Cuddles with Santa

      It's Christmas Day and, in case you haven't seen my Christmas Greeting to all, just scroll down one post. 

     I'm also sharing this card today because I'm way too far behind on posting the cards I've made over the last 2 weeks!  This one is another collaboration with my SIL, Lainy, where she's done the coloring and I've turned it into a card.  She was still coloring images for Christmas cards yesterday!  Of course, we both put off a good share of our gift wrapping efforts until yesterday so last minute cards were almost to be expected.  :-D

     This is another clip art image and this one was AI generated.  I've joined a FB group of very talented people who create AI images based on requests from people all over the internet.  They are free for personal use.  I'll share more about that group (including a link to the site) in my next post.  Today, time is short and I need to get this post finished before the dinner bell rings at my house.  :-D

     Lainy colored this image with colored pencils and, once finished, I cut it with a Tonic Studios die.  I inked the edges using a red marker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a QuicKutz die, and I used the same marker to ink the edges of it.  The background dp came from an old (very, very old!) K & Co. stack.  The red and the green candy cane embellishments were cut with a hand punch but it has no company name on it so I can't tell you who made it.  I've had it for a good many years and it's a favorite of mine during the Christmas season.  I added a single wrap of green ribbon around the bottom of the front flap.

     Challenges:

4 Season

Craftlandia

Cutie Pie

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Girlz Creative Fun

Outlawz Monday

Rudolph Days

     Make your Christmas as merry as possible!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gnome for Christmas

      It's the day for a new challenge over at FarmQuest Country Christmas where our theme is always "Anything Country Christmas Goes."  We want to see outdoor Christmas scenes or decorations on the farmhouse, or nearly anything that is both Christmas and outdoorsy, but not big city streets or shopping malls or cityscapes.  

     I chose this clip art image with three gnomes on the Christmas Tree Farm.  I don't know the artist but if you do, please let me know.  I love to give proper credit where possible.  I colored the image with my Sanjoki markers, added highlights to their beards with a white gel pen, and cut the image with an old QuicKutz die.  I love the shape of it.  I inked the edges in red, then layered it onto a background of glittery, golden holly leaves.  That CS came from Paper Studios and the dp strip along the right hand side is a scrap from a DCWV stack.

     The glittery golden bow is from K & Co. and I thought it added exactly the proper amount of sparkle and glitz.  I admit, when it's Christmas, glitter is my absolute favorite and when it's combined with gold, that takes it over the top!  The sparkle adds so much to the festive feel of the holiday.  :-D

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aloha Friday

Colorful Options

Crafty Catz

Creative Inspiration

Digi Choosday

Kerst / Christmas

Outlawz Friday

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in this challenge.  Just create something that celebrates both country and Christmas and you're in!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Sparkle

      Today I'm sharing a Christmas card, maybe the first one I've done since my few "Christmas in July" cards.  This one is  little different in that only three markers were used (yellow ProMarker on the glow of the candle flame, green ProMarker on the fir foliage, and light gray ProMarker for the shadow behind the swag), then the rest of the coloring was done by layering on sparkle gel pens over the greenery and the flame.  It gives a very soft, sparkly, glow to the image.  White gel pen was used for adding highlights to the ornaments, too.

     Once colored, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then inked the edges with a green ProMarker.  The sentiment came from a scrap of Christmas CS, probably from K & Co., and I cut it with the smallest die from that same set of Tonic Studios rectangle dies, & again inked the edges with a ProMarker.  The background dp is from a Recollections stack.  I found the strip of holly & berries dp in the scrap basket. applied it across the top of the card, and trimmed it to size.

     Challenges:

Gem of a Challenge

I Love ProMarkers

Penny's P-C

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

      My favorite day of the year because I get to celebrate my birthday and that's especially fun since it's not only St. Patrick's Day but I'm Irish on both sides of the family tree.  :-D  I celebrate by making St. Pat's cards for everyone in my family.

     Remember, on St. Patrick's Day, everyone gets to be Irish.  Just put an "O' " or a "Mc" in front of your last name and you're in.  :-D

     The image featured on this card is another clip art which I printed in light grayscale, then colored with a combo of pencil, watercolors, and Sanjoki markers.  White highlights were done with a gel pen.  I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, then matted it with green glitter paper for a wee bit o' sparkle, also cut with a Spellbinders die.  The background paper is from a K & Co. stack. 

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspiration

Creative Knockouts

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

Pattie's Creations

Star Stampz

WordArt Weds

Worldwide Crafters

ZieloneKoty

     Wishing you the best today and may the Luck of the Irish be with you!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Irish Dragon

     I shared a St. Patrick's card the other day which I had made for my granddaughter who loves cows, and today I have one for another granddaughter who adores dragons (as do I !)  

     I merged this digital coloring book, clip art image, with the small dragon image merged in the upper corner, then printed it in very light grayscale.  Once printed, I colored it with water colors and alcohol markers.  The image was cut with a Tonic Studios die and layered onto a white background on which I had printed the sentiment.  The background paper came from a K & Co. stack.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Digi Choosday

Double Trouble

Outlawz SAR (March, April, Nature)

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp

Star Stampz

     Enjoy and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Lazy St. Patrick's Day

      I'm one of those lucky individuals who celebrates her birthday on St. Patrick's Day but I'm also of Irish decent on both sides of my family tree!  My way of celebrating my Irish heritage is to make St. Patrick's cards for all the kids in my family; a way of reminding them that they, too, have an Irish heritage.  :-D

     Those of you who follow my blog probably already know about the running "cow" theme with my youngest granddaughter and St. Patrick's makes no exception.  I searched for cow images related to St. Paddy's Day and found an entire collection of them in digital coloring book form.  I've used many of the pages for cards this month, reduced to accommodate my need for card size, and colored most of them with either water color pencils or Sanjoki markers.  Those same images also come in pre-colored versions, but I print those in grayscale and color them myself.  I do that because the shading and highlights are still there and that gives my own coloring a marvelous 'finished' look!  Try it, you'll be delighted with the results.

     I cut this image with an old QuicKutz die, then snipped off the corners with deliberately different sizes, although the angle is the same on each corner.  I managed to do that by using one of my quilting mats, penciling in the line I wanted to cut, then cutting those with scissors.  The background paper is from K & Co.   Pretty CAS except for the design in the paper. 

     Challenges:

Colorful Options 

Daisy Chain

Double Trouble

Inspiration Station (St Pat's celebration)

Inspired By

LeighSBDesigns

Outlawz Friday

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

Simply CAS

     I'll share another couple of these with you later in the week.  In the meantime, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie  

Light Unto the World

      Today, we start another new challenge at FarmQuest, where 'country or farm' is a necessary part of our challenge.  In addition to that, we give you a theme to follow.  This fortnight, our theme is "Lights."  Since Christmas is right around the corner, I decided to feature the kinds of lights we might associate with that holiday.

     I had two favorite images and I simply could not choose between them, so I did two inspiration cards for this challenge.  This first one is a classic candle lantern with holiday greenery, and I colored it with water color paints and a little dab of Stickles to make the candle light sparkle.  I used white gel pen on the snow.

     The image was cut with an Unbranded die, and the sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I used red CS on the right side of the card front and a scrap from an old K & Co. stack on the left card front.  The tiny gem on the sentiment piece is from Stampin' Up.

     Challenges: (for this card)

Creative Moments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Jan's Digi Stamps

Simon Says Stamp

     The second card features a clip art image by Anton Peck, filled with street lamps and candles, printed in 10% gray scale (which leaves just a hint of original color), and colored with Sanjoki markers.  Again, I added Stickles to the candle flames, and highlighted the snow by using white gel pen on it.   I absolutely adore the old elves making their own music for Christmas caroling on a country village street.

     The image was cut with a Tonic Studios die, the sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, and both were layered onto a piece of red CS.  This card has to be mailed so I left it flat and CAS.

     Challenges: (for this card)

Christmas Kickstart

Digi Choosday

Holly & Ivy

Pammie's IP

Passion for Markers

     Come play along in our challenge.  It's open until December 13 and a new challenge will begin on December 14th.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Painting Ornaments

      Today's image is from a digital coloring book, reduced in size to fit onto a card.  I think it was a Dillies coloring book, but since the image was printed last year and stuck in a folder waiting to be used, I can't be positive.

     I colored it with Copics and ProMarkers, added sparkling, metallic ink to the snowflakes and the ornament hanger for a tiny bit of sparkle, then cut the finished  image with a Tonic Studios die.  The sentiment is from QKR Stampede, and I printed and fussy cut it, then added a mat and fussy cut it also.  I used Pop Dots to add it.  The mat for the image was made from two CS scraps, one red and the other green.

     The background papers are from Paper Pizzazz and K & Co., the second one having been embossed with a folder from Cuttlebug.

I based my card design on the sketch at The Outlawz,

having dropped the middle CS piece to the bottom.

     Challenges:

ABC Christmas

Double D

I Love Markers

Paper Shelter

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

3 Christmas Kittens

      Is this the most adorable image ever?  I mean, even people who are dog lovers instead of cat lovers have to admit these three are too cute to ignore.  :-D  This is a clip art image which I printed in gray scale and then colored.

     I used my polychromos pencils, blended with gamsol, for that soft fur look.  Highlights were added using white and red gel pens.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then framed it with gauze paper, trimmed closely with my Fiskars cutting board.  The sentiment was printed and fussy cut, and the little candy canes (which are 3D) came from K & Co.  Everything was mounted onto a green card base.

     Challenges:

Coloring w Pencils

C.R.A.F.T.

Crazy for Cats

Creative Inspiration

Friendship

Kerst Christmas

LeighSBDesigns

My Fav Things

Outlawz Friday

Pattie's Creations

SUYP Cats

     Have a wonderful day, stay cool in the hot weather (or dry if it's raining on you), and make your day one of the best, even if you have to just arbitrarily restart it every hour.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Snow Globe Christmas

      One week into July and I'm still doing Christmas cards.  My stash has grown but only a little bit considering that I need around 100 cards this year.  I think I now have 5 done, maybe 6.  lol  But I'm making 1 (sometimes 2) each day so by the end of this month, I should be more than 1/3 of the way to my goal.

     This lovely image comes from Conie Fong and it's called "Snow Globe Wishes."  Amazingly, Conie has put her entire Etsy store on sale at 25% off for three days, July 7, 8 and 9, calling it a 'Christmas in July' sale!  But all the images in the store are on sale, not just Christmas images.  It started yesterday and two more days isn't very long so better get over there right now.  

     I colored this lovely lady with Sanjoki markers, then cut her out using a Spellbinders die.  I layered her onto a snowflake-embossed panel and that was layered onto a scrap of dp from K & Co. which has die cut borders.  I fussy cut the sentiment, added it to a lower corner, then added the three tiny pearls to the upper corner.  I think this is a delightfully 'elegant' Christmas card.

     Challenges:

12 Months...Christmas

Birthstone

Can You Handle...?

Christmas Bingo ('O' free/pattern dp/emboss)

Classic Design

Crafts Galore ...

Dragonfly Dreams

Mirtillamente

Outlawz SAR

Polkadoodles

     We'd love to see you playing in our challenge over on Facebook.  All you need to do is use a Conie Fong image (and since you are now rushing off to the 25% off sale, you'll have that part handled!) and the theme is always Anything Goes.  Come on over and play.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Girl with Caterpillar

      I'm back with another delightful Mariola Budek image, this time of a young girl with a caterpillar on an autumn leaf.  I colored it in obvious autumn colors using a combination of Sanjoki and ProMarkers, then cut it on 2 sides with a sawtooth die from CC Designs.  I accented those two sides using a cross stitch die from Lawn Fawn (Lawn Cuts.)

     The background dp is from a textured stack by DCWV.  The sentiment was cut from a K & Co. paper pad and the butterfly gem was a Studio 8 embellishment.

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Kittens in the Milk Pail

      I had so much fun making this card, my second DT project for the new challenge at FarmQuest General Store (FQGS, for short) which starts on the 7th of each month and ends on the 5th of the following month.  Our theme is always Anything Farm Country Goes (see the blog site for more specifics on that.)

     I played with an old photograph, printed in grayscale, and colored with blue ProMarkers to give it a bit of tint, kind of like coloring old tintypes.  I cut the image with a rectangle Tonic Studios die, then layered it onto a scrap piece of CS which was the center of  a frame previously cut with a Sue Wilson die for another project.  

     Moral of the story:  Never, ever throw out the scraps!  I know both the scrap CS and the scrap of dp have been around in the scrap basket for more than 2 years.  The twine is probably 4 or 5 years old, and the dies I used have been in my collection for more years than I can count.

     The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die and the top edge of the mat was cut with that same Sue Wilson die so that the sentiment would tuck in nicely at the bottom of the image piece.  The striped dp was also a scrap from the basket and I think it was from a K & Co. stack.  The fiber/twine came from The Twinery.

     Challenges:

Digi Choosday

Outlawz Thurs

Pammie's IP

Paper Funday

Passion for Markers

Penny's P-C

Polkadoodles

SUYP Cats

Word Art Weds

     We'd love to see you playing in our challenges this month.  We get as much inspiration from you as you get from us, you know.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Missing Bird

     Today we start a new challenge at QKR Stampede, where our theme is always "Anything Goes" and where you can win two different ways; use a QKR Stampede image (or Eureka Stamps, our sister digi company) and be entered into a drawing just for those who used those images or use any image from any company and have your entry put into the general drawing.  Both winners are chosen by Random.org but DT members have some input on which QKR/Eureka entries are put into the drawing.

     I absolutely adore this image from QKR Stampede, called "What Bird?"  It's just so true to feline character when caught doing something they ought not!  Obviously, this cat has too much time on his hands when he's forced to stay inside during the cold winter months.  This is his version of  'winter fun.'  I doubt that his people truly believe his "What Bird" answer when the family canary is missing from his cage!  lol  

     I colored the image with water color paints and cut it with a Dare 2B Artsy pinpoint circle die.  The brown frame was also cut with another die from that same set, making pinpoints on the inside of the circle instead of the outside, and the frame circle was cut on the outside with a QuicKutz die.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background paper is a scrap from K & Co.  I used polka dot, grosgrain ribbon for the hand-tied bow.  This is going into my birthday card stash for one of the grandkids.  :-D

     Challenges:

Creative Inspirations

Cupcake Inspirations

Dare 2B Artsy

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Paper Funday

Paper Shelter

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp (food? lol)

SUYP Cats

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this fortnight.  We love being inspired by you.

     And, don't forget that we have a DT call going until mid-February and we're still looking for a couple more people to join the team.  Check out the details on the blog.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Special Noel

      I have loved House Mouse stamps since I first discovered them more than a decade ago,  I know they had been around for quite a while even back then but I was slow getting to the card making game.  I especially love their Christmas images and have several which I use nearly every year.  This is one of them.

     With my recurring (and somewhat permanent) vision problems, I'm finding new ways to color images.  For this one, the stamp was a bit smaller than I needed so I stamped it, photographed it with just the uncolored stamp, then used my photo editing software to enlarge it to a size I could see easily for coloring.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then photographed it again in order to reduce the size to what I needed for a square card.  A time consuming, multi-step process, but it allows me to still enjoy the pleasure of coloring for my card making.

     Once the colored image was reduced, I cut it with a Gina Marie die.  I made the background for the card using dp scraps (K & Co.) and a CS scrap (DCWV) which I ran through my Linen folder.  I cut those diagonally and layered them one on the other, then added the image piece.  The metallic ribbon is wired and glittered, and I used it for both the wrap around the card front and for the hand tied bow. 

     Challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

House Mouse

I Love ProMarkers

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Paper Shelter

Passion for Markers

Tuesday Morning ...

     That's it for today but hopefully I'll have another post tomorrow.  If not then, perhaps on Friday.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Stocking Girl

      The delightful image on this card is from the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World 101, but it as for the November challenge and I had it firmly in mind that the challenge ran from the 5th through the 14th of each month.  Ooops, it now starts on the 5th of each month so I'm late posting my card but I posted it anyway and now I'm sharing it with all of you.  :-D

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, then fussy cut it with scissors.  I mounted it onto a scrap of dp which came from an old stack by K & Co.  I added burgundy CS to an A2 card front, then layered on the image and added sparkly red ribbon to the edge.  I used that same ribbon to hand tie the bow.  The sentiment was cut with a die from Avery Elle.

     Challenges:

4 Season

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Di's Digi Designs

Double D

Inspiration Station

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Festive Fri

Peace on Earth

Simon Says Stamp

Taylormade ...

There's a Stamp ...

Winter Wonderland

Your Next Stamp

     That's all for today but I'll be back tomorrow with a new card.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Joy Fold Card

      Today I'm sharing a Joy Fold Card for the letter "J" in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  The sentiment image is from Beccy's Place and I followed the tutorial Beccy has available (click on  the word tutorial to see it.)  In addition to the Joy Fold, I have Jade green, Juniper green, and Joy in the sentiment.

     This was one of the easiest cards I've done, yet it looks much more complex.  I know I'm going to be using it again.  The word Joy was colored by adding a layer of texture using Liquid Pearls as the 'paint.'  It took quite a while to dry but once it was dry, I cut the sentiment with a Spellbinders rectangle die.  The papers came from Authentic, K & Co., and DCWV.

     Challenges:

12 Months ... Christmas

613 Ave Create

Crafty Calendar

Dragonfly Dreams

Happy Li'l Stampers

Kerst Christmas

Lil Patch of ...

Peace on Earth

Polkadoodles

     I'll have a second post today, in about an hour, because I'm still trying to get caught up on the alphabet prompts over at Beccy's Place.  Be sure to check back later on.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Most Magical Time November Challenge

      Here we are on the first Friday of November and that means another new challenge at Most Magical Time of the Year where we celebrate both Christmas and Halloween all year around.  Our sponsor this month is All Dressed Up and they supplied the cutest images for us to use.  I chose to use both images (Christmas Tree Fairy and Magical Day) and make two cards.  Our theme is "Magical Fall Colors."

      Both are colored with watercolors but Christmas Tree Fairy has glitter on her wings and is cut with a QuicKutz die.  Unfortunately, when I photographed the Fairy card, the orange colors I used look more red than orange.

     The Magical Day image and the lavender frame are cut with dies from Dare 2B Artzy.  The background paper on the Christmas Tree Fairy card is from a K & Co. stack.  The bow is hand-tied using orange and gold corded ribbon.

     The Magical Day card has one of my signature, hand-sewn bows made with sheer ribbon and a pearl.  The background on that one is from DCWV and the pumpkin & flowers are heat embossed with sparkly EP.

     Challenges:

All Dressed Up

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

Outlawz Festive Fri

Paperbabe

Pattie's Creations

     Challenges:

2 Sisters ... Blog

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Hazelnut's

Creatalicious

Dare 2B Artzy

Happy Li'l Stampers

There's a Stamp ...

Two Old Bats

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our November challenge.  Check out the Most Magical Time blog for all the details.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Shamrock Wishes

      This is my second card in a row with a delightful image from Jan's Digi Stamps!  Scroll down one post to see the card DT that I did for Pammie's Inky Pinkies which is being sponsored by Jan's this week.  Today is the first Monday in March and our new monthly has just started at Jan's Digi Stamps.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and the challenge will run until the first Sunday in April.  

     My DT card for today features one of Jan's most recent releases, a set called "Shamrock Wishes."  You really should check it out.  There are 5 different images in the set plus sentiments!   Everything on the card was done with scraps, including the ribbon for the bow.  I used polychromos pencils to color the image, then cut and framed it (with scraps of black and white CS) using QuicKutz dies.  The papers are scrap bits from an old K & Co. stack and the ribbon for the bow was the last I had of it in my stash.

     Challenges:

4-Season

Double Trouble

Inspiration Station

Lil Patch of ...

Pixie's Snippets

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

Stamping Sensations

We Love Stamping

     I hope you're going to come play with us this month.  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Luck o' the Irish

      Top o' the Mornin' to ya, as the Irish would say.  We're celebrating a new challenge this week at Creative Knockouts and our theme is "Sparkle and Shine."  We are sponsored by LeAnn's World and they generously supplied the two images used by the team.  I used "Luck of the Irish" which I reversed before printing.

     I used both colored pencils and ProMarkers to color the image, adding Stickles to make the sparkly elements.  The image was cut with a die from Dare 2B Artzy, and the frame piece was cut with a QuicKutz die.  All of the papers are from a K & Co. stack.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  Finally, I sewed one of my signature bows using shiny, satin ribbon which I dyed gold with a ProMarker.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

As You Like It (Definitely NOT interactive cards because the very idea of making them intimidates me!  Besides, I mail the majority of my cards and need them to be flat and simple.)

Colour Crazy

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz PAM

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

     I hope to see you playing in our challenge this week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Working from Home

      It's the 1st of another month and that means I'll have 2 posts today; one for the challenge at QKR Stampede and another for Your Scrapbook Place.  I also posted my GDT card for Ike's World late last night because their challenge goes live on the First Tuesday of the month but that's Monday night in my time zone.

     This is the one for YSP and our challenge theme is always Anything Goes.  Our wonderful sponsor this month is Hetty Clare (I love her images!) and she provided images to the DT.  I used this fun one called "Handbag Gonk."  It reminded me of the days when I dragged home a huge briefcase of things from the office which had to be completed at home.  Then came the pandemic and everyone was working from home so it all became "Home" work!

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a Cuts die.  I used another Cuts die from that set to cut the image frame which I embossed with my Linen EF before adding the image piece.  I printed and cut the sentiment with an Avery Elle die.  That background dp is from K & Co.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Can You Handle ...

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Gem of  Challenge

Outlawz Festive Fri

Paperbabe

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

     It would be fun to see you playing along in our YSP challenge this month.  How can you beat an Anything Goes theme?  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie