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!

January 1, 2022

Happy, Happy, Hopeful!

Hello Stamplings!

Happy New Year! I hope this finds you doing well and avoiding Omicron and I hope you enjoyed your holiday! I was so optimistic that 2021 would find us completely back to normal with good times and good health and no more stress and depression. Wrong. My heart goes out to you if you've had illness or death of a loved one this past year.

So now I am heaping even more optimism onto the back of 2022 ~ The Year of High Expectations! I hope it is strong enough to bring us to a place of sanity and a return of human kindness and common sense, which, in turn, will lead to an end to the pandemic and political infighting. Well, I don't know about that last bit, but a girl can dream.

And make you a card:
For the base, you'll see a layer of handmade paper, shot through with gold tinsel. Over the top is a platinum circle of stars which was a gift from a friend; I think it's made by Papertrey. The inner circle is adorned with a NBUS bottle of champagne (vad elsk?) from Cottage Cutz (which I paper-pieced in different appropopo colors of glossy paper) and a NBUS sediment from Hero Arts which was heat-embossed in gold.

Here's a better angle of the schparkliness and color!
Challenges
Thank you to ALL the wonderful card challenges in Blogland and their dedicated Design Teams who work to inspire us and schpark our creativity month-after-month!
______________________________________________________

In other happy news, this is my 10th blogging anniversary! I actually published my first post in October of 2011, but it was just a coupla practice posts. I didn't really get my feet wet until January of 2012. It's a pretty big deal to have maintained a blog for ten years, especially in the era of Instagram and with all the changes Blogger has made over the years, not all of them good ones. 
The readers play a huge part in the longevity of a blog and I am so thankful for all of you! After all, without you leaving me wonderful comments, I'm not sure I would still be blogging. More importantly, many of your comments have developed into real friendships, both inside the computer and outside in the real world. We blog because we want to share our creations and have a diary of them ~ it's an incredible magical bonus when strong bonds and friendships also develop!

In celebration of my ten years of blogging, I'm hoping to do a sort of restart this year. This pandemic has taken some of the stuffing out of the ol' blog sofa, as it were, and I want to see if I can rekindle my joy of blogging, visiting, and commenting. Know what I mean? I also want to spread more joy around the world cuz the world could use more joy.
So in louie of a blogaversary give-away, here is my plan, complete with preamble:

If you've been a friend for a while now, you've heard me talk about my dear friend Verna. I became friends with Verna in 1978 when we both worked in the same small law firm. That's a long-time friendship. Verna is 97 now and confined to a bed after breaking her neck seven years ago in an accident with her walker and an automatic door. She is an inspiration to me in terms of her stoicism and her spunk. Mentally, she is sharp as a tack in spite of the pain her body is in.

I asked a few years ago if friends would send her cards and many of you do. The joy that Verna feels from getting these cards is hard to put into words. I stand on the porch and visit with her and she shows the cards to me through the window. And her face just lights up! Thank you for that gift for her!

Rubberstamps.com
In turn, I would like to offer that gift to a senior you may know. There are wonderful people who do annual card drives and I have enjoyed taking part in them and also donating cards for seniors in my own community, but I'd like to do more. Two years of off-again/on-again isolation has been hard for everyone, but it is especially hard for seniors.

So if you, or someone you know, would love to receive some old-fashioned love in card form, please use the Contact Me form on the right to let me know and I will get the details from you. (Using the form is more reliable because comments are often un-reply-able.) 

Thank you, everyone! Mwah! And RIP dear Betty White.๐Ÿ˜‡
 
 Enjoy your day and Happy New Year! 
No, seriously, enjoy! Life is too short!

p.s. I was just searching for something on my blog and ran across an old post at the beginning of 2016 that I found both humorous and depressing in that I've not yet reached any of the goals I had high hopes for SIX years ago. Slap! Time doesn't speed up for old people. Old people slow down and resolutions stay the same!๐Ÿ˜„



58 comments:

Julie B said...

Happy New Year Darnell, I hope 2022 is better too!! :)

oldpunca said...

Dear friend, I wish you happy new year and may all what you wrote in the post, come true! I'm so happy to find your blog and to make our blog friendship to the real one too.
You've created a wonderful card. I like that it shines in difrent colors.
Right now I'm listening to the New Year's Concert from Vienna. It's my best part of the new year's day.
Stay safe.
Hugs, Sonja

Marilyn said...

Your cards are beautiful! Happy New Year to you and your family!
Have a great day!
Marilyn๐Ÿ’–

Jeanne said...

Happy New Year, Darnell! Oh let's hope 2022 is a much better year, because 2021 sure ended in a dumpster fire (almost literally for my neck of the woods). Losing Betty White sure took the wind out of my sails of hopefulness! But, maybe it can only go up from here. I wish you happier times filled with joy and love and lots of crafting! I've thought about dusting off my blog, but now I don't even post much to Instagram so we'll see. LOL Thank you for the update on Verna. I send a card to her and have hoped they give her a smile. I'm sorry to hear she is confined to her bed, but happy to know she appreciates the cards. Many crafty hugs to you Darnell. Thank you for always being a beacon of light and hope.

Vicki Dutcher said...

Happy 2022! It just sounds so futuristic but ITS HERE and current! Make the best of it will be my goal (and maybe even pick up some new Followers!) ๐Ÿ˜Š

designbydonna said...

Happy New Year Darnell. Love all the schparkly on your card. You are so very thoughtful in sharing your cards. If you would email Verna's address to me, I will send her a card. I'm with you on the New Year goals/resolutions. I have been recyclying the same ones for years.

Barbara M said...

Happy New Year!! And thanks for all your wonderful musings, cards and pictures!!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Happy New Year, Darnell - yes, glad to close 2021 and hoping for a better 2022!! I'm so thankful for your friendship and inspiration - we're still awaiting that in-person meet-up but hopefully it'll happen someday!! Thanks for sharing the photo of Verna - I'm glad she enjoys our cards & I'll continue to send to her. No worries about your goals - sometimes it's enough to just be present!!

Carole said...

Happy New year Darnell...may it be healthy, free of stress, happy and full of creativity and love. xx

Mrs A. said...

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Crafty New Year. will be 12 yrs for me at end of January. Avoiding Omicron like the clappers. Stay safe. hugs Mrs A.

Susan said...

Wishing you a Happy and Health New Year, Darnell. Love the sparkly New Year's card! I read your goals in your 2016 post with interest as I have had the same goals for several years and have never accomplished them. Makes one feel a bit of a failure, but then I remind myself that I've made many beautiful cards instead of dealing with those goals. And there's always this new year to do them!!

JulieP said...

Happy New Year Darnell!! Your cards are lovely. Ten years is a long time and should be acknowledged and celebrated. Where can I find the info so that I may too send a card to your dear friend?

brandco2450@gmail.com said...

Happy New Year Darnell! Today's blog is great, love your cards!
Optimism and crafting is what has sustained me through a broken knee
just as Covid19 started until now! I even joined Instagram! That means I have lots of cards which I donated to a local Senior's residence. Keep up your blog as long as you can!

Leslie Miller said...

It's amazing how your card changes color as it turns. I had no idea the bottle was green and red. Cool! I love all that beautiful shine! Good luck with your new year's intentions. It sounds reasonable and I hope you can keep up for your own satisfaction. I didn't realize Verna was still down after all this time. I would love to have her address again so I could send joy more often. It's been another crazy year and it adds up after a while regardless of how well you think you're dealing with it. It ended on a low note for me, but pulling out of the doldrums now. Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!

Bonnie said...

Happy New Year, dear friend! Gorgeous paper and a festive bottle to ring in the New Year! My goal setting is like yours. I'm going slower and time is going faster and I've decided to be happy with whatever I can do in a day. Someday I'll catch up...maybe. And I'm mum about my resolutions so nobody is the wiser! Mwah!

Chris Dring said...

Happy New Year to you, Darnell! Here's hoping that 2022 will be the breath of fresh air we've all been longing for. Hugs!

Donna said...

What a great idea Darnell! Your New Years cards are beautiful and I hope you have a wonderful 2022!

Lynette said...

Such a beautiful card, Darnell! I'm so glad that you showed the two views of it - the shine is amazing. Happy New Year to you!

conil said...

Wishing you and yours a Happy, Happy New year. May it bring health, sanity and loads of joy to you. Love the shine your you card...perfect for a celebration of any kind.
Looking forward to what the rest of 2022 has to offer. Hoping that it's positive and kind.

Lee Ann Barrett said...

Hi Darnell! Happy New Year to you! Love your New Year's card with the shimmery bottle. What I really, really love is your heart. Me thinks I need to look into sending cards to nursing homes. Thanks for the little 'push'.

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

A lovely post as always Darnell, and congrats for your 10th blogaversary, they are so many years!!
Your card looks so classy and shining, the red and green of the bottle look fabulous with the gold circle of stars and the handmade paper!
Happy New Year!! Fingers crossed for the hopes you wished, really humans need more kindness and common sense to live together!
Hugs

Cheryl W. said...

Happy New Year, Darnell! Your card is so perfect, I think I will have to CASE it. I have a star wreath that will work, and I just got a new wine bottle die set. Now to find the right CS...

Congratulations on reaching the 10-year milepost for your blog. I will also have my 10-year blogaversary in 2022. I started blogging in May of 2012. I can hardly believe it!

I'm inspired by your hopeful words for the coming year. I hope we can all contribute something positive and help make this a better world. Happiest New Year, my friend.

LesleyG said...

Happy New Year! I have the same dreams, we live in hope! Another lovely uplifting post, Happy Anniversary xxx

kiwimeskreations said...

I so enjoy your blog and friendship Darnell - oh, and Hammy too, he's an important part of your blog journey.
Just at the moment I am struggling to keep blogging, I am sure it is only a season, but my visiting is way down, as well as actual blog posts.
May 2022 be a year that brings you joy not grief, and peace in abundance
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine

Sandra H said...

Happy New Year Darnell.. as always you provide us with a lovely post wow 10 years how quickly has that passed loving your cards too and what an inspiration you have been and Verna sounds such a lovely lady sending lots of ๐Ÿค— xx

cotnob said...

A super card Darnell, a lovely background and I like the star die cut.
Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.
Pauline - Crafting with Cotnob
x

sandie said...

Happy 10th Anniversary, I must look up when I started. I do remember you were the first person who made me actually read the whole of a blog and laugh, and now it is my joy to visit blogs and support my friends and you are a big part of that. And I feel blessed we have become friends and you have supported me so much through the hard times and always made me giggle. I too would love it if more people would not just use IG but not sure that would happen. I love the sparkle of your card and hope it brings sparkle into our lives this year. Your friend is a super star xx

Cathy said...

Happy New Year Darnell, I hope 2022 is better than 2021 too! Got to keep the positivity happening and visiting your blog (for quite a few of your 10 years) sure helps with that! Thankyou for your well wishes too :) and for playing along at Watercooler Wednesday too, Cathy x

Brenda in IN said...

What a wonderful card to celebrate New Years. It gives us hope for a shiny future in the year to come. I don't make any resolutions but just try to stay alive during all this Covid stuff. I do want to clean out my closet if that counts. Thanks for sharing the picture of Verna, it's nice to see her but sad this has happened to her. Congratulations on your tenth anniversary. Blogging is a blessing to me and I love that we have been able to meet in person and hang out.

Carol L said...

Happy New Year and way to kick off the new year with a purty card! Congrats on your 10th blogging anniversary and thanks for all you do for so many! My wishes for the new year mirror yours - we need to bring kindness back to this world and leave the hatred in the dust where it belongs! I tip my glass to hope for our future! Happy New Year to you and yours!

Darlene said...

Oh my friend your card is just PERFECT!!! I'm totally agree with everything you said about last year and I too have VERY HIGH hopes that people will WAKE UP and start acting like adults so we can get back to some normalcy! Our politicians certainly aren't setting a very good example and that MUST change!!
Anyways, I always LOVE visiting your blog and look forward to seeing what type of shenanigans you're up to on any given day! LOL Always brings a smile and as you've said ... we need more smiles these days!
Keep up the good work not only on your card creations but on spreading sunshine ... you are VERY good at it!! HUGS and HAPPY NEW YEAR my friend!!
OH YEA ... Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Double D ‘Lots of White’ challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often.
Darlene
DOUBLE D Challenge Blog
DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS

Mac Mable said...

Fabulous sparkly card and sending a Happy, Healthy and Crafty New Year to you and your family Darnell x.
Congratulations on your 1oth Blogaversary Celebration and I agree about making blog friends and sharing our crafty journey x. Blogging can be time consuming but it gives back so much more with friendship and a pat on the back for our crafty endeavours with encouraging and friendly comments x.
Love to Hammy, Verna and Nellie too x.

Bobby said...

Happy New Year, Darnell! It seems you and I started blogging about the same time. I in May of 2011 and when I look at some of those cards I shudder. I remember when I started on Instagram and you were worried I'd give up blogging. As long as my fingers work and the internet is going strong I will continue to blog. I think it's more personal than other media and that's how our wonderful connections are made - rather than a heart here and there.

I'm glad you took a second photo because the green of the bottle didn't show in the first one, and it's glorious in green.

HilaryJane said...

Congratulations on your 10th blogiversary, and thank you for this post. I can completely relate to everything in it. I have even gone back and read your 2016 resolutions, you were being very ambitious, but here you are still going and still giving joy to others, however hard it get's. Thank you xx

cuilliesocks said...

Happy New Year Darnell, and I do hope that we will see an end of this awful virus, but I doubt it, but it would be good to see the rich countries and the pharmaceutical companies allowing the poorer countries to have the vaccinations needed for their citizens. Not giving them the patents for the vacs is in my eyes criminal, as we won't see an end until the whole world has been given a vaccination.
I hope the world can have peace and that we get rid of greedy corrupt politicians and become kinder to each other. I do live in a dream bubble though, but it does no harm to dream.
Keep safe Darnell, hugs Kate x

Redanne said...

Such a beautiful card to welcome in the new year! Can it really be back in February that we started following one another??? How wonderful that our friendship has stood the test of time and that we are both still blogging! Long may it continue my lovely friend. Hugs, Annie xxx

Pat said...

I love your sparkly new year card from the sparkly frame and gold tinsel studded dp, and shiny green and red bottle, and how lovely of you to suggest sending a card to a lonely senior citizen that would enjoy this kind thought. I re-read your new year post from 2016 and thinking back you did use up lots of speciality papers that you had been keeping which is definitely part of the goals you set yourself. I never make new year resolutions as I am simply useless at sticking to them, or even starting them..lol. Happy New Year Darnell, and I am of the opinion that this year will be much better and I think we will turn the corner with the virus. x

Melanie Hungerford said...

Enjoyed reading your post, so many things to relate to and think about! Your card is lovely, that background paper is amazing, and I love that circle/star die cut. Thanks for joining us at Krafty Chicks!

Lisa Elton said...

Happy New year to you and the Mister! Love the delightful card you've shared today and the birthday card I enjoyed opening this morning, thank you! Bless sweet Verna's heart, I'll bet those cards lift her spirits.

Christine Alexander said...

Happy New Year Darnell, love your stary New Year cards and happy 10th Bloggin anniversary :)
Your friend is an inspiration to all of us ♥

Kathyk said...

Yes, I've noticed a decline in traffic to my own blog too, over the past year. Let's hope that everyone will feel more positive as 2022 gets under way.

Marvellous card using your new stash.

Glad to hear your friend is finding some joy in her life despite the issues she has to contend with, long may that continue to be the case.

Happy New Year to you and your readers too

Kathyk

TK said...

Amen, Sister!!! More hope, more love, less division and negativism! As for Verna, what a dear friend -- it seems to me that BOTH of you are blessed. I'm sure there are many "needs" out there and you'll find exactly what you're looking for -- so many hurting and lonely people in our world.
As for the slowing down part... well I agree 100% -- but should we, as a world, really slow down and appreciate what's in front of us?
Happy New Year, Darnell, may you be blessed and CONGRATULATIONS on 10 years! That is a fete to celebrate

Julia Dunnit said...

Happy New Year Darnell and your Mister, am hoping it will be relatively easy and very healthy! This is such a lovely post, and I couldn’t agree with you more that blogging has become a bit ho hum from me, I shall join you in making the change. Your blog is a consistently happy place and a Darnell good read, so don’t ever doubt that. Xxx

Linda said...

Happy New Year Darnell ...... I'm hoping for a better 2022!
Lovely card to start the year, you can't beat a bit of sparkle and shine.
Congratulations on your 10 year Blogaversary ...... I think we started blogging around the same time, and here we are 10 years later. Long may it continue my friend xx

Em Louise Fairley said...

Beautiful card. Happy New Year xoxo

Diane said...

Fabulously fun card and Happy New Year to you! Congrats on your ten years of blogging. I might of told you but years ago when you started blogging I love your humor so much that every morning I would call my Mom and read your blog posts to her, she enjoyed that so much. I lost my Mom three years ago, I sure do miss that!!

Lynda said...

Great card - very celebratory, great use of the colours. Thank you for joining us at Cardz 4 Galz xx Lynda/Loopyloo DT
Love the card drive idea - very thoughtful of you....xx

Sarah said...

New Year for me is a new book with 365 pages to fill. I hope your New Year story is a Bestseller!! Thank you for keeping us entertained xx

Ida said...

Love your very festive New Years Card. - Your post was wonderful to read as well. What a great idea to make cards for Seniors who I know appreciate them. Happy blogversary too.

Loll said...

You've packed a lot into this post, Dolly. First, love your New Year's card. That handmade paper makes a gorgeous backdrop for you shiny stars and champagne!! Beautiful!

I would like to make a card for Verna again. I think I only sent her one a while back. I'll look up and see if I have her mailing address and contact you if I need help.

New Year's resolutions don't work, but I totally agree with you about taking down the Christmas decorations and wanting to clean everything at the same time. It's like a fresh start to the year.

I read your list from your 2016 post you linked to. Lots of great ideas, but time always is the main factor that keeps us from attaining our crafting goals. I also have a list very similar ... let's hope this year has us both checking things off. Love, Lolly

Heidi Weaver said...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Darnell. You've created a magical card. Looking at the first photo, I was impressed by the elegance of the design which appeared white, black, dull gold with a touch of dark red. And then I saw the second photo and that totally blew my mind! The black became gold touches in the background and a super-shiny champagne bottle in the centre. The dull gold die-cut became a gorgeous and shiny ring of stars and that red? Not dark at all! A magician couldn’t have pulled a better “abra-cadabra”.

JanetB said...

Happy New Year to you Darnell. You are a shining star, in my book! Thank you for sharing and making the world a better place with your humor, stories, cards and thoughts. Happy 10th Anniversary!

AlisonC said...

Ah if only everyone would listen to you, we'd sort the world out in no time.
Happy anniversary to you and your wonderful blog full of inspiration. I was just thinking today of a older friend who died two years ago, I still miss her. Happy New Year. Let's hope we meet our goals! x

Greta said...

Adorable picture of Nellie! I wondered how you & Verna met. Amazing to be friends all those years! Will get another card in the mail soon. Good you have hope & can dream things will get better. I'm so discouraged, but it's not the isolation getting to me. It's the total lack of common sense & decency that I used to think was an exception. So thankful for the joy of cardmaking & all the friends I have because of it. Your sparkly card is beautiful, Darnell!

Jean said...

Beautiful cards. Wishing you a happy and healthy new year.

Dawn Phillips said...

Very pretty card. It's nice to see the handmade paper on a card. I have some and I've never used it. Thanks for joining us at Cardz4galz. Love Dawn x

Cazro said...

Happy new year Darnell, I love you using the handmade paper with the silver thread. A very petty card. Thanks for joining in the fun at Cardz 4 Galz. Caz. DT.

frommycraftroom said...

Happy New Year!
Hoping 2022 is a much better year too! walking in slowly...