Saturday, October 15, 2022

Baseball

      Here we are with another "Anything Goes" challenge starting over at QKR Stampede.  It will run through October 31, and remember, we have two winners from each challenge; one using a QKR Stampede image (or our sister company, Eureka Stamps) and the other using any company's image.  Both of those winners are random draw winners.

     Who doesn't think about the World Series of Baseball in October?  Ok, you're correct, people who don't live in the USA probably don't care about it one way or the other, and even in the US, those folks who are into football or basketball instead of baseball, probably don't care much.  But my youngest grandson, who recently turned 16 and plays on his high school baseball team, cares a great deal.  I made this card just for him since he thinks baseball is the answer to everything!

     The image is from our sister company, Eureka Stamps, and I used watercolors to color the image in his school colors of crimson and gold.  The image and both frames were cut with QuicKutz dies.  Both frames were embossed with my "Linen" EF, and all three layers were mounted on a white A2 card base.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then framed with a tiny scrap of red CS.

     I kept it very CAS without any embellishments because it's a masculine card.


     Challenges:

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge.  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, October 14, 2022

Wynona Witch

      Here's my second post for today and my DT card features a delightful image from Conie Fong called "Wynona Pumpkin Kitty."  It's a new release and it's also ON SALE !!

     I colored the image with ProMarkers and water color paints, then cut it with a pinpoint die from Memory Box.  The background dp came from Taylor Made.  I love the pumpkins on it.  :-D  I added one of my signature bows, sewn with a pearl this time.  As is my usual procedure, I make these from white ribbon and then I 'dye' them with a ProMarker to be whatever color I need for the particular card design.


     Challenges:

     Come play in our challenges at Conie Fong's FB site.  You must use a Conie Fong image but you can enter either hand colored images or completed projects (cards, journal pages, scrapbook pages, etc.)  You could win some really sweet Conie Fong images.  Don't have any CF images to use to enter?  Check out the freebies available and use one of those.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy Haunting

      I have 2 posts today; this one celebrating Halloween and my DT card for Conie Fong, which will be posted later this morning.  This card features another image from Anji's Antics and I truly believe she has closed her shop since I can't find any current trace of it through my search engine.  

     The Haunted House image, with spooky eyes glaring from the windows, was colored with ProMarkers and the eyes are colored with gel pens.  I used a Gina Marie die to cut the image.  The background paper was a scrap from a Recollections stack.  The sentiment was printed and fussy cut with scissors.


This is also my Day 14 entry for the
 LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.
 

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, October 13, 2022

The Real Question

     Something a little bit different in Halloween cards today.  I chose to make the sentiment the focus instead of having a colored image or silhouettes or something svg.  This 'label' sentiment is from ArtiCrafts and I sized it to fit an A2 card.  Nothing creepy or spooky but definitely Halloween, nonetheless.

     The sentiment was fussy cut and framed with a fancy die from Spellbinders.  I found a scrap bit of orange CS in the basket and dry embossed it with Sizzix folder.  I used two scraps of the spiderweb dp for the background and used my card maker to tie a bowtie bow.  The ribbon was white with a black pattern but I 'dyed' it with an orange ProMarker. 



 This is also my Day 13 entry for the
 LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.
 

     Challenges:

     See you again tomorrow.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Halloween Night

      I'm doing my best to get back into playing particular challenges which have always been favorites of mine and which have a 'progressive' element to them.  Near the top of that list is Beccy's Place which isn't a true progressive challenge but we are required to use an image from Beccy's and she provides a freebie each month.  You aren't required to use the freebie - you can use any of her images and my collection of them is rather large.

     For this month, I used four of Beccy's silhouette images put onto a background dp (also from Beccy's Place) and I added a sentiment of my own.  I sized the paper to 5.5" x 5.5", then copied and pasted the silhouette images (Agatha, the tall witch, was reversed.)  The silhouettes are jpg files, so when they were merged onto the dp, there was that white background behind each silhouette.  The white rectangles made the silhouettes and the sentiment pop off the background.

     I printed the entire thing onto white CS.  I used a "Satin" ProMarker to color the white rectangles so they wouldn't look quite so 'bright white.'  Kind of visually interesting for a single layer card, don't you think?


This is also my Day 12 entry into the 

     Challenges:
Paperbabe
World Wide Open

     That's all I have for today but I'll be back tomorrow.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

All About the Boos

      I'm so excited about something new going on in my life which is actually a return to something old.  A few years back, I was a DT member at Through the Craft Room Door.  Back then, they were a weekly challenge and now they have changed to a fortnightly (every 2 weeks) challenge but the theme is always Anything Goes.  Recently, they had a DT call and I asked if it was possible for me to return to the team and they graciously said "Yes."  :-D

     So, this is my first DT card since returning to the DT at TTCRD (much easier to type!) and our sponsor this fortnight is Oddball Art.  The prize is a $10 voucher to the store.  The image I used is called "Penelope 3" but the sentiment and the spider actually came from a different Oddball Art set (which I can't find in the store so it may have been retired. ;-( )  I thought they were perfect for making the Penelope image into one for Halloween so I merged them before I printed the image.

     I colored with ProMarkers, then cut the image with a QuicKutz die.  The purple CS diamond shape and the orange CS were cut with another QuicKutz die.  The purple piece was turned 1/4 turn and the corners were trimmed off at the edges of the card front.  The pumpkins were cut with an Impression Obsession die, and the bats came from a Die-Versions die set.  The black ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon and the bow was double loop bow was tied with my bow maker.


     I hope we're going to see you playing in our challenge this time around.  Remember, it's Anything Goes so how can you not have something to enter?   Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie 

Monday, October 10, 2022

Vintage Postcard Halloween

      Today I'm posting a quick reminder about our Monthly October challenge over at This is Halloween.  Our themes are always Halloween or Gothic and this month is our biggest of the year!  :-D

     We're being sponsored by Lilli Rain Designs and my reminder card features a delightful vintage image from the "Cute Vintage Halloween Collage set 2."  My first card can be found here with another image from the set.

    This image is also pre-colored and then cut with my Fiskars cutting board.  I made the background using s scrap of yellow CS, which has been embossed for texture, and some strips of burlap fabric with threads pulled from them to give some visual interest as well as texture.  The orange bow is one of my hand-sewn bows I make up by the dozens and toss in my stash for future use.  This one was white but I 'dyed' it with a ProMarker.

    
     This is also my Day 10 entry into the 

     Challenges:

     Come play in our challenge this month!  Any Halloween or Gothic-style project will be accepted.  
Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, October 9, 2022

If the Broom Fits ...

      Today I'm using another really old digital stamp from my collection of Halloween images.  This one had been printed and placed into a manila folder, waiting to be colored.  The notation on the back said Anji's Antics but when I went looking for the website, it couldn't be found.  Perhaps she closed her site or moved it to another platform.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a QuicKutz die.  The two papers making up the background were scraps.  The spider web paper was originally from a Memory Makers stack, and the gray polka dot paper was from a DCWV stack called Midnight Chic.  

     That paper goes back a long, long ways - maybe as much as 10 years.  I fell in love with the Midnight Chic paper, all done in grayscales, some lighter, some very dark, but all delightful.  I remember that I loved them so much, I made a trip back to the store just to buy a second stack of it so that I wouldn't run out too quickly.  I still have more than half of the second stack and maybe a dozen or so sheets left in the first stack.

     The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.


This is also my Day 9 entry into the 

     Challenges:

     Enjoy your weekend and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, October 8, 2022

The Spell

     I awoke really early this morning (as in still night time) and couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and made 5 cards with images I had colored over the past 3 days.  They were all Halloween, of course, since this is the still warm and wonderful month of October.  However, the nights are getting chilly.  I know that to be a fact because the fuzzy felines have been crawling under the covers to cuddle themselves against me, soaking in the body warmth.  :-D

     I started with this card which features a LeighSBDesigns image, called the "Robed Hand."  The sentiment comes with the hand image.  I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a QuicKutz die.  The background dp came from a Recollections stack and the ribbons (both the green and the black) came from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The bow is one of my signature, hand-sewn bows with a pearl.

     


This is also my Day 10 entry into the 

I was inspired by the sketch at Sketch Saturday
which I used it as the starting point.

     Challenges:

     That's it for today and now I'm going back to bed to catch upon all that lost sleep.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, October 7, 2022

Ghostly Halloween

      Over at the Outlawz Progressive Challenge this month, we were given a Ghost image from Oddball Art and, at first, I envisioned a very CAS card featuring just the ghost against a dark background.  But, as you can see, my creative muse led me off that path onto something completely different.  :-D

     I used ProMarkers to color the cute ghost, then fussy cut it with scissors.  I pulled paper scraps from the Halloween box, cut strips from 3 of them, and used those for the background.  I also gathered up all my scraps of black CS to start cutting the various bits and pieces which make up the overall Halloween scene.

     The tree was cut with a die from Die-Versions.  The haunted house was cut with a Cuts die, and the large bat above the tree was cut with an Impression Obsession die.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The ghost was popped up on dimensional dots and tucked into the house to look like he was rising from one of the upstairs rooms.

     Finally, I added one of my hand-sewn, signature bows with a pearl.


This is also my Day 7 entry into the 

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Totally Batty

      I have been digging through the box of Halloween crafting supplies and found several items which I had completely forgotten or which I simply haven't used in ages.  I found these three, old, foam stamps (Does anyone remember those?  Cheap and usually in the discount bin.  :-D) with different bats. Perfect for Halloween.  The sticker tags which used to be on top have long ago disappeared so I have no idea what company made the stamps but I'd dare bet they were "Made in China."  lol

     I found an Onyx ink pad which also hasn't been used in several years but which still had enough ink to stamp the three bats onto lavender CS.  Before I cut them, I typed a sentiment, moved it into place so that it would print below the bats, then ran the CS through my printer.  I cut the image with a QuicKutz square die.  

     I colored the eyes with gel pens and added tiny, white, Vampire teeth to one of the bats.  I used two scraps of orange CS and mounted everything onto a black card base.  The sheer & satin, black ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbon and I tied a double loop bow using my bow maker.


This is also my Day 6 entry into the 

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

It's All about the Candy Corn!

      When I was a kid, Halloween was all about the candy corn (my whole family called it "Corn Candy," don't ask me why) and I waited all year long for the Trick or Treat night which would reap at least 2 good portions of the luscious treat, more if luck was on my side.  

     This adorable Candy Corn Witch from Jan's Digi Stamps was merged with a candy corn border which is part of the set.  The sentiment also comes in the set.  I used the pre-colored image this time and cut the image with a framing die from Spellbinders.  I mounted that on top of polka dot dp from Your Next Stamp and called it finished.  It's a CAS card which looks fancy and complicated.


This is also my Day 5 entry into the 

     Challenges:
Outlawz Festive Fri
Two Old Bats

     See you again tomorrow.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Mummy Wants Candy

      I've been digging through an old set of manila folders I found stashed in a box and one of them held Halloween images which were waiting to be colored.  The one I used for this card had a notation on the back which said "Meljen's" so I'm assuming she was the artist.  I know her store closed a few years back and, unfortunately, that's one of the artists whose images I lost when my thumb drive crashed 2 years ago.  I'm heartbroken over losing her images.

     I love this mummy with his jack-o-lantern candy bucket, trotting off for a night of Trick or Treat.  Every kid knows that's the best way to celebrate the night on Halloween!

     I colored him with ProMarkers, then cut him with a Tutti Designs stitched circle die.  The spider webs were cut with a die from Memory Box.  I hate to admit how many years I had that die and never used it, but it's been used now.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die and the bat in the top corner was cut with an Impression Obsession die.


This is also my Day 4 entry into the 

     Challenges:
The Four Seasons

     That's all I have for today but since I'm playing in a 31 Days of Halloween challenge or two, I think I may have a post each day this month.  Feels like old times when I regularly posted every day.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, October 3, 2022

Sweet Autumn Kitty

      This sweet image from Conie Fong is called "Sweet Autumn Kitty" and it's on sale for only $2.00!   I used it for one of my DT Inspiration cards this month.  I admit I fell in love with the kitty, knew right away it had to be a black cat for Halloween, and started coloring with my water color paints.  I was able to use my favorite Halloween colors, black, purple, and orange.

     I printed the sentiment with the image and, once I finished coloring, I cut the image with a die from Gina Marie.  I layered it onto a black card and did no embellishing at all.  I wanted the image and the die cut frame to be the focus of attention.


This is also my Day 3 entry into the 

     Challenges:

     Check out our October/November challenge at Conie Fong where you can enter either 'coloring only' or 'completed projects' entries which use Conie Fong images.  We'd love to see what you create and you could win some of Conie's fabulously fun images.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, October 2, 2022

All Hallow's Eve

      I'm hard into my Halloween cards because I make so many.  I give or mail to all my kids (yes, they are grown), all my grandkids (most of them are grown), and this year to all my great-grands (all still young or very young!)  Many of my friends receive Halloween cards, too, as do the wonderful Volunteers at the local senior center.  It means about 50 cards total and I'm still adding to the stash to get up to that number.

     I've done a series of cards using svg files (mostly from the Silhouette Store) because they are fast and easy, and there are some really fantastic, spooky, images out there for Halloween.  This is one of them.

     I added gel pen to the candle flames, then cut the orange CS and purple CS with rectangle dies from Spellbinders.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  Both the striped ribbon and the polka dot ribbon for the bow came from Really Reasonable Ribbon and the bow was tied using my bow maker.  A fun CAS design.


This is also my Day 2 entry into the 

     Challenges:
Polkadoodles

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Most Magical Time of the Year

      Today is the kickoff for Most Magical Time of the Year, a new challenge blog which features any combination of Fall-o-Ween, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Christmas, Christmas in July, Creepmas, Winter, Hanukkah, Diwali - Festival of Lights, Kwanzaa, etc. throughout the year!  We are a monthly challenge and we have a series of delightful sponsors who offer prizes to the winners. 

     Today, I've done both a Halloween card and a Christmas card, featuring images from our October sponsor, LeighSB Designs.  The first image, on the Halloween card, is Witch of Furness Forest and the second is Santa Whiskers.


     I colored this image with water color paints (and a very fine brush), then fussy cut it with scissors.  I went over the face color with a ProMarker to give her skin a greenish cast.  The background was made by die cutting purple CS with an Altenew die and then layering it over paper which had been water colored to create an orange ombre.
 
     The baker's twine came from Ellen Hutson and the black cat is a Poppystamps die cut.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

This is also my Day 1 entry into the 




     This one was colored with ProMarkers and glitter pen on the fur cuff and pompom on the Santa hat.  I cut the image with a scallop die from Sizzix.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die.  I hand-sewed the red satin bow.  The background dp is from a Recollections stack (and it's been in my Christmas stash for at least 10 years!)

     Challenges for Witch:

    Challenges for Cat:

     We'd love to see you playing along in our new challenges, this month and every month.  We're planning on having plenty of fun and it would be great if you'd come play along.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Country "Cowboy" Angels for Halloween

      Here we are starting another challenge at QKR Stampede and I think these two adorable images (merged together on this card) make perfect Halloween costume ideas.  :-D  I know when I was a child, I wanted to be an angel for Halloween one year and a cowgirl another year, but I never thought about combining them into one costume.

     "Cowboy Angel" and "Cowgirl Angel" were both colored with water color paints and glitter was added to their wings and halos.  I cut the image piece with border dies from Spellbinders both top and bottom, then used my Fiskars paper cutter to trim up the sides.  Both the red and the blue background pieces were scraps from the basket, and I dry embossed them using my Linen EF.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I inked the edges of the sentiment with ProMarkers, keeping in mind the diagonal line of the background.  It wasn't a perfect match up but close. 


     Challenges:

     You really should come and play with us this month.  Our challenges are always "Anything Goes" and we choose 2 winners from each challenge.  The first winner is randomly chosen from those who entered using QKR Stampede images and the second is a random winner from all other entries.  We have challenges starting on the 1st and the 5th of each month.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Vintage Halloween

      I'm so proud to announce that I am now a DT member of the This is Halloween challenge blog !  We do Halloween or Gothic themes all year around with a monthly challenge each month.  We are sponsored by Lilli Rains Designs and this month I've used lovely vintage Halloween images from the "Cute Vintage Halloween Collage 2" set.  

     I'm only showing you one image from that set today, but I will post two more during October just as reminders of the monthly challenge.  This is a pre-colored image, cut with a QuicKutz rectangle die.  The background was done with a scrap piece of burlap fabric mounted onto a square, white card base.  The ribbon was hand-tied using ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon.


     Challenges:

     Here's what's in the full set: 

     Come play with us this month!  It's Halloween month and this challenge will be a great excuse for you to get cards done for family and friends.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie