Garden Gnome

     I've done an extra card this month for the second week of our "Cute with a Sentiment" challenge at Aud Sentiments.  Our sponsor is Lacy Sunshine and I used a favorite image from my own collection, "NanaNancy."  She may have already been discontinued but she's so perfect as a celebration of my family's summer garden tradition and it's a rare summer that I don't find some excuse to use her on a card.  The mushrooms are from the LS "Gnome Digi Bits" set.

The sketch came from Papertake Weekly

# 38, turned 1 quarter turn.

     I colored Nana Nancy with my ProMarkers, then cut the image into a square and distressed the edges all the way around.  The CS was salvaged from the scrap basket and I distressed each piece of it.  I printed, colored, and fussy cut the mushrooms, then popped them up on dimensional dots.  Both ribbons are from my stash.  Those plus the dimension and distressing add lots of texture to this otherwise CAS design.

     Challenges:

Corrosive Challenge

Crazy 4 Challenges

Fan-Tastic Tuesday

Glitter n Sparkle

Lacy Sunshine (diagonal L to R)

Little Claire's 

Love to Scrap

Not Just Cards

Paper Girls

Through the Craft Room Door

Tuesday Throwdown

     OK, you still have another week to enter the "Cute" challenge so get going, don't forget the sentiment, and I'll see you at Aud Sentiments.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Dad's Best Friend

     I love this little pup which is from a set by Deedee's Digis called "Dad's Day Off."  It happens to be the Digi of the Month for the Progressive Challenge over there.   I used it for the challenge over at Cardz 4 Guyz where I've been a Guest Designer for the entire month of May.  This is my final card for them as GD.  Thanks for making my stay so enjoyable, ladies.  :-D  Our theme this week is "Checks or Gingham" and, of course, your card has to be for a guy.  But with Father's Day coming up in a few weeks, now is the time.

     This time I used a pre-colored image (quick and easy) and then cut it with a die from Spellbinders.  The mat was cut with a larger die from the same set.  The gingham paper came from a stack by Gina K and I ran it through my new "Houndstooth Check" embossing folder.  I'm going to really love that folder, especially for masculine cards.

     The sentiment is mine, computer printed and hand cut, then matted and hand cut again.  The bow is one of those I make myself, sewing it together and adding the pearl.  I kept it all pretty CAS since it's a 'guy' card.

     Challenges:
Craft and Smash
Crafty Ribbons
Crafty Time
Creative Craft Cottage
Happy Little Stampers
Hiding in My Craft Room
Lia Stampz
Mema's Crafts
Natalie and Amy's
Petal Lu
Simply Create Too
Sister Act

     I hope you'll take a shot at making another masculine card, add some "Checks or Gingham" to it, and enter it in the Cardz 4 Guyz challenge this week.  See you there.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Linnea Sprite

     This darling little sprite is from AuroraWings and she was a FB freebie over the weekend.  She was such a delight to color, I've actually colored her three times.  :-D  This is the only one made into a card but the other two are waiting patiently.

I based this on the sketch from Sketchy Colors.

     I colored her with ProMarkers, fussy cut her and then popped her up on a piece cut with a die from Spellbinders, trimming out the sides so more of the dp would show.   Those were cut from left-over scraps in the basket.  I added flowers from my stash and put bits of glitter on the petals.  The purple ribbon was also a scrap.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create (image, senti., solid dp, flowers, ribbon)
Artistic Inspirations
Corrosive Challenge
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Cutie Pie
Digi Sketch
Melonheadz Friends
Not Just Cards
Outlawz Greetings
Pink Elephant

     I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day and that you remembered to salute a Veteran.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Perfect Summer Day

     Before I share my card with you this morning, I want to say that if the title of this post seems a bit misleading, that's totally unintentional.   For those of you who haven't had the joy of raising both girls and boys, I want you to know that there are very different definitions between them of what makes a perfect summer day.  For boys, it's finding a frog and an earthworm, and then discovering a HUGE snail, all of which must be taken right home to Mom!    And Mom, who's probably in the kitchen baking cookies with Sis, is required to be appreciative and stifle the gag reflex when the frog jumps into the cookie dough!

My sketch came from Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2

and I used colors found in the inspiration photo at 

DRS Designs.

   

     The cute image from Sassy Cheryl's is colored with ProMarkers, cut with a die from Spellbinders, and matted with both navy and aqua CS from AC Cardstock.  The ribbons are all from my stash and the bow is one of those I make and keep in my stash for future use.   The sentiment is printed with a computer font, matted, and added last.

     Challenges:

ArtbyMiran

Brown Sugar

Crafty Catz

Cuttlebug Mania

Digi Choosday

Little Claire's

Outlawz Twisted Thurs

Simply Papercrafts

Sister Act

     This is going to be a work day for me, despite the fact that this is supposed to be a long, holiday weekend.  There are some things I simply must get done and they are going to involve a significant amount of computer time.  I wish it was going to be all fun & games and creating but...   So, to each of you who doesn't have to 'work' -- Happy Stamping.  :-D  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

Summer Birthdays for Kids

     In my family, we have a lot of spring and summer birthdays to celebrate so any time I can make another birthday card for the stash, that's wonderful.   Our new challenge this week at QKR Stampede has a theme of "Birthday Cards for Kids."   Perfect!  I chose to use Digi 24134 "Birthday Turtle" and the sentiment Digi 17206 "Birthday Again", both from QKR.

I used the sketch I found at Sketch Saturday,

and I pulled my colors from The Male Room.

 

     The image is colored with ProMarkers (my absolute favorites!), then die cut and matted.  I dug around in the scrap basket and found those wonderful bits of green CS.  The 'blingy' ribbon was in my box of miscellaneous ribbons (meaning I don't remember where I got it) and the bow is one of those I make by the dozen and toss in my stash for future use.  The metal charm has been hiding in my things and I decided it was time to use it.

     Challenges:

Come and Get It

Crafty Boots

Crafty Sentiments Designs

Cutie Pie

Cuttlebug Mania

Digi Choosday

Fan-Tastic Tuesday

Going Grey with Scrap Creations

Inspiration Destination

Love to Scrap

Melonheadz Friends

Paper Girls

Paper Nest Dolls

Sentimental Sundays

     I hope your week has gone well.  For those of you in the USA, when you're celebrating the long weekend this Memorial Day, try to remember the meaning of the holiday; salute a Veteran and say a prayer for our currently serving military guys and gals, won't you?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Sleepy Lamb Agnes from Lacy Sunshine

          We have a new challenge starting today over at Aud Sentiments.  Our theme this time is "Make it Cute" and you must use a sentiment.   Our sponsor this fortnight is Lacy Sunshine.  They generously supplied images for the DT to use on their inspiration cards and I used 'Sleepy Lamb Agnes.'  Isn't she precious?

     The image is colored with ProMarkers, then die cut and matted with a larger die cut.  The dp came from a stack by Paper Studio.  The bow is one of those I found at Hobby Lobby and the little flowers were punched and glittered.  The leaves are cut with a die from Cheery Lynn.

     Challenges:
Catch the Bug (center column)
Craft and Smash
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Hazelnut's
Crafty Ribbons
Di's Digi Designs
Glitter n Sparkle
Hanna & Friends
Mema's
Natalie and Amy's
Paper Creator's Crafts
Robyn's Fetish
Send a Smile 4 Kids
Simon Says Stamp (yellow)
Stamp and Create
Wags 'n Whiskers

     You have two weeks to get a "Cute" card made, making sure it has a sentiment on it, and enter it into the challenge.  I hope we're going to see you playing in this challenge.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Wildlife

     No, not the late night party kind of wild life -- the kind you find outdoors.  That's the theme of our new challenge at Cardz 4 Guys this week where I'm serving as a Guest Designer for the month of May.  I've really enjoyed doing cards these last 3 weeks because it's gotten me back into the swing of doing masculine cards.  I love making masculine cards and I love finding images that will work for guys.  The one on today's card came from Doodle Pantry's "Deer Trio" set, although I think it more likely this is an antelope rather than a deer.  The sentiment is also from that same set.

     The image and sentiment are printed directly onto the card front.  Here's a Tip:  I get them lined up correctly for the top fold by shuffling them onto the bottom of the page on the screen and tab over to the right until I think it's about where I want.   Then I print first onto inexpensive copier paper and I measure it for the width of the card.   Once I have  everything where I want it, I print it onto the card stock, then cut it to size by trimming off the right side, and finally I score it for the top fold.  Sometimes it takes me one or two tries on the copier paper to get it right where I want it, always taking into consideration where I want to put a sentiment (if it's stamped separately) or embellishments, like the metal brads I used here.

     Also, when coloring with alcohol markers, the color will often show through on the inside.  I always color with the card open so that the ink won't bleed onto the lower inside where I want to write or sign it, and then I add a piece of patterned dp to the upper inside of the card to cover where the ink shows.

     I decided that I wanted this card to be very CAS so I did no embellishments other than the brads in the lower corners.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Digi Sketch
Going Grey with Scrap Creations
Incy Wincy
Inspiration Destination
Little Claire's
Love to Scrap
Not Just Cards
Pile It On
Scribble & Scrap
Simply Papercraft
Sweet Stampin'
Top Tip Tuesday

     That's all I have today.  I have to go water my garden again.  Because California is in such a terrible drought, where I live we're only allowed to water 3 days a week, 20 minutes maximum per sprinkler cycle.  I water my garden by hand and try to make every drop and every minute count.  There certainly is no fear of  over-watering this year.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

New Sentiment Freebie

     Yesterday, I promised you a new sentiment made by my dear friend, Teresa, at Tickell Expressions.  She saw the sentiment on one of my cards last week, liked it and turned it into this delightful image, both jpg and .png.

     Feel free to save it and use it in the future.  Just right click and then select "Save Image" from the menu.  It's just like saving a digi.

     She also has a darling little birdie freebie on her blog so click here to grab it and give her a loving "Thanks" for all her work.  

     Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

It Only Seems Impossible

     QKR Stampede has another new challenge starting this morning and our theme this week is "Balloons."  For me, balloons just lend themselves to celebrations, especially birthdays.  But for this fun guy (Digi 15401 "Floating Away"), it may just mean sticking to something until the impossible is accomplished.  :-D

I chose to use the sketch from Digi Sketch,

turned one-quarter turn.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then I cut the image with a hexagon die set from QuicKutz.  I cut a mat from blue polka dot dp, plus two other hexagons from green and pink dp (The Paper Studio.)  I layered them together, offsetting the green and pink to each side.

     The ribbon is sparkly and sheer, and I added three tiny buttons.  Another relatively CAS design and I really like it.  I AM learning!  :-D

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
Bunny Zoe's
Cutie Pie
Cuttlebug Mania
Going Grey with Scrap Creations
Loves Rubber Stamps
Melonheadz Friends
Party Time Tuesday
Path of Positivity
Perfectly Rustics
Pile It On
Robyn's Fetish
Ribbon Girl

     Come play this week!  Don't have a stamp with a balloon?  Check out the QKR Stampede store where you can find either rubber or digi stamps.  Remember, you don't have to use QKR images but if you do, you'll be entered into a separate drawing which increases your chances of winning.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Just Peeking In

     This is my last post as a Design Teamie on the Outlawz Twisted Thursday challenge.  I'll still be playing in challenges over there because I love the people and the challenges but this is the last day of my DT term.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" but the optional twist this week is "Flowers," either in the image or added as embellies.

     Our sponsor for the month of May is Sami Stamps and they generously supplied images to each of the DT members.  This one is called "Flower Hat."  Doesn't she look like the most special lady in the world wearing her fabulous spring hat?  :-D

I used the sketch I found over at Sketch Saturday

modified a little to keep it more simple.

     The image is colored with ProMarkers.  I found that luscious sparkly ribbon in my stash and also the narrow 1/8" ribbon I used to make the double bow.  I think they both came from The Ribbon Girl.   The sentiment is printed with a computer font and fussy cut, then matted with the same CS that I used for the card front.  The pearls were also in my stash.

     Challenges
CAS on Sunday
Catch the Bug
Come and Get It
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with an Attitude
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Boots
Digi Choosday
Digi Sketch
Eureka Stamps
Great Impressions
Not Just Cards
One Stitch at a Time
Outlawz PAM
Paper Girls
Pile It On
Ribbon Girl
Sami Stamps
Scrapper's Delights
Stamp and Create
Top Tip Tuesday

      A fond farewell to all my DT mates at Twisted Thursday and I hope we're going to see you playing along this week.  Don't forget, it's all about "Flowers" if you decide to add the twist which allows you to enter two projects instead of only one, increasing your chances of winning.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Time for a Birthday

     I'm working on revitalizing my stash of birthday cards which has been seriously depleted over the last couple of months so you'll see a few more birthday cards in my upcoming posts.  This one I did for my Guest Designer spot at Cardz 4 Guys this month.  All cards must be masculine and this week the theme is "Make Your Mark."

     You can 'make your mark' by hand drawing doodles or faux stitching or using gel pens -- nearly anything which creates a human-made mark.  I've done faux stitching and used a sparkle pen on each of the keys and the clock hands, although that's hard to see in the photo.

     The background on the images (the clock is a separate image, fussy cut and overlaid onto the keys) is colored with chalks.  The mat behind the image is burlap paper and the other two dp came from stacks by Gina K.  The twine has been in my stash for a long time but originally came from The Twinery.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
Brown Sugar
Crafts Galore Encore
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Friday
Robyn's Fetish
Sassy Studio
Scrap It Girl
Scrapper's Delights
Scrappy Hands
Scribble & Scrap
Send a Smile 4 Kids
Sister Act

     I hope we're going to see you playing in the challenge this week at Cardz for Guys.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Waiting for an Invitation

     When I saw this fun image from Bugaboo Stamps, it just looked like he was waiting for an invite to come in so I used it for a party invitation.

     Colored with ProMarkers, die cut with Spellbinders "Squares," and the papers are from The Paper Studio.  The sentiment is popped up on dimensional dots.  I added the bow and the sequins for quick embellishments.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
AAA Cards
Crafty Catz
I {heart} ProMarkers
Inspiration Destination
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Simon Says Stamp
Stempelsonnen

     I hope your week has started well and just gets better as it goes along.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie 

Ballerina

     Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are mothers.  This will be a fast post because I have to get ready for a Mother's Day luncheon with family.  I'll be back after lunch to add the list of challenges I'm entering.

     This card is a birthday card (although the sentiment is on the inside) for a little 8-year-old girl who recently danced in her first public ballet performance.  The image is from My Whimsical Little World and was a freebie for the progressive challenge on their Facebook page.

     I colored her with ProMarkers, then die cut her with a die from Spellbinders.  I used chalks on the edges of the die cut.  The papers are scraps that came from the Juniper Berry stack by DCWV.  The ribbon came from my stash.  The purple flower is made from scrap ribbon and the white flowers are punched from scrap CS, glittered, and then a bead is added to the middle.   The leaves are cut from scraps with a Cheery Lynn die.

     Today is another day when I get to pat myself on the back for using up all those scraps.  :-D

     Challenges:
Allsorts
Art Impressions
Brown Sugar
Come and Get It
Crafter's Cafe
Crafty Ribbons
Di's Digi Designs
Digitally Sweet
Fussy and Fancy
Graph' It
Hiding in My Craft Room
Jo's Scrap Shack
Little Miss Muffet
Ribbon Girl
Sister Act
Stamping Boutique

     OK, I'm off to get ready for the luncheon.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Shot for Health?

     I'm so far behind on getting this posted.  It's my DT card for Aud Sentiments and should have gone up on Thursday but I mixed up which week it was and was late getting it done. ;(  Ah, well, at least I have it now.

     Our sponsor is Sassy Studio and they supplied images to the DT.  However, I chose to use one I already had in my collection.  For our theme this fortnight, we have a sketch and it's one I'm going to use over and over again.  I do love a great sketch!

  We also have a new freebie sentiment, which I used on the inside of my card.
                                        

    This time I used Copics to color the image (they have better reds that don't bleed as much), then cut it out and inked the edges.  The polka dot dp is from SU and I inked the edges of both of  those pieces, too.  The outside sentiment is cut with a die from QuicKutz and the bow was one I found in my stash.  I think it was one of the first ones I tied using my bow maker from Craft-Dee BowZ.

     Challenges:
2 Cute Ink
ABC Challenge
Digi Choosday
Loves Rubber Stamps
MarkerPOP
Mema's Crafts
Outlawz Greetings
Sisters of Craft
Sugar and Betty's
Through the Craft Room Door

     Since this is my second post today, I think this will round it out at least as far as posts go.  I'm going to play in my garden a bit and I might even take some pictures so that I can share with you how things have grown since the beginning of April.  In the meantime, Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Outlawz Progressive Challenge

     One of the fun things about being a member at The Outlawz is playing in their monthly Progressive Challenge.   Each month that we play along we get a freebie image from another artist and we use it to play in the challenge.  Playing this month means that we're on the list to get the next freebie the following month.

     This month, the image is from Ppinky Dolls and I thought she was just so sweet.  She has holly in her hair which makes her perfect for a Christmas card but I wanted to see if I could use her for an any-occasion-where-a-gift-is-appropriate card.  I think it worked.  :-D

     I colored her with ProMarkers and die cut her with one of my framing dies from Spellbinders.  I used a larger die than I needed because I wanted to add a smaller frame inside that large die.  The smaller cut was made from plain pink dp.

     I used two different sheer ribbons (stash items which have been ignored for much too long!), one wrapped around the card front and the other to make the bow.  I used my Craft-Dee BowZ tool to tie the bow and, yes, I'm still just as crazy about it as I was when I first got it!.   Finally, I added a few pearls to the frames.  The frames themselves were so lovely that I didn't think a lot of embellishment was required.

     Challenges:
Clear It Out
Crafter's Cafe
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafting Musketeers
Cuttlebug Mania
Get Creative
I {heart} ProMarkers
Inky Impressions
Inspiration Destination
Papertake Weekly
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrapy Land
Shabby Tea Room
Sisterhood of Crafters
SLS Lines

     It's early Saturday morning and I'm probably still lazing about in bed.  It was very late when I finished and scheduled this post last night so I deserve to sleep in.  Most morning I'm awake at or near 5:00 a.m. so even sleeping until 7:00 feels like a treat.  Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Climb a Tree

     Another Friday to start the weekend and another new challenge at QKR Stampede.  You already know how much I love their digi images but did you know they also have rubber stamps?  Those of you who aren't yet hooked on digis and who still like the feel of real rubber in your hands might think about looking for cute and unusual stamps over there, too.

     Our challenge theme this week is "Nature" and nothing says nature to me like a great tree which can be climbed.  When the spring leaves are fully opened and you can hear them rustling in the breeze, that's the time to climb one.

    Or, for those of you who just aren't into climbing anything, you can bring a hammock and just 'chill out' under the tree.  :-D

    This image is Digi 12702 "Old Tree."

I based my design on the sketch from Sweet Sunday Sketch.

reversed, squashed, and stretched for an A2 card.

     The ground and the sky are colored with chalk and the tree is done with ProMarkers.  After coloring, I used a rectangle die from Spellbinders to cut the image, then I inked the edges with distress ink.  I added that to a pre-cut, colored card front (DCWV) and added the bow.

     The butterfly is made from die cut shapes (two of them) layered together with dimensional dots.  I used old kraft paper which had been stamped with a text stamp.  The body is made with a wooden bead.

     Challenges:
Cards in Envy
Chalk n Stock
Country View Crafts
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Glitter n Sparkle
Great Impressions
Loves Rubber Stamps
Mema's Crafts
Passion for ProMarkers

     Are you going to come and play with us this week?  You don't need to use a QKR image but if you do, you'll be entered into a separate drawing just for those who use one.  You'll increase your chances of winning by a huge amount if you use QKR Stampede digis or stamps.  Come play.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Long Stretch...

     It's Thursday and we have a brand new challenge over at The Outlawz Twisted Thursday where our theme is always Anything Goes but we offer an optional twist.  The twist this week is "Add a Charm."  We have a terrific sponsor this entire month, Sami Stamps.

     The image is printed on a piece of scrap CS and then colored with ProMarkers.  Both the sheer ribbon and the twine are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, but they've been in my stash for a long time.  I decided that it was definitely time to use them.  I used three pieces of twine to tie the bow.  The kitty charm was in my stash.

     CAS and quick to complete.  As my friend, Lynn, (who loves cards done in blues,) would say, "Just git 'er done!"

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
Artistic Inspirations
CAS on Sunday
Clear It Out
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Digi Chooseday
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Not Just Cards
Paper Minutes
Papertake Weekly
Perfectly Rustics
Scribble & Scrap
Sisterhood of Crafters
Through the Craft Room Door

     I hope we're going to see you playing in our Twisted Thursday "Anything Goes" challenge this week.  If you don't belong to The Outlawz yet, use this link to get to the main page and join up.  It's free and you'll find a different challenge each and every day plus a Progressive Challenge once a month.  The crafters over there are so warm and wonderfully friendly; you'll love the people you meet.  Come join us, won't you?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Butterflies, Blessings, and Mom

     This card showcases one of the freebie images from The East Wind's Facebook page and their challenge theme is "Mother's Day w/ Flowers."  Isn't she darling in her traditional Korean dress?  I chose to do this one in my favorite purples and lavenders.

     She's colored with ProMarkers and chalks, and then, instead of die cutting the image, I used a left over 'outside' from another die cut (Spellbinders") to frame the image.  The butterfly embellie is actually a decorative corner die cut (Cheery Lynn) to which I added pearls on a purple CS strip for the body and turned it into a butterfly.

     The large flower is from Recollections and the three small flowers are punched, glittered, beaded, and laid out on top of leaf die cuts (also Cheery Lynn.)

     Challenges:
Cards in Envy
Chalk n Stock
Cheery Lynn
Come and Get It
Crafting Cafe
Crafty Boots
Fussy and Fancy
Get Creative
Great Impressions
Incy Wincy
Ladybug Crafts
Mema's Crafts
Monday Morning
Our Creative Corner
Paper Nest Dolls
Quick Quotes
Scrapy Land
Simply Create Too
SLS Lines
Stamp and Create
Tuesday Throwdown

     Hope your week is going well.  We're halfway to the weekend.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

The Real Purpose of a Garden

     I have the honor of being a Guest Designer at Cardz 4 Guys this month and it's fun to be making masculine cards again once a week.  During my first year of blogging, I was on a design team for a company that did masculine images and I was making 'guy cards' every week, but that store closed and I went back to just doing a few masculine birthday cards each year.  Unlike many crafters, I love doing masculine cards!

     The theme this week is "Gardening" and I chose this fun, pre-colored, image from the Spring Blocks set by Deedee's Digis.

     The sentiment, "Plant a Garden -- Feed the Bugs," is mine and that's how I'm feeling these days about my own garden!  :-D  I think I should have planted one entire bed just for the bugs.  And just to show my feelings over that issue, I 'distressed' all the edges of the mat layers.  The twine is from my stash and I hate to tell you how long it had been there.  That was one of those "have to have it" purchases and then it got put away and forgotten.  Recently, I found it and have used it once or twice this last week.

     Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks
ArtbyMiran
Catch the Bug
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Crafts 4 Eternity
Just Us Girls
Kreativeinkauf
Oddball Art
Scrapper's Delights
Sisters of Craft
STAMPloration

     If you've not played in the Cardz 4 Guys before, please try it this week, won't you?  Masculine cards aren't really that difficult.  Find an image of a car or dog or motorcycle, anything your particular guy likes, and do a card with minimal flowers and fuss.  Use layers or texture or twine (or all of them) and then come enter it at Cardz 4 Guys.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Classic Mom

     I absolutely love this Rick St. Dennis image!  I'm using it to do this classic Mother's Day card and to enter it into Part 1 of their May/June Progressive Challenge.  It was a wonderful image to color and, of course, that sweet little feline sharing favorite, cuddly moments with mom didn't hurt either.  :-D

     I decided on a beige and pink color combo after seeing the inspiration photo from Kit and Clowder and also because it was something I hadn't done so far as I could remember.

     I colored her with ProMarkers and then added the strip of ribbon which runs behind the image.  I added another strip of it to a lovely bit of beige lace I found in my stash and that became the border along the left side of the card.  I didn't want any other embellishments taking attention away from the lace or that gorgeous image so I left it at that.  The sentiment is computer printed and then die cut (Spellbinders) before adding it to the corner.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
ABC Challenge
A Creative Need
A Vintage Journey
Brown Sugar
Come and Get It
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Ribbons
Fairytale Stampers (1st column)
Glitter and Sparkle
In the Pink
One Stitch at as Time
Paper Creator's Crafts
Pile It On
Ribbon Girl
Simon Says Stamp
Whimsy Inspiration

     I hope your day is going well even if it is a Monday.  Think positive thoughts and before you know it, it'll be the weekend again.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Mother's Heart

     A really quick post tonight since it's very late and I have to get to bed.

     I want to dedicate today's card to my mother-in-law, who's been gone several years now.  I loved her dearly, as much as my own mother, and since she survived my mother by many years, she became the only mom I had.  I miss them both.

     My MIL loved bird houses and she would have adored this card.  The image is by Beccy's Place.

I based my design on the sketch from Just Add Ink.

     Quick details about the card:  lace from my stash, ribbon from one of the ribbon sites, bow is one of those I make and keep in my stash, hearts are brads, and the 'dots' beside them are tiny green half-pearls.

     Challenges:
Allsorts
ArtbyMiran
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Ribbons
Creative Corner
DL.ART
Dragon's Lair
Graph'It
House That Stamps Built
Simply Papercrafts
Sister Act
Stamping Boutique
WordArt Weds.

     Good night, friends and followers.  Rest easy and I'll see you in the morning.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Texas Blue Bonnets

     There isn't a Texas mother anywhere who wouldn't just love this card for Mother's Day next Sunday since Blue Bonnets are their state flower.  My daughter is a Texas mom since all her children were born there.  I've never lived there but if I have Texas grandchildren, doesn't that count for something?

     This image is from Doodle Pantry.  I die cut it with one of my framing dies from Spellbinders and then cut another frame with a second die from that same set.  I layered those together, added a small blue bow with a pearl, and put those on black CS.  The sentiment is also from that same Doodle Pantry set.  I  printed it, hand cut it, and added it on top of all the other layers.

     This is another (almost) CAS design but one or two steps away from truly simple because of the fancy frames around the image.  I still love it.  Yesterday's card was absolutely CAS, today's is not quite CAS, and the one I'm going to share tomorrow is definitely NOT CAS at all!

     Challenges:

Brown Sugar

Chocolate, Coffee & Cards

Crafts 4 Eternity

Creative Corner

Cuttlebug Mania

Digitally Sweet

Frosted Designs

Going Grey with Scrap Creations
Inspiration Destination
Loves Ribber Stamps
Lunagirl Moonbeams
Outlawz PAM

     The weekend is half over and we've had HOT, HOT, HOT weather but that didn't keep us away from the Relay for Life activities.  What a marvelous crowd and I can't believe how many fellow survivors there were this time.  It seems we gain more long-term survivors each year and that's such a blessing.

     Happy Stamping to all of you.  NanaConnie

Snow Leopard

     Today's card features another heat embossed, rubber stamped image from Sparkle n Sprinkle.  I've had this set longer than I care to admit and I've never used this particular stamp before.  I suppose it's a regular leopard but I decided that the black and white was beautiful and so he's now a "Snow Leopard."  Papertake Weekly has a "Take Your Pick" challenge theme this week and I chose the color theme -- White plus 1 color (mine is black.)

     Very, very CAS!  Just the heat embossed image (Black Detail DP also from Sparkle n Sprinkle), the sentiment, and three black square buttons strung on silver twine.  The embossing powder gives a great texture to the card.  I think it's a perfect masculine card for Father's Day.

     Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Digi Chooseday
DRS Designs
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
FHL - Throwback Thursday
House That Stamps Built
Inspiration Destination
Not Just Cards
Scrap & Craft
Simon Says Stamp Monday
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday
Sisterhood of Crafters
Sparkle n Sprinkle
Stamp and Create

     I hope a wonderful weekend looms ahead of you and that your weather will be marvelous, whatever your plans.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

May Flowers with Pattie's Creations

     I love this image and had it for a while before I ever joined the DT at Pattie's Creations.  I thought it was perfect for our "May Flowers" theme this month.  It's called "Roses in Milk Bottle."

          The image is colored with ProMarkers and I added some sparkle to the glass milk bottle with a glitter gel pen.  I cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  The lace was in my stash and I think it came from my local fabric store.  The polka dot dp and the rose were both in my stash and I'm not sure who made them.

     Challenges:
Cards in Envy
Crafty Cardmakers
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
My Time to Craft
Really Reasonable Ribbon
Scrapy Land
Scribble & Scrap
Sentimental Sundays
Shabby Tea Room
Suzy Bee's Bloomin'

     I hope you're going to come and play with us this month.  It's a fun theme and all you need are some flowers -- in your image or as embellies -- any will do.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Rest Easy

     Friday means a new challenge is starting at QKR Stampede and we have a new theme of "Mother's Day."  Most of you who follow me already know that I have a weird, perhaps even bizarre sense of humor so hopefully you'll appreciate this card I made for a wonderful lady who has a family of 5 and says all she does is laundry, laundry, laundry every day of the week.  I, on the other hand, live alone and sometimes go a full 2 weeks with barely enough laundry to separate it into different loads.  Remember, we're conserving water out here in drought stricken California so I have to have a big load before I run the machine!  Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Laziness has nothing to do with it!  :-D

     This is Digi 24224 "Resting Heavy" and, while I had good intentions of using a sentiment from QKR, I have to take the full blame for the sentiment this time.  :-D  It just popped into my head as I was getting ready to print the digi.

     I added the 'frame' and the sentiment with some editing software before I printed it, a new technique for me.   Then I used ProMarkers to color the image, and cut it out - frame, sentiment, and all - with my Fiskars paper cutter.

     I used my 'Linen' embossing folder on the card front before adding the image piece.  The ribbon has been in my stash for at least 2 years, maybe 3.  I found the yellow feathers last week when I reorganizing the craft space so I knew exactly where to put my hands on them.  The flower is from Recollections.  This card took less than 15 minutes to put together (not counting coloring time) even though it looks complex rather than simple.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
Addicted to Stamps
Crafty Boots
Crazy 4 Challenges
Design Team Showcase
Hiding in My Craft Room
Love to Scrap
Perfectly Rustics
Pink Elephant
Sister Act

     That's it for this post.  Come play with us this week and have a great weekend, folks.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie