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!

February 17, 2016

A Lot of Hot Air!

Hi there!

I'll bet when you saw that title you thought, "Whoa boy, she's really going to be ramblin' and wafflin' today!" Really, I do go on, I know, and on and on ... so here we go ~

I'm guest designing all over the place this month, aren't I? It just turned out that way. I'm always delighted to showcase and trumpet the wonderful challenges we have available to us here in our small corner of Blogland. The design teams work very hard to keep these challenges coming!

For today's post, I am spotlighting the second half of the current month-long Serendipity Stamps Challenge as Guest Designer.

My card inspiration:
I could not wait to get my hands on this gorgeous set of hot air balloon dies and set about paperpiecing them, jigsaw-fashion, as I am wont to do. Making some of them rainbow-hued was irresistible! This set is Hot Air Balloons Reverse Die. The sediment is from Technique Tuesday. The puffy clouds are called Puffy Clouds and they are from Memory Box (also NBUS).

Thank you to Jeanne and Mary for the honor of serving as this month's Guest Designer!

I'd love to see you join in the challenge! You have until midnight February 28th to link up and there's a great prize! There is also a hop going on right now with a chance to win another prize!
Here is this month's 50% off stamp:
50% Off Stamp of the Month
I'm also entering the Pixie's Snippets Playground with this snippety card! The only brief is that you use some of your snippets, which I don't often do because I make many one-layer cards, so this was a ton of snippets used and it felt good! Join in, won't you?

~~~

Finally! NBUS #6!

The next semi-annual NBUS (Never-Before-Used Schtuff) Challenge is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for two weeks from today!! Wheet!! If you are new to NBUS and would like more information, please click here.
Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (Stamps, Dies, EFs, etc.)

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Current GIVEAWAY

Don't forget the GIVEAWAYS Page at the top of the blog!

  
 This giveaway ends on February 19th.

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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!

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89 comments:

Jane Willis said...

Whoopeee! I'm so glad NBUS is coming back, I still have three unopened packs of stamps I bought for making last year's Christmas cards with AND a set of little bug stamps that looked cute enough to eat when I ordered them, and when they arrived I decided they were so sweet they were likely to send me into a diabetic coma (I have to be careful about these things!)

Until then I shall just sit here and boggle my mind at how patient and precise you must be to slot all those tiny pieces into the balloons. Totally worth it though for the results

Jane

Kath said...

I love this card - your hot air balloons are fabulous - great use of snippets too!
I made a note of your NBUS challenge - thanks for the advance notice.
Kath x

Kathyk said...

FABBYlicious make today Darnell, beautiful colours. Looking forward to the return of NBUS -might have to buy some specially!

Kathyk

Valerija said...

Wow, here is a lot of snippets. Wonderful card, love your hot air ballons.

Linda said...

What a lot of pieces! A heck of a lot of patience too!! Great result ..... so worth it.
Looking forward to the next NBUS challenge. xx

Rahmat said...

Wow, so many pieces for this inlaid die cuts. Great job, and so colorful. You chose the perfect colors, the balloons look very realistic color wise. Sorry haven't been able to visit you in many days, life was minus a laptop for many days!

Ruth said...

That card must have taken ages - and the result is worth it. Love love love the bright colours and those balloons. Can't wait to join in your NBUS challenge - it's a first for me and I do actually have some even in only a year of buying stuff!!! Xx

Lizzy Hill said...

I so would NOT have the patience to make the balloons card.....but I bow before you with your skill doing it....looks fabulous:):)

Sue said...

What a lovely colourful card.

Hope you have a good day. Sue

Stamps and Paper said...

Lovely bright and cheery card Darnell

Anne

Neet said...

As soon as I saw those hot air balloons on Bloglovin' I said (in my head) Darnell. And I was right. What a beautiful card, so bright and cheerful and yet clean too with the white background. Certainly perked me up again this morning when I turned to it.

Hugs, Neet ( looking forward to meeting you) xxx

Cheryl W. said...

Couldn't sleep so here I am at 3 a.m. looking at your cheerful balloons. Fabulous card - even at this crazy hour of the day!

Suchi said...

Hot air balloons and colorful! Such a cheerful card Darnell! :)
Suchi xx

KandA said...

Congrats on another GDT spot Darnell. Brilliant card and I love all those cheery colours and fabulous sentiment... now I can't stop singing that Monty Python song!

Can't wait for the NBUS challenge. I'd better get myself off shopping so I've got plenty of schtuff to pick from! xx

Ros Crawford said...

Oh my your card is so brilliant!! Wonderful paper piecing! It's such a happy card and so good to look at on a horrible dark cold and wet day that we have here ... sigh
BTW... I changed my blog header ages ago.. haha!

Marilyn said...

Beautiful and so colorful!!

Diane said...

I LOVE your fabulous card...so pretty with all those colors that just pop...what a terrific die this is...congrats on your guest design gig, too!!

Viv said...

AWESOME Paper piecing Darnell! x

Marybeth said...

So nice to have you with us this month at Serendipity Stamps ,Darnell! Love the wonderful bright colors you used with this hot air balloons!
Wow,# 6 NBUS congrats!

Jeanne said...

Beautiful card. I adore the rainbow of colors. It looks like it was fun to fit the pieces together. But really, it was worth the effort. Truly lovely card. Hugs!!

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

Soooooooo gorgeous! My mom is IN LOVE with hot air balloons!!!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Absolutely the finest paper pieced hot air balloons I've seen Dippy, just gorgeous. Congratulations on all your GD posts this month.

Hugs

Karendipity xxx

Olga Fink said...

WOW this card is fabulous!!
xoxo Olga

cuilliesocks said...

Hello Darnell, I love your fabulous card, the hot air balloons are just wonderful, brilliant paper piecing too, Kate x

Happy Dance said...

Hi Pretty Girl! It's a good day when I see your blog pop up on my sidebar! And the HAB card was a treat to see! I love this card! It's got 'happy' written all over it. So full of color and fun; it makes me happy to look at it over and over again!! Brilliant card, and it's on my top ten favorites of yours now. Fantastic!! You are so darn creative!!! Miss you. Bev

Jenni's Jems said...

Wow you must have the patience of a saint but boy was that hot air balloons worth it ...totally fell in love with them!! and 10!!! cutters??? hee he xx

Sandy said...

Love those colorful balloons. You did a beautiful job with your paper piecing.

Dr Sonia S V said...

It is always a joy to visit you and read your post...Yes your heading did intrigue me and your writing makes me smile!! You are a darling!!!

Cheers
Dr Sonia

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Gorgeous card, the colourful hot air balloons are fantastic. Sounds like you are having great fun with many GDT spots :) Enjoy xxx

Sarn said...

That's a beautiful card Darnell. Love all the bright colours and fab sentiment.

Thanks for coming to play in the SNIPPETS PLAYGROUND. Even though I'm confined to the cubby hole doing paperwork, Viv and Brenda are in charge of the Treehouse hooch . . . so do climb the ladder!

Hugs, Sarn xxx

Alanna said...

Wow Darnell this card really is fabulous. I love those hot air balloons and what you did with them is just perfect.

And yah for the next NBUS challenge!

Barb said...

I absolutely love your card Darnell. Hot air balloons are fun because you can really go to town with the colours and I love yours! Now have I got any NBUS gulp! :) Barbxx

SD pooja said...

Wow..SO much of patience too put the colors in the balloons..Awesome paper piecing/inlaid die cutting !

Lisa said...

Yay!! Another NBUS!! And just in time...I have an order arriving any day :) Your card is absolutely stunning!! The balloons look amazing!! I love the colors!! Have a great day!! Big hugs :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

Princess Judy Palmer said...

Hey, now! You got us all geared up for hot air and waffling and all we got are some balloons. Okay, now then they are gorgeous multicolored fun balloons. Quite the awesome card!

TK said...

Great job on that paper piecing -- love the card! The wonderful pops of color, twinkly clouds and all.... YUM!

Sarah said...

More beautiful rainbows to see in the sky...amazing!! This must have taken a while Darnell, but well worth it, they are gorgeous xx

Sue - said...

Yippee nbus is coming! Just have to decide which of the many nbus items to use or even how many I can use at once! Love your bright balloons - perfect for brightening up what us a very dull day here!

Sandra H said...

Wow you are really one talented lady this is a super card l just love it x

Canonbury creations said...

More balloons this time full of hot air! They look stunning paperpieced Darnell, I always think there is something magical about them as they glide across the sky.
Val x

Gerrina said...

Super to see you back as a Guest Designer again! Congrats!
That must have been a super jigsaw-puzzle! And lot's of pieces to make more cards...
Love all the vibrant colours and air-balloons are one of my favorite images...
We loved to go to Air-balloon festivals in the aerea, it is a pitty that there are less and less...
Enjoy the week!

Carole Pollard said...

Stunning die just love the rainbow colours its amazing love and hugs Carole x

conil said...

Oh Super Guest Designer, your card is nothing short of spectacular. I'd say Serendipity made the right GD (as in, Guest Designer, not the other one) choice. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the color and that sentiment is perfect. Snippets is sure to crown you, the winner and still champion.

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

Oh, WOW!!! Such a lovely card!! How much care and attention on these super hot balloons! You are a talentuos and very accurate crafter and well deserve all your GDs!! Congrats for this one!

Pat said...

This is a gorgeous GD card Darnell and I love the multi coloured balloons and the puffy white clouds, also the sentiment is just perfect with it. After cutting the balloons in all those different colour can we expect a whole series of balloon cards coming up...lol? x

Sue D said...

Love the colorful balloons!

oldpunca said...

Your card with hot air balloons is super nice. To use rainbow colours is a great idea. Suitable for balloons. :-)) Jupiii for the new NBUS challenge. :-)
Hugs, Sonja

Robin said...

Hi Darnell, I love the hamster wheel and the way your name appears next to it. I have been away for far too long. I love your posts. I am not a stamper you know but your blog is one of my favs and so are you.

Your hot air balloon is beautiful! I use to live in Albuquerque, NM and they have a hot air balloon day with the bright colorful hot air balloons everywhere. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw your balloon. How fun!

Wow, you have really gotten busy haven't you? That's wonderful...you do such good work! Nice to stop by and I will try not to be such a stranger, lol! Hugs, Rasz

Karenladd said...

Eeek Darnell! I nearly drove myself around the bend with an inlaid die cut card design the other day and it didn't have even a fraction of the pieces you used in this hot air balloon card. You must have had Hammy's help in corraling any teeny bit of card stock that ended up on the floor as you cut and glued. May I ask how you approached such a card? Did you use liquid glue for the little bits? Did you back the open die cut with card stock and then add glue, or did you adhere directly to your card front? I had so much trouble when I tried this technique that I'm open to suggestions and tips. Whatever your approach, this is so cheerful and happy that it was certainly worth it.

Bonnie said...

These bright hot air balloons are gorgeous, Darnell! Imagine putting all those little pieces in. My eyes are crossed just thinking of it! Looking forward to you NBUS challenge. A good excuse to whittle down my Mt. NBUS! Thanks for the encouragement at CAS Mix Up!

Brenda said...

Well now, you are just a popular DT! How wonderful and a big congrats to you Auntie! I can definitely see why you are so sought after...because you are amazing! Love your balloon card, those dies are amazing indeed and I can see why the excitement to use them. I love how your card turned out, but it is that sentiment that won my heart. Because that is what we have to do, look to the bright side when life gets tough. Hugs, Brenda

Craftychris said...

Wow your hot air balloon card is awesome! Fabulous paper piecing and I love those dies. Congratulations being guest designer too. I am looking forward to your next NBUS Challenge! xxx

dnisme@blogspot.com said...

What a cheerful card composition! Our world right now is white, brown and grey. Although I admire the pristine white of the snow, I sure could use some cheerful colour. That must have been a lot of work for you, Darnell, to piece all the little parts of the balloons. You did a great job! BTW, I rejoined your site. I remember you had an issue with losing some of your followers. Hugs! :)

Verna Angerhofer said...

Wonderful card and love those fantastic hot air balloons you dressed up so colorfully. I love that die too!

Kathleen said...

Totally gorgeous card and fabulous colours, love the dies.

Kath x

Angela Walters said...

Today's card is absolutely beautiful, Darnell!

Marisa said...

Adore those balloons!! Great job with all the colours!

Lindsey said...

The return of the NBUS challenge, yay! And wow, that is a lot of paper-piecing. You can now make SEVERAL more, I'd imagine. ;) The card is awesome!

Karren said...

Love those balloons and the fun, bright colors you have used with them!

Susanne Vargas said...

Hello Guest Designer Extraordinaire! This is one awesome card you created there! Love all the rainbow colored puzzle pieces! Such a happy card!

Lisa Elton said...

A BIG congrats on guesting Darnell, so happy for you and so well deserved!! I adore your colorful balloons. Such a PRETTY card!!

New Creations said...

Love the cheerful and colorful creation, so eye catching! And a great news of returning of NBUS challenge in March!

Carol L said...

Ahhhh, those hot air balloons look fun to piece with different colors and I love what you've done with them! Congrats on your GDT spot, it's well deserved!

Greta said...

Oh my word--I can't even imagine making a card like this, Darnell! It's fabulous! I've been using NBUS a lot lately, but I'm thinking I may still have enough to play along--haha!

Nikki said...

Wow Darnell that sure took some patience to create this card it's so bright and cheerful just what is needed over the cold months
Hugs Nikki
I also sent an email to yah too re:#6 chat soon

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous. More patience than I with all those little bits!
Congrats on the GDT gig :)

kiwimeskreations said...

What a great card Darnell - love the patchworked balloons :-) Did Hammy get a ride? And Whooppee for another NBUS Challenge.
Blessings
Maxine

sandie said...

This has brightened up my morning and the sentiment is one we need to remember more xx

Liz said...

Just LOVE this! The paper piecing is so effective - but you must have the patience of a saint to put all the different colours in place! Great sentiment too. xx

Geri said...

Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Yep - my jaw hitting my key board...once for each of the five AMAZING balloons!!!

Adore how you channelled all that hot air! This card is stunning! You knocked your GD gig clear into space with this pretty creation! Nice touch adding the sweet shimmery clouds...makes me feel like I'm in one of those baskets enjoying the ride!

Honestly though, me getting into a for-real-life balloon would be about as likely as not going to bingo...it aint gonna happen!

Pia S said...

Colorful, timeless, ageless and gender neutral, all qualities I love about a card!

Pink Unicorn said...

Those rainbow hot air balloons are simply stunning!!! I also wanted to pop by to thank you for your kind comments and big hug after my rant about the horrible state my home is in. Much appreciated!!

Dana M said...

This is a WOW card Darnell! Beautiful colors and images and terrific use for those snippits. Congrats on the design team post, easy to see how you earned it :)

OH Babs said...

Golly gee you have a lot of time on your hands Miss Iowa. The balloons are amazing and I am impressed.

Cat Craig said...

That is some gorgeousness going on with the balloons! Fabulous

Petra Swart said...

Oh, I love your colourful balloons, Darnell!!!! Must have taken you some time to do all the puzzeling, but was sure worth the effort!!! Such a lovely fun card!!!!
Hugz

Loll said...

Those balloons dies are really awesome, and you've used them to perfection Dolly! LOVE anything rainbow themed, so fun and cheerful. Looking forward to your NBUS #6 and will definitely be joining in. Have tons of NBUS collecting dust and need to show them so love. Lolly xx

Jean said...

I just love these beautiful colourful balloons. A joyful and uplifting card.
Jean x

Kim Heggins said...

Fabulous card my dear...just love your festive hot air balloons!

Anita in France said...

Rainbow Montgolfières ... how glorious, Darnell ... they're absolutely delicious! Would you like to fly in a beautiful balloon (singing!)... want to fly one over ... there's a big meadow where you could land! Hugs & bisous, Anita :)

cm said...

Your rainbow hot air balloons...smitten! Back when I lived in the city, I loved watching the colourful balloons that decorated the sky several times a week. Here...no balloons. Guess the mountains play a hand in that, right? Miss them...Anyway, yours make me smile, and that's what counts! Congratulations on being in the Serendipity spotlight! NBUS challenge..yahooooo!
Hugs~c

scrappymo! said...

Looking forward to another NBUS challenge.
Your card in wonderful. I love the rainbow of inlaid paper piecing. It looks great!

mamapez5 said...

I just love this card. The colours and the design are just perfect. It is a shame Serendipity dies are not more available in UK, as postage from USA is too high. But you have inspired me to take another look at what I have in my stash. Kate x

Bobby said...

I've been to several hot air balloon festivals and have actually ridden in one. Your card looks just like what I've seen with all its beautiful color, Darnell. I think the sentiment is perfect, too. I may have to hold back on some of my NBUS so I haven't something for the challenge. Can't wait.

maria f. said...

Congrats on the guest DT! You must have banned the hammies to the cage while die cutting and piecing this amazing card. I would have lost the tiniest blue piece, spent five minutes searching for it, cussing, before die cutting it again only to find the original piece sitting on the toe of my shoe!

Helen F. said...

Ooohhh, how I love this card, Darnell. Those hot air balloons are fun and look like a lot of work to put together, but so worth it!
Always look forward to your NBUS challenges~there is so much inspiration to be had from your hundreds of entries

Nora Noll said...

It seems I have A LOT of catching up to do on your blog. I LOVE this balloon card. The colors are fantastic!!! I think I would be making a million cards with that die!!

Yolanda Garrido said...

Wow! Those colourful ballooons are gorgeous! I love the design and the different textures of the papers! Hugs!

Carol said...

Hi Darnell, I love your hot air balloon card. It's so bright and colourful. They always make great men's cards. Thank you for joining my blog.