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!

March 28, 2018

Happy Easter!

Hello Stamplings!

I would like to start by giving you our heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of concern, prayers, and best wishes for Rachel! It makes a difference and means the world to us!

I know it's a busy week for those of you preparing for Easter and Passover and many of you have the additional busyness of having the kids home for spring break. Some of you might even be on holiday to sunny climes or visiting The Geezers and to those I say, "safe travels!" 

I've not had time this year to make and send the number of Easter/spring cards I normally do, but I did manage a couple to share.

Onefer
I've had this beautiful filigreed egg since 2002 and I never tire of it. Sadly, it's from an OOB company. This time I heat-embossed it using SU melon mambo and the shiny pink glaze is beautiful in person. I put a slit on both sides of the egg and wrapped it with matching SU ribbon. The sediment is from Paper Smooches.

Challenges
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Twofer
I simply HAD to use my NBUS Chickadees from Poppystamps for an Easter card before Easter was over. I used an easy design with some ancient SU pp showing through a peek-a-boo MFT window. Conferring with the hamster, we decided that it would look silly to have the chicks be blue or pink so we called in Char Truce. 

After she left the Playhouse, we had a bit of a giggle and didn't know whether to show you the card or not after the sweet chickadees ended up looking like cartoon chickens they were recovering from a bout of food poisoning! Sometimes artistic license runs amok, but they are still too cute not to share!

Challenges
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~~~

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!

Remember it's Easter and there's an Easter bunny. Even if it looks like a chocolate-covered raisin, it might not be!

*Life is too short!

To open the pop-up comment box that let's you jump to the end w/o scrollingClick 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 a pop-up box opens. Click "Jump to Comment Form" and wallah, no more car pool tunnel! Mwah! (p.s. If you ask me a question in your comment, please remember to leave me your email address so I can respond. Thank you!)

75 comments:

Marianne said...

Sweet Easter cards, Darnell. For one brief moment I thiought you had turned your chicks into frogs, but I guess they have simply been eating too many green peas LOL. Haven't had a chance to visit much lately but am now waiting at the clinic for DH to return to his room from his X-ray, since he has minor surgery scheduled later today. Hopefully, this will be the last one for a long long time.
I had to read up on Rachel, but I'm happy she trusted her instinct and was diagnosed early.
Hugs, Marianne x

Valerija said...

Oooh Darnell, both are so beautiful x

Jane Willis said...

I think those cute chicks have been ODing on chocolate!
Two gorgeous cards, green chicks or not. Sending caring thoughts to you and your family. We're off to spend Easter with my Mum and to try to remind her that it being OK to eat chocolate for every meal on Easter Sunday doesn't make it OK for the other 364 days of the year. I'm beginning to want to scream at the number of times a week she says "I didn't fancy my meal so I gave it to the cat and had a chocolate biscuit instead".
Jane

aussie aNNie said...

Great interpretation of our challenge theme. Thanks for entering and showing your beautiful work at our "JUST WING IT" Challenge. Thanks for joining in and good luck in the draw.  Double D Challenges{DT aNNie}
💖 [Aussie aNNie's Blog]

kiwimeskreations said...

Oh Darnell you and Hammy are hilarious - thanks for the smile, and sorry the chicks look a wee bit ill, to my eyes they are obviously in recovery mode!
Love that shiny pink egg!
Blessings
Maxine

Sandra H said...

Oooh so adorable as always are your creations Darnell x

Carole said...

Hi...love your filigree egg with it's proud bow...sometimes the old favourutes are the best!...however your green...hmm chicks are cute against all tose little eggs...remind me of Cadburys mini eggs...don't know if you get them over there. Wishing you all a Happy Easter and good wishes to Rachel for a quick recovery.Hugs xx

Maria Rodriguez. said...

Oh Darnell, this is a gorgeous Easter Egg!!! love the intricate and delicate detail on it, looks lovely in pink.
Thank you for sharing with RETRO RUBBER, hope you play again next time.
XO
Maria.

Birgit said...

Two super cute cards Darnell! The filagree egg is stunning and looks amazing embossed like that. The green chicks...... well...... maybe they've eaten one too many peeps. It's still a cute card, green chicks and all! I hope you and your family have a joyous Easter and find many reasons to celebrate. Continuing in prayer. <3

Jeanne said...

Lovely cards, Darnell. Happy Easter to you and your family. I hope it is a beautiful one. The filigree egg is so pretty in pink. I can see why it's a favorite. The Easter card with the fun chicks is sweet with the frame eggs. That's a pretty paper. I hope you all enjoy a lovely holiday. Hugs!

Sue said...

Hi Darnell, Cards are fab.

Hope Rachel is doing ok. Sue



Marilyn said...

Pretty cards!!
Have a great day!
Marilyn❤

Ros Crawford said...

Easter kind of crept up quickly on me too ... Lovely cards Darnell and I do hope your have a wonderful Easter ... Sending hugs

Donna said...

Both beautiful and cheery!

Redanne said...

Oooh, the egg is gorgeous and I love the ribbon on it too. I think the chickadees are adorable in chartreuse, it really suits them and gave me a really big smile!! I do hope that you and the family will have a wonderful Easter now.... Big hugs, Annie xxxx

Diane said...

Fabulous Easter cards, and I love the cute little chickies in their 'purty' colors!! Have a wonderful Easter!

Marcia Hill said...

I can see why the egg stamp is a favorite Darnell...it's beautiful and I love it embossed in that pretty pink! And of course your chartreuse chicks made me laugh and smile...too cute!! Glad to hear Rachel is doing well and so glad she went ahead and had a mammogram rather than waiting...we are definitely our best advocates for our own health and you must all be so grateful for this outcome as opposed to what it could have been had she waited! Hope you and your family have a blessed and colorful Easter!! :0)

Darlene said...

OMG! Love those little chickies! Fabulous creations Darnell! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Double D ‘Just Wing It’ challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often.

Darlene
DOUBLE D Challenge Blog
DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS Please stop in for a visit!

Pat said...

That pink patterned Easter Egg is gorgeous Darnell and love the matching ribbon, and your little chicks go beautifully with the pretty pp in the background, and the peek a boo rectangular frame is perfect. x

Viv said...

Lovely Easter cards Darnell. Happy Easter to you too. x

Heather said...

Love those little chicks, with their pretty background eggs - perfect for our colors! I love your "playhouse" too - looks wonderful! Thanks so much for playing at Sunday Stamps!

Leslie Miller said...

There are lots of OOB companies, tsk tsk, but I still use and love my stamps from many of them. This egg is so gorgeous. The Melon Mambo sure looks pretty embossed, and then you have the perfect matching ribbon. I adore your little chicks who look like they might have eaten a little too much Easter candy, tee hee! Card making is all about creative license and I LOVE it! Dang, they're so cute, and the window with Easter egg paper is perfect! Glad you shared this in our Double D Just Wing It challenge, Darnell!

Cat Craig said...

Darling cards Darnell, the egg is so pretty with its ribbon wrap. The chickies are too darned cute, and you needed another color with the eggs in the background.

Carol L said...

Oh gosh, such cuteness with these Easter cards! I love the sickly green chicks - they make me happy for some reason? Wishing you a joyful Easter!!

Gerrina said...

So elegant your first card and a fun second one! I am glad that I don't have to make too many, but then again around easter I sent a lot of people who can use some cheering up a card... (don't have your adress :) Hugs, Gerrina

Liz said...

I LOVE the egg stamp, looks fabulous in pink. I love how how attached the ribbon by making two slits at the side of the egg - so clever. I'm having a 'why didn't I think of that' moment here. Love the little chicks on your second card - they've definitely been over-indulging on chocolate eggs...and it's not even Easter yet. I suspect Hammy may have been leading them astray!

Sending a big (((hug))) to Rachel. xx

conil said...

Still giggling about the Easter Bunny's leavings...you're hilarious. Your egg card, is not...it's gorgeous. Love the shininess and that ribbon treatment. I think those chicks also need a little respect. Food poisoning is no joke and it appears they've recovered nicely. Hope you have an awesome Easter and that your family enjoys it thoroughly.

Mac Mable said...

Char Truce is good for me and still giggling x Such an elegant and gorgeous first card and the glaze is so pretty x Happy Easter to you and the family and Hammy of course x

stampwithamyk said...

So cute! Love the little chicks and the Easter Egg paper behind them is perfect for the color challenge. Thanks for joining us at Sunday Stamps, hope to see you again soon!

Princess Judy Palmer said...

What a gorgeous Easter egg. Can you believe the grocery store didn't have Cadbury eggs?????!!! I was gonna buy a few for the old man but alas.... no egg for him.

JoAnn said...

Love your cards. The pink filigree egg is so pretty. TFS
Prayers for your DIL.

Verna Angerhofer said...

Well, I love your wonderful Easter cards. And, I like the chickies and they don't look too ill to me. Maybe just a tad too much Easter candy. Huh?

Sheri said...

The first card is lovely! But the second one with Char Truce is just adorable. I love it! Never would have invited her to my Easter party but may now! Thanks for sharing her.

Sheri

Debbie Mageed said...

It always makes my day to come to your blog and see what you're up to, Darnell, and I'm never disappointed! The melon mambo egg card is lovely and really like how you got the ribbon around it. Thank you for playing with us at Retro Rubber and look forward to you joining us again soon.

Brenda in IN said...

Oh wow, Melon Mambo is a pretty Easter egg color for this gorgeous egg. The ribbon matches perfectly. As for the Char Truce chicks, I hope they are recovering from their poisoning. I'm glad they were nice enough to show up for the card no matter how bad they felt. I've had many of my card ideas run amok before too.

Glittered Paws said...

Too funny - laughing at the char-truce chickies - I'm sure Hammy had a say in that. The Easter Egg is beautiful. Sending Easter blessings to you your family and Hammy too.

Kathleen said...

Two fabulous creations Darnell, love the pink embossed egg with the gorgeous pattern, the pink and white bow is a brilliant touch.
Those chicks are so very cute and a great design of card.
I am so very sorry but for some unknown reason I must have missed your post regarding Rachel, I thought that i never missed a post from you, no idea how it happened. Belated best wishes for her.

Kath x

Christi Conley said...

I'm so happy Rachel is well - that intuition is a GREAT thing! I had to tell you that I had my very first mammogram this year. I put it off FOREVER, but, when I finally did it, it was no biggie. I was expecting so much horror & pain, and yeah, it wasn't fun, but the alternative just sucks. I'm so proud of you - now that you made that appointment, you'd better keep it! Love to you, Hammy and all <3 PS: And your cards just ROCK - as always xoxo

cuilliesocks said...

Hello Darnell, I missed the post about Rachel, but I'm so pleased that she caught the tumour early on and that prognoses is positive.
We are lucky in this country that we have mammograms at an earlier age, however that could all change with the demise of the NHS.
Your card are absolutely lovely, super designs, Kate x

Patti said...

Love that beautiful egg Darnell! I looked close thinking "I wonder if she slit that paper..." and walla! you told us in your post you did. Brilliant! : )

I really like your Easter chicks no matter what color they are! heehee

Patti

Bonnie said...

Love that embossed Easter egg, Dolly! Very clever to slit beside it and wrap the ribbon around! Bet it looks good on the inside too! I remember seeing died chicks at Easter when I was a kid. I think we got one once and it peeped so much that it drove us crazy! I don't remember what color it was. It could have been green. I haven't thought about that in years! Thanks for the memory and Happy Easter my dear friend!

Bobby said...

That embossed filigreed egg is spectacular, Darnell. Thanks for sharing it with us at Just Us Girls.
Your little chicks are cute and I remember years ago when hatcheries used to die chicks for sale at Easter.

JD/ Jill said...

As Always! So cute and creative!

nancy littrell said...

Happy Easter, Dolly. So glad the family has gotten the good news about Rachel...the most wonderful answer to all your prayers. TFS your beautiful CAS egg card and your silly birdies card. Hugs..

Lisa Elton said...

One CAS elegance and one perfectly sweet! These are marvelous Darnell!

Christine Alexander said...

gorgeous hot pink Faberge egg and those little peeps are adorable :)

Cheryl W. said...

I love the bright, clear springy colors you used on both your cards. The fancy egg is beautiful--if it were real, it would be one of those "you can look, but don't touch" Easter keepsakes. The chicks are definitely cute as all get out. They look fab on your card, but would look cute in a little Easter basket, too.

Karenladd said...

You are actually several steps ahead of me because I didn't manage to make even ONE Easter card this year. That beribboned egg is so elegant and pretty. Why did I never think to do that with the slit and ribbon embellishment?? I guess that's why you have a blog and I don't...sigh.
As for that Char-Truce mom and baby chickie duo with the touch of food poisoning, I do hope they recover in time for Easter celebrations. I have those exact same dies and haven't even tried out the larger chick yet so I'm itching to get at it now. I have a lot of posts of yours to catch up on and admire, so off I go! Happy Easter!

Jenny L said...

Hi Darnell,
Happy Easter to you too.
Don't eat too many eggs. LOL.
I love your wonderful cards and their designs as always are brilliant.
That egg looks almost good enough to eat, and chicks on the second are sooooooooo! cute.
Love and big crafty hugs, and get well wishes for Rachel from my house to yours. Jenny L.

Mimi said...

Two cheerful spring cards... HOPPY Easter, Darnell!

Em Louise Fairley said...

Two sweet cards, or in the case of the chicks, too sweet? ;)
Hugs,
Em xoxo

MRS DUCK said...

Hi Darnell
A delightful twofer. The first one looks like Faberge (the eggs rather than the aftershave).
Hope that The Family Knauss can have a Happy Easter with lots of love and chocolate.
Ang x

Sheila H said...

I love these cards, Darnell. The first is positively elegant. The second is so cute and fun - the design is fantastic. Happy Easter to you and your family!

Heidi MyLittleStampingBlog said...

Your cards are so lovely. Hope you have a wonderful Easter.

Nancy Frustaci said...

Gorgeous cards, I love your Easter egg card, I love how interact it is and it really makes an impact. Thanks for playing along with us over at Cards in Envy

Linda said...

Lovely Easter cards, Darnell. That filigree egg is so pretty and your little Easter chicks are so adorable.

Teresa Kline said...

super cute card, I am luvin these! I am so glad you played along with us at
sunday stamps!


blog-paperie blooms
ig-2klines

sparkle & shine, kindness *~*

Amelia Breytenbach said...

Gorgeous card and the chicks are so sweet! Thanks for sharing with us at Double "D" Challenges.
Amelia (Double "D" Challenge Design Team)

MaryH said...

I'm amazed you made cards at all, run a challenge, and deal with the Life's issues you have faced of late. I'm so thankful that things are going apace with your Dear Rachel, and pray that it continues to be so. Love the filigree egg, it is beautiful enough to stand alone, and I like the way you've done the ribbon. Loved the Char Truce Chicks too..both cards are just a joy to behold. Happy Easter to you and all the family (Hammy too). Big hugs & TFS (You know Churchill's favorite expression: KBO..well that works!)

Jeanne J. said...

Hi Sweet Lady! Hope you and Hammy are ready for the Easter Bunny! Your chickie card is adorable! And that filigree egg stamp? SWOON...

Jeanne H said...

Happy Easter to you and your family from MN. Hopefully it will be warm there! Love the cards you made and the humor on the twofer. Hugs from me!

Sue Lelli said...

Oh Darnell, the Char Truce cracked me up! And LOVE that first embossed Easter Egg! I would use it every year it's such a GORGEOUS card!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous cards. I see nothing wrong with the artistic licence of the second one. Happy Easter to you and yours :)

Anita in France said...

What a gorgeous egg, Darnell ... all lacy and delicate ... and so beautifully wrapped in it's matching ribbon. It's deliciously eyecatching ... and so precisely done! Those little chickies are adorable ... love that they're so happy in their green plumage ... being unique is important!! Hope you're looking forward to some chocolate yumminess this Easter ... even if it does include chocolate coated raisins!! LYAMYMA ... SYAHOEB! Big hugs & bisous, Anita :)

KandA said...

Happy easter to you and all the family Darnell, I hope you have a wonderful stress free weekend. Two fabulous cards and I love those adorable little chicks xx

Kathy Krug said...

Such a fun Easter card. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Double D Challenge Blog. We hope you will join us in future challenges.
Kathy
DD DT

Ruth said...

Have a very very very Happy Easter my friend! I've just recently got myself some SU patterned paper and I struggle to know what to do with it, but you've just showcased it perfectly. I had to giggle at your green around the gills chickies. I still think they are super cute! xx

Bananastamper said...

Both of your cards are lovely, but I especially love your pink egg CAS masterpiece! wow!
Happy Easter!
Shanna :)

OH Babs said...

Happy Easter Darnell to you and your family. Blessings to all and nothing but good wishes.
It has been a rough 3 months with cold, cough and bronchitis. Our entire community seems to be sick. Boy am I ready for summer and it has been warm enough in the daytime to sit outside with a book, but no cushions.
Lovely cards and I love the embossed one it makes me want to touch it.
Keeping you in my thoughts, Barb

Helen F. said...

Love your sweet cards, Darnell. Also, happy that you are sharing Rachel's story. I am adding her to my prayer list and sending every positive thought and wishes for her speeding recovery. Thank God, she took the initiative to go back for a mammogram before the suggested time period. {{{Hugs}}} to you and your family~have a Blessed Easter!

Inkyfingers said...

What a lovely pair of Easter cards Darnell and I love the CAS designs. The filigree egg is so elegant and I love the cute chickadees.
I hope Rachel is doing well and I wish you all a very happy Easter.
Hugs
Carol x

Claire Grantham said...

Hope you had a nice Easter Darnell. Love that elegant bright pink Egg, your embossing is perfection!! Thanks for playing with us at Retro Rubber. Claire DT

Greta said...

Oh wow--that pink egg is a stunner, Darnell! Love how you used the ribbon, too! Cute chickies & card!

Craftychris said...

Love the beautiful egg and the little chicks are soooo cute! Hugs xxxxxxx

Marybeth said...

Happy Easter to you and your family! What darling Easter cards..... I thought things were going to slow down as I got older 🤔