Christmas Leftovers for the New Year

     I know most of us think about turkey, dressing, or pecan pie when we hear the word "leftovers" a day or two after Christmas, but sometimes the leftovers are hanging on the tree or can be found in the Ball jar which was filled with candy.

     This darling little fox image from the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World 101 made me think about leftover candy canes since the card didn't get made until halfway to the New Year.  Mind you, I can't guarantee that foxes love candy canes but I have one cat who loves popcorn and another who thinks cauliflower is a treat so who knows?

Colored with pencils and mounted on Pop Dots
Fussy cut with scissors
Paper is a Christmas wrap 'leftover'
Snowflake is a button with glitter added
Card base is made from leftover CS

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time ...
Allsorts
Christmas w/ the Cuties
Crafty Hazelnut's
Creatalicious
Double Trouble (striped candy cane)
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Prika Crafts
World Wide DT

     Wishing you all a Happy New Year in just a few more days!   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gnome for Christmas

     Our newest monthly challenge has begun today over at SheepSki Designs.  Our theme this month is "Favorite Things" and Gnomes falls right into that category for me.  The image I used is called "Gnome for Christmas."

Colored with pencils and ProMarkers
Aleene's Snow on beard
Stickles added to ornaments
Frame cut with Die-namics stitched die
Stitches enhanced with ProMarker
Signature, hand-sewn bow
Sentiment done with white gel ink

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time ...
Aud Sentiments
Christmas w the Cuties
Classic DT
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Friends
Creatalicious
Die Cut Divas
Outlawz PAM

     I really want to see you playing along in our challenge this month.  Sadly, this is my last month on the DT at SheepSki Designs and I'm going to miss being there.  My blogging life is taking me down a slightly different path which includes more responsibilities starting in the new year and I'm having to cut back on the number of teams I currently serve.  To those of you still on the SheepSki team, I'm waving a sad goodbye but I'll come by as often as possible and play in the upcoming challenges.
 
     Hugs and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Day 17,"O" - Beccy's Place 30 Days of Christmas

     One more day and another letter of the alphabet ("O") for a prompt in the 30 Days of Christmas at Beccy's Place.  Instead of doing another card, I've started making gift card holders using instructions I found on YouTube.  You'll see several of them over the next 10 days or so.  Not only do I need some, my daughter wants a half dozen or so for her stash.  :-D

     Here's the first one, inspired by the letter "O" - Ornament and Octagon.  The image is Beccy's "Stanley's Bauble", which I think of as an Ornament.

Colored with pencil, blended with gamsol
Glitter added to the Ornament
Image cut with Octagon die from QuicKutz
Embossed CS used to make the folder
White satin ribbon for the tie

     Here's a photo of the inside of one of these gift card folders, although not this one as you can tell from the color of the folder and the embossing.

     I'm making a sentiment piece for the other slot but it has glitter on it and that's still drying.
 
     Challenges:
AAA Cards
C.R.A.F.T.
Creative Knockouts
Cute Card Thurs
Cutie Pie
Dragonfly Dreams
Get Creative
Lil Patch of ...
TTCRD

     Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.  For those of you already out Christmas shopping, take a breath!  You still have more than a month.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Cheesy" Birthday

     Good Morning and a happy Friday to you!  Friday means another challenge is starting at QKR Stampede for this week and we have our usual "Anything Goes" theme.  Remember, you can use any images from any company.  If you decide to use something from QKR (or our sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry goes into a separate draw and that greatly increases your chances of winning QKR images!

     I used a fun QKR image today to  make a masculine birthday card.  It's called "Sharing 24215" and it's a fun and silly try to share a bit of cheese as a birthday offering.  I don't think I've ever been given cheese as a present but then, I haven't invited many mice show up at my parties.  lol

     I decided I wanted to see how many shades of blue I could use on this so I colored the image with ProMarkers and pencils (3 different blues), then cut it with a die from Spellbinders.  I printed and cut the arm/hand holding the cheese twice more and fussy cut them, adding them in flat layers so that it has a bit of dimension.  I mounted the image piece onto an ocean blue card base, and added aqua blue glitter to the negative holes in the die cut.

     The birthday sentiment was cut from navy blue CS with a Memory Box die.  I mounted the words onto white CS and trimmed them to the general word shape, using scissors.

     I added a hand-sewn bow with a baby blue button and called it finished.

     Challenges:
Crafting by Designs
Creative Fingers
Cute N Crafty
Cuttlebug Mania
Digi Choosday
House that Stamps Built (birthday/ribbon/button)
Mod Squad
Outlawz Festive Friday
Papercraft
Time Out

     I hope we're going to see you playing along this week.  We love being inspired by you!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter Egg Surprise

     Another Easter card today and I'll have several more this upcoming week.  I awakened at an unearthly hour (2 a.m.) this morning and it was one of those wake ups where you're wide awake and you know there's no chance of just rolling over and drifting off again.  So, after about 10 minutes, I got up, tossed on a warm robe, and headed for the crafting table.  Can you believe the end result was an additional 5 Easter cards?!! 

     Here's the first one:

I used colors from the inspiration palette at 

Digi Doodle Studios.

      This image is one from ArtbyMiran which has been in my collection for quite a while and I've used her a few times.  This time, she seemed to be a perfect Easter image so I colored her with ProMarkers and colored pencils, then fussy cut her with scissors. 

     The open egg image behind her is from Any Old Craft (now closed, I think) and was meant for creating images of sugar eggs (do you remember those?) with scenes made inside them and an open aperture for peeking inside.  However, instead of actually putting that sweet girl inside, I adhered her with dimensional dots to the front of the egg.  I had colored the egg with ProMarkers and cut it with an oval die from QuicKutz.

     I used hot pink CS for the card base and embossed the front with a folder from Sizzix before wrapping it with white, polka dot, ribbon.  I quickly sewed together a scrap of pink ribbon to make the bow and added a tiny gem to it.

     The sentiment was printed and cut with another QuicKutz die, then added to the top corner.

     Challenges:
a2z Scrapbooking
A Bit More Time to Craft
A Gem of a Challenge
Classic DT Open
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Cardmakers
Friendship Challenge
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Greetings

     Have a great weekend and don't forget to enjoy some recreational time just for you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

When Cuddling is Needed

     Day 5 of the Cat Lovers hop and I have to share with you what happens when one of the fur-babies needs a cuddle and I'm busy doing something.  I get this kind of stare - usually from the desk or craft table closest to where I am.

     If I don't respond within an appropriate amount of time (their calculation as to how much time, not mine) I get a paw on my shoulder or arm.  If that doesn't get the desired response from me, then they move closer and I get cat whiskers on my cheek and breathing in my ear, accompanied by a few judiciously rendered yowls of disapproval at being ignored!

     I colored with pencils and ProMarkers, then cut the image with plain, square die from Spellbinders.  Both the green paper and the black CS were scraps from my stash and I mounted everything onto a kraft card base.  I added one strand of green jute cord and called it finished.  I really wanted that cat stare to be the focus of the card.

     Challenges:
Ike's World
LeAnn's World 101
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Penny's Paper Crafty
Scrappy Land
SUYP Cats

     That's the last for today but I may have a double post again tomorrow.  It will depend on what I get done this afternoon.  I've had one ready for a few days now that will get posted and we'll have to wait to see if the other one also is ready.  Until then, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Light My Fire

     It's Friday and time for the next weekly challenge at QKR Stampede.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and we love having you play along with us.

     For my card today, I used the QKR Stampede image, "Book of Matches" and this card has a double meaning - I'm sending it to a friend of mine and she's going to give it to her Hubby on their anniversary in early August.  He's the BBQ king of the neighborhood and still cooks over charcoal.  He says gas BBQs are for sissies.  lol

     While I don't do a lot of cooking over the home BBQ, I've done my share of camping vacations where all the cooking was done over a campfire so I'm intimately familiar with lighting those kinds of fires!

     I colored with ProMarkers and pencils, then cut the image with a stitched die from Cheery Lynn.  I found scraps of dp and used them behind the image.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a smaller Cheery Lynn die from that set, then adhered just at the bottom of the image.

     The only embellishment is the row of tiny pearls.  I think that design made a delightfully fun and CAS masculine card.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
CARDZ TV
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Creations
Cute Card Thurs.
House that Stamps Built
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp
Sisterhood of Crafters

     Don't forget - today and tomorrow are the last days of the Challenges for Days Birthday Bash and all you have to do to win is to comment on my post (HERE) and on the Birthday Bash post at Challenges for Days.  There are great prizes to be won from not only some lovely sponsors on Saturday but also from each of the CfD List Manager volunteers who have offered prizes of crafting goodies.  Check it out and be sure to leave comments on all the blogs which are offering prizes.  See the list on the CfD blog.

     Have a great weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Daisies for Your Birthday

     By now most of you think of me as a Crazy Cat Lady and, while I share my life with felines at the moment, the truth is I'm an animal lover.  Any kind of animal; well, maybe not poisonous snakes but nearly anything else.  Never-the-less, I was  browsing the store at Di's Digi Designs, saw this darling kitty carrying a double arm full of daisies, and I fell in love.  Had to have it, had to use it right away!

     I colored with ProMarkers and pencils, then die cut the image with a Sizzix die.  I cut the pink frame with another die from that set and started my search for background dp.  I found an old Recollections stack and it had that lovely pale pink, sort-of-flowery paper.  Perfect!

     I added deep pink lace, then layered on the image.  I put 3 little, metal, brads in the corners and dug through my stash of  cut and embossed flower petals, selected a single layer, and added a small, pearl button to the center.  The last step was printing the sentiment and adding it above the image.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge (metal brads)
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Gals Corner
Die Cuttin' Divas
Digi Choosday
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Passion for ProMarkers
SUYP Cats
TTCRD

     It's the first weekend in a new month and my schedule is getting hectic.  What happened to being retired and having all the time in the world?  :-D  Maybe that'll happen again one day next week, like Tuesday or Wednesday -- or Friday.  Sigh...  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Flowers in a Honey Can

     I fell in love with this image from Sparkle n Sprinkle the instant I saw it.  I think it's by Jan Mahew.  In any case, it's lovely and I was so happy to color it up!

     I colored with ProMarkers and pencils, with little touches of white gel pan.  The background is dp from SU, dry embossed with a folder from Darice.

     The image is fussy cut with a very narrow, white, border.  I mounted it onto the two die cut, octagon, frames using dimensional dots.  The octagons are also embossed all around the edges.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, then added it to the image piece.

     The final step was making two bows, one from lace & the other from satin ribbon, and mounting them together as a double bow.  There was so much going on visually that I decided the bows were all that was needed by way of embellishment.

     Challenges:
A Perfect Time to Craft
Archi-Scraps
Beccy's Place (die cut/3 colors/lace & ribbon)
Card Mania
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper
Die Cut Diva's
TLC on Doing Life

     That's all I have for this weekend but my entire day is cleared so that I can work slowly, with lots of breaks to rest my shoulder, and still get a couple of cards made for later this week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Feeling all 'At Sea'?

     We are starting a new challenge today over at QKR Stampede and I really hope we're going to see you playing along with our "Anything Goes" theme.  My SIL's birthday is right around the corner and he's acting like he's floundering in those early-50s years so I thought this image from QKR Stampede was perfect for him!  It's called "Ship" and I love it, despite the apparent danger.  The sentiment is also from QKR Stampede, called "Your Birthday"

     For coloring, I actually printed the image onto blue-gray CS, then added highlights with white gel ink and white colored pencil.  I cut the image and the black mat with pinpoint rectangle dies form Memory Box. 

     The gray background was embossed with a folder from Sizzix  and I wrapped it with blue baker's twine.  I love it alone after that since it's a masculine card and I wanted a CAS design with minimal embellishment.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Country View Crafts
Color Sisters
Colour Crazy
Crafting with an Attitude
Crafts Galore Encore
Createful Heart
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrapy Land
Word Art Weds.

      Come play with us this week, won't you?   Remember, it's "Anything Goes" all the time, no twist, no other requirements.  You don't have to use a QKR Stampede image but if you do, you really increase your chances of winning some of our images because we have two drawings; one for just QKR images and one for everybody else.  Come try your luck.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Valentine Ragdoll

     Another Friday, another challenge at QKR Stampede and, as always, we have a theme of "Anything Goes."  I've been working on a few Valentine cards and this darling image. "Be My Valentine," worked perfectly.  The sentiment is actually part of the image.

I started with the colors from House of Cards.

     I colored with a combination of ProMarkers and colored pencils, then did an out-of-the-box cut with a square die from Lawn Fawn.  I found a scrap of burgundy CS which I used for the card front and I added mulberry paper to each end of the card front.

     That was another scrap and I didn't have enough of it to do a long strip so I cut it into two small pieces and added one piece to each side of the image.  Once that was done, I 'feathered' the edges of the mulberry and then added the image to the card front.

     I tied one of my little hand-sewn bows to one side and called it finished.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time ... Extra
Card Mania
Classic DT Open
Creatalicious
Delicious Doodles
Die Cut Divas
Dies R Us
   
     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cat Lovers Hop - Again

     Today I have another card I'm going to post for the Cat Lovers Hop.

     I wish I could tell you who drew the image but it's one of those I colored probably 2 years ago then tossed in my file of colored-images-ready-to-use and never used it.  I actually remember coloring it (which is why I know it's been 2 years) because I was on my holiday travels and I took my colored pencils and gamsol with me plus a few dozen images.  

     I cut the image and the orange frame with simple rectangle dies from Spellbinders. then added a scrap of dp to frame that.  The background dp was also a scrap, just big enough to cover a 5 x 5 card.

     Both ribbons are from my stash of Really Reasonable Ribbon (and I have lots of it.)  I tied the bow by hand and, although the photo doesn't do it justice, the ribbon is sparkly beyond imagination but it's brown, not black.

     Challenges:

Crafty Sentiments

Digi Choosday

SUYP Cats

     So glad you stopped by.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Kitty Noel

     Let me tell you a Christmas story.  Once Upon a Time there was a baby kitten who was born on a cold, December night and the family promptly dubbed him "Noel" and wrapped him in a Santa cap to keep him warm.  For all their good intentions, Noel turned out to be a female but the family kept the name, changing the pronunciation to the more feminine "NoEl" and loved the bright orange fur ball just as much as ever, despite the fact that she pulled ornaments off the tree at every opportunity.

     Here's her portrait, caught red handed (red-pawed?) with the ornament in her grasp.  :-D

     Colored with pencils and ProMarkers, then cut with a Gina Marie die.  Papers from my Christmas stash and I have no idea how long I've had them but more than 4 years, I guarantee it.

     I double wrapped narrow, green ribbon around the Noel paper and tied a double loop bow.

     Challenges:
Christmas with the Cuties
Crafting with an Attitude
Inspiration Destination
Lemon Shortbread
Merry Monday Christmas
Outlawz Festive Friday
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
SUYP Cats

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Harvest Days

     A friend and I were crafting together yesterday and I used one of her fall stamps.  It turns out she bought it from Victorine Originals and she had a link to their website.  Can you believe I've never heard of them before and they even have a challenge!   This time they have a beautiful inspiration photo and that's the reason I chose this particular image to stamp and use on my card.  Let me show both of them to you and you can tell me what you think.

                               

I also used the sketch from Die Cuttin' Divas.

     I used Copics and colored pencils to color it, then die cut both the image and the frame using dies from Tattered Lace.  All the papers are from SU and the little Bird on a Branch was cut with a Cottage Cutz die.

     Challenges:
Angie's Digital Stamps
Color Inspiration Monday
Crafting by Designs
Cuttlebug Mania
Glitter n Sparkle
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Mod Squad
Stamping Sensations
TTCRD

     I hope those of you in the US are enjoying your Columbus Day holiday and that you'll find time to relax and enjoy the extra 'weekend' day.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

World of Discovery

    A couple of weeks back I was invited to be a Guest Designer on the Clean and Simple Challenge over at the Outlawz and I was honored by the invitation.  It must have taken me at least 2 seconds (ok, nano seconds) to say yes!  Every project has to be CAS but in addition to that this week, we are only allowed to use limited supplies so we have to make our own backgrounds.  No dp!

     That darling dragon is from Rick St.Dennis and I colored him with ProMarkers and pencils.  The background is made by dabbing heavy card stock with a cotton swab which had been dipped in bleach.  It's a long process and it has to dry completely - overnight is best - before using it or the CS will begin to peel and shred on the bleached spots.

     I cut the image and the green frame with an oval die set from Spellbinders, then used another Spellbinders die on the brown frame.  The sentiment was stamped and I thought it was an appropriate one for an encouragement card.  I added only one embellishment - a tiny, brown bow.

     Challenges:
Catch the Bug
Colour Crazy
Cut It Up
Incy Wincy
Jo's Scrap Shack
Let's Craft and Create
Morgan's ArtWorld
Polkadoodles
Take It, Make It

     I hope you'll come visit with us at The Outlawz.  If you're not a member yet, you really should join.  It's free and they have regular weekly challenges that start every day of the week and a monthly progressive challenge with freebie images from different artists.  It's a great way to get introduced to new artists or artists you've known and admired for a while.  See you there.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Unicorn Moon

     The spring equinox is always special, bringing a subtle change from the dark days of winter but even more magical is the first full moon of spring.  I always knew it was a time of fantastical creatures and now we have proof!  :-D

     The unicorn image is from Dragon's Lair Designs and, once again, I colored with polychromos pencils.  If I keep practicing with them, I might actually get good.  I did add a few glittery stars to the sky with a sparkle gel pen but they just don't show in the photo.  After coloring, I cut the image with a plain square die (QuicKutz) and mounted it in the center of a larger blue CS square, which I put on the front of the card base.

     All the leaves were cut from scrap CS with a die from Cheery Lynn and they are embossed, giving the card some great texture.  The orchid flowers were in my stash.  I have no idea how long I've had them but I don't think I've ever used them so it definitely was time.  They, too, added texture.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Colour Crazy Craft
Come and Get It
Di's Digi Designs
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Festive Friday
Polkadoodles
Take It, Make It

     That's all for me today.  Have a wonderful Monday and may your week be filled with creative pursuits.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Topsy Turvy Cake for a Snake

     I'm playing along in another fun, progressive challenge, this time at Dragon's Lair.  I guess if you can have Snakes on a Plane, I suppose they must have birthdays to celebrate, too.  But how would they blow out the candles on their cakes?

I used the sketch from Stella Says Sketch and

colors from House of Cards.

  

     I used  Koh-I-Noor pencils to color the image and discovered that they are significantly different from the ones I have been using so I'll have to practice more before I feel really comfortable with them but I do like the 'creaminess' of them.  It might also help if I wasn't using them on watercolor paper.

     The green stripes at the bottom were cut from scraps and the image just fit a plain square die from Spellbinders so I cut it with that die.  The ribbon is sparkly and was in my stash.  I punched the three flowers out of sparkle CS, put pearls in the centers, and then found the three golden pearls for the upper corner.  The silly sentiment about "Hiss Out the Candles" is my own, of course.

     Challenges:
Craftaholics
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Catz
Glitter n Sparkle
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Paper Nest Dolls
Simon Says Stamp

     That's it for today except to wish you Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Pocket Dragons

     Do you know about Pocket Dragons?   I remember when I first heard about them.  I was in my pre- or early teens and, as we sat around the campfire on a family camping trip, I commented that the fire looked like dragons when the tops of the flames were blown horizontal by the evening breeze.  My dad said he didn't know about campfire dragons but he did know about Pocket Dragons.

     Pocket Dragons are very, very small and never seen by humans.  The only way you even know they exist is by finding their bedding or pillows.  If you have ever reached your hand into one of your pockets and found a bit of lint, perhaps shaped gently into a tiny pillow, then you know you have a Pocket Dragon living with you and you should treat it oh, so very kindly because they are loyal and good friends, even tho' you can't see them.

     All of that being true, I believe this may be the first ever picture of a Pocket Dragon!

     Colored with watercolor pencils and ProMarkers, cut with a die from Spellbinders, framed with another die from that same set and still a third die used for the filagree in the background.  Ribbon from my stash and burlap ribbon used for the bow.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
ArtbyMiran
Brown Sugar
Craft for the Craic
Creative Fingers
Dragon's Lair
Jo's Scrap Shack

     That's all for today and I'll see you when I get back home.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

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