Janna Prosvirina "Fireworks" - Kit and Clowder December Class

We are each gifted in a unique and important way.  It is our privilege and our 

adventure to discover our own special light.     Evelyn Mary Dunbar

Janna Prosvirina digi, Copic markers, corner dies, gold leafing pen, pearl gems,
tiny flower die, white, lavender, blue, green and yellow colored pencils., white gel pen

Hey there,

What fun it was to switch gears from my frantic holiday schedule to take on this challenging and rewarding Kit and Clowder Copic Coloring Class.  The image for our December class is by Janna Prosvirina, one of my favorite digi artists, so I couldn't wait to gather my markers and follow along with Alyce's video instruction.  As always, there were many hits and misses with my coloring,  but I've learned that practice is the only way to improve and there are many enticing  opportunities to experiment along the way.  The thing I like the most about Alyce's classes is that she pushes us to try new techniques.  Some things that look impossible to me at first come together surprisingly simple if I have patience and do them step by step.  

Fantasy images always fascinate and beguile me because they offer such a delightful escape from reality.  I'm forever grateful that God gave us the gifts of art, literature, drama and music to allow us to visit tranquil, exquisite places where our worries can evaporate and our spirits can soar.      

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and take some time to enjoy your favorite escape. 

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Creative Moments Challenge #205

Morgan's Artworld Challenge #12

The Creative Crafters Challenge #35

613 Avenue Create December Challenge

Classic Design Challenge #12

Colour Crazy Challenge Wk 50

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #82

Snowman Greetings From Our House to Yours - Lori Whitlock Shutter Card

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things,

but look at what they can do when they stick together. 

Lori Whitlock svg, designer paper, swirl punch, assorted gens, silver leafing pen,
copics for shading, Cricut Maker, Cricut design space writing feature

Hey there,

Creating cards for my multi-talented card group has always been both a delight and a challenge.  It's so enjoyable making something special for them because I know they'll appreciate my efforts, no matter what I come up with.  But it's also a little daunting designing something special for friends I know are going to fashion their own masterpieces.  This year I have already received Christmas cards from some of my besties and they are nothing less than INCREDIBLE. It seems extra time in the craft room has resulted in some very intricate and elaborate designs.  

While this fairly simple card may not win awards for my most fancy and complex,  I loved creating this Lori Whitlock shutter card because the fold is new to me and it was so easy and fun to create on my Cricut Maker.  I can imagine using this fold for all types of cards and I hope my friends will see the possibilities, also. The sentiment comes from my heart because I'm missing them so much after my recent move.  Although I can't meet with the group as I used to (and they haven't met for months because of covid restrictions) we can still use snail mail to communicate our love and exchange ideas.  I would be lost without my cardmaking buddies and all the blessings they bring! 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something special for a friend to express your love.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Creative Moments Challenge #204

The Sisterhood of Crafters Winter Challenge

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #257

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #82

Die Cut Divas Challenge

Do-Al (1) Creatives Challenge #8

QKR Stampede Challenge #410

The Creative Crafters Challenge #35

Joyful Traditions - Lori Whitlock Pop-up Box Card SVG

 And the angel said unto them: Fear not,  for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.      Luke 2:10

Hey there,

The joy and peace of Christmas has meant so much to me this year as I have experienced and witnessed countless miracles as a result of our epic worldwide trial.  I know many of my friends and family are feeling the same way. How about you?  Along with our challenges  (physically, emotionally and spiritually)  many of us have come to realize and appreciate our most precious blessings...those we love.

I had a fabulous time making several of  these festive z-fold cards for friends and family this year. I sized a holiday wreath in Cricut design space to customize this fun Lori Whitlock pop-up box card svg.  I chose this joyful, uplifting greeting and traditional icons to evoke the spirit and beauty of the season. I used the Cricut writing feature to write the sentiment on my panel. 

Although my family can't celebrate in our customary way, I'm finding that Christmas movies,  a colorfully lit tree full of treasured ornaments from years gone by and a blazing fireplace warming my husband  and me as we snuggle in our quilts on the couch go a long way to ignite our Christmas spirits.  Next year at this time, I'm sure we'll all have some inspiring tales of miracles, lessons and adventures, some of which will undoubtedly be much more amusing in hindsight!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and bring some Christmas joy to someone whose spirit could use a lift. 

Nancy

Playing along with:

Crafty Creations Challenge #416

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge  #214

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #85

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge December 1

 Try it on Tuesday Christmas Sparkle Challenge

 Bitten by the Bug Die-Lirious Holiday Challenge

Make My Monday Challenge #137

White Christmas - La La Land Long Sweater Molli

A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.

Markus Zusak

 Hey there,

I grew up where white Christmases were anticipated with delight, but living in sunny California for 50 years has made me wimpy about those chilly flakes of fluff.  Sparkling white Christmas  snow is beautiful in my dreams and fun to depict with glitter paper, but I'm not a fan of shoveling it or twirling in my car on icy roads.  I have recently moved from the sunshine state, and while my new home may see an occasional freakish snow flake, I'm thrilled that enormous mounds of snow appear only in my friends' Face Book posts and on my holiday cards. 

I've been wanting to color this darling Long Sweater La La Land Molli with my Copics for a while and when I saw this Lori Whitlock Z-fold svg, I knew Molli needed to frolic on those glittery hills.  I used three different glitter card stocks for both the scene and the snowflakes to create dimension. I cut all the layers on my Cricut Maker and used the writing feature for my sentiment.  My twinkly snowflakes are adorned with clear gem centers.  Z-folds are my favorite to use for all types of scenes because there's so much marvelous real-estate between the folds. 

So many Christmas cards...so little time!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and make some frosty snow angels...or maybe just dream about them. 

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Aud Sentiment Challenge #265

Fab' N' Funky Challenge #505

The Paper Funday Challenge #24

LeAnns World 101 Challenge #33 

Love to Scrap Challenge #140

Love to Craft Challenge #53

Sweet Stampers Challenge #50

Dream Valley Challenge #238

Holiday Princess - Zan Von Zed Digi

How we spend out days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

Annie Dillard

Hey there,

It's no secret that I love all things magical and mystical.  Coloring fantasy art has always been a true obsession of mine.  I was thrilled and amazed when I recently discovered  Zan Von Zed's incredible digital images.  Much of her stunning art work depicts gorgeous women who look like medieval princesses.  I chose this image to color in Christmas colors  because I thought the ribbon border was perfect for a festive holiday card. 

I edged my finished image with a gold leafing pen and mounted it with mounting tape to a double layered Spellbinders die cut frame. I used pale blue card stock for my 5 x 7 card base. My two-layered  paper poinsettia has gold beads in the center and my leaves are edged with a gold leafing pen.  I used a white Sharpie paint pen for some of the details in my lady's hair  and dress.  The Merry Christmas is a small sentiment stamp.

Nothing is more satisfying than coloring beautiful princesses in my new craft castle, wearing jeans and slippers, while listening to my favorite audio books.  It's great to be Queen. 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and rule your world with unabashed passion.

Nancy

Playing along with:

DL.Art Challenge #272

 Craft Rocket Challenge #76

Through the Purple Haze #173 - Ribbon, Leaves, Sentiment

Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday, - November Challenge

 Arty Divas Challenge #31

Dragonfly Dreams Christmas/Winter

Classic Design Challenge November #11

Creative Craft Cottage Challenge #135

Be as YOU as you can be - Mayumi Ogihara Pansy Digi

You can't control everything.  Your hair was put on your head to remind you of that. 

Hey there,

While looking at some of my latest cards, I realized  I tend to migrate to the same cool blues, lavenders and greens again and again.  I think most people choose their favorite colors often and that's part of their recognizable style.  I decided to break out of my routine for this card and used some bright pinks and yellows.  I think these flowers were meant to be pansies but I went more the plumeria route.  That's one of the best parts of coloring...we can change things to suit our mood and imagination.  I seldom color really light blond hair because it always comes out too flat.   This time I kept my colors light and then added pink, red and yellow highlights to give it dimension.  I like the soft, feminine look I was able to achieve using lighter colors for this pretty lady's hair and eyes.

To frame my fair damsel, I die cut an Anna Griffin 5 x 7 frame from white glitter card stock and used the matching center frame die to cut out my panel.  The panel is then edged with a gold leafing pen and adhered to the frame with dimensional tape.  I used my Cricut Maker cutting and writing features to create the sentiment tag.  I added a few blue pearls to the frame and some white gel pen dots to the flower centers and called it finished. 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and brighten up your life with all the colors of the rainbow.

Nancy

Playing along with:

A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge #128

Lets Craft and Create Challenge #165

The Creative Crafters Challenge #34

Creative Fingers Challenge #197

Creative Moments Challenge #202

A Perfect Time to Craft

Always Fun Challenge #189

 Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge 2046

Shine - Janna Prosvirina Autumn Fairy Digi

Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go. 

Hey there,

This card makes me chuckle a little every time I look at it, because...what's that squirrel doing in her luscious locks?  Well. she IS a fairy and she is apparently able to attract animals with her mystical charms, so I'll just go with  it.  I love coloring  Janna Prosvirina's art because she creates such incredible images and they are a dream to color with my Copics. This one is lightly pre-shaded, which is s little harder for me to work with, but I was happy with the way she turned out in the end..  The image comes from this adulting coloring book and you can purchase it in Janna's Etsy shop. I'm not affiliated in any way.  I just love her artwork. 

I die cut the intricate Crafter's Companion border  from copper card stock.  The base for the string of gems is an Elizabeth Crafts die that I cut from white glitter paper to accentuate the border.  To add a liitle more texture,  I added white pearl gems, echoing the white gel pen dots in my fae's hair.  I edged my image panel with a gold leafing pen, adhered the border to the back and glued them both to a green 5 1/2 x 5 /1/2 card base.  I die cut the word shine in white glitter paper (three times for dimension) and glued it to my card front.  The "I" in Shine is dotted with a single pearl. 

Anything goes when those magical fall fairies start dancing in the woods by the light of the golden Autumn moon.  Squirrels happen.  

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and allow only friendly well-behaved pets to play in your hair.  You're not a fairy. 

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Through the Purple Haze Challege #173 - Lace/Leaves/Sentiment

Crafty Creations Challenge #415

Creative Moments Challenge #202

Paper Funday Challenge #23
Make My Monday Challenge #135

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #254

 Crafts Galore Encore November Challenge

Through the Craft Room Door - November 10

We'll Always Be Friends - Digi Doodle Studios Maddy and Molly Digi Stamp

A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long I'm gonna be your friend. 

Hey there,

My new digs are offering some exciting new adventures and amazing discoveries,  but none compare to one of  the biggest perks of my new location..  My dear friend and her darling family moved away from us (and broke our hearts) many years ago, and now to my delight, we're residing in the same fabulous city.  This lovely lady has stunning strawberry tresses and two little dogs that she and her husband spoil shamelessly.  When I saw THIS Digi Doodle Studios image, I knew it was meant for the card I would create to thank her for all the loving assistance she and her hubby offered us during our challenging move. Now, our lunch and shopping dates (masked and socially distanced, of course) are filled with the same laughing and lively chatter we enjoyed when we first met thirty two years ago.

I colored adorable Maddy and her precious dog, Molly, with Copic makers and  created an easel card scene in Cricut Design Space for the grinning duo to relax in.  I backed my card panels with silver foil cardstock and added a matching iridescent flower and silver glitter leaves to accent the cool tones of my color scheme.  Clear gems accentuate the adornments on their stylish coifs.   I was excited to find the perfect sentiment stamp in my stash,

One of my favorite things about crafting is I can create something personal, from my heart,  to express my love to a cherished friend. I'll deliver this one in person after we enjoy a long awaited dinner prepared in my pristine and barely used cozy kitchen.  I plan to have it well broken in by Thanksgiving.  Life is good! 

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and cherish your friends, both of the old and new variety. 

Nancy

Playing along with:

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 659

Little Red Wagon Challenge #574

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #296

Crafty Sentiments November AG

Digi Choosday Challenge Wk 44

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge November 3

Animal Friends Challenge #92

Crafty Creations Challenge #415

Welcome Autumn - Digi Doodles Fall Digi With Copics

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”  Henry David Thoreau

Hey  there,

I've been a little bummed that I didn't get to create my favorite Halloween cards this year,  especially since I've been receiving so many amazing ones in the mail from my artistic friends.  But I'm happy there's still plenty of time for some festive fall projects.  THIS little sweetheart from Digi Doodles Studio fit perfectly on a scalloped center step cut file I found unfinished in my Cricut project files, apparently abandoned last year due to lack of time.  I colored Patti during my move, while I was waiting to set up my new craft room, so all I had to do was fussy cut her and add her to some gold-edged pumpkin panels.  The Welcome Autumn was printed vertically with the Cricut writing feature.  I sponged some pale blue sky on the white panel with chalks.  A few tiny green gems embellish the pumpkins and Patti's hat.  The pumpkin leaves are tiny paper flowers cut in half.

I'm thankful I was able to pull off a fall card before all the Christmas madness commences.  The holidays have crept up on me this year and I'm ecstatic my craft room is ready for all the hubbub.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create a holiday masterpiece.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Patties Creations Design Challenge #175

Polka Doodles Challenge Wk 44

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #133 

 Die Cut Divas October Challenge

Love to Scrap Challenge #138

Sheepski Designs Challenge #41

The Card Concept #142

Dream Valley Challenge #235

My Shiny New Craft Room - Chillin' in My Happy Place

Crafting your heart out makes room for your soul to grow. 

Hey there,

I'm beyond thrilled to finally unveil my brand spanking new craft room.  It was certainly challenging to pack up my very substantial stash  and move it across hundreds of miles to a different state.  I swear over a third of the boxes came from my craft room. But now that it's done, I'm elated to be surrounded by my familiar panoply of crafting tools and treasures in another peaceful "happy place.".  It took a little inventiveness to fit three rooms worth of paper and fabric supplies into one space the size of my previous craft room, but in the end, everything fits just fine (with a little help from a nice roomy garage). 

I'm so excited that I was able to find a place for my cute secretary cabinet that holds my desk top computer.  I like blogging on a larger computer and find it much easier than my lap top.  I also love the way my  lovely stained glass butterfly looks with the light shining through it from my window. 

My sewing area is a little shorter than before, but in this arrangement I have room to expand it when I need to.  The baskets on top of the shelves are full of ribbons..  They are lighter to take down and more manageable to access than my previous glass jars.  I can easily display my current cards on the shelves below the cabinets and the bottom shelf keeps my Nuvo Drops, Stickles and spray mists close at hand.  I chose to put my Gemini and Cricut Maker on my desk because I use them in almost every paper project I create.  

My Ikea roll out drawers fit under my desk, just as before.  My husband built some shelves in my closet where I have some more drawers with my printer and other supplies.

I hung some fun new artwork (from Home Goods) on my wall next to my favorite sign.  The shelf holds my Pink Panoply card, a picture of Doug and I in Canada on our 50th wedding anniversary, and a fancy beaded nesting doll my daughter brought me from Russia. 

Privacy is very important to the creative process. :)

                             

Yes, please be awesome every day. 

I'll be resuming my creative frenzy as soon as I remember were I have stored everything.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and play with your toys, whatever they might me.

Nancy

Ching-Chou Kuit Green Dragonfly - Love This Life

Light tomorrow with today.   Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Hey there,

I'm sitting in my cozy new craft room, super excited to let the creating frenzy resume.  I've missed spending endless peaceful, contented hours in my happy place!  My furniture and stash are finally neatly arranged around me and I'm thinking this room with the sun shining softly through the window is a fabulous retreat for my card making and quilting obsessions.  I'll post pictures soon.

I saved this card, created before my move from California, to post when I got my computer set up in my new home.  I knew a post would cheer me up in the midst of taming all the chaos around me. I used an amazing Ching-Chou Kuit digi called  Green Dragonfly for this card, purchased as part of a set of fairies HERE in her Etsy shop.  I'm mesmerized by this image's captivating soulful eyes and delicate features.  I love the mystical dragonflies, especially the stunning fairy wings.   I chose an intricate white die cut frame to accentuate the graceful lines of my fairy and lined the main panel with a gold leafing pen. This panel is mounted to the surrounding lacy frame with dimensional tape for dimension.  A few lavender gems embellish the frame and coordinate with the purple card base, which measures 5 x 7. 

So relaxing. So fun. So lovely.  What's not to love about Ching-Chou Kuit's amazing art. My Copics are calling to me from my newly appointed working space.  I'm headed over there right now!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and love your adventurous life.

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Avenue 613 October 2020 Challenge

The Fairy and the Unicorn October Challenge

Colour Crazy Challenge Week 41

Creative Fingers Challenge #195

Classic Design Challenge October #10

QKR Stampede Challenge #406

CD Sunday Challenge #46

Arty Divas Challenge #30

Farewell Old Friend - Packing up For My New Journey

Hey kindred creatives, 

It's hard to imagine leaving THIS happy place where I have spent so many blissful hours. I've been hiding myself away in this delightful sanctuary for fifteen+ years and I know every nook and cranny and what captivating treasure it holds.  But new adventures are calling and I'm ready for a journey to

a new place  where I can create a haven as wonderful as the one I am leaving behind.

 It hasn't been easy purging paper and fabric stash I have collected since the dawn of time, but I've enjoyed going down memory lane and revisiting some forgotten supplies and techniques.

Things are beginning to look pretty stark, and amazingly, I think I'll edit some of the paraphernalia in my new craft room because it's a little calmer without so much crafty goodness vying for my attention.

Bare shelves - it blows my mind.  I'm leaving this bookshelf for the new owners.  I wonder what intriguing treasures will find there way there.  

There are so many boxes labelled craft room, I asked my husband if he is sure all the millions of boxes in our garage will fit on the moving truck.  He says  moving trucks are huge, so no worries.  I'm not so sure. I'll keep you posted on my progress in my new craft space.  I can't wait to show it to you. I think it's going to be awesome!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and embark on a new adventure.

Nancy

DT for Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #8 - Morgan Fitzsimons Fantasy Fae 23 Digi Stamp

Morgan's ArtWorld Fantasy Fae 23 digi stamp, Copic markers, silver foil card stock.
blue glitter card stock, gems, white gel pen, heart frame die, Cricut cutting and writing

Hey fellow creatives,

The August Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge begins today and I'm delighted to share my Design Team project with you. I chose THIS gorgeous Fantasy Fae 23 image to color with my Copics in shades of blue, green and lavender. All of her lovely details, especially her opulent hair and graceful wings, were absolutely amazing to color. She is fussy cut and mounted on a variegated panel edged with a silver die cut frame. The blue glitter card stock frame bordering the card base measures 5 x 7 and is embellished with silver and blue gems. The sentiment frame was also cut in Cricut Design Space and the sentiment was printed with the Cricut writing feature.  

Now it's your turn to use your imagination to create something fabulous for our challenge.

Click HERE to go to the current challenge.

We would love to see you join Morgan's ArtWorld Facebook Group.Group Link HERE!

Morgan has a new shop that will be fully open soon but there are some digi images available for purchase now. HERE

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and share your creative skills in  this month's Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge.  

Nancy

Playing along with:

The Fairy and the Unicorn August Challenge

Pattie's Creations Design Challenge #172

QKR Stampeke Challenge 402

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #282

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #209

Creative Moments Challenge 195

Aud Sentiments Challenge 256

Digi Choosday Challenge Week 30

Follow Your Star - Moonlight Fairy by Janna Prosvirina

Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. 

Hey fellow creatives,

Follow your star...on whatever mystical adventure it takes you.  I'm following an exciting, brilliant new star that is leading me from my beautiful, beloved home of 30 years  in California to a lovely shiny new home in Utah, the state where I was born and lived for 23 years.  I'm beyond excited but also utterly exhausted. Packing up 30 years of family memories, especially my "adored-by-me" and "admired-by-all" craft room full of tons of irreplaceable treasures, is proving to be epic. Good thing I have lots of peanut M & M's and diet Coke for energy!

I colored this gorgeous image before I started packing away my craft supplies, not realizing that it would symbolize the start of my fabulous new journey.  My March 2020 Kit and Clowder class guided my coloring of THIS magical Moonlight Fairy image by Janna Fairy art.   She is fussy cut  and mounted  to a swirly frame that I cut with magenta foil card stock in Cricut Design Space.  I used the Cricut writing feature for my sentiment, then edged it and my other panels with a silver leafing pen.  

I'm happy I had some time to relax with my blog today while I still have access to my computer. 

Now, I'm off to drown in a sea of boxes.  Hope your day is fabulous.

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and follow your most brilliant star.

Nancy

 Playing along with:

The Fairy and the Unicorn July Challenge

Colour Crazy Challenge Week 29

Creative Fingers Challenge #90

Time Out Challenge #166

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #209

A Gem of a Challenge Week 15

Crafter's Castle Challenge #31

Polkadoodles Craft Challenge #30

                        

Shellabrate Like a Mermaid - Julie Nutting Sea Sally

Be a mermaid and make waves. 

Julie Nutting mermaid, Cricut Design Space tag card, Cricut seaweed shapes,
shell and writing feature, metallic flower, Close to My Heart Designer Paper,
 white Nuvo Drops for pearl necklace, white gel pen, aqua sequins for fin

Hey there,

Amid all the chaos and confusion around us, my world continues to be a thrilling adventure.  My hubby and I have just returned from St. George, Utah, were we found a beautiful new home!  I couldn't be more excited for the move, but packing up my craft room looms large as  an extremely daunting task.  I'm having some last minute fun creating a few cards to add to my blog que before I have to take a reluctant hiatus from crafting.  I know I'll be frantically unpacking boxes on the other end and arranging things in my shiny new craft room as soon as I get there.  It's #1 on my priority list, ahead of food and sleep.  I'm taking all my same furniture, so my room will look much like the room I have now,  only squeaky clean and organized for about 5 minutes.   I'm trying to keep the end in mind, so I won't get too overwhelmed but it might be too late for that.  I'll post my progress as I go along.

While going through my Julie Nutting paper dolls, I came across this darling Sea Sally in a folder with her fins and top already stamped in patterned paper.  I was elated that I had already stamped her cute face with a Peachy Keen stamp.  Some gorgeous Close to My Heart ocean themed paper, gifted to me by a friend, has been waiting to be used for the background of this tag-shaped card.  To my delight, I had already saved  the tag card base cut file  in Cricut Design Space.   I chose the shell shape from the image library and added the sentiment in a curve with the writing feature.  I easily found some sea weed images,  sized them to fit my tag, cut them on white card stock and  colored them with  Copics to coordinate with the designer paper.

I actually had the pleasure of taking a class from Julie Nutting a few years ago and I could hardly function because I was so awed by her presence.  She's a fabulous teacher and I came away with some fancy new skills for creating paper dolls.  Now I'm excited to  see what other treasures I discover while plunging head-first into my stash.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and plunge head-first into YOUR stash and find some fabulous forgotten treasures.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Inkspirational Challenge #217

The Fairy and the Unicorn July Challenge

Colour Crazy Challenge Week 28

Pattie's Creations Design Challenge #172

Polkadoodle Craft Challenge Wk 29

Papercraft Challenge #31

Papercraft Challenges #60
Seize the Birthday #195

Ching-Chou Kuit Red Poppy - She is brave

Courage is fear that has said its prayers. 

Anne Lamott

Ching-Chou Kuit Red Poppy digi, Copic markers, Spellbinders frame die,
silver card stock, lavender dp, gems, white gel pen, silver leafing pen, sentiment stamp

Hey there,

When I get a free moment, I love to sit and quietly color an image with no particular purpose in mind, just being in the moment and enjoying the process.  This state of mindful relaxation is not a new concept but has become a big deal these days.  Our crafty secret to tranquility is out! Google says: Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens. We used to call it meditation. Whatever they call it, it's my happy place and my key to sanity.   

When I have several images finished, I spend some time auditioning backgrounds, frames, and embellishments to create my card designs.  I like doing this for several cards at a time because I can move things around and what doesn't work with one image might look fabulous on another.   In the end, I have a panoply of cards in my stash,  just waiting for a sentiment and a recipient.  You'll often see tiny sentiments tucked away in obscure places on my cards because I haven't left space for them in my design. It's always a fun challenge finding places to put them.  

I still create cards for specific recipients and purposes, but it's nice to have a process where I don't have to consider every element from start to finish.  In this case, I had THESE gorgeous images from Ching-Chou Kuit's Fantasy Fairy Set 1 on my desk waiting to be colored and showcased on a card.  Her stunning images gave me many blissful hours in coloring paradise.  

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and maintain some moment-by-moment awareness. 

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Creative Moments Challenge #194

Crafty Creations Challenge #411

Crafty Sentiment Designs Challenge ATG

A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge #119

Crafter's Cafe Challenge #246

Creatalicious Challenge #185

Createful Heart Design Challenge #21

A Gem of a Challenge Week 14