Showing posts with label hand sewn bow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hand sewn bow. Show all posts

Thursday, October 24, 2024

All About Halloween

      I'm playing catch-up today because I haven't posted in nearly a week and because Halloween is only a week away.  I have three Halloween witches to share with you and one scared dragoon!  lol  Can dragons actually be scared of anything?  Let's see.

     This is another collaboration card (in fact, all the ones in this post are collaboration cards), with coloring by my sis-in-law, Lainy, and card making by yours truly. We found this silly image of a dragon hiding in a trunk on a clip art site and printed it for coloring.  Unfortunately, it was a very small image and when we enlarged it to color it, the image got a bit blurry.  We corrected as much as we could before printing but it's not really sharp.

     Lainy colored it using Ohuhu markers, then hand drew the spider and colored it with Ohuhus.  There is a string of web from which the spider is hanging but it's hard to see in the photo.  I cut the image with a Spellbinders die, inked the edges and layered it onto the embossed CS I selected for the background (Recollections.)  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  I added a wrap of glitter ribbon for a touch of sparkle.


     Challenges:

     This next card (our first witch for the day) has an image that's actually from a digital coloring book, reduced in size to fit an A2 card.  Again, colored with Ohuhu markers but a few details & highlights were added with gel pens.  Image was cut with a QuicKutz die, and matted with orange CS.  The spiderweb dp is from a Recollections stack and the bow was hand sewn, then 'dyed' with a marker, and a pearl was added to the center of it.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.


     Challenges:

     Second witch card, an adorable mouse witch, and this time the image came from a friend who printed it for Lainy and asked her to color it, so we have no info on the artist.  If anyone knows, please leave a comment and let us know because we love giving proper credit.  The image had been printed in grayscale and Lainy used colored pencils on it.  I cut the image and the black mat with Tonic Studios dies.  Sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then I added a mat of orange, hand trimmed to size.  The background was made with CS and a strip of dp from the scrap basket.  I tied the bow with a scrap of ribbon lying on the desk from another project.


     Challenges:

     This last witch is from my AuroraWings collection of images, and Lainy fell in love with her and her cat the instant she saw her so I printed it for her to color.  The black background is actually part of the image.  Lainy used Ohuhu markers to color this one, adding white gel pen to the whites of the eyes.  Once she finished, I cut the image on my Fiskars paper cutter, and matted it with white CS.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The background dp came from a Recollections stack and I added ribbon and a triple loop bow to the top of the card.  I love using ribbon because it allows me to make fancy bows with a shiny glow from the satin, unlike twine or cord which always seems flat or dull (but that works well on masculine cards, I guess.)


     Challenges:

     OK, now I feel like I'm getting caught up on posting and I'll try to have another post tomorrow,  
Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, October 18, 2024

Lady of the Roses

     No Halloween cards today, no Thanksgiving, & no Christmas, just a birthday card for a young princess.  :-)  The image came from Moondrea Designs and she's called "Lady of the Roses."  

     I used Ohuhu alcohol markers to color her, then cut her with one of my first dies from QuicKutz.  I inked the edges, then printed and cut the sentiment with a die from Avery Elle.  I wanted a very CAS card so added only a hand-sewn bow for embellishment.  The ribbon for the bow was originally white but I 'dyed' it with a marker, then added the tiny half-pearl.  

     While I use both on my cards, I find myself reaching for ribbon much more often than I reach for and use twine or cord.  I think it's because I can tie so many different kinds of bows with ribbon and I have the advantage of being able to make white ribbon any color I like to more closely match a color in the image or on the card.  Either way, ribbon is my "go to" for feminine cards!


     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Witches and Spells

      I'm playing along in the Progressive Challenge at Moondrea Designs each month and this is the image given for October.  Isn't she a fabulous witch?  Colored with Ohuhu markers and cut with a Tonic Studios die, then the corners were done with a punch from Recollections.

     The blue background was textured with my Linen EF.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The bow was made with white ribbon, dyed purple with a marker, then hand sewn.  A tiny half-pearl was added to the bow.


Colors were pulled from the Outlawz Tuesday challenge.
  
     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Trick or Treat Cats

      When I ran across this adorable clip art image, I just had to see how it would look printed in grayscale and colored.  That's exactly what I did!  I colored with Ohuhu markers, added white highlights to their eyes and collars with a gel pen, then cut the image with a Spellbinders die.  I used a Fiskars punch on the corners.

     Although it's hard to see in the photo, I used my Linen EF to emboss the background, charcoal gray, CS.  The sentiment was printed and trimmed on my paper trimmer.  I sewed the little bow and dyed it orange, using a marker.  Bows have to be my favorite embellishment, partly because it's so easy to use them as the only embellishment.  There's a tiny, half-pearl in the center of the bow.  Very CAS design.


I pulled colors from AAA Colourful.

     Challenges:

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Spooky Pumpkin Patch Cat

      We are starting our newest challenge at FarmQuest General Store today and, as usual, we have a general "Country/Farm" theme.  We are sponsored by QKR Stampede and the prize is the three images used by the DT on their inspiration cards both today and on September 21 for the halfway reminder post.

     For my card, I used the adorable QKR image called "Kitty and Pumpkin."  I colored it with my new Ohuhu markers, then cut it with a Cutz die.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     The plaid paper in the upper background came from a digital stamp I got from Beccy's Place.  The orange triangle in the background was cut from a scrap of CS found in my basket of fall papers.   The black bow was hand sewn (starting with white ribbon which I dyed black with a marker) and to which I sewed a tiny, white, pearl bead.


     Challenges:

     Come by and play with us this month!  You could be the winner of three adorable QKR Stampede images.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Fir Cone

      Today's card features a digital image from Eureka Stamps, called "Fir Cone" and I thought it was perfect for a Country Christmas card.  It's my DT card for our latest challenge over at FarmQuest Country Christmas.  There are only two requirements to enter that challenge: your project MUST be Christmas and it MUST reflect a country world.  No cityscapes or high rise buildings, no streets clogged with traffic and buildings, no city shopping malls -- you get the idea.  Country, farm land or animals, woodland, trees, open fields, even Santa in the woods with non-domestic animals.

     The fir cone and branch are definitely about the country and they were colored with Sanjoki markers, then I added glitter to frame the image.  Everything was layered onto a black card front.  The bow was hand sewn and a pearl was stitched on.  A nice, simple design.


     Challenges:

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in our Country Christmas challenge this month.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, June 16, 2023

Summertime Fun

      When I think of summer (especially early summer before it gets too miserably hot!), I think of being outdoors and having fun.  Our latest OPTIONAL theme at Crafty Catz (we always have an Anything Goes theme) is "Fun" and our sponsor this week is Hetty Clare.  I'm completely mad for her art!  She generously supplied images for the DT to use on their inspiration cards and I chose to use the one called "At Play."  

     NOTE TO MY READERS:  When I went over to the store to look for the image link to put into my post, I noticed that there's a 50% off sale right now.  Go check it out (and, yes, to answer your unasked question, I DID go on a shopping spree!  lol)  Click on the name of the image or on the Sponsor name above and it'll take you right to the shop.

     I colored the sheep and cow with Sanjoki markers before cutting the image with a die from Tutti Designs.  I printed and cut the sentiment with another die from that same set.  The background paper was in the scrap basket so I'm not sure of the maker but it's probably DCWV - a very old stack.  

     I added brown lace ribbon and one of my hand-sewn, signature bows, this time with a pearl sewn on. 


     Challenges:

     Come play in our challenge!  We love being inspired by you.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Puddle Jumping

      A new challenge is starting over at FarmQuest and our theme this time is "Rain Gear."  Of course, it must always have that farm/country feel to it.  As soon as I read the theme, I knew it was time to dig out one of my House Mouse stamps.  I adore this stamp and will find any excuse to use it, including "Don't rain on my parade" days.  :-D

     This time, I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut it with a stitched die from Cuts.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.  The sky blue CS I used for the background was embossed with my Linen folder before attaching it to the card front, just for a touch of texture.   I grabbed one of my white, hand-sewn, signature bows from the stash, 'dyed' it with a marker, and added a sequin before gluing it to the card.

     Pretty CAS, plus nice and flat for mailing.


     Challenges:
Simon Says (Rainy Days and Mondays)

     That's it for FarmQuest this fortnight.  Come play with us, won't you?  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Seashell Rosealea

      I'm delighted to share with you the latest image from Conie Fong.  She's called Seashell Rosealea and she's in the shop and on sale right now!  Don't forget we have a challenge going on and all you have to do is use a Conie Fong image and enter it via our FB page.  You could win gorgeous Conie Fong images.  Never had a Conie Fong image before?  There are freebies on the site which you can use to enter a project.  :-D

     I used Sanjoki alcohol markers to color the image, then I cut it with an octagon die from QuicKutz.  The sentiment was printed and cut with a smaller octagon die, then mounted behind the image.  The background dp is from a Recollections stack and the bow was hand sewn.


     Challenges:

     I hope we see you playing in our challenge this month.  Just click HERE to get to the challenge.  If you haven't joined our FB group yet, you can do that quickly and it's free.  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, April 21, 2023

Monkey Business

      It's time for another weekly challenge over at Crafty Catz and this time our sponsor is Last Minute Manda.  I'm using one of the cute images they supplied to the DT, which came from a set called Monkey Birthday.  This is only one of the images in the set and all the others are just as cute.

     Our theme at Crafty Catz is always "Anything Goes" but we have an optional twist each week if you choose to use it.  Our optional theme this week is "Celebration."

     I used both Sanjoki and ProMarkers to color this image, taking special care to make the balloons as translucent as possible.  I cut the image with a Cutz die and then layered that onto dp from EK Success.  I printed and fussy cut the sentiment.  I added one of my signature style bows and called it finished.  I think this will make a great birthday card for a young boy, although I've known a lot of grown men who never outgrew their love of silly monkeys.  :-D


I used colors from Dragonfly Dreams.

     Challenges:

     Come play with us this week.  We love seeing what you create.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Yellow Roses

      Another Mother's Day card and another Mariola Budek image, this one called, appropriately, "Roses."  What mom wouldn't love roses for Mother's Day?  My daughter loves yellow roses so I decided that would be the color of these.  I've printed three different copies of this black and white image so the other two will probably be red and pink, but I'm also thinking of white roses if I can figure out how to make them stand out from a white background.  :-D

     The image has been colored with a combo of  Sanjoki markers and water color paints, with tiny dots of Diamond Stickles added as dew drops to 2 of the rose petals.  I cut the shape of the image by laying on a Spellbinders die and drawing around it in pencil.  Then I used scissors to cut on the pencil line.  I inked the edges of the shape with a dark gray ink pad.  The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die and I inked the edges of it, also.

     I found twill ribbon in my stash and the yellow chevrons on it worked so well with the color of the roses.  The bow was made with a bit of muslin fabric, folded accordion style and wrapped in the middle, then hand-stitched on the back to make it stay in that shape.  Everything was mounted onto an olive green CS placed on the card front.


     Challenges:
Beautiful Blossoms

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Easter Dragon

      You're going to see probably 2 posts per day for at least the next week so that I can share all the Easter cards I've been making, trying to get all the ones for family and friends finished, plus the ones for the craft fair next Friday where I'm going to have a vendor booth.  I searched for and printed several free, clip art images (some pre-colored and some not) in addition to the ones I've hand colored and for hte last 2 days, I've been putting cards together.

     The one I'm sharing today will be my eldest granddaughter's card because she's the one who adores dragons as much as I do.  This image shows you exactly what happens when the wrong kind of eggs - meaning not CHOCOLATE! - get put into the Easter Basket. :-D  

     I colored the image (from Crafty Moments) with ProMarkers, then cut it with a Memory Box, pin point die.  The background papers are from BLD, a company new to me, but the paper pack was a gift and I really love them.  Those two papers happen to be from a single sheet of two sided paper which worked perfectly for my color combo.

     I added the sentiment after I cut it and inked the edges, then made a hand-sewed bow using satin ribbon.


     Challenges:

     Don't worry, my granddaughter never checks my blog so she won't see this until Easter.  But you can check again in about an hour wen my second post for today will be live.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Spring Flower Cart

      It's time for the next challenge at I Love ProMarkers and our wonderful sponsor is Paper Nest Dolls.  Our theme is "Spring Time" and I used a darling Paper Next Dolls image called "Flower Cart Avery."

      Colored with ProMarkers, and cut with a fancy Spellbinders die.  The pink CS mat is another Spellbinders die cut.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then matted with a pink CS scrap.  The little bow was hand sewn and a sequin was added.  The tiny leaves came from the scrap basket and I simply can't remember what die I used.  I know it was a leftover from Christmas crafting.

I pulled my colors from the challenge at My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:
Double Trouble (image sized up)
     
     We'd love to see you entering our challenge.  We love being inspired by you, maybe even more than you love seeing our inspiration creations.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, October 15, 2021

Not Very Spooky

      It's the middle of the month so time for the start of another Challenge over at QKR Stampede.  We have two challenges every month; one on the 1st and one on the 15th .  Be sure to check the challenge blog to see if you were a winner or one of the Top 3 for the last challenge.

     It's October so of course I had to do a Halloween card.  QKR has some of the cutest Halloween/autumn images I've seen anywhere and I love coloring them.  This image is called, appropriately enough, "Halloween Kitty."  I love the expression on his face.  Can't you just see that he's waiting for 'The Great Pumpkin' (of Peanuts fame)?  I'm sure he and Linus are sitting together in the pumpkin patch, hoping their patch gets chosen as the best in the world.  :-D

     I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then fussy cut it with scissors.  I cut two fancy rectangles with a Spellbinders die, offset them on a pumpkin-orange card base, then layered the image onto them.  I added two scraps of  ribbon, layered one on top of the other.   I made one of my signature, hand-sewn bows, using white ribbon but then 'dying' it with ProMarkers to get the color I wanted.  The sentiment was printed and fussy cut.


     Challenges:

     Come play along with us in this challenge.  Our theme is always "Anything Goes" and you can use any kind of image you like, from any company or artist.  But, if you choose to use a QKR Stampede image (or one from our sister company Eureka Stamps), your entry will be put into a completely separate draw and that significantly increases your chance of being a winner!  Good luck and see you in the challenge.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Monday, September 27, 2021

Newest Reindeer

      This adorable image is the freebie for the Progressive Challenge at LeAnn's World.  It's called "Dillon" and I reversed the image before printing it.  I used my ProMarkers to color the image, then cut both it and the frame with oval dies from QuicKutz.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     The background dp came from a Graphic 45 stack and it's really old.  I've probably had that in my Christmas stash since 2014!  I added a wrap of satin ribbon plus a hand-sewn, polka dot bow with blingy gemstones.  The bow is made from grosgrain ribbon and gives wonderful texture, both actual and visual.  :-D


     Challenges:
Christmas Crafts ... (reindeer, ribbon)
Clever Dexter (sparkly gems + opt colors)

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Water Flowers, Not Weeds

     I'm posting a reminder for those of you who haven't yet played in our Anything Goes challenge over at Jan's Digi Stamps.  Our challenge will run until the evening of Sunday, May 3, and you may use any products from any company.  However, if you choose to use an image from Jan's, your entry will be put into a separate draw just for those using Jan's and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount.

      For this card, I used an image from "Friendship Flowers 702J."  I printed the colored version but in gray scale instead of color, then used a highlighting technique wherein I colored only a small part of the image, making that part seem 'highlighted.' 

     The sentiment is from that same set and seemed very appropriate for our current days when it's so easy to focus on all the deprivations instead of finding a few blessings.  :-D


I used colors from Color My Heart #38, starting with
the diagonal colors from top right down to bottom left,
and then added all the other colors on the board
 before it was all finished, except for the Candy Apple.  :-D


Colored with ProMarkers
Image cut with stitched, Tutti Designs die
Sentiment cut with Sizzix die, edges inked with chalks
Papers from DCWV
Signature, hand-sewn bow w/ gem

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Creative Inspirations
Digi Choosday
Double D
Ike's World
Lemon Shortbread
Paper Funday
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD

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

Monday, February 10, 2020

Spring Beauty

     Here's another card I've done as a Guest Designer for Conie Fong.   This image is called "Braid in My Hair."  I just had to do it in my favorite purples and lavenders.  :-D  I also layered several frame die cuts to make my own background for the image.


I played a bit with Sketch 177 from Sweet Sketch Weds.
but that was my take on this sketch.


Colored with ProMarkers and gel inks
Fussy cut with scissors
Layered frames cut with Spellbinders dies
Dry embossing on layered frames
Sentiment printed and hand cut
Hand sewn bow w/ pearl
Kraft card base

     Challenges:
Crafty Creations
Creative Inspirations
Digi Choosday
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Ike's World
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
TTCRD
Tuesday Throwdown
Word Art Weds.

     Enjoy your week and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Tea 4 Two

     My card today is a salute to love and friendship expressed with the warmth of a cozy tea time.  For you golfers, that's TEA time, not tee time!  I used a delightful image from Conie Fong and decided to put the emphasis on the hearts by doing everything in gray scale except for the red hearts.  I love the overall effect of it.


I based the card design on this sketch from


Colored with ProMarkers and #2 pencil
Image cut with Spellbinders die adjusted to fit
Quilt die from Gina Marie
Papers in 'quilt' are DCWV; embossed and sparkly
Hand sewn ribbon for bow
Sentiment done w/ red heat embossing

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time ...
Country View Crafts
Creatalicious
Dies R Us
House that Stamps Built  (middle row)
I {heart} ProMarkers
Paper Funday
Scrappy Land
Simon Says Stamp

    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Friday, January 3, 2020

Winter's Night

     If it's Friday (and it is), then this has to be the start of another weekly challenge at QKR Stampede where our theme is always "Anything Goes."

     Today is also the last day of my Christmas and New Year holidays and I'll be back to my regular creating and posting routine over the weekend.  It may take me until mid-week to really get back to visiting blogs and commenting on your fabulous designs, but I'll get there somehow.  I don't promise to go back over the last 3 weeks and comment o every post you've done during that time, but I will get back to my routine of visiting as often as possible.   :-D

     I'm celebrating winter with this card, using a gorgeous image called "Snow Scene Circle" and it's from our sister company, Eureka Stamps.


Colored with ProMarkers and chalks
Cut with Spellbinders embossing die
Embossed white CS for background (Doodlebug)
Blue strip has suede polka dots
Hand sewn bow with pearl
Sentiment is printed & hand cut, w/ inked edges

     Challenges:
Cardz TV
Classic Design
Craft-Dee BowZ
Crafts Galore Encore
Creative Knockouts
Dies R Us
Pattie's Creations
Polkadoodles
Your Scrapbook Place

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Peace on Earth

     I'm sharing a very simple card today because I want to share with all my blogging friends the peace of the Christmas season.  The image is obviously from House Mouse.


Colored with ProMarkers, watercolor pencils, and gel inks
Plaid ribbon from Crafty Ribbons
CS layers are from scraps
Hand sewn bow
Sentiment is a computer font printed in white on black

     Challenges:
Cutie Pie
Christmas Kickstart
Christmas w/ the Cuties
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Passion for ProMarkers
Path of Positivity
TTCRD

     Happy Crafting and Merry Christmas.  NanaConnie