Cat-titude !

     I live with enough felines to know what real "cat-titude" is and all the different ways in which it is expressed!  It's often said that "Dogs have Masters and Cats have Slaves."  lol  This card is a celebration of "Cat-titude."   

     The image is from Sparkle n Sprinkle.  (Digi set #650 - Welcome Autumn)

   
     I colored the cat with ProMarkers, then fussy cut him.  The fence and gate die is from Spellbinders.  I printed the sentiment and cut it by hand.  Everything went onto an embossed (Linen folder), "Smoke Gray," card front, and the cat is adhered on Pop Dots.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Cute N Crafty
Digi Choosday
Dream Valley
Lemon Shortbread
Passion for ProMarkers
Sparkle n Sprinkle FB
SUYP Cats
TTCRD

     OK, that's all for today.  Enjoy the day, whatever the weather at your house.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

No Fear of the Night

     It's time for our February challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies!   As usual, our theme is "Anything Goes with a Critter" and, once again, Sparkle n Sprinkle is our fabulous sponsor.  They generously provided images for our team members to use and I hope you're going to visit the main 2 Crafty Critter Crazies blog to see all of the inspiration the team is offering.

       I used an incredible Owl set (Great Horned Owl) designed by our very own Donna E!  Isn't it gorgeous?

     I colored the owl with ProMarkers and then used SnS EP to heat emboss the white areas on the owl's feathers and on the tree branch.  I cut the image and the frame with scalloped dies from Sizzix.  The deep blue dp is from 7 Gypsies and the flowery paper is a scrap of origami paper.

     I printed and hand cut the sentiment (also part of the Great Horned Owl image set), inking the edges of it.  The CS behind the sentiment was a scrap left from die cutting the blue CS frame.  I simply lined up the scallop spaces and that helped to pop the sentiment off the background.  The card base is kraft CS.

     I added one, hand-sewn, bow with a pearl for embellishment and decided it was beautifully finished.  I know I'm going to be using this set a lot.  There are so many options available.  Go check it out.

     Challenges:
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Sentiments Designs
I {heart} ProMarkers
Paper Shelter
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp
Sparkle n Sprinkle
TTCRD
Tues. Throwdown

     Check back in another three hours or so when I'll have my post for QKR Stampede.  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

Sleigh Ride

     This is my second post today and there will be a total of 4!  Be sure to check them all.  :-D

     OMGoodness, it's the 1st of November and we have only two months left in the year!  How did that happen?  It seems only yesterday I was groaning about not having my Valentine cards done.

     In any case, it IS November and we have a new challenge starting at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies.   As always, our theme is "Anything Goes with a Critter."  The sponsor is Sparkle N Sprinkle and I have used a wonderful image called "Sleigh Ride."

     For this card, I started with a blank piece of white CS and I colored the sky with ProMarkers.  I printed the sleigh, the sentiment, and two small snowflakes in the sky area right onto the colored background.  After it was printed, I colored the snow on the ground, and cut the image with a simple square die from QuicKutz.

     I matted the image piece with a piece of aquamarine CS, and put that onto a white card base.  I added the horizontal wrap of blue ribbon and tied a double layer bow with the sheer ribbon which already had the glittery circles on it.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
A Perfect time to Craft
Craft-D BowZ
Crafty Animals
Digi Doodle Studio
Digistamps4Joy
Scrap from Your Heart
Sparkle n Sprinkle FB

     I hope we see you playing in our challenge this month.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Impossible" Fold for a Witch's Stew

     Beccy, from Beccy's Place, has done a couple of fancy fold tutorials this month and I'd never made either kind of card before so I tried them.  The Dutch Door fold I posted a week or so ago and now this one, an "Impossible Card," for today.  I followed her Tutorial exactly and discovered that despite the "Impossible" name, it's really quite simple to make. 

     The image is - make that WAS available as a digi through Sparkle n Sprinkle, and may still be available as a rubber stamp but I haven't checked that.  In any case, I'm using it for their challenge.

     I colored with ProMarkers and cut the image piece with a square die from Spellbinders.  I inked the edges and mounted it onto the middle flap.  The sentiment is part of the image set and I printed, cut, inked, and mounted it onto a scrap piece of embossed, beige CS.

     That beige piece (and the one like it at the back of the card) was layered onto a scrap of the main dp, then onto black CS, and each of those was cut to size for the card.  That checkered dp is digital paper from Doodle Pantry (now closed. :-(  )   I love that paper because it has my favorite fall color combo and works with most fall/autumn projects.

     I used a die from Impression Obsession to cut the bats from scraps of black CS and added them last.  The stand-up flap folds down for mailing.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Sentiments Designs
Creates and Makes
Cutie Pie
Die Cuttin' Divas
Passion for ProMarkers
Pixie's Snippets

     I hope you are enjoying your weekend and getting a bit of relaxation/"me" time and not spending it all doing household chores.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Stream

     One more Christmas card to share, this time using a gorgeous image from Sparkle n Sprinkle.

I took my inspiration from the sketch at My Favorite Things.

     The image is colored with ProMarkers, with sparkle gel ink on the snow and water.  I tore the image piece along one edge for some distressed texture.  The snowflake paper is die cut (Sue Wilson die) and laid over a piece of turquoise CS which I had embossed with my "Linen" folder.  I added dots of glitter to each tiny snowflake but it's nearly impossible to see it in the photo.

     I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and matted it with a scrap of the same CS as the background.  The silver ribbon was in my Christmas stash and I've used a lot of it this month on all my Christmas-in-July cards.

     Challenges:
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Creations
Crafty Gals Corner
Day Dreamer
House that Stamps Built
Kraftin' Kimmie
Scrapy Land
Word Art Weds.

     That's it for today.  Happy Stamping and stay cool.  NanaConnie

Happy New Year and New Challenge at Crafts Galore Encore

     Happy New Year, all my friends and followers!

     It's the first day of 2017 and the first day of a new monthly challenge at Crafts Galore Encore.  Our theme is "Anything Goes" and our wonderful sponsor is Sparkle 'n' Sprinkle.  They generously supplied images for our DT to use.  I chose one of their wonderful Hat Ladies, "Isobel."    I wanted something simple and elegant and she really fit the bill.

     The image is heat embossed with navy blue EP and I used a blue gel pen to color in her necklace.  I used one of my ProMarkers on her lips and another for her eyes.  The background is colored with chalk.  I used a simple rectangle die to cut the image (Spellbinders.)

     I found a scrap of blue CS and ran it through my 'Linen' embossing folder, then added it behind the image piece.  The bow is a double color, double loop bow and I cut the tails on a diagonal.  The sentiment was printed and colored with a ProMarker.   I love the contrast of chilly blues and her warm fur coat.  Obviously, she just came in from the New Year winter cold!  :-D

     Challenges:

Chalk n Stock
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafter's Cafe
Crafty Friends

Crafty Gals Corner

Kraftin' Kimmie

Mod Squad

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

Sparkle n Sprinkle

Through the Craft Room Door

     I hope you had a safe New Year's Eve and can enjoy a laid back day of parades and football, happily gathered in the warmth of family and friends.  Come play in our challenge.  We'd love to be inspired by you!   Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Destination New York City

     I've been invited to be a Guest Designer at the new Always Use Rubber challenge which has a theme this fortnight of "Destinations."   I dug through my Sparkle n Sprinkle rubber stamps and found this wonderful Statue of Liberty stamp so my destination is New York, New York.

     I started by coloring the statue with my ProMarkers, then I die cut the image with a die from Bo Bunny.  The frame around the image is also cut with a die from that same set and was cut from a scrap of blue CS.   The sentiment is stamped and heat embossed with black EP.   The ribbon came from my stash and I die cut little daisies from scraps, used loose glitter on them, and then added a gem stone to the center of each one.  Everything was layered onto a deep, ocean blue, card base.

     Challenges:
Colour Your World
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Sentiments
Cuttlebug Mania (Top row)
Digi Choosday
Dream Valley
Lemon Shortbread
Pile It On
Scrapy Land

     Come play along this week.  You do have to use a rubber stamp in this challenge but I know you must have a drawer full of those even if you've turned into a digi stamp crafter these days.  Put on your thinking cap and come up with a wonderful 'Destination,' make a card and then enter the challenge.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

One More Witch

     I keep telling myself I'm done with Halloween cards and then I find one more stamp or one more sentiment I just have to use... need I say more?  At least this time, I combined the image and the sentiment onto one last Halloween card.  Both of these came from a set by Sparkle n Sprinkle and I'm entering their monthly challenge with it.

     This is a single layer card and I painted the background with watercolors.  Both the image and the sentiment are done with black EP.  Fast, clean and simple.  Less than 15 minutes, including time for the watercolor to dry since I used my heat gun and then ironed it flat before doing the embossing.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
Artistic Inspirations
Cards in Envy
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Moments
Di's Digi Designs
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Get Creative
Male Room
Melonheadz Friends
My Time to Craft
Not Just Cards
Pencil Case
Scrapper's Delights

     OK, I think this may be my last Halloween card but no promises if I see another image which calls out to me or threatens me with the flying monkeys.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Music for the Soul

     This is my second card as Guest Designer for the CAS challenge at The Outlawz.  Our theme this week is "Musical" -- and that can have a wide interpretation.  I chose to use a rubber stamp image from Sparkle n Sprinkle, one I've had for a long, long time (before I even started blogging!) but still love.  In fact, this card is overwhelmingly filled with Sparkle n Sprinkle goodies -- embossing powder, glitter, and image.

I started with the sketch from The Outlawz

and colors came from Connie Can Crop.

    

     Before stamping my image, I used chalks to color and blend the background and then I stamped the image with embossing ink, used black EP and heat set it.  I used ProMarkers to add a bit of color to the butterfly in the image.  I die cut it with one of my favorite types of dies (framing) from Spellbinders, making a fancy frame for it.  The three little butterflies are die cut negatives and I added glitter to two of them.  I mounted the image onto a pre-made, colored card front, added the bit of sheer ribbon and the corner brads.  Another lovely, CAS design.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
Cards in Envy
City Crafter
Crafty Gals Corner (mid row)
Everybody Art
Inspiration Destination
Not Just Cards
Papertake Weekly
Pencil Case
{Pin}spirational
Scrap & Craft
Scrapy Land
Simon Says Stamp
Stamplorations

     Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll have another Guest Designer post in a few hours.  Shhhh, it's a secret until then.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Fairy Glen

     The image on this card is called "Mushrooms in the Forest" and it's one of the new (to me, at least) digital images I found over at Sparkle n Sprinkle, where they have a color challenge this month.  Although I've already done one card for that challenge, I bought this digi and used the colors again just because they seemed to really work for this image.

  

I took my design sketch from The Outlawz.

     I colored the image with my favorite alcohol pens, ProMarkers, then cut and mounted it on a doily.  I used green CS for my card base, added glittery sheer ribbon and a bow, then layered on the image piece.

     The corners are done with a die from Cheery Lynn Designs and those are the punched out, 'negative' pieces which would normally be thrown out.  I added glitter to the corner pieces, though it's a bit hard to see in the photograph.

     The sentiment is my own, computer printed and cut out, then added to the image piece.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and More -- Make your mark (Coloring)
Crafty Bloggers Network -- Favorite things (mushroom images)
Get Inky -- Ribbon
I {heart} ProMarkers -- Doily
MarkerPOP -- Anything goes
Paper Girls - Glitter
Paper Playtime -- Lots of yellow
Stamp and Create -- Glitter

     Happy Monday to all of you.  It's going to be a long day at work for me today but I'll get to rest when I get home this evening.  Little time for any crafting much before Wednesday afternoon (my treasured mid-week, half-day off) so you know I'll be looking forward to it.  In the meantime, Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie