Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Outdoor Snow Events

      I'm not sure we need to tell anyone is the USA about outdoor snow (or just plain cold) events this month but that's the theme for our latest challenge over at FarmQuest which starts today.  Of course, it needs a country flair as the standard FarmQuest requirement, but that's pretty easy to accomplish if you're focusing on outdoor events.  :-D

     I sorted through my collection of winter-y images and found these two in my QKR Stampede collection.  The girl is called "Sledding" (which I reversed before printing) and the Dog is called "Cross Country Skiing."  I wanted to use both images so I designed a slimline card.  The images were colored with water color paints and shaded with ProMarkers, then fussy cut with scissors.  The snowflake papers are from an old DCWV stack which I've had for at least a decade and it tends to come out each winter.  The stack is getting very thin these days but I still have some really great papers in it.  The sentiment is mine and it was also fussy cut.


     Challenges:

     Are we going to see you playing along in our challenge?  I sure hope so.  We love seeing what you've created and being inspired by it.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, December 26, 2022

Musical Couple

      This cute couple came from the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World and I love how they are sharing their music.  This is another image I printed very large so that I could color it (vision problems), then photographed it and reduced the size with my editing software before making my card.  I'm discovering that while that process allows me to color and then make cards with the reduced images, the photographing also tends to alter the colors.  Oh, well, at least I can continue to enjoy the coloring process.  :-D

     I colored with ProMarkers, cut the image with a large QuicKutz die, and cut the corners with a Fiskars punch.  I dug through my stash of mulberry papers (which I haven't used in ages!) and used a scrap behind the image piece.  The background dp is from a stack by Recollections (which I got as a Christmas gift.)  I printed and fussy cut the sentiment.


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Meowy Christmas

     Late on Christmas Eve, the fur babies wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and they begged me for a card they could share with each of you.  They unanimously approved this one because it looked like a party!  :-D

     This was a coloring book image which was colored with gel pens and metallic sparkle inks.  I reduced it in size with my editing software after photographing it.  I trimmed the corners with a Fiskars punch, then mounted it onto a frame which was cut with an Unbranded die.  The CS for the card front was dry embossed with my Linen folder before the other pieces were attached.  The bow is satin and was hand-tied.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  Overall, very simple to make; took less than 15 minutes, so really perfect especially for a last minute card on demand.


     Challenges:

     Merry Christmas from the 3 fur babies and from me.  May your Christmas be warm and wonderful, regardless of the weather outside.      Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Ice Fishing

     Most of you who follow my blog regularly already know that I'm having some vision problems which affect my ability to color images and, while I'm figuring out ways to color successfully - enlarging images so that I can see them well enough to color, then photographing and reducing them with my photo editing software - I've also found that using die cuts to make the entire card is another way to continue with my love of card making.

     Today's card uses a die set from Cuts to create this fun ice fishing card.  The glitter paper (for the hole in the ice, the frozen fish, and the strip under the bears) is from Recollections, and dp for the sky came from a DCWV stack.  I used my Linen embossing folder on the blue CS.  Everything was done using scraps.  The sentiment was made with another Cuts die.

I used the Tic Tac Toe board at Outlawz Color challenge
to do blue sky, white, and snow from the right hand column.
(Sorry, I can't seem to copy and paste their board)

     Challenges:

Friday, December 23, 2022

Snowman Presents

      This is my last Conie Fong DT card for December and I've used one of the images from a set called Snowman Presents.  The image also comes inside a snow globe and the set has secondary images of pine branches included.  Good news, it's ON SALE right now.  Grab it quick!

     This one is colored with water color paints and was cut with a border die from Your Next Die.  The image was backed with burgundy CS and then framed with red metallic paper from DCWV.  The white glitter paper for the background is from Doodlebug.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I added one tiny embellishment - a satin, hand-tied bow.


     Challenges:
   (Rainbow of colors)
Double Trouble
   (Kaleidoscope colors)
    (The snowman obviously.  :-D)

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

A Special Noel

      I have loved House Mouse stamps since I first discovered them more than a decade ago,  I know they had been around for quite a while even back then but I was slow getting to the card making game.  I especially love their Christmas images and have several which I use nearly every year.  This is one of them.

     With my recurring (and somewhat permanent) vision problems, I'm finding new ways to color images.  For this one, the stamp was a bit smaller than I needed so I stamped it, photographed it with just the uncolored stamp, then used my photo editing software to enlarge it to a size I could see easily for coloring.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then photographed it again in order to reduce the size to what I needed for a square card.  A time consuming, multi-step process, but it allows me to still enjoy the pleasure of coloring for my card making.

     Once the colored image was reduced, I cut it with a Gina Marie die.  I made the background for the card using dp scraps (K & Co.) and a CS scrap (DCWV) which I ran through my Linen folder.  I cut those diagonally and layered them one on the other, then added the image piece.  The metallic ribbon is wired and glittered, and I used it for both the wrap around the card front and for the hand tied bow. 


     Challenges:

     That's it for today but hopefully I'll have another post tomorrow.  If not then, perhaps on Friday.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, December 19, 2022

Bear Hugs for Christmas

      This sweet Christmas image, called Mrs. Teddy Bear, is from Jan's Digi Stamps and I think it's really precious.  Although I made it before my vision problems got really bad, I'm just now getting around to posting it.

     The image was pre-colored but I added my own highlights using ProMarkrs and gel pens. I merged the holly (also an image in the set) into her pocket and onto her hair bow, then cut the image and punched the corners with Fiskars punches.  The red chevron paper was a scrap from an old Recollections stack and the green CS was embossed using my Linen EF.   The sentiment is part of the Teddy Bear set.


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Father Christmas

      The image I used today came from Gecko Galz as the image to use for their monthly Christmas  challenge for December.  I adjusted it to print it in gray scale and then hand-colored it with ProMarkers and gel pens.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die.  The Merry Christmas sentiment was cut from a scrap of Recollections glitter paper using a die from Cuts.  The background was made from scraps of red and black CS.


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, December 17, 2022

When Thirst Calls

      I've been playing in the progressive challenge over at The Outlawz for more years than I can remember and this month the image they provided was one I just wasn't going to be able to use - a bottle of beer.  I could have colored it and made a card, but it wouldn't have been sent to anyone so what was the point?  I explained that to one of the Admin ladies because I didn't want to lose out on playing next month.  She went back to the artist and got the image revised just for my use.  Bless her!

     I colored with ProMarkers, then cut it with an oval die from QuicKutz.  I found a scrap of glitter paper (DCWV), cut a rectangle and a circle (Dare2BArtzy) from it, then cut a narrow strip of metallic paper and layered them all together onto the background.  I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.  After adding the image piece, I tied a simple bow using satin ribbon.


I pulled colors from the challenge at My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

     That's all for today but I'm going to spend a couple of days in the craft room coloring and planning ahead.  Have yourself some wonderful creative time this weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, December 16, 2022

Snow Globe Wishes

      Today I want to showcase a fantastic new set from Conie Fong, called Snow Globe Wishes.  The snow globe itself can also be found in a separate set called Snowman Snow Globe Bundle and I'll be sharing my card using that set next week sometime.

     The image is colored using watercolor paints, then cut with a Tonic Studios die.  The green dp was also cut with Tonic Studios, a die a size larger.  The red and the green dp were in my Christmas scrap pile and I have no idea what company made them.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I did little embellishment because I wanted the eye to focus completely on that lovely image.


     Challenges:

     Remember, we have a challenge every month over at the Conie Fong Facebook page.  If you haven't already joined, that can be done very quickly and then you can enter using any Conie Fong image (freebies are available on the FB page) and you could be the winner of more delightful Conie Fong images!  Come play.  We'd love to see what you create.  
 
     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Winter in the Country

      I'm late getting this card posted but it's my DT card for the latest challenge at FarmQuest which started today.  Our theme this time is Anything Goes as long as it has a country flair.  I thought this beautiful image of winter birds on the corral gate, from Jan's Digi Stamps, was perfect for a Christmas card.

     Merged images of the birds and the black and white grapevine wreath, with dp scraps in red and green.  The sentiment and the image are both fussy cut.  The only embellishment I added are the three little gemstones.


     Challenges:

     I really hope we're going to see you playing along this time.  You have until December 27th to enter, and then our next challenge begins on December 28th.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Nativity in Kraft

     My sweet daughter bought me another new die this year, also from DIY Scrapbooking, and I wanted to test it right away, right out of the package.  I was siting at my craft desk and the closest paper to me was a scrap of kraft CS so I grabbed it and ran it through the Big Shot.  I really had no intention of using the cut but when I tossed it aside, it landed on some black CS and the design just popped!

     Next thing I knew, I was trimming the black CS to size, gluing down the Nativity, and coloring the star with gold paint pen.  I made a square card from kraft CS and cut the sentiment from cream colored, sparkly CS, using a die from Die-Versions.  This made a really CAS card which looks far more complex than it is.

     Not exactly traditional Christmas colors but I love the end result !


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Stocking Girl

      The delightful image on this card is from the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World 101, but it as for the November challenge and I had it firmly in mind that the challenge ran from the 5th through the 14th of each month.  Ooops, it now starts on the 5th of each month so I'm late posting my card but I posted it anyway and now I'm sharing it with all of you.  :-D

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, then fussy cut it with scissors.  I mounted it onto a scrap of dp which came from an old stack by K & Co.  I added burgundy CS to an A2 card front, then layered on the image and added sparkly red ribbon to the edge.  I used that same ribbon to hand tie the bow.  The sentiment was cut with a die from Avery Elle.


     Challenges:

     That's all for today but I'll be back tomorrow with a new card.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, December 9, 2022

Final Exams

     I know it's been several days since I posted anything but I'm recuperating from some serious respiratory problems and my crafting has been very limited.  Sorry.  Hopefully, I'll get back to normal soon.  :-D

     Today I'm sharing 2 different cards, both made as encouragement for a college student facing some really difficult exams at the end of a semester.  This first one is for that horrendous period of study and anxiety leading up to the exams.

     The wise old owl seemed appropriate for a school/education theme.  I'm pretty sure this was a digital coloring book image which I reduced in size.  The image and the CS framing were each cut with dies from Spellbinders.  The Christmas candy dp was from an old DCWV stack and it just had the perfect colors to complement the image.  The sentiment is mine alone.  :-D  

Pre-exams

     I loved the CAS design and used it again on the second card.  The same Spellbinders dies were used on the second card and the background dp is also DCWV.  The flower is from Petaloo.  Obviously, this one is for that joyous period when grades are assigned and all exams were successfully passed.  :-D

Post exams

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, December 2, 2022

Cat Mouse Tree

     It's the first Friday in December and a new challenge is starting over at Crazy for Cats.  We are using images from Ike's Art in honor of her memory.  This one is called Catmouse Tree.

     I colored with ProMarkers and water colors, then cut the image with a QuicKutz die.  I inked the edges of the image with a ProMarker.   The background paper is from a stack by Graphic 45.  I used a bit of metallic, glittery, ribbon to tie a double-loop bow with the help of my bow maker.  The sentiment was printed, then cut with an Avery Elle die.



     Challenges:

     I hope we're going to see you playing along with us this month.  Be sure to use a cat somewhere on your project.  We are going to be giving images from Ike's Art as the prize for this challenge.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Last Day at 30 Days of Holidays

      We've reached the last day of November and that means this is my final card for the 30 Days of Holidays challenges at Beccy's Place.  The theme today is Do What You Love, meaning Anything Goes on this last card.  I loved the CAS card I did yesterday and today I played with the placement of the image before I printed it so that it would be in the proper place on the front of a left-side-fold, A2 card.  Figuring out how the card stock moves through my printer wasted a couple of sheets of plain copy paper but I got it worked out.  

     This is a pre-colored image from Beccy's Place and the sentiment is also hers.


     Challenges:


     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

30 Days of Holidays - Clean And Simple

      Today, Beccy (30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place) has given us the simplest of  non-alphabet themes (OK, second simplest, next to Anything Goes); she wants to see Clean and Simple cards.  I made a tent-fold, A2 card using one of her pre-colored images and a sentiment merged with it.  

     Both are printed together, adjusting the placement of them so that they print out on the bottom half of the card front.  I chose to use the pre-colored image mostly because it's simple but also because purple is my favorite color and that vase was beyond my wildest dreams!  Thanks, Beccy.  :-D

     This card literally took me 5 minutes to make and 8 minutes to photograph and edit.  Now, that's the way to get your stash of Christmas cards into the triple digits in no time at all !!


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, November 28, 2022

30 Days of Holidays - Letter W

      My second post of the day and this one serves two purposes just as my previous post did.   The image is from Wink Wink Ink, and it's for the November Progressive Challenge at the Outlawz.  But it also serves as my Letter "W" entry at Beccy's Place in the 30 Days of Holidays challenge.

     Other "W"s are:  Winter, Wonder (on the snowman's face), Weaving (the background), and Watermark (mine.)  I used ProMarkers and gel pens, and cut the image with a Spellbinders square die.  I used scrap papers from the basket of leftover pieces to put together the woven background.  The sentiment is a sticker and the glittery snowflakes are from Recollections.


     Challenges:


    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, November 27, 2022

A Christmas Fireplace

     This is my second card as a DT at FarmQuest where we give you at least 2 theme options for each challenge!  For this challenge, our theme options are "Table or Fireplace."  I chose to do a Christmas fireplace and I used an image from Beccy's Place.  

     I can also use this as my card for Letter "F" in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place even though it's terribly out of order given that we're currently at the end of the alphabet.  But I've been saving it for the start of this challenge.  :-D

     There are three different images, all from the same Beccy's Place set: the fireplace itself, the logs on fire, and the cat with his yarn.  All were fussy cut and put together on dimensional dots.  The images are pre-colored.  The dark green dp in the background is from Stampin' Up and the lighter greens are simple CS scraps.  The green ribbons were in my stash.  The sentiment was cut with a die from Die-Versions.

                   

     Challenges:
(links will be added shortly)

     I hope you're going to come and play with us this time.  The challenge will run until the 13th of December and all you need to do is make something that features either a table or a fireplace (or both, if you like.)  We look forward to seeing you there.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Up in the Air

      OK, it's time to do something for the Letter "U" in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  Mine are Up in the Air, Use scraps, and Ultramarine blue.  The elf is a Beccy's image.

     I colored with ProMarkers, and cut both the image and the oval frame with dies from QuicKutz.  All the papers are scraps from the basket.  I had at least half a dozen, 2-sided, coordinating paper scraps in the basket and I have managed to use them up this year, finally.  I'll bet they've been in the scrap basket for at least 3 years!


     Challenges:

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, November 26, 2022

30 Days of Holidays - Letter R

      Well, after 2 days of not posting (and not doing much creating, either, due to continuing respiratory problems), I finally finished another card for the 30 Days of Holidays challenges at Beccy's Place.  This time, it's for the letter "R" and I have these on my list: Rocker card, Red, Ribbon, Robin, and Ruby.  

     My rocker card isn't typical but I tried something I thought would work the same way but be easier to create.  I folded an A2 tent card (fold at top), then used a scalloped die from Little B Dies to cut the bottom of both the front and back of the card.  The scallops allow the card to 'rock' but not to fall over.  

     The image and the sentiment are from Beccy's and I added highlights with gel pens.  I cut the image using another of the scalloped dies from the Little B set, but I made it slightly oval by cutting the left side, then moving the die and cutting the right side.  I inked the edges using a ProMarker.  The stripes across the top of the card are made using ribbon scraps from my stash.  


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Q is for Quilt

      Ok, finally!  The card for Letter "Q" in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place is finished !  It took me the best part of 3 days to complete it, with lots of breaks to take care of the respiratory issues, but it's done and I'm so happy.

     My "Q"s are: Quilt, Quilted, Quarter card, Quatro fold, and QuicKutz die.  My tutorial for the Quatro Fold came from Beccy's Place and it's such a simple one.  Thanks, Beccy.  :-D

     The papers cut for the quilt were all scraps and I used a Gina Marie quilting die.  The quilted deer inside is one of Beccy's pre-colored images and it was cut with a QuicKutz die.  The card folds to easily fit into an A2 envelope.  Here are photos to show you both the front when folded and the inside when open.

 
Front when Folded 

 
Inside when Opened

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

30 Days of Holidays - Letter "S"

      Another card done for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  I know I haven't posted my cards for the letters "Q" or "R" yet but I don't have them done.  The "Q" card is taking forever to finish because it's very detailed and complex, and I have to take rest breaks because I'm still recovering from some tough respiratory issues.  But I do have a card to post today and I get to say thanks my sweet daughter for the dies I used to make this one.  She gave me this die set and another one, both from DIY Scrapbooking.  So this is a Special card just for her.

     My "S" items for this card are: Sparkle, Stitching, Silver, Sequins, and Sentiment.   I die cut sparkle glitter paper, both gold and white, then layered them in alternating colors.  I added three extra white 'leaves' behind the flower.  When I'm not using the traditional Christmas colors of red and green, I love the combo of gold and white because it makes everything looks rich and elegant.  When those are also sparkly, it's just an additional bit of WOW!

     The sentiment was cut with a die from Die-versions  I used a gold paint pen to create the faux stitching on two edges.  The sparkly sequins in the lower corner are silver but also have a hologram quality so they reflect a bit of gold sparkle, too.


     Challenges:
ABC Christmas (X-tra special)
     
     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, November 21, 2022

Pumpkin Kisses

      I love the images in this set from Jan's Digi Stamps!  The set is called "Fresh from the Farm" and I've used some of the lesser image, merged together to create this image.  The sentiment is also part of the set.

     The image and the frame were each cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The "butterfly" bow was one I tied and wrapped using 1 inch grosgrain ribbon and 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon, plus my bow maker.  The ribbons were originally white but I dyed them with ProMarkers to get the colors I wanted.  Pretty CAS card even though it looks a lot more complex.


     Challenges:
Inspiration Station (autumn colors & harvest)
Word Art Weds
Your Next Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Cats' Thanksgiving

      I did a card about 10 days ago which triggered this sentiment.  Unfortunately, I'd already completed that card before I thought of the sentiment so that card had to stand as it was.  However, I got this new (to me) Cutz die of all the cats in a row and I decided to do one more Thanksgiving card and use the sentiment, silly as it is.  :-D

     The cats' noses and eyes were highlighted with a gel pen, and the sentiment was cut with another Cutz die.  The scrap of tree paper came from an old DCWV autumn stack but I don't remember the name of it and the front cover has long ago disappeared, so no way of checking.  The tree trunks and branches are shiny and metallic but that doesn't show all that well in the photo.  I mounted everything onto a kraft card base.  Very quick and simple.

I pulled colors from the challenge at My Favorite Things.

    Challenges:
SUYP Cats

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, November 20, 2022

30 Days of Holidays - Letter "O"

      I'm back creating again but am still recovering so my creating is not only slow, it's punctuated by time lying down to rest.  I'm feeling disorganized and that things are out of order but regardless, this is my card for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place and it's for the letter "O."  I know, you're scratching your head trying to figure out the "O"s, but they are: On the Edge card (to see Beccy's card which inspired me: click HERE), Over Joyed, Onyx black, Oval die (for the sentiment), and Outdoors, which is where this snow couple is.  It's a good thing I had this one done before I got sick because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to think of all those "O"s.  :-D

     I used ProMarkers to change the colors from blues and browns into traditional Christmas red and green on an otherwise pre-colored image.   Once colored, I cut the image with a hexagon die from QuicKutz, then printed and cut the sentiment with a QuicKutz oval die.  I cut the bottom of the card front so that it was shorter than the back, then layered the image and sentiment together and put them over the edge of the card front.  The two snowflakes were cut with Cutz dies.


     I'm still not up to adding links for other challenges so I'll just wish you all Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie