It's a Baby !?!

      Today I'm sharing a very different type of  'Baby Shower' card in all it's CAS glory.  :-D  I know this excited and curious little pup isn't a typical "Cutsey" animal often found on baby cards, but he just seemed perfect for a baby boy.  One of my granddaughter's long time friends (they were in competitive Cheer together since before they were in 5th grade and now they are both in their early 20s) is having her first baby, a boy.  I made this card at my granddaughter's request.

     The image is from a digital coloring book, reduced in size before printing.  I used my Sanjoki markers to color him, added white highlights with a gel pen, then cut the image with a QuicKutz die.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I added powder blue mats behind each piece and put them on an A2 card.  No fuss, no embellishments, just a sweet, simple card for a baby boy.

     Challenges:

AAA Cards

Classic Design

Crafts Galore ...

Creatalicious

I Love Markers

Paper Shelter

Polkadoodles

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Garbage Can Bandit

      A month or 2 ago, I reached back several years and posted a card which featured the "Alley Cat" image from QKR Stampede, where our newest "Anything Goes" challenge starts today.  This time, I've combined that image with the "Guard Dog" and added  my own sentiment.

     The images were merged, then colored with ProMarkers, and cut with a die from Spellbinders.  The plaid dp is from a stack by Your Next Stamp.  I layered that on a peach card front, printed and cut the sentiment with an Avery Elle die, and called it finished.  I like the masculine feel to the relatively CAS design.

     I love using warm colors for summer cards because it fits the season.  I do the same with cool colors for winter cards, but that's a topic for later.  Today is predicted to be 106F where I live and it's been over 100F each day for the last 4 days and those will run for at least another week.  Yuck!

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aud Sentiments

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Creative Fingers

I Love ProMarkers

Penny's Paper-Crafty

SUYP Cats

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     Come play with us this fortnight. It's anything goes and you can use any image from any company.  But remember, if you do  use a QKR Stampede image, your entry qualifies for a separate draw and that increases your chances of being a winner!  

    

     Good luck and 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

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

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

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

Best Friend Puppy

     Today I'm working with the All Dressed Up image provided for the Outlawz Progressive challenge.  This sweet little gal with her darling puppy just called out for a bright, spring card.  All the papers and CS are from old stash or scraps.

I used the sketch from Crafting Vicky,

which I turned 1/4 turn and I played a bit with the triangles.

Colored with ProMarkers

Cut with Spellbinders die

Triangles cut w/ Memory Box dies

Butterflies - Spellbinders die & Fiskars punch

Faux stitching

Polka dot washi tape from old stash

     Challenges:
Butterfly (Sky blue, Salmon, Sage, Spots, Stitching)
Crafty Sentiments
Double Trouble (+ Use Your Stuff)  (all 3)
Lemon Shortbread
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Besties

     Anyone who says that cats and dogs don't get along never visited my house when I was growing up.  We always had at least one dog and one cat, often more than one of each and they all got on famously.  Bugaboo Stamps is our January sponsor in our newest monthly challenge at 2 Crafter Critter Crazies and they generously supplied me with one of their new images which is called "Winter Cat & Puppy Dog."  Don't you just love them all bundled up in their winter togs?  They are sharing the best kind of love - the kind that is only found between BFFs!  :-D

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with Gina Marie die
Background flocked paper by Doodlebug - a totally new thing for me to use!
Hand sewn bow w/ pearl
Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time ...
A Perfect Time to ...
Classic DT 
County View Crafts
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafts Galore Encore
Crafty Hazelnut's
Creatalicious
Die Cut Divas
Outlawz Festive Fri.

     Please come play with us this month.  Our theme is always Anything Goes with a Critter.  We just need to see a creature of some kind featured on your project.  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 

Racing to Get Well

     Here it is, another Friday and that means a new challenge starts at QKR Stampede.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and you can use any image from any company.  However, if you use a QKR image (or one from their sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry will be put into a separate draw, increasing your chances of a win by a huge amount!

     I did a Get Well card this week, using "Racing 13601" as the image.

ProMarkers
Spellbinders dies ("Lattice" for the frame)
Hand-sewn bow w/ gem
Fussy cut sentiment

     Challenges:
Colour Crazy
Crafter's Castle
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Gals Corner
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz Festive Friday
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp

      Hope we're going to see you playing along at QKR Stampede this week.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Pug Love

     I'm sneaking this post onto the blog while the feline fur babies are distracted by my first post this morning which featured a kitten (at their insistence!)  They don't much like it when I feature other animals, most especially dogs.

     On the other hand, who could resist this precious little pug?  Let me tell you a quick back story about this card.  My eldest granddaughter and her best friend have rented a house, each of them moving away from home on that "I'm now an adult" adventure.  Her friend has a sweet little pug named Eva and, when I saw this image at Ching-Chou Kuik, I knew I had to do a card for her.

     I had it planned for her birthday but then, over the weekend, she was in a car accident wherein the car in which she was riding was rear-ended by another car.  Although there's nothing life threatening, she's pretty banged up and in a lot of pain from classic whip lash injuries, including headaches and throwing up.  The ER doctors told her she's going be even more sore by this morning than she was yesterday.  I knew what she needed most was to hug her pug so I'm sending this card to her as a get well.  :-D

     I enlisted my granddaughter's help in getting a photo of Eva so that I could do the coloring to match her.  Here's what she sent.

     The little black kitten is Luna, a recent addition to the family and she immediately decided that Eva was her new momma.

     Here's the card:

     I used ProMarkers to color the image with added highlights done in gel ink.  I cut the image, the mat for it, and the sentiment with Unbranded, cross stitch dies.  Everything went onto a kraft card base.

     I added metal brads to upper and lower corners, then left it alone, adding no other embellishments.  I wanted the image to be the focus of the card.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Crafts Galore Encore
Creative Inspirations
Ching-Chou Kuik
I {heart} ProMarkers
Morgan's ArtWorld
Paper Fundays
Paper Nest Dolls
Path of Positivity
Scrap from Your Heart

     Two posts on one day and it's been a while since I did that so enjoy!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

My Happy Valentine

     I've done a few Valentine cards using recycled and vintage images since things are still not completely accessible after all the boxing up and reorganizing.  Most of the markers and colored pencils are still put away and my printer use is somewhat limited.  But I am loving the entire box of vintage Valentines which were given to me several years ago and which got set aside during the last move.  I found them a few weeks ago and they have been put to great use during this year's turmoil.

     Expect to see several vintage Valentine cards over the next couple of weeks.

     I thought this image was adorable with the little girl and her faithful dog.  I cut the old card, used a Spellbinders die to cut the image into a rectangle, then punched it with a Fiskars' corner punch.  I used scraps of red paper on a kraft card base, and layered on a scrap piece of wide, wired, sparkly, silver ribbon before adding the image piece.  That ribbon and the flowers gave the card some really great texture!

     The ribbon of embroidered daisy flowers with pink centers came from my stash.

     Challenges:
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Cardmakers
Cupcake Inspirations

Cute N Crafty
Get Creative
Incy Wincy
Outlawz Greetings
Paper Girls
Simon Says Stamp & Show

     See you later.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie