Christmas Cards - Spellbinders Cozy Toes Slippers

"Christmas is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand,
 and for a talk beside the fire: it is time for home".

 Hey there from Nannyland,

It's been a while since I've posted a blog and I can explain, Lucy.  What a wild roller coaster ride we've been on here, with lots of exhilarating ups and unforeseen downs.  We were able to see both of our darling daughters during the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving, but due to a series of unfortunate events, we weren't all together at once as we had hoped.  My daughter from Copenhagen caught a nasty cold while visiting friends in Sacramento. My other daughter from Pacific Grove, California took a two day road trip to be here for our much anticipated Thanksgiving family reunion.  But she and I have compromised immune systems so my sniffling daughter was unable to be with us on Thanksgiving.  In my defense, my oncologist told me if I got sick on my new meds I would have to go to emergency and she forbade me to let anyone who even had a slight tickle in their throat enter my home. So my daughter ended up extending her trip so she could see us after she got better.  All was well in the end, but you know what they say about the best laid plans.  

I haven't been able to soak up the comforting creative energy in Nannyland for weeks and I'm feeling the consequences. I almost decided to forgo my annual limited addition Christmas cards this year, but then I realized that sending handmade notes to the people I love would be a very uplifting and healing pursuit.  And, happily, it was just that.  

My cards are simple this year, but gluing together all the cute details of these Spellbinders slippers did take some time.  I love how fanciful and cheerful they turned out and I'm happy to say, I mailed most of them yesterday.  Now I just have to get some Christmas baskets ready for friends and wrap a quilt that I'm giving to a special angel of mine who could use a quilty hug. Who would have thought all the hustle and bustle of Christmas would be so energizing to a anxious mind and fragile body.   

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season and all the wonderful meaning and symbolism that surrounds it.  Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year, y'all. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.
I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 
Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                 Playing along with:

As You Like it Challenge - Anything Christmasy

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Reading Books in Cozy Nooks - Journal Pages With Zekesami Emma Digital Stamp

In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold.

Hey there from Nannyland,

When the crisp cool weather of winter begins, one of my favorite ways to relax is soaking up the brisk air as I sit on my patio reading a good book.  A snuggly warm jacket and a cup of warm apple cider are all I need to take me to my happy place.

Emma, the darling girl in this Zekesami digi, looks like she is exactly where she wants to be on a cool, winter's day.  I have colored her with Copic markers using warm citrus green and orange hues combined with cool winter shades of blue.  I fussy cut the image and mounted her on a lacy oval die cut frame and surrounded her with  bejeweled snowflake accents.  I was excited to find tiny matching green brads in my stash to add dimension to the front of her sweater. The dots on her mug were made with green and white fine line markers.  

                                      

I wasn't sure about my color palette when I started coloring, but I really like this mix of cool and warm non-traditional colors.  I'm having such fun branching out from my favorite color palettes and experimenting with some new combinations. The inspiration page was created using the Cricut cutting and writing features. 

Cool and warm, crisp and cuddly, I love all the contradictions of winter.  I hope you are looking forward to the magic of the season as much as I am.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.
I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 
Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)
                                                              Playing along with:

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Bee Still and Know Journal Pages - Jeremiah Ketner Honey Bee Digital Stamp

Be still and know that I am God.     Psalm 46:10

Hey there from Nannyland,

One of the best things about being a colorist is that I'm able to sit quietly and let my thoughts wander to lovely places while I serenely add color and shading to my project. The only other pursuit I can think of that offers this kind of rest to my soul is walking in nature. Oh, and maybe quilting. When the world seems to be in a constant state of  chaos, sitting down to color a beautiful piece of art, preferably a gorgeous lady in my case, whispers to me to slow down and breathe. 

I chose a  tranquil image called  Honey Bee by Jeremiah Ketner to sooth my restless inner dialog and it didn't take long before my coloring took me away to my happy place.

I cut a gold foil frame in Cricut Design Space and sized it to my journal page and image. The blooms were created by adhering beaded flowers from my stash to purple foil card stock and then fussy cutting them.  It's always a delight to find treasures in my gem drawer that can be adapted for use on my creations.  A jar on my embellishment shelf is full of punched swirls in every color, ready to add sparkly accents to my flowers in place of leaves for a stylish flair. 

The idea for my inspiration page came from the cute bee necklace my pretty miss is wearing.  The metallic bee accent on the tag was created in Cricut Design Space.

I hope I have inspired you to engage in the things you love that bring you peace and joy.

    

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.
I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 
Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)
                                                              Playing along with:

Moving Along With The Times Challenge 172

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Sweet Picture Perfect Autumn - Spellbinders September 2024 Large Die of the Month

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Hey there from Nannyland,

I'm always excited to snag my Spellbinders Large Die of the Month out of my mailbox each month!  I'm never disappointed at the wonderfully designed dies inside the package.  September's gorgeous set of dies called Picture Perfect Autumn contains dies of all sizes and shapes for creating beautiful fall scenes. The sky is literally the limit.  I chose to use a slimline card format to allow me the real-estate to include some fabulous oversized sunflowers in the foreground to give my scene a fun perspective. 

Sponging and Copic coloring work best for me with my die cuts because it's so easy to create just the right color and texture.  It's also much easier for me to cut the dies out using white card stock instead of hunting for just the right color in my huge stash.   

I couldn't help adding lots of Stickles sparkle to the flowers and trees and I think it adds just the right amount of shine and texture to my already cheerful scene.  The bird and mini flowers are dies from some cute Impression Obsession sets I bought many years ago to add dainty details to my nature scenes.  And, of course, I had to add a little bling to my mini flower centers with small gems. 

Happy fall, y'all.  I hope your world is a beautiful wash of stunning warm hues like the ones I see out of my window in my comfy desert home. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.
I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 
Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)
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Craft Rocket Challenge #119

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Leave a Little Room for Miracles - Mariola Budek Lady Spring digi

Miracles happen to those who believe in them.   Bernard Berenson

Hey there from Nannyland,

It's still a wild ride over here with some pretty intense medical issues going on at our house, but I'm making sure I find time to relax, take deep breaths and color some beautiful inspiration for my art journals.  When it feels impossible to summon my mojo,  I just dive in and get started until the creative juices begin to flow. They have never failed me and  I love feeling like my old self again. I thank God everyday for my magnificent obsession with paper arts and quilting that allow me to escape into a bright, magical world of color and creativity. 

The lovely image I colored here is called Lady Spring from the artwork of Mariola Budek.  I usually have a color scheme in mind, but this time I just started laying down color until I liked what I saw. Instead of using soft, spring colors for the flowers I ended up going with more of a Fall palette and added lots of Spellbinders die cut blooms to add dimension and movement. 

My inspiration sentiment has meant so much to me during these stressful times. I wanted to create something I could look at as I flip through my journal pages and remember the amazing miracles and tender mercies that have lifted me up the past couple of months.  

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                              Playing along with:

Crafty Catz Challenge #681

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Ching-Chou Kuik "Love" Digital Stamp - Trust in the Lord

Be still and know that I am God.
Psalms 46:10

Hey there from Nannyland,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart...sometimes that's about all we can do when things get a little rocky on this exhilarating but extremely twisty road of life.  I've had several run-ins with breast cancer in the past 18 years, but this last one has been quite the challenge.  My aged body doesn't take the punches as well as it used to. But I have always trusted God to hold my hand and help me weather the storm and he hasn't let me down yet.  Good thing I can escape to Nannyland and renew my positive, healing energy doing all the things I love. 

This absolutely gorgeous Ching-Chow Kuik digital stamp called "Love" was a delight to color for my journal page, reminding me to be still and listen to the Spirit.  I colored her with Copics in rich jewel tones and adorned her dress and hair with tiny Spellbinders flowers.   

She is framed with a lacy Spellbinders die and mounted on a Ranger Dylusions Journal page. Die cut vellum butterflies are added to the background to complete my tranquil scene. Small gems embellish the flowers and butterflies and a white gel pen was used to add detail to the vines. 

The scripture quote layers were created in Cricut Design Space using the writing and cutting features.  Just a few more Spellbinders embellies finish the design. 

Now I think I'll trust the Lord to keep watch while a take a dreamy nap under my big, bright chartreuse minky blanket!. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                              Playing along with:

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Julia Spiri Happy Fairy Journal Page - A Joyful Heart is Good Medicine

“Laughter is like taking a good medicine.” Every day you need to take your medicine. Find something that makes you laugh. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

If you need a warm smile to cheer you up, Julia Spiri's beautiful images are sure to make that happen.  I've discovered the more I laugh and grin, the better I feel, no matter what challenges life sends my way.  This darling girl is called Happy Fairy and you can find her in Julia's shop here. Just look at her adorable dimpled smile and those twinkling eyes.   Could she be any more adorable?  

I love making journal pages that immediately give me a lift as I flip through them.  I challenge you to try and keep from smiling when you look at Julia's magical artwork.  I have a dear friend who is going through a difficult health challenge and I plan to make a card with this image and use the same bible quote from Proverbs: 17:22.

I used a Ranger Dylusion Journal page for this entry and mounted my Copic-colored image to a white Spellbinders die cut frame. I used the same frame layers to create the label for the opposite page.  I created the scripture quote in Cricut Design Space using the writing feature.  I try to keep everything as flat as I can on my pages for obvious reasons, so my pretty Spellbinders flowers are perfect for her luscious locks and as low profile frame embellishments.   Her sparkly jewelry is studded with small gems. 

This little "fae" has cheered me up many times as I flip through my journal, reminding me that healing comes from a happy, blythe spirit. In fact, I think she said her name was Blythe.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit.

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                          Playing along with:

Creative Artiste Challenge #108

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