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:

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

I Love Markers

Not2Shabby

Paper Funday

Penny's P-C

Two Old Bats

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

All About the Catnip

      This is a card that's doing double duty.  Since I'm on the Crafty Catz DT and since LeAnn's World 101 is sponsoring today's Crafty Catz challenge, for today's card I used the LeAnn's World 101 Progressive Challenge image for October as the focus.  It's called "Witches Brew." 

     While the name of the image indicates Halloween, I thought it would be fun to see if I could successfully use it on a non-Halloween card.  Since she has her witch hat on over her cute kitten ears, and since there's a kitty paw print on the teacup, I went with a catnip tea sentiment.  But you'll no doubt notice that I still used pretty traditional fall/Halloween colors

    The image is colored with Sanjoki markers, then cut with a die from Cutz Dies.  The background paper is from Recollections.  I added a small scrap of mulberry paper behind the image piece and feathered the edges of it.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die, then matted with a bit of orange dp.

     Challenges:

Aloha Friday

Crafty Calendar

Crazy for Cats

Gem of a Challenge

Polkadoodles

     We'd love to see you playing along in the LeAnn's Progressive Challenge which is on the Facebook page, and also in the Crafty Catz challenge where the theme is always Anything Goes.  But we also give you an optional twist each week and this week that twist is "Monochrome, except for the image."

  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Polly Parrot

      It's Friday and that means another challenge over at Crafty Catz.  This week, our theme is "Spots or Stripes" and I went with spots.  We are being sponsored by QKR Stampede and the prize will be the three images used by the DT.  Be sure to check out the challenge post over at Crafty Catz to see all three of the images.

     I used the "Parrot" image, although I think it's really a macaw.  I colored with my Sanoki markers, then cut the image with a die from Cutz.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  I found a lovely scrap of rain-forest-looking dp from DCWV for the full background, and cut another scrap for the band across the bottom with the 'spots' on it.

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Happy...Stampers

Jan's Digi Stamps

Lil Patch of Crafty ...

Outlawz Friday

Pammie's IP

Polkadoodles

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Kimono Kayuki

      This adorable geisha girl image is from Conie Fong and this is probably the 4th or 5th time I've used her for a card, each time with a different color combo.  This time I used a favorite color combo, purples and pinks.  She's called "Kimono Kayuki."

    I colored her with a combination of watercolors and alcohol markers.  Her hair was done with alcohol markers, but all the rest is water colored.  The image piece was cut with an Unbranded Designs die.  The sentiment is also from Conie Fong but please don't ask me from which set.   I only know it came from a set other than Kimono Kayuki.  I cut the sentiment with a QuicKutz die.

     The swan was made with a Cutz die, and the die allows you to do a second step for dry embossing.  I mounted everything onto a deep, purple card base and put a white CS rectangle inside the card so that a message can be written.

     Challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms

Ching-Chou Kuik

Happy ... Stampers

Mirtillamente

Paper Funday

SheepSki Designs (fav color combo)

Word Art Weds

YSBP

     We have a new 2 month challenge going (August & September) and you can enter any kind of paper craft project as long as you use a Conie Fong image.  If you don't yet have any Conie Fong images, there are freebies available on the Facebook site.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monkey Business

      It's time for another weekly challenge over at Crafty Catz and this time our sponsor is Last Minute Manda.  I'm using one of the cute images they supplied to the DT, which came from a set called Monkey Birthday.  This is only one of the images in the set and all the others are just as cute.

     Our theme at Crafty Catz is always "Anything Goes" but we have an optional twist each week if you choose to use it.  Our optional theme this week is "Celebration."

     I used both Sanjoki and ProMarkers to color this image, taking special care to make the balloons as translucent as possible.  I cut the image with a Cutz die and then layered that onto dp from EK Success.  I printed and fussy cut the sentiment.  I added one of my signature style bows and called it finished.  I think this will make a great birthday card for a young boy, although I've known a lot of grown men who never outgrew their love of silly monkeys.  :-D

I used colors from Dragonfly Dreams.

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Bastel-Traum

Creatalicious

Creative Fingers

Happy ... Stampers

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Thurs

Pattie's Creations

Star Stampz

     Come play with us this week.  We love seeing what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bird and Flowers

      This image came from my collection of Ching-Chou Kuik digital images.  This one is colored with water color paints, and cut with a stitched Cutz die.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background was made using paper from a DCWV scrapbooking stack.  I know the image wasn't meant to be an Easter image but having chosen this spring-like color combo, I knew that an Easter sentiment could transform it.  :-D

     Challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms

Ching-Chou Kuik

Die Cut Divas

Penny's P-C

     This is my first post today so check back later for a second post.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sweet Easter Wishes

     I know I promised you a post yesterday with more bunnies but I was fighting a migraine all day and most of the night, and didn't get anything posted.  But here's the bunnies now; a merging of 2 of 3 newly released images from Conie Fong, just in time for Easter.  There are a total of 4 new bunny sets; Bunny Holding Daffodil, Bunny Holding Egg, Bunny Holding Carrot, and one with all 3 images in it.  I merged 2 of the bunnies from the .png version of 4th set, "Easter Bunny Trio."

     I colored with my ProMarkers, then used a square die from QuicKutz to cut it, and I inked the edges with an ink pad.  The green, fiber CS was also cut with another die from that set, as was the pink, fiber CS for the background.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an old Cutz die.  The textured fiber CS is from a DCWV stack that's been in my stash for at least 8 years!

     Challenges:

Bastel-Traum

Creatalicious

Creations in Pink

Creative Inspirations

Double D

Happy Little ...

Pammie's IP

Papercraft

Penny's P-C

Worldwide ...

     Don't forget to check out our March challenge over on the Conie Fong FB page.  The theme is always Anything Goes with a Conie Fong image.  Don't have any of her images?  There are freebies available on the FB site, too.  Come play!  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter's Over?

      We all know about the Easter Bunny, but did you ever think about how long any one bunny can serve as the Easter Bunny?  I mean, that's a tough job hiding all those eggs and it's hard on the back and legs.  Easter Bunnies get worn out pretty quickly and have to retire to the Senior Bunny Center.  

     That means new (and younger) bunnies have to be trained to become the official Easter Bunny.  Classes of younger bunnies have to show their stuff and their suitability for that lofty position.  The competition is fierce and those who apply only have about 4 months to learn everything and be appointed for the job when there's an opening.  If they run late on their education, they'll miss their chance, and then it's over.  They'll never become the official Easter Bunny.

     I had to tell you that story so that your heart would be touched by this sad image from Beccy's Place.  I'm sure Beccy is one of the few people who already knew the story, as evidenced by this sweet "Little Bunny" image.  :-D

     Colored with ProMarkers and cut with a CUTplorations stitched die.  The background for the card front was made by coloring with water based markers on wet paper, then ironing it dry to set the colors.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Cutz die.  It's a CAS design which will work for anyone.

     Challenges:

2 Sisters on the ...

Ally's Angels

Classic Design

Crafts Galore ...

Die Cut Divas

Happy Li'l Stamp ..

Morgan's ArtWorld

Papercraft

There's a Stamp ...

     See you again tomorrow, probably with another bunny.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cowboy Owl

     This card is doing double duty so you're going to see it today as my DT card for the FarmQuest challenge, where our theme for this challenge is Cowboy Boots, Spurs, or Hats.  Then, it'll serve as my  DT card tomorrow for QKR Stampede.  The image is from QKR and it's called "Cowboy digital stamp" and over there we always have an Anything Goes theme.

     I colored the image using my watercolor paints, and added highlights with gel pens.  The image and the frame were both cut with Cuts stitched dies.  The background paper is actually vellum and it just worked so well with my colors in the image.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I love this crazy owl all dressed in his cowboy garb.  lol

     Challenges:

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Gem of a Challenge

LeAnn's World

Pammie's IP ...

Pattie's Creations

Simon Says Stamp

Starz Stamps

     Be sure to visit both of the challenges and we hope you'll come and play along with us.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Cats' Thanksgiving

      I did a card about 10 days ago which triggered this sentiment.  Unfortunately, I'd already completed that card before I thought of the sentiment so that card had to stand as it was.  However, I got this new (to me) Cutz die of all the cats in a row and I decided to do one more Thanksgiving card and use the sentiment, silly as it is.  :-D

     The cats' noses and eyes were highlighted with a gel pen, and the sentiment was cut with another Cutz die.  The scrap of tree paper came from an old DCWV autumn stack but I don't remember the name of it and the front cover has long ago disappeared, so no way of checking.  The tree trunks and branches are shiny and metallic but that doesn't show all that well in the photo.  I mounted everything onto a kraft card base.  Very quick and simple.

I pulled colors from the challenge at My Favorite Things.

    Challenges:

Crafter's Cafe

Crafty Gals Corner

Creatalicious

Creative ... Uncles

Happy Li'l Stampers

Incy Wincy

Penny's Paper-Crafty

SUYP Cats

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

30 Days of Holidays - Letter "O"

      I'm back creating again but am still recovering so my creating is not only slow, it's punctuated by time lying down to rest.  I'm feeling disorganized and that things are out of order but regardless, this is my card for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place and it's for the letter "O."  I know, you're scratching your head trying to figure out the "O"s, but they are: On the Edge card (to see Beccy's card which inspired me: click HERE), Over Joyed, Onyx black, Oval die (for the sentiment), and Outdoors, which is where this snow couple is.  It's a good thing I had this one done before I got sick because otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to think of all those "O"s.  :-D

     I used ProMarkers to change the colors from blues and browns into traditional Christmas red and green on an otherwise pre-colored image.   Once colored, I cut the image with a hexagon die from QuicKutz, then printed and cut the sentiment with a QuicKutz oval die.  I cut the bottom of the card front so that it was shorter than the back, then layered the image and sentiment together and put them over the edge of the card front.  The two snowflakes were cut with Cutz dies.

     I'm still not up to adding links for other challenges so I'll just wish you all Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Lamb of God

      It's time for the Letter "L" at Beccy's Place 30 Days of Holidays.  I used this beautiful image from Beccy's showing the manger with the Lamb of God surrounded by Lambs.  I did a Latch card, following the TUTORIAL from Beccy's Place.  I also did the Lettering on the sentiment and used Lemon yellow on the halo.

     The image is pre-colored but I changed the color of the blankets and the hay using ProMarkers.  I also added blue sky, and I used white gel pen on the lambs for a little visual texture in their wool.  The halo was also colored with ProMarkers and gel pen.  I cut the image and the sentiment with Cutz dies.  The background papers came from Paper Studio, and the latch circle was cut with a Dare 2B Artzy die.  The latch was mounted on a dimensional dot for a bit more flexibility when opening and closing the card.

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Crafty Friends

Crafty Hazelnut's

Cutie Pie

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Festive Fri

Polkadoodles

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Laughing with Dragonflies

      Yesterday I saw a post on one of the blogs I follow (Her Peaceful Garden) and Janis had shared about a new challenge blog she'd discovered, Paper Dragonfly, where entries must feature Dragonflies (and follow a theme.)  Janis shared that she wasn't crazy about crawly bugs of any kind, nor did she much like dragonflies, but she did have a dragonfly die she wanted to use so she made a card and shared about the challenge.  Thanks, Janis, for the information and the inspiration!

     I dug out three different dragonfly dies from my stash (Impression Obsession, Cutz, and Memory Box), and got to work cutting scrap bits of dp and CS, plus some glitter CS.  (I chose icy blue and white papers for the Winter Dragonflies theme at the Paper Dragonfly challenge.)  I have a little basket of paper scraps sitting on my desk with left over pieces from all the cards I've created in the last six months.  I've been digging through it, using up whatever I can, and everything on this card came out of that basket.

     Even the sentiment had previously been stamped onto a scrap but not used, so it ended up in the basket.  Talk about serendipity!  :-D

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Outlawz PAM

Paperbabe

Paper Dragonfly

Simon Says Stamp

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie