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 8, 2024

April 8: D is for Dies/Die Cuts

Hello Stamplings!

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you are doing well! 

I'm running short of time, so I'll get right to my "D is for Dies" designs for Week Two of April's I.D.E.A.S.:

Onefer
My featured NBUS die this week is "Stained Glass Rose Circle Frame" by Memory Box. That's a mouthful, but it makes the best QACAS cards. It cuts like a dream and you're left with a beautiful rose wreath and a single swirly rose. The swirly rose in this design is inside the card.

I love the look of the pretty patterned paper I used. So simples. To add interest, I used the same paper to back my sediment and for the card base, I used a paper that Hammy has been hoarding. (He's so busy playing, teaching, and having fun with Stanley that I was able to sneak a piece!) It has a lovely corduroy look and feel. To jeuss that even more, I added score cards and pretty flat bling.

Twofer
Another QACAS card along the same lines using plain white card for the diecut and another awesome textured paper for the card base.

~~~

And now a few photos to share of my adventures last week:
Lee, Diane, Diana, Darnell
I met up with my sister Diana and we went to visit our cousin Lee and his wife Diane. Lee is our cousin on our Dad's side and I've only met him and his wife once before, many years ago. It was very nice to see them again! 

Lee is 84 and a hoot. If we had grown up in the same area, we would have gotten into a lot of mischief. For example, notice that hat and hair you see in the closeup? That's fake hair! What's left of his hair is cut very short. He loves it when his barber shop gets a new barber and he can spring that hairdo on them!😄 (He only gets away with it for a minute because those twinkly eyes give him away!)
My sister and I both love trees and there were several cool areas along our drive for me to snap photos.
We also stopped at a tulip farm where our timing was perfect to see the incredibly beautiful tulip bloom this year! Thank you, sis, for a fun time!

~~~

Enjoy your week! 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! I neglected the computer last week, but hopefully I will catch up with you soon.

*Life is too short!
Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More (Die Cut and/or Stencil); Memory Box Challenge (Birthday); Seize the Birthday (Spring Floral); and SSS Wednesday (Happy Birthday).



36 comments:

Carol L said...

Your cards are both lovely done with that intricate and pretty die. One festive, and one subtle - they both look great! TFS the great photos of family and your recent adventures. Lovely trees and flowers and I'm glad you had a good time re-connecting with family. Have a great week ahead.

Kath said...

Fabulous cards - I think that's another die for my 'Wish List'. Lovely photos too and it looks like you had a great time.
Kath x

Jeanne said...

Sweet card and beautiful photos! Looks like a beautiful time was had. Your cousin looks like a great guy who knows how to have fun!

Karen said...

Your die cut is just beautiful, and your two cards show how versatile it can be--love them both! Looks like a wonderful excursion--and those tulips!!!! Amazing! Have a great week.

Sue said...

Two lovely cards Darnell and I'm glad you had such a wonderful time with your family hugs xx

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Gorgeous circle die and I love both ways you've used it, Darnell - thx for the inspiration!! Love your family and nature photos too - looks like you had a wonderful time!!

brandco2450@gmail.com said...

Great post and lovely family photos!!
Love both cards, they are beautiful!
Perfect for each occasion!

Lynette said...

Beautiful, Darnell!! The first one is very pretty, but I love the second one even more. How fun to get together with your sister, and meet up with more family. Great pictures!!

Aquarius said...

That's a wonderful die and extra special cut in the pretty patterned paper although it works equally well plain. Looks as if you had a great time with your family.

Susan said...

Love the cards using that beautiful die - especially with the patterned paper - so pretty! Also love your photos of the trees and tulips - sounds like you had a good little getaway.

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

Lovely cards Darnell, and that die set seems so pretty and useful.
It seems you have had a good time with your family and love the photos of tulips and trees!
Hugs

Linda said...

Darnell, your circle diecut of those pretty roses is so pretty. Love all of the pictures of your visit. It was so great that you were able to fit us in for a day. Had so much fun catching up with you. Thanks for joining us at Seize the Birthday.

Robyn Oliver said...

Two fabulous die cut cards Darnell, and wonderful to see you enjoyed your family reunion, gorgeous tulips and trees too, hugs Robyn

Colleen said...

Oh your pictures are gorgeous, so nice to see you with your family and sister...and oh the tulips, aren't they just stunning?? Your trees are pretty special too! Now the cards are fabulous, a simple little die and you turned it into a simple yet beautiful card! Well done my friend! I posted our picture on my blog today!

Cheryl W. said...

Love your sister's big smile. She looks like she'd be fun to have around. Glad you got to visit your cousin. I have some cousins I haven't seen since I was a kid--and that was a LONG time ago! Your cards are fab. What a gorgeous die-cut. It definitely dresses up a card front.

TK said...

What a beautiful die, Darnell! I love that they can make a QACAS card that's just as beautiful as it is fast.

Your photos are fantastic, and I'm glad you got to see your cousins again and have such fun with your sister -- special times!

Christine Alexander said...

wonderful family and travel pics :)
What a great die, perfect for QCAS cards. Do you need some envelopes :)

LesleyG said...

You’ve done a great job with that pretty die, and what lovely pictures you’ve shared! Lee looks a hoot, what a fab family time, and those tulips are fabulous too xxx

Cathy said...

Pretty cards with that NBUS die Darnell, fun photos and how fabulous are those tulips! Cathy x

Brenda in IN said...

How wonderful you were able to visit with your sister and see your cousin. His hair is a hoot so I can imagine how much fun he is! That rose die is stunning on both pattern paper and plain white. Two lovely cards. The tulip farm is something beautiful to see in the picture but in person it must be magnificent. What a fun trip.

Bobby said...

Sometimes QACAS is the way to go and this is one of those times, Darnell. Both cards are lovely and suitable for the occasions they're sentimented for.
I knew Lee's hair was a hat right away since I've seen one before. So glad you had a great visit.
Those tree photos are incredible. I'm a birch lover and that whole tunnel of them is amazing.

Leslie Miller said...

Hi, Darnell! I'm happy to see you've been having a good time. That eye twinkle must run in the family. Thanks for sharing all the photos of happy times and beautiful places. It does my heart good! Now, your cards with that beautiful die, sigh... The paper in the first is absolutely perfect for it and sooooo pretty! It's amazing how it shows up in such a skinny die cut. I love all the colors, including the flat bling. It's pretty with the center rose on your second card. I've always been fond of that shade of blue with white. Actually, I think any color with white is pretty. I like the stamped and die cut sentiment, too. Wishing you continued good times, whatever you may be up to!

HilaryJane said...

Great cards. I do love that die and especially the textured paper. I am glad you hade a good time with your sister and cousin. Thanks for sharing those photos, truly stunning xx

Bonnie said...

How did this week happen so fast? I need to go back and link my yesterday card to you. The new week started without me even noticing. But today I see that gorgeous wreath! I love the patterned wreath with it's beautiful interest and the blue and white looks like Wedgewood. So classy!

Kate said...

Both very pretty Darnell! That first one is a great way to use one of those patterned papers that's a bit too busy for a background and picking up the colours with the bling and the score lines are a great way to add some interest to a lovely card base! The simplicity of the 2nd card is perfect for those difficult to make sympathy cards (which are always a good thing to have on hand because when I need them, I usually draw a blank for ideas)! Hugs, Kate!

Linby said...

Beautiful CAS cards. The tulips! amazing colours. I can believe you would have been a lot more trouble with that cousin around lol!

Patti J said...

Darnell, it was SO nice to see your comment pop up! We did somehow lose touch! I've followed you by email now, so prepare to be stalked like crazy! I so miss your posts, your wit, and your great twofers! These two cards are so same/different - love them! And your trip looks like it was a lot of fun - always good to see different places, and different folks (especially the ones that are a hoot). Take care, dear friend - thanks for looking me up! Nothing spooky about it - I'm so thankful!

Cat Craig said...

Lovely die cut cards, Darnell. Delicate. Great you got some adventure in and those tulips are breathtaking.

Em Louise Fairley said...

Beautiful cards, Darnell xoxo

Di said...

Hi Darnell! I love both cards you made - the one using patterned paper really sings to me! So lovely to see all your photos of family as well as Mother Nature at her finest! I'm going to write your IDEAS themes and dates down and keep them in front of me each month as a prompt! Such a cool idea.

Sending love and hugs, Di xxx

Inkyfingers said...

What a lovely die, Darnell and it looks so good cut in either colourway. I love the scoring lines that add such interest and thank you for reminding me how effective that simple technique can be.
I enjoyed seeing your holiday pictures - you certainly went through some pretty places and it must have been so good to spend some time with family.

I hope you are well,
Hugs,
Carol x

PS Thanks for linking up with us at ATSM :-)

Pat said...

What a pretty floral circle die and love the look of it cut from the patterned paper Darnell, and the white one on the bluey grey is perfect as a sympathy card, and the two different textured papers look great..love the embossed lines, a great bit of detail. Lovely photos also of you catching up with family. I have rather belatedly made a card for your I.D.E.A.S. Week 2 but do want to keep it going as it is fun. x

Donna said...

Fabulous cards, like how you used patterned paper on the first one. Glad you had a good time, those tulips are beautiful!

Dotty Jo said...

Gorgeous cards, Darnell, and your family meet-up looks so much fun, Jo x

Loll said...

Gorgeous die that looks amazing cut from patterned paper ... and cut from white. Two lovely cards, Dolly! So great you had a wonderful time away with Diana ... and got to see Lee and Diane too! Beautiful area you were in ... the trees and the tuips are amazing! xx

Jeanne H said...

What a wonderful die, I ordered it and it just arrived. Thanks for the inspiration/enabling. :-) Hugs to you!!