Easter Lilies

     I'm still working on Easter cards and this image came from the "Easter Lilies" set available at Deedee's Digis.  I love this set; it has beautiful images and sentiments.  I'll add a photo of the set at the bottom of this post.

     This is a really CAS design with just the die cut (Spellbinders) image and the hand cut sentiment adhered to the card front.  No embellishments because I thought the die cut was beautiful enough to stand on its own.

     Challenges:
2 Cute Ink
Craft Your Passion
Design Team Showcase
Love to Scrap
Monday Morning
Not Just Cards
Pink Elephant
Sunday Stamps
Sweet Stampin'
We Do doobadoo

     We're halfway to the weekend again and I can hardly wait.  While I have big plans for getting plants into the raised beds in my garden, I may have to wait until Sunday since predictions are for another bit of rain on Friday night and Saturday.  I wish we were getting enough rain to make a difference in the 4-year drought but I'll just be grateful for every drop we do get.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Lucky Irish Lass

     My second St. Patrick's card for this year and I have another three in the pipeline.  Most people don't make a big deal of St. Paddy's but I make cards and send them to all my grandchildren in honor of the fact that I'm Irish on both sides of my family tree and I celebrate my birthday on St. Patrick's.  :-D

     As soon as I saw this image at AuroraWings, I knew I wanted to use it for a spring green card.  I also knew that the card was going to be vintage and highly embellished, unlike the CAS you've seen from me over the weekend.  Yes, I love learning to do CAS (and do it well) but I also love vintage so when I get to do 'fussy,' I love it, too.

I based my design on the sketch at Crazy 4 Challenges,

but ran my lace and ribbon the other way 

because the card is a vertical A2.

I took my colors from DRS Designs 

but made her a redhead 'cause she's Irish. :-D

  

     The image is colored with ProMarkers, and cut with one of my framing dies from Spellbinders.  The sentiment was printed with a computer font and hand cut.  All of the embellishments came from my stash; ribbon and lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon, gold mesh recycled from gift wrapping at Christmas, and the bow came from a craft store originally but has been in my stash for quite a while.

     Challenges:

Artbymiran

As You Like It

Catch the Bug (1st column)

Crafting for all Seasons

Crafty Catz

Di's Digi Designs

Graph' It

Inky Impressions

My Time to Craft

Paper Shelter

Red Rubber Inspirationals

Simon Says Stamp

We Do Doobadoo

     That's all I have for today.  We got a good rain last night and we have bright sunshine today, but it's cold outside despite that.  Not freezing or anything near that, but windy so there's a bite in the air.  Still, I should be able to get some plants in the beds this weekend, unless it rains again.  At least I don't have to water before planting.  And, yes, I'm thinking of all my friends buried under six foot snow drifts.  I'll even put in a tomato, squash, or carrot just for you.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Shy Mouse

     Most of you know by now how much I adore the digis from QKR Stampede and I'm especially fond of the mice and the bears.  For our newest challenge, starting today, we have a theme of "Critters" so I get to show off another sweet mouse, this one called "Shy Mouse" digi 24163.  I did a card which will go in the box of cards I'll deliver to children's hospitals for Send a Smile 4 Kids.  (Did I remember to tell all of you that I'm one of the most recent collection and distribution points for SAS4K?  I collect for and deliver to three different hospitals in the Central Valley of California.  Check out the SAS4K site if you want to make cards for hospitalized kids.)

     I colored this Shy Mouse with ProMarkers, then cut and corner punched a rectangle which would fit into the die cut frame (Spellbinders.)  The little butterfly is also a die cut and is embossed.  I added a sprinkle of glitter across the wings.  I tied a bow from pink ribbon, adding it to her hair as a complement to the one on her tail.  The final touch --  the two teeny-tiny buttons on the bows and the gems on the butterfly.

     Challenges:
Crafting for all Seasons
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Boots
Crafty Cardmakers
Cupcake Inspirations
Design Team Showcase
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Get Creative
Inky Impressions
One Stitch at a Time
Paper Shelter
Pile It On
Sister Act
Sweet 7

     OK, dig out those digis with critters on them (birds, rodents, bugs, animals) and come play along.  You can use any digi or stamp but remember if you use a QKR Stampede image (digi or rubber), your entry goes into a separate drawing for a QKR winner.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Kiss Me Quick

     Friday morning and another challenge at QKR Stampede.  Our theme this week is "Lovely Lace" and we want to see lace somewhere on your card or project.  My mind is still in Valentine mode so one more cute card all about love and romance.  I used the image Digi 11501 "Kissed" and the sentiment Digi 10302 "Kiss Me Quick."

     I used ProMarkers to color that love struck little guy, then die cut the image and matted him with black.  My lace came from my dear friend, Teresa, sent to me all the way across two countries, from Prince Edward Island, Canada to the Big Valley of California.  Thanks so much.  :-D  I also printed and die cut the sentiment, then added the sheer ribbon and bow.  The ribbon and the rose have both been in my stash for a long time but they seem to work for what would otherwise have been a very simple card.  Beside, I'm trying to use those things I hoard away or those which I forget I have.  :-D

     Challenges:
Clear It Out
Craft Hoarders Anonymous
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Crazy Challenge
Digi Chooseday
Die Cuttin' Divas
Eureka Stamps
Going Grey with Scrap-Creations
Jellypark Friends
Loves Rubber Stamps
Melonheadz
Passion for ProMarkers
Pile It On
{Pin}spirational
Quirky Crafts
Robyn's Fetish
Sweet 7
Tuesday Throwdown

     OK, this is the unofficial start to the weekend and I hope to see you playing along with us this week.  You can use any image from any company to enter but if you use an image from QKR Stampede, you increase your chances of winning by a huge margin!  We do a drawing from just QKR entries as well as the main drawing so you'd have two chances to win.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Roses for the Heart

     I have two posts today, both dealing with Love, Hearts, and Valentines.  For this first one, I used one of my favorite rose images which is from Fitztown.  I do love roses, both the real ones that grow in my garden and stamps of roses which I love to color.  I have lots of  rose images but this one is my favorite of all.  There is something delightfully simple about it.

     The image is colored with ProMarkers (rose) and chalks (leaves), and then cut with a die from Spellbinders.  In fact, everything paper has been in my "hoarding" stash and even the butterfly is cut with a die that I've never used in the 3 years I've owned it !   I've used the other two in that particular Spellbinders set, but never this smallest one.  The die cut heart is another one I finally used this year -- having dug out that set and cut a dozen or more hearts in different sizes for use on my Valentine cards.  Even the CS for the card base was in the "hoarded" stack.  :-D

     The border pieces are cut with a Cheery Lynn die, one of my new favorites which I've used lots of times in the last month or so!

     Challenges: (lots of them this time since there are so many with "love" or "hearts" or "Valentines" as the theme.)

613 Avenue Create

Addicted to Stamps

Artistic Inspirations

Bunny Zoe's

Chalk Ah Lot Cafe
Cheery Lynn

Come and Get It

Craft Hoarders Anonymous

Crafty Boots

Crazy Challenge

Cupcake Inspirations

Friends of Speedy TV

Get Creative

Glitter n Sparkle
Great Impressions
Incy Wincy

One Stitch at a Time

Pink Elephant

Shabby Tea Room

Simon Says Stamp

Stamp and Create

     Another post will be up this afternoon so I hope you'll come by and have a look at it, too.  I do appreciate all your visits and encouraging comments.  Tomorrow will be time for another of my DT projects for The Outlawz and Friday is always set aside for QKR Stampede.  See you then.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

"H" is for ... Hungry

     Another Friday, entrance to the weekend, and a fun new challenge at QKR Stampede.  Our theme this week is "Anything but a Card."   As I was mulling over the projects which I might do, I found myself in front of the refrigerator (where I spend waaay too much time!) and decided it was time for a new refrigerator magnet.  To say this is meant as a reminder specifically for me is probably unnecessary.  :-D  But the image from QKR Stamping (Digi 24204, "Snacking") was just so perfect and who could reisit it?

     I used a combination of Copics, ProMarkers and chalks to color him, then cut out the image and corner punched each corner.  Funny but that simple corner-rounding punch is probably the first one I ever bought and it's still my favorite despite all the others I've purchased over the years.

     I matted it with red CS and rounded those corners, too.  I layered the entire thing onto a sheet of magnet stock and cut it to fit.  I added the flower for some texture.  It measures 3.75" x 4" and is only about 1/16" thick.  Below is a shot of it on my refrigerator.

     Challenges:
CAS on Sunday
Come and Get It
Corrosive Challenge
Glitter n Sparkle
My Craft Creations
Paper Nest Dolls
Simon Says Stamp
Speed Craft
Through the Purple Haze
Whoopsi Daisy

     That's it for us today.  I hope you'll join in the challenge this week.  Remember, while you don't have to use a QKR image to enter, there is a separate and special drawing just for those who do use them and you increase your chances of winning tremendously!  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie