10th Birthday Week at Catch the Bug

     It's time for Bugaboo Stamps to celebrate their 10th year and there are daily challenges at Catch the Bug all week long.  Projects must be Birthday themed and follow the specific daily theme.  Today it's a Down on the Farm Birthday.  The image is from their new Down on the Farm set. which includes all kinds of farm animals and a farmer.  :-D

     I started blogging 9 years ago, right after Bugaboo celebrated their 1st birthday. They were the first digis I ever saw (or bought) and they quickly became favorites of mine.  Don't ask me to pick just one favorite - in this case, I have to claim every Bugaboo image I ever got (and that's close to 1,000 by now!) is now a favorite. 

     I guess you could say this card is for someone who's "As Happy as a Pig in Mud" to be celebrating another birthday.  :-D

Colored with ProMarkers
Both images cut with Sizzix dies
Sentiment printed and hand cut
Card base is kraft CS
Bow handmade from wrapped burlap twine

     Challenges:
Dragonfly Dreams
Dream Valley
Get Creative
Lil Patch of Crafty...
Mod Squad
Paper Girls
Simon Says Stamp & Show
Stamping Sensations
Tales from the Craft Room
Tuesday Throwdown

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Carols

     Friday once again and even though I'm not around, my QKR Stampede DT card for the latest challenge is here.  I used a fun image called "Serenading Turtle" which had nothing to do with Christmas but the little Santa hats I added to both the turtle and the snail helped make it Christmas.  I used tiny, hand trimmed, bits which were scattered on the craft table to make those hats.

Colored with pencils and ProMarkers
Cut with Simon Says dies
Bow is hand-wrapped burlap twine,
        dyed with ProMarker
Musical notes drawn in gel ink
Mini pom poms

     Challenges:
Crafter's Cafe
Crafter's Castle
Creatalicious
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs
Dies R Us
Outlawz SAR
Polkadoodles
Scribbles Designs
Star Stampz

     I hope we're going to see you playing along with us this week.  Remember, our theme is always "Anything Goes" and you can use any image from any maker.  If you do use an image from QKR Stampede (or our sister company,Eureka Stamps), your entry goes into a separate draw and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cat Nip Buddies

It's Day 4 of the Cat Lovers Blog Hop.

Haven't played before and interested in joining?

Click HERE.

     I'm back to another of the House Mouse images which have a cat (and mouse, of course) and I think Maxwell is doing his best to get as excited about the cat nip as the cat.  It's never going to happen, Max.  lol

I used colors from the challenge over at The Outlawz

adding yellow and green from the inspiration photo

and doing lots of layers for my twist.

Colored with ProMarkers

Cut with a Memory Box pinpoint die

Layered with QuicKutz rectangles

Scraps of dp at the corners

Card base embossed with Linen EF

Hand wrapped burlap twine bow

     Challenges:

Bastel-Traum

Craft-Dee BowZ

Crafts Galore Encore

Cuttlebug Mania

Digi Choosday

Lemon Shortbread

SUYP Cats

     Have you played in the Cat Lovers Hop yet?  If not, it's time to get going!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Doggone Good Halloween !

    I'm sharing a quick and easy Halloween card today which I finished in record time because I wanted to get the post written before our power goes off.  It may be off for anywhere from a few hours to a few days.  Long story and you can read more about it in tomorrow's QKR Stampede DT post.  I just finished that one and pre-scheduled it to post tomorrow.

     Today's card has a pre-colored image from Fabrika Fantasy where the theme is "Halloween."  I've had this image for a while now but have never used it.  The fact that's it's pre-colored means that it took me about 15 minutes to get this card finished.

The sketch came from Sweet Sketch Weds

and the color from the inspiration photo at Paperbabe Stamps.

    

Kraft card base

Image cut with Memory Box die

Scraps of dp from the basket

Sentiment printed and hand cut

Wrapped burlap twine bow

     Challenges:
Angie's Digital Stamps
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Calendar
Creative Inspirations
Dare 2B Artsy
Scrappy Land

     I hope the power is on when this posts so that I can link up to those fun challenges.  In case I'm MIA for a few days, it's because of the power situation.    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

Sibling Bonds

     In my world, nothing is more important than family.  If you think you've seen this before, you may have but today I'm using this as my DT card for the Crafting with an Attitude August challenge and the image, "Tiger Cubs," is from our wonderful sponsor, Morgan's Art World.  I had to dig back to cards I've previously created because I simply ran out of both time and ability to craft anything new due to the shoulder problems I've been having.  Too many Christmas cards last week, I guess.  :-D

Spotlight coloring with ProMarkers
Paper scraps
Distressing
Velveteen ribbon
Burlap twine bow
Kraft CS card base

     Challenges:
Cardz TV
Crafting by Designs
Lil Patch of Crafty Friend
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Pile It On
Polkadoodles
Simon Says Stamp
Simon Says Stamp & Show
Word Art Weds.

     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

Milking Your Birthday

     And a good Friday morning to all of you!  If it's Friday, then you know that means another challenge is starting at QKR Stampede.  At the beginning of this year, QKR Stampede became an "Anything Goes" challenge but each week we give you an optional twist if you want to use it.   So this week, the optional twist is "Birthdays."  Here's what I did, using the image "High Centered" and the sentiment "All It's Worth."  I always give you links to the digital stamps but, for those of you who dearly love rubber, remember that most of the QKR digis are also available as rubber stamps.

     Of course, I used my ProMarkers to color the image and then cut it with a die from Spellbinders.   I used another, larger die from that same set to cut the black mat.  The kraft background has been embossed with my "Linen" folder.  I liked the kraft and black together so decided that I'd keep it as monochromatic as possible.  That also fit in with the masculine, CAS design.

     I added the two, different, black ribbons and used another of my wrapped burlap-twine bows.  I make those with burlap twine, wound around a chipboard strip and then wrapped with a fabric piece.  Before I take the twine off the chipboard, I brush it lightly with "Fray-Check" which stiffens it and keeps it from separating as I slide it off.  Clearly, bows (handmade or otherwise) are my favorite embellishments.  I use them on everything!  :-D

     Challenges:
CAS  on Sunday
Die Cuttin' Divas
Digi Choosday
Glitter n Sparkle
House that Stamps Built
Inspiration Destination
Kraftin' Kimmie
Moving Along with the Times
Ribbon Girl
Tuesday Throwdown
   
     I hope your week has gone well and that you have fun and wonderful plans for the weekend, even if all you plan is to have a veg-out weekend in front of the TV.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Trolling for Hearts

     I have yet another Valentine to share and this one was so much fun since I used an image not intended for a Valentine.  Take a look; you'll see what I mean.  :-D   This little troll (or gnome, I suppose, but for the sentiment to work, I need him to be a troll!) is from Beccy's Place.

I used the sketch from the Outlawz.

     I started by coloring the image with my ProMarkers, deciding right away that I wanted to do mostly neutrals in the image itself but planning on lots of red in the card design.  I needed just the red on his huge hat and all the rest of the image could be blacks, grays, and browns.

     I cut the shape of the image using a curved die from Spellbinders.  I thought I had the die which also pierces holes the paper but I didn't so I did my own paper piercing to make the holes along the outer cuts.  The sentiment was printed at the same time as the image so all I had to do was make sure I included it when I did the cutting.

     The red hearts were cut with a die from Lawn Fawn, and the butterfly is a combo of one of those hearts and a cut with a Cheery Lynn die.  All of these pieces were cut from scrap bits on my desk.  I added little gems for the body and head.  The ribbon was in my stash and the bow is made from wrapped burlap.  Finally, I added the tiny rose bud to the bottom.  With all of that, it's still a pretty open and simple design.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps
A Gem of a Challenge
Allsorts
Art Impressions
Aud Sentiments
Aussie Digital Artists Open
Butterfly Challenge
Come and Get It
Crafty Calendar
Glitter N Sparkle
Hiding in My Craft Room
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie
Julia Spiri
Outlawz Festive Friday
Pile It On
Quick Quotes
Sasayaki Glitter
Sweet Stampers

     I think I've pretty much finished posting all my Valentines now.  It was fun making them for others who wanted to share them with grandkids and friends.  We'll see if that trend continues.  Word has gotten out in my neighborhood that I make cards and more and more of my neighbors are asking me to make cards for them for special occasions they want to celebrate.  I don't mind at all.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie