Whoo Loves Fall?

     A new challenge starts today at Scrapy Land with a theme of "Anything Goes" and I'm still with them as a Guest Designer for another month.  I admit I've gone overboard on new die sets since starting with them in July but what's a gal to do when there are so many fabulous dies and when that same gal loves dies of all kinds?  :-D

     I'm into fall/autumn cards now and this one is another which I'll probably use for a fall birthday.  There are several of those in my family; a daughter, a granddaughter, great granddaughter, a grandson... and three friends.  Yeah, several.

     The image is from Bugaboo Stamps and I used my new polychromos pencils again but I'm much happier with the coloring this time.  It's richer and darker, not at all pastel, so I am learning as I go along.  I think the blending is the best I've done, so far.  I'm hoping it continues to get better.  :-D

     I did all kinds of fun techniques on this card, starting with the die cuts which are framing the image.  Those are cut with two dies from the St. Lucia set in the Caribbean Collection by Sue Wilson Designs.  I cut two colors of cardstock and then inlaid them together.

     I also used die cuts for my embellies.  The leaf was cut twice (plaid dp and chocolate brown CS) with a "Maple Leaf Border" die from Die-namites, then I cut a single leaf from the row of leaves that make up the border.  For the pumpkins, I used the "Pumpkin Patch" die from Impression Obsession.  Again, I cut two colors of CS and offset them so that each orange pumpkin is shaded with brown.  It gives some amazing visual dimension while still being very flat and easy to mail.

     The sparkly flowers in the upper corner of the background are heat embossed using a stamp, Versamark ink, and a sparkly embossing powder from Sparkle n Sprinkle called Sienna Star.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
A Bit More Time to Craft
Card Mania
Classic Design Team Open
Crafter's Cafe
Crafts and Me
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper
Cute as a Button
Delicious Doodles
Die Cut Divas
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Not Just Cards
Petal Lu
Sisters of Craft
Sparkles Forum

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this fortnight.  You can do anything you like as long as you use a die from one of the more than 40 companies carried by the Scrapy Land store.   You can find a complete list of manufacturers on the left sidebar of the main page on their site.   Come play, won't you?  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie






St. Lucia 








Pumpkin Patch


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A Robin's Christmas

     I have two posts today and the next one will be live in about an hour so be sure to check back, won't you?  I don't want you to miss either one of these.  :-D

     This card was made for my GDT post for the new challenge starting this morning at Scrapy Land where the theme is to "Use an Image" (digi or rubber.)   My image is from Delicious Doodles and is called "A Robin's Christmas."  Remember, in order to play along, you can use any image by any company but you do have to use at least one die from the more than 40 brands carried in the Scrapy Land store.

     I had so much fun playing with the die cuts and it must have taken me an hour just to decide which ones I was going to use.  I actually cut with several different dies, then laid them out with the image to see how they looked.  I decided on two wonderful Spellbinder's dies, Romantic Rose (white CS) and Medallion Five (blue CS.)

     I colored the image with my ProMarkers, then rounded the corners with a hand punch.  I layered on all the die cuts, added the satin ribbon (which has snowflakes in it) and bow, and used glittered snowflakes with gems for embellishment.

     I printed the sentiment with red ink, picking up the tiny spot of red on the robin's chest.  I like this so much, I'm going to do several more like it and donate them to the senior center near me.  I do that each year and the cards are so appreciated by the seniors since they can use them for family and friends at Christmas.  It's so very difficult for them to get out and buy cards and, after seeing me bring cards around the last three years, a few of the ladies now give me ideas for cards they'd like to see.  What fun!

     Challenges:
12 Months of Christmas
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra
Delicious Doodles
Digi Choosday
Lemon Shortbread
Noor! Designs
Not Just Cards
Oddball Art
Sisterhood of Crafters
Through the Craft Room Door
Tinker-Dream
Tuesday Throwdown
Word Art Weds.

     Come back a bit later to see the latest in the August releases from MHK Designs.  You're going to love it!  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

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Seaside Silhouette

     Our new challenge theme at Scrapy Land is that all time favorite, "Anything Goes."  Here's my GDT card for the next two weeks, after which our next challenge starts and we'll have a different theme.  I have to tell you I'm having so much fun in this GDT position and I get as much inspiration from all of you who enter the challenges as anyone could possibly get from my projects.  :-D

     This silhouette is from Crackerbox Palace and the only thing I did was color the sky with my ProMarkers and add some white gel ink to the clouds and waves.  I die cut black CS and purple CS with dies from my Spellbinders set, "Decorative Labels Eight" and layered them behind the image.  The purple die cut is also embossed with my "Linen" folder.  The image itself was punched to round the corners.  I do believe this card contains most, if not all, of my favorite things for cardmaking: ProMarkers, die cuts, layers, dry embossing, silhouettes, color purple, and bows.

     I tied a bow using textured, satin ribbon and then left the card alone.  I wanted those gorgeous die cuts to frame the image and not get lost under other embellishments.

     Challenges:
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Boots
Crafty Sentiments
Digi Choosday
Everybody Art
Incy Wincy
Lemon Shortbread
Melonheadz Friends
Passion for ProMarkers
Through the Craft Room Door
Tuesday Throwdown (center row)

     That's it for me today.  I hope you're going to come and play in the challenge.  Remember, you can make anything you want but you do need to use at least one die from a brand carried by Scrapy Land.  Check out the store site for a list of all the different manufacturers -- there are more than 40!  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

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Framed Butterflies

     This is my second post as a GD at Scrapy Land and we have a new challenge starting today with a theme of "Emboss It," either dry or heat embossing.  While I usually do dry embossing, this time I decided to do heat embossing so that I could try some really new, glittery EP that I got from Sparkle n Sprinkle.  As promised in my first Scrapy Land post two weeks ago, this card is much more complex and fancy than my first card which was very much CAS.  :-D

     For this card, I used a die set by Sue Wilson called "Delicate Garden Frame."  There are a total of six dies in the set and I used them all to get the different layers (there are seven if you count the card base) and three of the layers are mounted on pop dots for some dimension.  The papers are from Stampin' Up.

     I cut the butterflies and then heat embossed them with "Cerulean Star" glittery EP.  I used a Versamarker pen on the darker flowers in the frame and heat embossed them with the same EP.   In the center of each of those flowers, I glued one of the tiniest flowers and added a dot of glitter to their centers.

     The ribbon was in my stash and I tied the bow, then next to it I added the three tiny flowers with glittered centers.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Butterfly Challenge
Classic Design Team Open
Crafty Awesomeness
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper
Creatalicious
CCC Digi
Die Cut Divas
Nordsalten Hobbyklub
Petal Lu
Sisters of Craft
Sparkle n Sprinkle

     Dig out your EPs and heat gun or your embossing folders and come play with us this week.  Remember to use dies from one of the more than 40 companies sold by Scrapy Land.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

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Thank You for Scrapy Land

     I have the most exciting news - I'm a Guest Designer with Scrapy Land for the next 3 months!   They have challenges every fortnight and this is the first one in which I've participated as a GDT.   I've been playing in their challenges regularly for more than two years.

     Scrapy Land has the most incredible collection of die sets created by 40 different makers.  If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you know how I love using die cuts on my cards so I think this is a natural fit for me.

     Our challenge theme this time around is "Anything Goes" but you do need to use a die from one of the companies sold in the Scrapy Land store.   I kept my first card very CAS because I wanted the die cut to be the focus.  I know the cards will get fancier and more complex because I'm already working on the next one, although it's all in my head so far.  Who knows what will happen between now and the time I actually sit down to make it?  :-D

     That lovely green die cut is "Verona Bouquet" by Memory Box.  It worked marvelously by itself against the light green card base but you know how I love all shades of purple so I added some mulberry paper flowers for a bit of dimension and texture.  The sentiment is hand stamped and I added three, small, hand-punched dots to co-ordinate with the colors in the flowers and to bring some attention to the sentiment.

     A completely CAS design which really focuses attention on the bouquet.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Fairy Tale
Just Us Girls
Lemon Shortbread
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
One Stitch at a Time
Simply Papercraft
Take It, Make It

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our Scrapy Land "Anything Goes" challenge this fortnight.  Dig through your die sets or head over to the store and treat yourself to something new, then come play along.  Happy Stamping (and cutting).  NanaConnie

Memory Box Verona Bouquet die

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Sunshine Suzy

     This darling little gal is the image for the Progressive Challenge on the ArtbyMiRan FB page.  She's definitely summery in her bright, sizzling colors.  :-D

I started with the sketch from The Outlawz,

flipped top to bottom..

     I colored the image with ProMarkers and Copics, then cut her with my newest Sue Wilson die.  All the die cuts on this card are done with dies from that same Sue Wilson set.  The sentiment is printed and hand cut.  I added the row of pearls and then chose two bronze pearls plus the bow for additional embellishment.

     Challenges:
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Inky Impressions
Send a Smile 4 Kids
Sisterhood of Crafters
Southern Girls
Through the Purple Haze
WordArt Wedsnesday
Work It Wednesday

     OK, you got two-for-the-price-of-one to day -- two posts on the same day!   I'm going to be away this week but I have plenty of posts pre-scheduled so I hope you'll come and visit.  If I'm slow getting around to visiting your blog, forgive me.  I will get there, I promise.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie


Please continue to leave comments.  The "Word Verification" really isn't on.  BLOGGER INSISTS ON SHOWING THE "CAPTCHA" ICON BUT IF YOU IGNORE IT AND JUST PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT, IT WILL POST JUST FINE.  I WISH I COULD GET RID OF IT BUT THERE'S NO OPTION FOR THAT WHEN THE COMMENTS ARE WRITTEN IN A SEPARATE BOX.  SORRY.

A Magical Dragon Day

     Is it OK if I start this post by saying that I LOVE THIS CARD! ?

     This is one of those that just came together after I made my list of more than a dozen challenges I wanted to enter (not counting A/G challenges.)  The list included themes like fancy folds, vintage, pockets, die cuts, lace, layers, flowers, sentiments, animals... you get the idea.  Most of the time, when my list of challenge themes is that long, the card is finished long before I get all the challenges included and I end up eliminating some of them.  Not this time!  I used them all and I think they really worked.

      The card is made from a piece 12 x 5.5 inches, cut on angles from the top to the outer corners, then folded to make the front flaps cross.  The bottom is sealed to make a pocket and the image piece slips into the pocket.  Here's a close-up of the image piece.

     I wish I knew what I did differently in photographing this time so that my purples stayed purple.  Well, come to think of it, I used red violets and now they look purple and lavender.  :-D  Maybe that's the secret -- use red-violet instead of purple to get purple in the photographs.  When I use purples, they turn blue in the photographs.

     I've used this image at least twice in the two years I've had it but this time I colored the dragons ("Dragon Babies" from AuroraWings) with ProMarkers, adding glitter to their wings before I cut them with one of my new Pinpoint Rectangle dies from Memory Box (Scrapy Land purchase.)  The mat is also cut with another die from that set.  All the papers are from Stampin' Up (old and from my stash) and I think the lace came from one of my local craft stores, but it's been in my stash for so long that I really can't remember.  

     The gem swirl has been in my stash for well over a year and the butterfly was cut with a die from Cheery Lynn.  I had cut that as an extra several months ago and put it into a drawer full of die cut bits and pieces.  It worked perfectly on this card, so I dug it out, colored the body, and added glitter to the wings and body.  The small flowers are punched (Fiskars punch), colored, layered, and added on top of the lace.  The sentiment is printed, hand cut, and edged with a marker.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
A Vintage Journey
ArtbyMiran
AuroraWings
Cheery Lynn
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Clear It Out
Crafting by Designs
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Catz
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Card Crew
Creative Moments
Digi Choosday
I {heart} ProMarkers
Jo's Scrap Shack
Love to Scrap
Lunagirl Moonbeam
Outlawz Twisted Thursday
Paper Nest Dolls
Paper Shelter
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrapy Land
Stamp and Create
Vintage Stamping

     I hope your weekend has started well and that you have lots of crafty plans for the weekend.  The weather predictors say that we're going to "cool down" to the upper 90s (is that some kind of a joke?)  I guess that's better than the 101 and 102 we've had for the last 4 days, but I'd love it even more if the cool down was going to be into the low 80s with a chance of a shower.  :-D  Maybe next month.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie