More Cake! More Cake!

     This is the last of the cards for the week long, Birthday Bash at Catch the Bug where they were celebrating their 9th year on the challenge blog.  They offered a Bugaboo Stamps freebie (as they always do on Fridays) and I used it, along with the birthday cake image, following this inspiration photo.  What better way to banish the winter blues than by having a party and eating cake?
                             
         

     I used my ProMarkers to color the images, then fussy cut the little monsters and added them on top of the huge cake image.  I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and inked the edges before adding it to the bottom of this really CAS card.

     I used a craft knife to distress the edges of the image piece before I mounted that onto an aqua card base.  There was already so much going on with the images that I opted for no embellishments, just the images and the sentiment.

     Challenges:
Cardz TV 
Crafting with Friends
Cute Card Thurs.
Happy Craft
My Favorite Things   
Outlawz Festive Friday
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Simon Says Stamp

     I may have a post tomorrow, too, if I find the time to write it up.  The card is done but I have several folks coming tomorrow at different times throughout the day so we'll just have to see how much I can get done between their visits.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

More Birthday Celebrations

     This is another post with multiple cards for the week long, Birthday Bash over at Catch the Bug.  Today, I'm starting with the card I did for the Tuesday challenge.

Tuesday Theme:  BINGO Top Row:  Die Cut/ Sentiment/ Texture

     This sentiment is an image from Bugaboo Stamps and it's a new one for me.  I printed it onto aqua CS and used a black ProMarker to enhance the depth of the color on the "Happy Birthday" portion.  I die cut the sentiment with border dies from Spellbinders.

     The texture on the white background is dry embossed with a folder from Cuttlebug, another new item for my stash.  I used my bow maker to tie the polkadot, bowtie bow.

     Challenges for this card:
Crafting by Designs
Crafting from the Heart
Cuttlebug Mania
Digi Choosday
Incy Wincy
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown


Wednesday Theme: Make Us Laugh

     Coloring was done with ProMarkers and the image was cut with a scalloped die from Sizzix.  The green, grosgrain ribbon is from Crafty Ribbons and I simply cut a strip and adhered it like washi tape, using double stick tape on the back of it.

     I printed and hand cut the sentiment, inking the edges before adding it.  The bow is one of my signature bows, this time with a gem added instead of a pearl.

     Challenges for this card:
Creative Inspirations
I {heart} ProMarkers
Paper Funday
Paper Shelter
Simon Says Stamp
Word Art Weds.


Thursday Theme: Color Challenge

                            

     I used ProMarkers to color the image (a new one for me), selecting colors that were featured in the inspiration photo.   I used soft, golden, neutrals as much as possible on the critters, keeping the bold and bright colors for the word "Birthday."  I cut the image with a large, rectangle die from QuicKutz and mounted it onto a gray-blue card base.  The bronzy-gold ribbon was recycled from a craft store bouquet and the blue ribbon was in my stash.  Fun how the edges of the two ribbons matched up.

     Challenges for this card:

Cupcake Inspirations

  

Cutie Pie

Dream Valley

Outlawz Festive Friday

Pammie's Inky Pinkies

Simon Says Stamp & Show

     Well, that's six more birthday cards for my stash and I'll post one more, the last for the Catch the Bug Birthday Bash this week, later this afternoon.  I'm so on target with my time frame for all the house projects which have to be done that I'm feeling calm and almost relaxed in the midst of the chaos.  lol   I'm sure that'll change tomorrow morning when three more major projects are on the list, including a meeting to sell some of the furniture pieces I'm not keeping!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Birthday Celebration

     Before I tell you about today's post, let me give you a quick update.  I've spent the majority of the last 4 days, sometimes long into the night time hours so the sleeping pattern has been badly disrupted, working on all the things I have to complete around the house.  I've been packing boxes and it's amazing what one runs across during that process.  I've been trimming down, throwing out, reorganizing -- all those things one does during this process.

     But yesterday, I awoke at 1:30 a.m.  Since I was clearly wide awake, I gave myself permission to take a break and indulge in some crafting.  I made a batch of cards for the week-long, daily challenge themes at Catch the Bug where they are celebrating their 9th Anniversary.  That means they are just starting their 10th year and I want to help them celebrate that wonderful new beginning!

     They have a different theme for each day and we all have until Saturday evening to get our projects entered.  So, I spent 7 hours making 6 cards, including coloring each of the Bugaboo Stamps images, and I'll make one more with Friday's Freebie Image once it's been released.

     I'm sharing the first 3 of those cards here in this post and will do the others late on Friday or perhaps Saturday morning

Saturday Theme: Monster Birthday Party

I started with the sketch from Sketch Saturday.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then used two dies from Tonic Studios to cut the image and the aqua frame.  I layered those two together, sandwiching the green, polka dot, ribbon between them, then mounted them onto sky blue CS.

     I printed and hand cut the sentiment, matted it with aqua CS, hand cut that, and added it to the bottom.

     Challenges for this card:
Cardz TV
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Catz
Crafty Friends
Outlawz Festive Friday
Polkadoodles


Sunday Theme: Sketch

                                         

      Again, I used ProMarkers to color the image (which is a new one for me) but I cut this one with a die from Gina Marie.  I used a square, kraft CS card base, then added the two narrow rectangles of glittered paper.  I wrapped that with stitched ribbon from Crafty Ribbons before adding the image piece.

     I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and then added the three rows of three metal brads to the top corner.

     Challenges for this card:
Colour Crazy
Crafty Creations
Creative Knockouts
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.


Monday Theme:  Anything But a Card

     For this one, I did a party favor box with a personalized tag.  I used one of my box dies from Spellbinders to cut glitter CS and fold it into the tall, box shape.

     The name of each guest is on the back of the tag.  I colored the tag image with watercolor pencils and gel pens.  I cut it with a stitched die from Cottage Cutz.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment sand added twine to the corners of both the tag and the sentiment and taped the twine loops inside the favor box.  I filled the boxes with chocolate candy.

     Challenges for this project:
Creative Inspirations
Creative Moments
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Paper Fundays
Scrappy Land

     Happy Crafting, my friends.  NanaConnie

Birthday Bash Winner from my Blog

     Just a quick post this morning to announce the winner of the Spellbinders' die set I offered for the Birthday Bash at Challenges for Days.  And the winner is....... (drum roll, please).....

                           VICKI from Stamped Smiles !! 

Woohoo, Vicki.  Please send your mailing address in an email to ChallengesForDays@yahoo.com and mention that you are the winner from NanaConnie's blog.

Congratulations.  :-D