Summer, Flowers, and Bears, Oh, My!

     This delightful little "Tall Flower Bear" is a freebie I found last Friday at Bugaboo Stamps (Catch the Bug --Anything Goes.)  Isn't he just the most precious thing holding his big summer flower?  One look at him, and I decided it was time for another card done in my favorite color of purple.

My sketch is from Incy Wincy

and, as if I needed more inspiration to use purple, 

I took my colors from {Pin}spirational.

 

     The image is colored with a combination of markers, mostly ProMarkers.  The it's die cut and matted (dies from QuicKutz) and mounted on a black card base.  The inside has white paper for a hand written notation.

     The dp is from Recollections and is also used as the mat for the image.  I used sheer ribbon and purple ribbon with a sheen from my stash (could be Really Reasonable Ribbon) to make the dove tail strip, then I found a last scrap of purple gingham ribbon to tie that bow.  I added a pearl to the flower center and then added three more to the lower corner. Despite the patterned paper, the design is still pretty CAS with lots of open space.

     Challenges:
C is for Challenge -- Flowers
Card Makin' Mamas -- Monochromatic
Colour Me Creative -- Anything goes
Cutie Pie -- Cute and Cuddly
Fairy Tale -- Favorite colors
Friends of Speedy TV -- Monochromatic
Graph'It Markers -- Bright and bold
Love to Create -- Ribbon & bling
No Matter Which Challenge -- Anything goes
Outlawz PAM -- Summer
Send a Smile 4 Kids -- Diecuts
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner -- Animals
The Ribbon Girl -- Add a bow
There She Goes -- Animals

     I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday!  We're halfway to the weekend and that's fun time.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Boy's Birthday

     I'm thinking male birthdays today because I got a call this morning that my GDIL is in labor and my new great grand should be arriving sometime today.  My grandson so wants a boy!  They have a little girl, so we're all cheering for a boy this time.  Maybe by tomorrow I'll have big news I can share.

     Anyway, today's card is actually for a friend of mine who's celebrating his 61st.  He's not particularly fond of animals, at least not the 'pet' kind, so I thought this sentiment might be fun.  The image is from Hambo but I missed the deadline for their progressive challenge.  Maybe next week.  I used a sketch from Unscripted Sketches.

     The image is colored lightly with Copic markers, then matted with black CS.  Two of the background dps (been in my stash forever!) are also matted with black before being adhered to the card front.  The sentiment is printed, then matted in black and layered onto the dp.  The only embellishment is the gingham ribbon bow.

     I like the turquoise and washed denim blues on this card - they make it masculine without making it dark or heavy looking.  That cute cat needed something light and busy, since he's rather simple and plain himself.  Shopping Our Stash has a challenge of "dogs OR digis OR denim."  I did a digi image and denim blue, but that's definitely NOT a dog.  :-)  Incy Wincy wants to see the Old and the New.   The papers are old and the image is a new one for me.

     The final two challenges for this card are Top Tip Tuesday for straight edges, no circles, or ovals, and I have a tip to add.  When you have a great sentiment you thought up but don't have a stamp for it, and you don't want to write it in your own handwriting, search for computer fonts that look like handwriting and print the sentiment. There are dozens available out there and many of them are free downloads.

     Pixie Dust Studio has a challenge of "Boys Will be Boys".

     Hope you're having a great week.  Please visit again tomorrow to see whether we have a new great grand-son or -daughter.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie  (or should it be Great NanaConnie this week?  lol)