Day 19, Letter "Q"- Beccy's Place 30 Days of Christmas

     Wow, this month is really rocketing by!  Here we are on Day 19 of the 30 Days of Christmas at Beccy's Place and our letter prompt is "Q."   Not an easy one; I pretty much feel limited to quilting or quilling and since it's been years since I did any quilling, I turned to Quilted.  I used Beccy's (free) Three French Hens image from her 12 Days of Christmas set, along with one of my Quilting dies.

My card design was inspired by the sketch at Tuesday Morning

but I stretched it to allow for a horizontal design.

Quilted hens colored with ProMarkers
Cut with Oval die from QuicKutz
Quilt die from Sizzix
Glitter paper by Recollections
Green polka dot dp from K & Co.
Red CS embossed with Linen EF
Holly leaves die from SU
Mini buttons

     Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments
Cuttlebug Mania
Digi Choosday
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lemon Shortbread
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Day 6 at Beccy's 30 Days of Christmas - BINGO Board

     This is the first of the 'thrown curves' from Beccy's Place 30 Days of Christmas and instead of using an alphabet prompt, today she has designed a wonderful Bingo board! 

      I've used both the top row, the center column, and the diagonal from bottom left to top right.

     This cute Beccy's Place image is Finn's Bells and I think he's darling!  This is one of those times when I started with a pre-colored image, then used my ProMarkers to change some of the colors and to add shadows and emphasis to others.  The sentiment is also from this set.

I based this on the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches, reversed.

Coloring with ProMarkers
Image cut with Sue Wilson die
Ring of bells was fussy cut
Ribbon is a scrap
Striped dp - digi from Doodle Pantry (closed)
Silver sparkle paper from DCWV "Twinkle Glints" stack
Bow hand-tied from strip of tulle

     Challenges:
Christmas Kickstart
House that Stamps Built
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrappy Land
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown
   
     Happy Crafting to all of you.  NanaConnie

Birthday Flight for Pegasus

     Welcome to another Friday and the start of another challenge week at QKR Stampede.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and you can use products or images from any company.  If you do choose to use a QKR Stampede image (or even one from our sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry will go onto a separate draw and that increases your chances of winning by a huge margin!

     This QKR image is called "Pegasus" and I love him to bits!

I based this card on the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches

but I reversed it and adjusted it for a vertical card.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image and cut it with a stitched die from Card Deco.  I used my favorite purple paper with hearts and flowers on it as the background and added the sentiment to it.  I die cut all the flowers (Spellbinders), added glitter to two of them and to the lavender flower, then added tiny gems.  I added Glossy Accents to his eyes and wings but none of that shows up very well in the photo.

     This is my oldest granddaughter's birthday card and I can share it on my blog because she's already seen it.  Her birthday was yesterday and she loved this card!  She's the one who really loves dragons but she also has a passion for Greek Mythology so this aging Pegasus was a definite hit.  :-D

     Challenges:
Crafty Creations
Dream Valley
Double Trouble (all 3 - middle row of TicTacToe)
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Papercraft
Paper Shelter
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrapy Land
Use Your Stuff

     I hope we're going to see you playing along with us this  week.  How can you lose with an Anything Goes theme?  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Making a Joyful Noise with Music

     Yep, another card for the 30 Days of Christmas at Beccy's Place but then, if you've been visiting me at all this month, you already suspected that.  :-D  The alphabet prompt is the letter "M" and we're at the midway point of both the month and the alphabet.  My "M"s to day are related to Music.  I adore these 3 snowmen Making Music, singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs (do snowmen have lungs?)

I started with the sketch from Tuesday Morning.

     I colored with ProMarkers, my favorite alcohol Markers, and cut the image with a Lawn Fawn, stitched, square die, turned on point to make a diamond shape.  The silver and white ribbon is wired & glittered and I wrapped the card front with it.

     I printed and hand-cut the sentiment and began layering on all the different bits and pieces.  The bow is from my stash, one of those I make by the dozens and toss into the stash for future use.  The snowflake charm was in my Christmas stash and I'm sure it's been there for 3 years, forgotten and unused.  It seemed awfully happy to see the light of day when I took it out.  :-D  I added glitter to it and put it in a prominent place at the top of the card.

     Challenges:
12 Months of Christmas
Cardz TV
Crafty Sentiments
Digistamp4Joy
Outlawz Festive Friday
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrap from Your Heart
Try Stampin' on Tues.

     This is my first post of the day and in about an hour, I'll be posting my DT card for Creations in Pink so be sure to stop by again.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Hedgehog Gratitude

     Can hedgehogs be grateful?  Sure, why not?  Give them a few leaves to line their nests before winter hits and their gratitude knows no bounds.  :-D

     I did this sweet card using an image from Lemon Shortbread.

I started with the sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

and the autumn colors from Time Out.

  

     I colored with ProMarkers and water colors, then cut the image with an Unbranded die.  The glittery dots which make up the flourish along the left side and the three on the top right I made by hand punching the dots out of paper which I had glittered and let dry before punching.

     I printed the sentiment, inked the edges and added it above the image.  The bow was hand sewn from sheer ribbon and I put one of the glittered dots on it.

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

House that Stamps Built

I {heart} ProMarkers

Mod Squad

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds.

Words to Craft By

     That's all I have for today but I'll be back tomorrow with something else for you to see.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

CAS Christmas

     This is my second post today so if you missed the first one, be sure to scroll down to the previous post.  It's worth a look.  :-D

     Limited Runs has some wonderful Christmas images but I'm showcasing a very simple and large sentiment.  I'm going to make at least a dozen cards just like this one because it's one of those really quick, "git 'er done" (as my friend, Lynn, says) cards which is flat enough to mail.

I used a sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

flipped side to side.

     I used ProMarkers to color the candy cane letters in the sentiment and also the border around the sentiment.  I used die cut holly leaves and berries, adhered them with Pop Dots, and added Glossy Accents to the berries for some sparkle and shine.   Plain but bright, CAS and fast.  :-D

     Challenges:
ABC Christmas
Addicted to CAS
Aud Sentiments
Catch the Bug
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas
Creative Inspirations
Everybody Art 
Outlawz Festive Fridays
Time Out

     Have a great rest of your weekend, my friends.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Beach Birthday

     I always envied my school-days friends who had summer birthday because, even though they complained about the lack of classroom recognition of their special day, they could go to the beach for their birthday!

     This cute image from Sasayaki Glitter is my way of celebrating all that summer fun.  Ice cream, the beach, and her kitty - what else could a gal need on a summer day?

I started with the sketch from Tuesday Morning,

turned sideways,

and the Color Sisters had some great inspiration.

   

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, then cut it with a die from Spellbinders.  I inset that cut into the frame die, also from that Spellbinders set.   I printed and fussy cut the sentiment, matted it with CS, hand cut that, and applied it at the bottom of the image.

     The bow is one of those I sew together by the dozens and toss in my stash for future use.  I mounted everything onto turquoise CS which became the card front.  CAS but more complex looking because of the complexity of the framing die.

     Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments
Cuttlebug Mania
Digi Choosday
Everybody Art
Lemon Shortbread
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown

     Catching up on all my 'favorite blog' visits is turning out to be very time consuming!  Even though I checked email pretty regularly, I had more than 200 in my inbox yesterday and that's without Blogger sending me any notifications of comments on my blog.  Whew!  So, I'm working on it but if I leave you one comment on all your posts, please forgive and understand.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Not Carmen Miranda!

     I think this Rick St. Dennis image is hysterically funny and hate to admit that it's been in my collection for a while, unused.  She may be a hot cha-cha dancer but she's no Carmen Miranda!  I love the whole idea of an elephant in Spanish Dancer costume.  :-D

I used the sketch I found at Tuesday Morning Sketches.

     I colored with ProMarkers, polychromos pencils, and gel pens.  I added glitter to the diamonds on her costume and used white gel ink on all the pearls.  The image is cut with an Unbranded die.

     The turquoise CS is embossed with my "Linen" folder and added to the card front.  I took a piece of patterned dp from another project (which went into the 'round file' after I saved some of the dp and embellies) and cut it with a border die from Spellbinders.  I added it on top to the CS to make the upper triangle.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, matted it with the same recycled dp, then added the satin bow, complete with a pearl.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Classic DT Open
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Sentiments
Die Cut Divas
Everybody Art
Ike's World
Outlawz Songs and Rhymes
Take It, Make It

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

All Good Dogs Go to Heaven

     When a 9 year-old loses his canine best friend, there's little that will console him other than time.  But his Grandma wanted him to know that she was thinking of him so she asked me to make a card.

     Since I had the perfect QKR Stampede image and sentiment, I used them to make the card for her and to use as my DT card for our optional theme this week, "Things with Wings."  The image is called "Angel Dog" and the sentiment is called "All Dogs."

This one is based on the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches

but I admit that I used just plain CS for the background pieces

instead of patterned dp because I wanted to 

showcase the detail in the die cut.

     I used my ProMarkers to color him, then cut him with a die from Memory Box.  I have to admit that most of my dogs end up colored in a beige and white color combo and that's because my favorite dog ever was beige and had white paws.  To me, those are the colors all dogs should be.  :-D

     The framing die is also from that same Memory Box set.  Although you can barely see the sparkle, I used a glitter pen to color in some of the stars (flowers?) and, IRL, it makes the background look more like sky.  I added a dark, midnight-blue bow.

     Because that die was so detailed and because this card is for a boy, I left off any other embellishments.  I printed and matted the sentiment and added it just above the bow.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Aud Sentiments
Crafting from the Heart
Crazy Challenge
Digi Choosday
Dream Valley
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Pile It On

     Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Pumpkins and Pie

     One of the really great things about Thanksgiving when I was a child was the pumpkin pie!  For some reason, we rarely had it the rest of the year but Thanksgiving was a guarantee that the lovely, orange-y, nutmeg-spicy pie would be there, just waiting for a first bite.  It was my favorite pie back then and remains so all these years later.  :-D  My card today celebrates that annual occasion.

I used this sketch from Tuesday Morning  Sketches.

     I colored the image with chalk markers and made a background sky and clouds by coloring with gel inks.  (I'm totally crazy about all these Bird Brain images by From the Heart Stamps!)  I added gold and silver glitter to the moon and gold glitter to the embossed pumpkin embellie.  The papers are from Lawn Fawn and I rounded the corners on the image and the mat with a punch.  The 'raffia' ribbon is actually a strip of plastic bag, wrapped  around the card front and scrunched on a piece of  3/8s double stick tape.  The bow is made from glitter-striped ribbon, tied with my bow maker.

     Challenges:
Cardz for Guyz (moon)
Chalk n Stock
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Clear It Out
Crafting with an Attitude
Craft-Dee Bowz
Crafty Boots
Crafty Cardmakers
Jo's Scrap Shack
Julie Spiri
Outlawz Twisted Thursday
Quick Quotes
Scrap and Craft

     I'm off to my daughter's house where the whole family and about a dozen 8 and 9 year olds are going to celebrate my grandson's birthday.  Have a great weekend.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Rainy Days for Spring

     OK, so southern California is still in the midst of a huge drought but maybe another rainy day card will bring us some of that moisture from the sky that so many of the rest of you have had.  If not, then this card will be celebrating typical spring days everywhere else.  :-D

I took my sketch from  Tuesday Morning Sketches,

turned sideways to accommodate my tall image.

     The image is from Lacy Sunshine (theme: Feminine) and I colored her with ProMarkers.  Although it's very difficult to see in the photo, the raindrops and the puddle are made sparkly with a glitter gel pen.  I used three different dies from one of my framing sets (by Spellbinders) to cut the image and the fancy frame.  Everything is mounted onto a black card base.  The flower is handmade with three layers of petals and a black brad in the center.  The leaf is another Spellbinders die cut.  Can't see it?  It's cut from navy blue CS and just blends into the black border in the photo.

     Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations -- Monochromatic
Bearly Mine -- Spring
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards -- Spring
Corrosive Challenges -- Pretty pastels
Crafting Musketeers -- Monochromatic
Craftitude -- Spring
Crafty Catz -- "B" is for... blue
Crazy Challenge -- Spring is here
Creative Card Crew -- Spring
Creative Moments -- Girly
Delightful Challenge -- Add a flower
Digi Haven -- Black, white +1 color (blue -- just for you, Lynn!))
Love to Scrap -- A/G
Ooh La La -- Spring
Paper Shelter -- Spring
Party Time Tuesdays -- Die cuts
Scrapping4fun -- Digi or stamped image

     First card of the weekend and I've already started on the garden.  I have flowers in but am not sure if I'll get veggies in this year.  There's just so much to do, including a complete re-vamp of the sprinkler system all around the yard.  I can always water with a hose but would prefer not to spend hours standing out in the heat this summer to keep the garden watered so the less planted, the better.  Once the sprinkler system is up and running again, I'll plant more if it isn't too late in the season.  Ah, well, no sprinklers means I'll have to craft more and garden less.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Baby Shoes

     Today's card is one I ended up really liking but wasn't sure about it when I first started designing it.  I used an adorable new release digi set from Doodle Pantry (see photo below) and believe me when I say that the image wasn't the problem!   In fact, this set came to the rescue and saved the day!  :-D  OK, let me give you the background first --

     I have a new neighbor who moved in next door last weekend (more about her on another post I'll get up this week).  I intended to get a plate of cookies made to take over but my extra busy work week last week just got in the way.  Anyway, she came over, introduced herself, and asked if I might have a light bulb to spare since she couldn't find the box containing hers and she had none for her bedroom lamps.  I had been working at the dining room table and she saw a couple of cards I was making.  I immediately got an order for a new baby card.  :-D

     However, her friend's daughter (the one expecting the baby) is having a boy and hates blue!   She refuses to do the whole 'blue for a boy' thing and is doing the nursery completely in neutrals, which works fine for a boy, but just isn't what we normally do for baby cards.  So, Doodle Pantry to the rescue!

I found the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches.

     Laurie included wonderful digital papers with the "Baby Shoes" set, including the two I used which are in wonderful neutral tones.  I die cut the image with a die I bought more than a year ago and haven't used recently and also die cut the sentiment (part of the Baby Shoes set) and matted them both with brown CS which has been in my stash for a good, long time.  I also matted the dp with it.

     I added a strip of sheer brown ribbon and adhered the three little pearls to it.  I thought that was still a very CAS design, lots of open space (though not white space,) and with an overall masculine feel to it.  I wasn't sure I was going to like a baby boy card without blue on it, but I am very pleased with it after all.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge -- Male birthday (the actual birth!)
Art Impressions Stamps -- Masculine
City Crafter -- Clean and neutral
Craft Lovin' -- Anything goes
Crafting for all Seasons -- Masculine
Digistamps 4 Joy -- Masculine
Little Claire's -- Male theme
Pollycraft -- Anything goes
Shopping Our Stash -- Geometric shapes
Sisterhood of Crafters -- Masculine
Top Tip Tuesday -- Masculine

     Half the weekend is now gone and I've done nothing but spoil myself !  I've done no laundry, no house chores beyond fixing something to eat when I got hungry, and haven't even run a dishwasher.  Guess what, the world hasn't ended and I've not been struck by lightening.  How refreshing.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie