Lion Love

      I know it's February and everyone is thinking Valentine's Day, but this card is also perfect for an anniversary.  In fact, my daughter asked me to use this cute lion image (clip art from Serene Designs, I think) on a card for her hubby.  

     I decided on a very CAS design for the card, cutting the grayscale & water-colored image with one of my oldest Spellbinder's square dies, then punching each of the four corners with a punch from Fiskars.  I mounted that onto a scrap piece of deep burgundy CS used for the card front and called it finished.  :-D

     Challenges:

Colorful Options

Creative Fingers

HeartQuest EWA

Incy Wincy

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

Outlawz Monday

Park Hopping (Safari Land in the original Disneyland)

Pearly Sparkles

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

25th Wedding Anniversary

      I've made many, many anniversary cards over the years but this one really brought me up short and made me think.  This is a card my daughter is going to give to her husband for their 25th wedding anniversary!  25th?  She's my youngest, my baby.  How could she possibly have been married for 25 years?  Worse yet, how could I possibly be old enough to have a baby who's celebrating 25 years of marriage?  Yikes!

     I went through tons of stamps and digital images looking for something perfect for the card but nothing seemed to fit either her or her hubby.  Too traditional, too fussy, too sentimental, too ... something.  Then, during the search of my images from QKR Stampede, I found this one and the sentiment immediately popped into my head.  Humor!  Perfect for both of them.  lol

     I used my Sanjoki markers to color the image, then cut it with a square die from QuicKutz.  I used a Fiskars punch on the corners.  I found an old paper stack from Recollections in my stash (not 25 years old but maybe close to 10 years!) and found two complementary papers.  I cut one with a different QuicKutz die to be a frame for the image, and trimmed the polka dot paper to fit the card front exactly.  I finished the card with three enamel dots (V's Sweet Ideas) in diagonally opposite corners.

     And, yes, she loved it!  :-D

     Challenges:

As You Like It - (Blue & Gray is my fav 2-color combo for guy cards because it's so versatile and so much can be done with it, including CAS designs that look much more complex)

Creative Inspiration

Carlin's Paradise - (Anniversary, Alcohol markers)

Classic Design

Creative...Uncles

Happy...Stampers

Let's Craft and ...

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

YSBP

     

     Have yourself a wonderful day and do some crafting.  NanaConnie

My #1

     This sweet little bear is from Conie Fong and makes a perfect anniversary card, I think.

     ProMarkers
     QuicKutz circle dies
     2 different CS for the circles
     Smaller 2 circles are embossed with Linen folder
     Embroidered flowers
     Pink, satin bow (hand tied)

     Challenges:
A Perfect Time to Craft
CCC Digi
Classic DT Open
Craft-Dee BowZ
Creations in Pink
Digi Doodle Studios
Friendship
Outlawz Festive Fri.
Scribbles Designs

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Anniversary Cactus

     This image, from The Paper Shelter, was chosen by a gal who was trying to explain to me why she was giving her husband a cactus plant for an anniversary present.  To quote her as closely as I can, "He can be a bit prickly like a cactus, but I love him!"  :-D   I made this for her back in March but didn't get it posted until now.

    Colored with ProMarkers
    Cut with QuicKutz oval dies
    Ribbon & tiny buttons for embellishment

     Challenges:
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Creations
Crafty Gals Corner
Happy Craft
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Festive Fri.
Paper Funday
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Anniversary Flowers

     Good afternoon and I'm so glad you stopped by again.  I'm sharing my DT card for the newest challenge at World Wide Open DT.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and Julia Spiri is our sponsor.  This beautiful image is called "Wedding Flowers" and I thought it would make a fabulous anniversary card.

     In keeping with the fall season, I chose autumn colors and colored the image with ProMarkers.  I fussy cut the flowers with scissors, then inked the edges with a ProMarker.  I cut a background piece of dp with a stitched die from Die-namics, and heat embossed the corner with glittered embossing powder.

     I put that onto dimensional dots and added it to the card front, then did the same with the image piece, adding still more dimension.  The sentiment was printed, hand cut, and was inked on the edges before adding it to the image background.

     My final touch was to hand tie a bow using satin ribbon and I added a tiny, diamond-shaped, shank button off of a doll's cape.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps
Cardz TV
Crafty Catz
Dragonfly Dreams
Dream Valley
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz Festive Fri
Outlawz PAM
Stamping Sensations
Take It, Make It

   Come play with us this month, won't you?   Anything goes and you could win as many as 3 wonderful images from Julia Spiri!   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Daisy Kind of Day

     Before I show you my card for today, I want to tell you the back story as I heard it.  A neighbor of mine asked me to make an anniversary card for friends of hers and it had to have daisies on it.  Why daisies instead of romantic roses wrapped in diamonds?

     This couple went to see a movie on their first date and she said she decided he was "The One" that very evening because he chose the movie and it was a chick flick just for her!  He took her to see "You've Got Mail" and she loved the line in the movie about 'daisies being her favorite flower because they are so friendly.'    She had two little daisies tucked into her wedding bouquet and every year on their anniversary, hubby gets her daisies - even if he has to pick them from their own garden.  :-D  What a sweetheart of a man.

     So, here's my card done for their anniversary.  The image is from Di's Digi Designs.  I wasn't really sure about a woodland mouse as the main character on an anniversary card but, while I haven't had a report from the couple yet, my neighbor who commissioned it absolutely loved it.

I started with the sketch from Cheerful Sketches.

     I used watercolor paints and polychromos pencils to color the image, then die cut it with a die from Sizzix.  The two main dp pieces are scraps from my basket and were cut with rectangle dies from Spellbinders and QuicKutz.  The yellow strip is hand-bleached CS.  All of those pieces and the sentiment pieces were inked with a distressed ink pad from Tim Holtz.

     In my stash, I found three white daisies for embellishment and added them to the lower corner.  Everything is put onto textured, gold CS which I used for the card front.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Cute N Crafty
Crafting from the Heart
Get Creative
Mod Squad
Outlawz Greetings
Outlawz Songs & Rhymes
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Paper Girls

     That's all I have for today but I have yet another post pre-scheduled for tomorrow and a twofer for Friday.  Hope you'll be checking each day.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Golden Anniversary

     I had a friend ask me if I could make an anniversary card for a couple who got married on Valentine's Day 50 years ago.  I knew that 'Golden Anniversary' would be a great theme and decided on gold embossing powder before I even looked at what I might use image-wise.  Here's the end result.

     In addition to the gold embossing, I decided on a touch of red as a nod to Valentine's Day.  On the gold, what wasn't heat embossed was colored with metallic ProMarkers.  The sentiment was cut with a die from Memory Box.

     Challenges:
Craft Rocket
Crafting for all Seasons
Crafty Creations
Creative Moments
Die Cut Divas
Dies R Us
DL.ART
Just Keep on Creating
Oddball Art
Outlawz Twisted Thursday
Scrapy Land
Scribbles Designs
Simon Says Stamp
Star Stampz
Time Out
Tinker-Dream

     I was very pleased with the way this turned out and so was the friend who ordered it.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

New Year Lovers

     OK, it's my first Friday since leaving the Delicious Doodles design team and I begged Teri to let me come back one more time as a Guest Designer so that I could do this card using her fabulous silhouette image, "Lovers."  She said "yes," and here I am!   The theme this week is "Let's Party" and I can't think of a bigger party than the one to start off the New Year every year.  I hope we'll see you playing along.

I chose sketch #173 from Sunday Sketch & Stamp.

     This image is also fantastic for a wedding, engagement, or anniversary card.  Or maybe a New Year's wedding?  Just change out the sentiment.  I printed the image, added some Stickles (Diamond) for a bit of glitz and sparkle, then double framed it with two negative die cuts, one black, one white.

     The embossed paper is a leftover from another project (you'll see it next year) and I used my brand new embossing folder from Sizzix (which actually is flowers, not snowflakes, but I thought it made great flakes, too.  :-D )  I have some wonderful new tools to use this year.

     The silver ribbon was in my stash and the background dp was made by painting a scrap piece of  paper with Royal Blue paint from Creative Inspirations and then adding snow to it with a white gel pen.  The sentiment is also an image from Delicious Doodles and is a freebie on the Facebook page over there.

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations -- Anything goes
Craft-Dee Bowz -- Anything w/ handmade bow
Crafter's Cafe -- New Year
Crafting by Designs -- New
Crafty Bloggers Network -- Girly
Crazy Challenge -- New Year
Creative Inspirations Paints -- Anything goes
Cuttin' n Stampin' -- Anything goes w/ leftovers
Fan-Tastic Tuesday -- Punches & dies
Friends of Speedy TV -- Wedding or engagement
My Craft Creations -- Anything goes
One Stitch at a Time -- Anything goes
Outlawz Monday Greeting -- Tie it up (ribbon/lace)
Paper Pretties Weds. -- New Year
Pink Elephant Monday -- Anything goes
Rhedd & Rosie's -- Snow
Robyn's Fetish -- Silver or gold
Scribble n Scrap -- Anything goes
Twisted Tuesday -- New beginnings + use something new (emb folder)
Vintage Stamping/Flonz -- Cold & frosty colors
Whimsy Inspirations -- Party time

     So, one last time as a favor for me, won't you play along in the "Party Time" challenge at Delicious Doodles?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie  

Anniversary

     I needed an anniversary card for one of my regular card customers and this image, drawn by Anne Fenton, came from the Creative Freebie Challenge at Outlawz just in time.  She told me brown and yellow were her wedding colors.

I used the sketch from Creative Inspiration Paint FB.

     The image is colored with Promarkers and I added 'Fairy Dust' Creative Inspirations Paints to her "gown" for some shimmer.  I die cut the image, inked the edges, and stippled it with "Old Tea" distress ink.  I added pearls to her necklace and to the middle of his bow tie.

     The brown die cut you see is actually the negative space from a die cut, left in the yellow CS after cutting.  I added the sheer, brown ribbon and then I adhered the yellow piece to the brown card base.   After that, I layered the oval image over the top so that it looks like the brown is a framing mat around the image.  The yellow CS wraps around the back of the card also.

     I tied a bow from that same sheer ribbon and attached it to the top of the oval.  The card front looks rather fancy and intricate but it's really pretty CAS.

     Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments -- Use a sentiment
Creative Craft -- All about animals
Oozak -- Anything goes w/ earth tones
Our Daily Bread Designs -- At least 4 letters from "SPRING": Pearls, Ribbon, Negative Space, & Giraffes
Papertake Weekly -- Anything goes
Ribbon Carousel -- Celebrations
Scrappy Frogs -- Anything goes
Vickie's @ Lady Anne's -- Anything goes

     Hey, it's Wednesday and that means we're half-way to the weekend.  Hooray!  In my case, it means only one more work day and then I get to start my long weekend away for Mother's Day, soaking in the beauty of the California coast and playing with grandkids.  What better way to celebrate.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie