Grammy's Attic

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Child in the Manger

I spent so much time making cards for the Month of Holidays at Beccy's Place this morning that I completely forgot to post the card I finished last night. I've done cards all the way through "H" but I may not be posting them in order. The one I made for "F" is actually doing double duty and will be a card I did for a new DT position I was offered and accepted. But you won't see it until November 28th. :-D

This is my third card posted so far and it's for the Letter "C." It's a Criss-Cross card (see a tutorial from Beccy here), and I've done Coloring, Cutting, used the Color Calm Blue, and used 2 Corner punches (Uchida and Fiskars.) The image is from Beccy's Place and it's of the Christ Child in the manger.

I colored with ProMarkers, added glitter to his halo, and cut the image with my paper cutter before using 2 different corner dies on it. I followed the tutorial from Beccy for making the criss cross card. This would be a great time to tell you about the wealth of "How To" instructions Beccy has on her blog for making all different types and styles of fancy fold cards. Check them out at this link: A to Z Card Folds. Thanks, Beccy, for having all those tutorials in one convenient place. I know those have taken you a ton of time to create!

The glittery angels were cut with a Memory Box die and I used a QuicKutz die to cut the octagon which I used as a clasp (oh, another C!) for the front criss cross. I cut two, glued them together, and mounted them on a dimensional dot. The edge of the criss cross slips behind it and yet easily flips open.

Open

Challenges:

See you tomorrow with my next post for Beccy's and probably another post as a DT for Conie Fong. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Friday, November 4, 2022

Beccy's Place - Letter "B"

This is my second card for the 30 Days of Holidays at Beccy's Place and we are using the letter "B." I have Baker, Baking, Baked Goods; I know those are all related to the root word, but I also have Bow, Brown, and Burgundy. The cute elf is one of Beccy's images.

I colored with ProMarkers and did highlights with a white gel pen. I used QuicKutz dies to cut both the image and the square frame. The green CS was embossed with a snowflake embossing folder, and the red card front was embossed with a holly folder. I think both of those are Darice folders. I inked the edges of both die cut pieces before layering them onto each other and then onto the card front. The bow was hand-tied, a sequin was added, and the sentiment was fussy cut with scissors.

Challenges:

Can You Handle ...

Crafts Galore ...

I'll have 2 posts again tomorrow since I'm still trying to get caught up with the number of days and letters of the alphabet already used over at Beccy's Place 30 Days of Holidays. Hope you'll stop by and see them tomorrow. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Most Magical Time November Challenge

Here we are on the first Friday of November and that means another new challenge at Most Magical Time of the Year where we celebrate both Christmas and Halloween all year around. Our sponsor this month is All Dressed Up and they supplied the cutest images for us to use. I chose to use both images (Christmas Tree Fairy and Magical Day) and make two cards. Our theme is "Magical Fall Colors."

Both are colored with watercolors but Christmas Tree Fairy has glitter on her wings and is cut with a QuicKutz die. Unfortunately, when I photographed the Fairy card, the orange colors I used look more red than orange.

The Magical Day image and the lavender frame are cut with dies from Dare 2B Artzy. The background paper on the Christmas Tree Fairy card is from a K & Co. stack. The bow is hand-tied using orange and gold corded ribbon.

The Magical Day card has one of my signature, hand-sewn bows made with sheer ribbon and a pearl. The background on that one is from DCWV and the pumpkin & flowers are heat embossed with sparkly EP.

Challenges:

Challenges:

There's a Stamp ...

I hope we're going to see you playing along in our November challenge. Check out the Most Magical Time blog for all the details. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Beccy's Place 30 Days of Holidays - Letter "A"

I'm a couple of days late getting started in the Month of Holidays Challenges at Beccy's Place but I hope to get caught up by doubling my posts for the rest of this week. Each day, Beccy selects a letter of the alphabet and our cards need to reflect things using that letter. For the additional 4 days (there are only 26 letters in the English alphabet but 30 days in November), she selects topics or themes for us to follow.

I'll be doing mostly Christmas cards but this year I'm a bit behind on Thanksgiving cards so you'll see a few cards for that holiday mixed in with those for Christmas. I finally learned that Beccy allows any holiday, not just Christmas, and I've been playing in this November challenge for at least 7 years, maybe more. This is her 10th year putting it on.

This is my card using the letter "A" for Alcohol markers (ProMarkers), Apples, Amethyst (color of flowers), and Autumn (the season for Thanksgiving.) I colored this Beccy's Place image with alcohol markers, then cut it with a die from QuicKutz. The burnt orange CS frame was also cut with a QuicKutz die. The dp came from an Autumn stack by DCWV.

Challenges:

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Puppy Greetings

I'm sharing a card today which I made for my daughter's birthday. A few months back, she and her family adopted a stray puppy who was a few months old. He's white and gorgeous, and was so big when they took him in that she thought he was fully grown. A trip to the vet for a basic check up and vaccinations confirmed that he was about 5 months old and that he was a Great Pyrenees, easily destined to weigh in at over 100 pounds!

He fell in love with my daughter, instantly becoming "her" puppy, although he's very loving and will happily accept attention from anyone in the family. He's 'enthusiastic' about everything he does, with tail wagging at top speed, and with his entire body overcome by wiggles.

When I saw this image in a friend's collection, I begged for a print of it so that I could use it on this card. The image was colored with water color paints and cut with a Tonic Studios die, as was the frame around it. The papers are from DCWV and the bow is one of my hand-sewn, signature style bows which I sew up by the dozens and toss in my stash for future use. I make them all with white ribbon and then use ProMarkers to 'dye' them the color I want for each individual card. This time, I wanted rusty orange and brown autumn tones.

Challenges:

Crafts Galore ...

Your Scrapbook ...

I just had to share a photo of Ranger so that you can understand his size. He's not even a year old yet! This is how he "sits" on the couch. He just backs up to it until his rear end is secured but keeps his front feet on the floor. That "child" behind him is my college-age (junior) granddaughter. lol

Here's another of him sprawled across a patio table which seats 10 people.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Baby Animals for a Baby Card

It's November First and we're starting a new challenge at QKR Stampede. The challenge will run through the 14th and a new one will start on 15 November. Our theme is always "Anything Goes."

The image I used today is from our sister company, Eureka Stamps, and it's called "Baby Animals." My neighbor down the street needed a baby card for a soon-to-be-born great grandchild, unknown at this point whether it's going to be a boy or a girl.

I colored with water color paints, then cut the image with a Dare 2B Artzy die. The background dp is from Recollections and was also cut with the same Dare B Artzy die, allowing me to inlay the image into the background. The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die. I added one of my signature style, hand-sewn bows which has a pearl.

Challenges:

Colour Crazy

Crafty Catz
Cupcake Inspirations

Double Trouble (all 3)

Hope we're going to see you playing along in our challenge this time. Remember, we always have 2 winners - one drawn randomly from those who use a QKR Stampede or Eureka Stamps image, and one drawn from all the other entries.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Witch Needs Coffee

Here it is, the big day itself, the day all witches are expected to fly and create spells and spook mere humans within an inch of their lies! But this witch can't get anything right until she's had her coffee. Sounds like me. ROFL

I'm sharing this as my DT card for the November challenge at This is Halloween, where we celebrate all things Halloween or Gothic all year round. Don't forget, we're sponsored by Lilli Rain Designs.

The image was a digital coloring page, reduced in size to fit a 5" square card, printed in grayscale, and I colored it with ProMarkers and water colors. I added sparkle gel pen to the bubbles in the cauldron and in the flask. The image was cut with a Lawn Fawn, stitched die and I inked the edges with a black ProMarker. I mounted the image onto neon orange CS and added one of my signature style, hand-sewn bow with a white pearl. A nice, CAS design this time.

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

Come play in our challenge this month. I know, many of you feel that you're totally burned out on Halloween by now, but you can also do something wonderfully Gothic that isn't Halloween. And fewer players will certainly mean your entry has a better chance of becoming the Winner!

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Green Witch ATC

After doing Halloween cards all month, I got inspired to do an ATC. I went a little bit fancy on the to of it instead of just the normal straight edge but nobody has accused me of being "normal," at least not lately. :-D

The green witch has been colored with ProMarkers and gel pens. The sentiment was printed and then cut with an Avery Elle die. No embellishments; I wanted that evil witch to be the focus.

This is also my Day 30 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Quoth the Raven ...

We're getting close to the end of the 31 Days of Halloween over at LeighSBDesigns; just today, tomorrow, and then the big day itself on Monday! My card today features another digital coloring page, sized for an A2 card.

The image is printed in grayscale, then colored with watercolors, ProMarkers, and gel pens for highlights. I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die. The black, purple and orange papers for the background are all CS scraps from the basket of leftovers. I added one of my signature, hand-sewn bows with a pearl as the only embellishment.

This is also my Day 29 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

Country View ...

There's a Stamp ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Friday, October 28, 2022

Graveyard Cats

Another post for the Cat Lovers Blog Hop and for the Crazy for Cats challenge. Both are running this week but the Crazy for Cats challenge will run through the entire month of November so come play along.

My DT card today features fabulous hologram papers and dies from our sponsor, Lawn Fawn. You can find them here: LAWN FAWN Hologram dp & LAWN FAWN dies "Lg Stitched Squares." The sentiment is mine and it was fussy cut.

This is also my Day 28 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

Pammie's Inky Pinkies

Come play along with us, won't you? And join in the Cat Lovers Hop, too! Just make something which features a cat. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Cowboy Jack-o-Lantern

I've done another Halloween card for today, this time using a cute QKR Stampede image called "Cowboy Pumpkin." The "Happy Halloween" sentiment is also from QKR. I colored with ProMarkers, and fussy cut the jack-o-lantern with scissors. The silhouettes in the background were cut with dies from Memory Box & Die-Versions.

I wanted to add some texture to the card so I chose burlap cloth for the background. Everything was mounted onto a Kraft card base.

This is also my Day 27 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

Colour Crazy

CRAFT

Creative Inspirations

Inspiration Station (pumpkin)

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Cat in the Window

I've been going through my boxes of dies again and this one popped out at me. It's been a long time since I used it and I thought it would make a good autumn card, but with non-traditional colors. The Cat in the Window die is an Unbranded die and the cloud was cut with a Memory Box die.

The card base was dry embossed with an EF from Darice. The "ribbon" along the left side is actually washi tape but the signature, hand-sewn bow was sewn using satin ribbon and I added a pearl.

Today is the third day of the six day Cat Lovers Hop 2022.

Challenges:

Can You Handle ...

There's a Stamp ...

If you're signed up for the 2022 Cat Lovers Hop but haven't started playing yet, you can still enter up to 5 cat themed projects before 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, Saturday, October 29. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Night of the Witch

Today I'm featuring two images from my beloved Bugaboo Stamps. I was so disappointed when they closed their doors but at least I can still use their wonderful stamps. I had both this darling witch image and the image of a cat under the moon so I thought they would be wonderfully cute if merged together.

I colored the images with ProMarkers and added highlights with a gel pen. I cut the image and the frame layers with QuicKutz dies. The card front was dry embossed with a "Branches" Sizzix EF. I hand tied a triple-loop bow from stitched ribbon, then printed, matted, and fussy cut the sentiment.

This is also my Day 26 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

Colorful Options

Creatalicious

Creative Crafting ...

Halloween is only a few days away now so get your cards finished quickly! Then we can all focus on Thanksgiving and Christmas for the rest of the year. Oh, my, where did this year go?! It can't be almost over, can it?

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Autumn Cat

I'm excited to announce that I have joined the DT at the Crazy for Cats Challenges! Our first challenge launches today even though it is technically our November challenge. From now on, the monthly challenges will start on the First Friday of each month.

But starting today means that we cat lovers on the DT can post our inspiration projects on the Cat Lovers Hop 2022, a fun hop I've played in for a good number of years now. :-D

Today is the second day of the six day Cat Lovers Hop 2022.

For our own challenge, our sponsor is Lawn Fawn and for my card I used Lawn Fawn metallic hologram paper and the image was cut with a Lawn Fawn Stitched Square die.

I colored with ProMarkers and water color paints. The image piece was framed with orange CS after I used a ProMarker to ink the edges. The leafy ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbon and the sentiment leaf is a chipboard piece from Recollections which has been in my collection of embellishments for at least 6 years.

Challenges:

A Perfect Time

Classic Design

Crafts Galore Encore

Creative Inspirations

There's a Stamp ...

Come play in our new challenge! We feature felines, of course, and all the rules are on the new blog. Think about joining in the Cat Lovers Hop, too. Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Cat-o-Ween

This is my first post for today (be sure to check back in a few hours) and my card today uses all die cuts and all of those cut from scraps of this and that. I used dies from a Cheery Lynn set for the cats and the sentiment. The moon and bats were done with a Die-Versions die set. I mounted everything onto a purple card front, thereby using mostly Halloween colors.

This is also my Day 25 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

Country View ...

Pammie's Inky ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Monday, October 24, 2022

Cat Gratitude

Today is the first day of the six day Cat Lovers Hop 2022.

I've played in the hop every year since 2016, and may even have played the year it started (2015) but I can't confirm that, so I only claim 6 years of playing. The card I made is a Thanksgiving card and we all know how grateful cats can be when they can get a high view from a tree branch. :-D

My card today is all die cuts and all scraps, but for the plaid dp from Taylor Made. There's dry embossing on the orange CS. I used my "Linen" EF but this time, I turned the CS scrap on the diagonal so that it has a cross-hatch look. The tree was done using a die from Die-Versions and I cut black, brown, gold, tan, and eggshell scraps to get all the different leaf colors, plus the cat and tree trunk. It took a lot of time to make all the cuts and individually place all the pieces but it was worth it in the end.

I based this on the sketch from The Outlawz, turned sideways

& using the leaves, trunk, & cat's tail as the shapes

along the sides of the middle panel.

Challenges:

4 Season

Creative Inspirations

Double D

Inspiration Station (harvest colors)

Jan's Digi Stamps

SUYP Cats

Word Art Weds

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Kitty Spells

I have 2 posts today and this is the first of them. All this week I'll be doing posts for the 31 Days of Halloween at LeighSBDesigns (which I've been playing each day in the month of October) and for the Cat Lovers Hop 2022. Check the post above this one to see the Cat Lovers card, although this card would have worked for that challenge too.

The image is from Colour of Love and I colored it with water color paints, highlighted with gel pens and a gold paint pen. I cut the image with a Tonic Studios die. The sentiment is fussy cut and the background was made by piecing together scraps of paper from the basket.

This is also my Day 24 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

Lil Patch of ...

Pammie's Inky ...

There's a Stamp ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Witches' Brooms

Today's Halloween card makes the sentiment the focal point. I love the way this laid out. It was done on orange paper and I received it through my crafts exchange group, where we all mail images or die cuts to everyone, then email everyone a photo of our finished creation. The group exchanged a dozen images/cuts for October and most of those were Halloween related with a few fall/harvest images.

I made the purple background with water color paints. I did an ombre with purple paint, let it dry, then spattered it with water. I used extremely narrow, black, satin ribbon (from my stash) to wrap the card front and added one of my hand-sewn, signature bows with a pearl. Quick, easy, and more or less CAS.

This is also my Day 23 entry for the
LeighSBDesigns 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop.

Challenges:

There's a Stamp ...

Happy Crafting. NanaConnie

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