Spring Birdhouse

    For me, nothing says "spring" better than watching the sparrows and meadowlarks build their new nests, flitting in and out of the birdhouses which hang from the tree branches near my house.  "Bird Nest or Bird House" is the new theme for our challenge which begins today at FarmQuest.  As usual, our underlying theme is "Farm or Country."

     I chose an image from my rather large collection of digital stamps from Beccy's Place.  I added color with alcohol markers, pencil, and gel pen, then fussy cut it with scissors.  I layered it onto a scrap of brown dp (Recollections), die cut the scrap with a Spellbinders die, and used a Fiskars punch on the corners.  

     The pink dp is also a scrap and I have no idea what company made that paper.  The ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbon which I used to both wrap the card front and to make the bow.  I added a large sequin to the bow and called it finished!

     Challenges:

Beautiful Blossoms

Classic Design

Creations in Pink

Digi Choosday

Double Trouble

Dream Valley

Pammie's IP

     I hope we're going to see you playing in our challenge this fortnight.  We love being inspired by you and what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

It's Your Bird-day!

     I'm still adding to my birthday card stash and today I'm using a cute birdhouse image from Beccy's Place.

I started by using the colors at Beccy's Place.

     I used ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with an oval die from QuicKutz.  The fancy frame (cut from aqua CS) was made with a Memory Box die and the image piece is laid on top of it.  The flowery paper (a saved scrap) is from DCWV and is embossed.   I added the sentiment, cut with another QuicKutz die, to the bottom.

     Challenges:
Coloring in Scrapland
Crafty Sentiments
Cute N Crafty
Ike's World
Jo's Scrap Shack
Outlawz Greetings
Papercraft
Passion for ProMarkers
Tuesday Throwdown

     That's it for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Little Birdie Told Me...

     Good Friday Morning!  We have a new challenge starting today at QKR Stampede where our theme is always "Anything Goes."   I took the opportunity to add another birthday card to my stash with this CAS design using QKR image "Birdhouses" and sentiment "Birdie Told Me."  Remember that QKR Stampede images come in both rubber and digital, whichever is your preference.

     I colored the birdhouses and background in the image with ProMarkers and polychromos pencils, then fussy cut it leaving two spots where the image went 'off the edge.'  To give a little texture and dimension, I stacked the image onto 3 more layers of CS, hand cutting each one as I added it so that the final image piece is 4 layers of CS.  I inked the edges to make it pop a bit.

     I adhered that onto a confetti CS base.  I printed the sentiment, matted it with turquoise CS, and hand cut that.  I used baker's twine to wrap the card and die cut (Cheery Lynn) a butterfly out of burlap paper.  I 'dyed' it with a ProMarker, then added one tiny rhinestone to the butterfly body for a bit of sparkle and called it finished.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps & More
CARDZ TV
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Creations
Crafty Gals Corner
House that Stamps Built (1st column)
I {heart} ProMarkers
Outlawz Festive Friday
Penny's Paper Crafty
Victorine Originals

     Come play with us this week.  We love being inspired by you and you certainly can't go wrong with an Anything Goes theme.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Raspberry Abode

     I started this card with a particular idea in mind but it took off on its own and I admit I like it even better now.  :-D  The image is from Beccy's Place.

Beccy's had an optional sketch this month which I used,

and I used colors from 2 Sisters on the Blog.

   

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image and I added highlights to the berries with white gel ink.  I cut the image with a Spellbinders die.  Both dp strips were in the scrap basket and I dug them out because they matched the colors in the berries.

     I did faux stitching on one of the strips, scored the longer strip 4 times with my new Scor-Pal (which added some great texture!), and then added a pink, satin bow with a gem placed in the middle of the knot.  The sentiment is printed, hand-cut, and inked on the edges.

    Challenges:
A Bit More Time to Craft Extra
Crafts Galore Encore
Create with TLC
Creative Craft Cottage
Let's Craft and Create
More than 1 Score
Not Just Cards
Paper Nest Dolls
Scrappy Land

     Hope your weekend is going well and that you are enjoying some down time.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Welcome Home

     I'm really into birdhouses this week but I'm still trying to convince Mother Nature that it's time for Spring.  :-D  We start a new challenge today at QKR Stampede and our theme is always Anything Goes.  This sweet little image came from QKR and is called "Birdhouse and Vines."

     I colored the image with ProMarkers and polychromos pencils, then cut it with a Bo Bunny die.  The dark green frame is also a Bo Bunny cut.  The background paper is embossed with a Swiss Dots folder but I had added embossing ink to the dot side before I ran the folder through the Cuttlebug.  When it came out, I sprinkled it with glittery EP and heat embossed it.  It had to be trimmed to the size I wanted and I mounted the image pieces onto it.  This is a new technique for me and I'm going to be doing more of it.

     I printed the sentiment and mounted it onto a scrap of the embossed paper.  Finally, I added bakers' twine and the die cut, burlap, butterfly.

     Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps & More
Crafting by Designs
Crafty Creations
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Moments
I {heart} ProMarkers
Paper Shelter
Penny's Paper Crafty
Scrappy Land
That's Crafty

     Come play along with us this week, won't you?  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Welcome Home

     I had so much fun with this card !  I started with a pre-colored image from Beccy's Place which best matched the optional colors from their challenge this month.  I also used a sketch which I found at Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2.

  

     I used an oval die from QuicKutz to cut the image, then inked the edges with a ProMarker.  The patterned background paper is from one of my DCWV stacks, but since it was a scrap, I have no idea which one.  I matted it with pistachio green paper.  

     The three strips were cut from textured 'leather' CS and backed with stone-washed denim.  All of those were also scraps.  I added baker's twine and a die cut flower.  I colored the flower with ProMarkers, then added glitter for a bit of sparkle.  The center is a peach colored, Liquid Pearls drop.  I printed and hand cut the sentiment.

     Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More

Aud Sentiments

Brown Sugar

Crafty Friends

House that Stamps Built

Penny's Paper-Crafty

Pixie's Snippets

Simon Says Stamp

      The weekend is over, Monday has arrived, and those of you not already retired have started your work week routine.  I envy you - not at all !  :-D  Happy Crafting.   NanaConnie

Home Tweet Home

    I don't do shaped cards very often because I only have a few dies which lend themselves to card shapes but for today's card, I cut the card by hand to loosely fit the shape of the birdhouse image.  It comes from QKR Stampede (Digi 23601 "Birdhouse") and today starts our latest weekly challenge with a theme of "Shaped Cards."

     I colored the image with my brand new, never-before-had, Lyra Rembrandt Polychromos colored pencils.  OK, so I have quite a bit to learn about blending polychromos pencils and maybe even about color selections but I remember back when I was first learning about alcohol markers, and I think I'll get it with more practice.  :-D  Pencil coloring gives a much softer, more pastel look to the finished product and sometimes, for what I want to do, that's perfect.

     Everything is hand cut this time and the only embellishment is the one mulberry paper flower.  Very CAS design.  It fits into a standard square envelope and since I had some black envelopes on hand, I used one of those.

     Challenges:
AAA Cards
Addicted to Stamps and More
Colour Your World
Crafting from the Heart
Crafting with an Attitude
Craft Your Passion
Glitter n Sparkle
Lemon Shortbread
Pencil Case

     Come play with us this week!

     I'll have another post in about an hour so be sure to check back.  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie

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