fun and it is such a wonderful holiday color and you totally nailed this one!

Notes by Nina said...

Fantastic card Darnell, I love your fun banner with the cute mittens.

Helen said...

Fabulous card - love those cute mittens!
Thanks for playing at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge!
Happy New Year!
Helen x