Snakes and Rainy Days

     I'm not sure there's really any correlation between snakes and rainy days, other than the fact that I feel pretty much the same about both of them; I don't mind them but they can be annoying if they happen every day.  :-D

     It's Friday again so that means it's time for a new challenge at QKR Stampede.  We always have a theme of "Anything Goes" so there's no reason for you not to enter.  You could win some fun and funny images from QKR Stampede.

     The one I used today is called "Wrapped Up" and the sentiment is called "A Little Rain."  I'm sure this little snake would adopt that sentiment as his life's philosophy!  After all, there's probably nothing nastier than trying to navigate across wet and slippery tree branches.

     I colored with ProMarkers (my absolute favorites for coloring because I love the way alcohol ink blends), then cut the image with a stitched die from My Favorite Things - Die-namics.  The background pieces are cut with a die from Sue Wilson.  I cut two and offset them behind the image because the cut pieces were too small for just one to frame the image.  One more way to make my smaller dies more flexible.

     I added green jute cord, wrapped around the card front, then tied into a bow.

     Challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking
As You Like It
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafting by Designs
Crafts Galore Encore
Creatalicious
Die Cut Divas
Let's Craft & Create
Outlawz Festive Fri.
Penny's Paper-Crafty

     That's all I have for today.  I hope you're looking forward to the weekend.  It's officially spring now (in the Northern Hemisphere) so get out and enjoy the outdoors.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Summer Days

     Ok, now that we've had consistently warm days for more than a week, I can believe that summer is right around the corner.  Unfortunately for me, I live in an area where it gets really HOT during our summer months and I hate the heat.  :-(  But I do love summer grilling so this cute image from Limited Runs for the latest Progressive Challenge was just what I needed.  I'll probably use this as a birthday card for my son since he not only has a summer birthday but he's a master at the grill (just ask him - he'll tell you!)

     I colored with ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Sizzix die. The pale yellow circle was cut with a die from QuicKutz.  The sentiment was printed and hand cut.  I found a bit of golden, satin ribbon in my stash and wrapped it around the kraft CS front.  I used one of my signature bows, leaving it white this time, and added only a pearl as I was sewing it.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Cardz TV
Crafty Creations
Dream Valley
House that Stamps Built
Incy Wincy
Jo's Scrap Shack
Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Layered Easter Card

     I'm still working on all the Easter cards I need for next month and this one has a sweet image and sentiment combo which came from Limited Runs.

     Colored with chalks and cut with stitched dies from Die-namics by My Favorite Things.  The border cut was done with a Cheery Lynn die.  Papers are from  Doodlebug and DCWV.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Art Impressions
Aud Sentiments
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Cut It Up
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Scrappy Land

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Live Simply

     I adore the image at the Progressive Challenge for LeAnn's World 101 this month, which you'll find on their FB page.  It reminds me of how wonderful it can be to just live simply.

     This is a one layer card and I printed the image right onto the card front, then colored with my ProMarkers, adding a few highlights with white gel pen.  The die cut sentiment was made with a die from Die-versions.  The original sentiment was inside a circle but I cut that away and used just the words.  No embellishments because I wanted this to be very CAS in keeping with the sentiment.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
C.R.A.F.T.
Crafting by Designs
Creative Inspirations
Cute N Crafty
Double Trouble
I {heart} ProMarkers
Scrappy Land
Words to Crafty By

     A short post today but my time at the computer is limited.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Outlawz Guest Designer for Songs and Lyrics

     Today I have the honor of being an invited Guest Designer for the Songs and Lyrics challenge at The Outlawz.  Every fortnight they choose a new set of lyrics to use as their challenge theme and the lyrics for today are from the old song "Anything Goes."

Song:  Anything Goes

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking 
Was looked on as something shocking. 
But now, God knows, 
Anything goes. 
Good authors too who once knew better words 
Now only use four-letter words 
Writing prose. 
Anything goes. 
If driving fast cars you like, 
If low bars you like, 
If old hymns you like, 
If bare limbs you like, 
If Mae West you like, 
Or me undressed you like, 
Why, nobody will oppose. 
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in- 
'Truding in nudist parties in 
Studios. 
Anything goes.

     Yes, after all of that, all it means is that the theme is "Anything Goes" but I decided to try something that fit in with the lyrics.  I found this digital image over at TLC Creations.

     I printed out the image, enhancing the sepia tone with tools in Word, then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  Once it was cut, I used Ivory and Vanilla ProMarkers to color the frame parts of the die cut, leaving the image itself in sepia.

     I added a dark brown mat to it which had been embossed with my ScorPal and stylus to add a bit of texture.  Unfortunately, it doesn't show up that well in the photo but if you look at the very top of the brown piece, you can see how close I put the score lines.

     I printed the lyrics, cut out the first two lines and used those for the sentiment.  The background piece is paper-thin cork and everything is mounted onto a light brown card base.

     Challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge

Aloha Friday

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Di's Digi Designs

Dragonfly Dreams

Jo's Scrap Shack

More than 1 Score

Scrappy Land

TTCRD

     Almost half of your weekend is gone but you still have time to tuck away in the craft room and enjoy some time just for yourself.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Carrot Basket

     I think the Easter Bunny got lost somewhere along the way or perhaps was distracted by something irresistible.  :-D

     The image is an old one from Beary Wishes, which I think is now closed.  I colored it with ProMarkers, then die cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  The plaid scrap was cut with a die from QuicKutz.

     Everything went onto a deep, blue, card base.  I knew this was going to be used as an Easter card for a boy so I kept it simple and unembellished, letting the paper and die cut give all the visual interest.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
A Gem of a Challenge
Dare 2B Artzy
Digi Choosday
Incy Wincy
Lemon Shortbread
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bribery Works

     Good morning on a lovely spring Friday!  We have another new challenge starting at QKR Stampede and our theme is always Anything Goes.  I have a fun card today, which is not only a total fantasy but is a take off on the old Tortoise and Hare fairy tale.  In this version, it takes a bit of bribery to keep the old turtle moving along.  lol

     The image is from QKR and is called "Bribery Goes Far."  I did my best to make it look like springtime since yesterday was the first day of Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere.  :-D

I used the colors from My Favorite Things

although my blue background is not quite dark enough

the rest of the colors are found in the image.

     I used ProMarkers and water color pencils on the image, then cut it with a stitched die from Lawn Fawn.  The blue background piece was cut with an Altenew die.  I put everything onto a kraft card base and added the metal brads to the upper and lower corners.

     I want to share with you a new technique I tried with the Altenew die.  I prefer dies over stencils but that's mostly because I have so many dies and so few stencils.  So I cut some very heavy CS with this particular Altenew die, then used the cut CS as a stencil to get perfectly aligned polka dots on a background piece.  I need a bit more practice but I'll share the results with you in a few more days.

     I printed the sentiment and cut it with the smallest Lawn Fawn die but I had to adjust the placement and cut twice to get the long rectangle shape out of a square die.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Aud Sentiments
Brown Sugar
Colour Crazy
Cute Card Thurs.
Double Trouble  (all 3)
Outlawz Greetings
Penny's Paper Crafty
Take It, Make It

     Please come play along in our challenge this week, won't you?  You are NOT required to use images from QKR Stampede but if you do (or use one from our sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry will go into a separate draw and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bunny Girl's Special Egg

     OK, we're back to Easter cards again.  The image for this one comes from Scrapper's Delights and is the one for their Progressive Challenge.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then die cut the image with a QuicKutz die.  I trimmed the left side of the die cut so that I could use it "off center."  I used hot pink CS to make the card base.

     The ribbon has glittered dots and a metallic edging.  The sentiment was printed, hand cut, and adhered across the ribbon.

     Challenges:
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Crafter's Castle
Crafting with Friends
Happy Craft
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Paper Shelter
Scrappy Land

     That's it for today.  I have a really busy schedule the next two days but I'll have a DT post tomorrow for QKR Stampede so be sure to come by again.  Thanks for visiting.  NanaConnie

Meant to Be

     A really quick post this morning with only short prattling about how the card was made.  When I saw this sentiment/image at Bugaboo Stamps, I grabbed it right away but this is the first chance I've had to use it.  It's a sentiment I truly believe.  :-D

I based this on the sketch at The Outlawz.

     I used ProMarkers to color the flowers, then cut the image piece with a rectangle die from QuicKutz, inking the edges before adding it to the striped background dp (Echo Park.)  I used a scrap of mulberry paper which has been on the desk for at least a month and grabbed the gingham ribbons, one to wrap and one to make into a bow.  I thought the 3 pearls on each side of the image piece would set that off a bit.

     Challenges:
Catch the Bug (third column)
Crafting by Designs
Creative Knockouts (Pearls/Image/Ribbon)
Double D
Scrappy Land
Words 2 Craft By

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Momma Bunny

     At first glance, you're going to think this is another Easter card, but look again.  It's about a Momma's Love.  :-D  The image is from Whoopsi Daisy and I think it's so precious!

     I used ProMarkers, then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I used a second Spellbinders die to cut the frame and I inked around the inside edge before I layered it onto the image piece.  All the little circles were cut with dies from QuicKutz.

     The metallic ribbon was in  my stash and I made a small cut in the frame, wrapped the ribbon around the card front, threaded it through the small cut, then tied it into a bow to secure it.  I printed, hand cut, and added the sentiment across the 3 circles at the bottom of the image.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Angie's Digital Stamps
Creations in Pink
Cute Card Thurs.
Dragonfly Dreams
Get Creative
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Pile It On
Word Art Weds.

     I hope your week is going well.  Thanks for visiting and Happy Crafting!  NanaConnie

Great Idea!

     I'm adding Mother's Day cards to the list of what cards I need to make over the next few weeks.  In the US, we celebrate our moms in May, not March, but there's nothing wrong with having them done well ahead of time.  Besides, I always get friends who call and ask if I have any 'extra' cards for Mother's Day that they can get from me.  :-D

     Flowers work so well for Mother's Day and this image from Conie Fong just struck me as something I could happily color and use for such a card.

I started with the sketch at Cheerful Sketches.

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, then cut it with a stitched Lawn Fawn die.  I cut the golden yellow square with another die from that same Lawn Fawn set.  The green square was cut with a die from Cottage Cutz.  The pink strip was in my scrap basket and all I did was ink the edges.  In fact, all of the die cuts were made with scraps.

     The plaid dp is also from  Lawn Fawn and is a left over from the plaid paper I used a couple of days ago but this time I used the reverse side.  The bottom strip with the little flowers is a scrap left over from that previous card.   It feels like I'm CASEing myself.  :-D   Here's a link to that post.

     The sentiment was printed, hand cut, inked on the edges, and added to the lower, right side of the image.  The final touch was to tie a bow from a scrap of satin & sheer ribbon.

     Challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking
A Gem of a Challenge
A Perfect Time to Craft
CCC Digi Creations
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafty Hazelnut's
Die Cut Divas
Friendship
Lawn Fawnatics
Morgan's ArtWorld
Pixie's Snippets
   
     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Basket of Chicks

                                HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

     A huge "Thank You" to my dear friend, Donna, for this adorable Irish dancer!  Now, let's get to my post for today...

     Probably the best way to get little spring chicks to 'follow you home' is to transport them in a basket!   As a child, "It followed me home" was always the best excuse I could muster for keeping the latest stray pet who needed to be loved and cuddled.  Those were usually kittens or puppies, but bunnies or baby chicks would have been welcome, too.  I admit I didn't think about transporting them home in a basket but if I had, I would have done it!

     This sweet Penny Black stamp takes me back to childhood.  :-D

     I colored with a combination of water colors and ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Sizzix die.  Both of the smaller circles were cut with Sizzix dies also.

     I wanted the card design to be CAS so I added no embellishment beyond the die cut circles, simply laying those onto a deep gray, CS, background.  The CS was embossed with my Linen folder.

     Challenges:
2 Sisters on the Blog
Addicted to CAS
A Gem of a Challenge
Brown Sugar (Carried in a basket? lol)
Ching-Chou Kuik
Jo's Scrap Shack
Penny Black Saturday
Penny Black and More
Scrap from Your Heart
SUYP Cats

     I think this will be the only post for today but since I gave you a twofer yesterday, that should be sufficient.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Chick or Duckling?

     I just had to give you a second post today.  I fell in love with this adorable image.

     Remember the age-old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Well, for today, we want to know if what's in the egg is a chick or a duckling?  I'm doing more Easter cards, some of them for a friend who needs 8 cards total, and she and I are having a debate over which this is.  I think it's a little chicken but maybe it's the way I colored the beak that makes it look like it could be a duck.

     The image is from Angie's Digital Stamps.

     I colored with ProMarkers and polychromos pencils, then cut the image with a Tonic Studios die.  The background is a piece of scrap dp as is the plaid strip across the bottom.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, inking the edges before applying it on top of the plaid strip.

     I found another scrap of yellow, gingham, ribbon and tied the bow using my bow maker.

     Challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers
Crafty Creations
Crafty Sentiments
Creative Inspirations
Cute N Crafty
Get Creative
Happy Craft
House that Stamps Built (middle row)
Work It Weds.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Rose for Mom

     Isn't this the cutest image?   It's from Di's Digi Designs and their current challenge is a TicTacToe board.  I did the top row of  Sentiment/ Flower/ Hand-colored.

I stared with colors in the Color Dare #333 challenge at

Color My Heart.  I used colors from the first column

plus Clover green (3rd column) and neutrals of gray and brown.

     I colored with ProMarkers and added little highlights with gel inks.  I cut a square, then used a Fiskars corner punch on all four corners.  I did the same with the two matting layers.

     I chose a plaid paper from Lawn Fawn and used it for my card front.  The little strip is also from that same dp. 

     I printed and matted the sentiment, hand cutting each layer.  I used a Spellbinders die to cut the two white flowers from mulberry paper and used a mat behind them before adding the sentiment piece.

     Challenges:
Crafty Friends
Crafter's Castle
Dragonfly Dreams
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Outlawz SAR
Sasayaki Glitter
SUYP Cats

     Thanks for visiting.  I hope to be able to get around to some of my favorite blogs this weekend.  I do miss seeing what you've posted when time is so crunched.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Cheesy" Birthday

     Good Morning and a happy Friday to you!  Friday means another challenge is starting at QKR Stampede for this week and we have our usual "Anything Goes" theme.  Remember, you can use any images from any company.  If you decide to use something from QKR (or our sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry goes into a separate draw and that greatly increases your chances of winning QKR images!

     I used a fun QKR image today to  make a masculine birthday card.  It's called "Sharing 24215" and it's a fun and silly try to share a bit of cheese as a birthday offering.  I don't think I've ever been given cheese as a present but then, I haven't invited many mice show up at my parties.  lol

     I decided I wanted to see how many shades of blue I could use on this so I colored the image with ProMarkers and pencils (3 different blues), then cut it with a die from Spellbinders.  I printed and cut the arm/hand holding the cheese twice more and fussy cut them, adding them in flat layers so that it has a bit of dimension.  I mounted the image piece onto an ocean blue card base, and added aqua blue glitter to the negative holes in the die cut.

     The birthday sentiment was cut from navy blue CS with a Memory Box die.  I mounted the words onto white CS and trimmed them to the general word shape, using scissors.

     I added a hand-sewn bow with a baby blue button and called it finished.

     Challenges:
Crafting by Designs
Creative Fingers
Cute N Crafty
Cuttlebug Mania
Digi Choosday
House that Stamps Built (birthday/ribbon/button)
Mod Squad
Outlawz Festive Friday
Papercraft
Time Out

     I hope we're going to see you playing along this week.  We love being inspired by you!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

May Your Dreams Bear Fruit

     Hey, it's almost the weekend!  Only one more week day and then we all get crafting time.  :-D  Last weekend, I did all my cards which were posted this week and will probably do the same thing this coming weekend.

     For today, I want to share with you a card with a lovely Fabrika Fantasy image.  I've used her before but that time I did all fall colors.  This time I tried to be more spring-like with the colors.

     As usual, I used ProMarkers to color her, adding Cadet Blue glitter to the four tiny butterflies in the image (can you find them?), then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  Once cut, I used chalks (as close to the Cadet Blue butterflies as possible) around the border and background of the die cut image.

     I printed the sentiment, and hand cut it.  I found a strip of sheer, golden-tan, ribbon (which looks gray-brown in the photo) and wrapped it around an embossed piece of CS which I used for the card front.

     The large, yellow, butterfly is an applique I made on my sewing machine, using a computer generated program, so it was little work for me other than selecting and changing out the threads.

     Challenges:
Butterfly Challenge  (Cadet Blue)
Crafty Creations
Lemon Shortbread
Papercraft
Paper Shelter
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp & Show
TTCRD
Words 2 Craft By

Yellow Easter Rose

     I absolutely love the vintage feel of this card and I know exactly who's going to get it for Easter.  I have one friend in particular who adores anything vintage and this will be perfect for her.  She also loves yellow roses so, of course, that was the color I chose for the main focal point.

     I printed the image in gray scale, then colored it with ProMarkers.  I printed the sentiment and cut both image and sentiment with Unbranded, oval, dies.  I found a strip of scrap lace, trimmed it to size, and added it to the left edge of the card front.

     I used one of my signature, hand-sewn bows, which I 'dyed' yellow to match the main rose, then added a tiny button.

      Challenges:
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Friends
Dare 2B Artsy
Dragonfly Dreams
Get Creative
Jo's Scrap Shack
Southern Girls
Take It, Make It
Unicorn
Word Art Weds.

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cat-titude !

     I live with enough felines to know what real "cat-titude" is and all the different ways in which it is expressed!  It's often said that "Dogs have Masters and Cats have Slaves."  lol  This card is a celebration of "Cat-titude."   

     The image is from Sparkle n Sprinkle.  (Digi set #650 - Welcome Autumn)

   
     I colored the cat with ProMarkers, then fussy cut him.  The fence and gate die is from Spellbinders.  I printed the sentiment and cut it by hand.  Everything went onto an embossed (Linen folder), "Smoke Gray," card front, and the cat is adhered on Pop Dots.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Cute N Crafty
Digi Choosday
Dream Valley
Lemon Shortbread
Passion for ProMarkers
Sparkle n Sprinkle FB
SUYP Cats
TTCRD

     OK, that's all for today.  Enjoy the day, whatever the weather at your house.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Go Fly a Kite

     I keep looking at the calendar (and the skies) to see how close we are to the official start of spring and, so far, the skies are winning and they definitely aren't clear and sunny!  Today we have  a lot of wind and overcast so maybe we should break out the kites and pretend it's spring.  :-D

     My card today has an image from Doodle Dragon and I thought he looked like he was going to fly his kite regardless.  Of course, I have to admit that a dragon flying a kite is a complete fantasy anyway.  lol

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image and cut it with a die from Spellbinders.  I also used a Spellbinders die on the sentiment but had to shift it around and make 2 cuts to get that shape and size.

     I mounted the image and sentiment onto a navy blue card base, tilting the image piece at an angle and trimming the two corners that overlapped the edges.  I added one of my signature bows which had been dyed with a ProMarker.  I also added a tiny button to the bow.

     Challenges:
Allsorts
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Cute Card Thurs.
Cut It Up
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz PAM

     I have a second post that will be going live today so be sure to check back a bit later.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Luck o' the Irish

     I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE House Mouse stamps and when I downsized everything in the big move, I got rid of most of my rubber stamps.  But not the House Mouse!  I kept every one of those, even though there's not enough room without storing them in boxes which have to be tucked neatly away until it's time to dig through all of them to find that one particular stamp wanted for a particular project, like this one!

I started with the colors from My Favorite Things

and the sketch found at C.R.A.F.T. this week.

 

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it and distressed the edges a tiny bit.  I matted the image with deep green CS which had been cut with a Tonic Studios die. 

     I used Tonic Studios dies to cut each of the pieces of dp (all scraps), although I had to adjust the placement of the dies and cut each piece twice in order to get the shapes I wanted.  I printed and then die cut the sentiment and the CS mat for it, doing the same adjustment process to get the size and shaped I wanted.

     There were so many shapes and patterns in the dp that I felt the card didn't need any additional embellishment.  There was already enough to please the eye and anything more would have just been a distraction.

     Challenges:
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs.
Happy Craft
House Mouse
Outlawz Festive Fri.
Southern Girls

     Wishing you a very green March and all the luck you may need.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wanna Be Friends?

     I decided to do a second, but very quick, post today because I adore this image and the card.  The image is this week's Friday Freebie from Bugaboo Stamps and I colored both grass and sky to turn it into a scene.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then cut the image with a framing die from Spellbinders.  I cut the mat with a larger die from that same set.   The background paper was made with watercolors.

     I printed, hand cut, and matted the sentiment, then tied a bow tie using my bow maker.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Allsorts
Catch the Bug
Coloring in Scrapland
Crafty Calendar
Dream Valley
Jo's Scrap Shack
Scrapy Land
Simon Says Stamp
TTCRD

     That's it for today.  Enjoy the remainder of your weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Land of Fruit and Nuts

     Beccy's Place is always one of my favorite places to play and Beccy always offers a freebie, which you can use if you wish.  I usually work with something from my collection of her images, as I did this time.  I adore this little critter and he was perfect for a Welcome card for a new neighbor who moved here (California) from Wisconsin.

     I colored with ProMarkers, adding highlights with a white gel pen, then cut the image with a hexagon die from Spellbinders.  The card base is made from smoky gray CS, embossed with my 'Linen' folder.  The dp was a left over scrap from previous projects which seemed to work well with the overall design.  I cut it so that I could line up one of the 'corners' of the hexagon with one of the half-diamonds on the paper. 

     I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and added it to the upper corner.  Finally, I 'dyed' one of my hand sewn bows with a lilac ProMarker, added a gem to it, and called the card finished.  It's a card for a guy so I kept embellishment to a minimum.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Hazelnut's
Die Cut Divas
Dies R Us
Southern Girls
Sparkles Forum
Take It, Make It
Your Scrapbook Place

     That's all I have for today.  I hope your weekend is going well and that you found a bit of crafting time.  I've been at it since very early yesterday morning since the weekend is pretty much when I do my crafting these days.  I've already completed 4 cards and have 3 more planned for completion today.   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Play It, Man!

     Sasayaki Glitter has two wonderful images for its Progressive challenge this month and they can be combined into one image or used separately.  I used just one of them, this fabulous (and obviously unique!) trumpet player, for a masculine, musical card.

     I colored with my ProMarkers, adding a few highlights with a gel pen, and then cut the image with an oval die from QuicKutz.  I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and matted it with a scrap which had been cut off the end of a stitched, die cut, strip (Lawn Fawn.) 

     What looks like a single ribbon is actually two ribbons of different widths, one layered on top of the other, and wrapped around the card front.  I tilted the image so that it looked like he was really l
'leaning' into his music and adhered it across the ribbon. 

     Challenges:
Cardz TV
Crafting by Designs
Creative Fingers
Double D
Happy Craft
I {heart} ProMarkers
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrappy Land
Time Out

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Friendly Hello

     I've been on the DT at QKR Stampede for 5 years, give or take, and I can't believe that after doing that many cards for our weekly challenges, I had overlooked this image!  It's called "Sante Fe Mouse."  Another new challenge is starting today (Always Anything Goes) and I'm really tickled with this simple, southwestern flavored, greeting card with it's very simple sentiment.

     I colored the image with ProMarkers and cut him with a die from Tonic Studios.  I mounted him onto a yellow card base which had been embossed with my 'Linen' embossing folder.  The "hello" sentiment was cut from a tiny scrap of dp with a Poppy Stamps die.  I want to use this as a masculine card so I did no additional embellishment.

     Challenges:
Coloring in Scrapland
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Sentiments
Cute Card Thurs.
Digi Choosday
Dream Valley
Ike's World
Lemon Shortbread
Papercraft
TTCRD
   
     It's Friday and I hope you have lots of wonderful plans for your weekend.  Be sure to include some play time for yourself.  Think of it as charging your batteries.  If your battery is dead, you'll have nothing to give to your kids, family, or anyone else, and you know how they all rely on you.  Play time for yourself is critical and actually benefits everyone!   :-D  Happy Crafting.   NanaConnie

An Irish Fairy!

     Welcome!  Today I'm sharing a DT card I made for the newest challenge at Crafting with an Attitude.  Our theme is "Anything Goes" (as always) and we're being sponsored by Digi Doodle Studios.  They generously supplied images for the DT to use, and I chose "Pepper Bella Flora."

     Although she wasn't intended to be a St. Patrick's image, I colored her in greens (all pulled from their challenge color palette - see below) and suddenly she passes for an Irish fairy!  Isn't she adorable?

Here's the Digi Doodles color palette for their challenge.

I used all the greens and the palest pink for her skin,

plus bits of gold here and there.

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, and each of the gold flowers has a center made with golden Nuvo Crystal Drops.  The image and the darker frame are each cut with dies from Cottage Cutz, one stitched and the other pinpoint.  The lighter green square behind those was cut with a stitched, square die from Lawn Fawn.  The lattice piece was cut with one of my newest dies, one from the Memory Box "Distressed Windham Collage" set.

     I printed the sentiment and used one of smaller Cottage Cutz dies to cut it, adjusting the die after I cut the top edge so that I could cut the bottom edge.  The die is actually square (with rounded corners) but I managed to get that shape for the sentiment piece simply by moving the die and cutting twice.  I matted that piece with green CS, hand cut it and added it to the lower corner of the card front.

     Challenges:
Creative Inspirations
Double Trouble  (all 3)
Heart 2 Heart
House that Stamps Built
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Greetings
Scrappy Land
Tales from the Craft Room
Work It Weds.

     Come play along with us this month.  We love being inspired by you.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie