Cozy, Country Home

      Good morning and welcome to our latest challenge at FarmQuest.  

     Our theme for the next month is "Hibernating Animals."  I chose a bear and found this adorable clip art image which I printed in gray scale before coloring with my ProMarkers.  The sentiment was merged with the image before printing.

     I cut it with a die from QuicKutz, leaving a tiny white border, and then inking the edges with a marker.  I added chunky glitter to a piece of white CS and used that for the background.  I thought it gave the entire card a nice, 'wintery-nap' feel.

     Challenges:

Crafty Calendar

Creative Moments

Di's Digi Designs

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

     Remember that this challenge runs until February 27 so you have lots of time to find that perfect image of a hibernating animal (squirrels? chipmunks? burrowing owls? polar bears?) and enter a card into our challenge.  Hope to see you playing along.

    

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Another Gnome (and more to come)

      Earlier this month, I did a post showing you a divergence from my normal card making and shared these gnomes: Not a Card!  My good friend Lynn (we've been blogging buddies for several years now and have served on more than one DT together) fell in love and told me if I ever decided to go into business selling them, she would sign up to buy the first one.  :-D  How sweet of her.  So, I knew I had to make another one just for her (as a gift. :-D)

     I knew her favorite color was blue, which helped me determine the color scheme for him.  I used a coat pattern which I bought from Duane K. King (search his name on YouTube if you're interested), sewing blanket stitches all around it, and even added a vest.  The hat also came from watching Duane's YouTube videos, appropriately 'squashed' to get the folds in it.

     I get to share this with you today because Lynn let me know she received the gnome in her weekend mail.  So glad you love him, Lynn. :-D

 

     I hope you enjoy him as much as Lynn does.  I'm hooked on making them and have another two finished, both of which happen to be girl gnomes.  I'll share photos of those in the upcoming weeks.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Carnation Lady

      I'm finally getting around to posting a card for the progressive challenge over at Moondrea Designs this month.  I had problems for several days getting the image to print out but Wendy managed to send me a Word document with the image and I was ale to print that just fine.  Thanks so much, Wendy!

     The image is called "Carnations" and once I had it printed, I was able to color it with a combo of Sanjoki and Ohuhu markers.  After coloring it, I cut it with a Tonic Studios die.  The pink CS frame was cut with my Fiskars paper cutter and I mounted the image piece onto it.  The background dp came from a DCWV stack.  I found that delightful, embroidered ribbon in my stash of Christmas ribbons and I'm pretty sure it came from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

     Challenges:

     That's all I have today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Be a Unicorn

      I made two DT cards this month for Star Stampz, where our OPTIONAL theme is "Inspired by a Song."  My first card was inspired by "Puff, the Magic Dragon" and this one is inspired by "The Unicorn Song," sung by the Irish Rovers.  If you click on the song name, it will take you to a YouTube site where you can hear the song (and see all the lyrics) if you're not familiar with it.

     And if you are familiar with it, I can just about guarantee that the refrain is running through your head right now and it will be hours before you can get rid of it!  lol 

     Anyway, my card features the Star Stampz image called "Unicorn Princess" and I think she's adorable.  I colored the image with Sanjoki markers, then cut it with a QuicKutz die.  I used a Fiskars punch on the corners for some visual interest, then layered the image onto a square of purple CS and rounded those corners with a punch from Uchida.

     The plaid dp came from a DCWV stack and the ribbon was in my stash.  The gold butterfly is a sticker from Stamp On It.

     Challenges:

     That's all for today.  You still have almost a week to join in our challenge and we'd love to see you playing there.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Feed the Birds

      I'm honored to be a guest designer for Penny's Paper-Crafty this fortnight and the sponsor of the image I used is All Dressed Up.  They supplied images for the DT and GD to use.  I used an image called "Feeding the Birds."  I thought it made a perfect winter card.  

     Colour of Love is the second sponsor for the challenge this month.

     I colored the image with a combination of Sanjoki and ProMarkers, then cut it with a die from Tonic Studios.  I used a Fiskars punch on the four corners.  That piece was mounted onto a rectangle of deep blue CS.  I cut the sentiment with a QuicKutz die and framed it with a scrap of the blue CS that framed the image.

     The snowflake dp came from a DCWV stack and I added some texture by dry embossing it with a brand new folder from Sizzix (thank you, Santa!)  My final touch was to embellish the card with a hand-tied, double loop bow made with simple red twine.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Creative Moments

Dream Valley

Make My Monday

Outlawz Tues

Pammie's IP

Paper Shelter

Passion for Markers

Simon Says Stamp

     I hope we see you playing in the challenge this time around.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Artist Trading Card

      It's been a long time since I made an ATC but I was inspired by the free image over at the Conjuror of Dreams FB challenge this month.  That challenge used to e for just tags but now they've changed it to tags, ATCs, cards, whatever.  I adore this "New Beginnings" fairy.

     The image was pre-colored but I love coloring my own images so I printed her in light grayscale, then colored her with a combination of pencils blended with gamsol (the fairy), water colors (the background & sky), and used gel pens for highlights.  I cut the pointed-window shape (I don't know the correct architectural term for that window shape but they are really common in old Gothic era churches), and laid it onto a plain, white ATC.  I inked the edges and called it finished.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

AAA Cards

Addicted to CAS

Coloring w Pencils

Lil Patch of ...

Polkadoodles

     That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Dragon & the Knight

      Guess what?   There's a new challenge starting today at Star Stampz and it's the first one of 2025.  Boy, I'm not used to typing 2025 yet.  I had to go back and correct it from typing 2024.  :-D  Our theme is always Anything Goes with an optional theme.  This time, the option is "Inspired by a Song."

     I took that to heart and went searching for a Star Stampz image that had a dragon because "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was running through my head.  The image is The Dragon and the Knight.  I colored it with my Ohuhu markers, then cut it with a Tonic Studios die, and cut the corners with a Uchida punch.  

     I did the same things to a piece of DCWV dp and used it for the frame around he image.  The background was made with another piece of dp from that same DCWV stack.  I know I tend to use DCWV papers more than any others and part of that is because they are a favorite of mine but also because I own more DCWV stacks than any other brand.  That may have happened because when I first started paper crafting, the craft store where I made my purchases back in those days carried mostly DCWV,  I've used other brands over the years but I still tend to go back to DCWV.  (and I have a HUGE stash of it which I'll never use up, even if I live to be 100!)

     I added a wrap of purple Really Reasonable Ribbon and tied a bow with it also.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

DL Art

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds

     Come play with us in this challenge, won't you?   If you don't find yourself inspired by a song, you can always enter an Anything Goes card.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Not a Card !

      I know I post cards 99.98% of the time but today I want to share something new in my lineup of projects, a fun take on the rage for gnomes.  I adore gnomes but up until last month, I was buying gnomes made by other people.  I have colored my share of gnome images and made cards with them, but these 3D gnomes are the first of their kind I've made.

     These are made from craft foam cones, felt squares (which have been in my crafting stash forever and the package hadn't even been opened!) and faux fur, following a pattern I found on Duane King's YouTube site.  The fawn brown gnome with the pointed (but crumpled) hat is his Wizard pattern and the taller gnome is from the Gnome with Coat and Top Hat pattern.  They are approximately 6.5 inches and just under 8 inches tall.

     While I think these are cute enough, I also know that my finished gnomes will get better as I make more of them.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share my first efforts.  :-D

     

     Challenges:

Creative Inspirations

Outlawz PAM

Sisterhood of Snarky ...

     Enjoy and Happy Crafting!  NanaConnie

By-Gone Days

      I had a request last month for a masculine card for my neighbor's father.  He's turning 91 in mid-January and has been a lifelong farmer in the central valley of California.  The request fit in perfectly with the new challenge starting today at FarmQuest General Store (Anything Goes but must have a farm or country feel) and I decided on blues and browns.  That's almost always a perfect color combo for a masculine card.

      What could be better for a lifelong farmer than an image of long forgotten farm equipment, tucked away in a dusty corner of an old barn?   This is a pre-colored, clipart image to which I added the sentiment before printing it.  I cut it with a square, QuicKutz die, added a frame made from white CS, cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The striped dp is from an old DCWV stack, and I added a bit of left over burlap fabric from another project I had worked on last month.  It seemed to give perfect texture and eye appeal without being too frou-frou as an embellishment.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Creative Fingers

Gem of a Challenge

GMGC

Love Those...Papers

Outlawz Friday (used blue)

Pattie's Creations

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this month.  Anything with a country or farm flair can be entered and we'd love to be inspired by you.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Gnome's Country Christmas

     Here it is the end of the first week in January and we have a new challenge starting at FarmQuest Country Christmas.   While our themes are pretty much "Anything Christmas Goes," we do require that your projects have a farm or country aspect to them.  So, outdoors rather than indoors, fields and open spaces instead of city streets or skylines, trees and bushes rather than fancy furniture, and of course, Christmas!

     My card today features a darling little gnome from Anet Art Store and I printed the image in gray scale, then colored him with my Ohuhu markers.  Once colored, I used a QuicKutz die to cut the image and I inked the edges.  I put the background together with green CS and a scrap of dp from DCWV.   I wanted plenty of trees so that you'd know it was an outdoor scene so in addition to the trees in the image and the dp, I added little, felt trees along the left edge which were cut using a Cottage Cuts die.

     Challenges:

Color My Heart

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafts Galore Encore

Crafty Calendar

Creative Knockouts

Just Us Girls

Kerst/ Christmas

Outlawz Friday

Paper Shelter

Peace on Earth

     Won't you come play with us this month?  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Birds

      Here it is, time for the first challenge of the new year over at Inspiration Station.  We always give you a photo for inspiration and you may create anything you like but be sure to tell us what from the photo inspired you.  Here's the photo for this month and I was inspired by the wintery scene and the bird.

     I found a clip art image from Trendy Clipart which I reversed, printed in grayscale, & then colored with my new set of water colors (thank you, Santa.)  White highlights were added with gel pen.  I cut the image with a die from QuicKutz, inked the edges, and layered it onto glitter paper.  All of that went onto an A2 card front and the sentiment was added when all else was finished.  It really was a quick and easy card, taking less than 25 minutes, including coloring time.

     Challenges:

AAA Cards

Aud Sentiments (new watercolors)

Di's Digi Designs

Let's Craft and Create

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp (new watercolors)

Triple B

     Come play with us this month.  Just find something in the photo that inspires you, create a ard, and enter it into the challenge.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie