Saturday, September 14, 2024

Reaping

      Today we start a new challenge over at FarmQuest and our specific theme is "Farm tools that cut."  We always have an underlying theme of Farm or Country, meaning outdoors, farm house, farm fields, crops, animals, etc.  We don't want to see city streets or cityscapes with high rises.  :-D

     I chose a fun, vintage clip art showing a woman reaping with a hand sickle.  I'll bet the farmers and farm wives are glad they don't have to do an entire field that way any more!  This is a pre-colored image and I used it 'as is' instead of printing it in grayscale and coloring it myself.  I was running short of time that day and pre-colored seemed the easiest.  

     I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die and framed it with a scrap of polka dot CS from an old DCWV stack.  The upper background is handmade using watercolor paper and watercolor paints.  The gingham check is from the scrap basket and seemed perfect for this card. 

     The butterfly embellishment was made using a Cottage Cuts die, cutting twice, making a double layer and adding a long, wooden bead for the butterfly body.


     Challenges:


     Come play in our challenge this next fortnight.  We love being inspired by what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, September 12, 2024

The Halloween Shuffle

      This Country Couple really knows how to shuffle it on the dance floor!   I adore this image and can hardly believe this is the first time I've used it, considering how long I've had this set.  It came from Jan's Digi Stamps and the set is called "Pumpkin People."  

      For this card, I started with one of the pre-colored images, printed it in grayscale, then colored it with my Sanjoki markers and colored pencils.  The cat image (and the sentiment) was merged with the pumpkin people before printing, and I kept it as printed, no additional coloring.

     I cut the image with an old QuicKutz square die.  I found a scrap of Halloween paper for the background, layered the image onto it, and kept it very simple with no embellishment of any kind.


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Magical

      We're a third of the way through September and I'm finally getting my card done using the new image for the Progressive Challenge at Moondrea.  She's called Lilly Cinderela and I flipped the image side to side before printing it for coloring.

     Once printed, I colored her with a combination of Ohuhu and Sanjoki alcohol ink markers.  Once I finished that, I die cut her with a Tonic Studios die.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  I chose that single word sentiment because of all the magic associated with Cinderella's Godmother.

     I used a scrap of glitter CS for the background.  You know how hard it is to toss out scraps, even those with holes from precious die cuts?  That's especially true for me with glittery sparkle papers.  Believe it or not, beneath the image piece, there's a hole!  lol  I added the mulberry paper flower as a single embellishment and it seemed to just be a perfect finish to the card.


     Challenges:
Get Creative (Cinderella)

     I now have nearly a dozen Thanksgiving cards and another more-than-a-dozen Halloween cards made and I'll be sharing those with you over the next month or so.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Fright Night

      One more Halloween card with images from Beccy's Place.  Each of these spooky cats is a separate image and I merged them before printing so that they became a single image.  

     Although they are silhouette images, I used markers to darken the printed version since it had faded out somewhat during the printing process.  I also colored their eyes green which actually increased the cats' "spookiness."  The sentiment is also from Beccy's.  Both the image and the sentiment were cut with Spellbinders dies.

     The two background papers were left-over scraps, originally from a  Recollections stack.  The spiderwebs are embossed for a bit of texture.


I based my card design on the sketch from Sketch Saturday.

      Challenges:

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Spooky Pumpkin Patch Cat

      We are starting our newest challenge at FarmQuest General Store today and, as usual, we have a general "Country/Farm" theme.  We are sponsored by QKR Stampede and the prize is the three images used by the DT on their inspiration cards both today and on September 21 for the halfway reminder post.

     For my card, I used the adorable QKR image called "Kitty and Pumpkin."  I colored it with my new Ohuhu markers, then cut it with a Cutz die.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     The plaid paper in the upper background came from a digital stamp I got from Beccy's Place.  The orange triangle in the background was cut from a scrap of CS found in my basket of fall papers.   The black bow was hand sewn (starting with white ribbon which I dyed black with a marker) and to which I sewed a tiny, white, pearl bead.


     Challenges:

     Come by and play with us this month!  You could be the winner of three adorable QKR Stampede images.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Country Mice

      I have two posts for you today and this is the first one featuring my DT card for our September challenge at FarmQuest Country Christmas.  I used one of my House Mouse stamps which has seen good use over the years.

     This time I colored it with my Sanjoki markers, then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I used 2 additional dies which came from a QuicKutz set to cut the two frames for it.  I love layering frames around an image because it makes them pop off the background and focus attention on the image.

     The background dp came from a Recollections stack.  I added two, tiny, round sequins and an even tinier star sequin for just a touch of sparkle.  Can you find them?  The sentiment is a sticker which was in my stash of Christmas embellishments.


     Challenges:

     Hope to see you playing along with us in our challenge this month.  Be sure to check back in a bit for my second post for FarmQuest General Store.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Frightful Raven

      I have my first Halloween card for the year to share with you today.  Somehow, I got things out of order in my card making.  I've been focused on Thanksgiving cards and have most of those done already and then it struck me that Halloween is next month and Thanksgiving the month after that so I got busy and made my first two Halloween cards yesterday.

     I have 12 more Halloween images colored and ready but they haven't been turned into cards yet.  Later this week, probably, and certainly over the weekend so that I have more of them to share with you early next week.

     I chose this image from Beccy's Place, colored it with my newest Ohuhu alcohol markers, then cut it with a Spellbinders die.  I inked the edges with a marker and mounted the printed and cut sentiment (also Beccy's Place and a Tonic Studios die to cut it) onto the image piece.  The background CS is embossed with glitter EP and it says "Boo" in half a dozen different fonts and sizes.  I think that's from a DCWV stack.  No embellishment beyond the embossing because it was perfect the way it was.


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, September 1, 2024

At the End

      I have a fun card to share with you today which takes a very black and white view of being last in all things.  :-D  The image is one by QKR Stampede, very simply called "Zebra."  

     I printed it and added some subtle shading with Ohuhu markers, my first time using them (and I do like them!)  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die, and I matted it twice with dp from the Midnight Chic paper stack by DCWV.  That stack happens to be rather old.  I bought two of them at least 10 years ago, have used most of the first one, and I cut into two sheets from second stack for this card.  One is the darker frame and the other is the background dp.  I used white CS to frame the image before layering it onto the background.

     The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.


     Challenges:

     Have a great day and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie