Kitchen Curator

      This card has one of those images which I exchanged at a group or which was sent to me by someone and, unfortunately, I have nothing telling me the artist's name.  There's a notation on the back (not my handwriting) which says, "Mrs Beat Em" and I take that to be the name of the stamp.  Whether it is or not, it's a great title!

     I'm sending this card to one of my granddaughters-in-law for her Mother's Day card.  I think she'll get a giggle out of it.  

     I colored the image with my Sanjoki markers, and cut it with a scalloped Sizzix die.  The round frame was cut with a QuicKutz die and I cut it from some chunky glitter paper from a DCWV stack.  The dp is from Paper House and the sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  No embellishments because I wanted it flat for mailing, besides which the glitter paper was embellishment enough.  :-D

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspiration

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

I Love Markers

Jan's Digi Stamps

Outlawz Friday

Pammie's IP

Passion for Markers

Word Art Weds

     Wishing you all a wonderful day and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Duchess

      My card today features one of my favorite roses, the Duchess.  I remember my mother had one of these bushes in her rose garden when I was a young child.  It was such a delicate pink with a hint of lavender and white edges on the petals.  I used this for a Mother's Day card in honor of my mom who's been gone for more than 30 years now.

     I used my Sanjoki markers to color the rose and leaves, then cut the image with a stitched die from CUTplorations.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background paper came from a Paper House stack.  I added 3 rows of tiny gems along the right side and added one gem to the center of the rose.  It just didn't need any further embellishment.  :-D

     Challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms

Classic Design

Creatalicious

Creative Fingers

Cupcake Inspirations

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Friday

SheepSki Designs

The Four Seasons

Triple B

     That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Zinnia

      I'm finally back with a post after a few days off with a cold or maybe a sinus infection, but whichever it is, it has just laid me low with no energy to even get out of bed.  But I'm on the upswing and decided to get this one posted before I forget it again.

     Last month, I was posting my card for the Progressive Challenge at The Outlawz on the last possible day at almost the last possible hour and I don't want to do that again.  The image they gave us is this lovely zinnia in a bottle and I made another card to add to my birthday stash.

     I colored with a combination of Sanjoki markers, gel pens, and water colors.  Can you guess which part is with which medium?  No, no, I'm not going to tell; I'll just let you guess.  :-D  I cut the image with a QuicKutz die and inked the edges with a marker.  The background dp is from a Paper House stack.  The butterflies were cut with a Memory Box die and the "Celebrate" sentiment was done with a Tim Holtz die by Sizzix.

     Challenges:

CRAFT-alnica

Creative Inspiration

Creative Knockouts

Paper Funday

Penny's P-C

Triple B

Word Art Weds

     That's it for today but I'll have another post tomorrow for the new challenge at Crafty Catz.  Do stop by then, won't you?  NanaConnie

When Black Cats Prowl ...

      This fabulous image is from a set by my dear friend, Donna Ellis, and the set is also the prize at the current Inspiration Station challenge.  I just had to do this card to show it off.  :-D

     I merged the sentiment and the image before printing it in gray scale.  I used my ProMarkers to color the image and added a few highlights with a white gel pen.  I cut the image with a QuicKutz rectangle die and then used a Fiskars punch on three of the corners.  The black, glitter paper is from a DCWV stack (now retired), and the purple corners are dp from Paper House.  

     I added one of my signature, hand-sewn bows, plus a row of gemstones across each of the lower corners.  The bow has a tiny butterfly on it which was a drop-out piece from a Spellbinders die used for a different project months ago.

     Challenges:

Colouring in Scrapland

Cupcake Inspirations

Double D

Lemon Shortbread

Mirtillamente

Mod Squad

Simon Says Stamp

SUYP Cats

TTCRD

Two Old Bats

     Have a great day and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Ladybugs and Daisies

     We've had lots of rain this winter and we're grateful for every drop of it having been in or on the verge of a drought the last two years.  I haven't seen any ladybugs in my garden yet - I think it's still too cold for them to be out and about but I'm ready for a touch of spring anyway.  :-D  And no matter what the season, it's always time for Someone Special!

     The image came from Ching-Chou Kuik and I colored it with my ProMarkers.  Although it's very difficult to see in the photo, I added Glossy Accents to the underwings and the white spots on the ladybugs.

     The image is cut with a circle die from Spellbinders, leaving the leaves, flower petals, and wings out-of-the-box.  The red circle frame is cut out of a scrap of dp using a stitched, scalloped die from Memory Box. The background dp and the strip holding the sentiment are opposite sides of dp from a Paper House stack.

     I added tiny, epoxy, flowers that have a heart in the middle to each end of the sentiment piece.

    Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Ching-Chou Kuik
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Friends
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Cute Card Thurs
Digi Choosday
Get Creative
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Puppy and Cupid Valentines

     I have to get this post written up very quickly before the feline fur babies awake and see me posting something featuring a puppy!  Here are two more of the Valentine cards I've done by recycling vintage Valentines from the box I found hidden under who know how many tons of supplies when the craft room was getting packed up and reorganized.

     I especially love these two and put in quite a bit of work on them.  Let's start with the puppy.

     Starting from the card base and working upward, the background dp came from Paper House, trimmed to fit the front of an A2 size card.  I had some lovely, glittered ribbon scraps in my stash which I think came from Crafty Ribbons.

     I dug out a set of doily dies from Spellbinders, and cut alternating layers of white and pink doilies (all cut from scraps), offsetting them as best I could.  Once all those were layered together with foam tape, I added the hand cut puppy to the top of the stack.  

     I added one of my signature bows to the bottom of the card front and called it finished.

     Challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge

Aud Sentiments

Cute Card Thurs

Cut It Up

Outlawz Twisted Thurs

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Pixie's Snippets

Southern Girls

     Here's the second card with a sweet cupid image.

     I put silver glitter on his wings, and I used a rectangle die from QuicKutz top cut the image from the front of the old card, then inked the edges with ProMarkers to enhance the distressed look.  I 'dyed' a white doily with a dark brown ProMarker so that the image piece would pop.  I had two scraps of ribbon, one in hot pink and the other a golden brown.  I decided to put the doily between them and then wrap them around a piece of background dp (also Paper House.)

     The image went on top and I make a double bow but sewing two hand crafted bows together.  The final touch was a tiny, epoxy flower in the bottom corner of the image.  I hand wrote the sentiment in the opposite corner.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Brown Sugar
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Happy Craft
If You Give a Crafter...
Polkadoodles
Time Out

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie  

Kitten Love and Lady with Roses

     Today I have two more recycled, vintage Valentines to share.  Of course, the one with the kittens has to come first.  -D

     This time, I fussy cut the kittens and added them to a heart shaped doily with dimensional tape.  I found two scraps of red dp from a stack by Paper House, and used those to cover the front of a square card base.  The doily went on top of that and I added a red, epoxy flower with a heart in the middle.  The bow is one of my signature, hand-sewn bows with a pearl.

     Challenges:
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Cute N Crafty
Digi Choosday
Get Creative
Paper Shelter
Simon Says Stamp & Show
SUYP Cats
TTCRD
Unicorn 

     The second card has a fantastic image of a Victorian lady with roses.

                               

     I cut the image from the original card with a QuicKutz rectangle die.  The "frame" behind it was a negative left over from cutting out a frame with a die from Spellbinders.  I took that piece, cut it diagonally, and offset the pieces behind the image.  That piece was previously embossed but I don't remember which of my embossing folders was used.

     The deep, pink card front is dry embossed and I used a scrap of white lace threaded with a piece of pink, satin ribbon and layered those along the left side of the card front.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Creations
Cupcake Inspirations

Cuttlebug Mania
Dream Valley
Double Trouble (Flowers + Bouquet)
House that Stamps Built
Lemon Shortbread
Paper Girls
Outlawz SAR

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Chocolates Mean Love!

     I remember as a child growing up that there were a few special occasions when a box of fancy chocolates would show up and they were always occasions when love was being celebrated - Valentine's  Day, my parent's Anniversary, sometimes even Mother's Day.  If we were oh, so good, we could choose a piece from the box and that meant "Love!"

     My card today celebrates those lovely memories with an image from House Mouse.

I decided that I'd also use the color palette from Outlawz Color Challenge 

since it has all my favorite purples in it.  :-D

     I stamped and colored the image (using ProMarkers), then cut it with a plain rectangle die from Spellbinders.  I matted it with dp from SU and cut it again with another, larger die from that set.  The background dp came from a pad by Paper House.  I've used so much of it because of the entire pad is all purples and now I wish I'd purchased three of them instead of just the one.

     I wrapped the card front with sheer, lavender ribbon and dug out one of my hand-sewn bows, dyed it purple, and layered it onto the sheer ribbon.  The tiny flower is embroidered using purple floss for the flower itself and a combination of purple and green floss for the stem and leaf.

     Finally, I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and added it to the bottom corner of the image.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More
Cards in Envy
Color Inspiration Mon.
Creates and Makes
House Mouse
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lemon Shortbread
Simon Says Stamp
Unicorn

     Have a great Monday and Happy Crafting.   NanaConnie