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!

April 9, 2023

Happy Easter!

Hello Stamplings!

Best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Everything! I hope that Mother Nature gives all of us a beautiful day!

I have a few nosegays of croquets for you today. I'm not sure if croquet is the plural of crocus, but I like the sounds of it.
This sweet crocus die is a BotaniCut from The Greetery which you saw recently here. Sometimes fiddly dies are therapeutic and sometimes they get on your last nerve, but I found this die to be a pleasure to fiddle. Mostly because The Greetery very kindly puts a diagram in color on the back of the die so you don't lose the will to live after only doing two flowers. In fact, it was so much fun, I ended up batch-making 25 flowers.

The rest of the design was simples. I used a scalloped and stitched panel from Mama Elephant, an oval scalloped and stitched mat from Cottage Cutz, and a sediment sticker. Hammy was a huge help. His little tiny claws were perfect for removing the dainty sediment sticker from the backing sheet. At first. And then I turned around and there he was with Happy Easter stickers all up in his fur! Bless.

Challenges
  • Beautiful Blossoms.
  • Snippets Playground: I used lots of snippets to make my croci for my Easter cards in pinks, yellows, and greens. Snippets of white or cream were used for the oval scallop mats.
  • Triple B: April birds, butterflies & blooms. 

~~~

I'll leave you with a couple of photos from our walks this week:
What do you make of the flowers popping straight out from the tree trunk? Perhaps the tree is dying? There are a few flower buds up higher in the branches, but not many. It is beautiful, but odd.

And speaking of odd, how about an odd, but adorable, bunny rabbit fire plug?
People are so clever!

~~~

Thank you all for your good wishes regarding The Mister's back. I'm happy to report it was not as bad as he first thought. After several days of taking it easy and wearing his core brace, he is almost good as new!

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! And so you don't worry, it turns out we have quite a bit of company visiting and appointments coming up, so I may be scarce the rest of the month. 

Mwah!
💕
*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!)

54 comments:

Kathyk said...

Happy Easter to you too, Darnell and thanks for sharing pix of your walks, that hydrant is just adorable. Great news about the Misters back, hope he will soon be "as good as new" again

Lovely card makes too

Kathyk

kiwimeskreations said...

What beautiful cards using the crocus die Darnell - - I'm surprized that Hammy didn't wink them all for you!
That blossom tree certainly is unusual! Enjoy your 'time off'
Blessings
Maxine

Julie B said...

Love those crocus blooms Darnell, fiddly but worth the effort!
The tree does look odd with the blossom down the trunk, perhaps it will bloom higher up later? I love the Easter hydrant, some people are so inventive. There is a thing here where people crochet/knit scenes to put on the top of the big red post boxes! Happy Easter, don't eat too many choccies! :)

Aquarius said...

Happy Easter to you. Loving the crocus cards, looks like a lovely die to use and great that it comes with instructions. Sometimes the fiddly ones can be bit of a puzzle to assemble 😉

!neke said...

Happy Easter to all of you !!!!
great cards !!!!
groeten Ineke

Gerrina said...

Your cards are beautifully classic designs! And what a fun way to brighten up the world with the fire plug! Happt Easter!

Jeanne said...

Happy Easter, Darnell! I hope you have a beautiful day. Looks like in your neck of the woods people have a great sense of humor as well as being very creative. I've never seen a tree bloom like that. Very interesting. I'm relieved to hear the Mister's back is mending well. Beautiful floral cards from a beautiful friend. Hugs!

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

Hi Darnell, Happy Easter! How lovely are these layered crocus flowers/croquets :D I obviously don't know the plural but your new word is so cute! It seems that layered flowers are a must just now. Love the sweet design you choose for your cards, I think it's just perfect with all the scallops and the textured paper!

Strange blooming on the tree trunk, it seems be a Judas' tree (in Italy we know it with this name- its botanical is Cercis siliquastrum and the legend says that it blooms to remember Jesus' Passion - and it's the tree on which Judas hanged himself)
The rabbit fire plug is awesome!! How fun and clever idea! :D
Hugs, hope you have a sunny and joyful day!

Brenda in IN said...

Happy Easter to you and Mister and I'm glad his back is doing much better. These cards are beautiful. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to glue all these pieces together once, let alone 25. My eyes would be crossed by then. I like how you changed up the stems on each card and it does change the look of them. You have great things to see when walking. I've never seen flowers bloom on a tree and that hydrant is a hoot! Hammy looks cute in the Easter basket.

jimlynn said...

Beautiful cards Darnell. Hope you have a wonderful Easter today.
(Love the fireplug!)
Lynn

Sandra H said...

Happy Easter Darnell looks like your walk turned up some amazing photos how creative with the rabbit fire plug like you say some people are so talented as are you l adore your Easter cards they are so lovely and spring colours too to brighten up our days xx

brandco2450@gmail.com said...

All these cards are absolutely gorgeous, and the colours are
super Spring colours! Glad to hear the Mister is almost as
good as new!!! Hope you are having a Happy Easter!

Bonnie said...

I'm so glad Kevin is feeling better and hope he can enjoy the Easter festivities! Love your crocuses and think they'll be finding their way to my house soon. Happy Easter, sweet friend. Love you.

TK said...

Beautiful cards, and I too am thankful for those instructions! Crocus are the first announcement that Spring is coming, and waited on with baited breath.
Happy Easter - He is Risen!

Glad to hear that Mister is better and we look forward to your company once again!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Gorgeous crocus cards, Darnell - wow, you are industrious to create 25 of them!! Cute Easter photo of Hammy too! Happy Easter wishes!!

Carol L said...

Happy Easter to you and yours, and I'm glad to know the Mister is doing much better with his back too. The crocus cards are so pretty and I love the assorted color schemes. Great photos too - thanks for sharing them.

Cat Craig said...

I do love all your crocus cards, so pretty. Happy Easter.

Carole said...

I love everything about these crocus cards Darnell. the colors, the lovely textured card and the fabulous dies. I seem to have somehow missed the post re hubbys back...sorry to hear.... but glad he is on the mend now. xx

Fikreta said...

happy Easter!
nice cards!

Bobby said...

Happy Easter, Darnell. Your croquets, croquettes, croci, whatever are beautiful and a sure sign of Spring. I thought 9 was a lot so I can't imagine making 25. Especdially when I don't have Hammy to help. Or not. lol
So glad Kevin is doing better. Back issues are never fun.

Karen said...

Happy Easter to you as well! It was a bright and sunny one here. I love these cards--it's such a versatile design, and the crocus from The Greetery are my favorites of the ones I've seen blog hopping. I love Betsy's Botani-cuts but the crocus are still on the wish list! Your cards inspire me to move them up to the top!

Marcia Hill said...

Happy Easter to you too Darnell, and thank you so much for the beautiful Easter card...I'm honored to be one of the recipients!! And glad to hear the Misters back is almost back to normal...gets kinda scary as we get older, doesn't it?! Take care my friend!! Hugs. :0)

Cheryl W. said...

Love all your pretty crocuses, and your card design is perfect. Can't believe you made 25 flowers! I can't remember when I've made 25 of anything--ok, maybe cookies, but not paper items. lol

Christine Alexander said...

Happy Easter Darnell. Beautiful Easter flowers I love seeing the Croci and Crocquet at this time of the year :)
So happy Hubby is almost fighting fit xx

Stamps and Paper said...

Beautiful cards Darnell...love the crocus die cuts they make lovely cards..I love Spring especially seeing all the beautiful blossom trees...such a shame our wet weather at the moment will spoil them..Hope you've had a lovely Easter

Anne x

Donna Ellis said...

Hi, Darnell! I was curious about the tree trunk, too, and found the answer here: https://blogs.k-state.edu/turf/why-is-that-redbud-tree-blooming-along-the-trunk/ (it is normal for that particular tree!)

Loving your wonderful textured flowers. There is something about that textured paper I love, and have quite a bit myself. It produces an elegance, doesn't it? I always admire crafters who put together small pieces of die cuts in order to make a gorgeous card! It's beyond my puny abilities! LOL

Thank you for sharing your love of all things flowers at the Beautiful Blossoms Challenge. Looking forward to seeing you again!
Happy Crafting Hugs,
Donna
{Creative Smiles - my little crafting world}

Donna Walls said...

This is such a lovely trio of Croci...or Crocuses..either way simply gorgeous.Thanks for joining us at the Beautiful Blossoms Challenge. We look forward to seeing more of your lovely designs soon!
Donna xx
Beautiful Blossoms
Paper Funday
Inspiration Station

sandie said...

Beautiful cards, love the texture of the card you used and super idea to make 3! Hope your Easter was good xx

ShazInOzCardsCalligraphy said...

Okay Darnell you’ve successfully turned me a bright shade of green (with die envy) Downunder l love that crocus tooo cute and the scalloped dies under it are also yummlicious, don’t you think!?
Eggselent, that Misters back is improved..
Answered prayer ✅
I do like that!

…. and eggselent work by Hammy on those peel offs, they do very well there on cards and kind of little paws!
Praying in your busyness, I too will vanish for a few weeks, off to City Drs for check and tests just the usual and praying Gods mercy for you and for me!

Thanks for sharing, and may God bless you and keep you and all whom you love safe and well.
Prayer hugs, Shaz in Oz. X  

{Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz} {Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

JoAnn said...

Beautiful cards Darnell. Love the colors in each one and the pretty crocus.
Your tree with all the blooms is pretty and yes, it does seem odd that the blooms are popping out on the trunk.
That is a cute decorated fire hydrant.
So glad that your mister's back is better.
Have a wonderful week.

Sarn said...

Your Croci cards full of snippets are absolutely wonderful Darnell. So delicate and pretty.

Thanks for coming to play in the Snippets Playground. I've had my fill of Easter chocolate and am now on the swings enjoying some fresh air! Come and play hopskotch with me! xxx

Lisa T said...

Happy Easter Darnell! Beautiful crocus/quet cards - I love the simple designs. Agree with the assembly of flower dies - mostly I love making them up. Sometimes I want to throw them out the window! Hope the sun shone and you ate a suitable amount of chocolate yesterday :) xx

Lynette said...

I love your cards with all the croquets! LOL! Wow, 25 of them! You really DID enjoy the fiddling, didn't you? Thanks for the lovely and fun pictures. And I'm very happy the mister's back healed unexpectedly quickly. I hope you had a lovely Easter.

Di said...

Really lovely snippet cards Darnell - so CAS and very elegant indeed. Love the fire hydrant! Sorry to hear about Kevin's back but glad to know he's almost fine again.

Hugs
Di xx

HilaryJane said...

Those dainty crocus dies are so cool. Love your finished cards and the colours you chose. So cheery and spring like. You have cheered me up. It has rained for most of the day here and so I didn't get anything done in the garden. That cherry tree is indeed very strange xx

Lisa Elton said...

Happy belated Easter! Your cards are full of spring prettiness... just like the one that arrived in my mailbox today! So glad to hear the Mister is doing well!

LesleyG said...

Glad Mister is feeling better Darnell, beautiful cards, I love crocuses(?), such pretty colours. Hope you had a lovely Eater, we were blessed with sunshine in the UK, very rare indeed 😃☀️xxx

Diane said...

Gorgeous crocus cards, each one unique and beautiful, my crocus showed their little heads this year popping up through the snow, now it's all daffodils which I also love, aren't Spring flowers just the best, gives us all hope of what's to come!!
Thank you for joining our challenge at Triple B and Beautiful Blossoms!
Diane TB Co-Owner and BB DT
{Nellies Nest}
{Triple B}

Donna said...

Gorgeous cards, like the spring colors. I did get the embossing folder you recommended for the linen look, its in my NBUS!

Sue said...

Happy belated Easter Darnell..gorgeous cards hugs Sue x

Leslie Miller said...

All the wonderful texture and pretty candy colors for your Easter/spring crocus cards is a sight for sore eyes! The tree is something else. It's got me stumped, ha! If you ever find out what it is I would really like to know. Such pretty blooms and right out of the trunk! I love the fire hydrant, too! It looks like a dog dressed up as the Easter bunny. Sure glad to hear The Mister is having such a quick recovery. That's a relief in more ways than one!

Pat said...

What gorgeous bright and pretty cards featuring the die cut crocuses Darnell, and love your photos of your walks this past week. I can't get over the way the blossom is growing out of the trunk and branches, I don't think I have ever seen that before, and also the beautifully decorated fire hydrant..certainly quirky..lol. I has become quite a thing over here to adorn trees, fences, post boxes and the like with wool or crochet decorations, but it is usually arranged for a certain time and the whole area will be alive with colourful wool creations. x

Pat said...

Sorry Darnell, I meant to say that it is good news that The Mister's back is not as bad as you at first thought and that he is almost better. x

Robyn Oliver said...

Happy Easter Darnell, and your "croquet" cards are just fabulous. Have a wonderful day, Robyn

Marilyn said...

trying to get back to visiting blogs. Been having medical issues myself. Your cards are beautiful.
Have a great day!
Marilyn❤️

Aimeslee Winans said...

Beautiful CAS cards! Thanks for playing at Beautiful Blossoms Challenge this month and we hope to see you next time! XXO, Aimeslee DT

Susanne said...

Lovely cards, the use of the textured cardstock really shines here.

Vikki H said...

Love the various crocus and your beautiful settings for them! Don't you just love spring? It's been so cold that our spring is just now getting going in the neighborhood.

AlisonC said...

Beautiful spring flowers. It's so good to see them here and in real life. I think the fiddling was worth it, great job. Sometimes we want quick and easy and sometimes we want a challenge. Glad I remembered to pop over to NBUS xxx

frommycraftroom said...

I hope you and the mister had a lovely Easter and the bunny found you.

Such gorgeous cards.

Susan said...

I love that crocus die, Darnell! And I love the way you created both open flowers and buds with it. I'll have to investigate The Greetery.

Vicky Hayes said...

Hello Darnell! Hope you had a wonderful Easter holiday and so pleased to hear the Mister's back is on the mend. Your crocus cards are just gorgeous. I weighed up VERY carefully about whether I needed the crocus dies from the Greetery and decided in the end not to go for it... you have showed me that that was the WRONG decision!! So weird to see the tree blooming from its trunk - have never seen that before - so I had to look it up. It said 'Cercis is one of the few remarkable trees to grow flowers from its trunk, in a natural phenomenon known as Cauliflory.' Well there we go! Loved the resourceful bunny fire hydrent too. Mwah! Vicky x

PS. I always thought the plural of crocus was Croak Eye!

Papercraft Boutique said...

What a pretty floral trio, Darnell! Love the color combo you chose for each card, and the pretty scallop frames!
Thanks for sharing the interesting pictures too. Your blog is always fun to read!
Hideko xx

Tracey McNeely said...

Happy belated Easter! Love your card set and the fun tree growing lilacs out of the trunk?? Crazy!