Most Magical Time of the Year

      Today is the kickoff for Most Magical Time of the Year, a new challenge blog which features any combination of Fall-o-Ween, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Christmas, Christmas in July, Creepmas, Winter, Hanukkah, Diwali - Festival of Lights, Kwanzaa, etc. throughout the year!  We are a monthly challenge and we have a series of delightful sponsors who offer prizes to the winners. 

     Today, I've done both a Halloween card and a Christmas card, featuring images from our October sponsor, LeighSB Designs.  The first image, on the Halloween card, is Witch of Furness Forest and the second is Santa Whiskers.

     I colored this image with water color paints (and a very fine brush), then fussy cut it with scissors.  I went over the face color with a ProMarker to give her skin a greenish cast.  The background was made by die cutting purple CS with an Altenew die and then layering it over paper which had been water colored to create an orange ombre.

 

     The baker's twine came from Ellen Hutson and the black cat is a Poppystamps die cut.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

This is also my Day 1 entry into the 

LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop. 

     This one was colored with ProMarkers and glitter pen on the fur cuff and pompom on the Santa hat.  I cut the image with a scallop die from Sizzix.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  I hand-sewed the red satin bow.  The background dp is from a Recollections stack (and it's been in my Christmas stash for at least 10 years!)

     Challenges for Witch:

Colour Crazy

Outlawz Festive Fri

LeighSBDesigns

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

    Challenges for Cat:

Aud Sentiments

I Love ProMarkers

Outlawz Festive Fri

Paperbabe

Winter Wonderland

Word Art Weds

     We'd love to see you playing along in our new challenges, this month and every month.  We're planning on having plenty of fun and it would be great if you'd come play along.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wedding Magnolias

      I absolutely adore this magnificent image & sentiment set from Jan's Digi Stamps, new this month and called "Wedding Magnolias."  It's also on sale for the rest of April so grab it while you can and save some money.

     I merged the sentiment with the magnolia image before printing, then colored with ProMarkers.  I cut the image with my largest QuicKutz die.  I found the pink-purple-aqua, ombre glitter paper in my stash (from Recollections) to use for the background.  I wrapped a piece of iridescent cord around the card front and tied it into a bow.

     I stamped a dragonfly onto a scrap bit of white CS, colored it with water colors, added glitter to it and, after it dried, fussy cut it with scissors and secured it to the card front with dimensional dots.

     Challenges:

     This is just a reminder that our April challenge will run until Sunday, May 1, so you have another 2 weeks to enter your project into our April "Always Anything Goes" challenge.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter Jonquils

      It's time for the mid-term reminder of our challenge at Jan's Digi Stamps, where our theme is always Anything Goes.  My card today features one of Jan's newer releases, called "Easter Jonquils," a set with 3 different images (2 of which I combined for this card) plus 3 sentiments.  And it's ON SALE until the end of the month! 

     I merged the sentiment and the two images, then colored with my ProMarkers.  I just had to have the chocolate bunny in the image - they have been favorites of mine since childhood.  :-D  

     I cut the image piece with a QuicKutz rectangle die and did the corners with a Fiskars corner punch.  It is framed with  scrap of cranberry CS, trimmed to fit.  I tied one of my signature bows, died it with a ProMarker, and added a sequin.  Everything was mounted onto an ombre scrap of scrapbooking CS, and that went onto the card front.

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspirations

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     We hope to see you playing with us this month.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Tiger Lilies

      I absolutely adore the stamp I used for my reminder DT card in the February challenge over at Jan's Digi Stamps.  It's called "Spring Tiger Lilies" and it's one of the new releases which is on sale this month.  Remember that the theme at Jan's is always "Anything Goes."

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, cut it with a QuicKutz rectangle die , then used a Fiskars punch on 2 opposite corners.  I put scraps of colored CS for the ombre background, wrapped lace ribbon around it, and then added the image piece.  I used another piece of the lace ribbon to tie the bow which I mounted just below the tub of lilies.

     Challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations

Double Trouble

LeAnn's World

Let's Craft and ...

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

Outlawz Greetings

Stamping Sensations

Star Stampz

We Love Stamping

     Come play with us this month and be sure to check out all the sets in the shop which are currently on sale.  You'll be thrilled with what Jan has created for all of us.  :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thinking of You

      In the midst of all the Valentine themed cards I've been doing for the last couple of weeks, I took the time to do this one which features an image by Christine Karron, the January sponsor for the Thursday Twist challenge over on the Outlawz.  I have the honor of being a Guest Designer this month and it was through that GDT spot that I first learned of Christine Karron and her lovely art work.

     Thursday Twist challenges always have an "Anything goes" theme but they also give an optional twist which you can use if you want to enter twice.  The optional theme this fortnight is "Fantasy."

     I used ProMarkers and polychromos pencils to color the image, then cut it with a stitched die from Die-namics.  The black frame was cut with a QuicKutz die.  The background was done with watercolors.  I tried for an ombre effect but watercolor is often hard to control and I'm not sure I really got the proper definition between light and dark.  But I did love how it turned out so I ironed it dry (medium cotton setting) and used it for the background.  I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die, added a black mat, and sewed one of my signature, satin bows with a pearl for embellishment.

This is based on Sketch 221 at Sweet Sketch Weds,

turned a quarter turn.

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspiration

Dies R Us

Get Creative

Outlawz Festive Fri

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Word Art Weds

Your Next Stamp

     See you at The Outlawz!   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Warrior

      I simply adore the image for the Progressive Challenge at  LeAnn's World this month.  He's called "Callen" and I think he looks like a great warrior ready to defend his township.

     The coloring was done with my ProMarkers, and I cut the image with an oval die from QuicKutz.  I inked the edges of it before putting it on the water color background.  I tried for an ombre effect with the water colors but I don't think I achieved enough difference between the light and the dark.  Both of the ribbons came from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and the bow was tied using my bow maker.

I pulled blue/ yellow/ orange/ & brown from

the board #468 at CMH Color Dare.

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Cupcake Inspirations

Outlawz Festive Fri

Word Art Weds

World Wide Open

Your Next Stamp

     That's all I have for today but I'll probably have something for tomorrow.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Purple Winter Silhouette

     I tried something new with this card and I'm very pleased with the end result.  I mixed water coloring and heat embossing with a silhouette image.

      I started with watercolor paper, painting it with purple to make the ombre background.sky.  After letting that dry and ironing it flat (because it had curled from the water), I printed the Silhouette Scene image (Digi Set 493b) from Sparkle N Sprinkle.  I drew around the image with a Versa-Mark pen and heat embossed it with matte, smoke gray EP.  After it was set, I drew around that with the Versa-Mark pen again and used white EP to make another border.  I cut the image by hand just outside the white, embossed border.

     The sentiment (part of that same set) is printed and cut with an Unbranded die.  I mounted both of those pieces onto black CS, then added the three tiny gems in the diagonal corners.  I wanted to pop out the lavender sky so I chose a purple card base and added a scrap of dp across the top.  Once I adhered the black CS piece with the image, it really pulled the lavender and purple to the fore.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Get Creative
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Polkadoodles
Sparkle n Sprinkle
Words to Craft By

     That's it for today and maybe for a few more days before I can manage to post again.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Halloween Silhouette

     I love silhouette images, whether rubber or digi, because you can get so much interest by manipulating the background.  This particular Halloween silhouette is from Bugaboo Stamps and, since Catch the Bug's theme is "Anything Goes" this week, what could be better?

     Before I printed the image, I used chalks to make the ombre paper and then used a warm gray, extra-fine point, ProMarker to write out the sentiment.  I used the chisel tip of that same ProMarker to make the borders around the ombre.  I was delighted that it came out looking like two layers of card stock.  It helped when I drew pencil lines around the ombre square.

     In order to make sure the placement was going to be correct, I printed the image onto plain copier paper, adjusting it so that it would be at the bottom of the card front, folded the tent card so that the blank part was at the back, and figured out where the sentiment would be printed on the actual card.  It took a bit of planning but it worked.

     After everything was printed, I added the hand-sewn bow and called it finished.  So, there you are - a Halloween card with a tail on the cat, wings on the bat, and wicked smiles on the pumpkins.  What could be spookier?

      Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Allsorts
Aud Sentiments
Brown Sugar
Cardz TV
Cute Card Thurs
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Festive Friday
Pattie's Creations

     Enjoy the other half of your weekend, or maybe a little more than half depending on whether or not you are celebrating Columbus Day on Monday.  Either way, find some creative time just for you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Let Us Eat Cake

     This crazy little "Cake Monster" from Gerda Steiner Designs was just too cute to ignore!   It's the image from the monthly Progressive Challenge and I started working on it practically the moment I got it.  :-D

     This is actually a 'window' card in that the card front is die cut (Memory Box), leaving a scalloped hole and the image is on the inside of the card.

     I colored the image with my ProMarkers, trimmed it to the size of the A2 card and mounted it on the inside.  I printed the sentiment, fussy cut it and adhered it to the card front.  This is another ombre card front.  I bought a stack of ombre CS in various colors and I'm having a lot of fun using them for card bases.

     This time, I decided it only needed minimal embellishment, so I added the sheer, purple-ribbon bow. Because there wasn't a lot of room along the sides of the window, I added a small tab sticking into the window and then adhered the bow to it so that the tab was hidden by the bow.

     1 more card for the birthday stash.  :-D

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More
Crafting by Designs
Kraftin' Kimmie
Outlawz Greetings
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrapy Land
Simon Says Stamp
Unicorn 

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

Sweet & Cuddly?

     I'm an animal lover and cats seem to adopt me more than any other animal right now so I'm becoming known as a crazy cat lady.  I share that with all of you so that you'll have it in mind as you read the rest of this post that I'm not anti-feline.

     Have any of you ever come across a cat that just didn't want to interact with humans?  Not that he or she was afraid of humans and ran away, and not one that was aggressive, mean or snarky; just one who didn't see humans as being necessary to their survival.  lol

     This cute and funny image from Beccy's Place will show you exactly what I mean.  I know this is meant to be a Halloween image but it's versatile enough to work for any time of year.

     The image is a silhouette so the only coloring needed was on the eyes and I did them with ProMarkers and white gel ink.  The frame was made by cutting the card front with a die from Impression Obsession.  I saved the inner pieces for another project but the outer border made a very effective frame for Mr. Cute and Cuddly.  Of course, I had to glue down all those tiny bits sticking out from the frame so that they wouldn't get snagged by anything.  I used a glue pen with a very fine tip for those.  :-D

     Your eyes are not fooling you - the card base is made from yellow ombre CS which I ran through my "Linen" folder.  I adhered the image to the inside of the card front, then added the sentiment to the outside along with a single black bow.  Finished!

     Challenges:
Color Inspiration Monday
Crafting from the Heart
Creative Inspirations
Digi Choosday
Dream Valley
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Scrapy Land
SUYP Cats
TTCRD

     OK, now that you've met this 'less-the-cuddly' character, I want you to give your own sweet feline a little pat, a little treat, and thank him/her for happily sharing your human world.  :-D    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie