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 4, 2019

Foxy Noel

Hello Stamplings!

I finally feel like I've shaken off the last of the tryptophan coma I've been in. Oh, my, I'm not gonna lie, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! That big ol' bacon-covered turkey just sits there and bakes itself and then feeds us for days. How could you not love that?

And I'm happy to report that I was able to get through the door of the Playhouse (barely) and get back to Christmas card making which has now become an emergency situation, so let's get toit.

Onefer
This simple card was hard to photograph under cloudy skies in between drops of blessed rain. I masked off a triangle and blended icy blue ink and then I stamped a few tiny snowflakes and a sediment from GKW. The NBUS red fox mesmerized by the flakes is from Gerda Steiner, colored with Ziggies.

Challenges
Cardz 4 Guyz Logo

Twofer (x several)
As you can tell by the blue sky, these cards were made before the rains came, but they are equally simple. The beautiful NBUS Noel die is from Poppystamps. I adhered a glitter paper panel to the card base, added a stitched frame from MFT, and glued on the die cut. QACAS! Hammy finished each one with perfectly-sized clear enamel dots over the holes. 

Challenges
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Turkey Day Wrap Up

The funnest thing from Thanksgiving to share with you is a photo story.

1. First, here is Miss Nellie in her little bed: (Awwwwwww.)

2. As we were all sitting around munching hors d' ovaries, we noticed that Duke decided Nellie's bed would suit him just fine, too: (Hahahahahaha.)

3. But wait ... later on ...
by golly, he was right, lol! I know Nellie thinks she is a Rottweiler, but I had no idea that great big dogs think they are little wee ones! By the way, he deserves a round of applause for being so limber at his age!

~~~

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!

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73 comments:

Jane Willis said...

Gorgeous cards, gorgeous dogs - what more can I say?

Kath said...

Fabulous cards and cute dogs too!
Kath x

Jasleen Kaur said...

Too much cuteness here, Darnell. Those cards are beautifully made. I love dogs and these are just too cute. I know it's been ages since I stopped by your blog and I'm so glad I did. Hope you are keeping well. :)
Regards,
Jasleen.

kiwimeskreations said...

Loving your Noel cards Darnell, and good to see that Hammy is so accurate in placing the bling! That wee fox is cute.
As for those dogs... hilarious! Cats are so sensible in comparison :), just like Hammy ...
Blessings
Maxine

Sue said...

Hi Darnell, Glad you enjoyed Thanksgiving.

Your Christmas cards are fab.

My Greyhound use to try and get into my dad's little dogs bed. It's actually fairly common. Just check out YouTube for big dogs in little dog beds:)

Hope you have a nice day. Sue

Stamps and Paper said...

Lovely selection of cards Darnell...the photographs of the dogs are so sweet..

Anne

Ros Crawford said...

What gorgeous cards!! I love that little fox and then those glittery cards, they are so elegant! That's a fabulous die cut! Oh my those dogs are so adorable!

oldpunca said...

It has to be hard to eat all the food prepared for Thanksgiving. :-) Thank you for your foto-story. Cute! <3
I'm impressed about your idea, how to place a simple winter story into a triangle. Fabulous card! And also fantastic rainbow from CAS glosy cards.
Have a nice day!
Hugs, Sonja

Jeanne said...

Wonderful cards! The fox is cute and I like the triangle shape is really neat and creative. I love the glittery look of the other cards. Yay for wonderful rain! I hope it doused any remaining fires and didn't cause mudslides! As for the pooches...too cute! Made me smile really big. Love the big guy making that soft cushy looking bed work for him! :) Hugs!

Pat said...

I adore that cute fox Darnell and the icy blue snowflake triangle is so pretty, and then your beautiful multi colour batch with the 'Noel' die and Hammy's perfectly placed enamel dots, all stunning. Glad you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed good food and company and the photos of those gorgeous doggies. I had to laugh at Duke shoehorning himself into Nellie's bed with his legs almost wrapped around his head, quite a feat I think. x

Sharyn Polesel said...

Your little fox card is adorable, and I really love the NOEL cards and all of that sparkly goodness....beautiful colors too. I'm sure your big pup has his own bed. Isn't it funny he wants the little one. The grass is always greener. lol I started my Christmas cards much later than I usually do, but I'm happy to say that they are in the hands of the post office. Yep, I mailed them all yesterday! I'm so happy to check that off of the list and move on to the next thing. Hugs, sweet friend. Sharyn

Cat Craig said...

Love the triangle spotlight on the fox, great for the challenges. Your glittery cards are fabulous and so festive. So cute your pup pics...not much different from a cat...if it fits...

Vikki H said...

The cards are sparkling but the dogs win today's post! What sweeties and of course, Nellie's bed looked better to Duke. I recently saw a YouTube video that the owner caught her cat and dog snuggling during the day while humans were away but separated as soon as they came home from work. Go figure.

Bonnie said...

Love that sweet fox who's dreaming of a white Christmas! The schpartly Noel cards are beautiful in every color! They look like a rainbow all lined up! Duke is giving me a few chuckles! How long did it take him to get situated so he fit? And what is GKW?

Lisa Babitz said...

Cute fox card, and your glittery noel cards came out great! It must have been hard gluing on all those skinny die cuts (and onto glitter paper, no less!), but worth the effort.

Adorable dog pics!

Bunny said...

Lovely cards. I'll be mailing the remainder of mine today. These are the kind that you take to the post office because they have to hand cancel them so they won't go through the machines.

I want to know what Yoga class Duke is taking. Looks like you're gonna need a few more doggy beds. [Bunny]

Brenda in IN said...

Sweet little fox watching the snow fall and such a gorgeous array of glittery cards! I've seen videos of big dogs trying to fit in small beds and this is a hoot! I hope he didn't uproot Nellie to get in there. She looked so comfy in her bed. Please keep the rain your way, we have had enough here for a while.

designbydonna said...

Cute cards. I love all the sparkle on those glitter paper cards. Your little fox is cute admiring the snowflakes.

Marcia Hill said...

Great cards Darnell...love the sweet little fox in the spotlight, and really LOVE that Noel die cut with all the glittery papers behind! But what I really LOVED in this post was, yep, Duke fitting himself into Nellie's bed...you totally had me laughing till the tears ran down!! Silly Duke...gotta love him!! :0)

jimlynn said...

Duke looks pretty comfy in Nellie's bed. Too cute!
Love your cards too. The group with the die shine, shine, SHINE!
Lynn

Glittered Paws said...

Loved your twofers - the fox is a real cutie and the Noel is very elegant looking. BUT - Duke in the small bed was the real eye catcher of this post. I had to laugh as we have 3 big dogs and when we go to daughters she has two small dogs and my big dogs insist they fit in the small beds. And you are right small dogs think they are huge. TFS

Carol L said...

I love the foxy card and all of it's cuteness, but those glittered cards look just AHHHHmazing with their sparkly colors! Love that idea for using glittered paper and one great die! As for the dogs, I once saw a video of a Great Dane trying to squeeze into a chihuahua's bed, but he could only get one leg into it. Your labbie did a nice tuck job there for sure :) Aren't dogs fun? LOL

Bobby said...

I love that fox and never thought to use him for a winter/Christmas card. I need to stretch my stamps more. Using that Noel die was a great way to add to your Christmas stash in so many lovely glittery colors, Darnell.

Marilyn said...

Your cards are beautiful! Love the photos of the dogs
Have a great day!
Marilyn❤

Susan said...

Beautiful shimmery set of cards in all those lovely colours, and such a sweet fox on the first card. Love little Nellie snug in her bed with a blanket over her no less! And the photos of Duke in Nellie's bed made me smile!

Mrs A. said...

Love your glittered up Noel’s. Nellie is so sweet tucked up in her snugly blanket. As for Duke. I think dogs assume they are the same size as the ones they are looking at. I do hope Nellie was not still in there at the time!! Hugs Mrs A.

AlisonC said...

Aww what an adorable little foxy face. I do like critter stamps with cute faces. I also like how you've used the LIM idea of stamping only in one triangle. Thanks for joining in this week at 52CCT

conil said...

First of all, I think I see a winner for all or one of the challenges for your critter card. Hammy and you certainly made a great card set shown in the second pic.
Since I'm partial to animals of any kind, it's a treat to see the pups sleeping. Duke wins the agility award without question. He was just going to make that itty bitty bed work for him. Did it make Nellie jealous, is the question?

Dawn Phillips said...

Love your Christmas Critter card. it's so simple it's fabulous. Thanks for joining us at Cardz4guyz. Love Dawn x

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

How come you make CAS cards look so fabulous? LOVE each and every one, fab foxy and fab glitter. Isn't it funny how dogs go into each others baskets? Love your piccies.
Faith x

cuilliesocks said...

Great photos Darnell, I certainly hope Nellie got out of her bed before Duke got in.
Lovely CAS card, lovely fox image and your Noel cards are stunning, gorgeous colours, Kate x x

Jean said...

Love the cards! botht he fox and the sparkle ones are wonderful! Loving those cute pups!

Verna Angerhofer said...

Cute as can be is the fox Christmas card you made. And, the glittery ones are just gorgeous too. So many wonderful colors for your mass production. And, the furry friends are so sweet too.

Sarah said...

Fabulous festive cards Darnell, love the glittery collection. Oh my days, at first I thought Duke had got in on top of her!! What gorgeous photos xx

I Card Everyone said...

It's so cold and windy here today, Darnell... think those guys would shove over? Maybe I could squeeze into their cozy bed, too?
Darling Christmas cards to add to the stack, D!
=]

Donna said...

Your fox card is darling and the Noel cards are absolutely stunning with all the sparkle! Like your dog photos - so adorable!

Vicki Dutcher said...

Those glitter background cards are stunning! Thanks for joining in at JUGS

Redanne said...

The fox is just adorable and wow, those sparkly cards are gorgeous!

The dogs just melt my heart, always love seeing their photos. I can't believe that Duke managed to squeeze himself into Nellie's bed, good on him for managing it! Hugs, Annie xxx

Kathleen said...

The fox card is really a great CAS card but just love all the glittle and sparkle of your Noel cards, very classy.

Kath x

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

How cute is that little fox in your first card!! Absolutely adorable!!
Adorable as Nellie sleeping into her bed and the super-sweet Duncan too, how fun!! :D
The set of glittered cards looks stunning, such amazing parade!
Hugs

Celeste Goff said...

Love that fun collection of cards...the fox one especially!

Lisa Elton said...

Wonderful cards Darnell! That little fox is adorable and who doesn't love some good sparkle. But Duke all snuggled in that bet has my heart tonight!

Jeanne H said...

Oh what super glittery cards. Love all of them. You are soooooo inspiring. Love that die, you enabler, you. lol

Cheryl W. said...

OMG, those pictures of the Rottweiler in Nellie's bed made me laugh out loud. I even had to show the pics to my hubs and he laughed out loud, too!! Love your cards, today. Those glittery ones are right up my alley--I live in a shimmery little house at the intersection of Glitter Street and Sparkle Avenue. :)

Christine Alexander said...

Great twofers and multiple twofers. I always love it when you can make multiples :)
Awe those doggies are adorable :)

Linda said...

Gorgeous cards .... the little fox is so cute. And those dogs, well, they're just so funny xx

BożenA said...

I love your first card, Darnell. This little fox has such a funny expression :-)) It looks as if it was standing in the spotlight of snow :-) The set of cards is wonderful and I imagine their wonderful glow.
The animals are wonderful and can surprise us so much. An animal at home is a great reason to be happy.
hugs,
BożenA

Sandra H said...

Aw lol Darnell animals will squeeze in anywhere he looks so cute too! Your cards are gorgeous l love the fox and the Noel dies are fabulous great die to use as you have here making Christmas cards just that little bit easier making a batch of them enjoy your day x

Neet said...

All your cards are gorgeous as always but I do love the foxy one.
Glad you had a great Thanksgiving - will you celebrate Christmas in the same way? With a turkey or will you have something else?
Love the doggy photos, that is so cute seeing sheer determination to be part of the snuggle group.
Hugs, Neet xx

Em Louise Fairley said...

Stunning cards + adorable pooches = the perfect blog post! xoxo

Patti said...

Excellent post as always from your darling doggie pics to your super sweet and perfectly colored little fox and top it off with a series of sparkly Noel cards. I'm swooning!! I'm also green with envy because I have completed like 12 and a half Christmas cards and I need more like 40!! gulp!! maybe I need to squeeze into the Playhouse more often!!

BIG (((Hugs)))
Patti

Mary Anne / MA54K said...

Turkey Day was a bust at our house, so we are just moving on to the next holiday. Love that CAS fox and the Noel cards are delightful! As for the dog bed capers, we had that a few times over the last couple years. It is so cute to watch. Our first Christmas without our big old Lab. Just doesn't seem the same. Enjoyed this post, Darnell.

Fikreta said...

very nice card!
so lovely photos!

TK said...

Beautiful cards -- love the triangular masking and cutie on the first, and the second with that beautiful die cut and sparkle! Love!

Secondly, I actually laughed out loud and your dog photos and made everyone ask what I was doing... lol

My dog (boxer) does not rule over a daughter's male rottie, though both are gentle giants. However when Miss Boxer wants to choose a bed, Mr Rottie definitely obliges :o)

Gerrina said...

Didn't think he would fit in there! :)
It is a real challenge this one at LIM, but this is such a clever way to tackle it! And all the sparkles... I'm not such a fan of sparkles, but he it is so festive... Enjoy the weekend!

KandA said...

Gorgeous cards Darnell, but the star of the post is definitely Duke. Good job Nellie had moved off the bed and was happy to share xx

Kathyk said...

Terrific cards, fabulous photos and post (as always) and loving the pic of Hammy too

Happy Christmas to you and yours

Kathyk

Loll said...

Your fox card is adorable. What a great idea to mask a triangle for your fox and snowflakes. So creative, Dolly! And I love the gorgeous Noel die ... looks amazing cut from all the different colours of sparkly paper. What a great way to make several cards at once.

Awwwww, Nellie looks like an angel sleeping in her bed. That is so hilarious that Duke wanted to try out the bed ... who could blame him, it looks SO comfortable! Pretty amazing Duke was able to get himself completely into the bed. Wish I was that limber. :) Love, Lolly

Leslie Miller said...

First things first... awwwwwwwwwwwwwww, Nellie and Duke are both adorable! Someone once told me big dogs aren't cute as adults. I beg to differ. I have two big adult dogs and I think they're the most cutest things ever. Now, your cards... your fox is precious. They got real popular and I didn't have any for quite a while... now I have several. I love it every time I see a fox card. This is quite beautiful and sweet Darnell. Good to see your glittery line up, too. Time for production mode!

frommycraftroom said...

Such gorgeous cards.
Love the sparkley "noel" cards - I have to get toit too! Just finished birthday week here so I can move on to Christmas.
Such cute dogs! love Duke in the little bed.

If you have turkey at Thanksgiving do you have turkey again at Christmas? or something else?

Anne said...

Hi Darnell. Love the cards and the big dog in the small bed made me smile!! Thanks for popping by. Anne xcopperbeechcrafts

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Darling fox card, Darnell, and I love your set of glittery cards with the Noel die atop! Har, har - got a kick out the doggie photos, so sweet!!

Sue - said...

Your little fox fits in perfectly with our cute critters theme ar Cardz for Guyz. The set if cards are simply gorgeous and so are the dogs, xx

Rosmarie said...

Sitting there and looking at the stars, a really cute little guy this fox! The glitter on your wonderful row of cards is also soo beautiful! ...and what should I say about Duke's behaviour, dogs are sometimes like little children, what one has the other also wants! LOL
Thank you so much for playing along with us at 52CCT this week, Darnell! Hugs, Rosi

pam said...

Gorgeous cards Darnell, love the photos you shared.
Thank you for joining us over on Poppystamps Challenge Blog.
Pam x

Greta said...

Oh my goodness--I cracked up seeing the Duke pictures! So, so funny! Nellie is a cutie curled up in her bed! LOVE the noel cards & think I cut some of those at the retreat, so now I can make them into cards! First card is clever & cute!

Karenladd said...

Sheesh, I got so entranced with the dog photos that I almost forgot to look at your sweet little fox card. The masked triangle is such a fabulous addition to your design and really highlights the smile on that fox. But really....the dogs...awk!

JD/ Jill said...

As always, great cards! I really like glitter paper, but mine has just sat in a drawer needing inspiration...I think your lovely cards just gave me the inspiration I need.
Cute pics...thanks for sharing.

Goga said...

Great Cas Christmas card
Love little foxy.
Thsnk you for joining us at 52CCT. Goga DT

Cazro said...

A cute CAS fox. Thanks for joining us at Cardz 4 Guyz. Caz. DT

Cazro said...

A super CAS card. Thanks for sharing with us at Sparkles Monthly Challenges. Caz DT.

Nonni said...

What a fun card, Darnell! Love your take on the sketch -you created a very clever, unique miniature scene with that ink blended triangle and just a couple of snow flakes! Thank you for playing along at Less Is More and I hope to see you joining our challenges in 2020.

Jeanne J. said...

Merry Christmas sweet friend! Wonderful post.. I came over to see the Noel and it's stunning and so glittery.. and then I saw you made them in a rainbow of colors - SO PRETTY!!! And then fell in love with little Miss Nellie.. but then Duke stole the show!!! You've got me laughing now.. and that's always a good thing! Hugs and love to you for making everyone smile!