Over the Moon

      Today's card serves as a reminder that our Challenge #13 at FarmQuest General Store still has a couple of weeks to run so there's still time for you to enter anything that has a country flavor.  Our sponsor is QKR Stampede and the image I used on this DT card is one of three images which are the prize.

     I love the humor this image invokes!  I think my sentiment says it all.  :-D  The image was colored with Sanjoki alcohol markers, then fussy cut.  The background was made by adding blue CS to the card front and trimming it to fit.  I added a multi-loop bow made from jute cord to enhance the country feel and the sentiment was cut with a die from Avery Elle.

     Challenges:

Creative Moments

Digi Choosday

Dream Valley

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz SAR ("...leaps & bounds")

Pammie's IP

Star Stampz

     If you haven't played already (or even if you have) come play with us before our challenge ends on March 5.  Our next challenge starts on March 7.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy Moo-lloween!

      The younger of my two granddaughters is attending Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX.  She was born in Texas but the family moved to California when she was Kindergarten age so returning to Texas has given her a different view of life.  

     Somehow, cows have become a running joke between her and the rest of the family, to the point where she has decorated her apartment with black and white cowhide patterns, and pictures of cows on the walls.  As you can imagine, the cow fascination has given me rich territory for cards.  :-D  Today's card is one of her Halloween cards.

     As soon as I saw this image (DeegitalMark), I had to grab it.  Then, as I searched that site (which was new to me) I saw more and more delightful cows dressed in Halloween garb and I ended up buying a set of 16 images.  I'm sending her several throughout the month, just to be funny.  This one was mailed last week.

     I printed the image in light grayscale, then used watercolors to color it, and added the pale gray shadow around the cow with marker.  I used a Spellbinders die to cut the image, and a QuicKutz die to cut the frame on which I had printed the sentiment.  I colored that frame orange with another marker, and inked the edges with a black ink pad.  The background paper was a scrap from the basket and I have no idea who made it.  I only know it's been in my stash of  leftovers for more years than I care to consider.

     Challenges:

Aloha Friday

Creative Fingers

Daisy Chain

Halloween AYR

LeighSBDesigns

Let's Craft & ...

Outlawz Friday

Star Stampz

Two Old Bats

WorldWide Crafters ...

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

"Herd" It's Father's Day

      This silly Father's Day card is for my Son-in-Law who invented a completely ridiculous game to play while traveling a long distance by car.  He and my daughter were moving my granddaughter half way across the country to college, hauling furniture and furnishings she'd need for her first 'dorm' apartment.  At some point, he suggested they count the cows they saw along the way.  

     Of course, it became a competition with each person counting their own cows to see who got the most.  Someone, I'm not sure which person, added a new rule that if one person spotted a cemetery, they could 'collect' it and everybody else lost all their cows and had to start counting all over again.  Many versions of the game were played over a period of 3 days and nights, including wiping out everyone else's cow count by seeing just a sign for a cemetery, looking up cow related websites, games, or apps, and even counting cows on billboards, milk cartons, and other dairy products!

     A couple of months ago, I made a card for my granddaughter which featured cows on it, and I added to the game by telling her she could collect the cows on the card.  In fairness to my SIL, this is a cow he can count.  lol

      Do you know the best way to count cows when you're moving past them at 70 MPH in a car?  Count the legs and divide by 4!

     This is pre-colored clip art, and I added white highlights and gold lowlights with gel pens.  The image and the frame were both cut with QuicKutz dies.  The background dp came from The Paper Studio.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die.

     Challenges:

613 Ave Create

Crafty Calendar

Creative Fingers

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz Friday

Paper Dragonfly

Pattie's Creations

     That's all for today but I'll have another post tomorrow.  See you then and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Kittens in the Milk Pail

      I had so much fun making this card, my second DT project for the new challenge at FarmQuest General Store (FQGS, for short) which starts on the 7th of each month and ends on the 5th of the following month.  Our theme is always Anything Farm Country Goes (see the blog site for more specifics on that.)

     I played with an old photograph, printed in grayscale, and colored with blue ProMarkers to give it a bit of tint, kind of like coloring old tintypes.  I cut the image with a rectangle Tonic Studios die, then layered it onto a scrap piece of CS which was the center of  a frame previously cut with a Sue Wilson die for another project.  

     Moral of the story:  Never, ever throw out the scraps!  I know both the scrap CS and the scrap of dp have been around in the scrap basket for more than 2 years.  The twine is probably 4 or 5 years old, and the dies I used have been in my collection for more years than I can count.

     The sentiment was cut with an Avery Elle die and the top edge of the mat was cut with that same Sue Wilson die so that the sentiment would tuck in nicely at the bottom of the image piece.  The striped dp was also a scrap from the basket and I think it was from a K & Co. stack.  The fiber/twine came from The Twinery.

     Challenges:

Digi Choosday

Outlawz Thurs

Pammie's IP

Paper Funday

Passion for Markers

Penny's P-C

Polkadoodles

SUYP Cats

Word Art Weds

     We'd love to see you playing in our challenges this month.  We get as much inspiration from you as you get from us, you know.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Holy Cow !

      I was invited to be a Guest Designer at The Outlawz Tuesday Color challenge this fortnight and I happily said "Yes."  The sponsor is Hetty Clare and this adorable image is called "The Sun Hat."  I thought it was a fabulous image and I can tell you that it was fun to color!   

     I think I managed to get all the colors in the cue card for the challenge and, of course, used the twist of "Ribbon."  

     Doesn't she look like she's standing in a field of spring grass with a breeze blowing through all that hair?  :-D  I colored with my ProMarkers, then cut the image with a Dare 2B Artzy die.  I cut the purple CS background with the same die, and inlaid the image into it after taping the strip of satin ribbon across the spot where the image would be.  

     The sentiment, cut with an Avery Elle die, was added on top of the image and I put the image into the background.  I laid that entire piece onto pink CS, wrapped the ends of the ribbon to the back side, and adhered that to the card front.  I used more of that satin ribbon to make the bow.

     Challenges:

Cutie Pie

Dream Valley

House...Stamps Built

Lemon Shortbread

Paperminutes

Passion for ProMarkers

Penny's Paper-Crafty

TTCRD

Word Art Weds

     I hope to see you playing along in this challenge.  Not a member of  The Outlawz?  Consider joining; it's free, takes almost no time, and they have challenges for each day of the week plus one for using old stash items, and even a progressive challenge where you can get new images from a different artist once each month.  When you've joined, you can sign up to follow as many or as few of the different challenges as you like.  :-D

  

    Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Pretty Calf for a Lovely Thank You

      I noticed the other day that my stash of  Thank You cards was getting pretty low and, just in time, this DOTM showed up from Imagine That!  Along with the sweet calf image, there are sentiments and one of them was perfect for adding to my stash of Thank You cards.  :-D

     I colored with ProMarkers and gel pens, then cut the image with a die from Tattered Lace.  The die is actually made for cutting a shaped card so it has a blank space at the top without any cutting, but after cutting once, I turned the piece in the die and cut a second time so that I had a complete circle.  

     The sentiment is cut with an Unbranded die and the bottom corner of the flocked paper was cut with a Poppy Stamps die.   The corner die also embosses but that doesn't show up very well on the flocked paper.   I used a craft knife to distress the edges of the flocked paper but it's very heavy paper and the distressing doesn't show up very well in the photo.  I didn't want to cover any more of that gorgeous Doodlebug paper so I let the design and the die cuts be their own embellishment.

     Challenges:

Aud Sentiments

Crafts Galore Encore

Cute Card Thurs

Lemon Shortbread

Lil Patch of ...

Mod Squad

Outlawz Twisted Thurs

Polkadoodles

Poppystamps

     Hope your week is going well and that you can find some 'down time' just for you.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

'Til the Cows Come Home

      "...'til the cows come home" was part of my childhood.  Both of my parents loved the phrase and would put it behind nearly any admonition to finish doing something or in answer to every child's "Are we there yet?"  The answer was usually something like "We're going to drive 'til the cows come home," "I want you to run 'til the cows come home,"  "You must study 'til the...."  Well, you get the idea.  When I saw this silly little cow from Bugaboo Stamps, I giggled and browsed through all those childhood memories.  :-D

Calf and Barn images merged

Sentiment printed w image

Colored w ProMarkers

Cut w Cottage Cutz stitched die

Satin edge, sheer ribbon from RRR

Metal brads

CAS masculine design

     Challenges:

Cardz TV

Catch the Bug

Colour Crazy

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Gem of a Challenge

Lil Patch of ...

Outlawz SAR

Paper Shelter

Simon Says Stamp

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Cow Country

     I don't think I've ever had more fun coloring an image!  We have a new challenge at QKR Stampede starting today and our theme is "Cows."  Yes, I said "Cows."   I hope you'll check out all the different cows used by the gals on the DT.  We all giggled over our images and cards this week.

     Both my sentiment (Digi 11207 - Cow Country) and my image (Digi 1004 - Long Horn) came from QKR Stampede.

     I'm happily dedicating this card to my friend and blogging buddy, Lynn (Creative Crafts by Lynn,) who lives in Cow Country somewhere out there in the middle of Texas.  Some time back, she made a card and discovered that her hubby was very confused about the difference between a pig and a cow, which is a bit embarrassing for a Texas cowboy!  She had me laughing for a week with her story about that one.

     So, Lynn, I personally challenge you to do something with a cow this week and enter it into the QKR challenge.  And, yes, I know you have some kind of a cowboy charm to add to it!  :-D

     I colored this image with ProMarkers then cut it out and punched the corners.  I used dark brown CS to mat the image and punched those corners, too.  I printed the sentiment, rounded the corners, matted it and rounded those corners.  Everything was adhered to a square, white card base.

     I added the twine, used a bit more of it to make the lariat, and finally added the cowboy hat charm.  There you go, another CAS, masculine card filled with fun and who knows what else.  After all, as the sentiment says, "You're in cow country..."

     Challenges:
Card Mania
Come and Get It
Crafting for all Seasons
Creative Moments
Deep Ocean
DL.ART
Fan-Tastic Tuesday
Get Creative
Loves Rubber Stamps
Not Just Cards
One Stitch at a Time
Paper Minutes
Petal Lu
SLS Lines
Sunday Stamps

     I really hope you'll come and play with us this week.  While it isn't necessary to use a QKR image to enter or to win, there are some awfully cute cow images in the shop.  Plus, you'll be entered into a separate drawing just for entries which use QKR Stampede images and that increases your chances of winning dramatically!  Happy Stamping.  NanaConnie