King of the World?

      It's time to start our next challenge over at FarmQuest General Store where the theme is always "Anything Farm/Country Goes."  We are sponsored again by QKR Stampede and the prize for the winner is 3 images, the ones used by the DT on their inspiration cards.  This challenge runs from February 7 through March 5, and our next challenge begins of the 7th of March.

     I made a birthday card with the "Pig Stack" image.  What's more 'farm' than a pen filled with pigs?  :-D  I colored the image with my Sanjoki alcohol markers, then cut it with one of my oldest rectangular dies from an old Spellbinders set.  I cut a bit of DCWV paper for the background, which reminded me of a calico print design, also giving more of a country feel to the card.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a die from Tonic Studios.

     Challenges:

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Let's Craft & Create

Lil Patch of ...

Not2Shabby

Pammie's IP

     Be sure to check out the FarmQuest General Store blog to see the other two QKR Stampede images, then come play with us.  We love seeing what you create and you could be a winner of some really cute and delightful images!  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy as a ...

      Yep, if you read the post title, right now in your head you're finishing that sentence with "pig in mud!"  lol  At FarmQuest this next two weeks, we have a theme of "Pigs," plus we've partnered with Double Trouble and that means also using something with a wood grain on our cards.  

If you enter our challenge and you use a wood grain, you can enter at Double Trouble, too.

     I used a clip art image of two pigs happily sharing a mud puddle, colored it with watercolor paints, and cut it with a Sizzix scalloped die.  I printed the sentiment and deliberately cut it on an angle using an Avery Elle die.  The wood grain dp is from a Brutus Monroe paper stack.

I pulled colors from the challenge at My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

Butterfly

CRAFTalnica

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Happy ... Stampers

Pammie's IP

Paper Funday

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

     Come play along this challenge.  All you need is something 'farm country' and as long as your pigs aren't dressed in tuxedos or spats, I'm pretty sure any pig will be 'farm country' enough.  Use something wood grain and you can play at Double Trouble, too.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Pig Out on Your Birthday !

      Today's card is my DT project for FarmQuest and our theme this fortnight is "Troughs, Crates, or Buckets."  They can be metal or wood as long as they are one of those things and reflect the "farm country" requirement for all of our challenges.

     I used a fun image from Angie's Digital Stamps and it's one I've had for a long, looong time.  I don't even know if Angie's shop is still open.  The barnyard pig just looks so happy munching his way through the full trough and I thought he'd make a great birthday card.  :-D  The image was colored with water color paints, then cut with a Sizzix scalloped circle die.  The frame was cut with another die from that same set, a size larger.

     I printed the sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die, then I used a ProMarker to ink the edges of it.  The flowers with gem centers are from Petaloo and I thought they gave a nice finishing touch to the card.

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Creative Knockouts

Digi Choosday

Di's Digi Designs

Outlawz Thurs (middle row)

Pammie's IP

Pattie's Creations

Penny's P-C

Word Art Weds

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge.  Dig out those tub, trough, or bucket images, add a few things to emphasize the 'farm' or 'country' quality, and come enter our challenge.  It runs until March 13 so you have plenty of time.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Grateful Piggie

      We're starting a new challenge at Angie's Digital Stamps this morning and the theme is "Anything Goes" (no twist this month.)  This is our last challenge of the year because the DT takes a 2 month break over the holidays.

     I thought this sweet little piggie (Pig Eating from Trough) would be perfect for a Thanksgiving card.  Doesn't he look completely grateful for his holiday corn?  :-D

     I colored him with my ProMarkers and cut the image with a Cottage Cuts stitched die.  I found scraps bits of dp, including the strip of leaves, in my basket, and I think they are all from a DCWV stack.  Although it's difficult t see in the photo, the small leaves along that strip are sparkly and embossed.  I printed my own sentiment and cut it with an Avery Elle die.  The large leaf is cut from silk and the polka dot bow is hand tied.

I pulled these colors from the photo at

Color My Heart Color Dare #463:

pink, yellow, orange, red, beige, brown + pale blue from shadows on the tree trunks

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Colour Crazy

Crafter's Castle

Crafty Catz

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Pattie's Creations

Simon Says Stamp

TTCRD

     Come play with us since this is our last challenge this year.  We love seeing what you create and also being inspired by your creations.  Since we won't see you in November or December, may I wish you the happiest of holidays now?  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Going Hog Wild

      There's no better time to go Hog Wild than on Valentine's Day, right?   This cutie of a hog is a Bugaboo Stamps image and I think he's adorable with his little gift of a spring flower for his special girl.  :-D  I kept the design fairly CAS although the background is dp instead of plain white but it has limited embellies and the focal point is clearly the image.

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w CUTplorations stitched die

Papers are old ones from SU

Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon

Heart 'buttons' from CTMH

    (puff stickers which I made into 

     buttons but adding 'holes' w gel pen)

     All last month I used only supplies from my stash and I've decided to continue that through this month as well.  I can't believe how much money I've saved by not buying new things I just "had to have!"  I really think I just didn't realize the depth and breadth of my stash.  I've found things I've had for 8 or 10 YEARS which go unused and, even worse, forgotten!  It's been fun (and a bit like Christmas morning all over again) discovering those things which have been hidden in drawers and on shelves and using them up.  

     I swear I must have 10,000 yards of ribbon!  And papers?  Oh, my!  When I jokingly say I have a "ton of papers," I may actually have that much.  Sheesh, talk about hoarding...

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Allsorts

Catch the Bug (1 ribbon/ 2 buttons/ 3 layers)

Country View

Crafty Sentiments

Gem of a Challenge

Lemon Shortbread

Outlawz PAM

Passion for ProMarkers

TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Curly Piglets Birthday Party

     If you were a cute, pink piglet and it was your first birthday, wouldn't you be just a little bit "piggish" about smearing frosting and cake all over your fingers, face, and anything else within reach?  Yep, I thought so.  I think this is a perfect 1st Birthday card for either boy or girl.  I love mixing blue with pink when I want a card that will work for either gender.

     The images are from the Curly Piglet set by Conie Fong and I merged two of the three images available in that set.

Colored w/ ProMarkers
Cut w/ Unbranded die
Corner punched w/ Fiskars punch
Pink satin ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
White ribbon w/ sparkle from stash
Hand-tied, double loop bow

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
As You Like It
Aud Sentiments
Creative Inspirations
Cute Card Thurs
Digi Choosday
I {heart} ProMarkers
Inspired By
Lemon Shortbread
Outlawz Greetings

     Don't forget we have two challenges every month on the FB page for Conie Fong; one is for Colored Images only and the other is for Finished Projects.  Both require the use of a Conie Fong image but her images are just so sweet and cute, how can you resist them?  Dig out some of your Conie Fongs and come play with us.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Party Hardy

     Day 6, the next to the last day of the week long 10th Birthday celebration at Catch the Bug.  Each day there's a new challenge with a different theme and today we have Colors.  The overall theme is "Down on the Farm" and Bugaboo Stamps has a whole bunch of fun, new, farm animal stamps.  This cute little Party Pig was a freebie (only on Tuesday) but it's still available in the store.  Tomorrow (Friday) there will be another freebie so be sure to check the blog then.

  

Here's the colors.

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with QuicKutz dies
2 shades of green CS, embossed with 'Linen' folder for texture
Green, polka dot, grosgrain ribbon
(Back story - I bought that ribbon because it reminded me of a green, polka dot, Easter hat which I had as a child.  I loved that hat, mostly because it was the first hat I ever had, and I kept it in my closet for at least 5 years, refusing to give it up even when it clearly didn't fit any more. The memory makes me smile.)
Bow made from satin, polka dot, ribbon, 'dyed' with ProMarker
Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:
As You Like It
C.R.A.F.T.
Creative Fingers
Cute Card Thurs
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Paperbabe Stamps
Scrapper's Delights
Take It, Make It
Time Out

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy Summer Pig

     In the hot, hot, HOT! temperatures of summer this year, one happy pig is cooling his heels in the closest mud puddle.  This image is called "Happy as a Pig 24202" and it's from QKR Stampede.  Our newest weekly challenge started today and our theme is always Anything Goes.  Hope we're going to see you playing along with us.

Colored with ProMarkers
Memory Box dies
Couture Creations embossing folder
Crafty Ribbons stitched ribbon
Eureka Stamps sentiment "Being Cool"
Metal brads

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Cute Card Thurs
Di's Digi Designs
Happy Craft
Outlawz Twisted Thurs
Polkadoodles
Take It, Make It

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie       

Flying Pigs and Salute to Lewis Carroll

     " 'The time has come,' the Walrus said,

      To talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —

      Of cabbages — and kings —

   And why the sea is boiling hot —

    And whether pigs have wings."

       Of course, that's the famous passage from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and my DT card today for the newest challenge at SheepSki Designs salutes the author with this darling image called "Pigs Can Fly."  

       From the time I was a young child and first read (or had read to me) the 'Alice' book (as I called it), I was fascinated by the idea of pigs having wings.  As a teen, hearing the old adage about something happening "when pigs fly," I was just as intrigued.  So, when Andrea first drew this image, I knew I had to use it.  Since the optional twist on this month's usual "Anything Goes" challenge is "For Kids," it seemed the perfect time.

       I colored with ProMarkers and added gold and white gel ink on the wings.  I die cut the image with a die from Die-namics.  The scalloped frame is cut with a Memory Box die which is also stitched.

       I found a scrap of dp in my basket of leftovers which had stitching and it seemed perfect.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, inked the edges and added it.  Finally, I tied a "bowtie" bow and added it below the sentiment.  Voila', finished!  And it makes me happy - like being a child again and dreaming of magical things like pigs with wings.  :-D

       Challenges:

Aud Sentiments (top row)

CARDZ TV

Creative Fingers

Cute Card Thurs

Lemon Shortbread

Outlawz Color

Outlawz Festive Friday

Passion for ProMarkers

Time Out

TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie