Spellbinders December Large Die of the Month - Cheers to Us

 What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.  All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
Helen Keller

Hey there from Nannyland,

My first thought when I received my December Large Die of the Month set from Spellbinders was, "Oh, it's so cute, but I don't drink!"  After "mulling" 😀 it over and watching some really cute makes on YouTube, I decided MY bottle contains sparkling cider.  Spellbinders always has such detailed layering pieces to give their dies amazing dimension and I had a delightful time dressing up my bottle and filling my elegant champagne glasses with cider that literally sparkles.  

In the beginning. I planned to add hanging vines in the right corner of my card, but I found this 5 x 7 embossing folder with the swirls in the corner and decided to stick with a more clean, elegant look.  I pulled out all the stops where glitter was concerned and even added gem swirls coming out of my glasses to accentuate the bubbles.  

This card might be a little fancy for a masculine valentine card, but my hubby understands my need to bling, so I think he'll overlook the zhuzh and appreciate it for its festive attitude.

I hope the ones you love are lined up to give you smooches on Valentines day, bearing heartfelt gifts of adoration and cheer..and, of course,  a bit of sparkle.  

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Aloha Friday Challenge #6

Cut is Up Challenge #296

Festive Friday Challenge #FF0151

Cardz 4 Galz - Reds and/or Pinks Hearts Galore

TTTC239

Paper Funday Challenge #61

Creations in Pink Challenge #66

Die Cut Divas January Challenge

Love to Craft Challenge #78

Craft Rocket Challenge #110

Affirmation Journal Page - Moonstone Ink Designs Digi in Copics

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when
 the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty
 is revealed only if there is light from within.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Hey there from Nannyland,

I didn't anticipate how fun and relaxing it would be to create art journals using my favorite digi images, but I have to say, I'm really getting into it. I recently discovered Moonstone Ink Designs on Etsy and I'm blown away by the gorgeous digital art in their store.  This beautifully detailed image comes from the Little Flower Fairies collection and prints out in light grayscale.  I used a Ranger Dylusions Creative Dyary for what will hereafter be referred to as my "Affirmation Journal." I  have a ton of ideas rolling around in my head for other journal themes and can't wait to see where they take me. I found a painterly background in an old scrapbook pad with beautiful gold lettering and was thrilled that it covered up the weekly calendar page in my journal perfectly.  The butterfly embellishment is one I created ages ago with an Elizabeth Crafts peel off sticker and microfine glitter.  All it needed was some bead swirls for a fancy flight pattern. 

I colored my image with Copics on Xpressit Blending Card and fussy cut her to fit my 5" x 8" journal page. The square shape needed a little help fitting into a rectangle space, so instead of my usual full frame, I added gold foil corners cut from a Spellbinders die and embellished them with clear gems.  Colored gems were also adhered to the flowers on her dress and a Spellbinders flower was added to her hair.  Colored foil sequins were sprinkled in the background to fill the remaining space and coordinate with the gold confetti look on the opposite page.  

I'm amazed at how much I enjoy creating journal pages after doing mainly cards for so many years.  I love the added design real-estate and the idea that I will be able to preserve my artwork in a more personal way. 

I  hope I have inspired you to branch out and create your art in new and different ways.  It's very energizing and full of new opportunities and challenges.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Through the Purple Haze

TTTC239 - Embellishment, Patterned Paper, Anything but a card

Double D Challenge - Sparkle and Shine

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #587

The Crafty Addicts Challenge 9

Everybody Art Challenge #549

PIP Challenge #2402

A Perfect Time To Craft January Challenge

Classic Design Challenge #1

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #72

Eleanor Burns Patty Cake Pattern Quilt - Bonnie and Camille Sunday Stroll Layer Cake.

All the things of the universe are perfect miracles,
each as profound as any. 
Walt Whitman

Hey there from Nannyland,

My rainbow of scrappy quilts is piling up in my guest room and creating a vibrant mish-mash of quilty delight.  I like creating joyful vibes for my guests and the ones who left this morning seemed to sleep well in their cozy cocoon.   So now my focus is turning to the creation of this same sunshiny atmosphere in my master bedroom, but maybe with a little more modern flair.  My favorite colors (red and aqua) can be seen in every room in my house, with some added navies and grays in my master bedroom. Hmmm. What designers have all the colors I love with the addition of beautiful navies?   Bonnie and Camille, of course!  Their Sunday Stroll layer cake is popping aplenty with the perfect palette. Say that three times fast.  Such yummy candy for my quilter eyes. 😍

I've been anxiously waiting to use this beautiful layer-cake-friendly pattern by Eleanor Burns called Patty Cake. It was super fun and easy to sew.  My inner border measures two inches, my red border measures one inch and my outer border is four inches.  The outer border and backing are Bonnie and Camille fabric from the same collection.

As usual, I chose to bind it with striped fabric. This crisp navy one coordinates well with the navy in my blocks and the accessories in my room.  

The pattern came together quickly and I love the result. Scrappy and bright...my mantra.

My quilter did a fabulous job with the longarm quilting.  I'm getting braver with the more dense pantographs and I think this turned out lovely. The finished quilt measures about 50 x 72. 

This quilt lives happily on my blue chair for now, waiting for me to cuddle up with it while watching tv or reading in the seclusion of my peaceful bedroom.  

My next project for this room will be a wall hanging above my bed in the same navy/aqua/red palette as my quilt.  I think I'll try some solid grunge fabric to make it a little more contemporary. Now I just need to decide on a pattern. Yep, I think things are shaping up nicely. 😀

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)