Activity, Feline Style

     Good morning and happy Saturday!  It's the weekend, the Easter festivities are over and summer is just around the corner.  It's time to begin a new challenge at Open-Minded Crafting Fun with four more fantastic sponsors.  They are: Art by Miram; Kenny K.; Pholkart; and Stitchy Bear.  Our theme is "Sports or Activity."  I used a delightful image from Pholkart.

     I call this card "Window Staring" for obvious reasons.  Since the theme is Sports or Activity, I guess I should explain that "Window Staring" is one of the premier events in the Feline Olympics!  This particular 'Folk Art Cat' has been at it day and night for 2 straight days.  :-D

     The image is colored with Copics and ProMarkers and cut with a rectangle die.  The papers are from Close to My Heart and are also die cut.  The long strip isn't ribbon, it's also dp from the same CTMH set.  I tied a triple bow using cord and added a flower and a rhinestone.  The sentiment is printed with a computer font and then cut with a fancy frame die.  I added distress ink around the filigree edges.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps & More -- Make your mark (Coloring)
Crafting from the Heart -- A/G
Everybody Art -- Cute card
Fan-Tastic Tuesday -- A/G
Incy Wincy Designs -- Furry friends
Just Inspirational -- Bingo: dies/ Flower/ Glitter/ Twine
My Craft Creations -- A/G
Outlawz Twisted Thurs -- A/G
Pholkart Studio -- A/G

     Come join us in our challenge at Open-Minded Crafting Fun.  If you check out the rest of the DT projects, you'll find all kinds of activities that are a lot more 'active' than Window Staring, but my life is ruled by felines, especially those who love to Window Stare!  Our challenge run for two weeks so you have plenty of time to get something made and entered.  Remember, with four different sponsors, you have four times as many changes to win something great so it's definitely worth entering!  See you over there.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Rainy Days for Spring

     OK, so southern California is still in the midst of a huge drought but maybe another rainy day card will bring us some of that moisture from the sky that so many of the rest of you have had.  If not, then this card will be celebrating typical spring days everywhere else.  :-D

I took my sketch from  Tuesday Morning Sketches,

turned sideways to accommodate my tall image.

     The image is from Lacy Sunshine (theme: Feminine) and I colored her with ProMarkers.  Although it's very difficult to see in the photo, the raindrops and the puddle are made sparkly with a glitter gel pen.  I used three different dies from one of my framing sets (by Spellbinders) to cut the image and the fancy frame.  Everything is mounted onto a black card base.  The flower is handmade with three layers of petals and a black brad in the center.  The leaf is another Spellbinders die cut.  Can't see it?  It's cut from navy blue CS and just blends into the black border in the photo.

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations -- Monochromatic
Bearly Mine -- Spring
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards -- Spring
Corrosive Challenges -- Pretty pastels
Crafting Musketeers -- Monochromatic
Craftitude -- Spring
Crafty Catz -- "B" is for... blue
Crazy Challenge -- Spring is here
Creative Card Crew -- Spring
Creative Moments -- Girly
Delightful Challenge -- Add a flower
Digi Haven -- Black, white +1 color (blue -- just for you, Lynn!))
Love to Scrap -- A/G
Ooh La La -- Spring
Paper Shelter -- Spring
Party Time Tuesdays -- Die cuts
Scrapping4fun -- Digi or stamped image

     First card of the weekend and I've already started on the garden.  I have flowers in but am not sure if I'll get veggies in this year.  There's just so much to do, including a complete re-vamp of the sprinkler system all around the yard.  I can always water with a hose but would prefer not to spend hours standing out in the heat this summer to keep the garden watered so the less planted, the better.  Once the sprinkler system is up and running again, I'll plant more if it isn't too late in the season.  Ah, well, no sprinklers means I'll have to craft more and garden less.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Spring Planting

     I haven't played with a Bugaboo Stamps image in a while and today seemed a good opportunity to play in their Catch the Bug "Spring" challenge.  I've had this fun image for so long but I can't remember ever using it so...  I'm not sure if the cat is chasing the bird or if the cat is protecting his seed pots but either way, I thought it made a great image for spring.  :-D  Hmmm, maybe the bird is chasing the cat?

I also used the sketch from Bugaboo's Stella Says Sketch.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image and then die cut it with a Spellbinders die.  I used a plain octagon die (QuicKutz) to cut a mat for the image.  I used chalks to highlight the embossed edges of the image.  The leaves were cut with a Cheery Lynn die and I added some ultra fine glitter to them to give them some sparkle.

     The background dp is from the Loolah stack by Iron Orchid and that stack has been hiding in my stash for more than 2 years!  It was one of those I bought because I just 'had to have it' and have never used a single page of it.  Now I can give up my guilt trip over that since I've used a sheet of it now.  And it's a sheet I really, really love!  My final touch was the Baker's Twine bow.

     

     Challenges:
A Creative Need -- Signs of spring
Add a little Dazzle -- Spring
Craft for the Craic -- Something for spring
Crafter's Cafe -- Spring
Crafty Catz -- Animals
Hobbybook Designs -- 2 or more die cuts
Moving Along with the Times -- Spring
Polkadoodles -- Animal magic

     I hope you've enjoyed seeing this as much as I enjoyed making it.  Our weather is nice -- not too cool and not too hot yet so I may actually put some time in on gardening matters myself.  I have new bulbs to get in the ground and herbs to pot.  If I miss a couple of days of posting this week, you may rightfully conclude that I'm engaged in spring planting.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie