Christmas Lady

     This image, from Delicious Doodles, has been one of my favorites for a few Christmases now and I'm using it again this year.  I think I've colored her in greens each year so maybe next year I should think about using reds.  :-D

I was inspired by the sketch this week at Sketch Saturday.

     I colored her with ProMarkers, then cut a green oval with a die from Spellbinders.  I hand cut the image and mounted it onto the oval.  I backed that oval with another die cut shape (also Spellbinders) which had been cut from white CS.  It gave a little pop since the image piece tended to fade into that lovely Christmas dp. 

     The branch and pine cone were cut with a Memory Box die, and I added white Nuvo Crystal Drops to it.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, then grabbed one of my hand-sewn, signature bows and added it below the pine cone.  The pine cone and the bow take the place of the stars in the sketch.

      Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Brown Sugar
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned dp
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz PAM

     It's been a busy morning but I'm finally finished with my chores and can now head to the craft room to play.  I'll see you tomorrow with a GDT project I hope you'll love.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Butterflies and Poppies

     I needed a birthday card for a gal who loves blue and is an industrial designer.  That's all I know about her since this is a commission card.  I had trouble deciding between flowers or some cute animal.  I prefer to use animals more than flowers because they seem warmer and more animated but this time, I had no idea what animals this gal might like, if any at all. 

     This image seemed like a good compromise between fauna and flora.  I thought the butterflies and the flowers made it a bit feminine and the hexagon shapes added a modern industrial flair.

I based my card on the sketch from Sketch Saturday.

     I started with an image (actually it's a coloring page which I reduced to size) from Delicious Doodles, colored with pencils and ProMarkers.  I printed and sized the image twice, gave both a light, gray scale background, then used a hexagon die from QuicKutz to cut the poppies from one of the images. 
   
     I inked the edges of each hexagon and layered it onto the same spots on the original image.  That gave it both texture and dimension but lining up the flower petals exactly took more time than cutting the shapes!  :-D 

     I cut the sentiment with another, smaller, hexagon die from that same set, inked the edges with a lighter ProMarker, and added it to the image.  I used three layers of sheer, blue, ribbon to wrap the card front, then tied a small bow with a single layer of the same ribbon.  I added a glittered flower to the center.

     The design is flat and simple enough to mail easily but has enough visual interest to feel 'fancy.'

     Challenges:
Allsorts
As You Like It
Butterfly Challenge
Delicious Doodles
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Sasayaki Glitter
Sisterhood of Crafters

      Today we crest the hill to the weekend and then it's an easy downhill to Friday night.  Hooray!   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thanks to Our Veterans

     I'm always supportive of our military veterans and I make cards for those who are involved in the Honor Flight trips to our nation's capital.  I also try to honor them on Memorial Day and that's coming up the end of this month.  This is a sample of the style I like to do and I've done half a dozen of these over the last two years, using this same image and color combo.  The image is from Delicious Doodles and the poppies are perfect for veterans.

     I printed the image twice, coloring one and leaving the other black and white.  I die cut the colored one with a plain circle die from Spellbinders, inked the edges with black ink, and layered it onto the black and white image.  This "spotlight" technique is one of my favorites.

     To make the red pop even more, I used black CS for the card blank, adding a panel of white inside for writing the note.  I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, inked the edges, and added it to the image piece.  Offsetting the image on the card front left me room to add the single, red, bow with the pearls.  Since I don't know if this card will go to a man or a woman, I did only that minimal embellishment, keeping it pretty CAS. 

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Addicted to Stamps & More
A Perfect Time to Craft
Crafting by Designs
Crafts Galore Encore
Die Cut Divas
Dies R Us
Double D
I {heart} ProMarkers

     A salute to all our veterans of whatever conflict or war.  We DO appreciate your unselfish service to our country.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Candles

     Quick post this morning since I'm probably sleeping in after a week at the beach.  It's exhausting watching all those waves roll in hour after hour, you know.  :-D Actually, I got home in the middle of the night and then added this post and toddled off to bed.

     One more card for my Christmas stash with this lovely Poinsettia Candle image from Delicious Doodles.

     I've had this image for two or three years and I don't think I've used it but now that I realize how lovely it is to color, I'll probably use it at least once each season, maybe more.

     The holly leaf frame is also one from Delicious Doodles.  I colored both of the images with Shinhan markers, then die cut the frame with a rectangle die from Spellbinders, and fussy cut the candles before adding them to the frame with dimensional tape.

     I wrapped lace and ribbon around the card front and layered on the frame, also using dimensional tape.  I 'dyed' the bow with ProMarkers so that it would match the ribbon I had woven through the lace.  Finally, I added sequins to the frame corners for a bit of sparkle.

     This photo just doesn't do justice to the dimension or to the sparkle but it was the best I could do and still get this post done before heading off to bed.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Hazelnut's Extra
Cute Card Thurs.
Fussy and Fancy
MarkerPOP
Merry Monday
Outlawz Greetings
Polkadoodles
Southern Girls (flowers/image/ribbon)
Stamping Sensations

     Today I'll be starting on my long "catch up" visits to all my favorite blogs.  I wish I was going to have time to comment on every post all my fav bloggers have made while I've been gone but that just isn't going to happen.  Still, I have to see all the marvelous creations everyone has posted so I'll be visiting everyone later today.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Robin's Christmas

     I have two posts today and the next one will be live in about an hour so be sure to check back, won't you?  I don't want you to miss either one of these.  :-D

     This card was made for my GDT post for the new challenge starting this morning at Scrapy Land where the theme is to "Use an Image" (digi or rubber.)   My image is from Delicious Doodles and is called "A Robin's Christmas."  Remember, in order to play along, you can use any image by any company but you do have to use at least one die from the more than 40 brands carried in the Scrapy Land store.

     I had so much fun playing with the die cuts and it must have taken me an hour just to decide which ones I was going to use.  I actually cut with several different dies, then laid them out with the image to see how they looked.  I decided on two wonderful Spellbinder's dies, Romantic Rose (white CS) and Medallion Five (blue CS.)

     I colored the image with my ProMarkers, then rounded the corners with a hand punch.  I layered on all the die cuts, added the satin ribbon (which has snowflakes in it) and bow, and used glittered snowflakes with gems for embellishment.

     I printed the sentiment with red ink, picking up the tiny spot of red on the robin's chest.  I like this so much, I'm going to do several more like it and donate them to the senior center near me.  I do that each year and the cards are so appreciated by the seniors since they can use them for family and friends at Christmas.  It's so very difficult for them to get out and buy cards and, after seeing me bring cards around the last three years, a few of the ladies now give me ideas for cards they'd like to see.  What fun!

     Challenges:
12 Months of Christmas
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra
Delicious Doodles
Digi Choosday
Lemon Shortbread
Noor! Designs
Not Just Cards
Oddball Art
Sisterhood of Crafters
Through the Craft Room Door
Tinker-Dream
Tuesday Throwdown
Word Art Weds.

     Come back a bit later to see the latest in the August releases from MHK Designs.  You're going to love it!  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Please continue to leave comments.  The "Word Verification" really isn't on.  BLOGGER INSISTS ON SHOWING THE "CAPTCHA" ICON BUT IF YOU IGNORE IT AND JUST PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT, IT WILL POST JUST FINE.  I WISH I COULD GET RID OF IT BUT THERE'S NO OPTION FOR THAT WHEN THE COMMENTS ARE WRITTEN IN A SEPARATE BOX. SORRY.

Birthday Daffodils

     It's been a while since I played in the challenge at Delicious Doodles and, because I've been adding to my stash of birthday cards, I decided it was time to dig through my rather extensive collection of their images to find something that would work for a feminine birthday card.  So, welcome to a peek through the window of my summer garden solarium.  :-D

I loved the citrus colors from Hand Stamped Sentiments

and decided to use them.

I also based my design on the sketch at Sweet Sketch Weds. 2

   

     I have no idea why I chose green as the majority color - all the citrus shades seem equally represented in the inspiration photo - but that's how it worked out.  Before I ever started coloring the image, I used one of my Spellbinders dies to cut the Happy Birthday into that lovely, green CS and then decided that the negative should go on the card front.  That entailed scooping up the tiny bits that drop out of the letters "H," "a," "p," "B," "h," and "d" and gluing them back where they belong.  Then,  I also cut a strip of 'bunting' but used the positive of that one.

     The window in the image is colored with water colors and then I used ProMarkers to color the flowers and vine after the water colors were completely dry.  You can't see it in the photo, but the watercoloring left a wonderful texture on the window panes.  The image is cut with another die from Spellbinders but I trimmed the decorative border along one side because the bunting just got lost otherwise.

     I added the lace and a row of pearls for embellishment, then decided that the sentiment deserved a couple of pearls, too.  :-D

     Challenges:
Colouring in Scrapland (1 sentiment, 2 shades of green, 3 daffodils)
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Creations (top row)
Digi Choosday
DRS Designs
Lemon Shortbread
Our Crafty Corner
Paper Girls
Simon Says Stamp
Time Out

     Have a great weekend, won't you?  Our temperatures out here in hot California have dropped by 15 degrees and, while it's still hotter than I personally like, it much easier to bear than those drastic, 100+ temps we had last weekend.  I might actually leave the house and get some things done.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Please continue to leave comments.  The "Word Verification" really isn't on.  BLOGGER INSISTS ON SHOWING THE "CAPTCHA" ICON BUT IF YOU IGNORE IT AND JUST POST YOUR COMMENT, IT'LL BE THERE.  I WISH I COULD GET RID OF IT BUT THERE'S NO OPTION FOR THAT WHEN THE COMMENTS ARE WRITTEN IN A SEPARATE BOX.  SORRY.

May Flowers the 'Quirky' Way

     New month, so new challenge at Quirky Crafts and since it's May, we're doing "May Flowers" for our theme.  How much better can you get than a festive flowery card?  With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's a great way to get those cards done and to have something to enter into our monthly challenge.  We have three sponsors this month:  Bloobel Stamps, Delicious Doodles, and Ike's Art.

     My first card this month uses an image from Bloobel Stamps called "Thanks for the Flowers."  That was such a fun and funny image that I had to add that silly sentiment.  :-D
   

I started with Sketch #249

from Sketch Saturday, turned sideways

and was inspired by the colors

at Just Add Ink.

  

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it and the offset mat with a die from Spellbinders.  I used ribbon and twine along the side, then added two butterflies.  The bottom one is colored with ProMarker and the top one is glittered.

     Challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge

Crafting with Friends

Di's Digi Designs

Hannah and Friends

Hiding in My Craft Room

Outlawz PAM

Scrapy Land

     I've also done a second card using an image from another sponsor, Delicious Doodles, called "Daisies + Butterfly."

     On this card, I colored with ProMarkers and Copics, then hand cut the image.  The flowers, the butterfly and the frame all make up the image.  I added it to yellow polka dot paper and made that the card front.  Very CAS design, just the image and the background but I really like showcasing the image instead of a pile of embellies.  :-D  

     Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps & More

ArtbyMiRan

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Fingers

Delicious Doodles

Double D

Inspiration Destination

Kitty Bee Designs

Outlawz CAS

     This will be my last month on the DT for Quirky and I want to say a warm goodbye to my Teamies.  Waving to all of you.  :-D  Happy Stamping,  NanaConnie

Monochrome Deer

     I noticed that the current challenge over at Delicious Doodles had to do with "Leftovers."  Since I've really over-filled my box of scraps during the fall and holiday months, I went there first before going to my Delicious Doodles digi file to pick out an image.  I had a ton of browns and grays in CS and one or two pieces of dp that would work so I decided on this gorgeous pencil-sketch image called "Deer with Antlers."

I based this on the card sketch from Hannah & Friends.

     Believe it or not, I did do some coloring with of my palest tan and gray ProMarkers and with a pewter metallic marker.  I used one of my first die sets to cut the image and then added 4 layers of scrap CS to make the mats for the image.  The dp was in the 'toss it' bin, too small a leftover to really save but look how perfectly it worked here.  I didn't even have to trim it or shorten it.  Clearly, it was meant to be on this card.  :-D

     The leaves were cut from another scrap bit of gray CS using my favorite die from Cheery Lynn.   The metal snowflake is a charm and was another leftover from the holiday cards.  Can you have leaves and snowflakes on the same card?  I guess so -- the deer have to eat something in the winter.  :-D

     The sentiment was printed with a computer font and, now that it's finished, this gives me one more birthday card in my stash.  Starting in February, I have quite a few family/friends birthdays over the next couple of months.  Then another batch in the summer and finally, again in late fall.  They seem to come 3 or 4 at a time with a short break in between.  :-D

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Cheery Lynn Designs
Crafting for all Seasons
Crafting with an Attitude
Crafty Addicts
Creative Fingers
Hiding in My Craft Room
Jo's Scrap Shack
Julia Spiri
Just Us Girls
Let's Color Saturday
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Male Room
Morgan's Artworld
Scrapper's Delights

     I'll be back on Friday for the next challenge at QKR Stampede.  Stop by then and have a look around.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Christmas Child

     In case we forget in the midst of the season's rush, let's take a moment to recall that the greatest 'Christmas' gift ever was the birth of the Christ Child.  I used this image from Delicious Doodles, which was actually an image designed for Mother's Day, because I thought it could be used for a perfect depiction of Mother and Child at Christmas.

I used the sketch at Outlawz Sketch Challenge, reversed.

     The only coloring I did was on the faces and I used my chalks to do those.  The image and mat are cut with one of my newer Stitched Scalloped Circles dies from Memory Box.  The background is embossed with a folder from Cuttlebug.

     The star is also an image from Delicious Doodles and, though it's hard to see in the photo, I added a touch of glitter to it for some silver sparkle.  The 'banner' at the top is made from scrap which I was about to throw away.  :-D

     Challenges:
CAS on Sunday
Chalk N Stock
Christmas at Sweet Stampin'
Christmas Stamping all Year Long
Digital Delights
DL.ART Thursday
Inspiration Destination
Jo's Scrap Shack
Just Add Ink (Christmas Child)
Little Red Wagon
Penny's Paper Crafty
Scrapy Land
Simply Papercraft
WordArt Wednesday

     Have yourselves a great day, my friends and followers.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie  

Light of the World

     I decided it was time to play in the challenge over at Delicious Doodles.  I'm not sure when I played there last but since I wanted to use this beautiful image of the lamp post, drawn by Teri a couple of years ago, it seemed the right time to play again.

I used colors from Outlawz Color Challenge

(first column) and made sure I added one extra layer.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then used my newest set of Pinpoint Rectangle Dies from Memory Box to cut the image and two layers of CS for matting the image.  I cut the aqua background and adhered all the layers together on the card front.  The bow is die cut with a Cottage Cutz die. 

     Pretty CAS even with 4 layers.  Unfortunately, the bow in the image looks more red than it actually is.  IRL, it nearly matches the lighter pink of the die cut bow.  Oh, well, chalk that up to the magic of photography.

     Challenges:

Cardz 4 Guyz

Crafting by Designs

Craft Rocket

Crafty Gals Corner

Jo's Scrap Shack

Just Add Ink (Christmas, candle)

Outlawz Twisted Thurs.

Papertake Weekly

Scrap & Craft

Whimsy Inspiration

Winter Wonderland

WordArt Wednesday

     OK, I've made a serious dent in the number of cards which have been commissioned and I'll still have time to make all the extra cards I want to donate to the senior center near my home.  I remember how much pleasure they got from the ones I dropped off last year.  So many seniors simply can't get out to buy cards or gift tags for their family or friends and having a stack of cards there at the center which they can then give to those people makes them oh, so happy.  :-D  So, you're going to see lots more Christmas cards from me over the next 2+ weeks.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Mushroom Fairy

     It's been a while since I had the free time to use a Delicious Doodles image but their challenge theme of "Myth or Magic" just inspired me so I grabbed this darling Mushroom Fairy and made a card.

I started with this sketch from Atlantic Hearts

and modified it for the size of my image.

     I colored with my yellow ProMarkers because I had done another card earlier using my yellow Copics and posted that I had better choices of yellows in my Copics collection.  But since I always reach for my ProMarkers first, I had to give them equal time.  :-D

     The satin ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and that was the last of it so it's time to order more.  I'm still practicing my CAS designing so I left off any other embellishments and yes, I do like this one.

     Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks
Cardz 4 Guyz
Color Your World
Craft for the Craic
Craft Your Passion
Crafting with Friends
Creative Moments
Digitally Sweet
Little Miss Muffet
One Stitch at a Time
Really Reasonable Ribbon
Shabby Tea Room
Simply Papercraft
Through the Craft Room Door

     I'm off to harvest things from my garden.  Tomatoes are overwhelming me again, and carrots are ready plus yet another watermelon.  I think my strawberries are about done but there might be enough left to toss on a bowl of cereal.  I noticed yesterday that there were 2 zuchinis ready and they're going into a lunchtime salad today.  Enjoy your day and find some creative time this weekend.  Your soul needs it.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

New Arrivals

     I was so taken with this image from Delicious Doodles of a dragon mother tending her eggs and you just know that their hatching is imminent.  You can see by the look on her face that she's listening to the sound of scratching inside, right?

The design sketch came from A Creative Romance.

     The frame is cut with one of my new dies, and I colored it with chalks to get the light and dark variations.  The image is colored with Copics.  The dp is stamped with embossing ink and I used Shimmer EP from Sparkle n Sprinkle to make it sparkle.  That background was so fabulous that I decided it shouldn't have any other embellishment.  Here is another of those CAS designs that just doesn't look CAS.  Part of that is that the "open space" is dp rather than white.  I really love the way this turned out!  :-D

     Challenges:

Brown Sugar -- Anything goes

Card Mania -- Anything goes

Chalk-Ah-Lot Cafe -- Animal

Corrosive Challenges -- Career (Motherhood, the best career!)

Craft Your Passion -- Face the music (Puff, the Magic Dragon)

Crazy Challenge -- Fairytale

Created with Love -- Winged things

Eureka Stamps -- 3 Fav embellies (glitter, EP, die cuts)

Fussy and Fancy -- Monochromatic

My Craft Creations -- Anything goes

Sparkle 'n Sprinkle -- Glitter, EP or Flocking

Squigglefly -- CAS

Stampin' with the Dragon -- Anything goes

Wags 'n Whiskers -- Anything goes

     That's it for today and I'm glad to report that I really am getting better every passing hour.  The worst is over and today I'd don't even feel like I ever had the flu.  Must have been all those prayers and good thoughts you were all giving me.  Thanks.  :-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  

Olyvia at Thanksgiving

     It's Friday and that means another new challenge at Delicious Doodles.  Our theme this week is to do a card with "No Designer Paper."  Much as I love patterned dp and often as I use it, I also do a lot of cards with just colored CS so this one was fairly easy for me.  I chose Teri's magnificent image, "Olyvia." However, I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide if "Olyvia" wanted to be a Christmas image or a Thanksgiving image and just couldn't decide.  So I did two cards, coloring her differently for each one, and today I'm sharing the Thanksgiving image since it's the closest to being here.  I'll share the Christmas "Olyvia" with you later on.

I used a sketch from Stella Says Sketch, 

modified a bit for the size of my image,

and I used colors from Outlawz.

  

     The image is colored with my favorite ProMarkers, then die cut with a simple rectangle die and matted with two different colors of CS.  I did the long 'flag' pieces with ribbon from my stash, all of which came from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The entire thing is done on a kraft card base.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments -- Any sentiment
Crafty Creations -- Thanksgiving or Christmas
Die Cuttin' Divas -- Thanksgiving
Divas by Design -- Make it pretty
House That Stamps Built -- Thanks or Thanksgiving
Inspired by Stamping -- Ribbon or crochet trim
MilkCoffee Challenge -- Thanks,/ Thanksgiving/ Thank you
Shelly's Images -- Give Thanks

     Pretty simple card this time but I felt like I was running out of time to get it done so finished it as quickly as I could.  I barely have time to get this posted to my blog before the challenge starts, and I really need some sleep so I'll edit it a bit later on to add the links to all the challenges I had in mind while making the card.  Hope to see you playing along at Delicious Doodles this time.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Remembering Our Veterans

     Next Monday, November 11, we celebrate Veterans' Day here in the US and in other parts of the world it's often called Remembrance Day.  Whatever the title, it's a time for remembering and honoring those who served their countries.  So, our theme for the challenge this week at Delicious Doodles is "Remembrance."  For those of you too young to know the significance of the red poppies (and that's most of us out by now), they came to symbolize the casualties on Flander's Field in WWI.  I still remember getting little paper poppies in grammar school on November 11 and that was many years after WWI, and even some years after WWII, for that matter.

     My card today uses a new digi from Teri at Delicious Doodles called "Poppies and Butterflies," just perfect for remembering and honoring those service men and women of the entire past century.  Honoring them is near and dear to my heart.  My grandfather was a veteran of WWI, my dad served in WWII, my brother served along with many of my cousins between 1955 and 1975, and I have a wonderful grandson who is a career Marine, who has served two tours in Iraq and is currently stationed in Japan.  I'm grateful for each and every one of them.

     I did a spotlight technique by printing the image twice, then coloring a portion of one and die cutting it with a circle die.  I adhered that to the black and white image, being careful to line it up as perfectly as possible.  Then I used scissors to fussy cut the B&W image.  I chose to use a black card base because it really made the spotlight and the red bow 'pop'.

     I used a computer font to print the sentiment, outlined it with black marker and layered it onto the image piece.  Very CAS this week.  :-D

     Challenges:
Catch the Bug -- Anything goes
Crazy 4 Challenges -- Black, white, plus 1 color
Heck of a Challenge -- In the frame
Going Grey w/ Scrap Creations -- Give thanks
House of Gilli -- Thanks
LEJ Designs -- Monochromatic
Love to Scrap -- Anything goes
Male Room -- Remembrance
Mema's Crafts -- Anything with Thank in the sentiment
Oozak -- Anything goes with Thanks
Operation Write Home -- Any Hero cards
Party Time Tuesdays -- Thanks or Thanksgiving
Path of Positivity -- Thankfulness
The Paper Girls -- Fussy cutting
Whoopsi Daisy -- Monochromatic
Word Play Saturday -- Anything

     It's definitely fall around here.  The weather is getting chilly and I've added two blankets to my bed.  Both of the fur babies now think they should be allowed to sleep UNDER the covers instead of draping themselves across my feet or shoulder as I try to sleep.  I've dug out the sweatshirts and pants for lounging around or going outside, though I'm not doing much of either of those things the last few days, preferring to stay in and tackle the remaining boxes.  Soon, all will be unpacked and then I can truly get to organizing the craft room.  I might even take a few pictures and share them with you (the first and only time!)  In the meantime, Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Daisies and Butterflies

     Let me start by saying that I LOVE THIS CARD!  lol  Mostly, I'm crazy about the image -- "Daisies and Butterflies," which is from Delicious Doodles, of course, since this is my DT card for the new challenge starting today.   Our theme is to "Use Lace."

     I'm still in a mood for spring even though the weather has already turned hot.  Those of you in cooler climes, especially those getting rain, count your blessings.  We're hot and dry and our fire season has started already.  Maybe that inspired the colors I chose as much as the color challenge I'm entering.

My sketch came from Digi Sketch, turned 1/4 turn, 

and the colors are from Sparkle n Sprinkle.

 

     I colored the image with Promarkers, then added two different glitters (from Sparkle n Sprinkle) to the butterfly wings.  I used Fire Engine Red and Cyclamen.  The image is die cut with an oval die from QuicKutz and inked on the edges.

     The lace was in my recycle stash and came from an old dress sleeve.  I adhered it on top of red handmade paper, and that was adhered to a layer of white CS.  The ribbon for the bow was also in my stash, and the paper flowers are from Recollections.  I added the gems to the flower centers.  Finally, I dug out two rhinestones for a bit more bling.

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations -- Flowers and Lace
Cupcake Craft -- Layers
Love to Create -- Flowers
Marker POP -- May Flowers
Mema's Crafts Monday -- May Flowers
Ooh La La Creations -- Seeing red
Pretty Little Ribbon Shop -- Lace
Songbird -- Flowers

     I hope your week has gone well and that you have great plans for the weekend, even if those plans are like mine -- stay home, craft and play, & cook dinner for a friend.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Delicious Doodles Kingfisher

     Good Friday morning to you all, and that means it's another new challenge at Delicious Doodles.  This week we want to see "More than one fold" on your cards.  I've done an offset-left, gate fold card, using one of the "Kingfisher" images.  There are two images in the set, this is the more feminine of the two.  The more masculine one doesn't have the butterflies.

Sketch from Sunday Sketch and Stamp.

     Isn't he magnificent?  I colored him with Promarkers, then fussy cut the image and layered it onto an oval mat allowing the butterfly to be outside the frame.  I die cut a larger oval from digital paper, and then punched three small butterflies from that same dp.

     The card base is embossed with a folder which was in the blog candy I won over at Amanda's blog (more on that later today) and I really love it!  That one's going to get lots of use this spring.  :-D I took a piece of white CS 5 1/2" X 8 ", scored it at 1 3/4" and again at 6 1/4" for the folding.   That puts the front opening slightly left of center.  I embossed it by putting one side into the folder and embossing, then put the other side in (inserting it from the oposite side of the folder), lined it up so that the butterfly meets exactly, and embossed it.  That took some work and some pre-planning (because I wanted the butterflies flying in an upward direction) but I managed it.  :-D

     Finally, I adhered the punched butterflies over three of the embossed butterflies and decided it was finished without any further embellishment.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps -- White card (color in image OK)
A Little Bit Crafty -- Anything goes
CDAC Anything Goes -- Anything goes
Digi Makeover -- Anything Goes
Emma's Cards UK -- Butterflies
Lia Stampz -- Birds, nests, or eggs
Little Claire's -- Cards with folds
Marker POP -- Anything goes
Mema's Crafts -- Anything goes
Natalie and Amy's -- Monochromatic
One Stitch at a Time -- Spring
Sparkle n Sprinkle -- Use a digi
Sparkles Forum -- Birds
Stamp and Create -- Use a die cut

    OK, now, I want to see you playing along in our "More than one fold" challenge this week at Delicious Doodles.  You can be as fancy as you choose (step cards, easel cards, twisted easels, accordians, etc.) or do something more simple like my gate fold.  No excuses -- just come play along.  Remember, it's one entry per person (unless you use a Delicious Doodles image) and you could win 5 of Teri's gorgeous digis!   See you there.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Delicious Doodles Easter

     Here's the last of the cards until my camera is back in my hands in just few hours.  Because of the camera problems, I missed getting my DT card done for the challenge at Delicious Doodles this week (where the theme is "Fairies") but I did paper piece this fun chick popping out of her egg.  This is a new image from Teri and you can find it here.  Isn't it an adorable image to use for Easter?

Sketch is from I {Heart} Sketches 

and the paper piecing idea came from Freshly Brewed.

     That paper has been in my stash for so long, I can't even remember when or where I got it.  I know it started as a 12" X 12" piece of scrapbook paper and this is about all that's left from other projects.  This piece would have ended up in the trash but it seemed perfect for this egg and background.  BTW, the part of the background dp covered by the matted image has the hole where I cut the bit for the eggshell.  How's that for frugality?  :-D

     The chick is colored with pencil.  Both the sheer ribbon and the bow were in my stash.  The sentiment is from a rubber stamp which I masked to get just the greeting part.

     Challenges:  (There's a ton of "Easter/spring" themes this time)
Craft Your Passion -- Ribbon or lace
Cutie Pie -- Easter
Digi Darla's -- Easter
Digi Makeover -- Pastels
Digi Sketch -- Easter/Spring
Kaboodle Doodles -- Bows. pearls; anything w/ frills
Outlawz Greeting Card -- Layers
Pink Elephant -- Easter
Rhedd & Rosie's -- Birds
Stamp and Create -- Fur or Feathers
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner -- Easter
Without Words -- Easter

     I hope your weekend is starting well.  I'll have another post this afternoon, just to show that my camera is back home, doing it's job as it should.  :-D  Thanks for visiting and Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Rose and Butterfly

     I intended to have this posted yesterday but I'm having internet connection problems for some reason.  So it gets posted this morning instead.   I used one of my newest images which came from Delicious Doodles (challenge theme -- Flowers for Spring), and I used the sketch from A Die for a Sketch, plus I chose the colors from Dynamic Duo this week.

   

     The image is colored completely with SN markers, and the image is cut with a square die, using the 'out of the box' technique on the butterfly in the top corner.  The tiny butterfly next to the sentiment is a leftover from another project I did where I used a Spellbinders die and the butterfly is one of the cut out pieces.  I'm not sure why it looks green.  It's a deep teal, IRL.  The sentiment is a rubber stamp and I don't remember what company for sure, but I think it was one I chose as a winner at DRS Designs.

     Both dp were in the Linen Closet stack from DCWV, and they are clear embossed.  I used two different ribbons and added pearls to both butterfly bodies for a few little gems.  I thought this made a very feminine and 'romantic' card.  

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge -- Add a bow
Color Me Creative -- Color a feminine image
Craft Us Crazy -- Show us Favorites (Linen Closet dp & flowers)
Crazy 4 Challenges -- Texture (ribbon, embossing, butterfly)
DRS Designs -- Plaids
Heck of a Challenge -- Love and flowers
Outlawz Paper Ala Mode -- Anything goes
Paper Crafting Journey -- Bingo: Gems, Emboss, Ribbon
Paper Creator's Crafts -- Flowery Delight
Paper Playtime -- Sentiment Stamp
Sparkle and Glitter -- All the things I love (flowers & butterflies)
Speedy Fox & Friends -- My State (CA, Rose Parade)
Sweet Stampin' -- Mother's Day or special lady

     OK, I hope Blogger works and posts this as scheduled.  (Edited to add: It didn't!  Had to post it manually as soon as I saw it hadn't gone as scheduled.)  I'm having a super busy week and don't know how much crafting I'll actually get done.  I'm just going with the flow so look for me when you see me a'comin' down the river!  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie