Gothic Valentines

      Today is my turn to share my DT projects for the February challenge at Conjuror of Dreams.  The theme is Anything Goes but we give you an optional theme and this month, it's "Gothic Hearts."

     I did three cards using fabulous Conjuror images from two different sets.  This first one is from the "High Priestess of the Heart" set.  I printed her in grayscale, then colored her with Ohuhu markers.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, matted her with white CS, and then inked the edges.  The background dp (both of them) came from a Lawn Fawn stack.

     Challenges:

Girlz Creative Fun

Hand Stamped ...

Lawn Fawnatics

Pammie's IP

     This second card is from the same "High Priestess..." set and again, I printed it in light grayscale, colored it with markers (Sanjoki, this time), and cut it with a Spellbinders die.  Again, the dp came from that same Lawn Fawn stack.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

A Place to Start

Aud Sentiments

Simon Says Stamp

ZieloneKoty

     Finally, this last card features an image from the Conjuror set called "Love Potion."  This time, I used the pre-colored version but used Word to adjust the color tone and brightness before printing it.  I cut the image with a die from Tonic Studios, and inked the edges with a black marker.  The background dp came from that same Lawn Fawn stack and the red strip is CS cut with a long punch on one side.  I dropped this one into a neighbor's mail box anonymously.  She collects old, fancy, perfume bottles so I knew she'd love this image!

   

     Challenges:

Night Owls

Path of Positivity

  

     I know Valentine's Day is gone for this year but our challenge is still open and you can enter it but only for the rest of this week.  Our next challenge starts on Saturday, March 1.  I hope you're going to play along with us this month.  Don't forget that we also have a Progressive Challenge on our Facebook page.  You need to use a Conjuror of Dreams image to enter the Progressive challenge, but then you get the image for the following month free!  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cute Heart Valentine

      I'm posting my DT card today for the challenge over at Star Stampz.  Our themes are always "Anything Goes" with an optional subtheme, which is "Hearts" this month, in honor of Valentine's Day.

     I used the darling Star Stampz image called "Cute Heart Valentine."  I colored her with Ohuhu and Sanjoki markers, then cut the image with a QuicKutz die.  I added a frame to it, also cut with a QuicKutz die from that same set.  The background dp came from a DCWV stack which has been in my stash for at least 5 years!   The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Aud Sentiments
Cupcake Inspirations

Lil Patch of ...

Neglected Stuff

Outlawz SAR

Pammie's IP

     That's all I have for today.  Wishing you a fun and fabulous Valentine's Day on Friday.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Carnation Lady

      I'm finally getting around to posting a card for the progressive challenge over at Moondrea Designs this month.  I had problems for several days getting the image to print out but Wendy managed to send me a Word document with the image and I was ale to print that just fine.  Thanks so much, Wendy!

     The image is called "Carnations" and once I had it printed, I was able to color it with a combo of Sanjoki and Ohuhu markers.  After coloring it, I cut it with a Tonic Studios die.  The pink CS frame was cut with my Fiskars paper cutter and I mounted the image piece onto it.  The background dp came from a DCWV stack.  I found that delightful, embroidered ribbon in my stash of Christmas ribbons and I'm pretty sure it came from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

     Challenges:

     That's all I have today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Dragon & the Knight

      Guess what?   There's a new challenge starting today at Star Stampz and it's the first one of 2025.  Boy, I'm not used to typing 2025 yet.  I had to go back and correct it from typing 2024.  :-D  Our theme is always Anything Goes with an optional theme.  This time, the option is "Inspired by a Song."

     I took that to heart and went searching for a Star Stampz image that had a dragon because "Puff, the Magic Dragon" was running through my head.  The image is The Dragon and the Knight.  I colored it with my Ohuhu markers, then cut it with a Tonic Studios die, and cut the corners with a Uchida punch.  

     I did the same things to a piece of DCWV dp and used it for the frame around he image.  The background was made with another piece of dp from that same DCWV stack.  I know I tend to use DCWV papers more than any others and part of that is because they are a favorite of mine but also because I own more DCWV stacks than any other brand.  That may have happened because when I first started paper crafting, the craft store where I made my purchases back in those days carried mostly DCWV,  I've used other brands over the years but I still tend to go back to DCWV.  (and I have a HUGE stash of it which I'll never use up, even if I live to be 100!)

     I added a wrap of purple Really Reasonable Ribbon and tied a bow with it also.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafty Catz

DL Art

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds

     Come play with us in this challenge, won't you?   If you don't find yourself inspired by a song, you can always enter an Anything Goes card.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Gnome's Country Christmas

     Here it is the end of the first week in January and we have a new challenge starting at FarmQuest Country Christmas.   While our themes are pretty much "Anything Christmas Goes," we do require that your projects have a farm or country aspect to them.  So, outdoors rather than indoors, fields and open spaces instead of city streets or skylines, trees and bushes rather than fancy furniture, and of course, Christmas!

     My card today features a darling little gnome from Anet Art Store and I printed the image in gray scale, then colored him with my Ohuhu markers.  Once colored, I used a QuicKutz die to cut the image and I inked the edges.  I put the background together with green CS and a scrap of dp from DCWV.   I wanted plenty of trees so that you'd know it was an outdoor scene so in addition to the trees in the image and the dp, I added little, felt trees along the left edge which were cut using a Cottage Cuts die.

     Challenges:

Color My Heart

C.R.A.F.T.

Crafts Galore Encore

Crafty Calendar

Creative Knockouts

Just Us Girls

Kerst/ Christmas

Outlawz Friday

Paper Shelter

Peace on Earth

     Won't you come play with us this month?  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Hug

      I adore this image and as soon as I printed it for coloring, my sweet (and very talented!) sis-in-law laid claim to it for coloring.  It's a clip art image and I don't even remember where I got it but she colored it with a mix of Ohuhu and ProMarkers.  Isn't her coloring fabulous?

     Once colored, she gave it back to me because making the actual cards seems to be my portion of the collaborations we do.  I haven't gotten her into that side of the creative process but it works out well when she colors and I turn those images into cards.  

     I cut the image with a QuicKutz die, then used a Fiskars punch on the four corners.  I framed that with a piece of scrap, gray CS, and I inked the edges of the frame.  For the background, I found bits of dp in the Christmas scrap basket, layered them one above another and thought they worked really well together.  I wrapped a snippet of very narrow ribbon around the card front and also tied another scrap of it into a simple bow.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart

Outlawz Tues (bottom left to top right)

Paperminutes

Passion for Markers

Simon Says Stamp

Snippets Playground (background papers, gray image frame, & ribbon scraps)

Tues Morning

     It's Christmas Eve and I wish each  and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Girl

      For all my promises last week about having posts each day for the past 7 days, the "To Do" list just got the best of me and, even though I've been very busy creating in the midst of the Christmas preparations, I didn't have time to sit down and write posts.  But today, I finally finished the Progressive Challenge image from Moondrea Designs and I want to get her posted to the Challenge.

     I colored with my Ohuhu markers, then added Stickles to the holly leaves, the berries, and the candle flame in the lantern.  After it all dried, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, and decorated the corners with Fiskars and Uchida punches.  I framed the image with a die cut rectangle of green CS (Spellbinders die.)  The background dp is a scrap from the Christmas stash (probably DCWV) and the sentiment was printed and cut with another Tonic Studios die.

     Challenges:

4 Season

613 Ave Create

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Peace on Earth

     Hopefully, I'll have additional posts this week.  We aren't celebrating our Christmas holiday until Saturday when my college-attending, granddaughter gets home for her Christmas holidays.  Maybe I'll have posts all week long of Christmas cards I've made even though Christmas will be on Wednesday.  You won't mind, will you?  The Christmas holidays don't really end until the New Year, right?

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Snowflake Santa

      I have to share a card with a spectacular image which was colored by my sis-in-law using pastel Ohuhu markers and white gel pens.  Didn't she do an incredible job?  The image is clip art and I think originally it was a digital coloring book page but I sized it for a card before printing it.  

     After she colored it, I cut it with a QuicKutz die, then used a Fiskars punch on the corners.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I decided to use blue glitter paper on the card front to enhance the soft blues in the image.  The two snowflake embellies are die cut foam and the dies were from Cottage Cuts.

     Challenges:

CRAFT-alnica

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

I Spy ...

Passion for Markers

Male Room

Penny's P-C

     Christmas is less than 2 weeks away and I'm still making cards!  Yikes!  Have you finished all of yours?  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

Letter "U" for Beccy's Place

      This is my card for the letter "U" in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  I've used Utensils and Under the Mistletoe.

     I may have told this story before since I know I've used the image for Christmas cards and it always brings back the same childhood memory but, when I was growing up, we lived in the same town as an uncle and his family, which happened to include a favorite cousin.  My aunt had been given a set of decorator, wooden utensils (I think they were a fork and spoon) and they were about 20 inches long.  She chose to hang them (crossed into an 'x') above the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen.  They were on the dining room side.  Each holiday season, she would hang a bit of mistletoe from them with a sign that said "Kiss the Cook."

     Every time I see this utensils image from Beccy's Place, it brings back that memory and I decided to use the image for "U."   I colored with Ohuhu markers, then cut both the image and the sentiment with oval dies from QuicKutz.  The gold, glittery squares were cut with Spellbinders dies.  The deep green square was dry embossed with my 'Linen' embossing folder.

     The tiny poinsettia and candy cane embellishments were in my Christmas stash and I think they are probably Jolee's.

     Challenges:

Can You Handle ...? (green square 'Linen' EF)

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Creative Knockouts

Lil Patch of ...

Peace on Earth

Polkadoodles

    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Beccy's - Black, White, & 1 Color!

      Time for the next 30 Days of Holidays theme that isn't a letter of the alphabet and Beccy has chosen Black and White + 1 Color.  I started browsing through my rather large collection of Beccy's Place images and found that most of them would have resulted in more than one color being used for the images to look properly 'finished.'  Then I ran across her "Mistletoe" image and knew it would be perfect!

     I merged the sentiment (also from Beccy's Place) before printing the image, then colored it with my Ohuhu markers.  I used a bit of white and charcoal gray pencils on the berries to make them look spherical.   The image was cut with a QuicKutz die.  The two papers are both from the scrap basket and I think they originally came from a DCWV stack.

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

Polkadoodles

     This second post for today is all I have and I'm off to do some planning and prep work for our upcoming Thanksgiving next week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

All I Want for Christmas

      I adore this latest image for the FB Progressive Challenge at Moondrea Designs.  The image is named "Summer" but I wanted her for a Christmas card so I gave her long sleeves, colored her in traditional red and green using my Ohuhu markers, and added a Christmas sentiment.  

     Once colored, I cut the image, and the dark green mat framing it, with Tonic Studio dies.  I added green Stickles to her earrings, and little drops of gold Liquid Pearls to the flower centers.  The background dp was stamped with Versamark on a large, decorative stamp, then heat embossed with gold EP.  I think she made a delightful & feminine Christmas card.  :-D

     Challenges:

Holly & Ivy

Lil Patch of ...

Pammie's IP

Peace on Earth

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Letter "O" - 30 Days of Holidays

      Today we return to the letters of the alphabet for the daily challenges at Beccy's Place and I'm up to the Letter "O."  I've done an Offset Gate Fold card (tutorial is available on Beccy's blog under the A - Z Folds tab at the top of the page.  In my opinion, Beccy does some of the best tutorials around; step by specific step, clear, and easily understood.)

    I colored the cute snowman image (also Beccy's Place) in Odd (odd for Christmas) colors of purple and pink and I used my Ohuhu alcohol markers.  The sweet snowman is carrying an Ornament as he readies his home for Christmas.  Once colored, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, and cut the mat for it with another die from that set.  The papers on each flap of the gatefold came from Doodlebug.  I thought the print on the papers was enough so that no further embellishment was needed.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Classic Design

Crafting Happiness

Creative Creases

Krafty Chicks

Outlawz Monday

Outlawz Thurs

Peace on Earth

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

30 Days of Holidays - Change the Colors

      This is going to be a quick post because I've come down with some sort of respiratory bug and I'm feeling pretty miserable.  

     Today, Beccy (Beccy's Place) gave us our first challenge theme which isn't a letter of the alphabet and she challenged us to use the same image on two different cards, but changing the colors of the image.  I chose to use one of her quilted stocking images, doing it first in red (Ohuhu & Copic markers), then again in green (Sanjoki markers.)  I also decided to reverse the images from each other before printing them, just to accentuate the difference.

     I used glitter CS for the card fronts and did no embellishments.  The images were both cut with QuicKutz dies but on the green image, I rounded the corners with a Fiskars punch.  Both sentiments were printed and cut with Avery Elle dies.  Very fast and very CAS - just what I needed today so that I can go lie in bed as soon as my post is finished.  :-D

 

     Challenges:

     Enjoy your day.  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

Spider, Spider in the Pot

      I couldn't resist this spider who clearly fears for his life!  Spiders are my most unfavorite creatures on earth - just looking at pictures of most spiders makes my stomach shudder and turn over.  I don't even take down cobwebs until there are so filled with dust and grime that I'm sure no self-respecting spider would live there any more.  So, seeing a spider about to be boiled bothers me not at all !  lol

     This image is from a collection by Zigi Design Studio which I bought recently and many were used this Halloween, including this one on another card which I posted earlier.  All the images come pre-colored but they can easily be printed in grayscale and colored with Ohuhu markers &/or colored pencils.  Printing in grayscale means that you already have all the shadows and highlights and that allows you to shade in exactly the right spots.

     The image was cut with a QuicKutz die, the edges were inked, and I matted it with a scrap of orange CS.  The striped paper is from a Recollections stack.  The sentiment was printed and then cut with an Avery Elle die.  Simple, quick, and easy to mail.

     Challenges:

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Halloween AYR

If You Give a Crafter ...

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

     I should have two more Halloween cards between now and the start of November.  I made so many cards this year, I had to mail Halloween greetings to everyone in my family and a few friends besides.  :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Besties

      I absolutely adore the image I used on this card today!  I also love the idea of a cat and a mouse being besties.  :-D   The sentiment was printed along with the image, then the image was colored with Ohuhu alcohol markers.  After coloring, I cut it using my Fiskars paper cutter.  (Reminder to self - it's time to replace the blade.  lol)  I rounded the corners with a Uchida punch from Marvy.  

     I found a dark green CS in my stash and cut it to size for the card front, then added a wide strip of dp to the left hand side (scrap from a DCWV stack.)  The bow is one of my hand sewn, butterfly-shape bows with a pearl.  I spend an entire afternoon hand sewing those by the dozen and tossing them into my stash for future use, sometimes with a pearl, sometimes without.  Over the years, I've learned to buy only white ribbon to make those because it's so easy to 'dye' them with markers to get the exact color I want,  matching up one of the colors used on the image.  This time, I kept the bow white.

     Challenges:

613 Avenue Create

Creative Fingers

Double Trouble

Gem of a Challenge

Pammie's IP

SUYP Cats

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Great (Hair) Day

      My granddaughter, the one who's away at college in Texas and who has a thing about cows - especially highland heifers, is having a birthday soon.  I haven't been able to decide which cow image I wanted to use for her card so I've done a couple of collaboration cards with my sis-in-law in which she colors and I turn her colored images into cards.  This is one of them and it's definitely in the running to be the birthday card!

     After Lainy colored the image with Ohuhu markers and colored pencils, I cut it with a large QuicKutz die.  I rounded the corners with a Fiskars punch.   I dug through the scrap basket and found the bits I used for the background; a dp strip from a Recollections stack, some orange CS, and a rectangle of beige which had been run through an embossing folder making a leather-look embossed pattern.

     I hand-sewed a small bow, 'dyed' orange with a marker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Double Trouble (green, blue, orange, brown, yellow)

Night Owls

Pammie's IP

Passion for Makers

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

All About Halloween

      I'm playing catch-up today because I haven't posted in nearly a week and because Halloween is only a week away.  I have three Halloween witches to share with you and one scared dragoon!  lol  Can dragons actually be scared of anything?  Let's see.

     This is another collaboration card (in fact, all the ones in this post are collaboration cards), with coloring by my sis-in-law, Lainy, and card making by yours truly. We found this silly image of a dragon hiding in a trunk on a clip art site and printed it for coloring.  Unfortunately, it was a very small image and when we enlarged it to color it, the image got a bit blurry.  We corrected as much as we could before printing but it's not really sharp.

     Lainy colored it using Ohuhu markers, then hand drew the spider and colored it with Ohuhus.  There is a string of web from which the spider is hanging but it's hard to see in the photo.  I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, inked the edges and layered it onto the embossed CS I selected for the background (Recollections.)  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I added a wrap of glitter ribbon for a touch of sparkle.

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Digi Choosday

DL Art

     This next card (our first witch for the day) has an image that's actually from a digital coloring book, reduced in size to fit an A2 card.  Again, colored with Ohuhu markers but a few details & highlights were added with gel pens.  Image was cut with a QuicKutz die, and matted with orange CS.  The spiderweb dp is from a Recollections stack and the bow was hand sewn, then 'dyed' with a marker, and a pearl was added to the center of it.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Krafty Chicks

Outlawz Thursday

Try It on Tuesday

     Second witch card, an adorable mouse witch, and this time the image came from a friend who printed it for Lainy and asked her to color it, so we have no info on the artist.  If anyone knows, please leave a comment and let us know because we love giving proper credit.  The image had been printed in grayscale and Lainy used colored pencils on it.  I cut the image and the black mat with Tonic Studios dies.  Sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then I added a mat of orange, hand trimmed to size.  The background was made with CS and a strip of dp from the scrap basket.  I tied the bow with a scrap of ribbon lying on the desk from another project.

     Challenges:

Craft Rocket

Creative Knockouts

Penny's P-C

     This last witch is from my AuroraWings collection of images, and Lainy fell in love with her and her cat the instant she saw her so I printed it for her to color.  The black background is actually part of the image.  Lainy used Ohuhu markers to color this one, adding white gel pen to the whites of the eyes.  Once she finished, I cut the image on my Fiskars paper cutter, and matted it with white CS.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background dp came from a Recollections stack and I added ribbon and a triple loop bow to the top of the card.  I love using ribbon because it allows me to make fancy bows with a shiny glow from the satin, unlike twine or cord which always seems flat or dull (but that works well on masculine cards, I guess.)

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Cardz 4 Galz

Double D

Paper Shelter

     OK, now I feel like I'm getting caught up on posting and I'll try to have another post tomorrow,  

Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Lady of the Roses

     No Halloween cards today, no Thanksgiving, & no Christmas, just a birthday card for a young princess.  :-)  The image came from Moondrea Designs and she's called "Lady of the Roses."  

     I used Ohuhu alcohol markers to color her, then cut her with one of my first dies from QuicKutz.  I inked the edges, then printed and cut the sentiment with a die from Avery Elle.  I wanted a very CAS card so added only a hand-sewn bow for embellishment.  The ribbon for the bow was originally white but I 'dyed' it with a marker, then added the tiny half-pearl.  

     While I use both on my cards, I find myself reaching for ribbon much more often than I reach for and use twine or cord.  I think it's because I can tie so many different kinds of bows with ribbon and I have the advantage of being able to make white ribbon any color I like to more closely match a color in the image or on the card.  Either way, ribbon is my "go to" for feminine cards!

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Beautiful Blossoms

Digi Choosday

Krafty Chicks

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's I-P

Triple B

Word Art Weds.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie