Easter in Blue

      Hey, guess what?  There's a new challenge starting today at Inspiration Station where we offer a different picture each month for inspiration.  Our challenges begin on the first Monday of each month and  ends on the Saturday before the next challenge begins.

     Here's our inspiration picture this month:

     Of course, it made me think of Easter and Easter bunnies so when I found the delightful image of Mrs. Bunny sporting her Easter bonnet, I had to use it (see card below.)  

     The image was originally a grayscale line drawing but I used blue colored pencil to go over each line and added white gel pen to each of the flowers for a highlighting effect. My favorite technique these days is to color grayscale images!  

     I added the sentiment to a scrap of white CS and mounted the colored image onto it.   Both of those were cut with QuicKutz dies.  That went onto a layer of gray, cross hatch dp.  I doodled around two edges of the dp and added everything to the card front.

     

     Challenges:

2 Sisters...Blog

Crafts Galore Encore

Critter Crazies

Die Cut Divas

Do-Al(l) Kreatives

Lil Patch of ...

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp

     That's all I have for today but I hope to see you playing along in our challenge.  Let us know what in the photo inspired you.  Was it the bunnies, or maybe the sense of spring?  the colors?  maybe the sweet little bunny kiss?  Make something and enter it into the challenge before Saturday, April 5.  Because of the way the dates fall, you get almost a week of extra time before the March challenge closes.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter Eggs for the Dragon

      Dragons are so fierce and fire-breathing that the Easter Bunny is rarely (if ever!) willing to brave their dens to leave Easter eggs for them.  But this brave bunny (hiding behind the rock) took the risk and this dragon is so excited, she may never breathe fire again.  lol  

     This card is obviously for my granddaughter who is crazy about dragons (as am I) and she expects all holiday cards to include dragons.  I search constantly to find images, clip art, digital stamps, whatever, so that I can make cards for her with appropriate dragons on them.  Sometimes, I have to just use a dragon image I already have and turn it into a celebration of the holiday but this time I found a wonderful dragon which I printed in grayscale and colored with Sanjoki markers.

     I cut the image using a Tonic Studios die, and the sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The sparkle behind the dragon is a layer of glitter CS which covers the entire card front.  I added white gel pen to the "Happy Easter" part of the image to make it stand out a bit.

     Challenges:

Carlin's Card ...

Crafts Galore ...

Do-Al(l) Kreatives

Friendship

Mirtillamente

Perfect Time to ...

(PIN)spirational

Rabisco

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dressed for the Easter Parade

      Back in the good old days, in the early 1900s, People actually made or purchased new "Sunday Best" clothes each year for Easter Sunday, and then walked up and down the avenue in a 'parade' as a way to  celebrate Easter.  This wonderful "Wearing Spring" image from our sponsor, Paper Shelter, really fits that idea.  Our latest challenge at Crafty Catz has our usual Anything Goes theme but our optional theme is "Embossing Folders."

     I merged the image onto a half-page background found in the same set, then colored the image with my Sanjoki markers.  I used a Darise EF on the background side, then did an out-of-the-box cut on the actual image.  She's fussy cut around her form and die cut one the two straight edges on the right side above and below her.  The sentiment was merged before printing.

     The pink background paper came from a Recollections stack.

     Challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms

Classic Design

Creations in Pink

Digi Choosday

Double Trouble

Papercraft

     Hope to see you playing in our challenge this fortnight. Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Too Old for Easter?

      A new challenge begins today at Crafty Catz, where our theme is always "Anything Goes" but we also give you an optional twist if you choose to use it.  This week the option is to do a monochromatic (all one color) card except for the image you use.  I did an Easter card and I just couldn't settle for one color so I did the Anything Goes part instead of the monochrome.  Our sponsor this week is Di's Digi Stamps but they don't supply images for the DT to use so I chose an Easter image from my own collection of digital images.

     That adorable little Easter chick is clip art from a coloring book (I cannot remember what company - sorry) which I reduced in size, printed in grayscale, and colored with a combination of pencils, Sanjoki markers, and gel pens.

     Once it was colored, I scanned the original and printed it 32 times!  Yes, I made 32 Easter cards with this same image and sentiment.  These are going into boxes put together by the group of College Student moms who meet once a month throughout the school year to fill 'Care Packages' for their college student kids.  Each mom brings the same kind of goodie, enough for 30-odd boxes, and we each fill the box for our own college kid from the collection of things donated.

     OK, now back to the card.  I thought that sentiment fit perfectly with the expression of disappointment on the chick's face and that also allowed for the use of a cutesy chick image that works on cards for college-aged kids.  It's also pretty gender neutral.  I cut up scraps of paper from my leftovers stash and used maybe 10 or 12 different papers for the backgrounds on the card fronts, then added the same image and sentiment to each card.  I kept them really CAS except for the papers.

FYI, I did make a card with everything done in shades of 'Easter chick yellow'

 but it just didn't work for me.  I guess in my head, 

Easter requires lots of different colors.  :-D

     Challenges:

As You Like It

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

Friendship

Not2Shabby

Outlawz Thurs (blue/vintage/dp)

Triple B

    I hope you're going to come and play with us this week.  Feel free to do something monochromatic or just Anything Goes.  We love seeing what our players create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter Bunny Dandy

      I love this image from Beccy's Place, called "Easter Bunny."  It's fun and clever and he's dressed to the nines, making him such a dandy.  :-D  I merged another Beccy's image, the "Easter Basket" (reduced in size to work with Mr. Bunny), plus the sentiment, all before printing.

     I colored with my Sanjoki markers, then cut the whole thing with a QuicKutz die.  The Beccy's Place challenge has an optional tic-tac-toe board this month and I used the middle row: flowers/digi stamp/color w markers.  I dug through the scrap basket and found flowery paper and a bit of striped paper (both from Recollections stacks) which I used to make the background.  

     I added three flowers (Flora Doodles) which have tiny gem stones in the center as a finishing touch.

My design is inspired by the sketch at Cheerful Sketches

with the background turned horizontal.

     Challenges:

A Perfect Time ...

Carlin's Card ...

Crafting Challenge

Crafts Galore ...

Do Al(l) Kreatives

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

SheepSki Designs

     That's it for today but I'll have two posts on Thursday and another one on Friday so check back, even if it's over the weekend.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy EASTER !

 May EASTER blessings find all of you.

     I'm sending each one of you the warmest Easter wishes this morning and sharing with you an Easter card I made for our pastor.  I'm hoping this is how he sees his Congregation, even when it's filled with energetic kids looking forward to the egg hunt following the church service.  :-D

     Clip art, printed in grayscale, then colored with Polychromos pencils (still practicing with those but I'm happy with this one!) and water color paints.  Image was cut with a Spellbinders die and the edges were inked with a gray marker.  The dp square (a scrap) was cut with a QuicKutz die, and the sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background CS was embossed using my 'Linen' EF.

     Challenges:

Can You Handle ...

Crafty Calendar

Creatalicious

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Polkadoodles

There's a Stamp ...

     That's all for today.  We're off to church to do our best to look just like this bunny family.  :-D  Happy Easter.  NanaConnie

Sweet Peas

      Another flower image from Beccy's Place, but this time it's Sweet Peas and I used the pre-colored image for a fast-to-assemble card.  I've done a lot of  Easter cards in the past 2 weeks, sold most of them at the craft fair, including ones like this which were quick and easy to make.  Thanks, Beccy, for the lovey coloring.

     I fussy cut this image and cut the sentiment (also from Beccy's Place) with a Tonic Studios die.  The purple CS came from a pack by Recollections.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Crafts Galore ...

Friendship

Happy...Stampers

Incy Wincy

Morgan's ArtWorld

Rabisco

Your Scrapbook Place

     Easter is only 2 days away now, and I'm running out of time to post all the cards I made.  Oh, well, I guess some can wait until next year.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

24 "Carat"

      For my DT card today, I'm using one of Conie Fong's new releases "Bunny with Carrot," which can be found on sale in the store.  

     This may be my last Easter card (last made; I still have quite a few to post) but it could also be used for a birthday, for Mother's Day, or nearly any occasion for a special person.

     What fun this was to color!  I used my Sanjoki markers to color the image, then cut it and the frame with dies from Tonic Studio.  The background was made using  paper scrap (Recollections) and I hand tied the bow using grosgrain ribbon.  The sentiment was printed and cut with another Tonic Studio die.

     Challenges:

Outlawz Monday

     I may have another post today but it may have to wait until tomorrow.  I'm still a bit under the weather.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Hydrangeas

      This beautiful image of a hydrangea came from Beccy's Place and, though I've used it before, it's one of my favorite spring flowers so it gets used a lot.  :-D  

      I colored it with my new Sanjoki markers (I really am loving them!), then fussy cut it.  The Easter sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I mounted both the image and the sentiment on dimensional dots for a little bit of visual interest but beyond that, this is a very CAS design.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Archi-scraps

Creatalicious

Dragonfly Dreams

Friendship

Lil Patch of ...

There's a Stamp ...

     I'm a bit under the weather today so this is the only post I'll have but tomorrow should be a better day a nd we'll hope for two posts then.  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

Bunny in a Basket

      This card was so fast and easy!  I started with a pre-colored, clip art image which I cut with a fancy die from QuicKutz.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I used dp from Paper Studio for the background and added one of my signature, hand-sewn bows, this time with a pearl on it.  Finished in less than 20 minutes!

     Challenges:

     That's it for today.  I did quite well at the craft fair, better than I expected given my previous experience with vendor booths.  :-D  I'm very pleased.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cutest Bunny Butt

      Is this the cutest 'Bunny Butt' ever?  It's from Can You Digi It and it's been in my stash forever!  Well, for a long time, anyway.  I just decided that it would make a cute Easter card so I colored it up with my new Sanjoki markers, then cut it with a Die-namics die.  

     The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I chose a dp scrap from the basket, cut it with the same Die-namics die and inset the image into it.  Then I embellished the card with a butterfly gem and with small rows of gems in the lower corner.

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Digi Choosday

Paper Funday

Paperminutes

Passion for Markers

Penny's P-C

Simon Says ...

     I'm off to my craft fair this morning but I'll have another post for you late this afternoon when I return home.  Wish me luck at the fair.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bunny & Butterfly

      I adore this image and it was free clip art that I found online!  I colored it with water color paints and cut it with a Spellbinders die.   This is a tent card, opening at the bottom instead of the side.  I found some Paper Studios dp that I thought worked perfectly so I added that for the background.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I thought it needed just a hint of embellishment so I added gems to the body of the butterfly.

     Challenges:

Butterfly (heather, hawk's blue, highland on the stems)

Creative Inspiration

Happy ... Stampers

My Favorite Things (colors)

Paper Funday

Paper Shelter

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bow Tie Bunny

      This is my first post today and once again, I'm featuring an image from Mariola Budek.  This sweet bunny was almost complete as he was but I did add a bit of dove gray and cool gray to his fur, plus a dab of soft pink on his ear, nose, and mouth.  This time, I used my new Sanjoki markers.  The more I use those alcohol markers, the more I like them!  They seem to be pretty much on par with Copics and ProMarkers but the cost is so much more budget friendly.  :-D

     I used my bow maker to tie the double layer bow which I applied just under his chin as a bow tie.   The bunny is fussy cut with scissors.  I used a scrap of deep purple CS for the card front, and added a strip of  blue CS which I dry embossed with my 'Linen' EF.   I wrote out the sentiment using a fine tip Versamark pen, then heat embossed it with white EP.  Overall, very CAS.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Can You Handle ...

Dream Valley

Pammie's IP

Paperminutes

Passion for Markers

Penny's P-C

     I'll have a second Easter card to share in a couple of hours.  I'm working on getting everything ready for the craft fair I'm attending tomorrow but I also want to get my posts done so that I can share with you the progress I've made on Easter cards these past 10 days.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Don't Egg Me On

      When the Easter bunny says, "Don't egg me on," he's 'punny'!   This guy seems to be only half listening to the 'egging on.'  But at least he's attentive with one ear.  :-D

     The image was printed on a scrap of beige dp which has a 'linen' texture to it.  I colored his ears with ProMarkers, then cut the image with a QuicKutz die.  The frame was also cut with another QuicKutz die, then run through my "Linen" EF.

     The butterfly dp was a scrap from the basket, as was the deep burgundy CS strip at the bottom.  The sentiment is from QKR Stampede and I colored it with my new Sanjoki markers and gel pens.  The bow was hand tied and stitched in the middle to give it more of a butterfly shape.  I wanted the butterflies to emphasize the spring colors and theme.

     Challenges:

Butterfly (Tent fold, Tango Pink)

Creations in Pink

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

Outlawz Friday

Papercraft

Paperminutes

Paper Funday

Simon Says

Word Art Weds

     That's it for today.  Check back tomorrow when I'll have more Easter to share.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Pastel Door Hanger Plaque

      If you have kids or grandkids who are into decorating the house (or even their part of the house) for Easter wouldn't this image from Birdie Brown make a perfect door hanger plaque?  I used it on a card because if I did a door hanger, my feline fur babies would just delight in pulling it down.  This image has been in my collection of digis for at least 5 years and I don't think I've used it before.

     I colored the image with my new Sanjoki alcohol markers, then cut it with a rectangle die from Tonic Studios.  I used a Fiskars punch to round the top corners.  I found the mint green lace in my stash (another old stash item that's been there well over 5 years!)   I thought it worked perfectly with the green in the image so I used it for the background by layering it onto the card front.  Don't you just love the faux stitching in the image?  It really adds to the delightful "primitive art" look.

     Challenges:

As You Like It (Critters because they are so much cuter than people!)

Craftlandia

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Crafty Gals Corner

Outlawz SAR (It's Spring!)

Outlawz Thurs

Polkadoodles

     Second post done and the third for today will be posted later this afternoon.  Thanks for visiting.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

An Easter Peep!

      If you think this post is all about the little yellow marshmallow candies shaped like baby chicks, called Peeps, you're in for a surprise.  This card does have a cute baby chick, and a sweet kitten, but no candy.  This darling image is from AuroraWings and I thought it could easily be adapted for an Easter card with the right sentiment.  :-D

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a Spellbinders die.  That die also embossed the edges, making it look very detailed and complex.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The yellow plaid paper came from a Lawn Fawn stack.  I used my Linen embossing folder on the blue card front.  Pretty fast to put together but it looks like I spent hours on it.

     Challenges:

Can You Handle ...

Digi Choosday

Double Trouble

Pammie's IP

Paperminutes

Simon Says Stamp

SUYP Cats

WordArt Weds

     This is the first of three posts I have today.  I'm making up for the fact that I intended to do two posts on Saturday as well as Sunday, but ended up with only one on Saturday. Check back in an hour or so for the next one and then later this afternoon for the third and final post of the day.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Blue Bunny for Easter

      This card features one of the clip art images I printed and used for a quick and easy card.  It was pre-colored and I cut the image with a QuicKutz oval die.  Both of the papers I used for the background were in the scrap basket but they really worked with the colors in the image.  I used one simple Petaloo flower for embellishment and called it finished.  The card took me about 15 minutes to complete.

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

Digi Choosday

I Love ProMarkers

Jan's Digi Stamps

Pammie's IP

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

      Back to the craft room where I have at least a dozen more images waiting for me to turn them into Easter cards.  I may work on them late into the night tonight so that I don't have to skip church in the morning, but I'm also sure I'll be back at the desk tomorrow afternoon and most mornings this week.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter Dragon

      You're going to see probably 2 posts per day for at least the next week so that I can share all the Easter cards I've been making, trying to get all the ones for family and friends finished, plus the ones for the craft fair next Friday where I'm going to have a vendor booth.  I searched for and printed several free, clip art images (some pre-colored and some not) in addition to the ones I've hand colored and for hte last 2 days, I've been putting cards together.

     The one I'm sharing today will be my eldest granddaughter's card because she's the one who adores dragons as much as I do.  This image shows you exactly what happens when the wrong kind of eggs - meaning not CHOCOLATE! - get put into the Easter Basket. :-D  

     I colored the image (from Crafty Moments) with ProMarkers, then cut it with a Memory Box, pin point die.  The background papers are from BLD, a company new to me, but the paper pack was a gift and I really love them.  Those two papers happen to be from a single sheet of two sided paper which worked perfectly for my color combo.

     I added the sentiment after I cut it and inked the edges, then made a hand-sewed bow using satin ribbon.

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Double D

Dragonfly Dreams

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Friday

Simon Says

     Don't worry, my granddaughter never checks my blog so she won't see this until Easter.  But you can check again in about an hour wen my second post for today will be live.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tired Bunny

      Poor Easter Bunny - all tired out from hiding eggs all night long!  This cute image of an egg-looking bunny is from Beccy's Place and I think he's totally adorable.  lol  But he does look a bit 'drained' from all that hard work hiding Easter eggs.

     I used my new Sanjoki markers to color the image, then added 'fur' highlights with a white gel pen.  The image was cut using a die from QuicKutz.  The frame was cut from hologram paper (Lawn Fawn) with another QuicKutz die from the same set, but larger.  The upper sentiment was also cut with  die from that set but the lower sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  I mounted everything onto dove gray CS.

    

    Challenges: 

Carlin's Card Paradise (sketch 1 + Spring)

Classic Design

Crafter's Cafe

Creatalicious

Happy ... Stampers

Lawn Fawnatics (song: Peter Cottontail)

Papercraft

Paperminutes

Simon Says

     This is my post for today and I thought I'd have another but it turns out this is all I have until tomorrow.  See you then with 2 posts.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie