Grammy's Attic: summer

Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Friday, May 3, 2024

Summer Garden

Another Friday and we are starting a new 2-week challenge at Crafty Catz. We always have an "Anything Goes" theme but we also give you an OPTIONAL theme if you'd like to use it and this week, that option is "Summer." We are sponsored by All Dressed Up and I used their adorable image called 'Garden Wheel Barrow.' I reversed the image before printing it.

The image was colored with Sanjoki alcohol markers, then cut with die from QuicKutz. I inked the edges with brown marker. The sentiment was printed and fussy cut. Although it's difficult to see in the photo, the paisleys in the background paper were heat embossed with sparkle EP. Rather CAS but for the fancy paper.

(EDITED to add this photo of the heat embossing)

Challenges:

As You Like It (for spring or summer, always soft colors because they just say pastels!)

That's all I have for today but I'll be back in a day or two with another couple of posts for the FarmQuest challenges. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Last Surf'n of Summer

It's the 3rd of the month and that means the newest Anything Goes challenge is starting over at the LeAnn's World 101 blog. I'm doing a final salute to summer and I'm hoping to see an end to the hot days of summer and am ready to welcome the crisp evenings of fall, but in the meantime, I'm going to let this guy, "Byron Surf'n," enjoy his last few waves.

I colored with Sanjoki alcohol markers, then cut the image with a stitched CUTplorations die. The sentiment was printed and cut with a die from Avery Elle. I put everything onto a black card front and added a wrap of twine to the left side. A CAS masculine card design.

Challenges:

Now that we're back, we hope to see you entering our Blog Challenge and don't forget our Progressive Challenge each month over on our FB site. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1836531013324656

NanaConnie DT

Monday, August 14, 2023

Late Summer on the Lake

The card today is for the FarmQuest challenge and our theme this time is "Boats." The image was printed in gray scale and colored it with water color paints. The image was cut with a QuicKutz die and the edges are inked.

The background is lavender CS and I wrapped it with 1 inch, black, sheer ribbon. The bow was tied on a bow maker. The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.

Challenges:

Please come and play with us. You have two weeks to enter. Happy Crafting NanaConnie

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Ice Cream Summer

This fun image is the one given to us for the Progressive Challenge at The Outlawz. I admit that when I first saw the plain outline image, I wasn't all that enamored with it but as I began to color it, giving it strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla scoops, it suddenly looked really cute (and refreshing!)

I used Sanjoki alcohol markers to color it, then fussy cut the cone with scissors. I looked through a box of long-stored, paper stacks and found two papers I thought really worked well together and which set off the image. The polka dot paper from Paper Studio I cut with a Tonic Studios die. The argyle paper is from Authentique and I cut it to size for an A2 card with my largest rectangle die from QuicKutz.

I printed and cut the sentiment with the smallest QuicKitz die from that same rectangle set. I inked the edges of the sentiment and the polka dot paper using an ink pad. I hand-tied a very simple bow, using white satin ribbon, and I 'dyed' the bow using a Sanjoki marker so that I had the exact color I wanted.

I based the card design on the sketch from Tuesday Morning.

Challenges:

Handstamped Sentiments

PaperCraft

Passion for Markers

Enjoy your day and Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Sunshine

This seems like a completely seasonal card as we move into our second heat wave of the summer, predicted to last for 10 days or more this time, with temperatures as high as 112 to 114 F. Ugh!

Normally, I'd be doing cards with winter scenes, hoping that might cool things down but I was cleaning up and reorganizing long forgotten file folders in the craft room over the weekend and ran across a folder which had at least 2 dozen images waiting to be colored and use for something. This sun and sentiment were on the same piece of cardstock and I knew they needed to be used together.

I grabbed a couple of my Sanjoki markers, quickly gave the sun and the hearts some color, then cut the image with a long, rectangle die from QuicKutz. I had made no notations regarding artist or company which owns this image but if any of you recognize it, please let me know so that I can give proper credit.

I inked the edges of the image piece, then added it onto the card front, making a very CAS card. Including coloring, this took less that 20 minutes to make. :-D

Colors came from My Favorite Things.

Challenges:

Outlawz SAR (Summer Daylight)

Paper Funday

Simon Says Stamp

The card was quick and easy and so is this post. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, June 19, 2023

Patriotism

Our greatest National holiday in the US is undoubtedly July 4th, Independence Day, (right around the corner!) but the image I used on this card would work for Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, even Labor Day, I suppose. The image and the sentiment come from a Jan's Digi Stamps set called "Star Spangled Wreath" and it was a delight to color. It also happens to be on sale right now. :-D

I used Sanjoki markers and a gold paint pen to color a gray scale image, then cut it with a QuicKutz die. I 'distressed' the edges with a craft knife and layered it onto a blue CS rectangle, also distressed along the edges. The image itself was so beautifully detailed that I didn't want anything to distract from it so no embellishments of any kind.

Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Aud Sentiments

Double Trouble (summer, red, blue, gold)

Wednesday will mark the official first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and trips to the beach, family and friends around the BBQ, the rising heat can't be far behind. So unpack your shorts and swimsuits, grab your flip flops, and get ready! If you're not traveling, then head for the craft room and Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Sunday, June 4, 2023

"Herd" It's Father's Day

This silly Father's Day card is for my Son-in-Law who invented a completely ridiculous game to play while traveling a long distance by car. He and my daughter were moving my granddaughter half way across the country to college, hauling furniture and furnishings she'd need for her first 'dorm' apartment. At some point, he suggested they count the cows they saw along the way.

Of course, it became a competition with each person counting their own cows to see who got the most. Someone, I'm not sure which person, added a new rule that if one person spotted a cemetery, they could 'collect' it and everybody else lost all their cows and had to start counting all over again. Many versions of the game were played over a period of 3 days and nights, including wiping out everyone else's cow count by seeing just a sign for a cemetery, looking up cow related websites, games, or apps, and even counting cows on billboards, milk cartons, and other dairy products!

A couple of months ago, I made a card for my granddaughter which featured cows on it, and I added to the game by telling her she could collect the cows on the card. In fairness to my SIL, this is a cow he can count. lol

Do you know the best way to count cows when you're moving past them at 70 MPH in a car? Count the legs and divide by 4!

This is pre-colored clip art, and I added white highlights and gold lowlights with gel pens. The image and the frame were both cut with QuicKutz dies. The background dp came from The Paper Studio. The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

Challenges:

Lil Patch of ...

That's all for today but I'll have another post tomorrow. See you then and 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

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Summer's End

It's the end of summer and all the vacationers are heading home. Airports are filled, train terminals are jammed with people and luggage, even the highways are clogged with cars and trucks burdened with suitcases, backpacks, and boxes of souvenirs loaded into the trunk or tied onto the roof rack.

This sweet image is from the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World and it's perfect for today's Heading Home theme. I colored with ProMarkers, and used Memory Box dies to cut both the image and the embossed frame piece ('Linen' EF.) The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die. The butterfly background dp was a scrap in the basket.

Challenges:

Lil Patch of ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, August 22, 2022

Lazy Days

I got so intrigued with the challenge options at the Butterfly Challenge that I decided to try a Faux Stepper card using all four of the color options (Fandango, Fulvos, Forest Green, and Flirt), plus faux stitching. I followed the instructions available on the Butterfly website for the faux stepper shaped card, then colored my image and added the faux stitching. I've played before but this is the first time I've used all the options and it really was fun!

The image was colored with ProMarkers, pencils, and watercolors on the background, then cut with a Tonic Studios die. Papers are from a Recollections stack. I did the faux stitching with a purple gel pen. The sentiment was cut with an Avrey Elle die.

Here's a shot which shows the faux step better.

Challenges:

As You Like It (Cats are my favs because there is so much you can do in coloring their fur)

There's a Stamp ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Dragonfly

Today I want to share a card I made using a fun image from Pattie's Creations, which is called "Dragonfly 1." I really love the way this came together.

I used water color paints to color the dragonfly, added loose glitter to the wings, and let it dry. I used a Fiskars punch to round the corners after first cutting the image with a Spellbinders die. The sentiment is mine, printed and cut by hand.

The plaid background dp came from a stack by Your Next Stamp and the triple-loop bow was tied using my bow maker.

Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Colour Crazy

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspirations

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Summer Rays

Our latest monthly challenge has started over at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies and I have to announce that it is also the last challenge after nearly 5 years. I really hate to see it close, but unless someone steps forward and is willing to take it over, when this challenge finishes on September 25th, it will be the last one.

Our theme has always been "Anything Goes with a Featured Critter" but that could be changed if someone else wants to take over. We've had sponsors each month and that, too, could be changed.

One of our first sponsors was QKR Stampede and they are our last sponsor as well. They have the most adorable images, many of them available in both digi and rubber stamps. I chose one called "Basking" and I just love the idea of a rooster soaking up the last rays of summer even if it means a bit of sunburn. :-D

The image is colored with ProMarkers and gel pens, then cut with a pinpoint die from Dare 2B Artzy. The green dp square was cut with a QuicKutz die, and then I cut the center of it with the same Dare 2B Artzy die and inlaid the image cut into that piece.

The sunshine dp was also a scrap from the basket. It had been in there so long, I was pretty sure it would never get used but it was too big to throw away. This seemed the perfect card for it. :-D I tied a bow tie bow from satin ribbon; printed the sentiment and cut it with an Impression Obsession die. It's CAS enough to work as a masculine card.

Challenges:

I hope you'll come and play with us in what may be our last challenge. Or maybe you'll be the one to decide to take it over and keep it going. Many on the team are more than willing to stay and all will be most helpful. If you have any interest, please email 2 Crafty Critter Crazies. Here's the address: 2craftycrittercrazies@gmail.com

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Seahorse

Today's card is in celebration of yet another Progressive Challenge, this one at Kinda Cute. It just seemed perfect for a birthday card. I reversed the image, then colored it with ProMarkers. I cut the image with a QuicKutz, rectangle die and rounded two of the corners with a Fiskars punch.

The dp and CS pieces were all scraps from the basket and I rounded those corners with scissors. I hand tied a bow using two strands of jute cord.

Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps ...

Colour Crazy

Creative Inspirations

Cute Card Thurs

Inspiration Station (Sea & Sand)

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Acorn Ale on a Hot Summer Day

When the days are hot and the summer sun shines bright, gnomes cool off with a bit of Acorn Ale. They love it so much, they keep drinking it right through until Thanksgiving! "Acorn Ale" is the name of this adorable image from SheepSki Designs and they are the sponsor for the challenges at both Creative Knockouts this week and for Your Scrapbook Place this month so this card is doing double duty as a DT inspiration piece. :-D

The image was colored with ProMarkers, then cut with a Tonic Studios die. The two framing pieces were cut with QuicKutz dies. Background CS made with scraps from the basket. The ribbon for the bow and the wrapped strip were also left over scraps and I have no idea what company made them. Sentiment printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

Challenges:

Crafty Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

House ... Stamps Built

I sure hope you're going to come and play with us in both challenges. We love being inspired by you! Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Saturday, July 3, 2021

2 Crafty Critter Crazies Challenge

Today is July 3, 2021, and I've amended my post about the new challenge which started on July 1 at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies. This month the challenge is sponsored by Jan's Digi Stamps and I've finally gotten a card made with one of her newest, fantastic images. This is from the set called "Splish Splash" and I merged two of the .png images to get this. This set is on sale this month, too! Go check it out.

I've injured my wrist and it's in a brace so hand-crafting activities are difficult at the moment, as is typing at the keyboard. It took me well over 20 minutes just to type these first two paragraphs. But I worked on this over a 3 day period and it's finished. Quick rundown: ProMarkers, QuicKutz die, dp from DCWV Linen Closet stack, sparkly with glitter, ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I used all six colors on the Color Dare #451 board

plus one neutral and a single embellishment of the bow.

Challenges:

I did manage to get other DT cards done before the wrist injury, so check the other posts which will be live on my blog today. Thank for visiting.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Fairies & Ladybugs

I'm playing around today with two things I've not done for a long while: a bendi card and a mini (4' x 4") card, combined into one. The image was only about 2" x 2.5" which made coloring it a major task in itself. :-D

I colored with ProMarkers and water color pencils, then used a Gina Marie die to cut the image. I used a Spellbinders curved border die to cut the two flaps of the bendi card which tuck in. The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die. I used a ProMarker to ink the edges of both the bendi flaps and the sentiment.

The cute image is from Bugaboo Stamps. I used the color board #449 at Color Dare and chose blue and brown in addition to the required purple. Note that the fairy's skin was colored with a 'Praline Brown' marker.

Challenges:

That's it for today and probably for tomorrow, too, but I'll be back with a new post on Thursday so check back then. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Summer Sunbonnet

I remember my mother saying, "It's summertime. Put on your sunbonnet!" lol I was far too much of a tomboy to worry about fussy things like sunbonnets and not at all worried about things like sunburn.

For my DT inspiration for the new mid-month challenge at QKR Stampede, I've used a very cute image called "Hello." I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with one of my favorite Spellbinders dies. The sentiment is cut with a die from Avery Elle. Both the ribbon and the bow are metallic-edged ribbon.

Challenges:

Come play with us in this challenge. Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and you can use any images from any company. However, if you do choose an image from QKR Stampede (or our sister company Eureka Stamps), your entry will go into a separate draw just for those and that increases your chances of being a winner by a huge amount. :-D Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Wrong End of the Hourglass

It's time for a new challenge at Creative Knockouts and this time we're sponsored by Jan's Digi Stamps. Our theme is to "Finish the Inside" of your cards. I used the "Beach Friends" image and sentiment, which reminded me of my mom who used to say that age 45 was when the sands of time began running into the wrong end of the hour glass. When I saw that sentiment, I just had to use it! lol However, in my case, I think they started running to the wrong end at about age 30. :-(

And here's what I did on the inside...

Colored w ProMarkers

Background paper w sparkle from DCWV

Double-loop bow, hand-tied

Inside dp = K & Co.

Challenges:

I hope we are going to see you playing along this week. Remember to finish the inside of your card and then submit it as an entry. We love being inspired by you! :-D Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Liliana Mermaid

Today I'm sharing the first of my #Conie Fong DT cards for the month of May. It features Liliana Mermaid as well as some fancy die cut work. Don't forget that each month we have two challenges running; one is for colored images only and the other is for completed projects. You do have to use Conie Fong images but there are so many of those and you're sure to fall in love with several once you go and explore the Etsy store. :-D

The image set includes Liliana both with and without a water lily and my original plan was to merge both images for use on one card. However, I had forgotten I was working with jpg images, not a png images, and the plan went awry. So I used one of the printed images and will save the other one for a future project. The sentiment is also from Conie Fong but not from the Liliana Mermaid set and I honestly don't remember which set has that sentiment. Sorry

The best part about this card is that it's made with scraps and bits, both paper and CS. Even the burlap ribbon for the bow was a left over scrap which I found in my scrap basket. There was just enough of it to tie that bow and trim the dove-tail ends.

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w Unbranded die

Sentiment cut w Unbranded die

Pattern paper from K & Co.

Lime green CS cut w Cuts die

Tallest flower created w 'negative' pieces from the die cut

Burlap bow hand-tied and dyed w ink pad

Challenges:

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, May 10, 2021

Beach Lemonade

It's very likely that the area where I live will reach 100 degrees this week and it's only the first third of May, for Heaven's sake! We always get hot, hot, HOT! weather during our summer months, usually several days in a row of over 100 degrees and when that happens I either stay inside in the craft room air conditioning or I head out for the beach. I guess this week is perfect for this card I made over the weekend. These House Mouse mousies have the right idea but they really need to watch that sunburn. :-D

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w Die-namics stitched dies

Sentiment printed & cut with Die-namics

Scraps used for mats & frame

Sentiment printed on a scrap

Challenges:

I hope your weather is more pleasant than ours. If it's not, stay inside and Happy Crafting. :-D NanaConnie

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