Sympathy Card

     I don't make sympathy cards ahead of time - they just aren't the cards I want to do.  So I leave them until I need one and then make it in the midst of emotion.

     Unfortunately, I lost a sweet friend in my neighborhood on Friday and I've made this card for her two grown grandsons, the closest relatives she had.  Her own daughter passed on several years ago and the grandsons and 3 great-grands are all the family she had left.  They lived back east and she was in California so none of the family had seen her since her daughter passed on.

I used the sketch from Viva la Verve

to get some inspiration and a starting point.

     The image is from Digistamps4Joy and I kept in mind her favorite colors, pink and green.  I used my polychromos pencils and ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a Die-Versions double-stitched die.

     Other than the image, everything on the card is done from scraps.  The card front was embossed with my "Linen" folder, then I layered together the pink and green scraps and cut them with that same die, which gave me the second, outer row of stitching.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, adding it to one side.  I tied one of my bow tie bows using my bow maker.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Creations
Digistamps4Joy
Fussy and Fancy
Joy Clair
Sugar Pea Designs
That's Crafty!
Word Art Weds.

     That's all I have for today but I hope to have another post tomorrow.  If not, I'll see you on Friday with a double post.  :-D  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

Gas Mask & Birthday

     I know, I know, - - that seems like a strange title for a blog about crafting and card making and a bit of inspiration now and then but if you just take a look at my card, you'll understand.  You'll also immediately recognize my odd sense of humor.  Maybe you'll even get a little grin from it.  :-D

     The image came from Limited Runs for their Facebook progressive challenge this month.  I thought it was hysterical !  :-D  Naturally, the sentiment is all mine.

     I'm using this for a birthday card for a gentleman who claims he's going to outlive all of his friends and family so that nobody can fight over his estate.  I love that idea!  Maybe he'll take some inspiration from this silly card and shoot for 25 million years!

     Colored with ProMarkers and cut with a stitched die from Die-namics.  The die I used was a rectangle die but wasn't as narrow as I wanted so I just cut the image once, then moved the die over to one side and cut it a second time to get it as narrow as I wanted.  The larger rectangle frame is the actual size of the next bigger die in the set.  I cut that one and added turquoise CS behind it, then layered on the image piece.

     I did one more really narrow die cut, wrapped it with ribbon, and added one of my bow tie bows.  The sentiment was printed and die cut with another stitched die from that same set, again adjusted to make it the width I needed.  All of those stitched die cuts were cut from scraps waiting to be tossed into the round file.  The turquoise CS was also a scrap.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with an Attitude
Dragonfly Dreams
Dream Valley
Hiding in My Craft Room
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz Festive Friday
Pile It On
Ribbon Girl

     Hope your day is fun now that you got to start it with a smile.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie