Gray Wolf

      I'm finally posting a card I made several weeks ago using this fabulous image "Wolf" from Eureka Stamps, sister brand to QKR Stampede.  Challenges over there are still on hold while we await the sale of the QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps brands.  In the meantime, I'm using cards I put in my stash for masculine birthdays and this is one of them.

     I used a combo of Sanjoki alcohol markers and water color paints to color the image, then cut it with a CUTplorations stitched die.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a die from Die-namics.  The paw print embossing was done with a Darice EF.  As a final masculine touch, I added the three, tiny, metal brads.

     Challenges:

Can You Handle...?

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Friday

Pammie's IP

Pattie's Creations

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Outdoor Snow Events

      I'm not sure we need to tell anyone is the USA about outdoor snow (or just plain cold) events this month but that's the theme for our latest challenge over at FarmQuest which starts today.  Of course, it needs a country flair as the standard FarmQuest requirement, but that's pretty easy to accomplish if you're focusing on outdoor events.  :-D

     I sorted through my collection of winter-y images and found these two in my QKR Stampede collection.  The girl is called "Sledding" (which I reversed before printing) and the Dog is called "Cross Country Skiing."  I wanted to use both images so I designed a slimline card.  The images were colored with water color paints and shaded with ProMarkers, then fussy cut with scissors.  The snowflake papers are from an old DCWV stack which I've had for at least a decade and it tends to come out each winter.  The stack is getting very thin these days but I still have some really great papers in it.  The sentiment is mine and it was also fussy cut.

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Creatalicious

Happy Li'l Stampers

Lil Patch of ...

Pattie's Creations

There's a Stamp ...

Word Art Weds

     Are we going to see you playing along in our challenge?  I sure hope so.  We love seeing what you've created and being inspired by it.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Puppy Greetings

      I'm sharing a card today which I made for my daughter's birthday.  A few months back, she and her family adopted a stray puppy who was a few months old.  He's white and gorgeous, and was so big when they took him in that she thought he was fully grown.  A trip to the vet for a basic check up and vaccinations confirmed that he was about 5 months old and that he was a Great Pyrenees, easily destined to weigh in at over 100 pounds!

     He fell in love with my daughter, instantly becoming "her" puppy, although he's very loving and will happily accept attention from anyone in the family.  He's 'enthusiastic' about everything he does, with tail wagging at top speed, and with his entire body overcome by wiggles.  

     When I saw this image in a friend's collection, I begged for a print of it so that I could use it on this card.  The image was colored with water color paints and cut with a Tonic Studios die, as was the frame around it.  The papers are from DCWV and the bow is one of my hand-sewn, signature style bows which I sew up by the dozens and toss in my stash for future use.  I make them all with white ribbon and then use ProMarkers to 'dye' them the color I want for each individual card.  This time, I wanted rusty orange and brown autumn tones.

     Challenges:

Crafts Galore ...

Crafty Hazelnut's

Creatalicious

Die Cut Divas

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Happy Li'l Stampers

Pammie's IP

Rabisco

Your Scrapbook ...

     I just had to share a photo of Ranger so that you can understand his size.  He's not even a year old yet!  This is how he "sits" on the couch.  He just backs up to it until his rear end is secured but keeps his front feet on the floor.  That "child" behind him is my college-age (junior) granddaughter.  lol 

     Here's another of him sprawled across a patio table which seats 10 people.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spotlight Puppy

     It's time for you to check out the new weekly challenge at Creative Knockouts where we are sponsored by Fabrika Fantasy and our theme is "Winter Wonderland."  I'm using a sponsor image from my own collection called Happy Puppy and it can be found in their Christmas coloring book.

     I know my card isn't filled with snow and ice but, for me, this image of the Christmas puppy brings back childhood memories of the Christmas when I got a puppy and that was all I needed to make the whole living room a 'wonderland' !  My dad had to sleep with the puppy the night before to keep him from whining all night and possibly waking up two, not-so-sleepy, kids who were waiting for Santa.  I think for the puppy that night in a new (and strange) house had the effect of imprinting my dad into the puppy's mind as the human who "rescued" him because he really was my dad's dog from that point on.  Oh, I don't mean that he never came and played with me or slept on my bed, but Dad was always the favorite person for that little pooch.  We named him "Buster" and he had exactly these colors on him - brown body, dark ears and nose, and white feet/legs.  :-D 

     I did a spotlight technique with my coloring.  I printed the image twice, colored a section on one of them with my ProMarkers, cut the section with a round die from Tonic Studios, and layered it onto the black and white second printing of the same image.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  

     I matted both the image and the sentiment with red CS.  I sewed one of my signature bows but this time without any adornment (I usually add either a pearl or a sequin.)  The background dp was a scrap left over from another project I posted yesterday and it came from a Graphic 45 stack.

My card was inspired by the sketch at My Favorite Things,

but I flipped it top to bottom, turned it sideways, and used the area

with the three dots for my sentiment.

     Challenges:

Country View

Crafty Creations

Crafty Hazelnut's

Creative Inspirations

Dies R Us

Kerst Christmas

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

      We look forward to seeing you play in our challenge this week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Puppy in a Boot

      It's time for the latest weekly challenge at Pammie's Inky Pinkies and we have a theme this time instead of our usual anything goes because this is a 5th Monday.  So, this challenge we want to see "Animals."  Our fabulous sponsor is Sweet N Sassy and I used one of their images called "Christmas Puppy" which I already had in my collection.  Isn't he darling?  

     I colored with my ProMarkers and water color pencils, then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I colored the outside border of the image piece so that it looks like a separate frame.  The background dp is from an old Graphic 45 stack, and the two different gold ribbons are both metallic, wired on the edges, and sparkly!  I tied the bow using my bow maker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with Tonic Studios die and I inked the edges.

     Challenges:

ABC Christmas

Christmas w Cuties

Double Trouble

Dream Valley

Incy Wincy

Mod Squad

Paperminutes

Penny's Paper Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our "Animal" theme challenge this week.  I know it seems odd since you are probably used to it always being anything goes, but remember, every 5th Monday challenge (they happen 3 or 4 times a year) has a theme instead.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Birthday Wishes

      A new weekly challenge is starting over at Creative Knockouts today and our theme is "Lots of Layers."  Our sponsor is the wonderful Hetty Clare and I used an adorable image called "Macdoodle Dog."  

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a CUTplorations die.  I added shiny highlights on the balloons with a white gel pen.  Everything else on the card was made from scraps!  I cut 2 tags, one purple and the other yellow, then cut the sentiment out of the purple one with a Dove Craft die (a gift from a dear friend in the UK.  :-D)  I layered the yellow tag behind the purple one and, voila', a bright sentiment peeking through the dark purple!  

     The fancy frame around the whole card front was a leftover which had been cut with a Spellbinders die.  I added the image to it with part of the image behind the frame piece but with one corner peeking out.  I used a scrap of gingham ribbon to make a double layer bowtie and layered everything onto an aqua card base.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Crafty Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Ike's World

Incy Wincy

Outlawz Tues

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Simon Says Stamp

TTCRD

     Come play with us this week, won't you?  Just put together any kind of design and, if you want, add some layers to it, then enter it into our challenge.  We love being inspired by you and you might win some of Hetty Clare's sweet image.  Go check out her Etsy store if you're not familiar with her art work.  You'll fall in love and then you'll definitely want to play in our challenge.  :-D

 

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Pug who Wanted to be a Reindeer

      New month-long challenge starting today at Paper Funday and our theme is Anything Goes with an OPTIONAL twist of  "Summer Fun."  Good thing it's an optional twist since I clearly used this fun "Pugsly" image from our sponsor Dr. Digi to do a Christmas theme.  :-D

     Pugsley is so disappointed to discover that Santa isn't hiring any new reindeer!  He had such high hopes and has been practicing his leaps into the sky (but he needs some additional magic flying dust.)  lol

     Colored with ProMarkers and cut with a die from Dare 2B Artzy.  I used scraps of dp from the basket and have no idea what company made them but one is a patterned dp and the other a soft but shimmery gold dp.  The image is framed with a red, QuicKutz die cut, and it's mounted on Pop Dots for dimension.  The mittens and the stocking are die cuts from Cheery Lynn.  

I used the sketch from My Favorite Things.

Enjoy the rest of your work week and come play with us this weekend (or sooner.)  You might want to check back this Saturday when Paper Funday is holding a "Christmas in July" blog hop with some lovely prizes and fun questions on each hop stop, including mine.  You can check my Saturday post and I'll have links to the staring point of the hop at Paper Funday.  :-D  

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Christmas Kickstart

Colour Crazy

Cute Card Thurs

Dream Valley

Outlawz Festive Fri

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

2 Crafty Critter Crazies Challenge

      Today is July 3, 2021, and I've amended my post about the new challenge which started on July 1 at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies.  This month the challenge is sponsored by Jan's Digi Stamps and I've finally gotten a card made with one of her newest, fantastic images.  This is from the set called "Splish Splash" and I merged two of the .png images to get this.  This set is on sale this month, too!  Go check it out.

     I've injured my wrist and it's in a brace so hand-crafting activities are difficult at the moment, as is typing at the keyboard.   It took me well over 20 minutes just to type these first two  paragraphs.  But I worked on this over a 3 day period and it's finished.  Quick rundown:  ProMarkers, QuicKutz die, dp from DCWV Linen Closet stack, sparkly with glitter, ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I used all six colors on the Color Dare #451 board

plus one neutral and a single embellishment of the bow.

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz PAM

Paperbabe

Three Room Studio

     I did manage to get other DT cards done before the wrist injury, so check the other posts which will be live on my blog today.  Thank for visiting. 

Be What You Want to Be!

      We've all heard the ditty about being who you are unless you want to be a Unicorn but this image from Mo's Digital Pencil tells me that sometimes other dreams are possible!  lol  This card is only 4" x 4".

I used traditional colors from Color Dare #423.

Colored w ProMarkers

Sparkle gel ink on collar bells

Glitter added to snow

Cut w Spellbinders die

Sentiment hand cut  & mounted on Pop Dots

Plaid dp from Your Next Stamp

All dp were scraps

Green dp frame cut w Spellbinders die

Red, 1/16" ribbon wrapped & tied

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Colour Crazy

Craft-Dee BowZ

Crafter's Castle

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Festive Fri

Your Next Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Miss You

      I created this card for a young man who has been separated from his favorite pet for what seems like a lifetime to both of them.  His mom had this photo, sent it to me, and now I've sent the finished card to her so that she can give it to Jacob. 

     Image is a photo, cropped to fit, then cut with a die from QuicKutz.  Matted in white and layered onto a die cut (Spellbinders) mat.  Everything went onto a white card base and I left it with no embellishments for a very masculine, CAS design.

• Challenges:
• Allsorts
• Creative Fingers
• Cute Card Thurs
• Cuttlebug Mania
• Di's Digi Designs
• Gem of a Challenge
• Simon Says Stamp & Show   
• Simon Says Stamp                                                                                      

     That's all I have for today so Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dog (?) Days

          I know August is typically what we call the Dog Days of summer but sometimes those "dog" days turn into cat or bird days as well.  Just see below for an example in this delightful Mo's Digital Pencil image.  I know I usually do cat images but that's because my fur babies get so upset when I feature some other animal, but this time I think I can get away with it since there IS a cat in the image. :-D

I pulled my colors from the tic tac toe board at

Color My Heart Color Dare - 

the main ones from the diagonal top left to bottom right -

plus mink & almond (cat's fur), red (in the dog's collar), 

toffee (bird's feather's) & tangerine (bird's beak.)

I think all I missed was the Glacier Blue.  :-D

All 3 of the diagonal colors are in the dp and the image has both 

green and yellow with neutrals of black and white.

Colored w/ ProMarkers & pencil
Image & frame cut & embossed w/ Tonic Studios dies
Paper is a scrap from the basket
2 shades of green CS

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
As You Like It (Both dog & cat!)
Cardz TV
C.R.A.F.T.
Outlawz Festive Fri
Paperbabe
Word Art Weds
Your Next Stamp

     That's all for today but I'll be back tomorrow with another card.  Hope you'll stop by then, too.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Best Buddies

     It's another Monday and that means a new challenge is starting at Pammie's Inky Pinkies (PIP.)  Our theme is always Anything Goes (except when there's a 5th Monday in the month) so you have no excuse not to play along.  We don't have a sponsor this week but PIP is offering a $5.00 gift certificate for Mo's Digital Pencil.  In honor of that, I've used one of my own Mo's images (called "Buds") for my DT card today, and used warm summer colors.

     I thought that sweet little gal looked like a "Peggy" so I put that into the sentiment.  :-D

This is based on the sketch at Sketch Saturday w/o the background

strips and with sentiment at the top instead of bottom.

Colored w ProMarkers
Image is fussy cut w scissors
Image mat cut w Spellbinders dies
    (mounted onto yellow CS)
Background dp from  DCWV
Hand tied bow w shank button

     Challenges:
Ellibelle's Craft Weds
House that Stamps Built
I {heart} ProMarkers
Morgan's ArtWorld
Outlawz Greetings
Passion for ProMarkers (top row)
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Word Art Weds
Your Scrapbook Place

    Come play with us this week.  Remember, it's "Anything Goes" so no excuse not to enter.  :-D Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dog Dayz of Summer

     I'm not sure if we've actually reached the 'Dog Days' of summer yet but I'm fully prepared for them when they do arrive!  It's a new month and that means a new challenge over at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies which is sponsored by Jan's Digi Stamps this month.  The image and sentiment I used are from a set called "A Boy and His Dog" and it's fabulous!

Colored w ProMarkers
Cut w QuicKutz die
Scrap dp cut w Spellbinders dies
Double loop twine bow
Blue CS background embossed w 'Linen' EF

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Crafty Friends

Crafty Gals Corner

I {heart} ProMarkers
Incy Wincy

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Scrapping4Fun

Word Art Weds.

     This is the first of two posts today so be sure to check back in a couple of hours to see my DT post for QKR Stampede which is also now a monthly challenge through the summer.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dad's BBQ

     It feels very odd not to be posting a DT card for QKR Stampede on a Friday morning but this is the week before we start our monthly challenges for the summer so our challenge from last week is still running until Sunday evening.  We will be starting our monthly challenges on the 1st of each month and that's next Monday.  You still have a couple of days to enter something in our previous challenge so check it out.  It's an Anything Goes theme so how can you lose?

     I spent some time the other day going through folders I have of digital images from companies which have closed their doors and stopped selling.  I found this in my folder of images from Karen's Digis.  While I was there, I printed out three or four additional images which I will color and share in upcoming days.  But with this image, I'm making two cards, and both of them are Father's Day cards.

     You see, I have one son and one SIL who are equally adept at the BBQ grill and feeding their families.  Fortunately, they live 1,000 miles apart in different states and they'll never share their cards with each other so they'll never know I used the same image.  The fun part is that this image would work well for any weekend day in either of their homes and even for a birthday.  I wouldn't have to wait for Father's Day.  :-D  The fun part is that I have a son and a grandson who have back to back birthdays in June and this card would definitely work for either of them.

     This is my next foray into the world of water coloring while trying to get decent shading and highlights.  I don't know if there's any real improvement over my last one but I did get some good shadows where they seem to belong.  lol

Colored with water color paints
Cut w/ Sizzix die
Mounted onto red card base
Baker's twine added
Masculine, CAS

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
Artsy Stamper
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Outlawz Festive Fri
Paper Girls
Polkadoodles
Simon Says Stamp...

     I'll show you the other one when I get it finished.   In the meantime, I hope your weather is cool and decent.  Ours has been over 100 degrees F (I mean like 102, 103, 106 and they are saying 107 today) for 4 days and we're still three weeks away from summer!  Yuck, why do I live here?

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Puppy Hugs

     I'm sneaking into the computer room, having shut the door so that the cats can't get in, because I'm posting a card I made in the middle of the night when they weren't watching.  Despite the fact that I'm really an animal person (all sorts and species), many of my friends (and all three of the cats who let me share their abode) see me as a cat person.  Well, truthfully, the cats see me as their human, put on this earth just to feed them, to clean their litter box, and to cuddle them when they feel the need for human contact (but not otherwise.)  They would make life miserable for me if they knew I had done a card featuring a Dog!!

     I don't know how long ago I got this sweet image from Lili of the Valley but it was some weeks ago and this is the first time I've used it.  I've been trying to improve my highlighting and shading with watercolors but it's not easy.  I have a friend who does spectacular free hand watercolor paintings and she keeps telling me, "Let it dry, let it dry, then go back over it to make it darker."  I'm impatient, I guess, trying to darken it while the first layer is still damp.  Sigh... I'll just have to keep trying.

Image and sentiment printed together
Colored with water colors
Cut and framed with Memory Box dies
Sheer ribbon for the wrap and the bow

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Crafty Friends
Crafty Sentiments
Digi Choosday
Dragonfly Dreams
Lemon Shortbread
Paperminutes
Path of Positivity
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown (bow/green/image)

     Enjoy the rest of your weekend, although if you're like me, the weekdays and weekends all seem to be running together and are hard to distinguish.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Long Hot Summer

     As we are starting the Memorial Day weekend, locked down and unable to run away to the beach or mountains, where I live we are also facing our first triple digit days of the summer and a heat wave of 100+F for three days in a row!  So, my DT card for the newest weekly challenge at QKR Stampede features a cute QKR image called "Weiner Dog" and I think he looks like he's suffering through one of those looong, hot, summer days!  I know we'll have many more of them this summer but I really hate it when they start as early as May.

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with QuicKutz die
Sentiment cut with Avery Elle die
Wood Grain = Darice EF w/ torn edge
Sheer "butterfly" bow was 'dyed' with ProMarker
Card base made from Summer Gold CS

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Butterfly
(butterfly bow + yarrow, yam, and choice; wood grain)
Cardz TV
CCC Digi Creations
Colour Crazy
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Southern Girls
STAMPlorations CAS
    

     That's all I have for today but I do hope you're going to come and play with us this challenge.  We have some changes taking place over at QKR Stampede and this current challenge will run until May 31.  The next challenge will start on June 1 and it will run for the entire month.  We're going to be a monthly challenge for now, at least during the summer, so you'll have lots of time to enter.  Our themes will continue to be Always Anything Goes.  Have fun.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Ruff" Day

     We are starting a new weekly challenge at QKR Stampede today where our theme is always "Anything Goes."   So many of my friends and family are beginning to chafe under (what some consider overly-restrictive) regulations about quarantine and isolation, I thought a fun card about rough days might cheer them up.

     The image is from QKR, called "Good Boy" and the expression on his face is exactly like what I suspect others have on their faces.  lol

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with My Favorite Things Die-namics dies
   - creating three lines of stitching on image and frame
Paper is a scrap from the basket
Sentiment cut w/ Avery Elle die

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Colour Crazy
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Dream Valley
I heart ProMarkers
Paperbabe Stamps
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Southern Girls
Word Art Weds

     Please come and play with us this week.  Anything goes with any products from any company!  If you do use a QKR image or even one from our sister company, Eureka Stamps, your entry will go into a separate draw just for those and that increases your chances of being a winner!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Flowers Just for You

     I was digging through my collection of Penny Black stamps again, doing a clean out and organize of the craft room and supplies.  Ran across these two which I've used many times over the years but not recently (meaning not in the 6 years since I moved from northern California to southern California) and not in combination before.  Here's a more up to date, more my current style, card.

Colored with ProMarkers
Highlighted with gel pens
Cut with Spellbinders rectangle die
Punched with Fiskars corner punch
Mat around image is metallic pink paper
Sheer pink ribbon is a scrap
Signature bow w/ pearl

     Challenges:
Angie's Digital
Colouring in Scrapland
Crafty Sentiments
Dragonfly Dreams
Lil Patch of ...
Outlawz SAR
Paperminutes
Passion for ProMarkers
Penny Black and More
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

The Home Concert

     We all know there's no place like home; songwriters have given us lyrics about it and poets have written sonnets saluting home.  But my piano-playing spinster sings out her version in concert with her fur & feather babies from the living room, even if they are all a bit off key!  :-D

     Art Impressions stamp.

Colored with ProMarkers
Image and card cut with QuicKutz dies
Strip of dp from scrap basket
Pearls for embellishment

     Challenges:
Cardz TV
Crafty Creations
Creative Fingers
Cute Card Thurs
Get Creative (middle column)
Paperbabe Stamps
Penny's Paper-Crafty
SUYP Cats 
Tales from the Craftroom
Time Out (home)

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

It Feels Like Spring!

     We've had such beautiful weather out here in central California this last week (in the low 80s) and everything is blooming, bursting, or popping!   In the midst of all that, I simply had to do cards that have springtime images on them, including this one which is my DT card for Digi Doodle Studios, where our newest challenge theme is "Use Ribbon or Lace."  I added ribbon to my lace.  :-D

     The image is called "Keira" and I think she's fabulous with her shy, little puppy behind her.

I based this on the sketch at Tuesday Morning, running the division the length of the card

and offsetting it slightly. I also used the middle row of TicTacToe colors from Color Dare.

  

Colored with ProMarkers
Image and mat cut with dies from QuicKutz
Background dp scrap embossed with 'Linen' EF
Lace woven with satin ribbon
"Pearls" added to ribbon with Pearl Drops
Sentiment printed and cut with Avery Elle die

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Colour Crazy
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Colors
Outlawz Twist Thurs
Passion for ProMarkers

    I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this month and don't forget to check out our Facebook page, too.  Over there, we have a "Forever" challenge each month which is always "Anything Goes with a DDS image."

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie