Butterfly Kind of Day

      Is anyone else out there looking forward to spring?  Yesterday,  the groundhog said another 6 weeks of Winter but I'm thinking of spring and butterflies and buds on the trees.  This challenge inspiration photo from Inspiration Station pretty much says it all.  :-D

     A new challenge starts today and, as always, we give you a photo for inspiration.  You can do nearly anything but we do want to know how you were inspired.  Was it the butterfly?  The colors?  The season?  A memory?  Tell us and add your project to the link up for the entries.

     Here's my card ad I've already told you that the butterfly was my inspiration.  The image is a clip art photo, edited so that the background stayed pre-colored but the butterfly was gray scale, and I colored it with ProMarkers and gel pens.  I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, and added a frame made with pumpkin CS and trimmed to fit.  I layered that onto two pieces of kraft CS, added to diagonal corners top and bottom.  

     The plaid background dp came from a Recollections stack which has been in my stash almost forever!  I ran across the stack last month, hidden away in a craft room cabinet, and decided it was time to start using the papers before they got brittle and crumbled to bits.  :-D

     Challenges:

Lil Patch of ...

Love ...Pretty Papers

Neglected Stuff

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Simon Says Stamp

Triple B

     Come play in our challenge, won't you?  We love being inspired by what you create and enter.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Paths, Trails, or Walkways

      Oh, my gosh!  The year is nearly over and today we start our last challenge of 2024 over at FarmQuest.  As usual, we have a theme - a specific one in addition to the "Farm or Country" which is part of every challenge we have - and today that theme is "Paths, Trails, or Walkways."  I suppose I could have searched for a winter pathway but they all seemed to be buried under snow.  :-D  also,  you should know that, starting with this challenge, we are going to a monthly challenge instead of the 7th and the 28th.  So, this challenge will run through January 27, 2025!

     This image is clip art, printed in grayscale, then colored with water colors and pencil.  I cut the image piece with a QuicKutz die, and inked the edges.  The background dp came from my scrap basket.  I used jute cord to wrap the card front and tie a bow.  

     Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T.

Creative Fingers

Girlz Creative

     That's all I have for today.  I'm off for the final Christmas family dinner which we delayed until my granddaughter could get home from college in Texas.  I hope all of your holiday celebrations went well and that you're resting from all the hustle and bustle.  

   

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"V" for Vintage Victorian Christmas

      Today I'm sharing my "V" card for the 30 Days of Holidays over at Beccy's Place and it's another of my collaboration cards with my SIL.  She colored this clip art image and used watercolor pencils after I had printed it in gray scale.  She loves the coloring part but I haven't yet gotten her into the card making side, so she colors and I create the cards.

     For this card, my "V"s are: Vintage, Victorian, Verdigris green, Vermillion red on the berries, and white Velvet on one layer of the snowflake.  I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die, then did a white mat, inked with a vermillion marker on the edges.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die and those edges were also inked.  

     The background is a scrap of dp from DCWV (!) and the snowflake was made with Cottage Cuts dies.  I put the two layers together and added a touch of glitter and a rhinestone for sparkle.  The final embellishment was the row of flat-back pearls.  A Victorian card seemed to call for sparkle and gems and a fair amount of embellishment.

     Challenges:

Crafty Catz

Digi Choosday

Gem of a Challenge

Outlawz Friday

Outlawz Thurs (Dickens' Christmas Carol)

Polkadoodles

Rudolph Days

Simon Says Stamp

     That's all for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Nutcracker Mouse

      I've fallen in love with another artist who draws the most adorable critters!   You can check them out on Etsy - Pawfect Art Creations.   So far I have three different sets of the cutest little mice and today's card features a Nutcracker Mouse, complete with his uniform, his sword, and the most elegant hat.  

     All the images come pre-colored but this one I printed in grayscale, then colored it with Sanjoki alcohol markers, and a bit of gold Stickles on his hat emblem.  I cut the image with a die from QuicKutz.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I used glittered CS for the card base and layered the image and the sentiment onto the card front.  Not counting the coloring time, it took me less than 10 minutes to make the card.

     Challenges:

12 Months...Christmas

A Perfect Time ...

Critter Crazy

Die Cut Divas

Kerst Christmas

Mirtillamente

Morgan's ArtWorld

SheepSki Designs

     That's all I have for today but I'll be back later this afternoon or maybe tomorrow with another one for Beccy's Place and the 30 Days of Holidays.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Beauty in the Desert

      There's a new theme for the new challenge at FarmQuest which starts today and the theme is "Things in a Desert or Dry Country."  For my DT card, I used a clip art image, printed in the lightest grayscale, and then colored with water color paints, Sanjoki markers, and white gel for the highlights.

     I used a Tonic Studios die to cut the image and a QuicKutz die to cut the white frame.  The pumpkin colored background is cardstock from Recollections.  The sentiment was stamped with a stamp from Cardz TV.   I was so in love with how the image turned out, I left the card very CAS with no embellishment whatsoever.

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

CAS on Friday

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Di's Digi Designs

Gem of a Challenge

I Love Markers

My Time to Craft

Outlawz Friday (summer)

Simply CAS

    Hope to see you playing along in our challenge these next two weeks.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Things Found in a Field

      The newest FarmQuest challenge has started and our theme is "Things Found in a Field."  I remembered a digital coloring book image I had and searched my computer for it.  It took a while but it was exactly the way I remembered it so it was perfect for this theme.  I think it was a KesterArt coloring book.

     The image comes with lots of gray scale detail so the coloring just enhanced what was already there.  I printed it full size and colored with Sanjoki markers and water color paints.  I photographed the finished page, and reduced the size of it before printing it onto white card stock to use on the card.  I cut the image with a QuicKutz die, then printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.  I used the left over white CS to frame the image, and the background dp is from an old DCWV paper stack.  After everything was laid out on the card front, I added highlights to the birds and one or two flowers with a white gel pen. 

     Challenges:

     Come play with us this fortnight.  Just show us something you might find in a field and enter it into our challenge.  We love seeing what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Count Your Blessings

      Sharing another Thanksgiving card today and this one was really quick and simple.  The image is clip art, printed in gray scale, and colored with markers.  What made it quick is that I had colored this image months ago but it was in a folder of images waiting to be used.

      I cut the image piece with a QuicKutz die, then cut brown CS with another QuicKutz die for the mat behind the image.  I searched the scrap basket and found those two bits of dp which originally came from a DCWV stack.  The tiny leaves on the left hand paper are heat embossed with glittery EP.  The pumpkin is fabric and was cut from a strip of ribbon pumpkins.

     Challenges:

Classic Designs

Creatalicious

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Jan's Digi Stamps

Outlawz Monday

Path of Positivity

Triple B

     I'll have another card to share tomorrow and even one for Thanksgiving Day.  Hope you'll stop by on those days, too.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Turkey Time

     It's time for the next FarmQuest General Store challenge, and our themes are always "Anything Country Goes."  Yes, it has to have a 'country' look or feel but beyond that, it's anything goes.

     Since this is our Thanksgiving month here in the USA, I focused on the most traditional part of a family Thanksgiving feast, the turkey.  This turkey image is a gray-scale sketch but I used Sanjoki markers to change it to sepia-toned.  The sentiment was merged at the bottom of the image before printing.  I cut the image with a die from Tonic Studios and inked the edges with a coffee brown Sanjoki marker.

     The background dp came from a 'Calico' stack by DCWV and the colors and scattering of blossoms seemed perfect for a late fall card.  There's a small swipe of Stickles added to each tiny flower for just a hint of sparkle.  I die cut a bit of creamy burlap paper using a butterfly die from Poppy (Memory Box) and added a tiny seed bead to the center (old, old, OLD Stampin' Up stash which I found after cleaning out and reorganizing a desk drawer!) 

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Dream Valley

Outlawz Monday

Pammie's IP

Poppy Stamps

Simon Says Stamp

Star Stampz

Triple B

     I have a second post going live in just a couple of minutes for the November FQ Country Christmas Challenge so be sure to check out that one, too.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Kitten's First Snow

      I have a dear friend who adores cats and kittens as much as I do and each Christmas I make her a card with kittens.  So, when I saw this adorable clip art image, I 'pounced' on it and made her Christmas card for this year.  Once again, I took a color image and printed it in light gray scale before coloring it myself.  The great thing about printing in gray scale is that you get all the shading and highlights which were in the original but you choose your own color palette.

     I colored with a combo of Sanjoki markers (sky and wall) and polychromos pencils (kittens, birds, and cherries on tree), plus white gel pen for snowflakes.  I cut the image with a square QuicKutz die and framed it with white CS, also cut with a Quickutz die.  The holly paper came from the scrap basket and I think it was from DCWV.  The sentiment is from Beccy's Place and I cut it with an Avery Elle die.

     Because this one has to be mailed, I left it very flat and without fancy embellishment.

     Challenges:

Christmas Kickstart

(In honor of Janis and her Cat Lovers Hop)

Digi Choosday

Happy...Stampers

Let's Craft & Create

Lil Patch of ...

My Favorite Things

Pattie's Creations

Peace on Earth

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie    

Arctic Christmas

      We're back from our summer break over at Crafty Catz and our latest challenge has started.  Our theme for this week is "Getting Ready for Christmas."  You can create anything Christmas related.  

     I chose this fun clip art image, printed it in gray scale, and then used water colors, white pencil, and white gel pen to color the image.  I started with dark blue water color paint, and did the entire night sky, after masking the moon and polar bears.  I used a light gray on the ground, adding highlights to the gray scale.  I used a darker gray water color to emphasize the leaf branches at the very bottom.  I let that dry completely, overnight, and under a heavy book.

     I found my polychromos pencils and added highlights to the polar bears, the trees, and the moon.  I added yellow and aqua pencil rings around the moon, getting lighter and less distinct the further away from the moon. I blended those rings with gamsol.  Finally, I grabbed a white gel pen and added bright highlights to the treetops, plus a few strokes on the bears, and to create the snowflakes/stars.  I added a bit of sparkle gel pen to the tree tops and snow but it doesn't show very well in the photo.

     The sentiment was printed using my Word program, setting the text in yellow and the background in deep blue.  Once printed, I cut it with a die from Avery Elle.  I wanted a completely CAS card so I added no embellishment of any kind.  I understand that if you are a purist who demands lots of 'white' space for CAS, you'll be disappointed in this card.  But I wanted the scene to be the main feature and that meant lots of night sky instead of lots of white space.  :-D

     Challenges:

12 Months Christmas

Christmas Bingo (CAS/free/Hand color)

Classic Design

Creative Fingers

Creative Inspirations

Happy...Stampers

Kerst /Christmas

Mirtillamente

Outlawz Friday

Paper Shelter

     Come play with us.  It's already a week into September and you need to get a start on your Christmas cards.  Remember last year when you swore to yourself not to wait until the last minute to get started?  Unh huh, I thought so.  Use our challenge as an inspiration and then enter your cards in our challenge.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Apples for the Teacher

      Time for our next challenge at FarmQuest Country Store, where we always have an "Anything Country Goes."  Since it's almost fall (my favorite season - especially for card making because there are so many possibilities.  Winter pretty much gets focused totally on Christmas, which is OK, but I prefer all the options of autumn), and since school is back in session for most of our kids, I decided I wanted to do a card that focused on apples for a teacher and apple picking season.  I found this beautiful clip art image and printed it in very light gray scale.

     I grabbed my water color paints and colored just the basket and the apples, leaving the background as gray scale.  I used gel pens and gold metallic marker on the butterflies.  I cut both the image and the sentiment with dies from QuicKutz.  I inked the edges of them with the gold marker and IRL, it shines beautifully.  The wood grain background came from a Brutus Monroe CS stack given to me by a sweet friend (thank you, Vicki!)  The red print along the left edge is fabric ribbon from my stash.

     Doesn't this have a great country feel?

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Creative Inspiration

Happy...Stampers

Let's Craft and ...

Paper Funday

Penny's P-C

Triple B (butterflies, blossoms)

Word Art Weds

     We'd love to see you playing in our challenges and we also have an open DT call going.  We are considering some simple changes at both the FQ General Store challenge and at the original FarmQuest challenge which will make either playing or designing with the DT even more rewarding.  Come visit us this fortnight and enter a card or other "country" project.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Ballroom Kind of Evening

      It's funny how unexpected events influence what we do with our cards and crafting.  I recently found myself at a live Ballroom Dance Competition weekend.   In my childhood, I remember watching Ballroom competitions on television back when nobody had even thought of color TVs and we thought it was the most incredibly beautiful thing without any sense that it could also be colorful.  All the ladies were so elegant and the gentlemen so suave.  I fell in love with each of the couples as they danced and with ballroom dancing as a whole.

     After seeing the live event a week or so ago, I went on a search for dance images.  Most were black and white or gray scale but some were in color which I knew I could print in grayscale.  After some experimentation, I printed half a dozen images onto water color paper and dug out the water color paints.  But more about those in later posts except to say now that my love affair with watercolor has begun again.  

     This is the first card I completed.  The image is printed in gray scale onto a scrap of ivory/beige CS, then colored lightly with ProMarkers and gel ink highlights.  I cut it with a QuicKutz rectangle die and framed it with another rectangle cut with a die one size larger.  The background is a scrap of Recollections dp.  The large grosgrain bow is mounted onto a CS strip and added to the upper corner.  I'll add a sentiment when I decide how this one will be used.

I was inspired by this simple sketch at My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Colour Crazy

Colouring in Scrapland

Digi Choosday

Double D

Lemon Shortbread

Penny's Paper-Crafty

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     Tomorrow starts a new month and I'll be posting 3 new DT cards in about a four hour span so be sure to stop by at some point during the day to check them out.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

For the First Time, Almost-a-Father, Grandson

      This card is for my #2 grandson who is about to become a father for the first time.  :-D  He has one of those wacky senses of humor and he'll love this card.

     I added the sentiment and adjusted the image into a grayscale before I printed it, then used ProMarkers to create the sepia-tone look.  The image was cut with a QuicKutz die and mounted on a black card base.  I left it completely embellishment free for a more masculine look.  I do love doing CAS cards because they have no bulk and therefore, are easy to mail.  Most of the men in my family live out of state from me so I mail a lot of cards every year.  :-D

     Challenges:

Allsorts

As You Like It

C.R.A.F.T.

Dare 2B Artsy

Dragonfly Dreams

House Stamps Built

Mod Squad

Outlawz Twisted Thurs

Scrapping4Fun

Simon Says Stamp

     Wishing you the best start to a new week and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Water Flowers, Not Weeds

     I'm posting a reminder for those of you who haven't yet played in our Anything Goes challenge over at Jan's Digi Stamps.  Our challenge will run until the evening of Sunday, May 3, and you may use any products from any company.  However, if you choose to use an image from Jan's, your entry will be put into a separate draw just for those using Jan's and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount.

      For this card, I used an image from "Friendship Flowers 702J."  I printed the colored version but in gray scale instead of color, then used a highlighting technique wherein I colored only a small part of the image, making that part seem 'highlighted.' 

     The sentiment is from that same set and seemed very appropriate for our current days when it's so easy to focus on all the deprivations instead of finding a few blessings.  :-D

I used colors from Color My Heart #38, starting with

the diagonal colors from top right down to bottom left,

and then added all the other colors on the board

 before it was all finished, except for the Candy Apple.  :-D

Colored with ProMarkers
Image cut with stitched, Tutti Designs die
Sentiment cut with Sizzix die, edges inked with chalks
Papers from DCWV
Signature, hand-sewn bow w/ gem

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Creative Inspirations
Digi Choosday
Double D
Ike's World
Lemon Shortbread
Paper Funday
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD

     Come play with us, won't you?  We love being inspired by you!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tea 4 Two

     My card today is a salute to love and friendship expressed with the warmth of a cozy tea time.  For you golfers, that's TEA time, not tee time!  I used a delightful image from Conie Fong and decided to put the emphasis on the hearts by doing everything in gray scale except for the red hearts.  I love the overall effect of it.

I based the card design on this sketch from

Sweet Sketch Weds.

Colored with ProMarkers and #2 pencil
Image cut with Spellbinders die adjusted to fit
Quilt die from Gina Marie
Papers in 'quilt' are DCWV; embossed and sparkly
Hand sewn ribbon for bow
Sentiment done w/ red heat embossing

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time ...
Country View Crafts
Creatalicious
Dies R Us
House that Stamps Built  (middle row)
I {heart} ProMarkers
Paper Funday
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp

    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

An Iris Birthday

     The current challenge for Ching-Chou Kuik on their FB site has a theme of "Black and White plus 1 color."  Of course, I had to use my favorite color, purple!

     I colored all the gray scale with ProMarkers and then added the bits of purple to the image.  I fussy cut the image and inked the edges with ProMarkers.  I added white highlights with a gel pen.

     I decided on a card base made from 'confetti' CS, then found the doily and colored it purple.  I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, and inked the edges.  I layered everything onto the card front and left it very CAS - no embellishments, just lots of open space.

     Challenges:
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Sentiments
Creative Inspirations
Everybody Art
I {heart} ProMarkers
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz Color
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown  (middle row)

     Here in the US, we're celebrating Memorial Day on Monday and many are already gone for a long weekend.  Personally, I'm saving all my travel time up for summer which is officially just around the corner.  But that means I'll have lots of quiet, relaxing time to craft my little heart away for the next 3 days.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie