Snowman (From the Heart Stamps)

     Edited to add:  Blogger is messing with me!  This was scheduled to go live earlier today and it didn't post.  Grrrr.

     This is a tag for a Christmas gift, believe it or not.  Instead of doing it as a typical tag shape, I did it as a mini card style.  This is about 2.75 inches 'square.'  The inside has the typical "To:  From:" so that the receiver of the gift can be identified.

      The image was the August digi for the monthly progressive challenge at From the Heart.  I played in that challenge for a month or so last winter, I think, and then kind of fell off and didn't do it for a while.  I'm starting up again, and I promise that I'll be better at playing each month.

     The image is colored with ProMarkers and I added loose glitter to the snow on the ground.  I cut the shape for the mini card with a die from Spellbinders.  The ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbon and the little bow was tied using my bow maker.  It's a simple tag so there's not much else to say but I do love that cute image.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Crafting by Designs
Crimbo Crackers
Fab n Funky
Kitty Bee Designs
Moving Along with the Times
Paper Shelter
Polka Doodles
Stempelsonnen

     That's all I have today but there's another post scheduled for tomorrow with a new challenge starting at Tuesday Throwdown.  Hope to see you then.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Coffee Klatch

     I've done a set of simple note cards using new coffee mug designs from Paola at My Whimsical Little World.  She's also working on a set of Tea Cups and I plan to grab those as soon as they hit her shop for another set of note cards.  I've done 3 of each design for a set of 9 cards and I'll probably use them as gifts during the holidays.

     Two of the mugs are paper pieced and the third is colored with Copics.  Copics were also used to color the coffee and the donut on the paper pieced designs.  I used the same dp from the paper piecing to frame the images.  Because these took some time to color and piece, and because they probably will have to go in the mail when used, I left them very CAS - no embellishments at all.

     Challenges:
Artistic Stampers
Crafts Galore Encore
Digistamps 4 Joy
Inspiration Destination
MarkerPOP
Petal Lu
Sugar and Betty

     I hope your weekend is going well and that your weather is perfect.  Did you find time to craft at all?  You may still have time to find something relaxing and refreshing to do with the rest of your Sunday.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Winter Beauty

     A quick bit of background for this card:  I played in one of the games at Dragon's Lair FB page this past week and was one of the players who won a freebie image (of my choice.)   Dragon's Lair used to be Stamping with the Dragon and I have many of their darling dragon images.  But this time I fell in love with this glorious "Winter Beauty" digi the instant I saw her.

     I got her this morning and immediately started planning a hugely fancy or vintage card with the image done in lots of sparkle and shimmer and glimmer and embellishments all over.   Then I printed her and started coloring and suddenly I knew this had to be a totally one-layer, CAS card with the image done as simply as possible.

     I colored her with ProMarkers and used chalks to burnish the edges of the card front.  The sentiment just belonged at the top (though I usually put them at the bottom of single layer cards) and the only adornment is done with the three tiny pearls, added mainly so I could enter the challenge at Dragon's Lair, "Three of a kind."  I inked the edges of the card front so that there would be some sort of 'frame.'

     Challenges:
A Snowflakes Promise
Chalk n Stock
Crafting from the Heart
Craft Your Passion
Crafty Friends
Crafty Girls Creations
Cutie Pie
Dragonfly Journeys
I {heart} ProMarkers
Inspiration Destination
Jo's Scrap Shack
Not Just Cards
Outlawz CAS
Outlawz Greetings
Outlawz Friday Coloring
Simon Says Stamp
Simply Papercraft
WordArt Weds.
   
     This is a second post today but I was just so excited about getting this beautiful image turned into another card for the Christmas stash that I couldn't wait to post it.  I may have another post for tomorrow if I get the card pieces lying on my desk finished.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

A Magical Dragon Day

     Is it OK if I start this post by saying that I LOVE THIS CARD! ?

     This is one of those that just came together after I made my list of more than a dozen challenges I wanted to enter (not counting A/G challenges.)  The list included themes like fancy folds, vintage, pockets, die cuts, lace, layers, flowers, sentiments, animals... you get the idea.  Most of the time, when my list of challenge themes is that long, the card is finished long before I get all the challenges included and I end up eliminating some of them.  Not this time!  I used them all and I think they really worked.

      The card is made from a piece 12 x 5.5 inches, cut on angles from the top to the outer corners, then folded to make the front flaps cross.  The bottom is sealed to make a pocket and the image piece slips into the pocket.  Here's a close-up of the image piece.

     I wish I knew what I did differently in photographing this time so that my purples stayed purple.  Well, come to think of it, I used red violets and now they look purple and lavender.  :-D  Maybe that's the secret -- use red-violet instead of purple to get purple in the photographs.  When I use purples, they turn blue in the photographs.

     I've used this image at least twice in the two years I've had it but this time I colored the dragons ("Dragon Babies" from AuroraWings) with ProMarkers, adding glitter to their wings before I cut them with one of my new Pinpoint Rectangle dies from Memory Box (Scrapy Land purchase.)  The mat is also cut with another die from that set.  All the papers are from Stampin' Up (old and from my stash) and I think the lace came from one of my local craft stores, but it's been in my stash for so long that I really can't remember.  

     The gem swirl has been in my stash for well over a year and the butterfly was cut with a die from Cheery Lynn.  I had cut that as an extra several months ago and put it into a drawer full of die cut bits and pieces.  It worked perfectly on this card, so I dug it out, colored the body, and added glitter to the wings and body.  The small flowers are punched (Fiskars punch), colored, layered, and added on top of the lace.  The sentiment is printed, hand cut, and edged with a marker.

     Challenges:
613 Avenue Create
A Vintage Journey
ArtbyMiran
AuroraWings
Cheery Lynn
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards
Clear It Out
Crafting by Designs
Crafting with Friends
Crafty Catz
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Card Crew
Creative Moments
Digi Choosday
I {heart} ProMarkers
Jo's Scrap Shack
Love to Scrap
Lunagirl Moonbeam
Outlawz Twisted Thursday
Paper Nest Dolls
Paper Shelter
Passion for ProMarkers
Scrapy Land
Stamp and Create
Vintage Stamping

     I hope your weekend has started well and that you have lots of crafty plans for the weekend.  The weather predictors say that we're going to "cool down" to the upper 90s (is that some kind of a joke?)  I guess that's better than the 101 and 102 we've had for the last 4 days, but I'd love it even more if the cool down was going to be into the low 80s with a chance of a shower.  :-D  Maybe next month.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie