An Apron Full of Love For Valentines Day - Make It Crafty Digital Stamp

The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and 
love without measure.
Tibetan Proverb

Hey there from Nannyland,

I 💔 the season of amour and enjoy creating and sending heartfelt love notes to those who make my world a delightful place.  I think this "Marcy's Full of Love" digital image from Make it Crafty, with her apron brimming with hearts, is so sweet.  Her darling pose is perfect for the right panel of this side step card next to a big gushy Valentine message. 

I used my favorite Copic shades to color my image and chose several light BG colors to create a shadow around her. When I have a small image like this, I enjoy coloring multiples because I can zone a little and savor the practice! I borrowed the side step card base and scalloped panels from this Lori Whitlock Valentine card bundle and cut them out in Cricut Design Space.  I used the writing feature to create the sentiment on the left panel. All the layers are edged with a gold leafing pen and the hearts on the image are glittered with Stickles. I added a sparkly acrylic heart and some tiny red heart gems for a little more glitz.  

I made three of these cards and now I'm ready to move on to the next happy project.  Whew! Valentines Day will be upon me before I know it so I'd better hop to it!

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply

Playing along with:

Addicted to Stamps and More

Modsquad Valentines Day Challenge

Ike's World Challenge #152

Dream Valley Challenge #262

Through the Purple Haze Challenge #188

The Corrosive Challenge #1

Polkadoodles Challenge Wk 5

Patties Creations Challenge #190

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2204

Creative Fingers Challenge #223

Tag, You're It!

      It's good as an artist to always remember to see things in a new, weird way.
Tim Burton

                           

                      

Hey there from  Nannyland,                                                                                                                                                             

I experienced a game-changing epiphany recently while watching a YouTube video of one of my favorite artistic superstars, Lort Holt.  I'm a dedicated groupie of this quilt designer extraordinaire and I love learning about her intriguing creative process.  She was asked whether she ever loses her "sewjo" and,  surprisingly, her answer was absolutely NEVER.  What???  I was stunned until she explained that the secret to this satisfying state of mind  is having a panoply of projects at her finger tips so she can switch when she needs a new burst of enthusiasm.  As I pondered this, I started mentally listing several of my favorite pursuits in addition to my usual quilting and card making.  Among them are machine embroidery, art journaling, crochet, genealogy, photography...and the list goes on.  As creators, I think we all have these varied and never ending lists. 

So, why am I posting pictures of tags while chattering on about tons of different crafting hobbies?  Well, here's the thing.  I got a little bleary-eyed this weekend making Valentine cards and just couldn't get excited about cutting hearts on my Cricut.  My left-brained  conscience scolded my right-brained creativity and whispered to me that I needed to finish the task I had started before going on to another. I know lots of people have oodles of UFO's in their craft spaces, but not me.  That would be very lackadaisical. 😀  But then I spied a box of paper scraps I had saved from a recent Graphic 45 purge. I decided to do as Lori suggested and take an inspired detour. I thought it might be fun to zhuzhe up one of these vintage cuties and make a tag to tie on my bff's birthday gift bag.  

I actually felt a little guilty working on something as frivolous as tags when I had so many Valentines to make, especially since all my supplies were strewn around the room,  openly mocking me. But then I thought...why not?  I'm just energizing my brain with some new artsy synapses.

So,  this is what happened when I allowed myself to throw caution to the wind and drift where my creative whim led me. I turned on an audio book and got out my glitter glue, some long deserted lace trim, sparkly sheer ribbon, metallic washi tape, my trusty gold and silver leafing pens and assorted gems.  I became reacquainted with my Crop-a-Dile that I haven't used for so long I forgot how to use it.  I had to scour my craft room to find eyelets and, in the process, I found some buried treasures I had long forgotten.  I didn't need to be stingy about using my abundant crafty stash.  It felt good to use my hoard for something useful.

I ended up doing some organizing with my Julie Nutting paper doll stamps and pads, as I was reminded how much I love making cards and tags with these darling dolls. I put all my doll-making supplies together and plan to have some stamped images on hand for coloring.  Then I'll have one finished and  waiting when I get ready to dress her for her card debut.  I also plan to cut out a quilt (or two) for some sewing diversion when I get in the mood for stitching complicated (and delightful) designs rather than gluing them.

                                            

I guess I've always been a believer in changing things up to light a spark of creativity when the flame starts to flicker out. How else would I have so many interests competing with each other?  I just need to give my disciplined self permission to come out and play, and allow some of my ducks to dance a little jig if they want to. It's possible to be organized and flexible at the same time.  Now I'm determined to  have some projects ready to go when my creative mojo wants to careen down a new uncharted path. One of the best parts of my weekend departure into La La Land was that I' found an unfinished project that I like much better for my husband's Valentine than the one I was going to cut out on my Cricut! I hope you will be inspired to expand your crafty horizons also, if you tend to get a little too stodgy and stuck like I do. I'm bursting with new ideas for future projects and all because I allowed myself to relax and mix it up a bit. And I have some schmancy new tags. to boot.  Thanks, Lori!

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply

Friends by Heart and Soul - Digi Doodle Studios Digi

 True friends are never apart; maybe in distance but never in heart. 

Digi Doodle Studio digital stamp, digi designer paper, Cricut Maker, Cricut Design Space cutting 

and writing features, Copic markers, aqua gems, white gel pen, mounting tape, silver leafing pen

Hey there from Nannyland,

Valentine's Day makes my cardmaker's heart beat faster each year because it's a delightful pivot from the Christmas card-making frenzy to a calmer, more mellow mindset.  I'm always anxious to switch gears and create equally colorful and heartfelt cards for friends and family. Bring on the  red hearts, lace and cupids! One of my artistic passions is sending handmade love to people I adore by snail mail.

This darling Digi Doodles Studios digital stamp was a dream to color with aqua and pink Copic markers.  I sized a heart frame from the Cricut Image Library to fit a 6 1/2 inch square card and printed my cute girls in a size to entwine with my heart. I created the sentiment tag using the Cricut cutting and writing features.  I added sparkle by edging the card front panel, heart and tag layers with a silver leafing pen and zhuzhed up my hearts with aqua gems.  I cut out four heart bases and glued them together for dimension. 

This is number one of several fun Valentine cards I have in mind to create before February 14.  I took some time off for eye surgery and have gotten a little behind,  but thankfully I'm back in the game,  so I'd better get creating!  

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 #138

Time of Challenge #205

Allsorts Challenge #659

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #421

Aud Sentiments Challenge # 290

Color Crazy Challenge Week 2

Crafts Galore Encore January Challenge #95

Digi Choosday Challenge Week 3

Classic Design Challenge #1

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #1

Fruity Quilt - Benartex Jelly Roll

There's a great satisfaction in seeing a thing take shape and form under one's hands, 
especially if they are made from oddments into something worth while.

Hey there from Nannyland,

Deciding what to do with my colossal jelly roll stash has always been a quilty conundrum for me   I know there are tons of fabulous patterns, but my dilemma is deciding which one to choose. My new Electric Quilt 8 has been a welcome solution to this quandary. I'm just learning to use it, but it's fairly user friendly and I'm having such fun playing and coming up with all sorts of quilt designs and ideas.  This quilt was easy to lay out and sew up in a jiffy with this cute Benartex fruit themed fabric.

 

I think it auditions well on my  queen-sized guest room bed but I'm saving it for a gift for a friend who likes to cuddle up and watch TV in the evening.

Striped binding is my go-to favorite because I love the crisp look stripes give to almost every pattern and theme. 

My husband is a sweetie and is always willing to help me photograph my quilts, even though it can be grueling on his arms.  This is what happened when I asked him to show me the back.  Gotta love em.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Vera Lane Princess - Covering the World With Glitter and Pearls

If glitter is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Vera Lane digi, digi paper, Tattered Lace arch die, Copic markers, assorited gems

Hey there from Nannyland,

After pondering some meaningful optimistic resolutions I could adopt for the shiny new year ahead,  I have decided the sentiment on this card is perfect for my new mantra. Let's dress up and show up in a sparkly way! 

After my third eye surgery in a year,  I'm ready to open my eyes and see all the amazing beauty in the world and leave the wearisome, challenging events of the past year behind me.  This little Vera Lane princess was such a delight to color and embellish with bounteous bling.  I found the perfect background paper in my digi stash to create a magical landscape. 

  

       

I chose bubblegum pink acrylic gems to adorn her majestic crown and popped on a glittery gem as a focal point. I used a silver leafing pen to line the sentiment tags and background panel. The fancy Tattered Lace die cut arch is also lined with silver and, of course, trimmed with pearls.

The world could use some sparkle right about now.  Let's get sprinkling! 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Through the Craft Room Door January 4 Challenge

613 Avenue Create Challenge #202201

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #173

Stamping Sensations January Challenge

Classic Design Challenge January 2022 #1

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #95

Dies R Us Challenge #184

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #1

The Creative Crafters Challenge #47

The Fairy and the Unicorn January Challenge