Grammy's Attic: May 2023

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Autumn Deer

It's time for another challenge at FarmQuest and that means another "farm country" card with a theme. This time the theme is "Deer." Pretty hard to find deer without finding 'country' (unless they are in the zoo) but I loved this clip art image which has a farm feel with the old, faded barn in the background

I printed the image in grayscale, then used water color pencils, blended with gamsol, to color it. The white highlights were made with a white, polychromos pencil, left unblended. I cut the image with a die from Tonic Studios, and the white frame with the printed sentiment was cut with a QuicKutz die. I used my "Linen" embossing folder on the gold CS I chose for the card front to give it all some texture.

Challenges:

(links to be added when I return home after the Memorial Day weekend)

I really think I'm reacting to the unusual 'summer-feeling' weather we've been having when the calendar keeps telling me it's still spring. Maybe I'm hoping to jump right past summer (which is always miserably hot in my part of the world and I dislike heat more than anything) and into fall. At least, I was thinking about the crisp evenings at dusk which come with fall weather when I chose the colors for this image. Sigh... fingers crossed the air conditioning is affordable for the next four or five months.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Friday, May 26, 2023

The Gardener's Birthday

Another Friday, another challenge at Crafty Catz. We always have "Anything Goes" as our theme but we also offer you an OPTIONAL twist if you choose to use it. This week, the twist is "Add Some Flowers." Our lovely sponsor is The Paper Shelter and they generously provided images for the DT to use. This one is called "The Sweet Gardener." They are offering a delightful prize of 3 digital images!

I reversed the image before printing it, then colored it with Sanjoki markers and gel pens. I cut it with a die from QuicKutz. I cut some small flowers with an X-Cut die (over doing the add some flowers twist!) and the butterflies were cut with a Memory Box die. The background dp is from Recollections. The sentiment was printed and fussy cut.

Challenges:

(links for these will be added later)

I hope you're going to come play with us this week. We love being inspired by you. Also, on this Memorial Day weekend, if you see a veteran or know one, be sure to thank them for their service. They have given so much for so many.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Panda Birthday, II

Here's the second birthday card featuring a Panda for the birthday party shared between my SIL and her granddaughter, as I promised you yesterday. This is the one for my SIL.

Again, I started with a pre-colored, clip art image which I cut with a Tonic Studios die, and matted it in white. The plaid dp came from a Lawn Fawn stack and the bow is one of my hand-sewn, signature bows, dyed with a ProMarker and with a pearl sewn on.

There is an outside sentiment which I printed myself, and an inside sentiment which ties in with the outside sentiment. It came from Beccy's Place and I know my sister-in-law will love it! :-D

Challenges:

Worldwide Crafters ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, May 22, 2023

Panda Birthday

My sister-in-law and her granddaughter have birthdays this week and they will be celebrating them together. My niece (SIL's daughter and granddaughter's mother) decided on a theme of panda bears. While she and my daughter are working madly on decorations for the party, including making "bamboo" out of pool noodles and card stock leaves, I got started on birthday cards for each of them, and, yes, I did stick with the theme. :-D Today I'm sharing the one I made for my grandniece and will share the one for my SIL tomorrow.

I searched for clip art, panda images, preferably pre-colored to save time, and found two which I thought really worked well together. I had to check with my niece to ascertain her daughter's favorite color and it turns out it's the same as my own favorite, PURPLE ! How delightful that it worked so well with the image I had chosen.

I embossed a scrap of CS and found another scrap, this time of dp, in the basket, using them to make the background. The card was cut with a Tonic Studios die, then matted in white. The sentiment came from Beccy's Place. I finished the card by adding flowers and gems from Petaloo.

Challenges:

A Perfect Time ...

I hope you'll stop by tomorrow to see the card for my SIL. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Friday, May 19, 2023

Crazy Island

With our strange weather (high 90 degree F days already and for several days in a row - what happened to Spring???), the OPTIONAL theme of our challenge at Crafty Catz this week is perfect - "Summer." Of curse, we're always an Anything Goes challenge but we give you a fun optional topic if you want to use it.

Our sponsor for this challenge is Mirtillamente and the image I used is called "Crazy Island." They are offering a prize of 2 images of your choice from their store.

I colored the image with Sanjoki markers and highlights were done with a white gel pen. I cut the image with a stitched, scalloped die from Memory Box. The square frame was cut with a die from Lawn Fawn. I thought the two different stitched dies worked well together and I like the opposition of a circle and a square.

The background 'denim' dp is a scrap from a Recollections stack and the flowers came from Petaloo.

Challenges:

Lil Patch of ...

Come play along with us this week. You could be the winner! Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Butterfly Princess

Another day to celebrate spring butterflies (even though we're still stuck in the high 90s F for our weather) and this time I used a beautiful image from Conie Fong called "Butterfly Princess." I decided on a sweetly feminine color palette of mostly pink.

The image was printed onto textured, water color paper and colored with water colors and a very thin paint brush. Even the sentiment was done with a brush and water color. I cut the image with one of my oldest Spellbinders dies, embossing the edges as I ran it through the Caliber machine. The background dp is from Stampin' Up and the lace came from my stash. I finished it with one of my signature bows, hand-sewn with a pearl, and 'dyed' with a ProMarker.

Challenges:

2 Sisters ...

Ally's Angels

Crafts Galore ...

Creations in Pink

Die Cut Divas (bottom row)

Worldwide Crafters ...

Don't forget that we have a monthly challenge running over on the Conie Fong FB site, and you still have plenty of time to color up a Conie Fong image and get something entered.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Butterfly Birthday

The other day I made a card with a butterfly gem on it and, as I was photographing that card, a butterfly landed momentarily on my windowpane. That reminded me that despite the really hot weather we're having this week (including 1 official day over 100 degree F!), it is still a month before spring turns into summer and I wanted to use a few more butterflies before spring was gone.

I dug through my stash of cutting dies and came up with this die set from Brutus Monroe - relatively new but so far unused. I decided then and there on a card with all die cuts and no stamping of any kind. I went and checked on the theme options at The Butterfly Challenge. What I love most about that challenge is that there are always lots of options, including colors, a theme, and a different card fold. This time, I've used all 4 of the color options (plum, persimmon, pistachio, & pink), plus the theme (Pearls), plus butterflies, although I skipped the fancy card fold.

All the papers and CS came from my scrap basket. The pink dp for the first butterfly came from Stampin' Up, and the pistachio CS for the second butterfly was from Recollections. I ran it through my 'Linen' EF before cutting it with the dies. The butterflies themselves were cut from a plum CS scrap. The sentiment was also part of the Brutus Monroe die set.

The persimmon paper is a scrap from a Lawn Fawn stack, the back side of a dp with leaves but for this card, I preferred the solid side. I added a row of small pearls to each butterfly body and then used 3 larger pearls at the top of the persimmon strip. My final touch was to hand tie a bow using stitched, grosgrain ribbon. Quite a lot done for such a CAS card with lots of white space.

I based this on the sketch from There's a Stamp for That.

Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz No Stamps

Outlawz SAR ("Butterfly and bug")

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds

Have yourself a wonderful spring day. Unfortunately, we're set for another hot, hot, HOT day in my part of the country, but maybe our weather will cool down again before summer actually arrives. The weather forecasters say we might be back in the low 80s for a short while in another 10 days or so. I'm hoping they're right!

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, May 15, 2023

First Edition

I'm sharing an image today that's new to me, and it came from Beccy's Place. The set is called "Book Lovers" and I merged one of the sentiments from the set with this particular image to turn it into a birthday card.

I colored the image using my Sanjoki markers, added a few highlights with gel pens, then cut it with a square die from QuicKutz. I trimmed each of the corners to make it an uneven, octagon shape. I inked the edges with an ink pad. The background CS was embossed twice; first with my 'Linen' EF, then with a dandelion folder by Darice. My final touch was the gemstone butterfly, which has been in my stash for ages. In fact, everything, including the embossing folders, came from my stash.

Challenges:

Butterfly (pink, persimmon, plum, pistachio)

Can You Handle ...?

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Blue Shelf

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Today I want to share the last Mother's Day card I made this year and it may be one of my favorites. I love the blue monochrome and the homey feel of the shelf. This would have been happy living in my mom's house and she would have loved it, especially all the different flowers in pots and baskets. :-D

This was a clip art image which I printed in grayscale, then colored with pale blue Copic markers. I fussy cut the image and ran it through my Cuttlebug using my 'Linen' EF. The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die. I added half inch wide, sheer ribbon and used it to also tie a triple loop bow using my bow maker. The background dp came from a DCWV stack.

Challenges:

As You Like It (spring over summer because I love using spring flowers and pastel colors)

Can You Handle ...

Lil Patch of ...

Enjoy what's left of your weekend and, if you still have your mom, do something special for her. :-D

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Puddle Jumping

A new challenge is starting over at FarmQuest and our theme this time is "Rain Gear." Of course, it must always have that farm/country feel to it. As soon as I read the theme, I knew it was time to dig out one of my House Mouse stamps. I adore this stamp and will find any excuse to use it, including "Don't rain on my parade" days. :-D

This time, I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a stitched die from Cuts. The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die. The sky blue CS I used for the background was embossed with my Linen folder before attaching it to the card front, just for a touch of texture. I grabbed one of my white, hand-sewn, signature bows from the stash, 'dyed' it with a marker, and added a sequin before gluing it to the card.

Pretty CAS, plus nice and flat for mailing.

Challenges:

Can You Handle ...

Simon Says (Rainy Days and Mondays)

That's it for FarmQuest this fortnight. Come play with us, won't you? Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Friday, May 12, 2023

May Flowers

It's Friday and you know what that means - another new challenge at Crafty Catz! Our theme is always "Anything Goes" but we also offer an OPTIONAL twist if you choose to use it. The twist this week is "Use Ribbon, Lace, or Twine." Our sponsor is the delightful All Dressed Up and they generously provided us with images to use. I decided on "Watering Time" but reversed the image before printing it.

I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with an Unbranded die. That frame is so delicate, I think it looks like lace. :-D The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, deliberately set on an angle. The background paper came from the scrap basket and I think it was originally in a Lawn Fawn stack. Finally, I wrapped sheer ribbon around the front of the card and tied a triple-loop bow with it, using my bow maker.

Challenges:

Crafty Gals ...

Worldwide ...

Won't you come play along in our challenge this week? If you don't want to fuss with ribbon or lace or twine, feel free to just enter under the Anything Goes theme. Who knows, you just might win digis from All Dressed Up. :-D

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Kitchen Curator

This card has one of those images which I exchanged at a group or which was sent to me by someone and, unfortunately, I have nothing telling me the artist's name. There's a notation on the back (not my handwriting) which says, "Mrs Beat Em" and I take that to be the name of the stamp. Whether it is or not, it's a great title!

I'm sending this card to one of my granddaughters-in-law for her Mother's Day card. I think she'll get a giggle out of it.

I colored the image with my Sanjoki markers, and cut it with a scalloped Sizzix die. The round frame was cut with a QuicKutz die and I cut it from some chunky glitter paper from a DCWV stack. The dp is from Paper House and the sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die. No embellishments because I wanted it flat for mailing, besides which the glitter paper was embellishment enough. :-D

Challenges:

Wishing you all a wonderful day and Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, May 8, 2023

The Duchess

My card today features one of my favorite roses, the Duchess. I remember my mother had one of these bushes in her rose garden when I was a young child. It was such a delicate pink with a hint of lavender and white edges on the petals. I used this for a Mother's Day card in honor of my mom who's been gone for more than 30 years now.

I used my Sanjoki markers to color the rose and leaves, then cut the image with a stitched die from CUTplorations. The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die. The background paper came from a Paper House stack. I added 3 rows of tiny gems along the right side and added one gem to the center of the rose. It just didn't need any further embellishment. :-D

Challenges:

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Seashell Rosealea

I'm delighted to share with you the latest image from Conie Fong. She's called Seashell Rosealea and she's in the shop and on sale right now! Don't forget we have a challenge going on and all you have to do is use a Conie Fong image and enter it via our FB page. You could win gorgeous Conie Fong images. Never had a Conie Fong image before? There are freebies on the site which you can use to enter a project. :-D

I used Sanjoki alcohol markers to color the image, then I cut it with an octagon die from QuicKutz. The sentiment was printed and cut with a smaller octagon die, then mounted behind the image. The background dp is from a Recollections stack and the bow was hand sewn.

Challenges:

Crafts Galore ...

I hope we see you playing in our challenge this month. Just click HERE to get to the challenge. If you haven't joined our FB group yet, you can do that quickly and it's free.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Meet Me at the Barn

Here it is, time for another challenge over at FarmQuest General Store, where our theme is always "Anything Country Goes." You can't get more farm country than a barn and I love this old Barn image from Bugaboo Stamps (I miss them! ;-( ) The cow and the pig are also from Bugaboo and I had such fun merging all three images to create this scene. The scene makes me think of the old, old WWII song, "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (after they've seen Paris.)"

I colored with my Sanjoki markers, then cut the image with a rectangle die from QuicKutz. I used a Fiskars punch on the corners. The 2 scraps of golden CS in the background were embossed with my Linen EF, and I used another scrap of charcoal CS between them to cover the entire card front. I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.

Challenges:

A Perfect Time ...

Digi Choosday

Paper Funday

Paper Shelter

Park Hopping (Knott's Berry Farm)

Worldwide ...

Why don't you create something country and come play in our challenge? It's a monthly challenge and runs until June 5 and then a new one starts on June 7. We'd love to see you there. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Friday, May 5, 2023

The Bicycle

It's another Friday and another challenge starts over at Crafty Catz. Our sponsor this week is Dr. Digi's and they kindly supplied images for the DT to use. I chose to use "Brian's Brilliant Bicycle" and it was a delight to color. They offer a prize to the winner of any 2 digis from their store and they have some of the fun and funniest digis around! Be sure to check out our challenge to see what the rest of the DT used.

Our theme this week is Anything Goes with an OPTIONAL twist of "Masculine" so I took the opportunity to make my first Father's Day card for this year.

I used my new Sanjoki markers to color Brian and his bicycle and then decided to do a fancy fold card based on this one I found over at Beccy's Place. It's an Overlapping Flap Fold, sometimes called a Double Flap fold. I used a Spellbinders die to cut the image and then framed it with aqua CS, a scrap from the basket. I put that onto a navy blue flap which had been dry embossed with my Linen EF (also a scrap.)

Inside that flap was the second flap made with red CS scraps and also embossed with my Linen EF. I added the first sentiment to that flap. That sentiment was cut with a Tonic Studios die.

Lift that flap and it shows the inside, to which I added the final sentiment, this time cut with a QuicKutz die. I used a large scrap of red polka dot paper (Stampin' Up) that I found in my scrap basket.

Challenges:

Can You Handle ...?

Country View ...

I hope we're going to see you playing in our challenge this week. Even if you dread making masculine cards (which is only an optional theme), just keep in mind that Father's Day is closer than you think! Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Zinnia

I'm finally back with a post after a few days off with a cold or maybe a sinus infection, but whichever it is, it has just laid me low with no energy to even get out of bed. But I'm on the upswing and decided to get this one posted before I forget it again.

Last month, I was posting my card for the Progressive Challenge at The Outlawz on the last possible day at almost the last possible hour and I don't want to do that again. The image they gave us is this lovely zinnia in a bottle and I made another card to add to my birthday stash.

I colored with a combination of Sanjoki markers, gel pens, and water colors. Can you guess which part is with which medium? No, no, I'm not going to tell; I'll just let you guess. :-D I cut the image with a QuicKutz die and inked the edges with a marker. The background dp is from a Paper House stack. The butterflies were cut with a Memory Box die and the "Celebrate" sentiment was done with a Tim Holtz die by Sizzix.

Challenges:

That's it for today but I'll have another post tomorrow for the new challenge at Crafty Catz. Do stop by then, won't you? NanaConnie

Data Protection

Data Protection Policy Regarding general information on how data is used and stored: Commenting: If you leave me a comment on my blog, you do so in the knowledge that it will be visible to all who visit my blog. It will also be visible for anyone to collect. I personally don't collect any information stored on my blog. If you have left a comment and don't want it to be seen, you can always go and delete the comment. Followers: If you follow my blog you do so in the knowledge that my followers list is open to anyone who visits the blog so your photo, name, and links will appear and can be seen by anyone. If you don't want this data shared, please delete your blog from my followers list (which means you are no longer following my blog.) Associations: This blog may have associations with third parties, i.e. facebook, instagram, google, etc. I do not collect any information for any marketing purposes on this blog.