Getting Somewhere

     New challenge starts today at QKR Stampede and our theme is "Washi Tape."  I've used washi exactly one time before and if I hadn't been given a kit with matching dp and washi tape, I wouldn't have had any to use on my card.   The card I did for QKR last week had the paper that was in the kit.

     This card used Digi 163115 Turtle and Digi 16317 If a Turtle... .

         I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then did an out-of-the-box cut with a die from Spellbinders.  I matted it with another die cut.  The sentiment was printed and die cut, and I layered everything onto the card front, some pieces on top of washie tape and using washi tape to adhere the sentiment piece.  I added one little bow for embellishment and called it done.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
Artistic Inspirations
Colour Your World
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Gals Corner
Crazy Challenge
Digi Choosday
Eureka Stamps
Glitter n Sparkle (blue, bow)
House That Stamps Built
I {heart} ProMarkers
Inspiration Destination
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Mod Squad
Not Just Cards
Stamp and Create
Through the Craft Room Door

     Are you going to come play with us this week?  It's pretty simple.  You can do pretty much anything you like as long as you  use washi tape.  Hope we're going to see you.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie 

Owl Masquerade

     This lovely image, called "Owl Masquerade," is from AuroraWings and the challenge theme over there is "Anything with Wings."

I used the sketch from The Outlawz.

     The image is colored with my trusty ProMarkers and die cut with one of my framing dies from Spellbinders.  Her earring is made with a Pearl Pen and I flattened the pearl just before it was completely dry.  The lace was in my box of hoarded laces and the brown, polka dot ribbon came from Joann Crafts.  The tiny flowers were punched and glittered, with beads added to the centers.

     Challenges:
ArtbyMiran
Brown Sugar
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with an Attitude
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Gals Corner
Craft Your Passion
Eureka Stamps
Hanna & Friends
Love to Scrap
Mod Squad
Not Just Cards
Outlawz Greetings
Scrapy Land

     Well, the plumbing problem on Saturday was indeed a burst pipe and it has now been repaired but a lot of my yard was damaged during the repair.  Still, the crew was fast and efficient and got it done as quickly as it could be.  Only a few hours with no water of any kind (it was shut off at the valve) and then it was back to normal operating.  However, take my suggestion when I say, "Never have a burst pipe on a weekend!"  That 'little' repair bill took a huge bite out of the budget.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Swimming Events

     Have you ever known a horse to participate in organized swimming events?  Nope, me neither.  But the challenge theme today over at QKR Stampede is "Swimming" and I had my favorite, fun, horse image I wanted to use...  So the only thing to do was to find a great QKR Stampede sentiment which would tie it all together.  :-D  Image:  Running Horse Digi 16111,  Sentiment:  You Can Lead...  Digi 13005

     The image is colored with ProMarkers and cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The sentiment is printed, then hand cut.  Both are inked on the edges.  The brown ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, as is the ribbon I used to tie the bow.

     The background paper is left  over from a kit someone gave me (maker unknown) but I had already used everything else in the kit except some matching washi tape and this paper just made me think of water so...

     One more really CAS design and you must all know by now how much I love humor on my cards.  :-D

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
Colour Your World
Corrosive Challenge
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafting from the Heart
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Girlz
Crafty Hazelnut's
Crafty Ribbons
Craft Your Passion
Great Impressions
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Love to Scrap
Not Just Cards

     I hope you're looking forward to the weekend and have some wonderful plans for refreshing the soul.  I also hope to see you playing along at QKR Stampede this week.  Dig out those images of swimming people, animals, teams, or champions, and enter the challenge before next Thursday ends.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Mushroom Fairy

     It's been a while since I had the free time to use a Delicious Doodles image but their challenge theme of "Myth or Magic" just inspired me so I grabbed this darling Mushroom Fairy and made a card.

I started with this sketch from Atlantic Hearts

and modified it for the size of my image.

     I colored with my yellow ProMarkers because I had done another card earlier using my yellow Copics and posted that I had better choices of yellows in my Copics collection.  But since I always reach for my ProMarkers first, I had to give them equal time.  :-D

     The satin ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and that was the last of it so it's time to order more.  I'm still practicing my CAS designing so I left off any other embellishments and yes, I do like this one.

     Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks
Cardz 4 Guyz
Color Your World
Craft for the Craic
Craft Your Passion
Crafting with Friends
Creative Moments
Digitally Sweet
Little Miss Muffet
One Stitch at a Time
Really Reasonable Ribbon
Shabby Tea Room
Simply Papercraft
Through the Craft Room Door

     I'm off to harvest things from my garden.  Tomatoes are overwhelming me again, and carrots are ready plus yet another watermelon.  I think my strawberries are about done but there might be enough left to toss on a bowl of cereal.  I noticed yesterday that there were 2 zuchinis ready and they're going into a lunchtime salad today.  Enjoy your day and find some creative time this weekend.  Your soul needs it.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Dear Santa, Define "Good"

     The week-long, Christmas-in-July challenge at Catch the Bug is more than half over and ends on Friday.  So far, I've managed to play each day and I only have two more to go.  I'm already working on a card for tomorrow but for Friday, I have to wait for the freebie image which will be posted that morning.  Today's theme is a Tic Tac Toe board and I did the first column; Bugaboo Stamps image, Funny sentiment, and Sparkly.

     I used my ProMarkers again then added glitter to the ornaments in the image for sparkle.  The ribbon has been in my Christmas stash for at least 3 years, although I've used it on several cards in that time and I still have a couple of yards left.  What I never noticed until I was editing the photograph is that the 'red' stripe down the middle of the ribbon can look green when turned the right way.  I guess it has to do with how the light strikes it.  Odd that I've never seen that before.

     I added the one red button to the upper corner to balance the 'weight' of the bow and pronounced this one finished.  :-D

     Challenges:
Card Mania
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards
Colour Your World
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Extra
Creative Moments
Cutie Pie
Glory of Christmas
Kit and Clowder
Quirky Crafts
Sister Act

     I hope your week is going well.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Red Rose

     Have you ever made a card and then fallen in love with it so much you doubt you'll ever be able to give it away?   This card with the gorgeous red rose (image from Morgan's ArtWorld) is one of those for me.

     I know you must be asking yourself why the leaves are blue instead of green but the answer is very simple.  I wanted to try yet another card which used a red, white, & blue combo without it being a flag-waving, patriotic card.

     I also wanted a very CAS card so the image is printed directly onto the card front.  The image is colored with ProMarkers.  I added three score lines to the top of the card and one tiny die cut butterfly for embellishment.  Actually, the butterfly is a negative piece which drops out of a circular die by Spellbinders.  Whenever I use the die, I scoop up all of those negative butterflies and put them into a little drawer where I keep negative die cut bits for use on other projects.  This one was almost an exact match to the blue I used to color the leaves.

     The sparkly, metallic, twine in red and blue were things I bought on clearance and then just never used.  I think it's because I tend to use cotton twine or jute cord most of the time and my mind just doesn't think of glitz in connection with twine.   This card seemed to call out for some sparkle so the twine worked perfectly.  Besides, I got to clear something out of my stash.  :-D

     Challenges:
ArtbyMiran
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Time
Creative Card Crew
Digitally Sweet
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Loves Rubber Stamps
Mod Squad
Natalie and Amy's
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Paper Sweeties
Stamping Boutique
Through the Craft Room Door
Time Out
Your Scrapbook Place

     I have to tell you that I cut open my first watermelon from my garden yesterday and it was so beautifully ripe, it just split open as the knife sliced the rind.  Juicy, flavorful, and like nothing I've tasted since childhood.  No store-bought watermelon can compare to one ripened in your own garden.   Now, aren't you jealous and don't you just crave a cool slice of watermelon?  :-D   Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Fishing

     Fishing is one of those things I associate with summer and with my father.  When I was a child, I was the one who loved to get up early, before sunrise, and drive with my dad down to the beach and fish off the pier.  During the summers, we could go fishing not only on the weekends but even during the week because there was no school.  My dad had his own business and could often get away during the week, so summer fishing was special father-daughter time.

     This week at QKR Stampede, "Fishing" is the theme for our newest challenge.   I used Digi 16814 "Fishing Boy" for the image and half of Digi 16808 "Hooked on You" as the sentiment.   I wish I could find cute girl fishing images but most of them are boy images.  That's OK.  This is a favorite stamp anyway because it so reminds me of days fishing with my dad.  :-D

I used the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

turned sideways.

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, then used a die from Spellbinders to cut it.  I printed out the sentiment and hand cut it so that I could use only the "I'm Hooked" part of it.  It actually says, "I'm Hooked on You."  Wanting to keep the design simple, I used only ribbon and a double bow for embellishment.

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations
Crazy Challenge
Creative Card Crew
Creative Moments
Dragonfly Dreams
Great Impressions
I {heart} ProMarkers
Loves Rubber Stamps
Mod Squad
Not Just Cards
Outlawz CAS
Papertake Weekly
Pile It On
Ribbon Girl
Scrapy Land
Through the Craft Room Door
Top Tip Tuesday

     Come play with us this week.  Remember, you don't have to use a QKR stamp to play so you can dig out any of your stamps or digis that relate to "Fishing" and play along.  However, if you do use a QKR image (and there are so many really cute ones!) you'll be entered into a separate drawing for QKR users only, significantly increasing your odds of winning.  See you then.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Cuddly Bug

     A new challenge starts today at QKR Stampede and our theme is "For a Child."   I chose this charming and huggable little bug image from QKR (Digi 7601 "Happy Feet") and added the sentiment (Digi 15810 "Huggable".)

I used the sketch from Sunday Stamps.

     I  used my ProMarkers to color the image and then added the spots along the caterpillar's back with white gel ink.  Notice how nicely that complements the polka dots in the background dp and, at the same time, gives the illusion of light along his back?  

     I used a Spellbinders die to cut the image and another oval die to cut the wood grain dp.  The striped dp was a scrap rescued from the Deep 6 bin and the ribbon was also a left over scrap.  The sentiment is hand cut and matted, then hand cut again.  The leaf is cut with a die from Cheery Lynn (also a scrap) and I added the tiny flower, then glittered it for a tiny bit of sparkle.

     Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps (bottom row)

Cardz 4 Guyz (bug, bow)

Crafting by Designs

Crafting for all Seasons

Crafting with an Attitude

Crafty Ribbons

Crazy Challenge

Cuttlebug Mania

Die Cuttin' Diva

Inspiration Destination

Mod Squad

Outlawz Twisted Thurs.

Paper Shelter

Penny's Paper Crafty

Scrapy Land

Through the Craft Room Door

     Here it is, the end of a long week and this afternoon I get to catch up on house chores and grocery shopping.  That way, I can play all day on the 4th and even on Sunday, if I choose.  Come play with us in our challenge this week, won't you?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie