Hello Stamplings!
How are you? I hope you enjoyed World Card-Making Day yesterday!
I will echo what everyone else is saying: How can it be October?! Followed by, okay, no more procraftination, it's time to get making those special handmade Christmas cards!
And I'm delighted to be October's Guest Designer at the CAS Christmas Card Challenge to help inspire you to do just that! It's an honor to join an extremely talented group of designers for October and I encourage you to check out their cards for lots of great design ideas!
Onefer
This hilly scene with four trees is one stamp. I found it at a garage sale a coupla years ago in Indiana when I was visiting my friend Brenda. It's a red rubber stamp that had been removed from the wood, so I have no idea who makes it, but we think it looks like it might be an old SU stamp. I masked and heat-embossed one tree in red e/p and then reversed the mask and white heat-embossed the other trees.
While I was doing all that, Hammy operated on the unmarked sediment so that each of the starred words could then be stamped under a hill. We were just pickled at how well that worked out.
Twofer
Because it was so fun using two different e/ps, I made a Twofer. It is self-exploratory, although a bit tricky because the trees are so close together with this stamp. For the intertwined area, I used a Versamark pen. I love the movement and how it feels like Mother Nature opened her hand and blew white snow over just the one tree. Magic! In fact, I wish now that I had used a sediment I have which says, "believe in the magic of Christmas!"
I hope you can join the fun over at the CAS Christmas Card Challenge and I look forward to seeing your beautiful gray and red Christmas card designs! Don't forget if you use something you've never used before, you can also link to NBUS!
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I'm playing in: Christmas Crafts All Year Long (T is for Tree), Happy House, HLS CAS (OLC), Peace on Earth, and SSS Wednesday.
p.s. Look who came to have a sleepover with us last night!
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| Adam, Bama, Henry |
I used the excuse that I wanted a photo of my new Hammy t-shirt to get them to accommodate me. (Sorry about the background glare.) Yes, I'm shrinking, but they are very tall! Because of Covid, it's been over two years since they stayed overnight and because of their ages, it might be the last time, so we had a fun and nostalgic time going down Memory Lane.
It seems like only yesterday that they were little guys who loved spending hours with me in the Playhouse making cards. Here they are making little turkeys for Thanksgiving.
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| Henry, Adam |
Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. I copied it from an old blog post from November 2012. Going back in time on my blog was an adventure in itself!
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Enjoy your day! No, seriously, enjoy and keep safe! 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!
*Life is too short!
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78 comments:
OMG........So Much to Love in your Twofer Gorgeous grey and black Christmas cards, Dolly....and your LOVE your sweet photo with the twins and your new hammy t-shirt...Have you shcrunkkk or the boys grown or Both??? Love your stamped and heat embossed trees for both cards. I have the PB tree with the snow blowing off the tree in your 2nd card. I know I have seen the beautiful trees on your 1st card. I find it hard to believe it was a SU set because I think I would have it if it was..could it also be an old Penny Black set? I hope someone knows for sure who made it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE both your Gorgeous cards, my friend. TFS the sweet fun photo of the much younger twins having fun with you in your playhouse too:-) Your post made my day, dear friend. Happy Christmas card designing and...Congratulations on your Guest Designer Gig on CAS Christmas Card Challenge:-) Love and Hugs...Nancy
Yesterday was card making day! I didn't even know! But I finally did make some cards. I remember when on this special day I would have my friends come over and craft with me...but, Of course, because of Covid we don't do that anymore. I miss them so much. Wow! Your grandsons are so grown up...since I have been following your blog for a long time...I remember those earlier picture of them. Time does fly. I remember my grandchildren making cards with me too. Loved that. Now I'm busy making cards for my grandson who joined the military and is in boot camp.
Gorgeous cards, Darnell! I love how you played with the color palette and the clever way you used your Versamark pen to create movement on the 2nd card! Thank you so much for being our GD for October...it's always fun to see your great ideas ~
It's amazing to see how much the boys have grown...WOW! How nice that they still enjoy hanging out with you and the Mister...I'm sure you all had a great time ~ xx
Hello Darnell, what beautifully designed cards and I love the colours too, such simple but elegant designs.
Well, just look at these two handsome young men, they are tall, or are you like me small lol. Two wonderful photos, keep safe, Kate x
I love your trees darnell...quite an effort there I guess to get that embossing powder right...but you did it and I would never think to use two different colours...clever you! and the sentiments go lovely under the hills as it were. Two fabulous cards. Boy you have shrunk!!...lol....what does there mum feed them? Love the T shirt an dglad you got the chance to reminisce with them...important memories for all of you. Hugs xx
Thank you for inspiring us with these two fantastic CAS Christmas cards. I love them and how the snow is blowing on the second card. Oh yes you have shrunk and not just in height! You look absolutely fabulous! Sorry I can't help with naming that stamp, but whatever, you made it work so marvelously. Thank you so much for being a perfect GUEST! Heart Hugs Col
Oh WOW - two beautiful cards, love the first one the bestest, but the second it very special too. The boys are so handsome - and how fun to have an over night. So happy you shared pictures.
Two so creative cards playing with red and white and with those trees! Very elegant both and so unique!!
Such fun and sweet photo with the twins and the new T-short!! The boys have grown so much!! (you not LOL)
Hugs
Love these red and grey cards Darnell, the two colours of embossing do look magical! And goodness me the boys have grown!! Love your hammy t-shirt too. Thankyou for being our guest also at CAS Christmas, Cathy x
Congrats on guesting, Darnell! Two fabulous cards. I like the little redbird (a cardinal perhaps?) in the first one. My goodness, I can't get over how the twins have grown. You remind me of my mom when our son outgrew baking cookies with her and sleepovers. But they are memories you will all cherish <3
LOVE both of your cards Darnell!! I think I might even have some red embossing powder (that's probably older than dirt!!), but never even thought to use it for this challenge! I'm so glad you did though, as it looks amazing on both cards along with the white on the gray card bases! Great way to knock it out of the park for this color challenge!! I love the "before" and "after" pictures of the boys and can't believe how tall they've gotten! I think I'm just going to keep my grandkids little... Anyway, thanks so much for playing along with us at CAS Christmas and YAY for having 2 more cards for the Christmas stash...it really will be here before we know it!! Hugs. :0)
Congratulations on being the GD this time for the CAS Christmas Challenge Darnell, and I love your red and white embossed trees on grey card, and the separated sentiment looks great with a word under each tree, and the twofer works well too with the snow blowing out of the white tree. What great photos of you and the twins, then and now, and they do seem to have grown somewhat..lol, also love your new Hammy t-shirt. How you must have loved having them to sleepover after all the difficult intervening times..making lots of happy memories. x
Congrats on the GD spot, Darnell, a well-deserved spot for you. Your cards are fabulous, and yes I can easily imagine the magic of the season. Love the two-colored array of trees on both
Sure do love both of these cards! Congrats on being guest designer and having good times with those handsome grandsons! Lucky you.
Your gray and red cards are gorgeous. I love the pop of red on the gray background. It just makes me feel warm and cheerful. I am amazed at how tall your grands have grown. I have a 6-footer myself--and he's only 14! It's so fun to see the amazing young men (and women) they are becoming. Our grands give us hope for the future.
Darnell you've used the red and grey colours to perfection.. the added white brings both cards alive... they are both fabulous... I saw the little red bird too so special... as are your boys.. wow they have grown but how special to have the sleepover - had our two little girls this week as well... great shirt too and congrats on the GD spot, hugs Robyn
Congrats on your DT spot Darnell…love your tree cards…the red, white and grey go so well together your stamp was a great find.
Lovely pictures if you and the boys…Im the same with our grandkids ‘dwarfed’ ’…..loving the new tea shirt.
Anne x
WOW and WOW again to those cards - they are AMAZING - love the white and red on the grey base. Good 'ole Hammy, busy as ever and helping you out. I am impressed with the Tee-shirt - and the size of those grand-twins - they have certainly sprouted the past couple of years!!
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine
Hi Darnell,
Loving the cards.
Cannot believe it is October.
Those boys sure have sprouted:) LOL
Hope you have a good start to the week. Sue
Two gorgeous cards Darnell, I love the embossing on the grey card stock it looks so different. What great fun having your grandsons over for a sleepover (no matter what their age). I love it when my 6 year old granson rings up and says can I come for a sleppover Nanny, I wonder how long it will last, many years I hope.
Sue xx
What a great photo and great the twins come over!
I enjoyed your cards; love how super CAS they are and that you used no white as background! Hugs, Gerrina
Cards are great, Darnell! The photos
are even better!!! xoxoxo Sharon Brand
Beautiful cards, Darnell. I like the use of two eps. Magical indeed. Oh boy! Your grandtwins sure are tall! They've grown up quite a bit! Sniff, sniff. You look proud as punch to be there with them. Cute shirt by the way. I'm so glad they accomodated you and spent some good quality time with you and the Mister. Thanks for sharing. Hugs!
I was just admiring this card over at CAS Christmas when I saw you were the GDT of it and then find another equally fabulous card on your blog. Congrats on the GDT.
Your GSs have grown so much!
What a sweet reflection back on the grands. I love your T-shirt. Hammy must be happy to have had his picture taken to be placed on a shirt for the world to see.
What are y'all feeding the grands? Miraclgrow? Gosh, they do look like young men and I guess they are now. Time is whooshing by. [Bunny]
Congrats on your GDT gig. Love your embossed trees which I might add is very daring on a one layer card. If you have a super secret tip on anti-warping, I'm all ears. You are one lucky grandma to have these handsome boys still want to stay overnight with you. I'm guessing you're a lot of fun. :-)
So happy to see you guesting at CAS Christmas, D! Your cards are beyond gorgeous! Haven't I been singing the praises of grey for years? I'm so happy Marcia chose these colors! Grey + any other color makes me happy!
You look like the sweet filling in a sandwich cookie with these two handsome dudes - so cute!
=]
Congratulations on being guest designer. Your cards are sooooo gorgeous and sooooo classy too! Beautiful colour scheme expertly achieved with the masking and embossing. Love them! Love the photos too - how tall the twins are now and how handsome. Fab tee-shirt you are wearing and the photo of when the twins are young is so cute! Take care. Hugs my friend. xxxxxx
Congrats on guest designing, Darnell. You did a fantastic job with the challenge. Those embossed trees are gorgeous. I have some similar from Deep Red but their site doesn't show those particular stamps. Time really gets away from us when the grands are growing up. My youngest (girl) is already 18 and taller than either of your twins who are such handsome young men. Don't you hate it when they're tall enough to tell you that you have gray hair growing in? Love your Hammy shirt. I bet he does too.
Very clever to use two embossing powders for these Christmas trees, Dolly! Hammy did an awesome job of lining up the sentiments on the first card and the second card is just magical! You look so tiny between Adam and Henry! They have grown so tall and I've delighted in watching them grow on your blog. Hopefully it won't be the last overnight visit for them although after feeding them for a weekend, you are prolly exhausted! xoxo
Fab cards Darnell! Congrats on your GDship. I have my holiday cards cut and ready to start the production line. :) omg! The twins are so handsome and SO tall cuz you can’t be that short! Lots of fun memories for y’all. Hugs, Nan and the Girls
Congrats on the GDT spot, Darnell. The cards are gorgeous... and the boys are growing like weeds! xoxo
Such elegant and beautiful cards! I just got back from a week with the grands. Mine are 2 and 4 and have grown up so much just in that time. I cannot even imagine when they will be like like yours!
Congratulations on the guest spot. And, your Twofers are both so gorgeous! I love CAS and these are fantastic! Have a great October too!
Good Grief! Those boys are going to reach the 6'5" mark soon. They really make you look super tiny, all over. You've been holding out on us...you look so slim. Anyway, the guys look very handsome, don't they.
Loving both your cards...the grey background really enhances that bright red.
The GD card is lovely...that stamp was a great design and the way you nestled those sentiment along the hills is perfection. You also did a terrific job with the VersaMark marker on the second card. Look just like the the red trees are peeking through the branches of the white adorned tree. Beautiful.
Congrats on your GD spot, great designs on your cards for this. My your grandsons are growing fast, how fun to have a sleepover! I hope there are more. My almost 2 year old granddaughter slept over last night, so much fun and I still have a lot to look forward to!
beautiful cards!
Con gratulation Darnell your one in a million your cards are so lovely and so creative you are as a crafter ....wow the boys are really growing how nice to have them sleepover and your 2 yr old too enjoy your time with them it goes so fast take care x
Oh my gosh they have grown into young men. Love the t-shirt.
Congrats on the GD spot and I am loving those gray and red cards. Easy and lovely.
I love the combination of the colors you used in these two cards. Both cards are amazing, the white contrasts beautifully with the gray of the card panel and the red miraculously enlivens the cards. Beautiful inspiration, thank you, Darnell.
Your grandsons are indecently tall. They look like your bodyguards :-)
xx
Oh my, both cards are just gorgeous, you have chosen such a lovely combination of colours, the white is so crisp and beautiful and the red is so striking. You really do make the most beautiful cards my friend!
I love that you got to spend time with the boys and I just love the picture of the three of you. Take care my friend. I will write soon, it takes me ages because I have hurt my wrist but I will try... Big hugs, Annie xxx
Your Xmas cards are beautiful! And your grandsons are sooo handsome! And tall, or are you short? LoL. Either way, enjoy!!
Fantastic twofers, Darnell! The red tree amongst the white trees(s) are so fun and cute. Thank you for being our wonderful guest this month at CAS Christmas.
And oh wow! Henry and Adam are so grown up! That sleepover must have been a total blast… definitely something to cherish.
Love your new Hammy shirt! 👍
Have a great week! Hugs.
Trina 💙
These are beautiful.
I love your color choices for your cards, classy! Your grandkids are good looking young men now! How they've grown! I'm sure that you had a wonderful visit.
Your red and gray Twofers are fantastic Dolly!! Love them both on the gray card stock. It's so wonderful to have you as our Guest Designer this month at CAS Christmas!
Awesome photo of you, Adam and Henry. My they have grown!! You are to teeny, tiny between them. Great photo and a great T-shirt!! So special that they had a sleepover at your place, especially with the limited time you've seen them during Covid. I bet you all had so much fun! :) Love, Lolly
Both are wonderful red & gray CAS Christmas cards, Darnell! I love them! The red and white trees beautifully pop against the gray background, and heat-embossing definitely gave the trees definition.
The interwind branches of the second card look perfect! It was worth the time and effort using your Versamark pen. Hammy did a great job, as always! :-)
Thank you so much for being our GD this month!
You and your grandsons look awesome!! Time flies, doesn't it? You must have a wonderful time with them.
Hideko xx
This is a fabulous card for our red and grey challenge, Darnell. Love the combination of red and white trees. Great idea to put the sentiments under each one of them. Your Twofer is great too - beautiful snow blowing off the white tree!
Love the photo of you with the boys - they sure are tall! Love the hammy t-shirt! And great photo of them when little.
Beautiful cards Darnell and Congrats on being guest designer too!!! I've never thought to have two different color embossing powder on a card. I think I need to dust off my powders and give them a try again.
Two stunning cards Darnell and what handsome boys they are!!! hugs Sue x
I love both these, so beautifully CAS and the vibrant red and grey work really well together with a little extra pop from the white. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing the picture of your boys too, it must be so weird to have them all grown up now xx
Awwwwwwww! Since I saw the boys and you last I can't help but comment on them first. It's amazing how fast young people grow and change. That sounds trite, maybe, but I mean it's truly fascinating, almost surreal. They love their Bama. What a beautiful family. Now, your cards -- works of creativity and fun, for sure! Love, love how you isolated the trees for two different colors, and those sentiments on the first, the overlapped branches on the second card. You had a good play with these! Congratulations on your well deserved guest spot!
Beautiful card Darnell and OMG look at the boys ... how they've grown! Such handsome young men too! I'll have to get a photo of me and my grandson (that is if you can get us both in the same shot) ... I'm 5'2" and he is 6'5" ... he practically has to bend in half to give me a hug LOL. SO happy you finally had some time with them! HUGS
Ooops nearly forgot ... Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Peace On Earth Christmas challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often.
Darlene
PEACE ON EARTH CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE
DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS
Please stop in for a visit!
Oh my goodness!!! They've got soooo big! What a fabulous photo .... love the new Tshirt.
Two gorgeous cards. The red trees look so cool and the white really pops. Great job with the embossing! xx
OH! Darnell, these cards are just gorgeous and inspiration for me to start my Christmas cards? I love the words under the trees and yes! your second card does look magical.
Love how your boys are so tall beside you. You must have missed them so much.
Faith x
Your tree cards are stunning, wow what inspiration they are! Yikes the grands are really growing up into young men! I know my grands are growing up and getting older making ME older lol! Thank you for joining our Peace On Earth challenge!
Diane POE DT {Nellies Nest}
Both cards are so pretty with the embossing on gray c/s. That is a wonderful picture of the three of you. They are so tall and handsome. That shirt is the best! I'm sure Hammy loves it. Those were such fun times when the grands come to craft with grandma. I love that picture and what memories you made with them.
wonderful cards-love the colour of the base card, really makes the red pop and do like how the snow floats in the second (I am giving Xmas cards a miss this year, postage had gone up too much for my little purse strings....but I will send cards through out the year 'just because' instead) Thank you for your kind words on my blog. I hope to see Dad on Sat. He is so very poorly-but now can see one person per day, so we hope to drive down and see him if the hospital will let me go in.....fingers crossed xx And what fun pictures!
Darnell, I'm sorry if I didn't notice before that you shared your card in our Peace on Earth challenge. Thank you!
Thanks for joining us at CAS Christmas as Guest Designer with your wonderful gray and red trees. I'm so impressed with your embossing :)
the grandsons are looking so grown up ♥
I'm now back from my visit to Wales and starting to catch up on my commenting. I had a good time and got most things done XX
Fab cards for your CAS Christmas guest DT slot, Darnell - love both versions of your tree card!! And how fun to have the grandtwins over - my, how they've grown up!!
Many congratulations on guesting Darnell and what two stunners they are....Great masking and a wonderful effect with the two different colours of embossing powders. The colour combination looks so classy and the dark cardstock enhances them further. Thanks for sharing the 'family' photo and what handsome boys they are ....loving the t-shirt too Darnell. Sending hugs x.
What beautiful cards you created for the challenge sis - I LOVE the red/white on the gray! Both sets of trees are lovely and these can be whipped up rather quickly while looking SO impressive! I was going to say the boys look so much alike - DUH quickly remembered they are twins - and you look so tiny between them - how wonderful they condescended to stand along side you (I'm sure they just love their gram and would have done it even without promises of money to come) So nice that they could come and visit you - thanks so much for being our delightful and talented Guest DT this month! xx
Congratulation to the GD and sorry that I'm so late with the visit and comment at your blog. I'm impressed about your interpretation of gray color. Both cards are fabulous. Gray and red are just a perfect color combination. And the "movement" on the second card is very clever done. Thank you for entering first card to our challenge at Vesela hiška. And thank you for sharing new photo with the twins. Nice guys and nice Hammy T-shirt. :-)
Have a great day! Hugs, Sonja
Darnell, love both cards. The Pop of red with the white is so eye catching. CAS beautifully done. Thanks for joining us at Peace on Earth Challenge Blog. We are looking forward to more of your creations.
Kathy
POE DT
So beautiful, Darnell - both of your cards! Amazing. I love the white and red trees. Those grandkids do grow up, don't they? Thanks for sharing the picture. Great shirt, too!
Ah! These cards are eye candy! I would NEVER have thought of using red for a tree, but how brilliant that pop of color is. These are amongst my favorite cards of yours. Impressed.
Love, Love,, Love that red pop of color on the trees. Your cards are both stunning. Oh my, how the grandtwins have grown. They are a pair of handsome boys.
I love the photos - how time flies... I get quite tearful when I remember my 'little' boy. Where did those days go... how I wish I could revisit them.
Two lovely cards Darnell... I am thinking about Christmas cards but that's as far as I've got...
I love your gorgeous grey Christmas cards and I'm so impressed with your embossing Darnell!
Thank you so much for joining the Vesela hiška grey challenge.
Hope to see you again in our new challenge as well.
And congratulation to the GD :)
Hugs, Majda DT
Congrats on the guest designer. Lovely card. Wow your grandsons are really tall lol
Sorry to be late to the party Darnell I could have sworn I'd left a comment when you first posted! Anyway better late than never, I'm leaving one now in my DT capacity for HLS CAS. They are two stunning cards, love the choice of the red and white against the grey, so classy, and well done with the fiddly separation of EPS on the second. Thanks for joining in at HLS CAS. :)
Wonderful cards.
Thank you for joining our challenge at Vesela hiška.
Hugs, Valerija DT
I'm very late as we are nearly at the end of the month now. No that's not right. 3/4 through. Anyway I love the idea of stamping white on grey with that splash of red, brilliant. Your cards are perfectly simple and beautiful. I need to get on with mine so thanks for the inspiration. Hope all is well and you are had fun with the Very Tall Ones. x
Love the pictures with the boys! Can't believe how much they've changed! Cute t-shirt, too. I just got one that says "Dogs make me happy. Humans make my head hurt." Absolutely love your red & gray cards, Darnell! I have the PB stamp--need to use it!
Hi Darnell ! What a beautiful Festive cards in grey. Peace, love and joy is all we need. Your boys are lovely and in how much you love them. Wishing you all the best. Thanks for visit our Challenge at Vesela hiška. Hugs, Veana R.DT
Oh my, Your grandsons are so handsome. How much fun to have them stay over with you ~ love the photo.
Two great cards, the red and white embossed trees are beautiful on the grey CS.
Beautiful!! Thanks so much for participating in our CHRISTMAS CRAFTS ALL YEAR ROUND challenge!!! Can’t wait to see you participate again in our next challenge!! Have a happy crafting day!! Stay safe and healthy!!
*Sorry for being so late commenting but please know that I have checked out your project and appreciate you entering my challenge!!!
Deanne at A Little Bit O’ Paper
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