The Bicycle

      It's another Friday and another challenge starts over at Crafty Catz.  Our sponsor this week is Dr. Digi's and they kindly supplied images for the DT to use.  I chose to use "Brian's Brilliant Bicycle" and it was a delight to color.  They offer a prize to the winner of any 2 digis from their store and they have some of the fun and funniest digis around!  Be sure to check out our challenge to see what the rest of the DT used.

     Our theme this week is Anything Goes with an OPTIONAL twist of "Masculine" so I took the opportunity to make my first Father's Day card for this year.

     I used my new Sanjoki markers to color Brian and his bicycle and then decided to do a fancy fold card based on this one I found over at Beccy's Place.  It's an Overlapping Flap Fold, sometimes called a Double Flap fold.  I used a Spellbinders die to cut the image and then framed it with aqua CS, a scrap from the basket.  I put that onto a navy blue flap which had been dry embossed with my Linen EF (also a scrap.)

     Inside that flap was the second flap made with red CS scraps and also embossed with my Linen EF.  I added the first sentiment to that flap.  That sentiment was cut with a Tonic Studios die.

     Lift that flap and it shows the inside, to which I added the final sentiment, this time cut with a QuicKutz die.  I used a large scrap of red polka dot paper (Stampin' Up) that I found in my scrap basket.

     Challenges:

Can You Handle ...?

Country View ...

Creative Creases

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Pammie's IP

Paper Dragonfly

Pattie's Creations

Polkadoodles

     I hope we're going to see you playing in our challenge this week.  Even if you dread making masculine cards (which is only an optional theme), just keep in mind that Father's Day is closer than you think!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gracie & Nibbles

     I'm so tickled to announce that after having served last month as a Guest Designer for Digi Doodle Studios, I've been invited to be part of the DT!  I'm thrilled and have fallen in love with all of Dina's sweet images.  I can hardly wait to share with you what I've done with them as time moves along.  :-D

     Here's my first card as a DT for the challenge which begins today, with a theme of "It's a Love Thing."  I used a darling image called "Gracie & Nibbles" which is perfect for another Valentine card to add to my stash.

This is a fancy fold card and here's how it looks with the top flap open:

     The card base is a triangle, cut on the diagonal across a full sheet of CS, 11 x 8.5 inches.  The points are scored to make an A2 size card, 5.5 x 4.25 inches, when folded.  I used my Scor-Pal to get perfectly straight score lines.  I added the rectangle of white CS to the inside which can be used for writing the message.

Colored with ProMarkers

Image is fussy cut with scissors

Circle cut with QuicKutz die

Pink satin bow is hand tied and stitched

Colors from the inspiration at Color My Heart.

     Challenges:

Crafty Sentiments

Cute Card Thurs

Cuttlebug Mania

Passion for ProMarkers

Scrappy Land

Simon Says Stamp & Show

SUYP Cats

Time Out

Your Next Stamp

     Happy Crafting and come share your creations with us in our "It's a Love Thing" challenge.  NanaConnie

A Magical Dragon Day

     Is it OK if I start this post by saying that I LOVE THIS CARD! ?

     This is one of those that just came together after I made my list of more than a dozen challenges I wanted to enter (not counting A/G challenges.)  The list included themes like fancy folds, vintage, pockets, die cuts, lace, layers, flowers, sentiments, animals... you get the idea.  Most of the time, when my list of challenge themes is that long, the card is finished long before I get all the challenges included and I end up eliminating some of them.  Not this time!  I used them all and I think they really worked.

      The card is made from a piece 12 x 5.5 inches, cut on angles from the top to the outer corners, then folded to make the front flaps cross.  The bottom is sealed to make a pocket and the image piece slips into the pocket.  Here's a close-up of the image piece.

     I wish I knew what I did differently in photographing this time so that my purples stayed purple.  Well, come to think of it, I used red violets and now they look purple and lavender.  :-D  Maybe that's the secret -- use red-violet instead of purple to get purple in the photographs.  When I use purples, they turn blue in the photographs.

     I've used this image at least twice in the two years I've had it but this time I colored the dragons ("Dragon Babies" from AuroraWings) with ProMarkers, adding glitter to their wings before I cut them with one of my new Pinpoint Rectangle dies from Memory Box (Scrapy Land purchase.)  The mat is also cut with another die from that set.  All the papers are from Stampin' Up (old and from my stash) and I think the lace came from one of my local craft stores, but it's been in my stash for so long that I really can't remember.  

     The gem swirl has been in my stash for well over a year and the butterfly was cut with a die from Cheery Lynn.  I had cut that as an extra several months ago and put it into a drawer full of die cut bits and pieces.  It worked perfectly on this card, so I dug it out, colored the body, and added glitter to the wings and body.  The small flowers are punched (Fiskars punch), colored, layered, and added on top of the lace.  The sentiment is printed, hand cut, and edged with a marker.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
A Vintage Journey
ArtbyMiran
AuroraWings
Cheery Lynn
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Clear It Out
Crafting by Designs
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Catz
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Card Crew
Creative Moments
Digi Choosday
I {heart} ProMarkers
Jo's Scrap Shack
Love to Scrap
Lunagirl Moonbeam
Outlawz Twisted Thursday
Paper Nest Dolls
Paper Shelter
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrapy Land
Stamp and Create
Vintage Stamping

     I hope your weekend has started well and that you have lots of crafty plans for the weekend.  The weather predictors say that we're going to "cool down" to the upper 90s (is that some kind of a joke?)  I guess that's better than the 101 and 102 we've had for the last 4 days, but I'd love it even more if the cool down was going to be into the low 80s with a chance of a shower.  :-D  Maybe next month.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie