Artist Trading Card

      It's been a long time since I made an ATC but I was inspired by the free image over at the Conjuror of Dreams FB challenge this month.  That challenge used to e for just tags but now they've changed it to tags, ATCs, cards, whatever.  I adore this "New Beginnings" fairy.

     The image was pre-colored but I love coloring my own images so I printed her in light grayscale, then colored her with a combination of pencils blended with gamsol (the fairy), water colors (the background & sky), and used gel pens for highlights.  I cut the pointed-window shape (I don't know the correct architectural term for that window shape but they are really common in old Gothic era churches), and laid it onto a plain, white ATC.  I inked the edges and called it finished.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

AAA Cards

Addicted to CAS

Coloring w Pencils

Lil Patch of ...

Polkadoodles

     That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Dragon & the Knight

      Guess what?   There's a new challenge starting today at Star Stampz and it's the first one of 2025.  Boy, I'm not used to typing 2025 yet.  I had to go back and correct it from typing 2024.  :-D  Our theme is always Anything Goes with an optional theme.  This time, the option is "Inspired by a Song."

     I took that to heart and went searching for a Star Stampz image that had a dragon because "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was running through my head.  The image is The Dragon and the Knight.  I colored it with my Ohuhu markers, then cut it with a Tonic Studios die, and cut the corners with a Uchida punch.  

     I did the same things to a piece of DCWV dp and used it for the frame around he image.  The background was made with another piece of dp from that same DCWV stack.  I know I tend to use DCWV papers more than any others and part of that is because they are a favorite of mine but also because I own more DCWV stacks than any other brand.  That may have happened because when I first started paper crafting, the craft store where I made my purchases back in those days carried mostly DCWV,  I've used other brands over the years but I still tend to go back to DCWV.  (and I have a HUGE stash of it which I'll never use up, even if I live to be 100!)

     I added a wrap of purple Really Reasonable Ribbon and tied a bow with it also.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

DL Art

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds

     Come play with us in this challenge, won't you?   If you don't find yourself inspired by a song, you can always enter an Anything Goes card.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Not a Card !

      I know I post cards 99.98% of the time but today I want to share something new in my lineup of projects, a fun take on the rage for gnomes.  I adore gnomes but up until last month, I was buying gnomes made by other people.  I had colored my share of gnome images and made cards with them, but these 3D gnomes are the first of their kind I've made.

     These are made from craft foam cones, felt squares (which have been in my crafting stash forever and the package hadn't even been opened!) and faux fur, following a pattern I found on Duane King's YouTube site.  The fawn brown gnome with the pointed (but crumpled) hat is his Wizard pattern and the taller gnome is from the Gnome with Coat and Top Hat pattern.  They are approximately 6.5 inches and just under 8 inches tall.

     While I think these are cute enough, I also know that my finished gnomes will get better as I make more of them.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share my first efforts.  :-D

     

     Challenges:

Creative Inspirations

Outlawz PAM

Sisterhood of Snarky ...

     Enjoy and Happy Crafting!  NanaConnie

By-Gone Days

      I had a request last month for a masculine card for my neighbor's father.  He's turning 91 in mid-January and has been a lifelong farmer in the central valley of California.  The request fit in perfectly with the new challenge starting today at FarmQuest General Store (Anything Goes but must have a farm or country feel) and I decided on blues and browns.  That's almost always a perfect color combo for a masculine card.

      What could be better for a lifelong farmer than an image of long forgotten farm equipment, tucked away in a dusty corner of an old barn?   This is a pre-colored, clipart image to which I added the sentiment before printing it.  I cut it with a square, QuicKutz die, added a frame made from white CS, cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The striped dp is from an old DCWV stack, and I added a bit of left over burlap fabric from another project I had worked on last month.  It seemed to give perfect texture and eye appeal without being too frou-frou as an embellishment.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Creative Fingers

Gem of a Challenge

GMGC

Love Those...Papers

Outlawz Friday (used blue)

Pattie's Creations

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this month.  Anything with a country or farm flair can be entered and we'd love to be inspired by you.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Gnome's Country Christmas

     Here it is the end of the first week in January and we have a new challenge starting at FarmQuest Country Christmas.   While our themes are pretty much "Anything Christmas Goes," we do require that your projects have a farm or country aspect to them.  So, outdoors rather than indoors, fields and open spaces instead of city streets or skylines, trees and bushes rather than fancy furniture, and of course, Christmas!

     My card today features a darling little gnome from Anet Art Store and I printed the image in gray scale, then colored him with my Ohuhu markers.  Once colored, I used a QuicKutz die to cut the image and I inked the edges.  I put the background together with green CS and a scrap of dp from DCWV.   I wanted plenty of trees so that you'd know it was an outdoor scene so in addition to the trees in the image and the dp, I added little, felt trees along the left edge which were cut using a Cottage Cuts die.

     Challenges:

Color My Heart

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafts Galore Encore

Crafty Calendar

Creative Knockouts

Just Us Girls

Kerst/ Christmas

Outlawz Friday

Paper Shelter

Peace on Earth

     Won't you come play with us this month?  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Birds

      Here it is, time for the first challenge of the new year over at Inspiration Station.  We always give you a photo for inspiration and you may create anything you like but be sure to tell us what from the photo inspired you.  Here's the photo for this month and I was inspired by the wintery scene and the bird.

     I found a clip art image from Trendy Clipart which I reversed, printed in grayscale, & then colored with my new set of water colors (thank you, Santa.)  White highlights were added with gel pen.  I cut the image with a die from QuicKutz, inked the edges, and layered it onto glitter paper.  All of that went onto an A2 card front and the sentiment was added when all else was finished.  It really was a quick and easy card, taking less than 25 minutes, including coloring time.

     Challenges:

AAA Cards

Aud Sentiments (new watercolors)

Di's Digi Designs

Let's Craft and Create

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp (new watercolors)

Triple B

     Come play with us this month.  Just find something in the photo that inspires you, create a ard, and enter it into the challenge.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Holiday Party Time !

      A couple of days ago I did a post in which I mentioned a FB site where certain artistic people create AI clipart, often from specific requests made by members of the site.  It's called Free Printable Clipart and if you're interested, you can get there by clicking on the name above.

     I joined and have had a wonderful time browsing around and downloading clipart images I'll be using on my cards.  Today, I'm sharing two different cards which were made for neighbors who open their hearts and homes to the neighborhood for holiday parties each year.  

     Because I was making these cards more or less at the last minute (party is tomorrow night!), I chose to use the pre-colored version, exactly as I downloaded it.  But I've also used these clipart images printed in gray scale and hand colored by either my sis-in-law or me.

     I used scraps of dp for the background on this first card, carefully pieced together and the image was placed on an angle to cover a bare spot where one scrap was too small.  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die and I added silver and blue snowflakes.  The angel was in my stash of Christmas decorations, the only one I had left and it gave a bright spot of white to the card.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a small die from QuicKutz.

     The second card was also cut with a Spellbinders die and was framed with a scrap of deep blue CS.  The background dp came from an old K & Co stack and it has embossed holly leaves on it.  I added a die cut snowflake (Cottage Cuts), plus a wooden snowflake (Recollections) placed on top of it.  This sentiment was also printed and cut with a die from QuicKutz.

     Challenges: 

Cutie Pie

Dream Valley 

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Monday

Polkadoodles

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Dragonfly Dreams

Path of Positivity

Simon Says Stamp

ZieloneKoty

     That's it for today.  Happy New Year to you and yours and may yours be safe and same.  NanaConnie

Paths, Trails, or Walkways

      Oh, my gosh!  The year is nearly over and today we start our last challenge of 2024 over at FarmQuest.  As usual, we have a theme - a specific one in addition to the "Farm or Country" which is part of every challenge we have - and today that theme is "Paths, Trails, or Walkways."  I suppose I could have searched for a winter pathway but they all seemed to be buried under snow.  :-D  also,  you should know that, starting with this challenge, we are going to a monthly challenge instead of the 7th and the 28th.  So, this challenge will run through January 27, 2025!

     This image is clip art, printed in grayscale, then colored with water colors and pencil.  I cut the image piece with a QuicKutz die, and inked the edges.  The background dp came from my scrap basket.  I used jute cord to wrap the card front and tie a bow.  

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Girlz Creative

     That's all I have for today.  I'm off for the final Christmas family dinner which we delayed until my granddaughter could get home from college in Texas.  I hope all of your holiday celebrations went well and that you're resting from all the hustle and bustle.  

   

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cuddles with Santa

      It's Christmas Day and, in case you haven't seen my Christmas Greeting to all, just scroll down one post. 

     I'm also sharing this card today because I'm way too far behind on posting the cards I've made over the last 2 weeks!  This one is another collaboration with my SIL, Lainy, where she's done the coloring and I've turned it into a card.  She was still coloring images for Christmas cards yesterday!  Of course, we both put off a good share of our gift wrapping efforts until yesterday so last minute cards were almost to be expected.  :-D

     This is another clip art image and this one was AI generated.  I've joined a FB group of very talented people who create AI images based on requests from people all over the internet.  They are free for personal use.  I'll share more about that group (including a link to the site) in my next post.  Today, time is short and I need to get this post finished before the dinner bell rings at my house.  :-D

     Lainy colored this image with colored pencils and, once finished, I cut it with a Tonic Studios die.  I inked the edges using a red marker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a QuicKutz die, and I used the same marker to ink the edges of it.  The background dp came from an old (very, very old!) K & Co. stack.  The red and the green candy cane embellishments were cut with a hand punch but it has no company name on it so I can't tell you who made it.  I've had it for a good many years and it's a favorite of mine during the Christmas season.  I added a single wrap of green ribbon around the bottom of the front flap.

     Challenges:

4 Season

Craftlandia

Cutie Pie

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Girlz Creative Fun

Outlawz Monday

Rudolph Days

     Make your Christmas as merry as possible!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Blessed Christmas Day

 Blessed Christmas Day

Christmas Hug

      I adore this image and as soon as I printed it for coloring, my sweet (and very talented!) sis-in-law laid claim to it for coloring.  It's a clip art image and I don't even remember where I got it but she colored it with a mix of Ohuhu and ProMarkers.  Isn't her coloring fabulous?

     Once colored, she gave it back to me because making the actual cards seems to be my portion of the collaborations we do.  I haven't gotten her into that side of the creative process but it works out well when she colors and I turn those images into cards.  

     I cut the image with a QuicKutz die, then used a Fiskars punch on the four corners.  I framed that with a piece of scrap, gray CS, and I inked the edges of the frame.  For the background, I found bits of dp in the Christmas scrap basket, layered them one above another and thought they worked really well together.  I wrapped a snippet of very narrow ribbon around the card front and also tied another scrap of it into a simple bow.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart

Outlawz Tues (bottom left to top right)

Paperminutes

Passion for Markers

Simon Says Stamp

Snippets Playground (background papers, gray image frame, & ribbon scraps)

Tues Morning

     It's Christmas Eve and I wish each  and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Girl

      For all my promises last week about having posts each day for the past 7 days, the "To Do" list just got the best of me and, even though I've been very busy creating in the midst of the Christmas preparations, I didn't have time to sit down and write posts.  But today, I finally finished the Progressive Challenge image from Moondrea Designs and I want to get her posted to the Challenge.

     I colored with my Ohuhu markers, then added Stickles to the holly leaves, the berries, and the candle flame in the lantern.  After it all dried, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, and decorated the corners with Fiskars and Uchida punches.  I framed the image with a die cut rectangle of green CS (Spellbinders die.)  The background dp is a scrap from the Christmas stash (probably DCWV) and the sentiment was printed and cut with another Tonic Studios die.

     Challenges:

4 Season

613 Ave Create

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Peace on Earth

     Hopefully, I'll have additional posts this week.  We aren't celebrating our Christmas holiday until Saturday when my college-attending, granddaughter gets home for her Christmas holidays.  Maybe I'll have posts all week long of Christmas cards I've made even though Christmas will be on Wednesday.  You won't mind, will you?  The Christmas holidays don't really end until the New Year, right?

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Steampunk-y Christmas

      It's been ages since I did anything steampunk but my sis-in-law has a grandson who adores steampunk and when she saw this steampunk rabbit image in my collection of images from SheepSki Designs, she wanted to turn it into a Christmas image, even though it wasn't drawn as one.  I think she did a fantastic job by using traditional Christmas colors to get the effect she wanted.

     I took her colored image (pencils), cut it and the red frame with QuicKutz dies, and decorated the corners of each with Fiskars punches.  I found a scrap of dp for the background in my Christmas papers stash and thought it worked well with the steampunk aspect.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.

     For embellishment that heightened the steampunk, I dug through my drawer full of charms and found a little baggie filled with tiny gears and cogs and other metal bits, many of them actual old watch parts.  I bought those more than a dozen years ago at a Michael's store and haven't used them in longer than I can remember.  But they were perfect for this card!

     Challenges:

A Perfect Time ...

Crafts Galore Encore

Do Al(l) Kreatives

Kerst / Christmas

Lil Patch of ...

Peace on Earth

Sheepski Designs

     I may have an additional post today if I can find the time to sit down and write it.  My list of things still be be done before Christmas arrives grows longer and the number of hours I have to accomplish all of them grows shorter, and desperation is setting in!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Farm Country Birthday

      When I think of farms and country living, horses always come to mind.  So when I saw the theme for our latest FarmQuest challenge, "Things Found in a Barn," I started looking through my collection of images for a horse.

     This gorgeous clip art image was colored with pencils, blended with gamsol, then cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The kraft CS frame was also cut with a die from that same set.  The plaid dp came from a DCWV stack.  I printed the sentiment, cut it with scissors to get that particular shape, and matted it with a scrap of kraft CS.  I used jute cord for the hand-tied bow.

     Challenges:

Coloring w Pencils

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Male Room

Pattie's Creations

Word Art Weds

     I hope you're going to take some time in the midst of the crazy holiday rush to have some personal play time and we'd love it if you came and joined in our challenge.  Just find an image of anything you might find in a barn (animals, tools, vehicles, feed or hay, etc.), make a card or other project, and enter it into our challenge.  

     FYI, you MUST check out the FQ challenge post this time.  There are some incredible AI images available for you to use if you choose.  Becca did a great job of putting those together for all the readers.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Season for Hot Chocolate

      When it's time for hot chocolate, everyone gets into the act, even sweet little foxes!  This delightful image came from a set by Pixel Art Foundry and I'm totally in love with it.  It comes in a pre-colored version but this time it was printed in a light grayscale, no line version.  Don't they look like they're taking a break from the holiday rush before they head into the final stretch of Christmas Eve madness?  lol  Kind of like me doing fairly CAS cards for the last dozen I have to get finished before this week ends.

     My sis-in-law pulled out her water color pencils to color the foxes, then added highlights with gel pens.  She used sparkle pens on the cocoa mugs.  Once colored, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios rectangle die and cut the corners with a Fiskars punch.  I found a large scrap of  green dp for the card front and layered on the image piece.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a QuicKutz die.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Cardz for Galz

Coloring w Pencil

C.R.A.F.T.

Digi Choosday

DL Art TT

Krafty Chicks

Outlawz Weds

     That's it for today.  Hopefully, I'll get at least 2 more cards done and posted tomorrow or over the weekend.  I should have cards to post every day next week but my plate is so full, I honestly don't know if I'll get them all posted even if they are finished and ready to give away on Christmas.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tree Topper Angel

     I'm so excited to share this beautiful angel tree topper which was made completely from things in our crafting stash, no cash outlay at all.  I say "our" stash because this this is yet another collaboration with my sis-in-law, Lainy.  

     She did the majority of the hands-on work on this doll, painting it completely including the face, designing and arranging the hair, and adding all the little embellishment bits.  My stash supplied all the 'fabrics', including laces, tassels, ribbon, trims, and even the cardboard used to make a cone shape under the skirt.  The wings were made from lace which was painted and glittered after it was shaped into wings.  The paint helped to hold the shape after it dried.

     Just so you can appreciate the amount of time it took to complete the angel, a good week was spent on the project, working every day and letting things dry completely between steps.  I wanted you to see a close up of it and photographing it on the tree just became impossible due to the height of the tree this year.

     Challenges:

Crafting Happiness

Crafty Calendar

Outlawz Saturday

The Holly & Ivy

     Back to the craft room for me.  I still have a dozen or so cards I have to finish before this week ends and that end is very close at hand.  But let me leave you with a quick pic of the angel in her proper place on the tree. 

    

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Snowflake Santa

      I have to share a card with a spectacular image which was colored by my sis-in-law using pastel Ohuhu markers and white gel pens.  Didn't she do an incredible job?  The image is clip art and I think originally it was a digital coloring book page but I sized it for a card before printing it.  

     After she colored it, I cut it with a QuicKutz die, then used a Fiskars punch on the corners.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I decided to use blue glitter paper on the card front to enhance the soft blues in the image.  The two snowflake embellies are die cut foam and the dies were from Cottage Cuts.

     Challenges:

CRAFT-alnica

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

I Spy ...

Passion for Markers

Male Room

Penny's P-C

     Christmas is less than 2 weeks away and I'm still making cards!  Yikes!  Have you finished all of yours?  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Santa" on Vacation?

      This adorable little "Santa" cat has no intention of staying up all night on Christmas Eve, delivering presents to children all around the world.  In fact, if he is assigned that particular Santa chore, he's heading off on vacation the day before!

     The image is from Conjuror of Dreams and their challenge theme this month is, as always, Anything Goes but the optional theme is "Santa on Vacation."  This is my take on the vacation option.  :-D  

     The image is pre-colored, and I cut both it and the mat with dies from QuicKutz.   The sentiment was printed and cut with my Fiskars paper cutter.  I chose the glittery, red, card stock for background because I wanted a monochromatic look for this particular card.

I was inspired by the sketch at AAA Cards.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz SAR  (St. Nick & 'won't stay awake')

Pammie's PIP

Simon Says Stamp

     I may have a second post today but if not, I'll post tomorrow.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gnome for Christmas

      It's the day for a new challenge over at FarmQuest Country Christmas where our theme is always "Anything Country Christmas Goes."  We want to see outdoor Christmas scenes or decorations on the farmhouse, or nearly anything that is both Christmas and outdoorsy, but not big city streets or shopping malls or cityscapes.  

     I chose this clip art image with three gnomes on the Christmas Tree Farm.  I don't know the artist but if you do, please let me know.  I love to give proper credit where possible.  I colored the image with my Sanjoki markers, added highlights to their beards with a white gel pen, and cut the image with an old QuicKutz die.  I love the shape of it.  I inked the edges in red, then layered it onto a background of glittery, golden holly leaves.  That CS came from Paper Studios and the dp strip along the right hand side is a scrap from a DCWV stack.

     The glittery golden bow is from K & Co. and I thought it added exactly the proper amount of sparkle and glitz.  I admit, when it's Christmas, glitter is my absolute favorite and when it's combined with gold, that takes it over the top!  The sparkle adds so much to the festive feel of the holiday.  :-D

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aloha Friday

Colorful Options

Crafty Catz

Creative Inspiration

Digi Choosday

Kerst / Christmas

Outlawz Friday

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in this challenge.  Just create something that celebrates both country and Christmas and you're in!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Village Crier

     It's another fortnight and that means a new challenge at FarmQuest General Store, where our theme is always "Anything Farm or Country Goes" and, for one more month, we are sponsored by QKR Stampede.  Since we're well into the Christmas Season, I decided it would be fun to celebrate an old English, country Christmas where the Crier went through the country streets of the village, sharing news and stories.

     The QKR image is called "Hear ye, Hear ye."  I printed the image and colored it with ProMarkers.  I cut it with a QuicKutz square die and then I inked the edges.  I thought that cute gingerbread dp made a great background with the added benefit of the kraft and red country colors.  It's from the Christmas scrap basket and I truly don't remember who made it.  I printed the sentiment, cut each piece with an Avery Elle die and then layered it onto the Crier's banner.

     Challenges:

CRAFT-alnica

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

DL Art

Krafty Chicks

Let's Craft & Create

Outlawz Thurs

Pattie's Creations

     Happy Crafting and come play in our challenge.  You could win the 3 QKR Stampede images used by the DT in this challenge.  Be sure to check out the FQGS challenge blog to see all three of them.

     NanaConnie

Gingerbread and Mittens

      Signs of Christmas, that's what gingerbread men and mittens are and today we have a a new challenge starting at Inspiration Station.  Each month on the first Monday, we give you an inspiration photo and ask you to create a project based on what inspires you from the photo.  Let your imagination run as you look at the photo and see what might inspire your creativity!

     Here's the photo.

And here's my DT inspiration card.  I was inspired by Christmas, the traditional colors, and the gingerbread man cookie.

     I immediately thought about this image, which came from Beccy's Place, and I used Sanjoki and ProMarkers to color it.  Rather than die cut the image, I decided to fussy cut it with scissors, leaving a white border just outside of the gray shadow surrounding the image.  The sentiment is also from Beccy's and I printed it, then cut it with an Avery Elle die.  I hand-tied the tiny bow using 1/8" ribbon which has a sparkly gold border along each edge.  Fast card and very CAS.

     Challenges:

12 Months Christmas

A Perfect Time ...

Colorful Options

Crafting Challenge

Crafts Galore ...

Do Al(l) Kreatives

Kerst / Christmas

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

     Come play in our challenge this month, won't you?  We love seeing what you create.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Last Day of 30 Days of Holidays

      Here it is, my final card for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  The last day theme is always "Do What You Love," kind of like Anything Goes but better because we get to use things we love.  For me, there are so many things I love to put on Christmas cards, but I think snowmen have to be at the top of the list.  Actually, if I could find a good reason, I'd do snowmen cards all year round.  :-D

     Today's card features one of Beccy's new snowmen, named Winston and released this year.  I thought he'd look great dressed in a burgundy hat and scarf with gold fringe and earmuffs.  I colored him with ProMarkers and added gold Stickles to the star.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then trimmed the corners with a Fiskars punch.  

     I wanted the card to sparkle so I dug through my stash of glitter CS scraps and pieced together the background on the card.  I love glitter and when it comes to Christmas cards, I always debate with myself about whether silver glitter or gold glitter is best.  In this case, I was able to use mostly silver glitter but the star has gold sparkle, so a combination of them is the absolute best!

     The image and the "Snowball Fight" sentiment were layered on, using a good amount of craft glue (which I've found is the most effective for attaching CS to glitter.)  Even the stickiest of double sided tapes tends to come loose and peel off of glittered CS after just a short time so glue it is.  

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Di's Digi Designs

Jingle Bells (sparkle & colors)

My Time to Craft

Polkadoodles

Send a Smile ...

     The Christmas season is really on top of us now but it's nice to have another 30 cards in my stash.  Ok, maybe 25 instead of 30 since I did use Thanksgiving as the holiday on 4 or 5 of my cards this month.  Still, my Christmas card stash is looking good this year because of all the other cards I've done between January and October.  I still have colored Christmas images waiting to be made into cards so I'll have several additional posts throughout December.

  

    In the meantime, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Letter "Z" - 30 Days of Holidays

       Last letter of the alphabet and tomorrow is the last day of the Beccy's Place 30 Days of Christmas challenges.  "Z" is another one of those difficult prompts because very few Z words relate easily to Christmas but I did use a tutorial at Beccy's and made a Double Z Fold Card.  This one isn't in the  A - Z Folds tab but I did give you a link to the blog post where Beccy showed us the Double Z Fold.  There is a tutorial for a single Z fold in the A - Z Folds tab and it's much easier but I wanted the challenge of doing the Double Z fold.

     The candy cane image is from Beccy's Place and everything was done using up scraps, including the piece of CS on which the image was printed.  I colored the canes with ProMarkers (I used 'Vanilla' instead of white on the candy canes so it would better match the beige in the papers), then cut the image with a Die-namics stitched die.  I used my Scor-Pal board to make all the scores for fold lines, much more precise than trying to make the folds by hand without first scoring.  

     All the paper scraps were in the Christmas scrap stash and originally came from a stack by Graphic 45.  That particular stack of Christmas papers had to be one of my all time favorites. Unfortunately, that stack is used up except for the few scraps left in the basket, but then, it was probably 8 or 9 years old!

 

Here's a shot from the top showing the Z folds.

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.
Crafty Catz

Creative Creases

Creative Fingers

Cut It Up

Rudolph Days

Paper Shelter

Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Blessings on Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving !

     I wanted to share this card with you on Thanksgiving Day even though I actually made it for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  I know, I know, the day for alphabet letter "T" was last week, but the card turned out so magnificently that I knew I had to hold it back and post it today.  :-D

     I used Thanksgiving, Turkey, Tent card, and Tilted image piece for my "T"s.  The image is pre-colored, clip art, and before I printed the image, I edited it so that the turkey printed in gray scale while everything else was already colored.  I colored the turkey with pencils and markers.  Everything other than the turkey is the original, pre-colored image.

     The pumpkin vines background behind the image piece is another digital dp which I sized to fit a 5.5 x 5.5 inch card.  I felt like the digital dp was bright enough that no other embellishment was needed.  I think it makes a delightful masculine card even if it does feel a bit 'busy.'

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Forest Gratitude

     Gratitude can take place anywhere and these animals that live in the woods are overflowing with a gratitude message.  What better day to share it than on Thanksgiving?  The card is my DT inspiration piece for FarmQuest and our challenge theme this fortnight is "Things found in the Woods."

     The image on the card was originally an ad from an old newspaper (c 1945) which I wasn't willing to destroy.  So I photocopied it, added a bit of color with pencils and Ohuhu markers, then sponged it with pale ivory ink from a worn out marker.  I loved the "old" look that gave to the paper.  I tore the image rather than cut it with scissors because I thought it gave a more rustic feel.  I chose a kraft card base, again more rustic than a plain white CS.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The brown bits on either side of the image piece are washi tape with leaf shapes punched out.

     Challenges:

Digi Choosday

Krafty Chicks

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

    

     Come play with us this challenge.  I know you must be making the last (first???) of your Christmas cards by now and what better way to get into a country feel and enter a card with "Things in the Woods?"  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Angel & Letter "W"

     It's the day for "W" over at the 30 Days of Holidays for Beccy's Place and I've managed to play along each day.  I started the month of November thinking that I'd get maybe 14 or 15 cards done so I'm really proud of myself for being this far through the alphabet and having done a card for each letter and each of the theme challenges.  My "W"s are: White, Wings, Winter, & Webbing (the 'ribbon.')

     This is another card that's a collaboration with my sis-in-law, who colored this gorgeous little angel and then had me put together the card.  It's not that I don't do my own coloring any more but she just isn't into the card making side of things (not yet, anyway!) so we've fallen into a lovely pattern of taking her coloring and turning it into cards.  In between, I color my own images and make those into cards, too.

     Lainy hand-colored the angel (from Monsoon Publishing) with water color pencils, and I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die.  The sentiment (from Beccy's Place,) was cut with a QuicKutz die.  I inked the edges of both using an alcohol marker.  The wintery background dp came from an old (very old!) DCWV stack. The glittered webbing seem perfect to use as a wide ribbon and the glitter added wonderful sparkle (oooh, another "W"!)

     Challenges:

52 Christmas Card

613 Avenue Create

Aud Sentiments

Christmas w Cuties

Dream Valley

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

     I'll have another post tomorrow.  Until then, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie