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

Butterfly Kind of Day

      Is anyone else out there looking forward to spring?  Yesterday,  the groundhog said another 6 weeks of Winter but I'm thinking of spring and butterflies and buds on the trees.  This challenge inspiration photo from Inspiration Station pretty much says it all.  :-D

     A new challenge starts today and, as always, we give you a photo for inspiration.  You can do nearly anything but we do want to know how you were inspired.  Was it the butterfly?  The colors?  The season?  A memory?  Tell us and add your project to the link up for the entries.

     Here's my card ad I've already told you that the butterfly was my inspiration.  The image is a clip art photo, edited so that the background stayed pre-colored but the butterfly was gray scale, and I colored it with ProMarkers and gel pens.  I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, and added a frame made with pumpkin CS and trimmed to fit.  I layered that onto two pieces of kraft CS, added to diagonal corners top and bottom.  

     The plaid background dp came from a Recollections stack which has been in my stash almost forever!  I ran across the stack last month, hidden away in a craft room cabinet, and decided it was time to start using the papers before they got brittle and crumbled to bits.  :-D

     Challenges:

Lil Patch of ...

Love ...Pretty Papers

Neglected Stuff

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp

Triple B

     Come play in our challenge, won't you?  We love being inspired by what you create and enter.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Birds

      Here it is, time for the first challenge of the new year over at Inspiration Station.  We always give you a photo for inspiration and you may create anything you like but be sure to tell us what from the photo inspired you.  Here's the photo for this month and I was inspired by the wintery scene and the bird.

     I found a clip art image from Trendy Clipart which I reversed, printed in grayscale, & then colored with my new set of water colors (thank you, Santa.)  White highlights were added with gel pen.  I cut the image with a die from QuicKutz, inked the edges, and layered it onto glitter paper.  All of that went onto an A2 card front and the sentiment was added when all else was finished.  It really was a quick and easy card, taking less than 25 minutes, including coloring time.

     Challenges:

AAA Cards

Aud Sentiments (new watercolors)

Di's Digi Designs

Let's Craft and Create

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp (new watercolors)

Triple B

     Come play with us this month.  Just find something in the photo that inspires you, create a ard, and enter it into the challenge.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gingerbread and Mittens

      Signs of Christmas, that's what gingerbread men and mittens are and today we have a a new challenge starting at Inspiration Station.  Each month on the first Monday, we give you an inspiration photo and ask you to create a project based on what inspires you from the photo.  Let your imagination run as you look at the photo and see what might inspire your creativity!

     Here's the photo.

And here's my DT inspiration card.  I was inspired by Christmas, the traditional colors, and the gingerbread man cookie.

     I immediately thought about this image, which came from Beccy's Place, and I used Sanjoki and ProMarkers to color it.  Rather than die cut the image, I decided to fussy cut it with scissors, leaving a white border just outside of the gray shadow surrounding the image.  The sentiment is also from Beccy's and I printed it, then cut it with an Avery Elle die.  I hand-tied the tiny bow using 1/8" ribbon which has a sparkly gold border along each edge.  Fast card and very CAS.

     Challenges:

12 Months Christmas

A Perfect Time ...

Colorful Options

Crafting Challenge

Crafts Galore ...

Do Al(l) Kreatives

Kerst / Christmas

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

     Come play in our challenge this month, won't you?  We love seeing what you create.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wheel in the Blessings

      Here it is, the first Monday of November and Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away, at least here in the USA.  Once again, Inspiration Station has a new challenge and a new inspiration photo for you.  Find something in the photo which inspires your creative juices and enter a creation into our challenge before the end of the month.

     Here's the inspiration photo for this month: 

Here's my card.  I was inspired by the autumn colors, the pumpkin in the background, the leaves, and the overall harvest season feel.

     The image is from Jan's Digi Stamps and it was colored with a combination of Ohuhu and ProMarkers.  I cut the image using a Spellbinders rectangle die, then rounded the corners with a Fiskars punch.  The sentiment was also from Jan's Digi Stamps and is part of the set for this image.  I cut it with another die, this one from QuicKutz, then inked the edges before adding it to the image piece (which also has inked edges.)  

     The plaid paper is from a fabulous stack by DCWV, called very simply "Stack 9."  I can't even tell you how long I've had that stack but I found it when I was going through my stash of 12" x  12" papers.  It was in an overlooked plastic storage container, along with at least 4 other stacks, none of which had been touched in at least 3 years!  This one was in pristine condition with none of the papers ever having been used!   Sigh... yes, I do hoard and forget to use things.

     Note about Double Trouble  We're partnering with Double Trouble this challenge and if you do layers - at least 3 - and are inspired by our photo, you can enter both challenges!  I did 3 layers and was inspired by the photo, obviously.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

Inkspirational

Love Those ... Papers

Outlawz Monday

Outlawz Color

Pammie's IP

     Hope we see you playing long this month.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Zombie Scarecrow

      It's been such a long time since I joined a new DT but today, I'm excited to announce that I'm now on the team for Inspiration Station!  We are a monthly challenge and our challenges start on the first Monday of each month.  For inspiration, we give you a photo or a photo collage and ask you to create based on something in the photo that inspires you.  We really want you to let your imagination flow; you might be inspired by the colors, the season, some specific item in the photo, or just an emotion you feel when looking at the inspiration photo.  When you enter the challenge, tell us what it was that inspired you.

     Here's the inspiration photo for this month.  I took inspiration from the jack-o-lanterns and the colors, including the black background (see the bats and moons paper.)

and here's my DT card.

     

     This cute zombie scarecrow is a digital coloring book image, printed in grayscale and colored with watercolors, pencils, and Ohuhu markers.  I cut the image and the white frame with dies from a QuicKutz set.  The papers both came from a Recollections paper stack.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

4 Season

613 Ave Create

Aloha Friday

Aud Sentiments

Dream Valley

Outlawz Monday

Outlawz SAR

Pammie's IP

     Won't you please get inspired by something in the photo and come play with us this month?   We love being inspired by your creations, too.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie