Spotlight Rooster

      It's a new day and a new challenge at FarmQuest, where we always have a farm or country requirement but we add a specific theme to that and this time the theme is "Farm or Forest Animals starting with the letter R."  That could include rams, rabbits, raccoons, Rock Hoppers, (rhinos?) -- let your imagination roam.  :-D  I chose something very farm oriented and very simple: a Rooster!

     I have an all-abiding love for the old "spotlight" technique but I forget to use it.  So, when I found this grayscale image, I printed it twice, then colored the rooster's head and neck (plus the background around his head) with Sanjoki markers and watercolors on the background.  Alcohol markers are my favorites for coloring but I also love combining them with watercolor because the two together give such a delightful contrast to each other; markers for depth and definition and watercolors for soft, undefined washes of color.

     I used a Spellbinders round die to cut out the 'spotlight' and carefully lined it up on the grayscale background.  I also inked the edges of the circle with a black ink pad just so the spotlight piece would pop off the background.

     The plaid paper (which I think always lends an air of farm or country) came from Beccy's Place and it's digital.  I printed it with my printer and cut it to size for the card front.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I used markers to ink the edges of both the image and the sentiment before layering the onto the background dp.

     Challenges:

As You Like It

Aud Sentiments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Polkadoodles

     That's all I have for today but I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this fortnight.  What could be more fun that figuring out what letter "R" farm or forest animal you want to enter?

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Moon and Stars

      It's the middle of the month and that means a new challenge is starting over at QKR Stampede where our theme is always "Anything Goes."   You may use any image from any company to enter the challenge but if you use a QKR image (or one from our sister company Eureka Stamps), your entry is put into a completely separate draw for those entries only and that increases your chance of winning by quite a lot!

     For today's card, I used an image called "Full Moon."  I reversed it before printing it.  I used watercolors and Promarkers to color the image, then added a touch of glitter to the stars.  I used a Spellbinders die to cut the image and an Avery Elle due to cut the printed sentiment.  

     The background paper is from a Lawn Fawn stack.  The multi-loop, sheer ribbon, bow was hand tied using my bow maker.  The ribbon for the bow was a left over scrap and I did as many loops as I could to use all of it.  I think I trimmed less than 1/2 an inch to make the dove-tail ends.

     Challenges:

A Bit More Time ...

Ally's Angels

Creatalicious

Creative Fingers

Dies R Us

Dream Valley

Outlawz PAM

Paperbabe

Polkadoodles

World Wide Open

     We would love to see you playing along with us in this challenge.  Remember, it runs through the end of the month  so you have plenty of time to get an entry linked up.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sky's the Limit!

     It was wonderful to receive the freebie image for the May Progressive challenge at Imagine That!  It meant I was back as one of the participants over there and that made me feel that things were definitely getting back to 'normal.'  :-D

     I thought this would be perfect for an encouragement card or just to let someone know I was thinking about them.

I based this on the sketch from The Outlawz.

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w QuicKutz oval die

Polka dot dp - DCWV scrap

Flags cut w IO die

Flags colored w watercolors

Metal brads & gray pearls

     Challenges:

Addicted to CAS

Colour Crazy

Crafter's Castle

Crafty Calendar

Di's Digi Designs

Outlawz Festive Fri

Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monsters Are Hiding

     Did you know that when monsters hide (in the closet, under the bed, behind the flower pot), they can't be seen?  It's true!  Check this out.

     This image is for the April Progressive Challenge at Sasayaki Glitter and I colored it with watercolors, then used gel inks on the flowers and eyes.  I did all the die cuts with Unbranded dies.  The little plaid bow is actually made from a strip of fabric.  I added the glittered ribbon for just a touch of sparkle.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Cardz TV
Crafty Catz
Creative Fingers
Double D
Happy Craft
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz PAM
Take It, Make It

     Hey, we're mid-way through the week!  Does anybody else feel like time goes way to quickly these days?  I mean, we're a third of the way into April and almost a third of the way through 2019, and it still feels like I was doing Christmas cards just a couple of weeks ago.  Sigh...  Oh, well, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Grayscale to Black and White Monochromatic

     I just had to do another AuroraWings sprite for their "Black and White with or without a Pop of Color" challenge.  I enjoyed the one I did last week so much that I browsed through my extensive collection of AW images and found this one which I thought would work perfectly.

     I colored with ProMarkers and watercolors, then cut the image with old decorative scissors.  How many of you still have decorative edge scissors?   Come on, fess up - no crafter ever threw out any tools which still works!

     The black frame is cut with a die from Spellbinders.  Everything is put onto an embossed (Linen folder) white card front.  I printed and added the sentiment after hand cutting it and inking the edges.  I really wanted to leave it fairly simple so I added only the black bow with a tiny pearl.

     Challenges:
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Sentiments
Creative Moments
Digi Choosday
Everybody Art
Ike's World
Outlawz Color
Scrappy Land
Unicorn

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Early Strawberries

     My first early strawberries, started in seedling pots indoors in February, were ripe enough to pick today so I had a couple sliced up on my cereal this morning!  Then I went directly to the craft room and made this card with a delightful image from MHK Designs.

     I wanted something completely CAS with no embellishment at all.  I colored the image with my watercolors and inked the edges with ProMarkers.  There was already so much white space around the image that I used two different papers around the edges of the card front before adding the image.

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Aud Sentiments
Colour Crazy
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Pattie's Creations
Polkadoodles
Scrapper's Delights
Time Out

     I think that's all I have for today but since I'm still playing in the craft room, who know?  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Warrior with the Winter Wolves

     I was so struck by this image from Aurora Wings, I could hardly wait to color it.  But I debated for quite a while as to which medium and finally decided on my watercolor pencils.  I do love the way they blend out the pencil marks with just a bit of Gamsol.   But now I want to enlarge the image to coloring book size and color it with my ProMarkers.  That one I'll probably frame and hang in my craft room.

I started with the sketch from Outlawz.

     Instead of a circle for my image shape, I chose to do a rounded rectangle by die cutting a rectangle and rounding the corners with a Fiskar punch.  I did the same thing with the mat made from sparkle CS.

     After placing that piece onto turquoise CS, I added brads and sparkle twine, then layered it onto a navy blue background which I used for the card front.  The final touch was one of my bowtie bows, appropriate for a masculine card.

     Challenges:
Brown Sugar
Colour Crazy Craft
Crazy Challenge
Creative Fingers
Kraftin' Kimmie
Outlawz PAM
Paper Girls
Pencil Case
Southern Girls
Through the Craft Room Door

     Is your weekend going well?  Have you done anything special?  Or have you just pretended to be a vegetable, perhaps a couch potato?  I've completed about half the projects I need for my DT commitments in the next couple of weeks and I'm feeling both productive and proud of myself.   I also have another five images colored but not yet turned into finished cards so today I get the fun of designing.  Hope all is well with you.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Please continue to leave comments.  The "Word Verification" really isn't on.  BLOGGER INSISTS ON SHOWING THE "CAPTCHA" BOX BUT IF YOU IGNORE IT AND JUST PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT, IT WILL POST JUST FINE.  I WISH I COULD GET RID OF IT BUT THERE'S NO OPTION FOR THAT WHEN THE COMMENTS ARE WRITTEN IN A SEPARATE BOX. SORRY.

Lighthouse

     Those of us who play in the Progressive challenge were given this image and I thought it would make a wonderful encouragement card.

     This time I used watercolors to color the image and I framed it with a die cut which was in my "save it and hope to use it someday" stash.  I think that was cut with a Spellbinder's die but it was the negative piece between two framing dies that is usually discarded.

     I kept the design very CAS by mounting the framed image onto a piece of distressed and curled CS, then putting that directly onto a pre-made card front.  I added a bit of brown twine, then added the encouraging sentiment.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Color Crazy Craft
Crafter's Cafe
Delicious Doodles
Dies R Us
Digistamps 4 Joy
Emerald Faeries
Kreativeinkauf
Paper Creator's Crafts
Stempelsonnen

     Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Please continue to leave comments.  The "Word Verification" really isn't on.  BLOGGER INSISTS ON SHOWING THE "CAPTCHA" ICON BUT IF YOU IGNORE IT AND JUST PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT, IT WILL POST JUST FINE.  I WISH I COULD GET RID OF IT BUT THERE'S NO OPTION FOR THAT WHEN THE COMMENTS ARE WRITTEN IN A SEPARATE BOX.  SORRY.

One More Witch

     I keep telling myself I'm done with Halloween cards and then I find one more stamp or one more sentiment I just have to use... need I say more?  At least this time, I combined the image and the sentiment onto one last Halloween card.  Both of these came from a set by Sparkle n Sprinkle and I'm entering their monthly challenge with it.

     This is a single layer card and I painted the background with watercolors.  Both the image and the sentiment are done with black EP.  Fast, clean and simple.  Less than 15 minutes, including time for the watercolor to dry since I used my heat gun and then ironed it flat before doing the embossing.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
Artistic Inspirations
Cards in Envy
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Addicts
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Moments
Di's Digi Designs
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Get Creative
Male Room
Melonheadz Friends
My Time to Craft
Not Just Cards
Pencil Case
Scrapper's Delights

     OK, I think this may be my last Halloween card but no promises if I see another image which calls out to me or threatens me with the flying monkeys.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie