Letter "G" at 30 Days of Holidays

      My next card in the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place is for the letter "G" and I have a Thanksgiving card to share.  The image is pre-colored clip art, printed in gray scale, and colored in my own chosen colors using pencils and alcohol markers.  I added Glossy Accents to the hot chocolate cup for a bit of shine.  Fortunately, it photographed really well.  I also added glitter to the steam coming off the cocoa.

     Once colored, I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then matted it with a scrap of dp, also cut with a die (QuicKutz, I think.  I forgot to write it down.)  I decided to make a gate fold card and went searching through the scrap basket for papers to put on both sides of the gate.  On the left side (mostly covered by the image piece) I put Glossy Accents on the flowers.  For the right hand side, I used small rectangles of CS and put them onto the flap one above the other.

     I put glitter EP on each of those small rectangle snippets and heat embossed them.  I love the sparkle.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then placed at the top of the image piece. 

     Challenges:

     That's all I have for today.   So far, I'm doing pretty well at playing every day at Beccy's Place and I hope to be able to keep going for the entire month.  We'll see.  In the meantime, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Believe

      I think this may be my favorite Christmas card this year.  Image is from Beccy's Place and it's a pre-colored image which made this card very quick and easy.  I made it for my spot this fortnight as a GDT at The Outlawz Tuesday color challenge and Beccy's Place is our sponsor.  The theme is a very easy "Anything Goes" as long as it's inspired by their chosen photo.  Obviously, my inspiration was the little bear.  :-D

     I decided on a gate-fold card and scored each short end of the card base, then folded those inward on the score lines.  I used Memory Box dies to cut the tiny angels from gold, glitter paper, and a Die-Versions Nativity die for the heavenly star, which I cut off the Nativity.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  The little bear was carefully hand cut with scissors.  I used up a few scraps of gold paper making this card.

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Creative Creases

Creative Inspirations

Ike's World

Lemon Shortbread

Outlawz Festive Fri

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Scor-Pal

WordArt Weds

     Happy Crafting and don't overdo!  NanaConnie

A Little (Halloween) Magic

      This is my second card for the August monthly challenge at Beccy's Place, where the theme is always Anything Goes but where there is also an optional theme which you can use if you desire.  This month, Beccy gave us a Coin Flip chart.  For each line across (1 - 5), you flip a coin and then you use the item listed under either Heads or Tails depending on how the coin landed.

I ended up with: Stitching/Gate fold/Digi image/Ribbon/& Other occasion.

     I chose a sentiment and a digital image from two different Beccy's sets.  The cat is "Hemlock" from 'The Witching Hour' and I can't remember the name of the set for the sentiment.  I looked for it and didn't find it but it may have been retired.  

 

     Hemlock's eyes were colored with a ProMarker, and he was cut with a QuicKutz die.  The sentiment was also cut with a QuicKutz die from a different set.  Both were framed with CS cut with dies one size larger.  My stitching is on the ribbon I used and I added a small, fabric pumpkin.  I folded my card into a modified gate fold with overlapping flaps.  

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Carlin's Paradise

Crafter's Cafe

Creative Craft Cottage

Creative Moments

Morgan's Art World

Scor-Pal

Two Old Bats

     Have yourself a wonderful day and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Crafty Chefs for February

      Last week I shared with you my card for the January Recipe at Crafty Chefs and now it's my turn to create the recipe for February.  I know it's not February yet but consider this a gift in case you want to join us at Crafty Chefs.  It's open to any who care to join (free) and there's never a deadline for completing any project.  You're free to use and share any of the monthly recipes whenever you like.  We are just a group of crafters who are trying to get out of our own personal comfort zones now and again and try some things we may not have done before by following someone else's recipe.  Also fun is finding a recipe which exactly fits your own style or the things in your craft stash and whipping up something to share with the rest of us for inspiration.

     Since I just did a recipe in December, some of the other gals who play over there gave me some help on the recipe for February.  Appreciation to Margaret for suggesting "Stamp - rubber or digi," "Pink & Purple," plus "pattern dp."  Karen, our Master Chef from January, gave me "Fun Fold" (the previous chef always gives the next chef one MUST DO item.)  So, here's the February recipe:

MUST DO: Image + Purple/Pink combo + Pattern paper + Fun Fold

CAN DO: Embossing Folder OR Doily OR Flowers

Offset Gate Fold card

Image from A Day from Daisies

Colored w ProMarkers & gel pens

Cut w Quickutz die

Doily sprayed w inks

Pink dp from scrap basket

Sentiment unknown rubber stamp

    (cut w Avery Elle die)

     Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Creations in Pink

Double D

I {heart} ProMarkers

Outlawz Twisted Thurs

Paper Funday

Polkadoodles

Scrapping4Fun

Uniko

Word Art Weds

     I'm still following the "challenge-yourself" idea being promoted by my blogging buddy, V.  It's called "Just Stash January" and it involves using nothing but things already in your stash throughout the entire month of January!  There are a few reasonable exceptions (all of which mean that no money has come out of your pocket) and you can read about those on her post.  Just click on the link above to find out all about it, then start counting those coins and bills you'll be 'stashing' in your pocket this month instead of crying about even more charges on the credit cards after the holiday season. 

     Come visit us at Crafty Chefs.  Join us if you'd like.  You can even sign up be a Master Chef and pick a month this year to create the recipe for all of us to follow.  Check out all the recipes in the respective monthly albums and try a few. It's fun!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Birthday Wishes

     This card was made using a wonderful freebie image from Beccy's Place.  The monthly challenges over there are almost like having a progressive challenge because Beccy always gives a freebie but even better, you can use the freebie or any other Beccy's image you have.

     In addition, Beccy gives an OPTIONAL twist and this month the option is to CASE yourself.  You can see the card I CASEd by going to my post from May 20.  Not only is it also a birthday card, but it has the same short-side, gate fold card.  I also added a die cut panel to the opposite flap.

ProMarkers
Lawn Fawn dies on image
Die-Versions die on panel
Signature bow

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Aud Sentiments
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Catz
Creative Inspirations
Lemon Shortbread
Paper Shelter
Scrappy Land
Word Art Weds.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Gingerbread Christmas

     Ok, it's now Day 8 at the 30 Days of Christmas cards at Beccy's Place and the challenge prompt is the letter "G" so what could be more inline for the holidays than Gingerbread?  These darling Gingerbread people are images from Beccy's Place.

I incorporated the colors from the challenge

at My Favorite Things.

 
     The two images were merged before printing and then colored with ProMarkers.  I cut the image and the Green mat with dies from Tonic Studios.  I had already decided on a Gatefold card, since that added one  more G to my list.

     A Gatefold card is simple to make.  I started with a piece of CS 5.5 inches wide by 11 inches long.  I left 5.5 inches in the middle and scored a line on each side of that to make the flaps which fold in and are the Gate.  That made my card a 5.5 inch square but you can make it any size by adjusting the size of your beginning piece.  I've made them the size of an A1 card all the way up to an A7.

     The background dp came from a Bo Bunny stack and I trimmed them to fit the flap size.  I added the image piece by adhering it to the left side only.   I found a holiday rosette in my stash of holiday embellishments and added it to the lower, right hand flap.

     The gingerbread people are also a salute to one of my favorite childhood memories.  Every Christmas there would be a present under the tree from my Grammy (for whom this blog is named!) and it always contained some kind of gingerbread - a tiny house, a gingerbread man, gingerbread cut into candy canes or stars.  I looked forward to opening that present above all others every year.  :-D  It was a sad day when Grammy could no longer bake due to her declining health.  I still miss her although she's been gone nearly 50 years now and the smell of gingerbread always makes me think of her.

     Challenges:
ABC Christmas
Cardz TV
Christmas Crafts AYR
C.R.A.F.T.
Paper Shelter
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Quick Quotes
Scrappy Land
Time Out

     That's all for today but tomorrow will be another double posting day with two of my DT cards.  One will be for Color Crazy and the other for QKR Stampede.  You'll have to wait until Saturday for my next Beccy's Place card but maybe I'll have 2 to share by then.   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Hedgies with Poppies

     I think hedgies are my favorite critters (don't tell the cats!) especially for making cards.  Poppies are one of my favorite flowers so this darling image from Di's Digi Designs was a delight to color.  When I checked their current challenge theme, they want to see Fancy Folds so I took a standard gate fold card and turned it sideways so that the 'gate' opens top and bottom.  Sounds weird, I know, but let me show you the pic and you'll immediately see what I mean.

     I used water colors on the image and cut it and the frame with scalloped circle dies from Sizzix.

     I used kraft CS to make the card base and scored an 8.5 inch x 5.5 inch piece at the 1.5 inch line and the 2.5 inch line, leaving the middle section 5.5 x 4.25 (standard A2 size.)  The dp (Recollections) was a scrap and it worked perfectly with the color combo - beige background to complement the kraft and red flowers to pair up with the image and frame.

     I folded on the score lines and adhered the image to the top flap.  I tied a bowtie bow, dyed it red with a ProMarker, and added it to the bottom of the image.  Finally, I printed the sentiment, hand cut it and matted it with a scrap of red CS, then hand cut it again, attaching it at the top of the card.

     My next door neighbor loves poppies - any color, any size, and any variety so I'm giving this one to her for her birthday next month.  That should 'brighten her day' and make it an occasion.  :-D

     Challenges:
Crafty Friends
Everybody Art
Hiding in My Craft Room
House that Stamps Built
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Scrappy Land
Send a Smile 4 Kids

     That's all I have for this first day of the work week.  Have a great week and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie