Easter Eggs for the Dragon

      Dragons are so fierce and fire-breathing that the Easter Bunny is rarely (if ever!) willing to brave their dens to leave Easter eggs for them.  But this brave bunny (hiding behind the rock) took the risk and this dragon is so excited, she may never breathe fire again.  lol  

     This card is obviously for my granddaughter who is crazy about dragons (as am I) and she expects all holiday cards to include dragons.  I search constantly to find images, clip art, digital stamps, whatever, so that I can make cards for her with appropriate dragons on them.  Sometimes, I have to just use a dragon image I already have and turn it into a celebration of the holiday but this time I found a wonderful dragon which I printed in grayscale and colored with Sanjoki markers.

     I cut the image using a Tonic Studios die, and the sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The sparkle behind the dragon is a layer of glitter CS which covers the entire card front.  I added white gel pen to the "Happy Easter" part of the image to make it stand out a bit.

     Challenges:

Carlin's Card ...

Crafts Galore ...

Do-Al(l) Kreatives

Friendship

Mirtillamente

Perfect Time to ...

(PIN)spirational

Rabisco

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Irish Dragon

     I shared a St. Patrick's card the other day which I had made for my granddaughter who loves cows, and today I have one for another granddaughter who adores dragons (as do I !)  

     I merged this digital coloring book, clip art image, with the small dragon image merged in the upper corner, then printed it in very light grayscale.  Once printed, I colored it with water colors and alcohol markers.  The image was cut with a Tonic Studios die and layered onto a white background on which I had printed the sentiment.  The background paper came from a K & Co. stack.

     Challenges:

Classic Design

Digi Choosday

Double Trouble

Outlawz SAR (March, April, Nature)

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp

Star Stampz

     Enjoy and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thanksgiving BBQ

      Can you believe Thanksgiving is next Thursday?  Less than a week away and, since today is Friday, we're celebrating another new challenge start over at Crafty Catz.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" but we offer you an OPTIONAL theme if you want to use it and this week that option is "3 Favorite Colors."  Purple is my all time favorite color but when combined with orange and green, that becomes my favorite fall color combo.  

     Our fun and fabulous sponsor for this week's challenge is Dr. Digi and they supplied images for the DT to use on their inspiration projects.  However, I chose to use one from my own Dr. Digi collection and it's called "BBQ Dragon."  My eldest granddaughter and I share a love of dragons and this is going to be her Thanksgiving card.

     I used Sanjoki alcohol markers to color the image, then cut it with a fancy Spellbinders die.  I added a bit of sparkle to his knife and fork and to the jousting pole (whatever it's called) with a glitter pen, and used a gold paint pen on his eyes and horns.  The background dp is from DCWV and has been in my scrap basket for quite a while. The sentiment was printed and cut with a die from Avery Elle.

     Challenges:

Creatalicious

Creative Fingers

Happy...Stampers

Outlawz Friday

Outlawz Thurs

Paper Dragonfly

Pattie's Creations

     Won't you come and play in our challenge this week?  Remember it's your choice whether or not to show off you own favorite colors, but you can always just follow the Anything Goes theme.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dragon's 'Ooops'

      Dragons are mighty and fearsome creatures, but they are also as full of curiosity as any kitten you've ever met.  This young dragon is experiencing his first ever Christmas and the glimmering gold star on the Christmas tree apparently caught his eye.  Whether he just wanted to taste it or if he's trying to claim it for his own toy box may never be known, but the result is some unintended UNdecorating of the tree.    :-D

     This image is from a digital coloring book (all lovely grayscale images), reduced in size, printed on water color paper, and colored with water color paints.   The highlights on the snow (on the tree) and the ornaments were done with a white gel pen.  The fur on the dragon's Santa hat was made using SnowTex and it's dimensional.

      I cut the image and the frame for it with dies from QuicKutz.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background CS was embossed using a Sizzix EF.  I added a wrap of sheer ribbon with glitter spots on it, giving the card a bit of sparkle.   As a final embellishment, I added some Jolee's snowflakes.

      Challenges:

12 Months Christmas

Aud Sentiments

Can You Handle ...?

Crafty Gals Corner

Digi Choosday

Double Trouble

Happy...Stampers

Jan's Digi Stamps

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

     Hope you enjoyed the quick lesson about dragons. :-D Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Be a Dragon?

      I'll have two posts today and this is the first of them.  I have a grown granddaughter who adores dragons as much as I do and we both love the "How to Train Your Dragon" movies.  I often make cards featuring dragons just for her, without needing any particular occasion.  This is one of those and it features a clip art image of our favorite dragon.  I'm sure you'll recognize him.  Yep, that's Toothless!     :-D

     This one was pre-colored so I didn't have to do anything other than print the image, cut it with a simple rectangle die from Spellbinders, and ink the edges with an ink pad.  The background is a scrap of dp from an EK Success stack.  That was probably my favorite paper in the entire stack and I've used it on half a dozen cards in the last couple of weeks.  I think this is the last of it but there may be another small scrap or two in the basket.  I'm already missing it.  lol

     The small bow is one of my signature, hand-sewn bows which I make by the dozen and toss into my stash for future use.  I see it's about time to start making another batch because the supply is getting low.  I used to use different colored ribbons to make them but then I discovered I could use white ribbon and "dye" the bows any color I wanted with my markers.  The great advantage in that is I can match up any one of the colors I've used when coloring an image.  However, since I didn't color this image, I just used a deep blue that complemented the background paper.

     Challenges:

Creatalicious

Creative Moments

Gem of a Challenge

Happy ... Stampers

Let's Craft & Create

Outlawz Tuesday

Pammie's IP

     Be sure to stop by again in a couple of hours when my second post of the day goes live.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Easter Dragon

      You're going to see probably 2 posts per day for at least the next week so that I can share all the Easter cards I've been making, trying to get all the ones for family and friends finished, plus the ones for the craft fair next Friday where I'm going to have a vendor booth.  I searched for and printed several free, clip art images (some pre-colored and some not) in addition to the ones I've hand colored and for hte last 2 days, I've been putting cards together.

     The one I'm sharing today will be my eldest granddaughter's card because she's the one who adores dragons as much as I do.  This image shows you exactly what happens when the wrong kind of eggs - meaning not CHOCOLATE! - get put into the Easter Basket. :-D  

     I colored the image (from Crafty Moments) with ProMarkers, then cut it with a Memory Box, pin point die.  The background papers are from BLD, a company new to me, but the paper pack was a gift and I really love them.  Those two papers happen to be from a single sheet of two sided paper which worked perfectly for my color combo.

     I added the sentiment after I cut it and inked the edges, then made a hand-sewed bow using satin ribbon.

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Double D

Dragonfly Dreams

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Friday

Simon Says

     Don't worry, my granddaughter never checks my blog so she won't see this until Easter.  But you can check again in about an hour wen my second post for today will be live.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dragon's Breath

      This is another of the stamped images snail-mailed to me by a friend after I lost my entire collection of digital images in a flash drive crash.  I'm not sure how she did the circle behind the wizard but it's a fantastic addition to the image.

     I used water colors, ProMarkers, and added white gel pen to his beard and on the dragon smoke.  The image was cut with a Tonic Studios die and I inked the edges.  I first tried the image on a white card front but it just didn't give the nighttime look I wanted, so I swapped that out with black CS and thought it was perfect!

     The sentiment was printed and cut by hand.  I wanted a completely simple card because it's intended for a male recipient who just isn't into fuss or frou-frou of any kind.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Creative Inspirations

Gem of a Challenge

LeAnn's World

Paperbabe Stamps

Taylormadecards ...

TTCRD

Two Old Bats

     I'll have another post tomorrow so be sure to stop by again.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Red Dragon

      I have an adult granddaughter who dearly loves dragons, something we have in common.  I 'collect' new dragon digis and rubber stamps whenever I can, and I use them to make cards for her (with and without occasions) all year long.

     This one I did for her birthday.  No coloring, just lots of red, white, and black silk machine embroidery thread.  I have a sewing machine with embroidery capacity and now I'll have to add embroidery designs to the list of dragons I collect.  This one was embroidered onto a stiffening background so that, when finished and trimmed, it has the look and feel of an applique.  I simply applied it to the card front, then added the sentiment which had been cut with an Avery Elle die.

     I added a narrow ribbon and a tiny bow (Marianne Design die), and left the card design CAS to focus attention on the dragon.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

C.R.A.F.T. (How to Train Your Dragon)

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Paperbabe

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dragon Bouquet

      It's been a few days since I posted and I apologize but I've been a bit under the weather.  Resting seemed the best therapy.  :-D  

     But today I'm back!  I want to share one of my DT cards I made for Conie Fong which features one of her latest images, called "Dragon Bouquet."  Each month, we have 2 separate challenges, one for just coloring of Conie Fong images and the other for finished projects like this one, also with Conie Fong images.  We've just started a third monthly challenge, called Blast from the Past, into which you may enter older Conie Fong cards you've already posted to your blog or social media sites.  Click on the 'challenges' link above to get to the albums for any of those.  They are all on our FB site.

     Here's what I did with "Dragon Bouquet."  It's a fun spring card which I'm going to use as one of my Easter cards.  I used ProMarkers to color the image, then I cut one side of it with a border die from Your Next Stamp.  

     I used another of those border dies to cut a piece of glitter CS and I used those on each side of the card.  The pink CS background was embossed with my 'Linen' folder.  I used a Tonic Studios die to cut the sentiment.  The last thing was to tie a double loop bow for one upper corner and it was finished.

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Inspirations

Paperbabe

Penny's Paper-Crafty

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

Your Next Stamp

     I hope we're going to see you playing in one of our challenges this month.  We need to have at least 10 entries in each one for prizes to be awarded.  You must use Conie Fong images but there are freebies available on the FB site.  Check them out.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Totally Innocent Devil Dragon

      As some of you know (if you visit my blog with any regularity), I have a granddaughter who shares my great love of dragons and I've been using any excuse (birthday, Christmas, Easter, Summer Solstice, start or end of Daylight Savings time, etc.) to send her dragon cards for most of her 22 years now.  Yes, she still loves them even as an adult.  So, this one will be her Halloween card this year.

     It's colored with ProMarkers and gel pens, then cut and embossed with Sue Wilson dies.   The background papers are scraps from a Recollections stack.  The lace strip was in my stash and has been enhanced with suede strips before adhering it diagonally across the card front.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

I was influenced by the sketch at Paperminutes, 

adjusted for a square card.

I did reverse the diagonal line and used a square shape

instead of a circle.

      Challenges:

Cardz TV

Creative Inspirations

Cute Card Thurs

I love ProMarkers

Lemon Shortbread

Outlawz Festive Fri

Polkadoodles

Scrapping4Fun

Two Old Bats

     That's all I have for today but I'm wishing you a great day and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Hug Your Dragon

      All dragons need hugs but that's especially true of the young ones.  When hugged often and gently, they train well and become lifelong companions, cuddling to keep you warm in the winter and fanning you softly with their wings to cool you in the summer.  

     My eldest granddaughter and I are both crazy about dragons and when I saw this image from Mariola Budek, I grabbed it right away.  It comes as a pdf file in one of her digital coloring books.  I'm sure this card will end up in the hands of my granddaughter, with or without an occasion, but celebrating dragons is always an occasion in itself!.

     I colored it with ProMarkers and pencils, cut it with a die from Memory Box, and framed it with a die cut rectangle (QuicKutz) of scrap dp.  The yellow background dp is from Recollections.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  For a bit of embellishment on the otherwise simple card design, I added the wrap of sparkle twine and fluffed the ends to make a tassel.

I used the colors found at Cupcake Inspirations challenge.

     Challenges:

Colouring in Scrapland

Crafty Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Get Creative

Lemon Shortbread

Outlawz Color

Passion for Markers

TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sweet Dreams Dragon

      I intended to share this card with you back in February but then I got sick and was hospitalized with Covid-19 and the card never made it into a post.  This was my eldest granddaughter's birthday card this year and she's the one who loves dragons as much as I do.  Yes, she loved it!  :-D  She's also a lover of CAS cards so I kept this one pretty simple; just background, image, and a bit of fiber.

     I'm sorry but I don't remember all the supplies I used to make this one but that might be because I was fighting the early days of Covid without realizing just how sick I was.  I know the sentiment bits were cut with Avery Elle dies and the lighter blue background paper was done with water color paints but that's about all I know for sure.  Oh, yeah, I used a white gel pen to add the highlights to the dragon and the fiber came from an old sweater.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Allsorts

Aud Sentiments

Creative Fingers

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Festive Fri

Paperbabe

Pattie's Creations

Polkadoodles

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Birthday Dragon

      OMG, how can it be November already?  But it is and that means it's time to start another new monthly challenge at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies and our wonderful sponsor is The Paper Shelter!   They supplied this adorable image, called "My Little Dragon Army" and since my eldest granddaughter loves dragons, I decided it would make a great birthday card for her next February.  Nothing like using the dragon to light all the candles.  :-D

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w Sizzix die

Frame cut w Sizzix die

Offray ribbon

Triple loop bow tied w bow maker

Papers are scrap bits from the basket

Sentiment printed & hand cut

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Colour Crazy

Crafty Sentiments

Creative Inspirations

Double Trouble (blue/yellow/orange + no bat)

I {heart} ProMarkers

Outlawz Festive Fri

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp (How to Train Your Dragon)

     I'll have another post today for the latest challenge at QKR Stampede.  Be sure to check back later.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sleeping Dragon

     It's time for the next Progressive Challenge at Limited Runs and this time we get to work with this delightful sleeping dragon, which my granddaughter will love!  I decided to use my favorite color combo of purple and aqua.  Everything on this card was made from scraps, including the CS on which the image was printed.

Inspired by the sketch at Sweet Sketch Weds, 

flipped top to bottom.

Colored w/ ProMarkers & glitter
Cut w/ Dare2BArtzy die
Oval die from QuicKutz
Rounded corners cut w/ Fiskars punch
White ribbon Really Reasonable Ribbon
Gingham bow, hand-tied
Papers = scraps from the basket
Sentiment printed, hand cut, & matted

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Crafty Friends
Crafty Sentiments
Dare 2B Artzy
Digi Choosday
Dragonfly Dreams
Lil Patch of ...
Passion for ProMarkers

     Have yourself a great weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Keeping Baby Dragons Safe

     Did you know there are dragon-keepers whose only job is to keep all baby dragons safe until they reach the age of 1 year and have had lots of practice flying?  It's true!  Don't doubt me.  Am I not the one who told you about Pocket Dragons?  :-D

     However, I could really use some help on this image.  This is one of those I printed out long, long ago, tucked it into a folder, and never got it colored.  While coloring it yesterday, I realized that I hadn't put any notation on the back regarding the artist or company so I have no idea after all this time who drew it nor how to give proper credit to the artist.

     If you know who created this marvelous image, will you please leave me a comment and tell me?  I really want to do justice to the artist by giving them credit.  Thanks so much.

I chose colors from I {heart} ProMarkers.

Colored w/ ProMarkers
Open Studio Fairy Sugar on her wings
    (unfortunately it doesn't show up sparkly in the photo)
Corner die from Memory Box (also embosses)
Sponging w/ chalks
Grosgrain ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Hand tied satin bow
Sentiment printed and hand cut, inked edges

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Crafty Sentiments
Digi Choosday
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz Color
Passion for ProMarkers
Penny's Paper-Crafty
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown (ribbon/bows)

     Thanks for stopping by and if you do know who the artist is, please leave me a comment and let me know so that I can give them credit.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Baby Dragon Adventures

     Baby dragons are the most curious creatures ever and each new thing they encounter is a complete adventure in itself !   Purple leaves are amazing and watching them drift on a breeze is reason for giggles or even outright laughter.  :-D

     This sweet image is from Whimsy Stamps and the card will eventually find it's way into my eldest granddaughter's mailbox because she adores dragons (as do I!)

My color inspiration came from the challenge at The Outlawz

where they want to see lavender/purple monochromatics.

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with dies from Little B
All three ribbons from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Metal brads
Signature bow w pearl

     Challenges:
Colour Crazy
Cute Card Thurs
Die Cut Divas
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lemon Shortbread
SheepSki Designs
Time Out
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dragon Rider

     My oldest granddaughter has a passion for dragons (something she no doubt gets from me!) and I thought this would make a perfect birthday card for her.  Personally, I think dragons are the most perfect creatures in the world, especially my favorites, Pocket Dragons. 

     You haven't heard about pocket dragons?  I referred to them in a post a long while back but let me tell you again why they are favorites of mine.  Pocket dragons are so tiny they are nearly invisible.  They always come in your favorite color, whatever it is.  People are rarely aware that they are hosting pocket dragons because the dragons are so quiet and peaceful.  They sleep in the pockets of your clothing, which is generally what they are doing when they spend time with humans.  If you reach your hand down into the pocket of your coat or your jeans and find a tiny bit of lint, puffed into a soft pillow shape, for sure you have a pocket dragon who's been napping in your pocket!

     I'm not sure if this is a pocket dragon in his daytime form but he's in my favorite color so he might turn into one at night when he's sleeping.  :-D  The image is from LeAnne's World 101.

I used colors from House that Stamps Built

and the sketch from the Outlawz.

  

Colored with ProMarkers & gel inks
Image and mat cut with dies from QuicKutz
Leaves cut w Cheery Lynn die (scraps)
Mulberry flowers cut w Memory Box die (scraps)
Gems added to flowers

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Colour Crazy
Creative Inspirations
I {heart} ProMarkers
Simon Says Stamp
Take It, Make It

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Slay the Day !

     Today I'm sharing a birthday card instead of a Christmas card but tomorrow, I'll be back to Christmas.  My oldest granddaughter is absolutely mad about dragons and this cutie image from The Paper Shelter just seemed perfect for her birthday card.  I'm not the least worried about her seeing it ahead of time for two reasons; first, she rarely visits my blog and second, her birthday isn't until February so even if she sees it now, she won't remember what's on the card until she opens the envelope.  lol

I was inspired by the sketch at Tuesday Morning but turned it on end.

Image cut with Memory Box stitched die
Sentiment cut with Memory Box stitched die
Ribbon from scrap basket
Bow, hand tied and 'dyed' pale blue with ProMarker
Aqua card base

     Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments
Digi Choosday
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz Festive Fri
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
TTCRD
Tues Throwdown

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dragon's Flower

     Today I'm featuring my favorite color combo - purple and anything!  Why?  Purple is my favorite color and I know it goes well with turquoise, green, pink, yellow, orange, and neutrals such as white and tan.  It's just so versatile.

I was inspired by the color inspiration at Paper Girls.

Image colored with ProMarkers
Die cut with Spellbinders die
Bleached CS cut with Spellbinders die
Lace
Stacked bows with gingham on top
Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
As You Like It
Cutie Pie
Dream Valley
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp & Show
   (stacked bows & Spellbinders)
Southern Girls
Word Art Weds.

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

A Dragon's Gift

     Today I'm sharing my card for another of the progressive challenges in which I play regularly, this one at Dragon's Lair.  I'm using it for one more masculine birthday card since I use quite a few of those throughout the summer months.  Males were popular in my family from May through September.  :-D

     I wasn't sure what color combo I was going to use when I started coloring this image but I love what happened to it during the process.  Can you believe I started with pale green dragons?  They just didn't work once I decided on the purple wings.  So, I grabbed both khaki and tan ProMarkers to cover the green, blending the colors with the blender as I went along. 

     I cut the image and the frame with dies from QuicKutz.  The image was printed on a piece of scrap CS, and the frame piece was also in the scrap basket.  There was just enough of it to cut the frame.  The three purple dp strips all came from cutting a scrap and I inked the edges of them once they were cut.

     I thought three sets of three, tiny pearls would be a simple embellishment and they dressed up the card without making it feminine instead of masculine.  I printed the sentiment, hand-cut it, and again, inked the edges.  Still a simple design and flat enough to mail easily.

     Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments
Cute N Crafty
Digi Choosday
Dragonfly Dreams
Everybody Art
Pile It On
Pixie's Snippets
TTCRD
Unicorn

     I'm already thinking about some more vacation time next month and trying to make sure all my various DT projects are done and pre-scheduled.  I'll have to figure out how to get all the progressive challenges done.  Fortunately, I'll be home the early part of the month and the last part so I'm sure I can make it work out.  :-D   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie