Autumn Sprite

     Another of the sprites from AuroraWings, this one called Autumn Sprite.  I'm going  to use this one for a Thanksgiving card.

Colored with ProMarkers
Spellbinders die
Sheer and grosgrain ribbons
Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
C.R.A.F.T.
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs.
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lemon Shortbread
Papercraft
Word Art Weds.

     We're almost mid-way through the week, more than mid-way through September, and in my part of the country it's still hot, hot, hot!   I'm praying for fall and the cool, crisp evenings that make the mildly warm days enjoyable.  Hope things are cooler in your neck of the woods.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Lilacs for You

     I'm really on a kick of using some of my sprites from AuroraWings and here's my second one in a week.  This image is the Lilac Sprite.  I remember the beautiful lilacs I had at my house before I moved.  I spent several years tending them and training them to grow up over the railing on the second-story deck I had.  Each year that they bloomed, they'd hang down over the drive which ran underneath the deck.  Oh, they were so marvelous in the late spring and early summer!  Their scent filled the air.

     I colored with ProMarkers, and cut her with a die from Spellbinders.  The delicate, lacy frame is also cut with a Spellbinders die.  I had that gingham paper left on my craft desk from doing another project a couple of days ago and decided to use it up instead of tossing it out.

     I tied a 'bowtie' bow from a bit of white lace, then "dyed" it with one of my ProMarkers.  I made that the only embellishment because I really wanted the image and the frame to be the central focus on this card.

     Challenges:
Angie's Digital Stamps
AuroraWings
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Friends
Cutie Pie
Di's Digi Designs
Fussy and Fancy
Outlawz Festive Friday
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Simon Says Stamp

     That's all I have for today except to say that we're halfway through the week.  It's been Easter break here in my neighborhood, with all the kids out of school.  They don't go back until Tuesday and they all get to celebrate Easter before then.  Thanks for visiting, and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Rambling Rose

     This lovely little sprite from AuroraWings caught my attention when I was at their store choosing images from my win in last month's challenge.  :-D  She's called Wild Rose Sprite but I colored her in peachy gold colors to look like the rambling roses my mom cultivated along the back porch arbor when I was growing up.  That's my absolute favorite color for roses to this day!

I started by using the sketch from Viva la Verve

but I flipped it side to side so that it's reversed

and lengthened the horizontal to better fit the

shape of my image.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then die cut the image with one of my Spellbinders dies.  I inked the edges with black ProMarker.   I started digging through my scrap basket and found that beautiful paper which mirrored the colors I had used in the image.  What is odd about it is that I simply don't remember ever having seen that paper before!  It was the only scrap like it and I did a quick look-through of my paper stacks but nothing like it exists in my stash.  Hmmm, oh well, call it a lucky find or a miracle, I love how it "made" this card !

     The black strip is fabric ribbon that came in a card kit but I didn't use it for either of those projects so it was waiting for me when I wanted something out of the ordinary for this one.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, then sewed together the tiny, pink bow with the pearl.  It looks bright pink in the photo but is actually a perfect match for the pink card base, visible around the edges of the card.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments (dp/digi/fav color)
Colour Crazy
Crafty Catz
DL.ART
Fussy and Fancy
Outlawz Festive Friday
Polkadoodles
Southern Girls

     Thanks for visiting.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Hyacinth Sprite

     I absolutely adore all the little flower sprites at AuroraWings and I bought a few more a couple of weeks ago, this being one of them.  Isn't she sweet?

     More coloring with my polychromos pencils and I do believe I'm getting the hang of it.  I find myself more and more satisfied with the end results.  The colors get richer, the shading gets more accurate, and I'm liking the results almost as much as my coloring with ProMarkers.  :-D

    The image was cut with another of my Unbranded die frames and I layered it onto paper from the Linen Closet stack by DCWV.  I'm on a crusade to use only things from my stash (especially papers and CS) until I have used a significant portion of the huge mountains I piled up over the last couple of years.  I'm digging out things I had forgotten and falling in love with them all over again.  It's kind of fun to find something and remember why I bought it in the first place.  :-D

     I hand tied the bow, then printed the sentiment, matted it, and added it on top of all the layers.

     Challenges:
Allsorts
Colour Crazy
Creative Fingers
Di's Digi Designs
Fussy and Fancy
Jo's Scrap Shack
Morgan's ArtWorld
Ribbon Girl
Tuesday Throwdown

      That's it for today.  We're half-way to the weekend and then 4th of July is shortly upon those of us in the US.  Some of you will have both Monday and Tuesday off, giving you a very long weekend.  Whether you have a long weekend or just the day of the 4th, be safe and sane with fireworks and driving.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Bluebell Sprite

     Have you ever gone on a shopping spree for images, bought several and then had one get lost in the shuffle?  That's the story behind this darling, little, bluebell sprite by AuroraWings.  I bought several sprites at the same time and for some reason this is the one I've never used.  Sorry, little sprite.  :-D

     The image is colored with my ProMarkers and framed with a leftover negative from a die cut I used on another project.  That scalloped circle, the outer edge of a doily cut (Cheery Lynn), was just too pretty to throw away and it worked perfectly here.

     I added a strip of dp (DCWV "Basics" stack) to one side and wrapped it with ribbon.  The leaves and little flowers were in my stash, again cuts left over from a previous project and the dies for those were Cheery Lynn and Memory Box.

     I tied a bow and added glitter to the flowers and the bow.  The sentiment is printed, then hand cut before matting and adhering to the card.  The different layers and design elements give some great texture to the card.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
AuroraWings (die cuts/flowers/blue)
Bunny Zoe's
Colour Crazy Craft
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Incy Wincy
Morgan's Artworld
One Stitch at a Time
Outlawz Color
Outlawz Festive Friday
Scribbles Designs
Simon Says Stamp & Show

     Be sure to stop by again tomorrow when I'll be showing my DT card for the new challenge at QKR Stampede.  You won't want to miss that new theme.  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.

Carnation Sprite

    Have you ever had one of those days when you were surrounded by "new" things which just had to be used right now?    Yesterday afternoon was one of those days for me.  I had received new die sets in the mail, new papers from a friend, and bought a new (to me) Sprite image from AuroraWings.  It seemed a perfect time to use new things but I ended up combining them with old card stock, ribbon, and pearls which have been in my stash nearly as long as I've been alive!  :-D  OK, so for maybe 4 or 5 years but a long time.

I started with the sketch from the current challenge at My Favorite Things,

although my image is inside a square rather than an oval.

Remember, I just had to use the newest die set!  

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then die cut it, deliberately cropping the image on one side.  Then I used that same die set to cut the deep pink CS and inlaid the image piece into it.  The light pink CS was cut with one of my stitched square dies from Lawn Fawn.  I layered the image piece over that and mounted all of it onto some of my new dp.

     I stamped the sentiment using white ink on black CS, then matted it with pink CS, hand cut and added to the card front.  The three dark pearls were added in place of the stars shown in the sketch and I found the polka dot ribbon and tied one of the recently-learned bow ties, which I love nearly as much as the bows I sew together by the dozens.

     Challenges:
Alphabet Challenge
AuroraWings
Craft Rocket
Crafting by Designs
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with Friends
Craft Your Passion
Creative Moments
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie
Inspiration Destination
Little Red Wagon
Scrapy Land

     I hope your weekend is going well and that you are enjoying either the great weather, or if the weather is lousy, then enjoy some crafting time since going outside is out of the question.  We're on day five of 104+ temperatures and they say tomorrow will get to 108!  I'm almost to the point of envying those places which are flooding.  OK, not really but yes, you can bet your entire bank account that I'm staying inside, making cards and coloring.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Gathering Acorns

     I just noticed there's a new challenge on the FB page for AuroraWings and their theme is "Holiday Sprites."  I love this little Acorn Sprite but have never used it before so I decided on Thanksgiving as my holiday.

I chose to use the sketch from STAMPlorations

and took my colors from the Friday Coloring challenge at The Outlawz.

  

     The Acorn Sprite is colored with my ProMarkers, then die cut with a die from QuicKutz.  The papers are from my stash and the yellow paper is embossed with Swiss Dots.  The sentiment is computer printed and matted with CS.  The "Thankful" sentiment is hand-printed on woodgrain paper, mounted on chipboard, and cut with a banner die.  Finally, I added a bow, the flower (punched pieces layered together with a gem), and the three gems below the bottom sentiment.

     Challenges:
ArtbyMiran
Corrosive Challenge
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with Friends
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Creations
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Fingers
Creative Moments
Di's Digi Designs (top row)
DL.ART
DRS Designs
Fussy and Fancy
Inspiration Destination
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lacy Sunshine (top row)
Love to Scrap
Morgan's ArtWorld
Not Just Cards
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrapper's Delight
Stamping Boutique

     I'm getting toward the end of my Thanksgiving cards but still have a few to share.  Many of mine will have to be in the mail by mid-week if they are to arrive at their destinations on time.  I hope your crafting time isn't suffering from all the necessary holiday prep and that you're enjoying your weekend.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Dandi-lion

     I've fallen madly in love with AuroraWings' darling little sprites and this Dandelion Sprite is no exception.   Their challenge theme this time is "Sprite Delight" and you just have to use a hand-colored sprite on your project to enter.

I chose my colors from the challenge at The Outlawz.

I used the center diagonal row of yellow, lt brown, & green 

and added the gold mesh for the lace.

     The image is colored with ProMarkers and I added glitter gel ink to the dandelion seeds but it just doesn't show in the photo.  The sentiment was printed on the same piece as the image.  The fancy edge was made with a Cheery Lynn border die and the flower is from Recollections, dyed with a marker.  Everything is put onto a dark brown CS base.

     Challenges:

Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Inspiration Destination
Love to Scrap
Paper Shelter
Papertake Weekly
Penny's Paper Crafty
Through the Craft Room Door
Vintage Stamping

     Yesterday was day 7 in our over-100 degree heat wave and there's just no relief in sight.  The weather folks are predicting that on Monday we'll be at 99 instead of 100 but, I'm sorry, my body fails to detect the difference.  Hot is hot!  If you're also suffering from high heat, be sane and stay indoors.  Craft your heart out and post lots of inspiration for the rest of us.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie