Who, Me?

      I have to start today's post with an abject apology to all my followers and to one or more artists who still remain unknown to me.  I got myself into trouble by relying on a friend of mine who sent me dozens and dozens of stamped or printed images over a period of a few months nearly 2 years ago.  

     I had suffered a flash drive crash and lost all my digital images which had been collected over a period of more than 10 years.  Needless to say, I was devastated.  My friend, who was concerned that I might stop card making altogether, undertook to stamp (or print, in the case of digital) images and actually mail them to me in batches over a period of a few weeks.  Many of the digital images were printed in grayscale and that was my introduction to that particular style of image.  I learned to love grayscale because of the wonderful shading and highlights they provide when they are colored.

     I really appreciated her efforts and undertook to use many of those over the last 20+ months.  This week, I learned that at least some of the digital images she sent me were copyright protected and I therefore had no right to use them.  Unfortunately, when she mailed them to me, she gave me no information regarding what company or artist created or owned them.  I HAVE NOW REMOVED THE POSTS FROM MY BLOG which were referenced when I was notified of the copyright violation and I don't intend to use any more of the unused digital images she had sent me.

     All of that in order to say that I have no idea if the image I used for this card was one she sent me or not.  It was lying on my craft desk (as opposed to being in the file of things she sent me), colored up and waiting to be used, before I was notified about the copyright issue.  I turned it into this card and then realized that it might well be something she had sent me.  I have no information regarding the artist or company but that's true of a lot of images I had gotten at a crafting group where we each stamped an image and then shared them when the group met to make cards or scrapbook pages together.  However, I think this one was a rubber stamped image.

     So, if anyone can identify the artist, please let me know and I will immediately give them credit for the image.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image and add the colored border around the edges.  I cut it with a QuicKutz die.  The plaid paper came from a Lawn Fawn stack.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The ribbon and the fabric flowers came from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Hazelnut's

Di's Digi Designs

I Love ProMarkers

Incy Wincy

Lil Patch of ...

Pammie's Inky Pinkies

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Polkadoodles

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

It's Called "Ballet"

     This darling image from Hetty Clare is the free image given to us for the Progressive challenge at The Outlawz this month.  As soon as I saw the expression on this little ballerina's face, I knew what I had to use as the sentiment and here's the back story on that.   

     When my eldest granddaughter was still pre-school age, she fell in love with dancing and her mom enrolled her in ballet classes.  Because, at that time, we lived in different states (east Texas and northern California - not like you can drive over for a weekend!), my daughter took videos of her first performance so that I could see her perform.  When I visited at Christmas that year, we popped the video tape (yes, this was before everyone used their cell phones to photograph everything) into the machine and were watching it when my granddaughter came into the room, saw what we were watching, and said to me (in a tone of voice filled with the assurance of absolute knowledge), "It's called ballet."  :-D

     I colored with ProMarkers, used a die from Spellbinders to cut it, matted it with pink CS, and fussy cut the mat to match the die cut.  The corner cut was also done with a Spellbinders die, but both the card front and pink CS were cut so that the die cut is inlaid into the card front.  I put a piece of white CS on the inside of the card front, then added glitter to the negative spaces of the corner cut.

     The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon, as are the fabric flowers.

I based my card design on the sketch at Tues Morning Sketches

but I reversed it and used the corner die cut instead of the 2 strips.

     Challenges:

Creations in Pink

Cute Card Thurs

I love ProMarkers

Lemon Shortbread

Lil Patch of ...

Star Stampz

Taylormadecards ...

     What wonderful memories swirled in my head as I was making and posting this card.  Hard to believe it was nearly 20 years ago!  It seems like yesterday.  :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Spring Bunny

      It's time for the second challenge this month at QKR Stampede and I'm still celebrating springtime!   It's been 7 weeks since I was hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia (and sick 10 days before the hospital) and I'm slowly improving (excruciatingly slow, I might add.)  Still on oxygen and I take lots of rest breaks (and a couple of naps) each day but I'm doing my own cooking and can even wash my dishes by myself.  I can even shower without assistance!  lol

     I'm not up to jaunts outside yet but when I look out my windows, I see signs of spring everywhere!   Daffodils are blooming in the garden and it's past time for the vegetables to have been planted but I may have to just skip that this year.  But my card, featuring "Bunny with Flowers" from our sister company, Eureka Stamps, is perfect for a delightful spring card!

My color combo was inspired by the photo at Time Out.

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w Spellbinders die

Card front embossed w "Linen" EF

Sheer ribbon (RRR)

Fabric flowers

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Gals Corner

Creative Fingers

Cute Card Thurs

House that Stamps Built

I {heart} ProMarkers

Polkadoodles

Uniko

Word Art Weds

     Come play with us; the challenge runs until the last day in April and our theme is always "Anything Goes."  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie