Hooked Again - Crocheted Granny Square Pillow

Never underestimate the importance of having fun. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

When I moved to my new home a couple of years ago, I vowed that I would pick my two favorite artistic pursuits, cardmaking and quilting, and leave the myriad of other things I love behind for lack of time, space and energy.  Goodbye to parchment craft, knitting, crocheting, jewelry making, scrapbooking, painting, the whole shebang.  Hello to focusing on the things I love most and spending more time perfecting my skills. I gave away box after box of supplies to elated friends but  I couldn't part with my tools because they were expensive and, well, you never know.  

I was happily living in my Nannyland bubble whenl I noticed some of my favorite fabric and quilt designers were  incorporating their designs into smaller projects in the form of needle point and crochet.  Enter my old friend, the crocheted granny square.   Lori Holt has her own chunky thread (size 2 yarn) in all the colors of her fabrics and has made some absolutely charming projects using the original granny square that has been a crochet staple since forever.  When I actually spied some granny square pillows in Bed, Bath and Beyond last week, I knew I had to pull out my hooks and give crocheting a crafty comeback.  Lori's beautiful afghan was way too ambitious for me but I couldn't resist giving this cute pillow in Lori's YouTube tutorial a go.                                                     .

Just a few Hallmark movies later, I had this fun handmade addition ready to perk up my quilty guestroom.

 I'm obsessed with Lori Holt fabrics so her coordinating yarns were a perfect match to many of my quilts.

 

I followed Lori's instructions and crocheted several granny square rounds in different colors.  I used twelve colors in all, and crocheted them in the same order three times. 

I was happy to use a pillow I already had instead of a regular pillow form.  Amazingly, the red coordinated with all the bright colors in my crochet work. 

The corners should meet in the middle but not overlap too much because the piece needs to fit snugly around the pillow and not sag anywhere. 

I used a single crochet to join the corners together in the back.

And, voila, a fancy bright pillow for my guest room in keeping with the quilty handmade vibes. 

Now, I'm back to knitting wash cloths for Christmas gifts because it's so fun to have something productive to do when I'm watching TV.  Sitting quietly has never been my thing.  I guess I  can allow knitting and crocheting to sneak back into Nannyland as long as it's just in little spurts.  But no giant afghans for me this time.  Just busy little lap projects in front of the TV.  But, alas, my yarn bins are filling up again...drat. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Z-Fold Anniversary Card - Toucan Do It Better Than One

 Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hey there from Nannyland,

After anguishing for many years with "male card dysphoria" (MCD),  I think I have finally found a formula for creating masculine cards that allows me to use my signature vivid colors and flowers, without apology.  The traditional subdued brown, green and navy hues (with mustaches, gears, and tools for embellishments) are so limited and hum drum to me.  Just google "guy cards" and you'll see what I mean.  I'm sorry...I just can't right now!  Beach themed cards are becoming my "go to" because my guy is drawn to all things coastal. Our countless adventurous and romantic trips to the picturesque shores of California, Hawaii, Canada, Europe and even Tahiti make them appropriate for just about any occasion we're celebrating. 

I found this delightful toucan z-fold card in my Lori Whitlock svg library and had fun adding my own touches and a befitting sentiment.  I sometimes procrastinate making masculine cards but this one went super fast and I enjoyed every minute of the creative process.  I used my Cricut Maker to cut the pieces, using white for the smaller ones so I could  color and shade them with Copic markers. It's much easier than using tiny scraps of card stock and it adds lots of wonderful shading and dimension.  I traded the tropical flowers I originally cut for  these handmade ones in  my stash because I thought they added personality and sparkle.  Hey, flowers are for everyone! 

Lori Whitlock svg, Cricut Maker, Copic markers, brown pearl gems, 
Heartfelt Creations stamps, dies, mold; blue heavy card stock, 
kraft card stock, white gel pen

My hubby's birthday is next month and I was able to keep  my head in the game and create another flashy, vibrant card, even without a tropical theme.  I'll be posting it in September and  I think you'll like my impressive use of brilliant colors on yet another guy card.  I'm on a roll! 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Little Red Wagon #667

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge August 16

Dream Valley Challenge #275

Use Your Stuff Challenge #454

613 Avenue Create Challenge #202208

Dare to be Artsy Challenge - Shaped or Fun Fold Cards

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #187

Allsorts Week 688/9 Challenge

Time Out Challenge #220

Classic Design Challenge #8

Don't Forget to Fly - Ching-Chou Kuik Flowery Digital Stamp

Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud.
Maya Angelou

Hey there from Nannyland,

Fairies, butterflies, flowers and rainbows...oh, my!  Who wouldn't love creating an enchanted world where all things beautiful reside peacefully together.  This gorgeous Ching-Chou Kuik digital stamp had everything I needed to escape to a mystical land of Copic coloring bliss. 

Ching-Chou Kuik "Flowery" digi, Copic markers, 
white gel pen, Lori Whitlock svg, Cricut Design Space,
Tim Holtz sentiment stamp, gold leafing pen, iridescent gems 

I planned to fussy cut this image, so I wasn't particularly worried about the colors of the rainbow  matching the muted shades on my beautiful lady.  But Ching-Chou creates such amazing backgrounds, I couldn't bare to cut it away.  As it turned out, I think the soft hues look lovely on my rainbow and field flowers, so all is well in this picturesque fairyland.

The shaped edge card base was created in Cricut Design Space using this Lori Whitlock svg.  I sized it to 5 x 7 to accommodate my image panel.   The detail layer is  gold foil card stock with iridescent gems accessorizing the scallops. A thin black frame was added to make my image pop against the glossy gold.  The sentiment is a Tim Holtz stamp edged with a gold leafing pen. 

I love unwinding and relaxing in Nannyland.  I hope you have a peaceful place to escape where you can find your mojo and enjoy doing the things you love.  

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #296

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge - August 2

Unicorn Challenge #79

Dream Valley Challenge #275

Arty Divas Bonus Challenge

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #102

Die Cut Divas Challenge - Shaped Card

Love to Scrap Challenge #156

Classic Design Challenge #8

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #8

Sending Primrose Hugs - Polkadoodles Darling Buds Digi

 Life is a party, dress like it.

        Audrey Hepburn

Hey there from Nannyland,

It's over 100 degrees in my beautiful desert town today, but I've been happily nestled in my air conditioned studio coloring this elegant lady from the Polkadoodles Darling Buds collection. She is called Primrose  and  is looking very stylish in her lovely cascading formal gown, surrounded by a gorgeous garland of blossoms.  I had fun coloring her dress in a blue and green ombre pattern to show off her striking blue eyes and dazzling bouquet of pink and yellow blooms.  

I often google flowers to get inspiration on how to color them and I discovered that many primroses have bright yellow centers.  I added  mini die cut flowers to the centers of my blooms along with clear gems for a little extra glitz. I didn't want to cover this cute image with a sentiment, so I added a layered die cut to an open spot in the background.  I tried it in gold and then black, but  I chose a subtle blue in the end because it didn't distract from the image. A glittery die cut butterfly was my finishing touch. 

Polkadoodles Primrose digi stamp, Copic markers,
Spellbinders frame die, die cut flowers and butterfly,
clear gems, white gel pen, gold foil cardstock,
pink cardstock,hugs die cut

 

I never get tired of coloring angelic, frilly ladies for my cards. I guess I've always loved all things girly. Bring on the flowers, gems, lace and cascades of wavy hair. My copics are always ready to party.  You know what they say...girls just wanna have fun!

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 Challenge 435

Through the Craft Room Door - August 2

Try it on Tuesday - Make it Feminine

The Unicorn Challenge #79

A Gem of a Challenge Wk 16

Polkadoodles Challenge Wk31

Classic Design Challenge #8

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #102

Love to Craft Challenge #69

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #8