Blackberry Summer

      A new challenge is starting at Your Scrapbook Place and our theme is always "Anything Goes."  Our sponsor this month is the fabulous Andrea from SheepSki Designs!   They supplied wonderful images for the DT but I chose to use one from my own collection called "Berries."

     I used ProMarkers and gel pens to color the berries, opting for blackberries this time, although I've used this image before and did them as raspberries.  I kept the card design fairly CAS but it looks much fancier because of the Spellbinders die I used to cut the image.  It's inlaid into the background which was also cut with the same die.  Notice the embossing on both the image and the background?  All from that same die.

     I wanted the open spaces from the die to be dark so I used the die one more time and cut a piece of navy blue CS.  I inlaid the bits which fell out of the navy blue die cut into the white image piece.  Again, a way to make a CAS card look fancier.  The bow is one of my signature bows with a purple pearl.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

I used Purple, Green and Navy Blue from the

color board at CMH Color Dare.

     Challenges:

A Bit More Time ...

Colour Crazy

Crafter's Cafe

Creative Craft ...

Cute Card Thurs

Di's Digi Designs

Dies R Us

Lil Patch of ...

     Happy Crafting and come play with us this month.  :-D  NanaConnie

Day 2 - 30 Days of Christmas at Beccy's Place

     At Beccy's Place 30 Days of Christmas, our second letter is "B" and I've used a Beautiful Berry wreath image for this card. I added one of my signature Bows and three, tiny, metal Brads at the bottom, and everything is on a Burgundy card base.  My sentiment is all about a "Berry, Merry Christmas."

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with QuicKutz die
Scalloped dp mat cut with Sizzix die
Metal Brads
White Bow
Burgundy card base embossed with Linen EF

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs
I {heart} ProMarkers
Mod Squad
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Southern Girls
Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Berry Pie Time

     Did you know that fall is really the time for berry pies?  I know most of you think that berry pie is a summer thing but since I used this marvelous "Berry" image on my DT card (theme is "Wings") for October SheepSki Designs challenge, I'll tell you the real story.

     Berry picking is definitely a summer activity but since those fresh, ripe, berries can only last so long, and since in my family we always picked more than we could possibly eat before they spoiled, we froze quarts and quarts of them.  When October rolled around and the weather finally was cool enough that we didn't care if the oven heated up the kitchen, we dug out a couple of quarts of those frozen berries and used them to make berry pies!  We could have berry pie throughout the fall and we usually used the last of them for a wonderful and unexpected Thanksgiving dessert.

     I colored the berry vine with my ProMarkers and added tiny spots and dots of highlighting with a gel pen.  The image was cut with a die from Spellbinders.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, adding it to the bottom of the image piece.

     The bow is one of those I sew up by the dozens, only this time it has a tiny button on it instead of a pearl.  I 'dyed' it aubergine purple with a ProMarker.  My final touch was to add the 'Wings" and that's a machine embroidered butterfly.  It reminds me that we always saw butterflies when we were out picking berries even though they were pretty much all gone by the time we were eating berry pies.  :-D

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Cardz TV
Creative Knockouts
Digi Choosday
Outlawz Festive Fri.
Polkadoodles
Southern Girls (dots on the berries and on the die cut)

     That does it for my First-of-the-Month DT posts and I may or may not have another post tomorrow.  My fingers are tired from all the typing and my brain is recuperating from all the creative juices flowing through it.  Can you get drunk on creative juices?  :-D  But I'll be back in a day or two, I promise.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie