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!

October 7, 2024

Getting All Seasonal I

Hello Stamplings!

I hope you are doing well and enjoying your crafty self! 

We are entering the Frenzy Zone of card-making, especially in the u. s. of a. where we celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in a matter of days. And Thanksgiving is late this year, arriving on November 28. But we get 'er done every year.👻🦃🎄

This week my I.D.E.A.S. schedule features Ink/Color Mediums:

Onefer
First up is a fall sunflower birthday card I made for a very special friend. My little helpers winked the entire flower and leaves, but this time they let me add the schplatters in dark brown to match the sediment from GKW. The sunflower is from Technique Tuesday.

Twofer
Next, we switched over to Halloween. The creepy spider die is from Memory Box. The leaf wreath is a NBUS stencil from Altenew which I thought would be fun colored in Halloween colors. I think the sediment is from SU.

I used my watercolor pencils to color through the stencil and then, after removing the stencil, I lightly brushed the leaves with my water brush and added the veins with a micro black pen. I used my gray Ziggie to add outline dementia. The card was embossed with the Subtle e/f from SU and lightly sprinkled with some diluted black gouache.

Threefer
To finish the seasons, and because it's addicting, I made another wreath with the Altenew stencils, this time for Christmas. I blended with my Catherine Pooler inks in one of my favorite color combos. The leaf veins were added with a stamp from the companion stamp set. After coloring, I again used the Subtle e/f. The layered Joy sediment is from Memory Box.

Cheeky Humor

A couple goes to an art gallery and come upon a painting of a nearly nude woman with her private bits covered with leaves.

The wife doesn't like it and moves on, but the husband keeps looking.

"What are you waiting for?" the wife asks.

The husband replies, "Autumn."

~~~

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! 

*Life is too short!
Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More: Birthday. (sunflower)
Color Hues: Purple and orange. (spider)
Four Seasons: A/G Fall. (sunflower)
Memory Box: Happy Haunting. (spider)
NBUS: Wreath stencil.
Stencil Fun: Anything Halloween. (spider)




38 comments:

Julie B said...

You are back with a bang with these three cards Darnell! Love the subtleties you've achieved with the purple and orange leaves, so pretty. Your spider is fab too, I'm sure I've come across a cousin of his in the greenhouse!! Thanks for using my Color Hues colours so beautifully. :)

Aquarius said...

Three super seasonal cards and I love your humorous story 🤣

Carole said...

Three fabulous cards Darnell. My favourite is the blue/green wreath...love the colours and it does bring Joy just by looking at it.

Em Louise Fairley said...

Gorgeous cards, as always, Darnell. Thanks for the giggle, too!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Three fabulous cards, Darnell - just love the winked sunflower on card one, the creepy spider among the leaves on card two and the layered joy in the stenciled wreath on card three!! Thanks for the IDEAS inspiration!!

Bonnie said...

This is such a pretty sunflower and sure to bring joy to your special friend, Dolly! That GIANT spider is scary and fits perfectly in the Halloween wreath. Eek! I love the colors in the Christmas wreath. So refreshing!

designbydonna said...

These are all pretty cards. As I am a sunflower lover, I really like that big sunflower. That stencil did turn out to be very versatile. I would never have thought to make a Halloween colored wreath. Love your chuckle.

Brenda in IN said...

I love that sparkly sunflower card! It just shines. That Halloween wreath colored in those colors is awesome and a great idea. That stencil is so versatile and the Christmas wreath is beautiful. Love the joke!

Liz said...

Three super cards, Darnell. I especially love the sunflower (no surprise there 🤣). I love the colours you’ve used with the wreath stencil on the other two cards.
Liz xx

brandco2450@gmail.com said...

Just love these cards! Your inky playing turned out beautifully!

Lisa Elton said...

That special friend is going to love your pretty sunflower, I sure do! Those pretty purple and orange leaves of yours make that big spider a little less creepy! Your Christmas version of those leaves is terrific too!

I Card Everyone said...

Any ol' friend with an Autumn birthday would be overjoyed to receive that gorgeous sunflower, D!
It's easy to see how addictive that stencil would be - your additions of detail have really added a world of dimension, my friend! WOW!
Thanks for the giggle!
=]

Sandra H said...

All 3 of your seasonal cards are amazing Darnell beautiful colours used too, lol with your story x

HilaryJane said...

Great cards Darnell. My fav is the first one. Those splatters are brilliant xx

Epie said...

Wondefull cards Darnell , my favo is number 3 , so colorful
Nice evening Epie ......

Jeanne H said...

I too love all your cards, but the Christmas wreath is my favorite. tfs Sending a hug to you.

Loll said...

You've been busy!! Great to see you make lots of cards ... hope that means that you are feeling great! LOVE the first card with the beautiful sunflower. Very sweet image and wonderful watercolouring!! Love both your leafy wreaths. So great to be able to use the for different occasions. LOVE the colour for your Halloween wreath --- so bold and beautiful. Gorgeous Joy wreath to finish out your cards. I've just posted to join you for another great IDEAS challenge! Love, Lolly

Cheryl W. said...

Wow! You've created a bevy of beauties for this post! I love the wreath, the colors you used and the subtle embossing. And the sunflower just makes me smile, but it also makes me a little sad because it is Ukraine's national flower (and they continue to suffer). Let there be peace on earth...

Donna said...

Great collection of cards Darnell, you covered all the upcoming occasions. This stencil looks like it has a lot of uses, you're tempting me!

Carol L said...

Loving all three of these purty cards, and especially like that fun spider within the Halloween colored wreath! Very creative and seasonal. Cute story too LOL

Leslie Miller said...

I always read to the end and then you leave me with a side splitter! Hahahaha! I sure do love all these cards! A fabulous showing today, Darnell! From autumn birthday to Halloween to Christmas, you've got it covered. The spider is one great big spook-a-palooza in the gorgeous wreath. The spiders do get extra large in the fall. Glad we're on a spray schedule. The Christmas wreath is so soft and lovely. That's really a pretty stencil!

kiwimeskreations said...

Fabulous cards Darnell, and great to have 'the boys' helping you - at least I assume you find them a great help, amongst the shenanigans.
The sunflower one is really rather stunning, the halloween a little bit scary with the big, bold spider, and the Christmas one simply gorgeous
Blessings
Maxine

JulieP said...

Wonderful cards Darnell!!!! I love how you turned that beautiful wreath into Halloween. Thanks so much for playing along with us at Color Hues!

Bobby said...

I'm way behind on my card making so I'd better take your lead and make one for each holiday at a time, Darnell. That wreath is wonderful and looks great in both color ways.

Susan said...

A fabulous three-fer to get through the three holidays you Americans jam so close together!! Love your sunflower - a perfect autumnal card! And the spider one is suitably creepy! My favourite is the Christmas one - great non-traditional colours!

Robyn Oliver said...

hahaha love the joke - just typical . Anyway Darnell I love your cards this week... that's a great stencil and you made it shine with both cards and sunflowers always make me smile... so well done with your Happy Day card. Have a fantastic week, hugs Robyn

Trina P. said...

Wonderful trio of seasonal makes. Great splattering on the sunflower card and stencilling on the other two. Hugs and happy fall celebrations! .

Julia Aston said...

Three splediferous designs sis! What a beautiful sunflower front and center with spiffy splatterying! And the two leafy wreath cards are so opposite in colors but equal in their wonderfulness! xx

TK said...

Three wonderful cards, Darnell! Love the sunflower (of course), definitely enjoyed the unexpected Halloween wreath but am in awe of your favorite color blend wreath - wow!

Stef Perry said...

I always know it's going to be a treat when I visit your blog, Darnell, and you definitely had some beautiful cards to share! The Halloween one is a great way to get more from that wreath and it looks so pretty, even with the creepy spider hanging from it! And thank you for the cheeky humor, it made me laugh! Thanks so much for playing along over at Color Hues!

Karen Letchworth said...

Nice basic cards. Thank you for sharing with us at The Four Seasons Challenge.

Di said...

Three super cards Darnell! I love 'em all - although the final 'Joy' one is IMHO the loveliest. That colour combo is divine. Lovely work - as always my friend!
Hugs
Di xx

Karen said...

I've been away, so I'm late to your party--but it's certainly a fun one! I love the way you made a Halloween card and a holiday card with the same wreath! Genius--as usual. Thanks for sharing with us at Color Hues!

Pat said...

Such a gorgeous sunflower and I love this technique of inking up the stamp with the different colours which is so pretty Darnell, and love the splatters to match the sentiment. I love the strong look of the stencilled leaves for this Halloween card using watercolour pencils and a large rather creepy die cut spider hanging from it, and the third with a different way of using the leafy wreath for Christmas in such beautiful colours with the yellow, green and blue, and the two tone joy looks great placed in the centre. I have again belatedly got a card for your Week 1: Inks/Colour Mediums. Will definitely be quicker with the next one. x

Sheri Gilson said...

Wonderful cards! Love the fun Halloween card you created with this weeks colors! Thank you so much for playing along with us over at the Color Hues Challenge!

Fiona said...

Lovely cards Darnell - I especially like that gorgeous sunflower - thanks for sharing with us at ATSM

frommycraftroom said...

More fab cards! Love the colours of the "joy" card.

Autumn!! :)

foleysfriend said...

That sunflower is gorgeous. I love the watercolor-effect and the splatters. Thanks for joining us at Addicted to Stamps and More!

sue n.