Mouse Catcher

     I've been a Sparkle N Sprinkle customer since before I started blogging or got seriously into card making and I still love playing in their challenges.  If you have even glanced at my sidebar, you know I'm a nut for cats.  So, when I found this image in the SnS shop, I had to grab it up right away.

     I colored the cat with ProMarkers, adding a bit of white gel ink to the chest and paws.  I die cut it with a plain but large, square die from QuicKutz.  I inked the edges with a 'coffee' ink pad.

     I made my card base with kraft CS, then added scraps of dp which came from Echo Park and Now & Then.  I happen to love a combo of polka dots and stripes.  The image piece went on top of that and my final touch was to add one of my signature, hand-sewn bows, this time with a sparkly gem instead of the usual pearl.  I think this is simple enough to make a great masculine card.

     Challenges:
Coloring in Scrapland
Creative Inspirations
Get Creative
I {heart} ProMarkers
Incy Wincy
Papercraft
SUYP Cats
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown

     The weekend is flying by and I still have 3 cards to finish for posts due next week!  Yikes, I'd better get on the ball.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Butterflies

     New challenge today at SheepSki Designs and our theme is "Wings."  What's more spring-like than butterfly wings?   This delightful SheepSki image is called "Butterfly Curl."

     I colored all the butterflies with ProMarkers, then added loose glitter (Sparkle n Sprinkle "Azul") to the wings of the largest butterfly.  The lattice work was cut with a Memory Box die.  I printed and handcut the sentiment, inked the edges, and added it to the top corner.

     The blue background is actually a scrap of suede cloth, trimmed to size for the card front.  It gives a soft, fuzzy look and feel to the card.  I added one of my signature, hand-sewn bows to the lower corner because the shape of it mimics a butterfly and is a perfect complement.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Crafty Gals Corner
House that Stamps Built
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Twist Thurs.
Simon Says Stamp
Sparkle n Sprinkle
Time Out
Word Art Weds.

     Come play with u this month!  We can't wait to see what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Autumn Leaves

     Well, it's definitely that time of year - the leaves are falling and covering the yard, and we must now rake them into piles and haul them off in bushel baskets.  Of course, the kids will have to jump into one or more of the piles before any such project can be finished.  Sorry, but it's one of the immutable laws of autumn.  :-D

     I'm celebrating that with a lovely image from the Autumn Beauty set by Sparkle N Sprinkle.  I wanted to give you a link to the image but I can't locate the set in the store, in either rubber or digital.  :-(

     I colored with my ProMarkers and polychromos pencils, then cut the image with a stitched, scalloped die from Memory Box.  I used another die from that same set to cut the harvest gold mat for the image.  The sentiment is from that same set, printed onto a scrap, then I cut it with the die and trimmed it into a pie shape since the scrap was too small to be a full circle.

     I used a border die from Poppy Stamps to cut the curved line in a piece of antique yellow CS.  I added a scrap of polka dot dp (SU) which had also been cut with that same border die only this time it wasn't punched along the border.

     Everything was layered onto a burgundy card base.  My final touch was to embellish it with a hand-tied bow made from sheer ribbon and 'dyed' with a ProMarker.  I added the button to the middle of the bow and called the project finished.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps
Cardz TV
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Friends
Creative Fingers
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz SAR
Polkadoodles
Stamping Sensations

     I'm heading back to the craft room to see what other damage I can do to my stash of supplies.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Purr More...

     How can it already be June?!  However it happened, today is the start of a new challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies where the theme is always "Anything Goes with a Critter."   Our sponsor this month is Sparkle n Sprinkle and they generously supplied images to the DT.   You might want to check out their own challenge on their FB page, too.

     I fell in  love with this one (of course!) - "Sitting Pretty Kitty."  It's such a delightful 'summer-y' image.

     I colored the image with ProMarkers and polychromos pencils, then die cut the image with a plain rectangle die from Spellbinders.  I matted the image with another die cut rectangle using a stitched rectangle die from Lawn Fawn.  That was cut from hand made paper which was colored with watercolor paints.

     The butterfly dp seemed a perfect background for that little kitty with the butterfly on his nose.  It came from a Recollections pad.  I found a tiny, die cut butterfly and put it by the sentiment.  The sentiment came with the image.

     I thought that dp was so busy that the wrapped, burlap, bow tie, bow was enough embellishment.

     Challenges:
Butterfly Challenge (hunter green and hot pink)
Crafting with Friends
Creative Fingers
Cutie Pie
Cuttlebug Mania
Lawn Fawnatics
Outlawz PAM
Outlawz Songs and Rhymes
Send a Smile 4 Kids
SUYP Cats

     Come play with us this month, won't you?  Any kind of crafting project is acceptable (yes, including cards :-D) as long as there is some kind of creature featured!  Challenge starts today and ends on June 25 so you have plenty of time.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie     

Eggs-traordinary!

     I was lucky enough to be a winner in the Sparkle n Sprinkle challenge last month and today I used one of the images I got as part of my prize.  This one was so much fun to color!

     I used ProMarkers to color the image and water color paints to do the blue sky background.  The image is cut with a die from Spellbinders.  I found a very wide ribbon in my stash and wrapped it around navy blue CS, then added the image.

     The sentiment is part of the stamp set but I cut it by hand and added it below the image.  I decided to do one of my wrapped-burlap twine bow ties and I think it really sets off the country feel of the image.

     Challenges:
Color Inspiration Monday
Crafting by Designs
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Moments
Dream Valley
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Flowers in a Honey Can

     I fell in love with this image from Sparkle n Sprinkle the instant I saw it.  I think it's by Jan Mahew.  In any case, it's lovely and I was so happy to color it up!

     I colored with ProMarkers and pencils, with little touches of white gel pan.  The background is dp from SU, dry embossed with a folder from Darice.

     The image is fussy cut with a very narrow, white, border.  I mounted it onto the two die cut, octagon, frames using dimensional dots.  The octagons are also embossed all around the edges.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, then added it to the image piece.

     The final step was making two bows, one from lace & the other from satin ribbon, and mounting them together as a double bow.  There was so much going on visually that I decided the bows were all that was needed by way of embellishment.

     Challenges:
A Perfect Time to Craft
Archi-Scraps
Beccy's Place (die cut/3 colors/lace & ribbon)
Card Mania
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper
Die Cut Diva's
TLC on Doing Life

     That's all I have for this weekend but my entire day is cleared so that I can work slowly, with lots of breaks to rest my shoulder, and still get a couple of cards made for later this week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Embossed Ornament

     I searched through some really old stamps and found this Christmas ornament which I haven't used in several years so it definitely was time.  I originally bought this stamp set along with a set of dies from Sparkle n Sprinkle perfectly shaped to these ornaments.  They weren't intended to match the stamps but they worked.  However, for this card I just heat embossed the stamp without using the die set.  I decided on a fairly simple card with only minimal embellishment.

     I stamped the ornament with Versamark ink, then embossed it with red EP.  I cut it with a rectangle die from Spellbinders, and then cut two layers of CS mats for it (same die set), one tan and one red.  I layered those together, then added the ornament but adhered it only across the top of the rectangle.  I found some very old dp which had delightful tan snowflakes on deep red paper and it worked perfectly with the mats for the image.

     I adhered it to the card front, then took a strip of sheer gold ribbon with green edges and tied it around the card front before adding the image piece.  Beyond that ribbon, I left it without embellishment.

     Challenges:
C.R.A.F.T.
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with an Attitude
Cute Card Thurs.
DL.ART
Glitter n Sparkle
Merry Monday  (top row)
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Star Stampz

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Last Bit of Halloween for 2017

     Yes, yes, I know Halloween was over last night but I had to share with you my final Halloween card for the year.  This is my DT card for the new challenge beginning today at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies and running through the entire month of November.  The sponsor is Sparkle n Sprinkle and they generously supplied images for the DT to use.

     The puppy is the image ("A Puppy's Halloween") and the cat is a die cut (Cheery Lynn.)  The only reason the cat is on the card is because my two feline fur babies objected loudly (and constantly) to a dog even being in their house, much less getting a solo spot on the card.  lol

     I used ProMarkers to color the pup, then cut him with a die from Cottage Cutz.  The sentiment was part of the set from Sparkle n Sprinkle and I cut it with another die from that same set.  The paw print paper I made by stamping a scrap of white CS with a rubber stamp, trimming it to the size I wanted, and adding it to the card front.  The orange strip was another scrap and I layered it on, then added the image and sentiment pieces.

     The final touches were the black, bow tie, ribbon bow which I tied using my bow maker and the die cut cat.  I did color the cat's eyes with a green ProMarker after I put it on the paw print paper.  That really made the cat come alive.  :-D

     Challenges:
Cards in Envy
Color Inspiration
Crafting from the Heart
Digi Choosday
Incy Wincy
Passion for ProMarkers
Simon Says Stamp
TTCRD

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this month.  Remember, it's Anything Goes as long as it Features a Creature.  How can you miss out on that one?   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Window on Autumn

     I know it isn't Autumn yet but this gorgeous image from our sponsor, Sparkle n Sprinkle ("Welcome Autumn"), was begging to be used as my DT card for the latest monthly challenge at Cards Galore Encore.   I have a huge collection of both stamps and digi images from SnS and this one hadn't been used and needed to be.

Below is a photo of the lattice-gate when it's closed.

I used the sketch from Stella Says Sketch

and the colors from Catch the Bug.

   

     Although this started with a pre-colored image, I used my ProMarkers to color the sky and to add colors to the cat, the kitten, the bird, the fence, and a couple of the squashes.  I discovered that technique several months ago and love using it for different looks.

     The die is an unbranded die and the ribbon was in my stash.  I doubled it, wrapped it around the card front, and then used two layers to make the double-loop bow.  I stamped the sentiment.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps
Aloha Friday
Colour Crazy
Die Cuttin' Divas
Polkadoodles
Send a Smile 4 Kids
Sweet Stampin'

     This is my last DT post for Crafts Galore Encore because I'm going to be gone off and on throughout the summer.  I'll continue to do DT work for three teams but have had to resign or take leave time from the other three in order not to be overwhelmed.  I'm going to miss all of the wonderful ladies who have become friends from those teams but I'll be around blogland and will play in those challenges as often as possible.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Time Began in a Garden

     Hello and welcome to June!  How did we get to almost half way through this year?  Time is flying by.  Goodness, this month all the kids will be out of school, summer will officially begin (winter in the Southern Hemisphere), the days will begin getting shorter (longer down under), and before you know it, we'll all be scrambling to do our holiday cards.  :-D

     But for this morning, this is the first of three posts I have for 1st of the Month DT cards and this one is for the "Anything Goes with a Critter" challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies.  Our sponsor is Sparkle n Sprinkle and they provided digi images for each of us to use.  I'm using "Garden Silhouette" and I love how easily it lent itself to a CAS design.

     No coloring on this one at all.  Each piece is printed, fussy cut, and layered onto the card front.  I used various thicknesses of dimensional dots or tape, the thickest of which is on the sentiment.  I finished it by adding a black bow for embellishment.

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Crafting from the Heart
Creative Fingers
Glitter n Sparkle
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Ribbon Girl
Sisterhood of Crafters
Time Out

     I do hope we're going to see you playing along this month.  Remember, any project (not just cards) which features a creature of any sort qualifies to be entered in the challenge.  Come join us and give us some fantastic inspiration!   Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie    

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

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.

Penguin Weather

     Since penguins are birds who live in the southern hemisphere, does that mean they head north when winter closes in?  I guess, since they can't fly, they have to just stay put and weather the icy storms.  This one was smart enough to wrap up in his scarf and top hat.  :-D

     The stamp is from Sparkle n Sprinkle, and I used Black Detail Embossing Powder (also from SnS), heat embossed to get the glossy black on the penguin.  I used my ProMarkers to color the hat and scarf, and his cold little feet.  :-D  I added loose glitter to the snow and also to the spaces on the die cut (Spellbinders).

     I matted the die cut image with red CS, then layered it onto blue CS and die cut the corners.  The red ribbon is from my Christmas stash, probably from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The sentiment tag is also a die cut from Spellbinders.  I used silvery snowflakes which were in my stash and added the little white bow with the pearl for a bit of texture.  Finally, I added all the layers to a white card front.

     With the exception of the blue CS, everything on here was taken from deep hiding places in my stash.  :-D

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations
A Snowflakes Promise
Cards in Envy
Clear It Out
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Creative Card Crew
Cuttlebug Mania
Get Creative
Incy Wincy
Lemon Shortbread
Love to Scrap
Paper Minutes
Scrapy Land
Unicorn Challenge

     I haven't done heat embossing for a couple of months and I had forgotten how much I enjoy both it and the results.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Caroling Snowmen

     I'm so excited to announce that I was invited to join Beccy's Place as a Guest Designer for a blog hop that is being done by Sparkle N Sprinkle, where you can find many of Beccy's images. 

     Today the Beccy's Place designers have teamed up with Sparkle N Sprinkle for the release of the new "Snow One Like You" set of images.  The girls over at SNS have been working with the rubber stamp version, while we have been using the digital set that contains a couple of additional images.

Keep reading to learn how you can win one of Beccy's digital sets!

The digital set is available for purchase from Beccy's online store.

Here is the card I created using the set. 

     I went a little wild with the circles but that just makes it a "well-rounded" card, right?    I used ProMarkers to color the image and added glitter to them and to the ice for a bit of sparkle.  I used the same shades of blue to color the "joy" in the sentiment.

     I die cut everything; image, dp, sentiment, then layered everything onto a sapphire blue card base.  I added pearls to the corners for embellishment and then left it alone.  I thought the papers were busy enough that nothing more was needed.

     Beccy is giving away three sets of the "Snow One Like You" digital stamps.  All you have to do is leave a comment on one of her designers blogs during the hop.  Three random comments will be chosen and those people will receive the full set of digital images.  You can leave a comment on as many of the designers blogs as you like... visit them all to increase your chances of winning!

Monika's Blog

Aurore's Blog

Christine's Blog

Karin's Blog

Cynthia's Blog

Ema's Blog

Donna's Blog

Angela's Blog

NanaConnie's Blog  <----that's me!

Charlene's Blog

     Challenges I'm entering with this card:
2 Sisters -- Anything goes
Crafts-Too Challenge You -- Texture + glittery
Creative Corner -- Great Outdoors (if they weren't outdoors, they'd melt!)
Cut It Up -- Going in circles
Digi Haven -- 2 colors (blue & white; just for you, Lynn!)
Drunken Stampers -- Die cuts
My Creative Moments -- Seasons (winter)
Outlawz Monday -- Anything goes
Sister Act -- Anything goes

Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie