Christmas in July (Almost)

     We start our new challenge at QKR Stampede with our usual "Anything Goes" theme but this week we've added a fun optional theme of "Christmas in July." Yes, we know today is still June 30 but many of you will be seeing this post or the one on the QKR challenge blog on the weekend or even as late as the July 4th holiday, so it'll be Christmas in July by the time you make your card and post it.  :-D

     For mine, I used "Decorations" as my image and "Happy Holly Days" for my sentiment.

     I colored with my ProMarkers and a red Copic marker for his hat and the berries.  I also added tiny dots of glitter to the berries in the sentiment, though it's nearly impossible to see in the photo.  I applied Wink of Stella to the white reflection spots on the Christmas decoration.  I love the traditional red and green for Christmas but must admit that green is my more favored of those colors.

     I die cut the image (Gina Marie) and also die cut a circle (QuicKutz) which I dry embossed with my "Linen" folder.  I cut the sentiment and its mat with other QuicKutz dies from the same set.

     The plaid ribbon was 'rescued' from one of last year's packages (waste not, want not) and I still have a strip of it long enough to make another bow for later this year.  I find that I usually wrap my ribbon around the card front so that the cards look 'gift wrapped' with the ribbon saying "I'm finished!"   I also love how ribbon lets me tie in colors I've used in the image or papers.  Sometimes I take plain white ribbon and 'dye' it with markers to get the exact shade I want.

     Other than that ribbon and bow, I left this card pretty CAS because I'm sure it'll get sent to one of the many guys in my family.  They outnumber the gals almost 2:1.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Aud Sentiments
C.R.A.F.T.
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Sentiments
Cute Card Thurs.
Digi Choosday
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Festive Fridays
Outlawz Twisted Thurs.
Scrapy Land
Through the Craft Room Door
Time Out

     Get on your Christmas cheer and come play with us this week.  You can use any image by any company to enter the challenge but if you have one by QKR and you use it, your entry will go into a separate draw just for QKR users, and that increases your chances of winning by a huge margin!  See you at the challenge.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Great Hair Day

     I hate to admit how long it's been since I used a Whoopsi Daisy image but I'm making up for it.  In the last week, I've colored three WD images and will be sharing them with you over the next couple of weeks.

     As I looked at this image before coloring it, I could just see my granddaughter pulling her hair back in either braids or pony tails and looking like summer sunshine.  :-D  So, out came the yellows and summer-y coral pink ProMarkers for coloring the image.

     After she was colored, I did an out-of-the-box technique, cutting her with a simple scalloped die from Spellbinders, and I inked the edges all the way around.  I cut the matting oval with a die from another Spellbinders set but I ran that CS through my Linen embossing folder before I cut it.

     I added the sentiment on top of the image, then layered everything onto striped dp (DCWV) and found the gingham ribbon and fabric flower, which I knew would be prefect embellies.  I put all of that onto the pale, pinky-beige, card front and called it finished.

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Crafting from the Heart
Crafty Cardmakers
Di's Digi Designs
Glitter n Sparkle
Jo's Scrap Shack
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends
Ribbon Girl
Sweet Stampin'

     I dearly love this image and can hardly wait to share the others with you but I still have to finish making those cards.  As I said, I have those planned for pre-scheduled posts over the next couple of weeks so don't give up on them.  :-D  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Hyacinth Sprite

     I absolutely adore all the little flower sprites at AuroraWings and I bought a few more a couple of weeks ago, this being one of them.  Isn't she sweet?

     More coloring with my polychromos pencils and I do believe I'm getting the hang of it.  I find myself more and more satisfied with the end results.  The colors get richer, the shading gets more accurate, and I'm liking the results almost as much as my coloring with ProMarkers.  :-D

    The image was cut with another of my Unbranded die frames and I layered it onto paper from the Linen Closet stack by DCWV.  I'm on a crusade to use only things from my stash (especially papers and CS) until I have used a significant portion of the huge mountains I piled up over the last couple of years.  I'm digging out things I had forgotten and falling in love with them all over again.  It's kind of fun to find something and remember why I bought it in the first place.  :-D

     I hand tied the bow, then printed the sentiment, matted it, and added it on top of all the layers.

     Challenges:
Allsorts
Colour Crazy
Creative Fingers
Di's Digi Designs
Fussy and Fancy
Jo's Scrap Shack
Morgan's ArtWorld
Ribbon Girl
Tuesday Throwdown

      That's it for today.  We're half-way to the weekend and then 4th of July is shortly upon those of us in the US.  Some of you will have both Monday and Tuesday off, giving you a very long weekend.  Whether you have a long weekend or just the day of the 4th, be safe and sane with fireworks and driving.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Home Sweet (Fairy) Home

     I have new neighbors moving in down the street and did a card to welcome them to the neighborhood.  This sweet, little, mushroom-fairy-house is from Sasayaki Glitter.

     I colored this one with my Lyra polychromos pencils (practice, practice, practice!) and cut it with a stitched scalloped circle die from Memory Box.  I cut another circle with the same die and off set it behind the image.  I had a small scrap of that dp left after the circle was cut so I added it below the circles.  The only embellishment I added was the pewter gray bow with the pearl.

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft
Colour Crazy
Come and Get It
Fussy and Fancy
Not Just Cards
Polkadoodles
Stempelsonnen
Sweet Stampin'
World Wide DT Open

     The week marches on and time is getting away from me already!  My list grows longer and the number of things accomplished each day gets shorter.  Sigh... ah, well, Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

Coffee Cat

     My second post this morning.  Be sure to scroll down for the first one.

     This sweet image from Sami Stamps is perfect for the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  Although I prefer my coffee iced in the summer months, this little feline would settle for any kind of coffee at this point!