Dragon's Flower

     Today I'm featuring my favorite color combo - purple and anything!  Why?  Purple is my favorite color and I know it goes well with turquoise, green, pink, yellow, orange, and neutrals such as white and tan.  It's just so versatile.

I was inspired by the color inspiration at Paper Girls.

Image colored with ProMarkers
Die cut with Spellbinders die
Bleached CS cut with Spellbinders die
Lace
Stacked bows with gingham on top
Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
As You Like It
Cutie Pie
Dream Valley
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp & Show
   (stacked bows & Spellbinders)
Southern Girls
Word Art Weds.

     That's all I have for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Fairy

     It's taking me a long time to get each project finished but I think the shoulder is getting better on a very slow schedule.  How spoiled we are, expecting everything in life to be immediate.  :-D  Even spring has taken it's time in many regions but this little Conie Fong fairy is doing her best to banish the winter snows and bring on the spring butterflies.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I added sparkle to her

wings and the crystals have Glossy Accents on them.  Here's a close up photo for a better look. 

     The mesh ribbon is a scrap from my stash and the background piece was embossed with a folder from Couture Creations.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, matting it with a scrap of CS, and added the tiny, hand tied, bow.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Aud Sentiments
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafty Catz
Cute Card Thurs.
Happy Craft
Time Out

     That's it for today.  An early Happy Mother's Day wish for all the moms out there.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

It's Your Bird-day!

     I'm still adding to my birthday card stash and today I'm using a cute birdhouse image from Beccy's Place.

I started by using the colors at Beccy's Place.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with an oval die from QuicKutz.  The fancy frame (cut from aqua CS) was made with a Memory Box die and the image piece is laid on top of it.  The flowery paper (a saved scrap) is from DCWV and is embossed.   I added the sentiment, cut with another QuicKutz die, to the bottom.

     Challenges:
Coloring in Scrapland
Crafty Sentiments
Cute N Crafty
Ike's World
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Greetings
Papercraft
Passion for ProMarkers
Tuesday Throwdown

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tilda's Birthday Roses

    ~HAPPY EASTER~

      Now, on to my post for today.  It's been a while since I used any Magnolia stamps and I admit to missing sweet Tilda so today I've done another card for my birthday stash.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then cut the image with a die from QuicKutz.  I cut a larger frame out of pink CS with another die from the same set.  The pink leaves were cut with a Cheery Lynn die and the white flowers are mulberry paper cut with a die from Spellbinders.

     I added glitter and center gemstones to the top 3 flowers.  Finally, I printed the sentiment, hand cut it, inked the edges, and added it to the top corner.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Addicts
Cute Card Thurs
Digi Choosday
Magnolia-licious
Paperminutes
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp
TTCRD

     Enjoy your Easter celebrations, whatever they may be.  I'm spending the day with family.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tulips Mean Spring

     Hey, did you know the Mo's Digital Pencil challenge was back?  It's an "Anything Goes" theme with an optional twist of "Spring."  This darling image (called Boo and Tulips) is an older one but you can still find it in the shop.  It's perfect for a spring theme but could work for nearly anything.  I'm using it for a birthday card for my SIL who has a May birthday and who loves kittens.

     Even the briefest of glances around my blog sidebar will tell you that I love cats!  I disagree with every person who says cats are aloof and unresponsive.  I agree that some of them have "attitude" but it's the very thing I love most about them. 

     I love that when a cat attaches to a human, it's forever and it's completely unrelenting.  My cats follow me around the house when I move from room to room, insist on sleeping right beside me on the bed at night, and have their own favorite spaces in the craft room which they occupy whenever I'm in there.  :-D

     I colored with ProMarkers, then used a Cottage Cutz die to cut out the image.  I printed the sentiment and used another Cottage Cutz die to cut it.  I had to adjust the placement of the die and cut twice to get the size and shape I needed but it worked.

     I found periwinkle CS to make the card base and ran the front side through my 'Linen' embossing folder.  I wanted something really CAS so I adhered the image and the sentiment pieces and then left it totally alone - no embellishment at all.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Coloring in Scrapland
Crafter's Castle
Cutie Pie
Get Creative
Happy Craft
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz PAM
SUYP Cats
Work It Weds.

    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

April Showers

     Where I live we had nearly twice as much rain in March as is normal but now into April, we've had no rain at all.  Having had severe drought over the last 5 or 6 years, we really need more rain so I'm hoping for a few more April Showers.  Maybe this card, featuring a darling image from Bugaboo Stamps, will help.

     Of course, I used ProMarkers to color the image (my go-to favorites!) and then I cut it with a Tonic Studios scalloped die.  I added some Dew Drops to a few of the raindrops in the image, enhancing the water aspect.

     I found a denim blue card base and wrapped it with some gingham ribbon from Crafty Ribbons, adding the image piece on top of that.  I did one of my signature, hand-sewn bows, shaping it to look like a butterfly to complement those in the image.  I added a tiny pompom as the butterfly's head.

     Finally, I printed the sentiment and added it to the lower corner.

     Challenge:
Aud Sentiments
Butterfly (Denim Blue/Digi)
CCC Digis
Catch the Bug
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Creations
Die Cut Divas
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
House That Stamps Built (right hand column)
Outlawz SAR

     Enjoy your weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Good Egg

     Friday morning and another weekly challenge is starting over at QKR Stampede.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes."   This week, I'm still doing Easter cards and I used this delightful QKR image called "Bunny and Egg."

     I colored the image with ProMarkers, then cut it with a Double-stitched Circle, Die-namics die from My Favorite Things.  I also cut the dp with that same die.  Notice the stitching on both the image edge and the dp circle?  The die is double stitched to give that effect when the die cuts are inlaid.

     I printed and hand cut the sentiment, adding the plaid at the bottom of the card front, and finally tied a small bow using satin ribbon.  I added glitter to a medium Pop Dot and stuck it onto the bow for a teeny bit of sparkle.

     Challenges:
Angie's Digital Stamps
Aud Sentiments
Bastel-Traum
Country View Crafts
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Gals Corner
Creations in Pink
Creative Inspirations
Cute N Crafty
Cut It Up
Cuttlebug Mania
Friendship
Paper Fundays
Tales from the Craft Room

     That's all I have for today but I'll be back with another post tomorrow.  I hope you're going to come play with us at QKR Stampede this week.  Remember, Anything Goes!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sweetpeas for Beccy's Place

    One of my favorite stamp artists is Beccy from Beccy's Place.  Her work is available in either rubber or digital stamps.  She runs a monthly challenge and the theme is always "Anything Goes" but each month she offers an optional twist.  You are required to use a Beccy's Place image but she gives a digital freebie every month which can be used if you wish.  I've been buying her images for so long that I have a really huge collection.  :-D

     This month she gave us a Tic Tac Toe twist and I've used the right hand column: Twine/ Flowers/ Embossing.

      I love these sweet peas and this time I started with a pre-colored image.  Before I printed it, I used tools in Word to lighten the image, making the background around the flower a softer and more pale blue.  Then, I used ProMarkers to intensify the sweet pea colors, plus pencils and gel inks to add highlights and shading to the petals and leaves. 

     The "Sweetpeas" sentiment is part of the image set and I printed it, then trimmed it to fit the banner space in the image.

     I fussy cut the image, then layered it onto a piece of white CS which I had cut with a Tonic Studios die.  The deep purple frame was cut with another, larger, Tonic Studios die from the same set.

     I double embossed the card front.  I started with periwinkle CS, embossed the front of it with my 'Linen' folder, then used a Sizzix 'Leaves' folder to emboss right over the 'Linen" embossing.  The spaces between the leaves still shows the 'Linen' embossing.  I layered everything together and added the jute cord twine and bow.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Crafty Creations
Di's Digi Designs
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp
Southern Girls
Word Art Weds.
Work It Weds.

     Thanks for visiting and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

The Bunny's Bonnet

     I found this darling image in my collection of A Day for Daisies digis and thought it needed to be on a spring card.  What a fun idea - a bunny wearing her new spring bonnet!

     I colored with ProMarkers, adding glitter to the bonnet, then cut the image with an Unbranded oval die.  The bonnet in the image isn't actually that shape but I cut a tiny scrap with a very small scalloped die (Spellbinders), covered it with glitter, and adhered it onto the bonnet, giving the piece some great texture and sparkle.

     I found two scraps, one of pale lavender and the other of purple CS, on my desk.  One I trimmed into a simple rectangle and the other I cut into the sentiment with a die from CUTplorations.  I added all the elements to a light blue card front and chose one of my signature bows as embellishment.

     Challenges:
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Catz
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Inspirations
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
I {heart} ProMarkers
Simon Says Stamp
Word Art Weds.

     I hope your weekend was restful and creative and that you're ready for the new week.  Thanks for stopping by.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie  

Something Wonderful Easter

     Today I have the honor of being a Guest Designer at Through the Craft Room Door.  Their theme is always "Anything Goes" and I decided on something for Easter.  Over the years, I've given up most of my rubber stamps, changing primarily to digital images because they require so little storage space.  I did keep this rubber Easter stamp (Bankes Vintage Stamps), mostly because I love the vintage aspect, and how it can look 'lineless' if stamped with light ink.  I used an ink pad called "Old Photo," a pale, sepia-brown ink.

I was inspired by the colors at Prika Crafts.

     I colored with ProMarkers and added the 'sponging' with chalks.  I chose two different Fiskars corner punches to shape the image corners after cutting it with a plain rectangle die from QuicKutz.  I printed the top sentiment and hand cut it, but the bottom sentiment (Always Believe) comes from Clear Dollar Stamps (now closed.)

     The leafy vines were cut with a Cheery Lynn die and the mulberry paper flower was cut with a die from Spellbinders.  I added glitter to the flower petals and a gem stone to the center.  Everything was mounted onto an aqua card base.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Bastel-Traum
Country View Crafts
Crafts Galore Encore
Creative Moments
Dies R Us
Friendship
Outlawz Greetings
Scrap from Your Heart

     That's all I have for today but I'm wishing you Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Butterflies

     New challenge today at SheepSki Designs and our theme is "Wings."  What's more spring-like than butterfly wings?   This delightful SheepSki image is called "Butterfly Curl."

     I colored all the butterflies with ProMarkers, then added loose glitter (Sparkle n Sprinkle "Azul") to the wings of the largest butterfly.  The lattice work was cut with a Memory Box die.  I printed and handcut the sentiment, inked the edges, and added it to the top corner.

     The blue background is actually a scrap of suede cloth, trimmed to size for the card front.  It gives a soft, fuzzy look and feel to the card.  I added one of my signature, hand-sewn bows to the lower corner because the shape of it mimics a butterfly and is a perfect complement.

     Challenges:
Aud Sentiments
Crafty Gals Corner
House that Stamps Built
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Twist Thurs.
Simon Says Stamp
Sparkle n Sprinkle
Time Out
Word Art Weds.

     Come play with u this month!  We can't wait to see what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Carrot Basket

     I think the Easter Bunny got lost somewhere along the way or perhaps was distracted by something irresistible.  :-D

     The image is an old one from Beary Wishes, which I think is now closed.  I colored it with ProMarkers, then die cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  The plaid scrap was cut with a die from QuicKutz.

     Everything went onto a deep, blue, card base.  I knew this was going to be used as an Easter card for a boy so I kept it simple and unembellished, letting the paper and die cut give all the visual interest.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
A Gem of a Challenge
Dare 2B Artzy
Digi Choosday
Incy Wincy
Lemon Shortbread
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bribery Works

     Good morning on a lovely spring Friday!  We have another new challenge starting at QKR Stampede and our theme is always Anything Goes.  I have a fun card today, which is not only a total fantasy but is a take off on the old Tortoise and Hare fairy tale.  In this version, it takes a bit of bribery to keep the old turtle moving along.  lol

     The image is from QKR and is called "Bribery Goes Far."  I did my best to make it look like springtime since yesterday was the first day of Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere.  :-D

I used the colors from My Favorite Things

although my blue background is not quite dark enough

the rest of the colors are found in the image.

     I used ProMarkers and water color pencils on the image, then cut it with a stitched die from Lawn Fawn.  The blue background piece was cut with an Altenew die.  I put everything onto a kraft card base and added the metal brads to the upper and lower corners.

     I want to share with you a new technique I tried with the Altenew die.  I prefer dies over stencils but that's mostly because I have so many dies and so few stencils.  So I cut some very heavy CS with this particular Altenew die, then used the cut CS as a stencil to get perfectly aligned polka dots on a background piece.  I need a bit more practice but I'll share the results with you in a few more days.

     I printed the sentiment and cut it with the smallest Lawn Fawn die but I had to adjust the placement and cut twice to get the long rectangle shape out of a square die.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Aud Sentiments
Brown Sugar
Colour Crazy
Cute Card Thurs.
Double Trouble  (all 3)
Outlawz Greetings
Penny's Paper Crafty
Take It, Make It

     Please come play along in our challenge this week, won't you?  You are NOT required to use images from QKR Stampede but if you do (or use one from our sister company, Eureka Stamps), your entry will go into a separate draw and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Momma Bunny

     At first glance, you're going to think this is another Easter card, but look again.  It's about a Momma's Love.  :-D  The image is from Whoopsi Daisy and I think it's so precious!

     I used ProMarkers, then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  I used a second Spellbinders die to cut the frame and I inked around the inside edge before I layered it onto the image piece.  All the little circles were cut with dies from QuicKutz.

     The metallic ribbon was in  my stash and I made a small cut in the frame, wrapped the ribbon around the card front, threaded it through the small cut, then tied it into a bow to secure it.  I printed, hand cut, and added the sentiment across the 3 circles at the bottom of the image.

     Challenges:
Aloha Friday
Angie's Digital Stamps
Creations in Pink
Cute Card Thurs.
Dragonfly Dreams
Get Creative
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Pile It On
Word Art Weds.

     I hope your week is going well.  Thanks for visiting and Happy Crafting!  NanaConnie

Basket of Chicks

                                HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

     A huge "Thank You" to my dear friend, Donna, for this adorable Irish dancer!  Now, let's get to my post for today...

     Probably the best way to get little spring chicks to 'follow you home' is to transport them in a basket!   As a child, "It followed me home" was always the best excuse I could muster for keeping the latest stray pet who needed to be loved and cuddled.  Those were usually kittens or puppies, but bunnies or baby chicks would have been welcome, too.  I admit I didn't think about transporting them home in a basket but if I had, I would have done it!

     This sweet Penny Black stamp takes me back to childhood.  :-D

     I colored with a combination of water colors and ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Sizzix die.  Both of the smaller circles were cut with Sizzix dies also.

     I wanted the card design to be CAS so I added no embellishment beyond the die cut circles, simply laying those onto a deep gray, CS, background.  The CS was embossed with my Linen folder.

     Challenges:
2 Sisters on the Blog
Addicted to CAS
A Gem of a Challenge
Brown Sugar (Carried in a basket? lol)
Ching-Chou Kuik
Jo's Scrap Shack
Penny Black Saturday
Penny Black and More
Scrap from Your Heart
SUYP Cats

     I think this will be the only post for today but since I gave you a twofer yesterday, that should be sufficient.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Chick or Duckling?

     I just had to give you a second post today.  I fell in love with this adorable image.

     Remember the age-old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Well, for today, we want to know if what's in the egg is a chick or a duckling?  I'm doing more Easter cards, some of them for a friend who needs 8 cards total, and she and I are having a debate over which this is.  I think it's a little chicken but maybe it's the way I colored the beak that makes it look like it could be a duck.

     The image is from Angie's Digital Stamps.

     I colored with ProMarkers and polychromos pencils, then cut the image with a Tonic Studios die.  The background is a piece of scrap dp as is the plaid strip across the bottom.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment, inking the edges before applying it on top of the plaid strip.

     I found another scrap of yellow, gingham, ribbon and tied the bow using my bow maker.

     Challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers
Crafty Creations
Crafty Sentiments
Creative Inspirations
Cute N Crafty
Get Creative
Happy Craft
House that Stamps Built (middle row)
Work It Weds.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Rose for Mom

     Isn't this the cutest image?   It's from Di's Digi Designs and their current challenge is a TicTacToe board.  I did the top row of  Sentiment/ Flower/ Hand-colored.

I stared with colors in the Color Dare #333 challenge at

Color My Heart.  I used colors from the first column

plus Clover green (3rd column) and neutrals of gray and brown.

     I colored with ProMarkers and added little highlights with gel inks.  I cut a square, then used a Fiskars corner punch on all four corners.  I did the same with the two matting layers.

     I chose a plaid paper from Lawn Fawn and used it for my card front.  The little strip is also from that same dp. 

     I printed and matted the sentiment, hand cutting each layer.  I used a Spellbinders die to cut the two white flowers from mulberry paper and used a mat behind them before adding the sentiment piece.

     Challenges:
Crafty Friends
Crafter's Castle
Dragonfly Dreams
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Outlawz SAR
Sasayaki Glitter
SUYP Cats

     Thanks for visiting.  I hope to be able to get around to some of my favorite blogs this weekend.  I do miss seeing what you've posted when time is so crunched.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

May Your Dreams Bear Fruit

     Hey, it's almost the weekend!  Only one more week day and then we all get crafting time.  :-D  Last weekend, I did all my cards which were posted this week and will probably do the same thing this coming weekend.

     For today, I want to share with you a card with a lovely Fabrika Fantasy image.  I've used her before but that time I did all fall colors.  This time I tried to be more spring-like with the colors.

     As usual, I used ProMarkers to color her, adding Cadet Blue glitter to the four tiny butterflies in the image (can you find them?), then cut the image with a die from Spellbinders.  Once cut, I used chalks (as close to the Cadet Blue butterflies as possible) around the border and background of the die cut image.

     I printed the sentiment, and hand cut it.  I found a strip of sheer, golden-tan, ribbon (which looks gray-brown in the photo) and wrapped it around an embossed piece of CS which I used for the card front.

     The large, yellow, butterfly is an applique I made on my sewing machine, using a computer generated program, so it was little work for me other than selecting and changing out the threads.

     Challenges:
Butterfly Challenge  (Cadet Blue)
Crafty Creations
Lemon Shortbread
Papercraft
Paper Shelter
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp & Show
TTCRD
Words 2 Craft By

Go Fly a Kite

     I keep looking at the calendar (and the skies) to see how close we are to the official start of spring and, so far, the skies are winning and they definitely aren't clear and sunny!  Today we have  a lot of wind and overcast so maybe we should break out the kites and pretend it's spring.  :-D

     My card today has an image from Doodle Dragon and I thought he looked like he was going to fly his kite regardless.  Of course, I have to admit that a dragon flying a kite is a complete fantasy anyway.  lol

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image and cut it with a die from Spellbinders.  I also used a Spellbinders die on the sentiment but had to shift it around and make 2 cuts to get that shape and size.

     I mounted the image and sentiment onto a navy blue card base, tilting the image piece at an angle and trimming the two corners that overlapped the edges.  I added one of my signature bows which had been dyed with a ProMarker.  I also added a tiny button to the bow.

     Challenges:
Allsorts
Cardz TV
Colour Crazy
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Cute Card Thurs.
Cut It Up
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz PAM

     I have a second post that will be going live today so be sure to check back a bit later.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter is Past

     My card today was a commissioned card and the scripture from Song of Solomon was specifically requested.  For me right now, after a full week of rain every day and another 3 days of it predicted, it feels more like a prayer.  :-D  Either way, it's a great spring card.

     I pulled the sentiment from {PIN}terest after the lady who commissioned the card showed me where to find it.  Sorry, folks, I spend very little time on {PIN}terest; I'm much more apt to be found in my craft room than at the computer, surfing around websites or social media. 

     I sized it to fit the card, printed it, cut it into a square, and used a Fiskars punch on the corners.  I printed the roses in gray scale and used ProMarkers to color them.  I added highlights with a white gel pen.  I used a rectangle die from QuicKutz to cut the image, then used a kraft knife to gently distress the edges.

     I added the sentiment piece after I inked the edges on it.  The satin ribbon across the bottom of the card was a scrap left on my desk and I also added one of my signature, hand-sewn bows.  All of that went onto a yellow card base which had been run through my Linen embossing folder.  Sweetly feminine and the lady loved it.  :-D

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Creations
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
House that Stamps Built
I {heart} ProMarkers
Paper Shelter
Scrappy Land
Word Art Weds.

     Half way through the work week; "Hump Day" as the camel says!  It'll be weekend in no time.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie