Hello, my stampling friends! Happy August 1st!!
I hope you had a great weekend and your week is off to a fantastic start! Mine is going to be very busy with appointments and friends, so forgive me for being laconic in the next few posts, which is so hard for me to do. I'm usually blahblahconic!
Onefer
As I mentioned the other day, my bloggie friend Coni came to visit. She was kind enough to gift me a stamp set which I used for this thank you card for her. The "Say It With Flowers" set is from Pink Fresh Studio. It comes with a die as well as the flowers and several sediments. Thank you again, Coni!
You might notice the "rustic" edges of the die-cut flower panel. That's because I really biffed the stamping at first, but rather than throw it away, I turned it over and used the other side. The pretty ridged aqua paper has been in my stash since well into the last century. The silvery tone on the aqua flowers is caused by a thick winking with a fresh WOS pen. The sediment is from PTI's "Bold and Beautiful" set.
Challenges
Twofer
Another Christmas card for the ol' Stasharoo. I took my cue from Less Is More where the brief is to pierce our project.
I pierced my card with a needle and silver thread to make the ornament hanger. As I pulled the thread through, I called up a memory of a thousand years ago and made French knots. It turned out pretty cool in real life, if you don't mind me saying so.
Here's the messy and lumpy reverse side, which is why I popped up the front panel with foam tape.
Here's a closeup of all the shiny schparkle!
~~~
Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy! LITS!*
I hope you had a great weekend and your week is off to a fantastic start! Mine is going to be very busy with appointments and friends, so forgive me for being laconic in the next few posts, which is so hard for me to do. I'm usually blahblahconic!
Onefer
You might notice the "rustic" edges of the die-cut flower panel. That's because I really biffed the stamping at first, but rather than throw it away, I turned it over and used the other side. The pretty ridged aqua paper has been in my stash since well into the last century. The silvery tone on the aqua flowers is caused by a thick winking with a fresh WOS pen. The sediment is from PTI's "Bold and Beautiful" set.
Challenges
- The Challenge: Keyword below. I chose simple, monochromatic, circle, and friendship.
- Just Add Ink: Sketch below.
- Make My Monday: Monochromatic.
I pierced my card with a needle and silver thread to make the ornament hanger. As I pulled the thread through, I called up a memory of a thousand years ago and made French knots. It turned out pretty cool in real life, if you don't mind me saying so.
Here's the messy and lumpy reverse side, which is why I popped up the front panel with foam tape.
The Mod Ornament die is from Simon Says Stamp. I die cut it in silver, removed the inner bits, and stuck it to the card under the knotty silver hanger. Then I painted those inner bits in monochrome blues with my Kuretake GT paints and followed that with winkling. The sediment is heat-embossed.
Not my usual easy-to-mail card, but it's going in Hammy's basket of cards which he will paw-carry at Christmas time to people like his hula-hoop trainer, his organic carrot supplier, and the vet who removed the bone spur from his elbow. You know, as a result of the hula-hoop lessons.
Challenges
- Cardz for Galz: Christmas or winter.
- CHNC Challenge #344: Anything goes; option of gingerbread.
- The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge: Anything goes.
- Less Is More: Pierce your project.
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 to return the flavor!
*Life is too short!
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85 comments:
Two really gorgeous cards - the stamp and die combo you've used for the first looks like a wonderful and really useful set
Jane
Two simply stunning cards! I particularly like the bauble - your colour choice and colouring is just beautiful.
Elaine
Both your cards are gorgeous Darnell your first card with looks to have pmatching dies is lovely and I think would be a very useful set to use Your 'swinging' bauble is fabulous especially with it's French knot chain
Anne x
I'm a sucker for blues, so these cards are right up my alley, especially the second one.
I think that maybe you should reconsider Hammy's athletic future. I have no doubt your boy is very talented and all, but is all that training really in his best interest? Maybe he doesn't really aspire at becoming the next champion. Maybe he simply does't want to let his family down. Jyst sayin' ...
Enjoy your time with friends!
Hugs, Marianne x
Two super cards and what a great bauble that is - well done with the french knots, clever idea
Two fantastic cards Darnell, I love the bauble card especially those french knots were a great idea.
Sue xx
Two really really beautiful cards Darnell!
Clever use of the pierce inspiration at LIM! Just fabulous!
Hugs
♥
What fabulous cards - love the floral one with the mini corrugated card under kit - I still have hoards of that - and the silver french knot 'string' for your ornament is stunning, as is the ornament .
Blessings
Maxine
Your twofers etc are fine Darnell - I don't make as many cards as you, so I spin them out one at a time so I have something to share :-)
gorgeous cards!
hugs
Two beauty Darnell, I am particularly taken with the lovely die/stamp combo on the first and the pretty colour combo. Great French knots on the bauble hanger too, it takes me back to the Queens Silver Jubilee in 1977 when we had to do an embroidered piece at school. I chose to stitch a crown which had hundreds of French knots around the satin stitch jewels...happy days!! xx
Two gorgeous cards Darnell. Love that stamp set on the top one and I must admit to liking the 'rustic' edges. Lovely blues on your second card and great french knots... not sure if I could remember how to do them. Have a great week xx
So what colours are the flowers on the other side then? Do hope they are pink coz I love pink. Hugs Mrs A.
Great cards Darnell and great takes on the sketches and challenges! Winners for sure! Love all the sparkle and shine on the ornament and the unique design of the first and then the clever use of the 'piercing' . . . inspired! Have a lovely day my friend! Luv & Hugs. Hazel xx
My Card Attic
Absolutely stunning card Darnell! The textured background and colour combo you've used, along with those gorgeous flowers, make this one gorgeous card. Thanks for joining us at Just Add Ink this week!
Beautiful cards!!
Beautiful use of the Just Add Ink Sketch Darnell. Your crisp white and pop of blue is so lovely and fresh....Gorgeous card! Thanks for sharing at Just Add Ink this week.
Both of your cards today are so pretty, Darnell. I love the colors and the die cut of the first one and the texture of the background paper. Nicely done! And the second...first of all, love that you made French knots! So fun! That ornament is beautiful and with all the extra sparkle...wow! Thanks for sharing. Giggled at the description of Hammy having a bone spur removed from hula hooping. You are the best at making others smile, that is for sure. Never change! Hugs! :)
Gorgeous! I love the blue and silver. Woolfie says good morning to Hammy. [Bunny]
I'm in love with that first card! The colors, the design and the die. Then I saw the second one! Oh my gosh, I want that ornament on my tree. The French Knots made a gorgeous hanger for the ornament and the ornament itself is lovely. Maybe Hammy could find something a little less taxing on his body to keep in shape, but, the hula hoop is known to whittle down your waist.
Wow, I love both of these cards, Darnell - awesome! That first one is really spectacular. What an amazing die and stamp set. Your French knots are great, too. I do remember them:)
Two beautiful CAS-tastic cards as always Darnell. Love the elegant die-cutting and gorgeous colour choice on the first one. In fact I'm rather taken with blues so the colours on the second one work perfect for me and I love your ingenious way of making some clever piercing to your ornament hanger. Too classy! Thanks for playing along with us at Less is More x
Two lovely cards Darnell. I'm seeing quite a bit of blue in blogland and love the clean sharp look it provides. your first card stands out in just this way and your second glistens well....and silver french knots!!! you clever thing! your imagination always seem to be on fire!! xx
I loved both the cards :) First one os pretty in blue .I have never tried jand stitching on cards ,yours adds lots of interest to the card keeping it CAS as well :)
Two gorgeous creations Darnell. I love the pretty flowers and swirly sentiment and a lovely thank you to Coni, and your sparkly bauble in those beautiful blue tones is a real winner, especially with all your french knots. Hope you have a splendid week! x
Both cards are gorgeous Darnell love that first one though, may have to go on my wish list! Very impressed with your French knots and Hammy's Xmas card list had me giggling xx
You've blown me away with these cards, especially the bauble with french knots! I haven't done needlepoint in forever, but I LOVE how you created the hanger......and the bauble is gorgeous too! Well done on both cards! I really like them bowf!!! :)
Gorgeous card as always and how nice that you were gifted this pretty stamp set! Enjoy your busy week with friends and appointments. I'm so happy that you played along with us again, Darnell.
Two beautiful and very elegant cards Darnell, I just love the flower and the stamping on the first one. Your french knots look pretty amazing on the second one and I love the gentle twinkle on the bauble too!
Hope you appointments go well and that you enjoy your time with visits/visitors! Big hugs, Annie xxx
Hi, Darnell! Your monochromatic cards are lovely! I especially like stitching and shading of blues in your Christmas card! Wow! So glad I got to see your masterpiece showcased at the Cardz 4 Galz Challenge. Thanks for joining in with your lovely artwork. Hope to see more of your pretty creations in our future challenge themes! Please check back to see if you have won a badge. Sending you wishes for a wonderful day!
Smiles,
Donna
{Creative Smiles - my little crafting world}
Two very beautiful cards Darnell, I love the image on the first one and wonderful colours.
Number 2 card is amazing, beautifully designed, with fabulous colours, Kate x
Your cards are beautiful, Darnell. I love the flowers and die cuts. Your piercing is great on the second card. You go, girl!
Two beauties Darnell. Have a wonderful week.
Wow, they are both so gorgeous!! I love the colors and designs of each one!! So beautiful!! Have a great day!! Big hugs :)
Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts
Hi Darnell, Loving the cards. I really like the effect on the bauble. The colours on the Thank You card really make it stand out.
Hope you are having a nice week. Sue
I now strongly desire that stamp and die set. LOVE the way it cuts and coordinates with the stamp set which is very pretty in its own right. Also love your rustic edges and stripy paper. Your French-knotted, embossed, and sparkly ornament is inspiring, too. Hammy will be proud to hand deliver it to one of the many folks he thinks about at Christmastime!
Wow...such fabulous cards and particularly love the stunning Christmas one. Thank you for the wonderful inspiration x
Glad you're enjoying the new die...your first attempt with it is beautiful. I know because I held it in my had. And that ornament...french knots????...really! Your skills are too long to enumerate. The card is a winner...everything about it screams, "I'm perfect, pick me."
Another beautiful twofer, Darnell. What a great gift from Coni. Love your ornament card. Cool needlework on the hanger. So creative. Love the monochrome blues (blue is my favourite colour) and the shimmer (my favourite finishing touch). 😃 Thank you for playing along with us this week at Less is More. 😊 Trina xx
Oh you do make me laugh, poor hammie with his gammy elbow! Two stunning cards. I did laugh at the French knots, took me back to Christmas when I was sat at my sister's making Bucilla Ugly Sweaters for the tree next year. I was supposed to use French knots on one of them, but was a little merry on mulled wine and Christmas mead and misread the symbol and added sequins instead... Take care of yourself xxx
Fabulous cards Darnell, The stamp and die set you used for the first card looks lovely, and I love the sparkly blue Christmas ornament. Such gorgeous blues.
Jean x
Beautiful cards Darnell!! I love your Christmas card! It's so so pretty!! Love all the sparkle. The French knotted thread is beautiful. Love your clean and simple 1st card. I wouldn't have noticed the flower edges had you not mentioned it :)
Wow! Love both of these cards Auntie! The first one is so pretty and elegant looking. Love the phrase font and love the flowers. I did not notice the "rustic" edges and had to go back and look for them. lol You shouldn't have told us! Still just as beautiful as it can be even with some "rustic" edges. Love the way you made the window and looks like that took some time to do! Love the striped paper too, so classic! Then there is the bauble card, OMWord, look at all those french knots!!! They look so cool and I bet it is really cool in real life too. Your bauble is just stunning too. Hugs, Brenda
Oh my..that bauble is delicious! The French knots just make it...but I'm guessing that you wont be making many of them, worth it though!
Sweet gifted set from your gal pal, love the slightly rustic edges...and the descriptions!
Hi Darnell,
what gorgeous makes they are both excelently made.
Love them both and their wonderful designs.
You sound like you are going to have a week like I had last week.
Love and big crafty hugs from my house to yours. Jenny L.
Gorgeous cards, Darnell! I love that blue-green colour scheme with the pretty flowers on your first card, and that snazzy wrecking bauble is so cool!
I absolutely love your cards as they are both so elegant and artistic in design. My favorite though is that first one. I just love that look with the dies and the stamps together that way.
Beautiful cards. Really love the first one with the pretty flowers and of course blue is my favorite color.
Hope you have a great week, even if it will be a busy one.
Very beautiful cards Darnell ! Pretty flowers, lovely colours and beautiful design for the first one. But my fav one is the take for LIM. Love the gorgeous ornament you made. Such a stunning shimmering blue tones and what a creative way to pierce your project ! Love, love it ! Thanks so much for sharing and for playing along at Less is More!
Pretty cards! Love the blues!
Darnell, Both cards are great... but I just LOVE that first one. And, I'm sure Conil will love it as well. Enjoy your week!
What a gorgeous thank you card. Love the die and the bold sentiment.
A great couple of cards! I love the first one with the peek aboo look as I call it and love the modern looking ornament in sparkly blue.
I really like your design on the first card Darnell. I turn stuff over for a redo too...we probably all do that from time tot time!! And the second card is modern, funky fun!! A pair a fabulousness!
Lovely stamp set from your sweet friend and you've done it proud with your gorgeous card! Love your creative mod ornament. What a clever way to add some piercing on your card! Thanks for sharing a close up of the fabby shine!
Terrific cards Darnell! Love those french knots! Try to stay cool in this heat wave!
I just love your cards, Darnell...and your humor! Ever think about writing a book? Maybe it could be a dictionary for all the new words you create on your blog. Have a wonderful week, my friend!
That first card is so cool, I haven't seen anything like that yet out there in blogland. Your bauble though, steals my heart. Fabulous blue and silver combo and french knots...wow.
Two great cards, but I'm especially partial to the second one - love the sparkly bauble and the way you incorporated the piercing challenge! It's really eye-catching. But I hope it's not too heavy for Hammy to hand-deliver - wouldn't want him to stress that damaged elbow.
I love French Knots, but can't imagine doing this--love it! The thank you card is really lovely--neat gift, for sure! Hope you haven't completely melted with having to go to appts in this heat! Hit 96 here today & tomorrow they say will be 109! We can only hope they're wrong!
Oh my goodness, so many wonderful comments. And here I was thinking people didn't bother to stop by & leave a lot of blog love these days, Pinterest seems to have taken care of that! Not so much over here though, how fabulous for you to have all these gorgeous messages to read.
Love your cards, Darnell! Your first card particularly stands out to me - I love florals, & a bold sentiment. Gorgeous combo. Glad to hear I'm not the only one to mess up & flip that cardstock over. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Just Add Ink this week. x
I just got that same set from Pink Fresh Studios and I just love it! Your cards are both so sweet Darnell. Sweet like you!
Even if it is a short post; it makes me smile and I enjoyed it!
Love the clean design on your forst card! The french knops are a memory of mine aswell... and that card looks great! Have a fun week!
Two stunners as always Darnell. The flower stamps and matching die look gorgeous and I love the sparkly bauble xx
Two stunning cards Darnell they are absolutely gorgeous huggles Sue xx
I really LOVE these, Darnell! So awesome!
Dear Darnell, I wasn't been visiting yours and other blogs for a while. In July there was a lot of everything happen. And it seems, that also in August will be the same. :-)
I'm admiring die cut and stamp combination on your first card. It's amazing! Also a little bit different Christmas ornament is just great! I like your idea of a chain maid from thread.
I'm sending hugs.
Have a great week!
Sonja
French knots! Thanks for the trip down memory lane! You reminded me of hours and hours I spent doing needlework cuz that was the trending craft a hundred years ago! My knots always looked like a 3 year old tied them while my sister's knots were always picture perfect..like yours! Should start stitching again because now that my eyes are older and blinder my handiwork will look good!
Two AH-MAZING cards! Of course, I'm loving the knotted bauble card...but the first card....well, it is seriously 'shut the front door' out of this world stunning!!! The colors and the textured paper are gorgeous!!!
...sorry for such a long comment!
Two beautiful cards Darnell, I love the ornament card and all of the sparkle, fab CAS design! Thanks so much for joining us at the Holly & Ivy Christmas Challenge!
Tammy x
All great cards and a lovely floral die. I really like how you made a window/frame effect on the card. Chantell Just Add Ink
Gorgeous cards, Darnell!
Hugs,
Em xoxox
Hi Darnell, just became a follower (I thought I already was but no) I love your cards especially the gorgeous bauble so pretty :)
Hugs Kaz xx
Darnell ... thank you! I've calmed myself after laughing uncontrollably for the last five minutes at the picture you painted of hula hooping, organic carrot eating, operated upon Hammy ... not at his misfortune, you understand, just at the picture!! Your cards are beautiful ... I wouldn't have noticed the 'rustic' edges of that lovely die cut frame had you not mentioned it, it's delicate and and so pretty and the edges add a sweet softness to it! Your French knotting is awesome ... so cool (I want to touch!) and deliciously texture-y with those luscious blue hues ... gorgeous! LYAMYLMATYFABMD! Big hugs & bisous, Anita :)
Sorry to be so late to the party but as you know I've had my mind on other things and thought I'd already left a comment. Well you know what thought did, got dragged through a hedge backwards, was what my Mum used to say! Well better late than never, love that sputnik style bauble and your clever stitched string. Thanks also for linking up at Cardz4Galz. :)
Stunning cards today Darnell! I love the colours and both designs! That has to be the smartest bauble I've ever seen and I love the glossy sentiment... Have a great day!
Hi Darnell, thank you so much for your blog visit and lovely words of encouragement. They mean a lot.
2 fabulous cards. I LOVE that silver bauble with the oh so pretty shimmer.
xxx
Two gorgous cards, so brilliant! Love expecially the bauble card, very creative and super striking!!
Great idea for your piercing ! Brilliant card !
These are beautiful, Darnell!
Thanks for entering your lovely crafting for CHNC challenge 344 – you could also enter this into my CHNC challenge extra for August - I'd love to see it there too x
I rather like the rustic edges Darnell, think they add a little bit of texture to what is already a drop dead gorgeous card. I may have to get that die 😱😱😱. And you are making me panic about my Christmas cards. I have only done a few and that was more by accident than planning! Its a pretty die that bauble and great for mass production I think. Have a lovely weekend! LIsa xx
Two gorgeous cards! Love those flowers! What a lovely present from your friend! The ornament card is blingtastic! So shiny and stunning colours - love the hanger, so clever and I did giggle at the possible recipients! xxx
Stunning cards Darnell.
Super cute!!! Thank you for joining us at Make My Monday, good luck!!! Amy DT
Very beautiful cards. Love the colours.Thank you for joining us at the Make My Monday challenges. Looking forward to seeing you again soon. All the very best. Nandini, DT
The die cutting on the first card looks so pretty!!! LOVE the inlaid flowers. The second card though is the coolest. I LOVE the way you did the sewing with the ornament. AMAZING!!
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