On the March ...

      This morning we are starting our newest challenge over at FarmQuest.  Our theme for the next month, in addition to the underlying "Farm or Country" which is always there, is "Nocturnal Animals."  

     As soon as I saw this clip art, owl image (it may even be a photograph but AI digital is so good these days, who knows for sure?), I knew I had to use it for my DT card.  Doesn't he look like he's determined to get home quickly before the sun can get any higher?  It's obviously waaay past his nocturnal bedtime!

     I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, matted it with white CS (also cut with another Tonic Studios die from that same set), and added brown, gingham ribbon to the top and bottom.  I tied a separate bow and added it to the top strip of ribbon.  That ribbon has been in my stash for longer than I care to remember, lying about, forgotten in the midst of brighter ribbon colors.  It originally came from Really Reasonable Ribbon and still had the paper sleeve on it, proving it was unused.

     I printed the sentiment, then cut it with an Avery Elle die.  I mounted everything onto a kraft card base.   

     I love making masculine cards because they can be kept pretty simple in design, compared to feminine cards which tend to get over embellished (in my house, at least!)   Even when I do add ribbon, I find that the ginghams can feel masculine, especially when they are in the brown and black families.  But the real reason I do so many masculine cards is that I have more guys in my family than gals.  :-D

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Inspired By ...

Lil Patch of ...

Night Owls

Pammie's IP

Penny's Paper Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     Hope to see you playing along in our challenge this time.  It runs until March 26 so you have plenty of time to create something with a country flair and get it entered into our challenge.  We love being inspired by you!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cozy, Country Home

      Good morning and welcome to our latest challenge at FarmQuest.  

     Our theme for the next month is "Hibernating Animals."  I chose a bear and found this adorable clip art image which I printed in gray scale before coloring with my ProMarkers.  The sentiment was merged with the image before printing.

     I cut it with a die from QuicKutz, leaving a tiny white border, and then inking the edges with a marker.  I added chunky glitter to a piece of white CS and used that for the background.  I thought it gave the entire card a nice, 'wintery-nap' feel.

     Challenges:

Crafty Calendar

Creative Moments

Di's Digi Designs

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

     Remember that this challenge runs until February 27 so you have lots of time to find that perfect image of a hibernating animal (squirrels? chipmunks? burrowing owls? polar bears?) and enter a card into our challenge.  Hope to see you playing along.

    

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Paths, Trails, or Walkways

      Oh, my gosh!  The year is nearly over and today we start our last challenge of 2024 over at FarmQuest.  As usual, we have a theme - a specific one in addition to the "Farm or Country" which is part of every challenge we have - and today that theme is "Paths, Trails, or Walkways."  I suppose I could have searched for a winter pathway but they all seemed to be buried under snow.  :-D  also,  you should know that, starting with this challenge, we are going to a monthly challenge instead of the 7th and the 28th.  So, this challenge will run through January 27, 2025!

     This image is clip art, printed in grayscale, then colored with water colors and pencil.  I cut the image piece with a QuicKutz die, and inked the edges.  The background dp came from my scrap basket.  I used jute cord to wrap the card front and tie a bow.  

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Girlz Creative

     That's all I have for today.  I'm off for the final Christmas family dinner which we delayed until my granddaughter could get home from college in Texas.  I hope all of your holiday celebrations went well and that you're resting from all the hustle and bustle.  

   

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Farm Country Birthday

      When I think of farms and country living, horses always come to mind.  So when I saw the theme for our latest FarmQuest challenge, "Things Found in a Barn," I started looking through my collection of images for a horse.

     This gorgeous clip art image was colored with pencils, blended with gamsol, then cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The kraft CS frame was also cut with a die from that same set.  The plaid dp came from a DCWV stack.  I printed the sentiment, cut it with scissors to get that particular shape, and matted it with a scrap of kraft CS.  I used jute cord for the hand-tied bow.

     Challenges:

Coloring w Pencils

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Male Room

Pattie's Creations

Word Art Weds

     I hope you're going to take some time in the midst of the crazy holiday rush to have some personal play time and we'd love it if you came and joined in our challenge.  Just find an image of anything you might find in a barn (animals, tools, vehicles, feed or hay, etc.), make a card or other project, and enter it into our challenge.  

     FYI, you MUST check out the FQ challenge post this time.  There are some incredible AI images available for you to use if you choose.  Becca did a great job of putting those together for all the readers.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Forest Gratitude

     Gratitude can take place anywhere and these animals that live in the woods are overflowing with a gratitude message.  What better day to share it than on Thanksgiving?  The card is my DT inspiration piece for FarmQuest and our challenge theme this fortnight is "Things found in the Woods."

     The image on the card was originally an ad from an old newspaper (c 1945) which I wasn't willing to destroy.  So I photocopied it, added a bit of color with pencils and Ohuhu markers, then sponged it with pale ivory ink from a worn out marker.  I loved the "old" look that gave to the paper.  I tore the image rather than cut it with scissors because I thought it gave a more rustic feel.  I chose a kraft card base, again more rustic than a plain white CS.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The brown bits on either side of the image piece are washi tape with leaf shapes punched out.

     Challenges:

Digi Choosday

Krafty Chicks

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

    

     Come play with us this challenge.  I know you must be making the last (first???) of your Christmas cards by now and what better way to get into a country feel and enter a card with "Things in the Woods?"  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Frozen Pond

      Once again, we start a new challenge over at FarmQuest and our theme this time is "Frozen Ponds or Creeks."  What a great idea for getting a few more Christmas cards into our stash!  I found this clip art image and was so impressed that I had to use it right away.

     The image was originally pre-colored, but I printed it in a very light gray scale and then used watercolors (sky and trees), alcohol markers (water and rocks), and gel pens (highlights on ice and snow) to put some color back into the scene.  Once colored, I used a large, square Spellbinders die to cut the image, then trimmed navy blue CS to make a mat for the image.

     The background dp came from a Recollections stack and I printed and cut the sentiment using an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

ABC Christmas

Aud Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Holly & Ivy

Pammie's IP

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds.

     Come play in our challenge this fortnight, won't you?  You can use nearly any outdoor, frozen scene you have and it'll fit the theme.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Pheasant Flight

      We have a new theme starting today for our latest FarmQuest challenge and the theme is "Turkeys, Pheasants, Peacocks, &/or Feathers."  Obviously, I opted for a pheasant.  :-D

     This clip art image was printed in grayscale onto pale blue CS, then colored with water color paints and pencils.  Once dry, I ironed the image flat (it curled a bit with the water color paints), then cut it with a QuicKutz die.  The plaid dp for the background came from a digital paper file which I sized to an A2 card size, then printed.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I left it without embellishments because it's such a perfect masculine card.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Coloring w Pencils

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz SAR (pheasant in the sky?)

Polkadoodles

     Come play with us this fortnight.  We love seeing what you create and being inspired by it.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Honey Bee

      The next challenge is starting over at FarmQuest, where we always want to see farm/country influenced creations but where we also have a specific theme for each challenge.  The specific theme this fortnight is "All About Bees."  That could be bees, honey, beehives, honeycomb, honey jars, even hexagons!  

     I chose this delightful image from SheepSki Designs showing the very first step in the process of making honey, a bee collecting nectar.  I colored the image with Ohuhu markers, then cut it with a QuicKutz die, and rounded the corners with a Fiskars punch.  The two papers for the background came from the scrap basket and they just worked so well together to give it that country flair, like a good old calico print paired with stripes.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore

Do-Al(l) Kreatives

Lil Patch of ...

Love Those...Papers

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

Polkadoodles

SheepSki Designs

     Come play with us in this challenge.  We'd love to see what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Field Mouse

     It's time for another challenge to start over at FarmQuest, where our underlying theme is always something "farm or country."  On top of that, we have a specific theme for each challenge and this time we want to see "Critters that eat grain" or something closely related to that.

     I searched my clip art files for something appropriate and came across this little mouse on a wheat stem.  What could be more perfect?  I had a lot of fun figuring out how I wanted to best display the image and finally decided to make the background for the image by water coloring some wheat onto water color paper, letting it dry overnight, ironing it flat (since it has a tendency to curl up while drying), and putting that piece of paper into the printer, then printing the clip art image directly onto the background.  I used colored pencils and white gel pen to add highlights and deeper color to the mouse.  What do you think?

     I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, matted it with some light brown CS, and trimmed that with my paper cutter.  I made the background by digging through the scrap basket and finding a couple of dp and a strip of reddish-brown CS.  I ran the strip of CS through my Linen EF, then layered all three scraps onto the card front.  The image went on top of those, as did the sentiment which had been printed, then cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

     I hope to see you playing along in our challenge this fortnight.  There are so many options for you in finding a critter that eats grains; rodents, birds, deer, horses and cows, ... the list is endless!  Let your imagination flow and share with us what you create.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Reaping

      Today we start a new challenge over at FarmQuest and our specific theme is "Farm tools that cut."  We always have an underlying theme of Farm or Country, meaning outdoors, farm house, farm fields, crops, animals, etc.  We don't want to see city streets or cityscapes with high rises.  :-D

     I chose a fun, vintage clip art showing a woman reaping with a hand sickle.  I'll bet the farmers and farm wives are glad they don't have to do an entire field that way any more!  This is a pre-colored image and I used it 'as is' instead of printing it in grayscale and coloring it myself.  I was running short of time that day and pre-colored seemed the easiest.  

     I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die and framed it with a scrap of polka dot CS from an old DCWV stack.  The upper background is handmade using watercolor paper and watercolor paints.  The gingham check is from the scrap basket and seemed perfect for this card. 

     The butterfly embellishment was made using a Cottage Cuts die, cutting twice, making a double layer and adding a long, wooden bead for the butterfly body.

     Challenges:

     Come play in our challenge this next fortnight.  We love being inspired by what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spotlight Rooster

      It's a new day and a new challenge at FarmQuest, where we always have a farm or country requirement but we add a specific theme to that and this time the theme is "Farm or Forest Animals starting with the letter R."  That could include rams, rabbits, raccoons, Rock Hoppers, (rhinos?) -- let your imagination roam.  :-D  I chose something very farm oriented and very simple: a Rooster!

     I have an all-abiding love for the old "spotlight" technique but I forget to use it.  So, when I found this grayscale image, I printed it twice, then colored the rooster's head and neck (plus the background around his head) with Sanjoki markers and watercolors on the background.  Alcohol markers are my favorites for coloring but I also love combining them with watercolor because the two together give such a delightful contrast to each other; markers for depth and definition and watercolors for soft, undefined washes of color.

     I used a Spellbinders round die to cut out the 'spotlight' and carefully lined it up on the grayscale background.  I also inked the edges of the circle with a black ink pad just so the spotlight piece would pop off the background.

     The plaid paper (which I think always lends an air of farm or country) came from Beccy's Place and it's digital.  I printed it with my printer and cut it to size for the card front.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I used markers to ink the edges of both the image and the sentiment before layering the onto the background dp.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aud Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Polkadoodles

     That's all I have for today but I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this fortnight.  What could be more fun that figuring out what letter "R" farm or forest animal you want to enter?

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Garden Potting Sheds

      Here it is the end of the second week of the month and  new challenge is starting at FarmQuest.  Our underlying theme is always "Farm or Country" and this challenge we have a specific theme of "Garden Sheds or Potting Sheds."  

     I found this delightful clip art image which I printed in very light grayscale, and then colored with watercolor paints.  I added highlights to the sky, flowers, and colored the butterflies with gel pens.  Rather than die cutting the image, I tore the edges revealing the white center of the CS and I used pale blue chalk on the white bits of the torn edge.

     The background dp came from an old Recollections stack.  I printed the sentiment, cut it with an Avery Elle die, and layered it onto the background along with the image.  A pretty simple card but one which allows the image to take center stage.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafter's Cafe

Creatalicious

Creative Inspiration

Creative Knockouts

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

     Feel free to come and play along in our challenge this fortnight.  Any garden shed or potting shed will qualify for an entry.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Beauty in the Desert

      There's a new theme for the new challenge at FarmQuest which starts today and the theme is "Things in a Desert or Dry Country."  For my DT card, I used a clip art image, printed in the lightest grayscale, and then colored with water color paints, Sanjoki markers, and white gel for the highlights.

     I used a Tonic Studios die to cut the image and a QuicKutz die to cut the white frame.  The pumpkin colored background is cardstock from Recollections.  The sentiment was stamped with a stamp from Cardz TV.   I was so in love with how the image turned out, I left the card very CAS with no embellishment whatsoever.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

CAS on Friday

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

I Love Markers

My Time to Craft

Outlawz Friday (summer)

Simply CAS

    Hope to see you playing along in our challenge these next two weeks.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Things Found in a Pond or Creek

      We have a new challenge and a new theme starting today at FarmQuest, and the theme is "Things Found in a Pond or Creek."  My dad would have immediately thought of fish because he loved fishing more than nearly any other outdoor activity and I often got to join him on those fishing treks.  Oh, what fabulous childhood memories!

     This image is clip art which I printed in sepia tone, then colored with my Sanjoki markers.  The card front was embossed with my Linen EF before adding the image.  I cut the colored image with a die from Spellbinders, and the sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The strip of polka dot dp came from an old DCWV stack.  Pretty CAS and masculine, and I really like it.  :-D

     Challenges:

Aloha Friday

Alphabet 

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Outlawz Friday

     I hope you'll use your creativity and come up with something you might find in a pond or creek, then you can create something fun and enter it into our challenge before July 13.  You could end up taking top honors!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Windmill and Pumphouse

      It's the 14th of the month and we have another of our 'Country' challenges starting today at FarmQuest.  Our theme this fortnight is "Farm Equipment, Windmills, Wishing Wells."

     When you live out in the country or on the farm, life goes along at a different pace.  There are always things which must be done and life isn't always as easy as jumping in the car and running to the grocery store for a half gallon of milk or a pound of butter.  Even having clear, cool water sometimes means keeping the windmill in good repair and updating the water pump every few years.  The ones I used on my card today have seen better days and have most likely been replaced altogether.

     I printed the image in grayscale, then colored it with pale yellow and pale brown pencils.  I cut the image with a die from Tonic Studios and inked the edges with a marker.  The background dp came from an old Recollections stack and was a scrap in the basket.  The sentiment was printed, cut with an Avery Elle die, edges inked, then adhered to the card front.

     Challenges:

     Come play with us and impress us with your creations.  We love seeing what you make.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

Picnic at the Beach

      It's time for the next challenge at FarmQuest and this time our theme is "Picnic Things."  Don't forget the underlying 'farm or country' element which is always required.

     My mind went to childhood days of picnics at the seashore and cooking things on a grill or in a pot.  I'm a great collector of  recipes and I knew I had one for a shrimp boil with a fabulous picture of a beach picnic with shrimp and lobster, clams and corn.

     I wish I could take full credit for the coloring on this one, but it's a pre-colored image and all I did was edit the color saturation on it before printing.  Isn't it marvelous?  What a perfect rendition of a Carolina coast or even something along the Gulf Coast in Bayou Country.  The 'country' element certainly comes through even if it's a beach instead of  "mid-west farm" country.

     Challenges:

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

Creative Moments

Digi Choosday

Lil Patch of ...

Pammie's I P

     I hope you're going to come and play with us for our "Picnic Things" challenge.  We love seeing what you create so let your imagination go and be as wild as you like with the idea of a country picnic.  :-D

   

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Mom's Kitchen

      Today we have a new challenge starting at FarmQuest, where we have not only the underlying "Country or Farm" element but we also give you a specific theme to use.  This time the theme is "Kitchen Tools, Equipment, or Appliances."  

      I found this fabulous clip art image of a country kitchen with cooking tools and dishes.   I printed it in grayscale, then colored it with ProMarkers.  Highlights were added with white pencil and shadows with blue-gray pencil.  I cut both the image and the frame for it with square dies from QuicKutz.  The striped background paper came from a DCWV stack.  I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.

      Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Crafty Calendar

Digi Choosday

Homestyle Kitchen

Inkspirational (Spring)

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Tues

Pammie's IP

     Come play with us in our challenge.  I used the image for a Mother's Day card but you could do something fun for a summer card, or a birthday, or even Father's Day if he's a cook (as many men are these days), as long as it has some kind of kitchen tools or equipment.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Laundry Day

      Today we're starting a new challenge at FarmQuest, and our theme is "Laundry or Ironing."  Remember, we always want to see an underlying theme of farm or country in addition to our chosen theme for that challenge.  I used one of my favorite ever House Mouse stamps with the adorable mice clambering over the outdoor clothes line (perhaps in a game of hide and seek?)  

     Do you remember the days when everyone hung clothes on a line?  People who lived in climes where there's lots of winter rain or snow had a problem getting clothes to dry but with the advent of indoor clothes dryers, that problem was resolved.  As dryers took over in every household, we lost the magic of the fresh smell of clothesline-dried sheets, towels, and jeans.  :-D

     I used an ice gray ink pad to stamp the image because it gives fainter lines (an illusion of  'no line'), then I colored the image with my Sanjoki markers.  I cut the image with a QuicKutz die and cut the dry-embossed (Linen EF), brown CS frame with a die one size larger.  The wood grain paper is from a Recollections stack.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Creative Fingers

Dragonfly Dreams

Gem of a Challenge

Inkspirational

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Friday

Polkadoodles

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

Milk Bath

      Today is the 14th of April (tax return deadline is tomorrow!) and we have a new challenge starting over at FarmQuest.  We always want to see something country or farm on your entries but in addition to that, we have a specific theme; this week the theme is "Baby Farm Animals."  That was such a fun theme that I had a marvelous afternoon searching through all my clip art to find a perfect image.  Any time I can find a "cute" image of anything, that's going to be the one I grab.  Besides, in this case, how can a baby calf be anything but cute?  :-D

     Those of you who follow my blog probably know that one of my granddaughters loves cows so she gets 'cow' cards from her Nana all the time.  (Nearly always cute in some way! lol)  This is another one which will get mailed to her without the need for any particular occasion.  

     I printed the image and colored it with my Sanjoki markers.  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die and I used a Fiskars punch on each of the four corners.  I printed and cut the sentiment with another Spellbinders die.  The bit of dp was found in the scrap basket and I can tell from the plaid design that it's from an old Recollections stack.

      Challenges:

As You Like It (Cute is always a favorite, and baby critters are always cute!)

Cardz 4 Galz

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspiration

Creative Knockouts

Di's Digi Designs

Outlawz Thurs

Pattie's Creations

Polkadoodles

Star Stampz

     Dig through your stamps, digis, or even dies and find one that works for the Baby Farm Animals theme, then come play in our challenge.  We love being inspired by what you create.   :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Birthday

      We're at the mid-way point in our current challenge at FarmQuest where our theme this fortnight is "Bird Nests or Bird Houses" and, of course, every challenge entry must always feature a farm or country feel.  This time, I've done a second card using an image from Jan's Digi Stamps (now closed - sniff sniff) called Early Spring Nest.  I love this image!  I just know those are robin's eggs in the nest.  :-D

     I colored the image with Sanjoki and ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Cottage Cutz die.  I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.  The background paper is a scrap from an old DCWV scrapbooking stack.  Pretty CAS overall, though it looks more complex because of the background.

     Challenges:

     Please come play with us during this upcoming week.  We love being inspired by what you create and enter.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie