Moonlight Walks on the Beach

     I originally made this card for my daughter to give to her husband for Father's Day but she decided on something different.  I just love the way it celebrates love for Dad in a really masculine style but with humor.  Don't these two look like they're strolling down the beach? Well, that's what the sentiment says anyway.  :-D

     I colored the cats using my ProMarkers, cut a simple rectangle, then corner punched it.  The sketch was an old one I found at Meljen's Designs, where their theme this week is "Dads," and the image is also from Meljen's.

     DP is from the Linen Closet stack by DCWV, probably my favorite papers of all time.  Not only are the colors subtle, they work for either masculine or feminine projects.  This time I used some that I've had in my stash for more than 2 years because I keep stocking up on it when I find it on sale and then the old ones get pushed to the back of the shelf.  In reorganizing the week after I got home, I pulled all the old pads to the front and put the newer ones in the back.

     The flower is handmade from punched flower-petal layers.  I thought that added just a splash of color to what is otherwise a pretty neutral color combo.  No other embellishment because I wanted to keep it CAS.

     Challenges:
2 Sisters -- Make your own embellies
Art Impressions Stamps -- Hip to be square
Crafting Cafe -- Love and marriage
Craft Room -- Sun, Sand, Surf
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned dp -- A/G with dp
I {heart} ProMarkers -- Stripes
Ladybug Crafts Ink -- For him
Natalie and Amy's -- 4 legged friends
Oldie But a Goodie -- Masculine
Sassy Studio Designs -- All about men
Through the Craft Room Door -- A/G
Twisted Tuesday -- 2 animals and dots (around the cats and in the stripes)

     If all goes as scheduled, I should have another post for you this evening.  If it doesn't show up, then I'm going to have to get someone to feed the gremlin in my computer so that he'll let my posts show up on time instead of eating them!  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

What Christmas Means

     Our theme for the latest challenge at Tuesday Throwdown this week is "What Christmas Means to You."  For me, it starts with the Nativity and the Glad Tidings brought by the angels that a savior had been born.   As a child, it meant lots of Christmas cards filling up the mail box from strange and wonderful places all over the country.  One of the things my mother would do was to pin up the US map and let us put pins in the names of the cities shown in the return addresses.  Bless her school-teacher heart -- I probably learned as much about geography and the names of the states from that little tradition as I did from the classes in school.  :-D

     We have the wonderful Meljen's Designs as our sponsor and they supplied the images used by the DT.  This one, "Cheery Lights Mailbox" was perfect for honoring both the glad tidings and the childhood memories.  :-D

     This is another of those CAS cards that just looks more complicated because of the fancy frame, a die cut from Cheery Lynn Designs.   I colored the image with ProMarkers, then added some sparkle to the snow and the star with glitter.  I wish it showed better in the photo.  I guess you'll just have to take my word that it's there.

     The bow is one of those I make by the dozens and the flower was in my stash.  I printed the sentiment and added it last.  I told you it really was CAS.  One colored image and a die cut frame, two tiny embellishments and nothing else.

     Challenges:
A Creative Need -- Christmas CAS
A Creative Romance -- Sparkle at Christmas
Card Makin' Mamas -- Christmas/New Year
Cardz TV -- Winter Wonderland
Color My Heart -- Barn red
Colour Me Creative -- Holiday themed
Crafts Too Challenge You -- Natural world + flower
Crafty Calendar -- Cold & frosty
Crafty Hands -- Winter
Creative Corner -- Traditional Christmas
Digi Haven -- Christmas
DRS Designs -- Glitter it up
Hanna & Friends -- Christmas
Little Claire's -- Christmas
Pattie's Creations -- Christmas card
Quick Quotes -- Holiday card
Shelly's Images -- Welcome Winter
Stampin' for the Weekend -- Use some red
Stempelsonnen -- Merry Christmas
Wags 'n Whiskers -- Things with wings

      Another long list of Christmas or Winter themed challenges and I loved entering each one.  :-D

      Don't forget our DT Call at Tuesday Throwdown which runs until December 26.  We'd love to have you apply.  And come play in our challenge.  It's going to last for the rest of the month while the DT takes a well deserved break  You can enter up to 3 times.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Get Along Little Doggie

     My post title is the name of this delightful Meljen's Designs image, and I used the colors from the challenge over there, too.   I know, I know, you expect to see only felines on my blog but the truth is I love animals, not just cats.  Shhhh, don't tell my fur babies I said that.  :-D

Here's a look at the colors from Meljen's 

and my sketch came from Crafting Life's Pieces.

  

     I colored him with a combination of ProMarkers and Copics, with a tiny bit of sparkle gel ink.  The papers are all from my stash and the scrap bits from which I made the dove-tailed flags are shiny CS (from Gina K., I think.)

     I added the stitching around the card front and around the image, and printed the sentiment with a computer font.  Everything is matted with Deep Ocean Blue CS.  The little dragonfly is part of the dp and since it was just a scrap, I had to work it some to get it in exactly the right place.

     Challenges:
2 Creative Chicks -- Anything goes for kids
ABC Challenge -- S is for Stitching
Card and Scrap -- Anything goes
Creatalicious -- I {Heart} my pet!
Lady Anne's Stamp -- Anything goes
Live & Love Crafts -- Warm or cool colors
Penny's Paper-Crafty -- Stitching
Whimsical Designs -- Bug or animal

     I hope you're having a great day and finding just a bit of inspiration in your travels around blogland.  I may be MIA for a couple of days as far as visiting my favorite blogs but I have a DT card scheduled for tomorrow and maybe one or two others this week so I hope you'll visit even if I don't answer my door when you knock.  There's usually a cold drink in the fridge and cookies in the cookie jar on the counter so make yourself at home while you browse around.   :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie