Luck o' the Irish

      Top o' the Mornin' to ya, as the Irish would say.  We're celebrating a new challenge this week at Creative Knockouts and our theme is "Sparkle and Shine."  We are sponsored by LeAnn's World and they generously supplied the two images used by the team.  I used "Luck of the Irish" which I reversed before printing.

     I used both colored pencils and ProMarkers to color the image, adding Stickles to make the sparkly elements.  The image was cut with a die from Dare 2B Artzy, and the frame piece was cut with a QuicKutz die.  All of the papers are from a K & Co. stack.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  Finally, I sewed one of my signature bows using shiny, satin ribbon which I dyed gold with a ProMarker.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

As You Like It (Definitely NOT interactive cards because the very idea of making them intimidates me!  Besides, I mail the majority of my cards and need them to be flat and simple.)

Colour Crazy

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz PAM

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

     I hope to see you playing in our challenge this week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

What a Magical Day is Halloween

      It's Thursday so it must be time for another challenge at Creative Knockouts!  Our theme is "Halloween" or just use the color combo of "Black/Purple/Orange."  Our sponsor this week is All Dressed Up and I've used an image called "Magical Day."  Isn't she adorable with her little kitten and her jack-o-lantern bucket?

     I colored with ProMarkers and gel pens, then cut the image with a die from Dare 2B Artzy.  I matted the image with a circle cut with another die from that same set.  The starry paper scrap was cut with a Spellbinders die.  The Recollections border strip is glittery, but that's hard to see in the photo. 

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Inspirations

Cute Card Thurs

House...Stamps Built

Mod Squad

Paper Shelter

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

     Come play with us this week!  You can enter anything Halloween themed or with the color combo if you don't do Halloween cards.  Happy Crafting,  NanaConnie

Christmouse Wishes

      Today I'm sharing my DT card for I Love Promarkers, featuring an image from our sponsor, Hetty Clare, which is called "Christmouse Wishes."   Our theme for this challenge is "Dies or Masks" and now I have one more card for the Christmas stash!

     I colored with my ProMarkers and used a QuicKutz die to cut the image.  The red circle behind the image was cut with a die from Dare 2B Artzy.  The image was layered onto a piece of dp from DCWV.  The background is a piece of Graphic 45 dp.  

     I found some lovely satin, snowflake, ribbon and used it for the strip across the card front and for the hand tied bow.  The single sparkly snowflake was cut from glitter paper with a Die-namics die.

My colors came from the CMH Color Dare 

board #465, first column plus gold.

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Crafter's Castle

Crafty Hazelnut's

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Festive Fri

Paperbabe

Polkadoodles

Scrapping4Fun

Word Art Weds

     It would be great to see you playing along in our challenge.  We do love being inspired by you and your creations.  So grab a die or a mask and make something wonderful to inspire us!  

     

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Holy Cow !

      I was invited to be a Guest Designer at The Outlawz Tuesday Color challenge this fortnight and I happily said "Yes."  The sponsor is Hetty Clare and this adorable image is called "The Sun Hat."  I thought it was a fabulous image and I can tell you that it was fun to color!   

     I think I managed to get all the colors in the cue card for the challenge and, of course, used the twist of "Ribbon."  

     Doesn't she look like she's standing in a field of spring grass with a breeze blowing through all that hair?  :-D  I colored with my ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Dare 2B Artzy die.  I cut the purple CS background with the same die, and inlaid the image into it after taping the strip of satin ribbon across the spot where the image would be.  

     The sentiment, cut with an Avery Elle die, was added on top of the image and I put the image into the background.  I laid that entire piece onto pink CS, wrapped the ends of the ribbon to the back side, and adhered that to the card front.  I used more of that satin ribbon to make the bow.

     Challenges:

Cutie Pie

Dream Valley

House...Stamps Built

Lemon Shortbread

Paperminutes

Passion for ProMarkers

Penny's Paper-Crafty

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     I hope to see you playing along in this challenge.  Not a member of  The Outlawz?  Consider joining; it's free, takes almost no time, and they have challenges for each day of the week plus one for using old stash items, and even a progressive challenge where you can get new images from a different artist once each month.  When you've joined, you can sign up to follow as many or as few of the different challenges as you like.  :-D

  

    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Summer Mermaid

      As one of my DT cards for Conie Fong last month, I used one of the Liliana Mermaid images (see post here.)  Today, I'm using the second mermaid in the set - the one with the water lily - and I have reversed her before printing.

     I used ProMarkers to color her and added highlights with gel pens.  I cut the image and the green backing for the sentiment with dies from Spellbinders.  All the papers and CS were scraps from the basket, including the ribbon strips hanging from the grosgrain bow.  The pinpoint circle was cut with a Dare 2B Artzy die.

     Challenges:

Angie's Digitals

Colour Crazy

Crafter's Castle

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Paperbabe

Polkadoodles

Your Next Stamp

     Don't forget that Conie Fong has two challenges starting on the first  of every month - one for coloring images only and the other for completed projects, like cards.  You have to use Conie Fong images but who could resist such darling images?  Come play with us.  Have yourself a marvelous weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sweet as Sweetpeas

      I can hardly believe that I've done 4 daily posts in a row!  I'm beginning to get back to my normal "every day" postings and, in my mind, that means my COVID recovery is moving right along.  :-D

     This is my card for the monthly challenge over at Beccy's Place where the theme is "Anything Goes" but there's an optional theme of flowers, plants, & foliage.  I used Beccy's Sweetpeas image, which I think has been retired.  I took the shortcut of using a pre-colored image and it's really gorgeous!  I'm sorry for the glare on the photo but the green background is metallic CS and every photo I took had that shiny glare.  :-(

I used the sketch from The Outlawz

Pre-colored image

Image was fussy cut

Mounted on Pop Dots

Circle cut w Dare 2B Artsy die

Green metallic CS

Black, glitter CS

Sentiment cut w Avery Elle die

Hand tied bow w gemstone

     Challenges:

A Bit More Time...

Carlin's Card Paradise

Crafts Galore Encore

Crafty Gals Corner

Dare 2B Artzy

House that Stamps Built

Paper Funday

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Seeking Snowman

    Here we are in the middle of the month and it's time to start a new challenge over at QKR Stampede.  As usual, our theme is "Anything Goes" and you have two ways to win; if you use an image from QKR (or their sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry is put into a separate draw from all other entries and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount!

     For my DT card today, I used a cute image called "Seeking Snowman" which I reversed before printing.  Think of it as something we've all thought more than once during this ridiculously long pandemic.  :-D   Despite that, I'm using it as a birthday card for a gal who's looking for all those years already behind her.  

     I did this in my favorite winter color combo of blues.  That combo always makes me think cold & icy which is perfect for a winter card.

I used the colors from My Favorite Things.

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w CUTplorations die

Mat cut w Spellbinders die

Grosgrain bow

Sentiment cut w Avery Elle die

Card front hand-embossed w stylus

      Challenges:

As You Like It

Aud Sentiments

Cardz TV

Colour Crazy

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

MFT Birthday

Outlawz Festive Fri

Scrapping4Fun

     I have a second card to share today and this image is called "Sleepy Owl" but why he's sleepy when the moon is out is beyond me.  I think the sentiment expresses everything that needs to be said.  lol

Colors from CMH Color Dare (Lemonade, Lagoon, Peacock, brown & black)

Colored w ProMarkers & water colors

Cut w Dare 2B Artsy die

'Linen Closet' dp

Sheer blue ribbon

Black satin bow

Gems from CTMH

     Challenges:

Angie's Digitals

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Dare 2B Artsy

Lil Patch of ...

Pattie's Creations

Polkadoodles

Stamping Sensations

     Once again, I'm following the "challenge-yourself" idea being promoted by my blogging buddy, V.  It's called "Just Stash January" and it involves using nothing but things already in your stash throughout the entire month of January!  There are a few reasonable exceptions (all of which mean that no money has come out of your pocket) and you can read about those on her post.  Just click on the link above to find out all about it, then start counting those coins and bills you'll be 'stashing' in your pocket this month instead of crying about even more charges on the credit cards after the holiday season.  :-D  Everything on this card came from the stash! 

     I hope we're going to see you playing along with us this fortnight.  Remember, it's Anything Goes and you can use any image from any company.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Standing in for Santa

      We all know about the 2020 pandemic and have lived through the worst imaginable restrictions (to no apparent avail, sigh...) but few of us thought it would impact Santa's travels.  Mrs. Santa was so concerned about his health, due mostly to Santa's great age (did you know he's well over 125 years old - not counting all his years as Father Christmas or Sinter Klaus?), so she has forbidden him to leave the North Pole!

     Consequently, Santa has recruited the much younger, 109 year old, Christmas Gnome from Conie Fong to stand in for him.  The sack full of toys is an image from Conie Fong's "Santa Sack" and I merged them before printing.  BTW, both of those sets (and many others) are on sale until Christmas Day so if you want them, go and grab them RIGHT NOW!

Colored w ProMarkers & gel pens

Cut w Dare 2B Artsy die

Corners rounded w Fiskars corner punch

Glitter paper is die cut from wide washi tape (DCWV)

Hand-sewn, signature style, bow

     Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart

C.R.A.F.T.

Cute Card Thurs

House...Stamps Built

Outlawz Twisted Thurs

Paperminutes

Paper Shelter

Simon Says Stamp

     If you are on a last minute scramble to get everything done before this Christmas Eve has ended, good luck.  For this upcoming weekend, may you have many hours of  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Guest Designer for LeAnn's World 101

      I was thrilled to be a winner at LeAnn's World 101 a few weeks back and when they invited me to also be  Guest Designer, I jumped at the chance.  Since I would be 'guest'ing in October, a Halloween card seemed appropriate.  This cutie image is called, very simply, "Kate" and I did my best to color her entirely in my favorite color, Purple!  

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut & framed w cuts from Dare 2B Artsy

Bow is made by hand

Pumpkin is fabric

Leaf is a Cheery Lynn die cut

Polka dot washi tape

Bat is a button

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Cuttlebug Mania

Dare 2B Artsy

I {heart} ProMarkers

Outlawz Festive Fri

Pattie's Creations

Simon Says Stamp

SUY Pussycats

     Come play along this month.  We're looking forward to seeing what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie