Bird and Flowers

      This image came from my collection of Ching-Chou Kuik digital images.  This one is colored with water color paints, and cut with a stitched Cutz die.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background was made using paper from a DCWV scrapbooking stack.  I know the image wasn't meant to be an Easter image but having chosen this spring-like color combo, I knew that an Easter sentiment could transform it.  :-D

     Challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms

Ching-Chou Kuik

Die Cut Divas

Penny's P-C

     This is my first post today so check back later for a second post.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Butterflies are Free

      I really love the way this card looks now that it's finished.  I had a few moments of doubt when I was deciding on what to use for background and when I was choosing the die for cutting the image.  

     The image is from Ching-Chou Kuik and it's called "Fern & Butterflies."  I'm still doing water colors for painting my images and this was actually one of the first ones I did.  I think my painting has improved over the few weeks I've been doing it but this one was good enough to turn into a card even though it was an early effort.

     The image was cut with a Spellbinders fancy die, embossed along the edges.  The green dp on the right side is from Recollections and the flowery dp with butterflies was in a prize package I received from the Butterfly Challenge.  The bow is one of my signature bows, shaped like a butterfly, and hand sewn with a pearl.  The sentiment was printed, cut with an Avery Elle die, and added near the top corner.

     Challenges:

Butterfly (sky blue/salmon/sage)

Ching-Chou Kuik

Colour Crazy

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

Paperbabe

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Day of the Monarch

      Another new challenge is starting at I Love ProMarkers and this time our challenge theme is "No Patterned Papers."  Our challenge this fortnight is sponsored by Ching-chou Kuik and my image is called "Monarch Butterfly."  It's from the "Butterfly and Ladybug Set."  

     I colored the image with water colors and ProMarkers, then fussy cut it.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I mounted both the image and the sentiment onto a black card base, and left it alone for a very CAS design, this time with lots of 'black' space instead of white space.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

A Perfect Time ...

Clever Dexter

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Cupcake Inspirations

Outlawz Festive Fri

Simon Says Stamp

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     We'd love to see you enter our challenge.  Just don't use any dp this time.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Ladybugs and Sunflowers

     I found this wonderful image of ladybugs and sunflowers in my collection of Ching-Chou Kuik digis and decided I wanted to see what I could do using autumn colors on it.  I really like the end result and will probably use it as a birthday card.  I did my best to find the image in the store so that I could make a link for you but I just couldn't find it.  I'm sorry.

I based this on the sketch at The Outlawz.

Colored with ProMarkers and water colors
Image is fussy cut
Orange frame is cut with QuicKutz die
Olive green CS is embossed with "Linen" folder
Card base is pre-embossed
Sheer ribbon and layered sequins

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Aud Sentiments
Cardz TV
Ching-Chou Kuik FB
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Friends
Cute Card Thurs.
Paperbabe Stamps
Pattie's Creations

     That's all I have for today.  I'm suffering from a bout of strep throat and am taking proper medications but mostly I sleep.  I guess my whole body needs the rest.  Hope to be back to normal in a day or two.  Wishing you Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Autumn Wishes

     I'm pushing hard for autumn because it will mean an end to the hot days of summer.  You'll see autumn cards from me more than once this week.  I'm sure there are people who love summer temperatures in the 100+F, but I'm not one of them.  Miserably hot summers may be the one thing that makes me regret moving from my northern California home to be closer to family.  I love being with my family - I just wish they had lived some place cooler.  lol

     Today, I've used an image from Ching-Chou Kuik, where the challenge theme celebrates "Four Legged Friends."

ProMarkers
Unbranded die to cut image
Memory Box die to cut orange butterfly corner
Stitched ribbon form Crafty Ribbons

     Challenges:
Butterfly  (Juicy Orange)
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Sentiments
Cutie Pie
Dies R Us
Double Trouble (A/G + die cuts)
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz SAR
Tues Throwdown

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Life is a Garden

     This beautiful girl surrounded by zinnias is from Ching-Chou Kuik and I've returned to one of my more usual color combos, something with purple, blue, or pink.  However, still in the interest of branching out and trying new things, I added yellow to the pink, a color I rarely use except for fall themed cards.

Although I took a bit of a liberty with it, my card was

 inspired by the 'quilted' background in the sketch at

Sketch Saturday.

Colored with ProMarkers
Image cut with Sue Wilson die
Background hand-pieced using Spellbinders dies
White satin ribbon
Pink satin, hand-sewn, bows w/ pearls.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Ching-Chou Kuik FB
Crafty Sentiments
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz Color
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Seahorse for a Mermaid

     My "secretary/typist" spent a lot of time preparing posts for all of this upcoming week, clear through next Saturday.  I am so appreciative and have to say that I'm getting a little bit spoiled.  :-D

     I love coloring images from Ching-Chou Kuik!

     Things used:
Water colors
White gel ink
Memory Box dies
Dew Drops
CAS design

     Challenges:
Ching-Chou Kuik FB
Coloring in Scrapland
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Friends
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Happy Craft
Outlawz PAM
Stamping Sensations
Time Out
Work It Weds.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Summer Sunshine

     Another quickly typed post today, this time featuring a lovely image from Ching-Chou Kuik.  It's taken me nearly the entire month to complete this one due to the shoulder problems.

     Colored with ProMarkers, then fussy cut.  I cut two pieces of DCWV dp with a Spellbinders die, inlaid them and added the image.  Everything went onto a kraft card base and I added lace and the sentiment.  I tied two of my signature bows with pearls and added those to the image frame.

     Challenges:
Ching-Chou Kuik
Crafty Friends
Crafty Sentiments
Dare 2B Artsy
Digi Choosday
Get Creative
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lemon Shortbread
Paperminutes
TTCRD

     That's it for today but I may have another post tomorrow.  It's been a while since I was able to post two days in a row.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Pug Love

     I'm sneaking this post onto the blog while the feline fur babies are distracted by my first post this morning which featured a kitten (at their insistence!)  They don't much like it when I feature other animals, most especially dogs.

     On the other hand, who could resist this precious little pug?  Let me tell you a quick back story about this card.  My eldest granddaughter and her best friend have rented a house, each of them moving away from home on that "I'm now an adult" adventure.  Her friend has a sweet little pug named Eva and, when I saw this image at Ching-Chou Kuik, I knew I had to do a card for her.

     I had it planned for her birthday but then, over the weekend, she was in a car accident wherein the car in which she was riding was rear-ended by another car.  Although there's nothing life threatening, she's pretty banged up and in a lot of pain from classic whip lash injuries, including headaches and throwing up.  The ER doctors told her she's going be even more sore by this morning than she was yesterday.  I knew what she needed most was to hug her pug so I'm sending this card to her as a get well.  :-D

     I enlisted my granddaughter's help in getting a photo of Eva so that I could do the coloring to match her.  Here's what she sent.

     The little black kitten is Luna, a recent addition to the family and she immediately decided that Eva was her new momma.

     Here's the card:

     I used ProMarkers to color the image with added highlights done in gel ink.  I cut the image, the mat for it, and the sentiment with Unbranded, cross stitch dies.  Everything went onto a kraft card base.

     I added metal brads to upper and lower corners, then left it alone, adding no other embellishments.  I wanted the image to be the focus of the card.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Crafts Galore Encore
Creative Inspirations
Ching-Chou Kuik
I {heart} ProMarkers
Morgan's ArtWorld
Paper Fundays
Paper Nest Dolls
Path of Positivity
Scrap from Your Heart

     Two posts on one day and it's been a while since I did that so enjoy!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Ladybugs and Daisies

     We've had lots of rain this winter and we're grateful for every drop of it having been in or on the verge of a drought the last two years.  I haven't seen any ladybugs in my garden yet - I think it's still too cold for them to be out and about but I'm ready for a touch of spring anyway.  :-D  And no matter what the season, it's always time for Someone Special!

     The image came from Ching-Chou Kuik and I colored it with my ProMarkers.  Although it's very difficult to see in the photo, I added Glossy Accents to the underwings and the white spots on the ladybugs.

     The image is cut with a circle die from Spellbinders, leaving the leaves, flower petals, and wings out-of-the-box.  The red circle frame is cut out of a scrap of dp using a stitched, scalloped die from Memory Box. The background dp and the strip holding the sentiment are opposite sides of dp from a Paper House stack.

     I added tiny, epoxy, flowers that have a heart in the middle to each end of the sentiment piece.

    Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Ching-Chou Kuik
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Friends
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Cute Card Thurs
Digi Choosday
Get Creative
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Forest Witch

     It seems that even the woodland animals celebrate Halloween!   Over the weekend, I shared a card showing how the fairies disguise themselves as toadstools to avoid the witches and goblins on Halloween but today I'm sharing another delightful image from Ching-Chou Kuik showing a gentle witch of  the woodlands.  I guess not all of them are scary or dangerous.  At least, the squirrels aren't afraid.  :-D

I used colors from Outlawz Colors.

     I colored the image with ProMarkers and did the sky and ground with water colors.  I cut the image with an Unbranded oval die.  The purple piece is a CS scrap, cut into a rectangle with a simple die from Spellbinders, then framed with a Bo Bunny die cut piece, also a scrap.  Everything was layered onto a scrap of orange CS, including the sentiment, and that layered piece was put onto a kraft card base. 

     I added mesh for texture, then found a scrap of purple ribbon which I wrapped around the card front.  I tied the purple, gingham check, ribbon into a bow and added it on top of the sheer ribbon.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Hiding in My Craft Room
Jo's Scrap Shack
Pile It On
{Pin}spirational
Pixie's Snippets
Stamping Sensations
Unicorn

     How can we be halfway through October already?   My daughter's birthday is just around the corner and I haven't even thought about doing a card for her.  OMGosh, I'd better get going on that one!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Toadstool Halloween

     This is my first post for today and I'll have a second one in a few hours.  Be sure to check them both.

     I'm excited to be back for another three month term as a Guest Designer at Colour Crazy.  This week our sponsor is Ching-Chou Kuik and our theme is always Anything Goes.  I've used a magnificent Toadstool Fairy image to make a too-cute-to-spook, Halloween card.

      I've heard that on Halloween, woodland fairies costume themselves as toadstools to fool the witches and goblins, and to keep themselves safe.  I think this image is proof the old wives' tale is true!

     I colored with ProMarkers and used a die from Tonic Studio to cut the image.  The cross-stitched rectangle was cut with a die from Lawn Fawn and the rectangle behind it was cut with another Tonic Studio die.  I cut the butterfly and the dragonfly with a die from Cottage Cutz.

     The polka dot ribbon was in my stash and seemed to work well with the Halloween colors mix.  I added tiny, metal brads to the bodies of the bugs, then printed, hand cut, and matted the sentiment.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps & More
Ching-Chou Kuik
Crafty Creations
Creative Inspirations
Creative Knockouts
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Words to Craft By

     Be sure to come and play along this week.  Because we are a coloring challenge, you are required to color something (can't use pre-colored images) but that's the only requirement.  Come play.  We're having fun!   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thankful for Autumn Deer

     "Autumn Deer" - that's the name of this beautiful image from Ching-Chou Kuik, who just happens to be our sponsor for the October challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies.  As always, the theme is "Anything Goes with a Featured Critter."  Ching-Chou Kuik provided images for the DT to use and a few of us also used images from our own collection so be sure to check out the challenge post to see all of the images used by our DT.

     This time I colored with a combination of polychromos pencils and ProMarkers, then I cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I took some of the tiny leaves (which are the negative bits that fell out of the die cut) and colored them, then scattered them across the card as though they were blown by an autumn wind.

     I found a scrap of brown CS, ran it through my "Linen" embossing folder, and mounted it onto a kraft card front.  I wrapped the card front in coral ribbon and added the sentiment, plus one of my favorite hand-sewn bows.  The bow was originally white but I use ProMarkers to 'dye' it the color I wanted.  This card is pretty CAS and can be easily mailed.

     A couple of posts ago, I told you that winter was my favorite season but I was in the middle making Christmas cards and that definitely influenced my choice.  Truth be told, I love autumn best.  After a long, usually very hot summer, the cooler nights of fall and the smell of rainstorms rolling in satisfy me in a way little else does.  I used to be thrilled that football was back but I gave up watching televised football games when I became disillusioned with the NFL.  Still, I love autumn because it means cooler weather and a chance to craft with all those autumn colors which I tend to ignore the rest of the year.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Ching-Chou Kuik
C.R.A.F.T.
Cute Card Thurs.
House that Stamps Built
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Paper Shelter
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Simon Says Stamp
Word Art Weds.

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our October challenge.  We love seeing what you create and there's no limitation on what you make as long as it features a critter of some sort.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Perfect Pumpkin

     When was the last time you wandered through a pumpkin patch (with or without kids/grandkids) searching for that one perfect pumpkin?  I remember the days when we actually went out to the farmer's field and found pumpkins for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Now, they come to us by way of our super markets and a good number of grandkids don't even know that pumpkins grow on vines which are found trailing across acres and acres of ground.  Sigh...

     I absolutely love this darling image from Ching-Chou Kuik and I know that she didn't find her perfect pumpkin in a grocery store.  Nope, she and her kitten found that one in the field and picked it straight off the vine.  :-D

     I colored the image with my ProMarkers, then use dies from Sizzix to cut it and the frame piece.  I had already decided on a CAS design so I grabbed a scrap of kraft CS which was not large enough to made a standard A2 size card.  I left the back side as a 4.25" x 5.5" rectangle but the front flap was only 3" wide.

     I used my Scor-Pal to make the score lines vertically on that front flap, then added the scalloped circle image.  Although it's not really clear in the photograph, it gives a very interesting shape to the card.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, adding it below the image.  There are no additional embellishments, only the score lines.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Cardz TV
Ching-chou Kuik FB
Creative Fingers
Fussy and Fancy
Outlawz Festive Friday
Pattie's Creations
Scor-Pal
Take It, Make It

     It's the start of the weekend and we still have another few sweltering days before cooler air moves in from the Canadian north.  Weatherman is saying we'll be down in the 80s before the end of next week and I can hardly wait!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

An Iris Birthday

     The current challenge for Ching-Chou Kuik on their FB site has a theme of "Black and White plus 1 color."  Of course, I had to use my favorite color, purple!

     I colored all the gray scale with ProMarkers and then added the bits of purple to the image.  I fussy cut the image and inked the edges with ProMarkers.  I added white highlights with a gel pen.

     I decided on a card base made from 'confetti' CS, then found the doily and colored it purple.  I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and inked the edges.  I layered everything onto the card front and left it very CAS - no embellishments, just lots of open space.

     Challenges:
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Sentiments
Creative Inspirations
Everybody Art
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz Color
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown  (middle row)

     Here in the US, we're celebrating Memorial Day on Monday and many are already gone for a long weekend.  Personally, I'm saving all my travel time up for summer which is officially just around the corner.  But that means I'll have lots of quiet, relaxing time to craft my little heart away for the next 3 days.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dahlia Dreams

   
     The flowers are beginning to bloom in my garden and my first dahlias buds have showed their faces.   Soon we'll have lovely large blossoms to put in bouquets.  I love dahlias and I'm celebrating their arrival with this card.

     The image is from Ching-Chou Kuik.

I based my card design on the sketch at Stella Says Sketch.

     The image is colored with ProMarkers and die cut with an oval die from Cheapo Dies.  The green mat is also cut with a die from that same set.  I added a bit of green dp which was in my scrap basket. 

     The card front was dry embossed, although that's hard to see in the photo.  I layered on the green CS mat, then ran ribbon along the vertical line where the dp and dry embossing met.  On top of that, I layered on the image piece.

     I printed, hand cut, and matted the sentiment before adding it.  For embellishment, I found metal brads and heated them with my heat gun before dipping the heads into dark green embossing powder.  The powder melts onto the hot brad heads and that way, you can use brads which are whatever color you need.  They end up looking like shiny pearls.

     My final touch was to 'dye' one of my white bows with green ProMarker, leaving the pearl white, and adding the bow to the lower portion of the image.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps
Digi Choosday
Outlawz Twisted Thursday
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD
Try Stampin' on Tuesday (bottom row)
Unicorn

     Have a wonderful week and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bookworm Fairy

     I'm so excited to share with you today as this is my first card done as a Guest Designer on the Colour Crazy Challenge.  Ching-Chou Kuik has graciously agreed to be our sponsor and has given us the images we used.  I chose Little Bookworm Fairy.  I've been a fan of Ching-Chou Kuik for a few years now and I do love coloring her images.  

I was inspired by the colors at Sugar Pea Designs.

    I used ProMarkers to color the image, adding purple Nuvo Crystal Drops to the flowers in her hair.  Sorry but I forgot to keep track of the exact colors but next time, I promise to have a list for you.  I also added glitter to her wings before cutting the image and its frame with dies from Sizzix.  

     I made a shaped card using a manual die from Tattered Lace.  The glittered "ribbon" is actually washi tape.  I tied a bow with sheer burgundy ribbon and added the white rose on top of it.  The sentiment was printed, hand cut, and added.

     Challenges:

Crafting with an Attitude

Crafty Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Paper Shelter

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Scrappy Land

Simon Says Stamp

Star Stampz

Tuesday Throwdown

     I'm really happy to be working with the Colour Crazy team as a guest designer for the next three months and look forward to sharing with you my creations.  Remember our theme is always "Anything Goes" and, even though we have a new challenge starting every week, each one runs for two weeks so they overlap each other by a week each time.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thinking of You

     This beautiful lady, surrounded by dahlias, comes from Ching-Chou Kuik, where they want us to use our favorite colors.  Of course, you couldn't guess from the card below that my favorites are always in the purple family - everything from periwinkle blue to lavenders and lilacs, to the deepest red-violet or burgundy.

I started with the sketch from Sketch Saturday.

     I colored with my ProMarkers, then cut the image and the oval frames with dies from both QuicKutz and Spellbinders.  Stacking them all together gives some wonderful dimension to the card.

     The strip of dp with the butterflies was in my scrap basket and I think it is from SU.  The background paper is digital and came from one of the sets at MHK Designs.

     The large butterfly is machine embroidered using purple, white and black thread.

     Challenges:
Butterfly Challenge (digi/die cut/dimension)
Crafty Friends
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrappy Land
WordArt Weds.

     I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit.  If I haven't been by your blog over the last couple of weeks, it's because I'm still healing from a shoulder injury and, often, I have to decide whether to craft or spend time at the keyboard commenting.  I'll be around to catch up on my visits and comments as soon as I can.  In the meantime, I appreciate you visiting my blog even though I'm not reciprocating right away.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Butterfly Spring

     I keep running across images I'd forgotten or just haven't used in my collection of Ching-Chou Kuik images and this one just seemed to shout "Spring!"

     I colored this magnificent image with my ProMarkers and cut it with a border die from Spellbinders.  The border is also embossed.  I was so intrigued with all the circles along that border that I decided to duplicate by cutting two borders more from green and lavender CS, then adding them as layers on the card front.  The card base itself is the gold.

     I printed and hand cut the sentiment, inked the edges, and added it to the top of the image piece.  I found the burlap butterfly in my stash of die cut embellies and added it.  I felt like that was enough.  I didn't want to take away from that image.

     Challenges:
Allsorts
Card Mania
CCC Digi Creations
Dies R Us
Do Al(l) Creatives
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Pile It On

     OK, I have to go color another Ching-Chou Kuik image which I found in the collection.  I just couldn't decide between the two of them so prepared both of them for coloring and started with the one on top of the pile.  Now I need to get to the second one.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Butterflies and Berries

     This is another of the new images which were part of my challenge win from Ching-Chou Kuik.  This is my first time coloring it and I'm thrilled by the result!  It's called "Butterflies and Berries."

     I colored the butterflies, berries, and her face with my ProMarkers, then used water color pencils and gamsol for her dress, hair, and the sky/background.  Then I thought about how I wanted to cut out the image.  I dug around in my huge stash of dies, found one by Bo Bunny which was about the right size and shape for the image but it had lots of internal filigree bits which would cut into the image.  So, I laid the die on top of the image, drew around the outside of it with a pencil, then hand cut the shape with scissors.

     I wanted to frame the image so I used my newest die set from Spellbinders (thank you to Santa!) for the first time and I can tell you that die set is going to get lots of use!  The frame is cut from textured paper which was a leftover scrap of 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper.  After I added all of that to an ivory card, I found a 6 inch scrap of sheer, gold, ribbon begging to be used so I tied a tiny bow and added it to the top.

     Challenges:
Butterfly
Color Inspiration Mon.
Crafty Addicts
Creative Moments
Everybody Art
Paper Girls
Passion for ProMarkers
Pixie's Snippets
Scrappy Land

     Thanks for visiting and I hope your week is starting well.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie