Cozy, Country Home

      Good morning and welcome to our latest challenge at FarmQuest.  

     Our theme for the next month is "Hibernating Animals."  I chose a bear and found this adorable clip art image which I printed in gray scale before coloring with my ProMarkers.  The sentiment was merged with the image before printing.

     I cut it with a die from QuicKutz, leaving a tiny white border, and then inking the edges with a marker.  I added chunky glitter to a piece of white CS and used that for the background.  I thought it gave the entire card a nice, 'wintery-nap' feel.

     Challenges:

Crafty Calendar

Creative Moments

Di's Digi Designs

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

     Remember that this challenge runs until February 27 so you have lots of time to find that perfect image of a hibernating animal (squirrels? chipmunks? burrowing owls? polar bears?) and enter a card into our challenge.  Hope to see you playing along.

    

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

By-Gone Days

      I had a request last month for a masculine card for my neighbor's father.  He's turning 91 in mid-January and has been a lifelong farmer in the central valley of California.  The request fit in perfectly with the new challenge starting today at FarmQuest General Store (Anything Goes but must have a farm or country feel) and I decided on blues and browns.  That's almost always a perfect color combo for a masculine card.

      What could be better for a lifelong farmer than an image of long forgotten farm equipment, tucked away in a dusty corner of an old barn?   This is a pre-colored, clipart image to which I added the sentiment before printing it.  I cut it with a square, QuicKutz die, added a frame made from white CS, cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The striped dp is from an old DCWV stack, and I added a bit of left over burlap fabric from another project I had worked on last month.  It seemed to give perfect texture and eye appeal without being too frou-frou as an embellishment.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Creative Fingers

Gem of a Challenge

GMGC

Love Those...Papers

Outlawz Friday (used blue)

Pattie's Creations

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this month.  Anything with a country or farm flair can be entered and we'd love to be inspired by you.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Holiday Party Time !

      A couple of days ago I did a post in which I mentioned a FB site where certain artistic people create AI clipart, often from specific requests made by members of the site.  It's called Free Printable Clipart and if you're interested, you can get there by clicking on the name above.

     I joined and have had a wonderful time browsing around and downloading clipart images I'll be using on my cards.  Today, I'm sharing two different cards which were made for neighbors who open their hearts and homes to the neighborhood for holiday parties each year.  

     Because I was making these cards more or less at the last minute (party is tomorrow night!), I chose to use the pre-colored version, exactly as I downloaded it.  But I've also used these clipart images printed in gray scale and hand colored by either my sis-in-law or me.

     I used scraps of dp for the background on this first card, carefully pieced together and the image was placed on an angle to cover a bare spot where one scrap was too small.  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die and I added silver and blue snowflakes.  The angel was in my stash of Christmas decorations, the only one I had left and it gave a bright spot of white to the card.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a small die from QuicKutz.

     The second card was also cut with a Spellbinders die and was framed with a scrap of deep blue CS.  The background dp came from an old K & Co stack and it has embossed holly leaves on it.  I added a die cut snowflake (Cottage Cuts), plus a wooden snowflake (Recollections) placed on top of it.  This sentiment was also printed and cut with a die from QuicKutz.

     Challenges: 

Cutie Pie

Dream Valley 

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Monday

Polkadoodles

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Dragonfly Dreams

Path of Positivity

Simon Says Stamp

ZieloneKoty

     That's it for today.  Happy New Year to you and yours and may yours be safe and same.  NanaConnie

Paths, Trails, or Walkways

      Oh, my gosh!  The year is nearly over and today we start our last challenge of 2024 over at FarmQuest.  As usual, we have a theme - a specific one in addition to the "Farm or Country" which is part of every challenge we have - and today that theme is "Paths, Trails, or Walkways."  I suppose I could have searched for a winter pathway but they all seemed to be buried under snow.  :-D  also,  you should know that, starting with this challenge, we are going to a monthly challenge instead of the 7th and the 28th.  So, this challenge will run through January 27, 2025!

     This image is clip art, printed in grayscale, then colored with water colors and pencil.  I cut the image piece with a QuicKutz die, and inked the edges.  The background dp came from my scrap basket.  I used jute cord to wrap the card front and tie a bow.  

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Girlz Creative

     That's all I have for today.  I'm off for the final Christmas family dinner which we delayed until my granddaughter could get home from college in Texas.  I hope all of your holiday celebrations went well and that you're resting from all the hustle and bustle.  

   

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cuddles with Santa

      It's Christmas Day and, in case you haven't seen my Christmas Greeting to all, just scroll down one post. 

     I'm also sharing this card today because I'm way too far behind on posting the cards I've made over the last 2 weeks!  This one is another collaboration with my SIL, Lainy, where she's done the coloring and I've turned it into a card.  She was still coloring images for Christmas cards yesterday!  Of course, we both put off a good share of our gift wrapping efforts until yesterday so last minute cards were almost to be expected.  :-D

     This is another clip art image and this one was AI generated.  I've joined a FB group of very talented people who create AI images based on requests from people all over the internet.  They are free for personal use.  I'll share more about that group (including a link to the site) in my next post.  Today, time is short and I need to get this post finished before the dinner bell rings at my house.  :-D

     Lainy colored this image with colored pencils and, once finished, I cut it with a Tonic Studios die.  I inked the edges using a red marker.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a QuicKutz die, and I used the same marker to ink the edges of it.  The background dp came from an old (very, very old!) K & Co. stack.  The red and the green candy cane embellishments were cut with a hand punch but it has no company name on it so I can't tell you who made it.  I've had it for a good many years and it's a favorite of mine during the Christmas season.  I added a single wrap of green ribbon around the bottom of the front flap.

     Challenges:

4 Season

Craftlandia

Cutie Pie

Double Trouble

Dragonfly Dreams

Girlz Creative Fun

Outlawz Monday

Rudolph Days

     Make your Christmas as merry as possible!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Christmas Hug

      I adore this image and as soon as I printed it for coloring, my sweet (and very talented!) sis-in-law laid claim to it for coloring.  It's a clip art image and I don't even remember where I got it but she colored it with a mix of Ohuhu and ProMarkers.  Isn't her coloring fabulous?

     Once colored, she gave it back to me because making the actual cards seems to be my portion of the collaborations we do.  I haven't gotten her into that side of the creative process but it works out well when she colors and I turn those images into cards.  

     I cut the image with a QuicKutz die, then used a Fiskars punch on the four corners.  I framed that with a piece of scrap, gray CS, and I inked the edges of the frame.  For the background, I found bits of dp in the Christmas scrap basket, layered them one above another and thought they worked really well together.  I wrapped a snippet of very narrow ribbon around the card front and also tied another scrap of it into a simple bow.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart

Outlawz Tues (bottom left to top right)

Paperminutes

Passion for Markers

Simon Says Stamp

Snippets Playground (background papers, gray image frame, & ribbon scraps)

Tues Morning

     It's Christmas Eve and I wish each  and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Snowflake Santa

      I have to share a card with a spectacular image which was colored by my sis-in-law using pastel Ohuhu markers and white gel pens.  Didn't she do an incredible job?  The image is clip art and I think originally it was a digital coloring book page but I sized it for a card before printing it.  

     After she colored it, I cut it with a QuicKutz die, then used a Fiskars punch on the corners.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I decided to use blue glitter paper on the card front to enhance the soft blues in the image.  The two snowflake embellies are die cut foam and the dies were from Cottage Cuts.

     Challenges:

CRAFT-alnica

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

I Spy ...

Passion for Markers

Male Room

Penny's P-C

     Christmas is less than 2 weeks away and I'm still making cards!  Yikes!  Have you finished all of yours?  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Blessings on Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving !

     I wanted to share this card with you on Thanksgiving Day even though I actually made it for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place.  I know, I know, the day for alphabet letter "T" was last week, but the card turned out so magnificently that I knew I had to hold it back and post it today.  :-D

     I used Thanksgiving, Turkey, Tent card, and Tilted image piece for my "T"s.  The image is pre-colored, clip art, and before I printed the image, I edited it so that the turkey printed in gray scale while everything else was already colored.  I colored the turkey with pencils and markers.  Everything other than the turkey is the original, pre-colored image.

     The pumpkin vines background behind the image piece is another digital dp which I sized to fit a 5.5 x 5.5 inch card.  I felt like the digital dp was bright enough that no other embellishment was needed.  I think it makes a delightful masculine card even if it does feel a bit 'busy.'

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"V" for Vintage Victorian Christmas

      Today I'm sharing my "V" card for the 30 Days of Holidays over at Beccy's Place and it's another of my collaboration cards with my SIL.  She colored this clip art image and used watercolor pencils after I had printed it in gray scale.  She loves the coloring part but I haven't yet gotten her into the card making side, so she colors and I create the cards.

     For this card, my "V"s are: Vintage, Victorian, Verdigris green, Vermillion red on the berries, and white Velvet on one layer of the snowflake.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then did a white mat, inked with a vermillion marker on the edges.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die and those edges were also inked.  

     The background is a scrap of dp from DCWV (!) and the snowflake was made with Cottage Cuts dies.  I put the two layers together and added a touch of glitter and a rhinestone for sparkle.  The final embellishment was the row of flat-back pearls.  A Victorian card seemed to call for sparkle and gems and a fair amount of embellishment.

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Digi Choosday

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Friday

Outlawz Thurs (Dickens' Christmas Carol)

Polkadoodles

Rudolph Days

Simon Says Stamp

     That's all for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Letter "G" at 30 Days of Holidays

      My next card in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place is for the letter "G" and I have a Thanksgiving card to share.  The image is pre-colored clip art, printed in gray scale, and colored in my own chosen colors using pencils and alcohol markers.  I added Glossy Accents to the hot chocolate cup for a bit of shine.  Fortunately, it photographed really well.  I also added glitter to the steam coming off the cocoa.

     Once colored, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then matted it with a scrap of dp, also cut with a die (QuicKutz, I think.  I forgot to write it down.)  I decided to make a gate fold card and went searching through the scrap basket for papers to put on both sides of the gate.  On the left side (mostly covered by the image piece) I put Glossy Accents on the flowers.  For the right hand side, I used small rectangles of CS and put them onto the flap one above the other.

     I put glitter EP on each of those small rectangle snippets and heat embossed them.  I love the sparkle.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then placed at the top of the image piece. 

     Challenges:

     That's all I have for today.   So far, I'm doing pretty well at playing every day at Beccy's Place and I hope to be able to keep going for the entire month.  We'll see.  In the meantime, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Trick or Treat Cats

      When I ran across this adorable clip art image, I just had to see how it would look printed in grayscale and colored.  That's exactly what I did!  I colored with Ohuhu markers, added white highlights to their eyes and collars with a gel pen, then cut the image with a Spellbinders die.  I used a Fiskars punch on the corners.

     Although it's hard to see in the photo, I used my Linen EF to emboss the background, charcoal gray, CS.  The sentiment was printed and trimmed on my paper trimmer.  I sewed the little bow and dyed it orange, using a marker.  Bows have to be my favorite embellishment, partly because it's so easy to use them as the only embellishment.  There's a tiny, half-pearl in the center of the bow.  Very CAS design.

I pulled colors from AAA Colourful.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Crafter's Cafe

Creatalicious

Creative Knockouts

Inspired By

Outlawz Thursday

Starz Stamps

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Zombie Scarecrow

      It's been such a long time since I joined a new DT but today, I'm excited to announce that I'm now on the team for Inspiration Station!  We are a monthly challenge and our challenges start on the first Monday of each month.  For inspiration, we give you a photo or a photo collage and ask you to create based on something in the photo that inspires you.  We really want you to let your imagination flow; you might be inspired by the colors, the season, some specific item in the photo, or just an emotion you feel when looking at the inspiration photo.  When you enter the challenge, tell us what it was that inspired you.

     Here's the inspiration photo for this month.  I took inspiration from the jack-o-lanterns and the colors, including the black background (see the bats and moons paper.)

and here's my DT card.

     

     This cute zombie scarecrow is a digital coloring book image, printed in grayscale and colored with watercolors, pencils, and Ohuhu markers.  I cut the image and the white frame with dies from a QuicKutz set.  The papers both came from a Recollections paper stack.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

4 Season

613 Ave Create

Aloha Friday

Aud Sentiments

Dream Valley

Outlawz Monday

Outlawz SAR

Pammie's IP

     Won't you please get inspired by something in the photo and come play with us this month?   We love being inspired by your creations, too.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Birthday Card for a Leopard Lover

      Something a little bit different today, after a week of Halloween and Thanksgiving; a birthday card for a granddaughter who loves leopards!   No, not my granddaughter, but she is my grand-niece, she's my sis-in-law's granddaughter.  

     This is a pre-colored, clip art image, printed lighter and with the color saturation subdued by 40%.  It's amazing what can be accomplished with a little editing before printing.

     While I haven't yet convinced my SIL to get into the card making side of digital images, I did make her choose the shape of the card, the background dp (DCWV), and the ribbon (Place  & Time.)  We decided the birthday sentiment could go on the inside.  Image cut with Spellbinders die.  While I put the whole card together, the one part I chose on my own was the tiny, double layer, die cut flower which I layered on right where the ribbon ends meet.  I chose that instead of a bow.

     

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

Outlawz Thurs (Jungle Book)

Pattie's Creations

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spotlight Rooster

      It's a new day and a new challenge at FarmQuest, where we always have a farm or country requirement but we add a specific theme to that and this time the theme is "Farm or Forest Animals starting with the letter R."  That could include rams, rabbits, raccoons, Rock Hoppers, (rhinos?) -- let your imagination roam.  :-D  I chose something very farm oriented and very simple: a Rooster!

     I have an all-abiding love for the old "spotlight" technique but I forget to use it.  So, when I found this grayscale image, I printed it twice, then colored the rooster's head and neck (plus the background around his head) with Sanjoki markers and watercolors on the background.  Alcohol markers are my favorites for coloring but I also love combining them with watercolor because the two together give such a delightful contrast to each other; markers for depth and definition and watercolors for soft, undefined washes of color.

     I used a Spellbinders round die to cut out the 'spotlight' and carefully lined it up on the grayscale background.  I also inked the edges of the circle with a black ink pad just so the spotlight piece would pop off the background.

     The plaid paper (which I think always lends an air of farm or country) came from Beccy's Place and it's digital.  I printed it with my printer and cut it to size for the card front.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I used markers to ink the edges of both the image and the sentiment before layering the onto the background dp.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aud Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Polkadoodles

     That's all I have for today but I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this fortnight.  What could be more fun that figuring out what letter "R" farm or forest animal you want to enter?

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

It's Hot !

      For those of you living where the summer weather is really hot this year, or those ladies who are living through that period of life where "hot" is a relative and transitory thing, you should love this card as much the lady for whom it was made.  lol

     The image is clip art which I printed in light grayscale and then colored with my Sanjoki markers and white gel pens.  I cut it with a Tonic Studios die and inked the edges with a black ink pad.  The background dp came from a Recollections stack.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  Very CAS in design.

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Knockouts

Creative Inspiration

Carlin's ... Paradise

Crafts Galore ...

Four Seasons

Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bear-ly Old

      Today we begin our latest challenge at FarmQuest and our theme is "Things Found in a Forest."   I interpreted that very broadly and decided to find an animal that would inhabit the forest instead of just trees or plants.  This image of a bear is pencil sketched clip art.  I wish I knew the name of the artist but it came from a book of clip art coloring pages available online and there is no company or artist names on any of them.

     Although it may be difficult to see in the photo, after I printed the image I used a very pale, blue wash of watercolor paint over the entire image, then darkened the sketch using blue colored pencils and gamsol.  

     I cut the finished image with a Tonic Studios die, then printed the 2-part sentiment and cut those with dies from Avery Elle.  Everything was mounted onto a dark blue card front which I had embossed using my 'Linen' EF.  I made this as a birthday card for one of my grandsons who celebrated just a week ago.

      Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Can You Handle ...?

Crafty Calendar

Lil Patch of ...

Paper Funday

Penny's P-C

Polkadoodles

WordArt Weds

     It would be wonderful if you'd come and play in our challenge.  Think of a forest, choose something you might find there, let it inspire your creativity, and enter it into our challenge.  We can't wait to see what you create!  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Beauty in the Desert

      There's a new theme for the new challenge at FarmQuest which starts today and the theme is "Things in a Desert or Dry Country."  For my DT card, I used a clip art image, printed in the lightest grayscale, and then colored with water color paints, Sanjoki markers, and white gel for the highlights.

     I used a Tonic Studios die to cut the image and a QuicKutz die to cut the white frame.  The pumpkin colored background is cardstock from Recollections.  The sentiment was stamped with a stamp from Cardz TV.   I was so in love with how the image turned out, I left the card very CAS with no embellishment whatsoever.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

CAS on Friday

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

I Love Markers

My Time to Craft

Outlawz Friday (summer)

Simply CAS

    Hope to see you playing along in our challenge these next two weeks.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Mom's Kitchen

      Today we have a new challenge starting at FarmQuest, where we have not only the underlying "Country or Farm" element but we also give you a specific theme to use.  This time the theme is "Kitchen Tools, Equipment, or Appliances."  

      I found this fabulous clip art image of a country kitchen with cooking tools and dishes.   I printed it in grayscale, then colored it with ProMarkers.  Highlights were added with white pencil and shadows with blue-gray pencil.  I cut both the image and the frame for it with square dies from QuicKutz.  The striped background paper came from a DCWV stack.  I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.

      Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Crafty Calendar

Digi Choosday

Homestyle Kitchen

Inkspirational (Spring)

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Tues

Pammie's IP

     Come play with us in our challenge.  I used the image for a Mother's Day card but you could do something fun for a summer card, or a birthday, or even Father's Day if he's a cook (as many men are these days), as long as it has some kind of kitchen tools or equipment.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Kitten and Pumpkins

      I have been clearing out the craft room, getting rid of things I no longer use and revamping how things I do use are stored, trying to make them more visible and easier to reach.  While I was doing those chores, I ran across some cards I had made last fall but never photographed, posted, or mailed.  This sweet autumn kitten jumped out at me and I decided to post him today, even though it's nowhere near Thanksgiving.

     The notes I had with the card indicate that it was printed in grayscale, then colored with markers.  I used white gel pen for the highlights on the kitten and flowers.  I cut the image and the frame around it with Tonic Studios dies.  The background dp came from an old Recollections stack.  I printed the sentiment, then cut it with an Avery Elle die, and I inked the edges before I added it to the card.

     Challenges:

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Inspiration

Digi Choosday

I Love Markers

Pammie's IP

Paper Funday

Penny's P-C

Simon Says Stamp

SUYP Cats

Word Art Weds

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Milk Bath

      Today is the 14th of April (tax return deadline is tomorrow!) and we have a new challenge starting over at FarmQuest.  We always want to see something country or farm on your entries but in addition to that, we have a specific theme; this week the theme is "Baby Farm Animals."  That was such a fun theme that I had a marvelous afternoon searching through all my clip art to find a perfect image.  Any time I can find a "cute" image of anything, that's going to be the one I grab.  Besides, in this case, how can a baby calf be anything but cute?  :-D

     Those of you who follow my blog probably know that one of my granddaughters loves cows so she gets 'cow' cards from her Nana all the time.  (Nearly always cute in some way! lol)  This is another one which will get mailed to her without the need for any particular occasion.  

     I printed the image and colored it with my Sanjoki markers.  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die and I used a Fiskars punch on each of the four corners.  I printed and cut the sentiment with another Spellbinders die.  The bit of dp was found in the scrap basket and I can tell from the plaid design that it's from an old Recollections stack.

      Challenges:

As You Like It (Cute is always a favorite, and baby critters are always cute!)

Cardz 4 Galz

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspiration

Creative Knockouts

Di's Digi Designs

Outlawz Thurs

Pattie's Creations

Polkadoodles

Star Stampz

     Dig through your stamps, digis, or even dies and find one that works for the Baby Farm Animals theme, then come play in our challenge.  We love being inspired by what you create.   :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie