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!

May 23, 2019

CAS Stencil

Hello Stamplings,

How are you? I hope you've had a wonderful coupla weeks while I've been away! I got home yesterday so it's going to take me a while to get things sorted and get back into my routine. I had an amazing time and I promise I'll have photos of the Retreat to share after I get them up the download!

Today I'm quickly posting cards I made just before I left because the challenges that schparked them are about to close their doors. 
Ironically, the colored panel was made exactly a year ago at Loll's retreat using Lindy Magicals. After wards, I added embossing paste through a Nested Circles STAMPlorations stencil. I cut the panel in half to make two cards.

The upper card has a textured black border off to the left side and the bottom card is centered over a black card panel. The same black was used for both sediment panels made with MFT labels which I'm pretty sure were NBUS even though I've had them for ages. The white heat-embossed hugs* sediment is NBUS from Penny Black's "Good Wishes" stamp set and the white heat-embossed smile sediment is NBUS from Concord & 9th's "Love You Mean It" stamp set.

(*I saw this hugs sediment on my friend Brenda's blog and I immediately had to search for it online. Well, I found it all right, along with a few dozen other little items I just had to have. I told Brenda that I was able to find the stamp and it "only" cost me $186! Hey, sometimes we go down that rabbit hole and that, ladies and gents, is why I continually have so much NBUS!)

Challenges

Snippets Playground Badge
~~~

Before I went to the Retreat, the Mister and I spent a fun week in the Vancouver, BC area. Part of our time was spent on Galiano Island, where you can take a trail to these unique wave-made caves:
I thought you'd love this super cute photo of The Mister. We had such a great time on our trip and beautiful weather. Hammy is in the backpack cuz I was afraid he would get washed out to sea or lost running around in those little hamster-sized nooks and grannies!

~~~

Enjoy your day and the weekend! 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 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!)

55 comments:

Bunny said...

Sounds like y'all had a great time. Can't wait to see the pictures. Speaking of........that is a great picture of the Mister. The formation of the wave made caves is incredible. 

[Bunny]

Sue said...

Hi Darnell, Fab cards.

Glad you had such a nice time.

Nice to see The Mister. He is a handsome man.

Hope you have a nice day. Sue

Dotty Jo said...

Great pic, looks like a fab place! Love your cards - lovely colours and fab embossing, Jo x

Mary Anne / MA54K said...

Sure looks like a grand time was had by all! Love the texture of your cards!

Pat said...

I love the colours of those wonderful texture paste stencil backgrounds and the black is such a great contrast Darnell. So pleased you enjoyed your week at the retreat and that you also had a lovely week with the Mister too. A fabulous photo and I love the way the Mister is framed in the hole of what looks like a huge shell. How fantastic that wave action can create something so stunning. x

Mac Mable said...

Such classy looking cards with a fun technique. The colours are so pretty and the sentiments are lovely x Great spend to get the one stamp...bet you enjoyed it? x Fabulous photo of the Mister and glad Hammy is safe and sound. Sounds like you had a marvellous couple of weeks away with the holiday and then the retreat x

Barb Ghig said...

Now, that's what I call gorgeous stenciling, Darnell! I love how you played with the color palette and how you added texture with your paste...so pretty! I'm also loving your bold sentiments...white embossing on black is so striking! Thanks so much for playing along with us at CAS Stencil...you did an amazing job on the prompt!

Welcome home from your vacay and retreat! Great photo of the Mister...such a handsome gent he is :) Also, it sounds like you girls had a great time, too...I can't wait to see some photos! Barb xx

Sarah said...

These cards are fantastic. Great texture, lovely colours and fab sentiments too. Love the picture of the Mister peeping through that amazing frame made by clever Mother nature xx

Laurie said...

Lovely clean and simple card. Love your colored panel and the sentiment you used. Thanks for joining the Lost Coast Design Challenge!

Liz said...

Two super cards, Darnell, I love the textured panels. Great photo of the Mister. Looking forward to seeing all your photos of the Retreat, sounds like you had such a fun time. xx

Julia Aston said...

Hey sis! can't wait to see the photos of the retreat - SO JEALOUS!!! and it looks like you and the Mister had a lovely time prior too - what a great photo!!! Love your cards with the pretty stenciling over colors and the sentiments layered on those bold black die cuts! thanks for sharing with us at CAS Stencil! xx

Sue's Crafty Corner said...

Sounds like you've had a great time Darnell, can't wait to see what you've been making this year. I love the two cards that you've made, the colours are gorgeous and I love the texture too.

Sue xx

Cathy said...

Fabulous cards Darnell, love the white paste stencilled over that gorgeous shimmery turquoise base. Thankyou for joining in at CAS Stencil. Those wave caves look amazing, glad you both had a great time, Cathy x

Robyn Oliver said...

Two fabulous cards Darnell, bet those magical micas are shining right out at you cool stencil you've used too and the paste gives lots of dimension...just enough to add sentiment label. Thanks for sharing with CAS Stencil... and glad you enjoyed your trip and retreat, Robyn

Cheryl W. said...

So glad you had a good time on your trip. Vancouver, B.C., is on my travel to-do list. Love your cards with the embossing paste. I have some white paste which I need to get out and use. Maybe I'll try it on some Father's day cards. Thanks for the beautiful inspiration!!

Christine Alexander said...

Beautiful background Darnell, and adding the stencilling is certainly a wowzer. Great sentiment, you really needed to fill that cart, no point in paying shipping it just negates the whole experience :)
It was a fantastic retreat, can't wait to find out where the next one will be.

Leslie Miller said...

Yup, been down that rabbit hole. Maybe not $186 at a whack, but many trips over and over again until I rein myself in. BTW, that is a very cute picture of the Mister. These are absolutely beautiful cards with a cool art deco stencil and delicious background. And I do mean delicious because it kinda reminds me of sherbet!

kiwimeskreations said...

So very glad you kept Hammy safe in your backpack :-). Love that photo of the Mister!!
Your cards are fabulous Darnell - and the sentiment on the top one is so precious...
Looking forward to seeing the results of week away in the near future
Blessings
Maxine

nancy littrell said...

Two beautiful stenciled on colored backgrounds panel CAS cards, Dolly. Love the photo of Mister too. My head is still spinning with ideas after a week of crafting with you and 8 more friends. Wow, what a glorious week crafting and playing with all our creative friends. Miss you my friend. Hugs..Nancy

Thanks also for joining us at CAS Stencil Card Challenge too....

Vikki H said...

Lots of NBUS were used for these two - yay! I like your green panel but the Mister gets the prize for the handsomest of your photos today!

Inkyfingers said...

What a gorgeous background panel Darnell and it deserves to take pride of place on two cards. The simple black sentiment panel is all that is needed to to create a couple of beautiful cards. Well done you for dipping into the NBUS pile - I'm trying to do the same but more stuff keeps arriving! Your holiday sounds wonderful and I love the photo of the caves and the Mister!

Hugs
Carol x

R's Rue said...

Beautiful.

Viv said...

Hello Mister!
Great pic Darnell.
Loving the 2 cards - hugs from me. x

Birgit said...

I love your card with that pop of colour and the raised pattern. I’m glad you had a great time in BC and those caves don’t look real. Love the shot with your hubby.

Sharyn Polesel said...

I had to laugh when I read your post. I bought some Lindy's Magicals because I saw someone use them and thought I had to have them. I still haven't used them and now will have to find a video on usage because it's been so long, I can't remember. Your cards are lovely! The colored panels are beautiful. Enjoy your weekend!

oldpunca said...

Welcome back and thank you for the explanation why you always have so many NBUS. :-) It was a good idea to cut the wonderful background in half to get two super nice cards of.
Thank you for sharing photo from your holiday with the Mister.
Have a nice weekend!
Hugs, Sonja

Lisa Elton said...

Two terrific cards Darnell, but the Mister steals the spotlight!!

I Card Everyone said...

Welcome home, D! love your cards, and so loving those words - worth every penny!
It's obvious we need to get back to Vancouver - especially since the last time was work-related! A fabulous photo of the Mister in those very cool caves!
=]

Em Louise Fairley said...

Adorable cards and the pic makes me long for the beach...

Sandra H said...

Wow Darnell just love the photo of the Mister looks like a great place to explore and your cards are so adorable so pleased to see you back and l hope your time away was rewarding take care sending lots of love x

Trina P. said...

Beautiful cards, Dolly. I think I was there that day for stencilling.
Adorable photo of the Mister and the caves. xx

Linda said...

Sounds like you've had a great couple of weeks, can't wait to see the photos.
I know what it's like getting back into the swing of things after a holiday ..... I was only away for a long weekend and it's taken me nearly a week!!

Gorgeous cards ..... beautifully CAS and I love the sentiments too. Thank you for playing along with the CAS Stencil challenge xx

conil said...

Welcome home. So glad you have had wonderful adventures to remember. The Mister looks like he belongs in that nook...I don't know about the cranny. Excellent use of that background...rich color AND texture on the same cards. Those shaped sentiments are perfect to show it off.

HilaryJane said...

It is always nice to be home. I really like these cards, the coloured background is great and the paste looks like it has been expertly applied. They look great with the black edges and sentiment panels xx

Cat Craig said...

wonderful cards, Darnell. Looks like you and the mister had a good time. Great picture by the way. So glad you had a good time with the girls too. looking forward to the recap!

Susan said...

Love the photo of the Mister on Galiano! So glad you kept Hammy safe from those scary caves. Two fab cards from your embossing over magicals - love the way you used black with it - makes a striking contrast. And I love that hug sentiment (too bad it was SO expensive......).

Verna Angerhofer said...

Those cards are so beautiful with the textured stencil design and fantastic sentiments. I love the photo of the Mister too. Looks like that was a fun thing to see too!

Bonnie said...

LOL, it's amazing what we can find looking for that one particular item! Love the stenciled paste on the Lindy's background! I know it's got lots of schparkle IRL! It's such a pretty color and looks so classy with the black edges! What amazing caves! The Mister looks quite dashing and I'm glad he kept Hammy safe!

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

A wonderful card, love the colours and the texture as for that cave, doesn't it look like a fish or something is in the hole?
Faith

Heidi MyLittleStampingBlog said...

I love that black sentiment panel on the green, so dramatic! Enjoy your weekend!

Loll said...

So happy to see that amazing magicals and embossing paste artwork that you made last year. Two beautiful cards, my friend! Love it paired with black for some wonderful contrast. Thanks for sharing with us at CAS Stencil!

The caves are amazing ... great photo of The Mister! Love, Lolly

Bobby said...

I love the color you get when adding texture paste over the magicals, Darnell. I can't wait to learn what new techniques you learned this year. So wonderful that you and The Mister had a chance to spend time together in Vancouver before the retreat. Great picture of him.

TK said...

I love BOTH sentiments, and your panel is pretty, plus you've set it off perfectly with the paste and stencil.

Can't wait to see more pics, but that cave sure looks fun! BC? You probably went right by me!

Hugs, and waiting in anticipation...

Anita in France said...

So pleased you had such a brilliant time during both vacations, Darnell ... Kevin does look especially cute peeking out from those wavy caverns! Fabulous, luscious texture on those vibrant coloured panels ... they pop beautifully with the touch of black. You had me laughing at your budget busting shopping event ... those baskets do have a habit of filling themselves don't they! Excited to see the photo's of your trip(s), when you get settled back into 'normal' life. LYAMYHAHMA ... ACNW? Big hugs and bisous, Anita :)

Sarn said...

LOVE your two mixed media cards Darnell. Lovely colours and super sentiments. No wonder you wanted to track those sentiments down!

GREAT picture of The Mister in those sensational caves. Glad you had a wonderful trip.

Hugs, Sarn
Stamping For Pleasure

Di said...

Wonderful cards Darnell - I'm with Sarn about the sentiments, I adore them! And your cards are so clever with the blackboard effect sentiment on the wonderful panels.

Great that you had such a fun time - and that's a terrific photo of The Mister! He looks so well and handsome as ever.

Hugs

Di xx

Carole said...

Great use of that fabulous background Darnell and wonderful sentiments! xx

OH Babs said...

Great cards and I love the color choices. Cute photo of the mister. Glad you had a swell time. :) BBB

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

Fabulous stencilling and LOVE the colours!!! Amazing both the CAS!!
Such lovely and fun photo of your hubby! :) We surely have had a lot of fun together!

nwilliams6 said...

Wonderful sentiments and beautiful colors and textures, Darnell. Love the picture of Mister and the caves. TFS! Hugz

Karenladd said...

Beautiful cards, and a wonderfully artsy photo of the Mister...what more could one ask for? Now I need to google those caves to learn more about them!

ionabunny said...

Gorgeous picture of the Mister. Those caves look amazing. Love the cards. The embossed coloured panels look lovely with the contrasting black and white. Thanks for joining the fun at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity Challenge. Hugz

Fikreta said...

Wonderful cards!

Greta said...

Looks like a great place to visit & what a super picture of The Mister! Oh boy--those stenciled panels are stunning, Darnell! Wonderful cards!

frommycraftroom said...

What lovely panels!
Looks like a great place to visit. Lucky you and the mister didn't get washed out! ;)