Monday, June 29, 2020

Out of This World

     Limited Runs has it's latest Progressive Challenge going right now and this cute little spaceman is the image for this month.  I went with a CAS design and a masculine theme.  I've just gotten a commission for a dozen or so masculine, encouragement cards for a friend of my daughter who sends a card to her 18 year old son once a week and this one will be a great start.  :-D


Colored with ProMarkers, gel inks, & water colors
Image and frame cut with QuicKutz dies
Sentiment printed and cut with Avery Elle die
Jute cord wrapped around pre-made card base

     Challenges:
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Inspiration
Get Creative
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Simon Says Stamp
Simon Says Stamp & Show

     Short post today but I'm still playing catch up from last week and trying to get everything done for all my First of the Month DT commitments.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Awesome !

     This morning, I want to share with you something both fun and awesome!  Most of you who follow my blog or who have browsed around it are aware that I tend toward coloring images when I'm making cards and I rarely vary from that tried and true formula (OK, so it's a rut.  Give me a rut and I'll furnish it!) 

     However, I've joined a small group of crafty ladies (3 of us so far but we hope more of you will join us, thereby increasing the fun) who are trying to stretch their comfort zone by following a 'recipe' of four "Must Do" things and another three "Can Do if you choose" things in making a card or other project.  One of us chooses the Must Dos and the Can Dos, makes a sample card (or other project), emails a photo of it to each person in the group, along with the list of Must and Can Dos.  The single catch is that one of the Must Dos is given to the next 'Cook' (cook = recipe) by the person who made up the previous recipe.  It does NOT have to be something they had in their recipe, just something they have designated as a Must Do for the new recipe.

     This is only the second month we've done this and it was my turn to choose the recipe items.  I was given the first Must Do of  Make it Monochromatic.  I added three more items to the Must Do list:

1.  Make it Monochromatic
2.  Make the Sentiment your focus - Sentiment can be die cut, stamped (digi or rubber), &/or typed/ computer font/ hand written
3.  Use "Paint Chips" - If you can't get any of those from your local paint store, make your own by coloring card stock "chips" to look like paint chips
4.  Use patterned paper in the background - if you don't have any dp, make your own & use as much or as little as you like

The additional three Can Do items are:

1. Use a Die Cut
2. Use your favorite color
3. Use summer fruits

     Here's my sample which I photographed & emailed to the other gals this morning (actually, I emailed the URL of this post to them but they'll get all the info when they visit.)  They are NOT required to CASE this card; they are only required to follow the four Must Do parts of the recipe to make anything they like.


Paint chips (scraps) in purples (my favorite color)
"Awesome" sentiment cut w/ Your Next Stamp die
Stampin' Up dp scrap used for the sentiment
Background dp is a scrap from the basket

     The other players have as much time as they want to complete their projects, post them to their blogs whenever they are finished, and send the rest of the group a link to their blog post, but the next Recipe will be sent out by our next 'Cook' on or just before August 1, regardless of how many have or haven't finished the July Recipe.  There's no deadline for completing the July Recipe because there are no rules other than the four Must Do items and there are no kits to send or receive, no prizes, no pressures, and no drama.  We are in this simply because we want to try some new things with a little shared inspiration.

     Think you might like to try this one or to join our fun Recipe group?  Email me and I'll get you added to the list.   Does a particular recipe not appeal to you?  Fine, don't use it; just wait for the next one.  We'll keep emailing you the new recipes once a month as they are ready.  And every few months (depending on how many Cooks we get on our list) your name will come up in the rotation and it'll be your turn to make up a recipe with one Must Do item supplied by the previous Cook.  :-D

     Challenges:

Friday, June 26, 2020

Birthday Balloons from a Dragon

     I love all the Tori the Dragon images from Conie Fong, and this one is called "Tori the Dragon - Up."  I think there are 5 or 6 of them altogether and what I love most is that he looks good in any dragon-color combo!  But, of course, my favorite combos always have purple.  :-D  This one is perfect for nearly any celebration where balloons are traditional but I'm putting it into my birthday card stash.


Colored w ProMarkers
Cut with Frantic Stamper die
Scraps of patterned dp
Purple CS is hand-bleached with Q-tips
Sentiment is hand cut &
       mounted onto glitter paper,die cut flag scrap

     Challenges:
2 Sisters ... Blog
Your Scrapbook Place

     You still have a day or two to play in the Facebook challenge which is open until June 30 at midnight Eastern time.  You do have to use a Conie Fong image to enter and I hope we're going to see you there.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

For the Bride

     I haven't done a wedding card in ages but this one was commissioned and it's also my last DT card for Digi Doodle Studios.  My term ends this month and I've been eyeing this Blushing Bride image ever since I started with them.  As soon as I was asked for a wedding card, I jumped at the chance to use it.  :-D


Colored w ProMarkers
Image cut with Spellbinders' die
White strip = glitter paper scrap
Pink dp = scraps
Sentiment cut w Spellbinders' die

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Creative Crafters
Cutie Pie
Cuttlebug Mania
Double D
Dream Valley
Lemon Shortbread
Scrapping4Fun
Southern Girls
Word Art Weds

     Don't forget that Digi Doodle Studios has two challenges every month; one is on the blog  ("Anything Goes" theme  this month) and the other is on the Facebook page (also Anything Goes but must use a DDS image.)  You still have time to play in either one or both of them.  :-D
   
     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Gone Fishing !

    HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
to all the Dads in the U.S.!

     Catch the Bug Challenge has a fun BINGO board for their challenge theme this week and I picked the middle column:  Stitching, Bugaboo Image, & a Sentiment.  The Bugaboo Stamps image is one of their "Sunbonnet" collection but I decided that because she's dressed in coveralls while she's out fishing, 'she' looked more like a 'he' in a straw hat and I could do a masculine card!  If my dad was still with us, he'd be spending his "Father's Day" on the river bank, wearing his straw fishing hat, with baited hook on the pole.  :-D


Colored with ProMarkers, gel inks, & water colors
Cut w/ stitched die from Tutti Designs
Avery Elle die on sentiment
Forest green CS & polka dot dp are scraps
Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon, also a scrap

     Challenges:

     All you dads out there - enjoy your day and find some time to do what you love best.  For those of you who love to craft, whether you be a dad, a mom, a child, a sibling, or just someone who's still observing isolation precautions, be safe and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Sharing a Malt

     I keep finding all the adorable Conie Fong images I want to use now that I've joined the DT and it's hard not to want to make a new card with them every day.  Well, I am doing about one each week and I try to start off my weekends sharing them with you.  This image is called Bella and Benji and it's a delightful peek back into the days of bobby socks and malt shops.


I used colors found in the photo inspiration

Colored w ProMarkers and water colors
Image cut with Unbranded wedge die using
      out-of-the-box technique on their heads
Striped dp from DCWV Basics stack
"Picture on the wall" made w hand-drawn kitten
Double sheer ribbon (pink & blue)

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Crafty Sentiments
Cute Card Thur
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Polkadoodles
Scrapping4Fun
TTCRD

     Don't forget that we have two monthly challenges on Conie Fong Facebook each month; one is for coloring only and the other is for completed projects.  You must use a Conie Fong image and hand color it.  Come play with us.  If you haven't joined our FB page, please do.  We'd love to see what you make.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, June 19, 2020

Independence Day !

     Here's a reminder that the June monthly challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps is still ongoing and you can enter projects until 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 5.  The July challenge starts on Monday, July 6.           My mid-month reminder card for June celebrates with one of Jan's newest sets, Independence Day Friends, and the set is on sale until the end of June!

     I'm so proud of this card because, while I used all pre-colored images from the set, I put a lot of work into merging the ladies, their picnic lunches, the fireworks, and the sentiment so that they would look like a single image.  I've been practicing but this is the first time I've merged more than just 2 images.  Each image becomes a 'layer' and this one has a total of 6 layers!  I can hardly believe I managed it.  :-D

     But if merging isn't your thing, fret not.  Jan has already merged images within the set so you can either use a single image or one of the pre-merged images.  You really should go and look at the entire set.  It's going to be so versatile.  I used the Independence Day sentiment to make this one a 4th of July card but leaving that sentiment out, all the rest of the individual images would make fabulous summer-themed cards or cards to celebrate nearly any occasion.

     You know, it's digi sets like this one that make me remember why I'm now so hooked on digis as opposed to real rubber.  Not only can you adjust the size of your images (which I love!) but there are so many images and sentiments in this set, if I had to store them all mounted on wood, I'd run out of room.  As digis, they store in a really small space on one of my flash drives.  Yep, digis for me forever!


This card has all the colors from the TicTacToe board
found at Color Dare this week except for the very
center, Laguna Blue.  I used top and bottom rows plus
first and third columns.


Pre-colored images
QuicKutz and Spellbinders dies for all cut shapes
Baker's twine in blue and red stripes

     Challenges:
Angie's Digital Stamps
As You Like It
Aud Sentiments
Creative Fingers
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs
DreamValley
Stamping Sensations
Time Out (It was the celebration part that got to my creative juices!)

     If you haven't played in our June challenge yet, please come on over!  Our theme is always Anything Goes and, while you aren't required to use a Jan's stamp, if you do your entry will go into a separate draw just for JDS images.  That increases your chances of winning buy a huge amount! 

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Beach Umbrella

     I did a lot of playing this week with my old House Mouse stamps and summer themes.  Summer officially arrives this weekend but in my hometown, we're slated for another heat wave stretching over the next 4 days with temperatures over 100F each day.  It's definitely time to learn something from this darling (and oh,so comfortable!) mouse and head for the beach! 


Colored w ProMarkers and gel pens
Cut w cross stitched die from Tutti Designs
Sand castle and sentiment = Helz Cuppleditch dies
Dotted dp also Helz Cuppleditch
(The Helz Cuppleditch supplies were a prize for winning a challenge more than 6 month ago.  They had to be saved for a summer theme.  :-D)
Ribbon was a scrap bit tied into as knot

     Challenges:
     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Life's Lemons

     I'm sure we are all familiar with the age old phrase about 'Life giving you lemons and making lemonade.'  But this fabulous little House Mouse has a slightly different idea.  Very cool!  :-D


Colored with ProMarkers & gel pens
Cut with die from Sizzix, edges inked
Sheer ribbon and hand-tied bow 'dyed' with ProMarkers
Sentiment printed & hand cut
Yellow CS bleached with Q-tip

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time...Extra
Carlin's Card Paradise
Craft-Dee BowZ
Creative Craft Cottage
Die Cut Divas
Dies R Us
Dream Valley
Friendship
House Mouse
Outlawz Greetings

     Have a great Wednesday and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, June 15, 2020

Dragon's Nap

     I was invited to be a Guest Designer this month over at Colouring in Scrapland and I was honored to accept.  The theme is "Anything Goes w/ a twist of Unconventional Card."  Our sponsor is Lee Holland Art and I used an image called "Sleeping Blossom Dragon."  I think the 'unconventional' part for me is the tilted and offset pieces.


Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with Gina Marie die
Purple dp from SU
Lilac dp from scrap bin
Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Signature bow w/ pearl


     I hope you're going to come play this month.  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, June 14, 2020

A Baseball Legend

      My youngest grandson, in his earliest teens, is absolutely hooked on playing baseball - Little League, small local leagues -- baseball in any form is his one great passion at this point in life.  So, I don't have to tell you that when the spring and now summer leagues were cancelled, it was a bitter pill to swallow.   His skills have improved over the years (he was about 8 when he started playing) and he really is quite good at whatever position he plays now.  He seems to be something of a natural at it.

     As a consolation for him, small though it may be, I've made a card for him to show him how I feel about him.  :-D  The image is from Bugaboo Stamps.


Colored w/ ProMarkers and gel pens
Image and frame cut w/ Dare2BArtzy dies
Ribbons from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Hand tied sheer bow

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, June 13, 2020

A Goofy Giraffe for a Birthday

     I have a dear friend who loves giraffes and at least twice each year, for her birthday and Christmas, I try to find a new giraffe image or stamp to make a card for her.  This year, as I was over exploring on the Stamp Junkies FB group, I saw this giraffe in a new set by Angie Blom.  As an artist, her work is new to me but I fell in love with a card she had done using and image from this new set and I went right over to her shop and bought it!  There are a few different giraffe images (and sentiments) in the set so I'll be able to do three or four cards for my friend with that set.  What a bargain!  lol

     I did a fairly simple design, flat and not too much embellishment (so good as a masculine card, too) because it has to go in the mail.  She and I now live about 350 miles apart although we once shared the same home town.


Colored with ProMarkers
All the frames are cut w/ QuicKutz dies
2 sentiment bit cut with Avery Elle dies
Red satin bow, hand tied


     Have a great weekend and find some Happy Crafting time.  :-D  NanaConnie

Friday, June 12, 2020

Feeling Fabulous !

     It's the end of another week and I'm sharing one more DT card for Conie Fong, called "Feeling Fabulous."  I adore the little, lost, ragamuffin look of her clothing juxtaposed with her confident and happy smile.  Isn't she just too darling for words?


Colored with ProMarkers & gel pens
Cut with Spellbinders die
Background CS cut w/ border dies - Spellbinders
Sentiment printed and fussy cut

     Challenges:

     Enjoy the last day of this week (or the first day of the upcoming weekend, whichever you prefer) and find some "me time" for yourself.  Come play with us in either of our Conie Fong challenges which you can find on the FB page.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Smile

     Last year, I made a card using all die cuts and a technique which allowed exact lining up of patterned dp.  You can see that card by clicking here.  After the die cutting for that card, I was left with a 'negative' piece which I put into a manila folder of  'things to be used in the future.'  Finally, more than a year later, I was browsing through that folder and decided it was time to get something made with that left over scrap.  It's pretty CAS and really works as a simple, masculine card.


Dies from Memory Box (triangles), CUTplorations (border), & Penny Black (sentiment)
Paper from DCWV Basics stack

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time...
Addicted to CAS  (berry color)
Cardz TV
Crafter's Cafe
Crafty Creations
Crafty Hazelnut's
Double D
Dragonfly Dreams
Lil Patch of ...
Word Art Weds

     Nice to get that scrap used up.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Beach Lover

          As the summer weather rolls in, many of us think about days at the beach and this little cutie from Digi Doodle Studios, called "Stormi Vega," is no exception.  Our monthly blog challenge is ongoing and the theme is "Anything Goes."  We also have a challenge on the DDS Facebook page where the theme is also "Anything Goes" but you are required to use a DDS image.  Here's my first DT card for June.


Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with Spellbinders
Background papers are scraps
Bow tie bow

     Challenges:
Arty Divas

     Sorry to be late posting this but one of the cats (I suspect it was Queenie!) stole my glasses off the nightstand.  My only second pair are prescription sunglasses so I'm more or less working in the dark.  lol  Until she brings them back (and she will), I'm having problems seeing when I'm inside.  Grrr - she's such a brat!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, June 8, 2020

Ladybug Girls

     I think I'm getting more practiced (and hopefully better) at merging images.  Before I learned how to do that with .png images (thanks to my bogging buddy, Lynn!), I would place images as close as possible before printing them or I would fussy cut them and overlap them as needed, but my card this morning shows how I overlapped two separate Bugaboo Stamps images to make a single image and then printed. 


I started with the newest sketch from Stella Says Sketch
with the sentiment flipped side to side.
Image printed onto card front
Colored with ProMarkers
Sheer ribbon added to top
Ivy leaves cut from scrap dp w/ Sue Wilson die
Scrap strip of dp added across the ribbon
Sentiment cut w/ CUTplorations dies
3 black pearls added

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Catch the Bug
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Friends
Double D
Lemon Shortbread
Penny's Paper Crafty
Pixie's Snippets
Word Art Weds.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Flannel Flowers from Beccy's Place

     Each month, Beccy's Place has an "Anything Goes" challenge and Beccy always adds an optional twist.  This time around, the twist is a TicTacToe board and I used the middle column (3 colors/ ribbon/ use a digi.)  The image is called Flannel Flowers and it's a Beccy's Place image.


Colored with ProMarkers
Image and frame cut with Sizzix dies
Plaid dp - scrap (Beccy's freebie)
Gray, satin, 1/8" ribbon
"Hello" cut w/ Poppy Stamps die

     Challenges:
2 Sisters on the Blog
A Bit More Time...
Bastel-Traum
Carlin's Card Paradise
Classic Design
Crafter's Cafe
Crafty Hazelnut's
Prika Crafts
World Wide Open...

     We're halfway through the weekend and I hope you've been able to tell the difference between the week and the weekend.  Like most of you, my days have blended together over the last (almost) 3 months!  Without my crafting, I'd be completely stir crazy by now.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Have a Good Hair Day !

     I love this fabulous image from Hetty Clare which was offered as the freebie from the Progressive Challenge at The Outlawz this month.  I wanted to do a card that had layers and visual interest and lots of 'personality' without being fussy or overdone.  I guess I wanted a take off on  something CAS.  Here's what happened:


Colored w/ ProMarkers
Edges inked w/ ProMarkers
Image cut with QuicKutz die &
     corners rounded with Fiskars punch
Papers are from DCWV - Basics & Midnight Chic stacks
Ribbon flowers

     Challenges:

Friday, June 5, 2020

Snowflake Wishes

     You know how every once in a while you get a card finished and it looks and feels exactly the way you imagined it would?  Terribly pleasing, isn't it?  Well, that's what happened with this card and I just love it !  :-D

     The image is one of the newer ones from Conie Fong, called "Snowflake Wishes" and I think she's so beautiful.  

     When I first printed this image, I thought about making an entire scene with her rather than just a single-image card.  But I spent so much time on the coloring, adding lots of shading and highlights, that I decided on just the image as the focus.  I find that when it comes to Conie's images, I love to put the detail into the coloring and I rarely make scene cards with them.  

     I did take time to do a bit of water coloring on a scrap of water color paper which I added to the background.  It does look a bit like a stormy sky.  :-D  In any case, here's another card for my Christmas stash.


I used Peacock, Linen, and Mint colors
(plus Peach for her skin)
which came from Color My Heart #396.
Colored with ProMarkers 
Glitter added to snowball, snowflakes, and wings
Cut with QuicKutz die &
     trimmed to show glitter paper
Silver glitter paper cut w/ Quickutz die
Background dp made w/ water colors
Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:

     Conie Fong has two challenges that run every month and they can be found on our Facebook page.  One is for coloring only and the other is for completed projects.  Each challenge requires the use of a Conie Fong image but how can you resist any of her cute images?  I hope we're going to see you playing along.  Don't belong to the Conie Fong FB group yet?  Joining is free so join us and come play.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Have a Wild Party !

          It seems that the decade during which we humans have wild parties to celebrate birthdays or graduations or Father's Day ends just about the time we reach our mid-30s (although it may go on a couple of years more for males as opposed to females) but we do eventually give up acting we are attending a frat party from Animal House.  lol  My oldest grandson is reaching those mid-30s and I just wanted to remind him that it would be OK to have one last Wild(Cat) Party before he bid those days goodbye.  :-D

     Since both his birthday and Father's Day fall in June, I'm sending him this card.   The stamp is from Penny Black.


Cats are colored w/ watercolors
Piano and chair colored w/ ProMarkers
Image cut with die from Spellbinders
Sentiment cut with Impression Obsession die
Brown CS pieces in background were scraps

     Challenges:

     I hope you've had a wonderful week so far and that things are beginning to return to normal around your home.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Jellyfish

     I'm having fun today.  I woke up with a smile, smelled the coffee already brewing, and immediately decided it was a good day to be alive!   I took coffee in hand, went to the computer, scrolled through my digi files, and found this humorous image from Bugaboo Stamps.  It tickled my funny bone so I printed it and headed right to the craft desk.


I used the sketch from Stella Says Sketch.


Colored with ProMarkers
Image cut with QuicKutz die
Scalloped circle cut w/ Sizzix die
Grosgrain ribbon
Mulberry flowers w/ Nuvo centers

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Hedgie Laundry

     I'm sending this card to a recently-divorced, 30-something, dad-of-young-kids who suddenly became aware that he had no idea how to do laundry!  Inside I added a cute but very vintage list of which days were for which housekeeping chores.

     How many of you remember the old song called "Rest on Sunday?"  My mother and my Grammy taught it to me when I was very young.  It went like this:


Rest on Sunday 

Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, 

Market on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday. 

Then you have all day to Rest on Sunday.


      I remember we had dish towels in our kitchen with the chores embroidered on them, too.  :-D

      This adorable image is from Penny Black.


Colored with water colors & gel pens
Cut with Spellbinders deckle die
Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Raffia bow
Green CS background is a scrap

    Challenges:

     I'll have another cute Penny Black image to share with you later this week but for today. this is all I have.  After three separate posts yesterday, I'm tired!  lol  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, June 1, 2020

A Monthly Challenge at QKR Stampede

     I know, change is not something most of us would choose first thing on a Monday morning, but the usual weekly challenge at QKR Stampede is now a monthly challenge for the summer!  We haven't decided whether it will stay monthly beyond that point but for the summer months you'll have plenty of time to enter each challenge.  This one will end on June 30 and our next one will begin on July 1.  :-D

     I'm going to share two cards with you today, one very much a salute to summer, and the other I sent to a friend whose son just made the collegiate wrestling team, in the "Lightweight" category.

     For my first card, I used a fun image called "Snacking Mouse," and I've been chowing down on watermelon for the last week as we suffered through the earliest heat wave (3 or more days in a row of temps in excess of 100 degrees F) we've had in many years.



Colored with ProMarkers
All cuts made with QuicKutz dies
Sentiment printed and die cut
Polka dot paper from DCWV
Hand tied, polka dot bow

     Challenges:

Papercraft


     My second card uses an image called "Weighing."



Colored with ProMakers and gel pens
Cut with dies from MFT Die-namics
Image inlaid into frame
Paper from Authentic
Sentiment & mat cut with Avery Elle dies

     Challenges:
Creative Crafters
Double Trouble

Time Out

     This is my last post for today so if you missed the one for either 2 Crafty Critter Crazies or the one for Jan's Digi Stamps, just scroll down - you'll find them.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

#1 Dad !

     Today starts our latest monthly challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps and, since it's June, what better time to make a Father's Day card?  I used the fantastic new set (released last month) "#1 Dad."  I took two of the images and merged them into one before printing.


Images pre-colored but I added gray ProMarkers to the trophy
Cut w/ QuicKutz dies
Grosgrain ribbon
Baker's Twine
CAS design for masculine card

     Challenges:
Outlawz Festive Fri
Polkadoodles
Word Art Weds.

     We want to see you playing along with us this month.  Don't forget that our theme is always "Anything Goes" and you can use any products from any company.  If you happen to use a Jan's Digi Stamps image, your entry will go into a separate draw and your chances of winning are much better.  Come play!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie