Guest Designer for Ike's World

      I have the honor of having been asked to be a more-or-less permanent Guest Designer at Ike's World.  It's almost like returning to a DT where I served for more than a year.  I've missed being there.  

:-D

     The February challenge begins today and runs throughout the month.  Our theme is "Anything Goes" but we also always have an optional theme which you may use if you wish.  This month that option is "Valentine or Love."   I chose to use a funny and  sweet image from Ike's Art called "Peeping Tom."  Obviously, this would appeal to any cat lover but I turned it into a Valentine for a cat lover.  :-D  

     I colored with my ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Spellbinders die.  The heart was cut with another Spellbinders die and the corners were rounded with a Fiskars punch.  The sentiment frame was a leftover; the open space around the sentiment was cut using a die from Avery Elle.  The sentiment itself was hand cut.  The sparkly red strip and the plaid dp behind the heart were also leftover scraps.  In fact, everything used on this card came from the scrap basket, including the CS on which the image was printed.

     Challenges:

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz SAR

Paperbabe

     Come play with us.  Our challenges run all month so you have plenty of time.  And don't forget our sister challenge, Show Us Your Pussy Cats, where all you need is to enter a creation with a feline featured.  Hmmm, I guess I could have used this card as a GDT for SUYP Cats, but Ike doesn't have a DT for that challenge.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sweetheart Bella Twins

      Today, I'm sharing another of my DT cards for Conie Fong, on which I've used two images from the Sweetheart Bella set.  There are 3 different image options in the set; one has Bella holding a heart that says 'love,' another with a blank heart, and the third with a heart that says 'hugs.'  I know you're going to think I used the Hugs and Love heart images, but actually, I used Love and the blank heart.

     I knew before I printed the images that I wanted to reverse one of them so that I could position them a bit apart but they would seemingly be facing different directions.  I wanted them to look more like twins than duplicates.  However, if I reversed either the Love or the Hugs image, then the word would print out backwards!   So, I reversed the blank heart image, then wrote in the word "hugs" myself.  I think I did a pretty good job of matching the handwriting on the word "love."  :-D

     I used ProMarkers to color the images, then cut them both with a single die from Cuts.  I mounted the image piece onto mirrored, red CS and trimmed the ends to fit.  That was mounted onto a pink card base and I sewed one of my tiny butterfly bows which I placed just above the image.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I left it rather CAS, with lots of open space.

     Challenges:

Butterfly  (Tickle me pink, Tan)

Colour Crazy

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspirations

Let's Craft & Create

Mod Squad

Paperbabe

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     If you haven't joined the Conie Fong FB page yet, you really should do it now.  There are 2 challenges there every month.  All you have to do is use a Conie Fong image and you can enter either the "Coloring Only" challenge or the one for finished projects, like cards or paper crafts.  You can win fabulously cute images.  Come play!  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thinking of You

      In the midst of all the Valentine themed cards I've been doing for the last couple of weeks, I took the time to do this one which features an image by Christine Karron, the January sponsor for the Thursday Twist challenge over on the Outlawz.  I have the honor of being a Guest Designer this month and it was through that GDT spot that I first learned of Christine Karron and her lovely art work.

     Thursday Twist challenges always have an "Anything goes" theme but they also give an optional twist which you can use if you want to enter twice.  The optional theme this fortnight is "Fantasy."

     I used ProMarkers and polychromos pencils to color the image, then cut it with a stitched die from Die-namics.  The black frame was cut with a QuicKutz die.  The background was done with watercolors.  I tried for an ombre effect but watercolor is often hard to control and I'm not sure I really got the proper definition between light and dark.  But I did love how it turned out so I ironed it dry (medium cotton setting) and used it for the background.  I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die, added a black mat, and sewed one of my signature, satin bows with a pearl for embellishment.

This is based on Sketch 221 at Sweet Sketch Weds,

turned a quarter turn.

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspiration

Dies R Us

Get Creative

Outlawz Festive Fri

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Word Art Weds

Your Next Stamp

     See you at The Outlawz!   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Peony Valentine

      These peonies are from Beccy's Place and I think they made a perfect Valentine card, even though roses seem to be the favorite for a Valentine.  :-D   Colored with my ProMarkers, cut with a QuicKutz rectangle die, and the corners were done with a Fiskars punch.  The pink background dp is from a stack by C .C. Designs.  I used sheer ribbon and my bowmaker for the quad-loop bow.  The sentiment was printed and then cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

A Perfect Time

Crafty Hazelnut's

Crafts Galore Encore

Die Cut Divas

Dies R Us

LeAnn's World

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

     That's all for this post but I'll have another one late evening tonight so check it out or come by again in the morning.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tea Time Valentine

      A new week and a new challenge at Pammie's Inky Pinkies, where our theme is always "Anything Goes" except on the occasional 5th Monday in a month (which will be NEXT Monday, as a matter of fact!)  :-D  Our sponsor this week is Gerda Steiner Designs, and they generously supplied images for the DT to use.  I chose this darling little Mouse in a Cup and turned it into another Valentine card.

     I colored with my ProMarkers, then paper pieced the tea cup with a dp scrap.  I cut the image with a stitched die from Memory Box.  The dp for the background probably came from a Paper Shack stack.  I added the sheer ribbons in Thistle and Tan for a bit of contrast and also because they were colors, along with Tickle Me Pink, in the Butterfly Challenge. 

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Inspiration Station

Mod Squad

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper Crafty

Word Art Weds

     We'd love to see you playing in our challenge this week.  It's "Anything Goes" so create something fun and enter it into our  challenge.   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Rainbow Valentine

      A really quick post today because I wanted to share a card I did for the Outlawz Progressive challenge with an image provided by their sponsor, All Dressed Up.  Isn't she a darling fairy, painting a pink rainbow in the sky?

     I colored with my ProMarkers, cut the image with a QuicKutz die, and added narrow ribbon plus a gingham bow.  The sentiment was printed and hand cut with scissors.  Very CAS for a child's Valentine.

Based on the sketch from My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Crafty Calendar

Creative Inspirations

Cutie Pie

Digi Choosday

Mod Squad

Outlawz SAR

We Love Stamping

     That's it for today.  I have to get back to the craft room and finish some DT projects which have due dates looming! :-D   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Puppy Love among the Gnomes

      Another DT card for the Conie Fong DT, this time using a darling set called "Gnome Sweethearts" along with the merged "Lab Dog," which is included in the set.  Aren't they adorable?  

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it and the frame with dies from Lawn Fawn.  Alcohol markers are my favorite way to color images because the colors blend so well, giving great shading and highlights.  

     The background was made using scraps of dp (also Lawn Fawn), cut into long triangles, then mounted onto a white card base.  I added clear sequins to two, diagonally opposite, corners.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I really liked the visual of the background and image, and decided that no ribbon or bows or other embellishment was needed.

I started with the colors from My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Colour Crazy

Colouring in Scrapland

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

Lawn Fawnatics

Outlawz Festive Fri

Stamping Sensations

We Love Stamping

     Feel free to come and play in either one of our challenges this month.  We have one for colored Conie Fong images only and another for using those Conie Fong images in a finished project, like a card.  Our challenges can be found on the Facebook page.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Best Seat in the House

      We have a new challenge starting today over at Creative Knockouts and we're sponsored by Pretty Cute.  They have some delightful stamps, both photopolymer and digital, and the prize this time is a gift certificate worth $15!  

     Our theme for this challenge is "Anything Goes" and I took advantage of that to make a card using die cuts and scraps to tell a story.  The cats were cut from black CS scraps with my newest dies from Poppy Stamps.  The sentiment was printed onto a CS scrap using a computer font.  I inked the edges of the CS, added the cats and the polka dot bowtie, then layered that piece onto scraps of lavender and lilac CS used to make the background.

     Challenges:

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Festive Fri

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Pixie's Snippets

Simon Says Stamp

SUYP Cats

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     We're looking forward to seeing you play in our challenge this week, especially since it's an Anything Goes theme.  What do you have to lose?   Come play and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

One Hot Date - oh, yeah!

     This fun and funny image, Valentine Derek, is from Dr. Digi, our sponsor this fortnight at I Love ProMarkers and our newest challenge starts today.  Our theme is "Flowers" and any beau who brings a bouquet like Derek's  (to say nothing of the chocolates!), deserves consideration for a date night.  :-D

     I used my ProMarkers, of course, to color the image, then cut it and the frame using Tonic Studios dies.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I used my Linen embossing folder on the pink card front before adding a scrap piece of red lace which had been mounted onto black CS.

I used all the colors from My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Aud Sentiments

Colour Crazy

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Festive Fri

Polkadoodles

Stamping Sensations

We Love Stamping

     Come play with us this month.  Remember our theme is "Flowers" and we all know you have dozens of flowers (images or embellishments) in your collections so come on, get busy.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Laughing with Dragonflies

      Yesterday I saw a post on one of the blogs I follow (Her Peaceful Garden) and Janis had shared about a new challenge blog she'd discovered, Paper Dragonfly, where entries must feature Dragonflies (and follow a theme.)  Janis shared that she wasn't crazy about crawly bugs of any kind, nor did she much like dragonflies, but she did have a dragonfly die she wanted to use so she made a card and shared about the challenge.  Thanks, Janis, for the information and the inspiration!

     I dug out three different dragonfly dies from my stash (Impression Obsession, Cutz, and Memory Box), and got to work cutting scrap bits of dp and CS, plus some glitter CS.  (I chose icy blue and white papers for the Winter Dragonflies theme at the Paper Dragonfly challenge.)  I have a little basket of paper scraps sitting on my desk with left over pieces from all the cards I've created in the last six months.  I've been digging through it, using up whatever I can, and everything on this card came out of that basket.

     Even the sentiment had previously been stamped onto a scrap but not used, so it ended up in the basket.  Talk about serendipity!  :-D

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Outlawz PAM

Paperbabe

Paper Dragonfly

Simon Says Stamp

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sweetheart Candy

      Today we're reminding you that we're halfway through the January monthly challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps and this is one of her new images, called "Sweetheart Candy."  It's on sale this month!  You really need to go and check out the store because Jan has put 8 of her sets on sale for January, plus there's a cute little freebie that you'll want to add to your order.  :-D

      In the interest of doing a CAS and quick card, I used the pre-colored version of the main image but added my own sentiment.  I used a Spellbinders die to cut the pink frame, and the image and the pink mat were cut with QuicKutz dies.  I wanted to keep the design relatively simple so it's just quickly stacked layers plus the sentiment piece.

I colors in the candies are perfect for Incy Wincy.

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

C.R.A.F.T.

Creations in Pink

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Penny's Paper-Crafty

TTCRD

     Don't forget that you have until Sunday, February 6 to get a project entered into the "Anything Goes" challenge at Jan's.  We'd love to see you create something fun and wonderful.  :-D  NanaConnie

Snowy Best Friend

      Here it is, already the middle of January and we're starting a new challenge at QKR Stampede where our theme is always "Anything Goes."  I've used a sweet QKR image called "Best Friends" and I love the idea that if you can't be with your BFF (pandemic or weather or whatever), you can just build one!  :-D

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a QuicKutz die.  I created the 'snowy' looking background by wrapping a piece of aqua CS with a wide, white lace.  I printed and fussy cut the sentiment, and called it finished.  How's that for a simple design that looks really complex?

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Aud Sentiments

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Creatalicious

Dies R Us

Gem ... Challenge

Paperbabe

Papercraft

     Come play in our challenge.  It runs until the last day of the month so you have plenty of time to enter.  Remember, Anything Goes.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Very Cherry Birthday

     I have the honor of being a Guest Designer for the Thursday challenge at The Outlawz.  The theme is always "Anything Goes" and there's always an optional twist which you can use if you want to enter twice instead of just once.  The twist this time is "Feminine."  

     There's always a sponsor for the entire month and challenges run for 2 weeks at a time.  This month the sponsor is Christine Karron, a new-to-me artist (whose images and coloring pages I adore) and, as soon as I saw her artwork, I went on a shopping spree at her shop!

     For this card, I used an image called "Sweet Temptation" which was supplied by Christine for the DT to use.  (It's a freebie available on her website - just click on the name of the image above.)  I colored it using my ProMarkers, then cut the image with a circle die from Dare 2B Artzy.  The pink frame was cut with a larger die from that same set.  The background was made with glitter CS from Recollections.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, and the bow is one of my signature, hand-sewn bows.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

LeAnn's World

Let's Craft & Create

Lil Patch of ...

Pattie's Creations

Polkadoodles

     If you're not yet a member of  The Outlawz, you can join in about 1 minute and it's FREE!   You can play in a different challenge each day of the week ('join' each daily challenge individually from the main home page, then you can play in them whenever), plus there are both a progressive monthly challenge and another one for using up old stash items which are lying about, forgotten, and which need to be used.  Yes, you have lots of those, you know you do!  :-D  

    

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Birthday

      It feels so good to be back coloring up Conie Fong digis!   I was on a break for nearly 2 months and I really missed them.  :-D  The one I used today is called "Emily with Penguin" and she comes in 2 different versions, this one and one with braided hair.  The set also has Christmas sentiments but, as you can see, she works well as a 'non-Christmas' winter image.

     She's been colored with ProMarkers, then cut with a stitched die from Die-namics.  I framed the image by cutting a diagonal scrap with the same stitched die and layering the image into it.  The "icicles" above the image were made by using a scrap bit of CS from which I had cut a large sentiment using a Memory Box die.  That was for another project but as I was about to toss out the leftover bits, I saw icicles and held onto the scrap.   A few days later, and it was perfect for this card.

     I printed the birthday sentiment, then cut it with an Avery Elle die.  The bow was hand-tied using some very old crinkle ribbon and I added a small, metal brad.  

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Creative Fingers

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Festive Fri

Taylormadecards ...

Three Room Studio

     Remember, at Conie Fong we have two challenges each month; one is for completed projects (like this one) and the other is for coloring of images only, without having to turn them into a card or other project.  Come play - all you need is a Conie Fong image to enter one or the other!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Celebrating Snow Days !

      It's our first challenge of 2022 at Creative Knockouts and our theme this time is "Celebrations!"  I chose to celebrate every school child's winter wish, a "snow day" when all the schools close.  :-D  Growing up in southern California, I never got to experience snow days but if we'd had one, we would have really celebrated in a big way.

     Our sponsor is Pattie's Creations and, while she provided images for the DT to use, I decided to use the December freebie from Pattie's blog.  Such a cute pair of Winter Mittens shouldn't go unused.  :-D

     I colored with my ProMarkers, and used a die from Spellbinders to cut the image.  I inked the edges of the frame.  The sentiment was printed and cut with another Spellbinders die.  I chose 2 different glitter papers from Recollections for the diagonal-split background.  The sheer, glitter-spotted, wide ribbon was used to wrap around the card front and also to make the hand-tied bow.

I based this on Sketch #201 from Sweet Sketch Wednesday.

     Challenges:

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Outlawz Thurs Twist

Paperminutes

Passion for Markers

Penny's Paper-Crafty

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

    I really hope to see you playing along in our challenge this week.  Any kind of celebration will qualify for our theme.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cat Smiles to Get Well

      It's another new challenge at I Love ProMarkers, the first one of the new year.  Our theme this time is "Get Well" and we are sponsored by Ike's Art.  I adore this cat (my favorite kind of animal), called "Cat Smiles" and you can find it in the section under 'Animals' on her site.

     I colored the image with my ProMarkers (of course), then cut the image with a long rectangle die from QuicKutz.  I rounded the corners with a punch from Uchida.  The pink frame and the plaid dp (Lawn Fawn) were cut with dies from Spellbinder.  The sentiment was also cut with a Spellbinders' die but trimmed along the bottom so that it wouldn't hang over the edge.  All the pink CS is from Park Lane.  The butterfly is made by sewing machine embroidery.

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Crafter's Cafe

Creations in Pink

Ike's World

Outlawz Stash

Paperbabe

Polkadoodles

Star Stampz

SUYP Cats

 

     Come play with us this fortnight.  We love being inspired by you every bit as much as we like to offer you some inspiration.  Happy Crafting  NanaConnie 

Dress Up Day

      Sorry this post for the new Your Scrapbook Place challenge is late but there was a mix up as to whether I was sharing it for the start of the challenge month or as a mid-month reminder.  :-D  I'm posting it now and will do another card for the mid-month.  

     Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and our sponsor this month is Paper Nest Dolls.  They generously provided images to the DT and I'm using "Dress Up Avery."  I remember those long ago, childhood, days of playing dress up.  My Grammy had a fabulous attic with trunks of old clothing and the attic was given over to being a playroom for the grandkids.  The trunks were always available to us as long as we put things back in them when we were finished.

     My blog is named for that wonderful space.  :-D

     I colored with ProMarkers, then found the frame in a stack of scraps which I save just for things like this.  The frame is on top of the image and it's the leftover negative of a Dare 2B Artzy die cut.  I trimmed the image piece to fit it.  The background is ombre CS from a stack by Recollections.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, and the edges were inked.  I tied the bowtie bow using a scrap of lace and narrow satin ribbon for the wrap.

     Challenges:

Colouring in Scrapland

Creations in Pink

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Greetings

Outlawz PAM

Outlawz Thurs Twist

Three Room Studio

Word Art Weds

World Wide DT

      Come play with us, won't you?  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Only Have Eyes for You

      It's the first Monday in January and time for another new, "Anything Goes" challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps.  Today I'm using one of the NEW (and on sale) JDS releases called "Only Have Eyes for You" and I think that darling little Doxie is too precious for words!  

     My coloring is still a bit limited so I used a pre-colored image from the set, cut it with a die from Spellbinders, and inked the edges with a ProMarker.  I used heart dies from Spellbinders to cut both Neenah dp and Recollections CS.  The sentiment is from the "Only have Eyes for You" set and I cut it with a leaf shaped die (also Spellbinders) that I thought worked with the heart dies.

     Challenges:

A Perfect Time ...

Clever Dexter

Digi Doodle Studios

Double Trouble

Ike's World

Mod Squad

Outlawz Greetings

Scrapping4fun

Simon Says Stamp

Your Next Stamp

     I hope we'll see you playing along in our challenge this month.  It runs through February 6 so you have lots of time.  Also, remember that if you use a JDS image, your entry gets put into a separate draw just for people who use Jan's images and that increases your chances of winning a prize by a huge amount.  Be sure to check the Jan's Digi Stamps shop to see everything that's on sale this month, too!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy New Everythings!

      It's a New Day in a New Year and a New Challenge (first one of 2022) over at QKR Stampede.  I've used a "New to me" QKR image, called "Baby Bear."  I'm also celebrating a New Great-Grandson who arrived just in time to be a New tax deduction for the happy, New parents!  

      I used my ProMarkers to color the image, the cut it and the frame with Die-namics stitched dies. The frame is embossed using my "Linen" EF.  The background dp is from Lawn Fawn.  I printed the sentiment, then cut and matted it using Avery Elle dies.  The ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and I hand tied the bow.

My colors were inspired by the lower, right hand

photo on this board from Lawn Fawnatics.

     Challenges:

Clever Dexter

Crafts Galore Encore

Crafty Hazelnut's

Creatalicious

Dies R Us

Digi Doodle

Mirtillamente

     Come play in our "Anything Goes" challenge this fortnight.  We'd love to see what you create and it's always fun to be inspired by you.  You are free to use any image from any company, but if you use an image from QKR (or our sister digi company, Eureka Stamps), your entry will be put into a separate draw just for those, and that increases your chances of winning by quite  lot.  :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie