Hello Stamplings!
Happy New Year! I'm still alive and kicking! In fact, I'm well-rested and a fatted calf, just like one should be after a wonderful holiday! We had a terrific Christmas and then a long vacation in Hawaii. Lots of photos below, if you're interested ...or not!🥱
It took me a while to get settled and think about making a card and blogging again. The longer I am away, the harder it is to get back into a routine. Or I'm just old now. I ended up deciding that this year my primary goal will be to use NBUS on every card and enter them in my NBUS Challenge. It's where I challenge you ~ and myself ~ to use all the schtuff we accumulate ... or "stockpile" as my friend JP calls it, which is a perfect visual!
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My card came about with the help of several other challenges. The "corduroy" lime card base is made from paper I've had since the last century and I'm happy to see it shine in this clean and simple card sketch. The die is NBUS from Alexandra Renke called, "Hazelnut Branch Set." The gold sediment strip is from Memory Box.
Freshly Made Sketches, Color Hues, and NBUS.
Holiday Photos
We started out in Maui taking the Road to Hana and spending time with Dan, Rachel, Adam, and Henry. It was a blessing to spend those days together before the lads went back to college. We were off the grid and without television! Bliss!
From there, The Mister and I flew over to Kauai to spend a few days with our long-time friends Susan and Jeff in their beautiful condo. They were terrific hosts as we toured all the beautiful sites of this scenic island. And we saw whales!
Well done for making it through! Aren't you relieved that I cut out half of the collages I made from hundreds of photos?!
In Other News . . .
We came home to a stack of Christmas card mail, which extended the holiday. Thank you all for your beautiful cards!
Sadly, I got the unhappy news of the deaths of two of my bloggie friends. Many of you might remember the talented Cornelia Wenokor (Fun Stamping). Together we produced a short blog series called, "The Back Stories." Cornelia would make one of her fun cards and then I would create a story to fit it. My other friend Mamie did not have a blog. Both will be greatly missed.
We also came home to news of the horrific fires in southern California. It was heart-wrenching and scary to watch on television. Thank you for any way you are contributing to the aid relief.
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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. I'm sending extra squishy warm hugs to those of you dealing with the Arctic Blast!🥶
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'm sending extra squishy warm hugs to those of you dealing with the Arctic Blast!🥶
If you followed my I.D.E.A.S. schedule last year, I wanted to let you know I'm going to use it again this year whenever I can. I found it to be a huge help with keeping me creating on the regular, so the weeks didn't slip through my hands.
*Life is too short!
50 comments:
Wow! Looks like you had an amazing time in Hawaii and a fabulous vacation. It is hard to get back to Card making when you’ve been gone for a while. Been there done that - welcome back. Good goal for 2025 to use NBUS that seems to be the trend all throughout blog land for 2025. I was shocked to read about Cornelia. I had not heard that news. 😞
What a delightful CAS card, Darnell! I can see why you've held onto that lime paper, it is fabulous with the texture it adds! Well done with all the challenges and I'm glad you had a relaxing and enjoyable vacation. Thanks so much for taking time to join us over at Color Hues!
Such a bright vibrant card! Love it! Looks like a wonderful trip! And definitely hard to lose special crafty friends….hugs…
A NBUS and something from the stash is a perfect combination for this bright and pretty card, Dolly! Thanks for sharing the photos! It looks like a wonderful vacation spot. What a lot of beauty there! I'm glad you are safely home and settling in. The boys look so grown up with all that facial hair! Very handsome guys to go with two beautiful ladies!
Looks like you had a fantastic time over the holidays!
Welcome back!
Oh, great card too! Love the lime green!
Beautiful card to start of the new year, Dolly! LOVE your lime background ... the blue die-cuts just shine against it! And such wonderful photos of your vacation ... those grandsons are grown up!! :) Looks like you all had a fantasic time and the weather was great. The photos are amazing ... especially love the collage of Dan and Rachel. And a great time with your friends Susan and Jeff. I have to say that you and Susan look like sisters!! :) Condolences on the lose of your two friends, Dolly. It's so sad. And the fires are scary and still are going. I know that there is lots of help from around the world and I hope they are able to get everything under control soon. Sending love and hugs, Lolly
Welcome back after your lovely holiday and thanks for sharing some of your photos of beautiful places
So happy to have you back! Loved seeing your photos, not jealous at all! 😂. I’ve been very naughty forgetting to enter my nbus, but I have got lots to share. Glad to hear Hammy and Stanley are well too 😍 xxx
Welcome home and welcome to the gallery at Color Hues too. You look to have had a great time on your travels but what sad news about your friends. Shocked and saddened to hear about Cornelia, I hadn't heard of her passing, :(
Happy New Year Darnell so pleased you had a wonderful time away and meeting friends too the photos are amazing sorry to learn you lost two blogging friends for many bloggers on here leant of it also, your card is adorable l love the card used the green card is stunning and the dies so beautifully put together xx
A lovely card Darnell and your vacation photos look like you had a great time. It's a shame you had to return to such sad news.
Thank you for your comment on my blog and I'm glad you liked Rudolph!
Kath x
Welcome home Darnell and I am so glad you have not been affected by the fires...oh so terrible. I am also sorry to hear your sad news, although I didn't know these people receiving this kind of news about friends is very sad and thought provoking.
Your card is sweet and simple but striking with that wonderful lime green and navy. Two colours i rarely use together I have to say...thanks for the nudge in that direction. Finally thanks for sharing wonderful pics of your break...glad you are well rested.
Yes hard to get back into crafting after time away, but I am sure you will xx
Glad to have you back and ready to do some crafting. Your vacation looks fabulous. So sorry to hear of the loss of some friends. I am happy to see you join with us at Seize the Birthday Challenge
Happy New Year, Darnell. I'm happy you had a wonderful and beautiful break and equally happy you are getting back into making the cards. Love it!
Welcome home and Happy New Year, D! You've started your card-making year out with such a gorgeous pop of color!
I have always wanted to visit Hawaii - maybe in my next life? I'm still in shock over Cornelia.
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What a great CAS card, Darnell! Your pictures are fantastic - so beautiful. Sorry about the deaths of your friends. But, I'm happy to hear that Hammy and Stanley are doing so well!
Love the lime and navy combo. Kudos for using your NBUS this year, and if you should run out of NBUS (like never) it is a good excuse to buy more. What a great trip you had. We visited Maui and Kuai a few years ago. That trip to Hana was very senic but a bit hair raising in a few places.
Such a delightful CAS design, Darnell and a great start to getting your mojo moving again. I love your photos and am pleased that you had such a wonderful trip. Those boys get more hadsome each time I see them. Hope you are well.
Hugs
Carol x
Was thinking of you when I watched the devastating fires in CA on the news, but I’m thrilled that my concern was unfounded. Looks like an amazing holiday/vacation. Welcome back! Cute card to start off your 2025 goal. I have a similar goal to not buy more… and looking at my stash, I don’t think I’m going to be buying ever again. 😂
Hugs, Trina 💙
Happy New Year. Your card is beautiful, the bright blue die cuts make a lovely contrast against the background.
It looks like you had an amazing holiday, thanks for sharing the photos. Hawaii is still on my wish list of places to visit.... perhaps one day!
So sad to see all the devastation caused by the wildfires in California. Thinking of all those affected.
Liz xx
Happy New Year! It sure looks like you have had a fabulous start. The card is simply perfect - thanks so much for playing along with us at FMS, Darnell.
Welcome back, how lovely to hear from you. I am so glad you have enjoyed so much lovely family and friend time and have had a wonderful holiday too. thanks for sharing the photos. Love your simple CAS card and to see your sunny Californian sky. We have been horrified by the fires. I am so sorry to hear about Cornelia too. I shall miss her quirky cards xx
So glad you had a lovely vacation. The pictures are wonderful. I'm loving the stylish simplicity of your card today. And the two greens remind me of spring. It won't get above zero here today, so thinking of spring is helping to keep me warm.
Happy New Year. Good to see and hear you had a wonderful holiday.
um my NBUS certainly could do with some love! I haven't been sharing my creations and very few of them have been in paper. I have been concentrating on reducing my stash of fabric and yarn!
Welcome back, Darnell! Cute card today. My goodness, how the twins have sprouted up! Looks like an amazing trip. We hope to go one day!
Looks like you had a wonderful vacation! And your card is lovely! Looking forward to seeing your NBUS!
So glad you had such a wonderful time on your vacation and got to enjoy the boys and their parents along the way. They grow up so fast. Your card works great for all those challenges but I can't believe you have enough NBUS to only use it for cards this year.
I know I haven't kept in contact with some blog friends and I was shocked to hear about Cornelia. I loved her Katzelkraft cards and remember when you two did the series.
Hi Darnell, nice to see you back, looks like a wonderful holiday and love Hammy on the go too. Love the green card with the corduroy finish and the blue die cuts. My personal challenge is to use up my scraps, which is also a never-ending pile... Have a wonderful week... Megan
Fabulous pictures! How wonderful to spend so much time with the family in paradise! Love your card too, the colors are great together!
Love your thinking on using NBUS every time! My stockpile is growing in December and January because of holiday and BD presents... so after that period I feel 'stocked-up' for a good part of the Spring. In Summer I look for things I have put on my wish list and stil really want, Summer is most a non-buying period and I have enough for Christmas and winter, so the buying isn't huge. I find myself putting things on a wish list and thinking about it for a while before I decide...
Love the fresh colors of the card!
And I will miss Cornelia for her fun and bright cards and fine comments...
A big crafty hug, Gerrina
I'm green with envy (hence it's very appropriate that the card you posted was mostly green) seeing the photos of the sunshine and blue skies in Hawaii - looks like a blissful holiday. Glad to know you're home safe and sound (likewise Hammy and Stanley) and back to blogging - a fabulous CAS card for the first one of 2025!
So pleased that you had a wonderful holiday Darnell and the photos are fabulous. Now on to your beautiful card...I love that lime green ribbed card as the backdrop to your pretty die cut leaves and acorns and perfect in the bright indigo blue colour which contrasts brilliantly with the green. I don't know if you want to keep putting up cards on the I.D.E.A.S. Pinterest board, but I did enjoy being part of it for the same reason as you as it makes me keep making regularly even when I don't need cards for upcoming birthdays. Since Christmas my mojo has definitely not been at it's best...lol. x
Wow! Fabulous photos; and what a wonderful way to begin a new year. I certainly relate to the difficulty getting back into crafting. It happens to me even after a short vacation. Everything seems more overwhelming than usual. Your navy and lime entry to our Color Hues Challenge is fresh and delightfully CAS. We're always happy to see you in the gallery!
Welcome back! It looks and sounds as though you had a
terrific time! Your card is splendid and simple, made with
two super colours!
Welcome back, Darnell! I'm glad to hear you had such a lovely time away with family and friends. I know how rejuvenating it is. I love seeing the photos and appreciate your sharing them. Sad to come home to such news, though. It hits hard. Your card is a wonderful use of the sketch and colors, and what pretty dies those are! I like your resolve to focus on your NBUS. It's funny to hear the term "stockpiling" because I've always felt my excess originally came from the intentional plan/need/desire to stockpile years ago when financial hard times were looming. The hard times never materialized, but the stockpile continued to grow.
Dang woman! You played in all three of my DT challenge gigs with this fabulous card!!! It's beautifully CAS. Your trip looks amazing. I am deeply sorry to hear about the loss of your friends. Thanks so much for linking to Seize the Birthday, Color Hues and the Snarky Sisterhood. Watch out 'cause I have lots more NBUS heading your way soon. LOL!
Your pics are fabulous Darnell, looks like you had a wonderful trip with family too which is even better. Sorry to hear of the loss of your friends and I hadn't heard about Cornelia! Great CAS card meeting all of those challenges, love the lime and navy together. Thankyou for playing along at Seize the Birthday too, Cathy x
This is such a pretty card! I love the green and blue together! Your trip looks amazing! I recognized a lot of those Kauai landmarks! It's such a beautiful island! So sorry to hear about the loss of your two friends. Thanks for joining us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!
Welcome back, Darnell! Glad you had an amazing break and such an awesome vacation "on the islands". Maybe next time you'll take me?! Great card for your re-debut, the colors are perfect for a return from the blue oceans and green palms -- can't wait for more!
So glad to see you back and that you have been enjoying life - I was beginning to wonder what was happening. What a marvelous trip you have all had, and I am sure the 'boys' will soon be back in the playhouse with you, all refreshed and ready to go too!!
A fabulous card to celebrate your return. I guess I had better get back to blogging again. Crafting has also recommenced, but I even took time off card making for 6-8 weeks!... I have got my lace bobbins and pillows out again (they have been packed away for five years or more), so it's all go here, when you include the garden as well....
Looking forward to your next post
Blessings
Maxine
Hello sweet friend, wonderful bright card and what a super holiday you had. Very sad news on returning-I got a letter from Cornelia’s family and was very touched by their kindness as we were meant to meet up-I will miss her greatly. I have not made a card in years now but walking is now becoming harder so who knows….but not inspired to date! Sending hugs xx
Great to see you back to blogging, Darnell, and Happy New Year!! Wonderful take on the sketch w/your bday card & I love all your trip photos - looks like you had a wonderful time!!
We all buy too much and some of it never sees the light of day, the question which goes through my mind is - What was I going to do with that stamp????
Your holiday sounds wonderful, great time with family and friends.
I was so sad to hear about your blogging friends, I always love Cornelia's posts. She was so creative ♥
Great hols!
We are so pleased that you chose to share your lovely creation with us at Cut It Up!
We look forward to seeing you again in the near future!
Warm wishes,
Jackie DT,
Cut It Up Design Team.
Darnell, the card is beautiful and the pix even more so! Happy New Year! xoxo
Welcome back dearest Darnell! I've missed you and no doubt loads of others have as well. Re. NBUS, do you every worry that sometimes you only use one lovely stamp or die cut the once then file it away? I sure do!!
I love your card - the lime green is sure to stand out in a crowd.
Your holiday sounds fabulous and wonderful photos as well! So very sad about Cornelia, she used to play with us a few years ago on the Playground swings. That's three within the past month for me. Deffo. something to do with age!
Will be in touch - been thinking of you a lot these past few days.
Lots of love, Di xxx
Glad you had a great holiday and vacation. Sorry for the loss of your friends. Good for you doing your own NBUS. Nice that it went along with this months Sisterhood challenge.
A very beautiful card and a fabulous vacation.
Happy Happy New Year and all the best for 2025!
Looks like a lovely time was had in Hawaii (jealous of the warm and sunshine!!)
Thanks for breaking out your NBUS to play along with Edna and the sisterhood of snarky stampers!
I'm having a chance to catch up on blogs and even time to go back a bit. I'm so happy I did, otherwise I would have missed out on your wonderful holiday piccies. Whales too. WOW! I love the lime green and navy on your beautiful card. x
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