Holiday Party Time !

      A couple of days ago I did a post in which I mentioned a FB site where certain artistic people create AI clipart, often from specific requests made by members of the site.  It's called Free Printable Clipart and if you're interested, you can get there by clicking on the name above.

     I joined and have had a wonderful time browsing around and downloading clipart images I'll be using on my cards.  Today, I'm sharing two different cards which were made for neighbors who open their hearts and homes to the neighborhood for holiday parties each year.  

     Because I was making these cards more or less at the last minute (party is tomorrow night!), I chose to use the pre-colored version, exactly as I downloaded it.  But I've also used these clipart images printed in gray scale and hand colored by either my sis-in-law or me.

     I used scraps of dp for the background on this first card, carefully pieced together and the image was placed on an angle to cover a bare spot where one scrap was too small.  The image was cut with a Spellbinders die and I added silver and blue snowflakes.  The angel was in my stash of Christmas decorations, the only one I had left and it gave a bright spot of white to the card.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a small die from QuicKutz.

     The second card was also cut with a Spellbinders die and was framed with a scrap of deep blue CS.  The background dp came from an old K & Co stack and it has embossed holly leaves on it.  I added a die cut snowflake (Cottage Cuts), plus a wooden snowflake (Recollections) placed on top of it.  This sentiment was also printed and cut with a die from QuicKutz.

     Challenges: 

Cutie Pie

Dream Valley 

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Monday

Polkadoodles

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Dragonfly Dreams

Path of Positivity

Simon Says Stamp

ZieloneKoty

     That's it for today.  Happy New Year to you and yours and may yours be safe and same.  NanaConnie

Red and White Christmas

      This is my second post today but I wanted to enter the November challenge at Conjuror of Dreams.  

      I love red birds in the winter!  They bring so much visual joy to an otherwise bland, some might even say bleak, landscape of leafless trees buried in snow and ice.  Today's card features a bright red cardinal clinging to a snowy branch.  It's a pre-colored image from Conjuror of Dreams and pre-colored always means a quick and easy card..

     I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, matted it with white CS trimmed to fit, and added the sentiment (cut with an Avery Elle die.)  The poinsettia dp originally came from a DCWV stack, but it was a left over scrap with a piece punched out of it from a previous project.  I managed to cover that hole with the image piece!  Waste not, want not.  :-D

     The snowflake embellies are from Jolee's, and this card took me just under 15 minutes to make.  How's that for quick?

     Challenges:

Ally's Angels

Alphabet Challenge

Classic Design

Crafty Catz

Creatalicious

Dream Factory

Outlawz Friday

     That's it for today but I'll have another post tomorrow for another 30 Days of Holidays card.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cardinal Time at FQCC

      We have a new challenge starting today over at FarmQuest Country Christmas.  Our theme is always "Anything Country and Christmas Goes."  In keeping with that, I found this delightful clip art image of a cardinal on a tree branch.

     I did something I hadn't tried before; I found a piece of distressed dp in blue with snowflakes and printed the cardinal image onto it.  Then I colored the bird and the branch with watercolor pencils and gel pens.  I cut the image with a QuicKutz die, then cut two different mats (one steel blue and the other white) with other dies from the same set.  I layered those all together and put that piece onto snowflake dp from DCWV.  I hand-tied a bow using wired cord, then printed and die cut the sentiment with a die from Avery Elle.

     Challenges:

Creative Inspirations

Digi Choosday

Let's Craft & Create

Outlawz Sketch

Penny's P-C

Triple B

     We'd love to see you playing along in this challenge.  It runs until December 5 so you have lots of time.  Remember, tis the season to get started making your Christmas cards!

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Winter Snow

      I'm giving you a sneak preview of the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World 101 which starts tomorrow on the Facebook page.  The image for the month is "Winter Friends" and, if you played last month, it will be sent to you free of charge during the day tomorrow, December 5th.  For each month that you use the chosen monthly image, you will get the following month's image free.

     If you haven't been playing along but would like to start, click on the name of the image up above and that will take you right to the image in the store.  You can purchase it, use it this month, and then start getting the free images in January.

     I actually reduced the sides of the image when I cut it into the oval shape but you can see the full image if you click on the store link above.  I colored the image with Sanjoki markers, and cut it with the Poppy Stamps snowflakes die and the center oval is cut free of the snowflakes.  Next, I used that same die to cut silver glitter paper, this time keeping the outer frame to surround the image.

     I made a background of red and metallic gold CS scraps.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  That Poppy Stamps die was so fancy and delicate that I decided the card needed no additional embellishment.

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Bastel-Traum

Crafter's Cafe

Double Trouble

Dream Valley

Jan's Digi Stamps

Pammie's IP

Poppystamps

Star Stampz

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Nutcrackers

      Conie Fong has a new image set, released just this week and perfect for Christmas.  It's a fabulous set of Nutcrackers which includes a King, a Soldier, and a Drummer.  Click on the word "Nutcrackers" in the previous sentence and that will take you right to them in store.  They are so perfect and I went a little crazy making DT projects with them.  :-D

     I started with this card, using the Nutcracker King image.  He's colored with Sanjoki markers, then cut with a Tonic Studios die.  I used a Sizzix embossing folder on a scrap of CS (Stampin' Up) to make the blue panel, then cut the snowflakes with dies from Impression Obsession.  They have glitter added to them for a tiny bit of sparkle but it just doesn't show up in the photo.  The Noel sentiment was cut with a Die-Versions die.  The final touch was the hand-sewn, satin bow with a pearl.

     Challenges:

     Feeling that the other two Nutcracker images shouldn't be left out, and because my daughter collects nutcrackers as Christmas decorations and displays, I made a two-sided, tree ornament for her.  Both images were colored with Sanjoki markers, then I cut each one with the same Spellbinders die.  

 

     After cutting the images with that die, I cut 7 more of that shape from plain white CS.  I sandwiched all those layers together using double stick tape to make the ornament thick and heavy, and added a scrap of ribbon as the hanger.  (Note: As an afterthought, after the photos had been taken, I applied Mod Podge to both sides and along the edges of the ornament, letting it dry between applications.  It's now very sturdy and can be used year after year.)

     These snowflakes were cut with a die from Cottage Cuts.  Here are photos of both sides of the ornament.

Drummer

 

Soldier

     Challenges:

     Don't forget that we have a monthly challenge going over on the Conie Fong Facebook site with an Anything Goes theme.  All you have to do is use a Conie Fong image (there are freebies available on the site which you can download and use.)  Or, if you've fallen in love with the Nutcrackers, you can pick up all 3 of them in the set for only $4.00!  Again, all you have to do is click on the word "Nutcrackers" in the first paragraph of this post and that link will take you right to them in the Etsy store.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

White Christmas

     This is a different kind of "White Christmas" - not like the song.      :-D  

     I fell in love with this sweet kitten, all fluffed up in his white winter coat, cuddling with his very own best friend.  I wish I knew the artist but I haven't a clue.  If anyone recognizes it or knows the artist, please tell me so that I can give proper credit.  I think it came from a digital coloring book since it was a .pdf file and most of my .pdf digitals are coloring book pages.  I also had reduce the size to fit the card.

     I printed the digital image in light grayscale, then colored the girl and the kitten with Sanjoki markers, emphasizing the blue eyes of each.  I cut the image and the aqua frame with square dies from QuicKutz.  I used a Spellbinders square die and a Tonic Studios rectangle die to cut the blue CS pieces for the 'checkerboard' background.

     The sentiment was printed and cut with another Tonic Studios die.  I enhanced the 'winter' feel of the card by adding a few Recollections snowflakes with gems and glitter.  I plan to use this as a Christmas card for one of my great-granddaughters.

     Challenges:

Creative Fingers

Digi Choosday

Di's Digi Designs

Lil Patch of Crafty ...

Outlawz Friday

Passion for Markers

Peace on Earth

Polkadoodles

Simon Says Stamp

SUYP Cats

      Maybe this 'cool' card will bring some relief from the hot, hot, hot (!) weather we've had this summer.  I can always hope.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie