The Prince

     My card today was made using a progressive challenge freebie from My Whimsical Little World.  I thought it was a perfect image for a boy's birthday card.  I did another of those fabulous fancy fold cards that fold flat for mailing and open out to stand up.  My friend, Teresa (Tickell Expressions) introduced me to these a few months back.  Unfortunately, I only photographed the folded version (OK, semi-folded :-D) but I'm sure you can figure it out.  If not, check out Teresa's blog.  She has a link to a tutorial.

Edited to add:  I waited until my camera was recharged and then took one more shot of the card standing open.

     I used three of the colors from the challenge at Creative Colors.

     The little prince is colored with ProMarkers, then fussy cut and mounted onto a die cut.  The sentiment is a computer font, printed, hand cut and matted, then hand cut again.  Papers were all in the scrap box which sits on my desk, handy for quick finds.  The bow is one I made weeks ago and it was also waiting in my stash.

     Challenges:
Craft for the Craic
Crafting with an Attitude
Crafts 4 Eternity
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Ribbons
Fairy Tale
Going Grey with Scrap Creations
Graph' It
Inky Impressions
Loves Rubber Stamps
Mod Squad
Moving Along with the Times
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Stamp and Create
Whimsy Inspiration
Word Art Weds.

     That's it for me today.  I have to go prepare the garden for 100+ temps over the next 3 days by tuning up the drip system to give it a good, slow soaking without wasting any of the precious water.  It's about 2:00 in the afternoon and is already in the low 90s. Yuck.  Wish I was staying inside and doing some Happy Stamping!    NanaConnie

Beating the Heat

     It's still spring time weather here but the oppressive heat of summer is right around the corner in my neck of the woods.  I can remember when I was a kid and summer heat was just something to be borne.  Childhood summers are a favorite period of my life because I have such wonderful memories of how inventive we were at finding ways to beat the heat.  I don't think we ever napped on ice cubes while using wild roses for umbrellas but these darling House Mousies sure have it down to a science.  :-D

I decided to use colors from the challenge at Creative Colors.

Isn't that a fantastic inspiration photo for a hot summer day?

     

     I used chalks and ProMarkers, then cut the image with a rectangle die from Spellbinders, adjusting it to fit the size of my image.   I added the 'negative' piece from another die cut rectangle to make the frame layer.  The frame is actually on top of the image, and not a full piece behind it as we normally do.  I mounted all of that plus the matted sentiment onto white CS and then put that onto the card front.

     I wrapped the ribbon around the card front and added the flower.  I put a sequin and a pearl in the middle of the die cut flower petal layers.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Chalk n Stock
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with an Attitude
Crafty Ribbons
Die Cuttin' Divas
Digi Sketch
House Mouse
Inspiration Destination
Little Miss Muffet
Mema's Crafts
Mod Squad
Paper Shelter
Party Time Tuesday
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrap & Craft
Stamp and Create
Through the Craft Room Door
Top Tip Tuesday

     I'm back from my lunch date and had a wonderful time.  The other few challenges that I left off this morning have been added and entered, and now I'm going back to the craft room to work on something for tomorrow and Monday.  Hope your weekend is going well, and Salute a Veteran, won't you?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

How Does Your Garden Grow?

     Thursday and that means another new challenge theme over at The Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge.  This week our theme is that all time favorite, "Anything Goes."  We still have the wonderful Bugaboo Stamps as our sponsor and I'm using a delightful garden theme image.  For those of you buried under gray skies and snow storms, I hope this serves as a little pick-me-up for your soul.

I chose to use the sketch from Sketchtanten

and colors from Creative Colors, plus brads and lace.

  

     I used ProMarkers to color the image and the polka dot papers are from Bo Bunny.  I cut the scalloped piece with a die from Cheery Lynn and both the image and the mat are cut with dies from Spellbinders.  The decorative corner was made by cutting a triangle out of a brown lace doily I had in my stash.

     Challenges:
Cheery Lynn Designs
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Hazelnut's Pattern Paper
Little Claire's
Mema's
My Craft Creations
Paper Creator's Crafts
Passion for ProMarkers
Pile It On
Pink Elephant
Send a Smile 4 Kids

     I hope we're going to see you playing along at The Outlawz this week.  Not a member?  Join up now!  It's free, there's a new challenge each day of the week with differing themes, and the crafters over there are such a fun and friendly bunch.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie