Teddy Bear for Mum

     Thursday and that means another another new challenge is starting today at Outlawz Twisted Thursday where our theme is always "Anything Goes" and where we add an optional twist if you want to use it.  This week our twist is "Add a Sentiment."

     I'm using the last of my purchased-last-spring-but-never-used Lily of the Valley stamps for this darling Mother's Day card.   Warning -- I've ordered another 6 LOTV stamps which should be arriving in the next week or so.  However, this time I plan to use them instead of letting them sit idle for a year.  :-D

I found a sketch at Sketch Saturday and turned it sideways,

and my colors were pulled from the photo at Cupcake Inspirations.

  

     I thought an easel card would be nice but wanted to make it long rather than tall.  It's an A2 size card with the fold running lengthwise and folded again half-way down.  I attached the card front along the mid-line fold, leaving the top free.

     I used ProMarkers, chalk, and gel pen for coloring, then framed the image with CS and dp, and I corner punched each layer as I went along.  Both of my ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbon and the flower was made from things in my stash.  I made the sentiment by layering it with ribbon and CS and it became my easel 'stop.'

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
A Gem of a Challenge
Catch the Bug (first diagonal)
Come and Get It (bear)
Di's Digi Designs
Hiding in My Craft Room
Kit and Clowder
My Sheri Crafts
Outlawz CAS
Sentimental Sundays

     That's it for today.  I'm not sure what other posts I may have this week or next.  Everything depends on my camera repair.  If it's not one thing, it's another -- computer, camera, what next?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

What Kind of Wedding Card is That?

     This card should give you a smile.  I hope the title of this post has piqued your curiosity enough to read the explanation.  I got a phone call from one of my kids asking if  I could make a quick wedding card for her to give (she's a bridesmaid) and she needs it in less than two hours!  My mind immediately fills with lots of frilly die cuts, maybe glittered flowers, and white-on-white (which I don't do well) along with lace and satin ribbon.

     Just coming up with a design is going to fill up the two hour time slot and I'm about to say "That's not enough time" when she says, "They aren't frou-frou people; they love baseball and their wedding colors came from their favorite baseball team.  Could you do a combination baseball and wedding theme?"    Oh, boy!

     Here's the result -- it's for a wedding but could just as well be a birthday, or any kind of special celebration or congratulatory occasion.  :-D

I chose colors from Catch the Bug.

     The image is from LOTV (another of those more-than-a-year-old stamps I've never used) and is colored mostly with chalks but also with some watercolor pencil for the kitten's stripes and fur.  I die cut the image and the sentiment, then corner punched the sentiment to give it the look of a baseball diamond.   The dp is from The Paper Studio and I embossed it with a "Lattice" folder from SU.  The stitched ribbon was a scrap from my stash.  I tied a cord bow through the "LOVE" charm and added it to the sentiment.

     Once the idea began forming in my brain, it took me an hour and a half to get the card made, including coloring.  I really was proud of it and my daughter loved it.  I told her the next time she wanted a special occasion card, she had to give me a bit more notice.  I mean, it isn't like she didn't know about the wedding months ago or had forgotten that I make cards. lol

     Challenges:
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Ribbons
FHL- Throwback Thursday
Inky Impressions
Inspiration Destination
Simon Says Stamp
Simply Papercraft
Sister Act
Word Art Weds.

     If you're reading this post, that means my old computer held together long enough for me to get this post written and scheduled, and that's a good thing.  I'm going to be replacing the computer but it'll be a few days (I hope days, not weeks) before that happens.  Stretching the budget, don'cha know.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Twisted Thursday Easter Bunny & Chicks

     I'm back online, at least temporarily, and am going to try to get the DT cards posted that have been missing for Thursday and Friday.  Then I'll try to get posts written and pre-scheduled for my DT commitments next week.  I could get punted at any minute and I have no guarantee that this faithful, but old, computer will continue operating.  It needs to be replaced.  :-(

     Here's the card I did for the Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge -- theme this week is "Anything Goes."

     Another LOTV image, this time watercolored and chalked, then die cut and matted with a Spellbinders hexagon die set.  The ribbons are from Really Reasonable Ribbon and I used my new bow maker from Craft-Dee BowZ (love it, love it, LOVE IT!) to make a double bow.  Very CAS this time and the "Happy Easter" sentiment is on the inside.

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations
Cards in Envy
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Design Team Showcase
Get Creative
Melonheadz Friends
Not Just Cards
Outlawz CAS
Perfectly Rustics  These eggs are hatched!
Stamp and Create

     Hopefully, I'll have another post shortly sharing my QKR Stampede DT card for yesterday.  In the meantime, Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Kitten with Flowers

     This is one of the images I was coloring over the weekend and it's by Lily of the Valley.  I have so many LOTV stamps and I hate to admit that I rarely use them.  I fell in love with the images last year, ordered a bunch of stamps, paid the shipping to have them sent from the UK to the US, and I think I've only used one of them one time.  Sigh...

     But this weekend, I must have colored more than half a dozen of them and they are now waiting to be made into cards.  This one has no sentiment yet because I haven't decided if I'm going to use it as a Mother's Day card or a birthday card.  My guess is it'll end up being for a birthday because I have more need of those.  Isn't this an adorable image?  Knowing how I love cats, you can see why I just had to have this one. Shame on me for not using it before this.   :-D

I used the sketch from Outlawz, but I reversed it.

     I used a combo of ProMarkers and Copics, then die cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I matted it with a hexagon die cut (QuicKutz) and matted that with a doily.  The background dp is from one of the scrapbooking stacks by DCWV.  I also used that same dp on the inside and on the envelope liner, but I forgot to photograph those.

     The ribbon was in the prize I won last month at Craft-Dee Bowz challenge.  Quick story here and I apologize ahead of time for sounding like a commercial.  No, I have no monetary interest whatsoever in Craft-Dee BowZ.  :-D  Back up the story to the fact that part of the reason I make all those little 'hand-sewn' bows that I make by the dozens is because I have no talent whatsoever when it comes to making tied bows.  :-(  I've tried all sorts of 'magic' methods for bows and purchased several products which all but guarantee that using them will make all your bows perfect.  Yeah, right!  Well, not in my hands anyway.

     When I won the ribbon over at Craft-Dee BowZ, I finally decided to order one of their bow makers.  I'd been seeing them ever since they first started marketing them.  In fact, the first couple of times I entered their challenges, it was in hopes of winning one of them.  Now it was time to just order the bow maker and see how it worked.

     I LOVE IT !!!  I tied two dozen perfect bows yesterday and put them in my stash.  I may never sew another bow!  :-D  I even played with a double bow and it came out exactly the way I wanted it so I added it to this card.  I'm so happy.  If you have trouble with bows, order one it these.  You won't be disappointed, I promise.  Here's a link to the Craft-Dee BowZ site where you'll see a photo of it.

     Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks
Corrosive Challenge
C.R.A.F.T.
Craft for the Craic (middle row)
Crafty Ribbons
Creative Moments
FHL- Throwdown Thursday
Fussy and Fancy
In the Pink
One Stitch at a Time
Paper Shelter
Really Reasonable Ribbon
Scrap & Craft
Scribble & Scrap


     Happy Stamping, my friends.  NanaConnie

Birthdays and Mother's Day

     I have two cards to post today; one is a birthday card for my BIL and the other is a Mother's Day card which one of my grandkids will no doubt claim to give to their mom in May.  Here's the birthday card.

My color inspiration came from ShowCASe Your Style.

     The image is Lily of the Valley.  I rounded the corners with a corner punch, and added two squares of CS, also corner punched.  All the edges were distressed as I went along.  The sheer ribbon was a left-over bit hidden in my stash, and the silver ribbon for the bow was also a scrap.  The sentiment is rubber stamped.

     Challenges for this card:

Addicted to Stamps

Artbymiran

Cardz 4 Guyz

Crafting from the Heart

Craft Your Passion

Hiding in My Craft Room

Outlawz Tuesday

Through the Craft Room Door

     My second card uses an image from AuroraWings and I stayed with the green and gold theme to honor St. Paddy's Day (yes, also my birthday! ;-D)

     The image is colored with ProMarkers, then die cut, embossed, and chalked.  I embossed a dark green CS scrap and layered everything together on a card blank from DCWV.  The lace ribbon used for the bow is yet another scrap.

     Challenges for this card:

Catch the Bug

Craft for the Craic (top row)

Crafts 4 Eternity

Crafty Cardmakers

Di's Digi Designs

DRS Designs

Fairy Tale

Little Claire's

Moving Along with the Times (1st column)

My Time to Craft

One Stitch at a Time

Ribbon Girl

     Happy Stamping and enjoy your day of green.  NanaConnie