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:

Creative Artiste Challenge #109

Creative Fingers Challenge #286

Pattie's Creations Challenge 223

Digi Choosday Challenge WK 40

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #591

The Paper Funday Challenge #70

Passion for Markers WK 760

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #9

Classic Card Design Challenge #9

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #81

Ching Chou Kuik Digi Journal Pages - Make Time for Your Art

   In all of living, have much fun and laughter.
Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

Gordon B Hinkley

Hey there from Nannyland,

Hmmm. What is it about creating art journal pages that is so satisfying for me?   I think it has something to do with creating for the joy of the process and not feeling like it will be exposed to the scrutiny of anyone else. But that doesn't really make sense because the people I send my cards to are always so complimentary and non-judgmental, so it must be my own eagle eye that intimidates me.  I think that's such a common theme among artists.  We are our own worst critics.  Anyway, I'm having the best time coloring, zhuzhing and using up all the extra space in my two-page journal spreads.

This beautiful digi is by Ching Chou Kuit, one of my absolute favorite artists.  Her amazing images are such a delight to color, with their soulful eyes and gorgeous detail. This image prints out in light grayscale, which can be challenging for me, but I love the gray shading on the flowers.  I used an Elizabeth Crafts border chain die on one side of my image and decorated it with round lavender acrylic rhinestones. The lacy butterfly on the word page is also made from Elizabeth Crafts layered dies that I've had for ages. I think they might be hard to find now.  A page from an old designer paper pad had the perfect sentiment and background to cover up my Dylusions Dyary calendar page. When I bring out some of my older dies and papers, I can't help feeling nostalgic because it's like reconnecting with old friends.  Another reason why I feel blissful when creating art journal pages. Anything goes with my eclectic stash.  

A couple more journal pages for the books!  Way too much fun. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

    Playing along with:

Try it on Tuesday - Add Some Text

Dream Valley Challenge #308

A Perfect Time to Craft #2

Ally's Angels Challenge #78

Classic Design Challenge #1

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #120

Love to Craft Challenge #78

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #73

Worldwide Crafters and Colorists Challenge #13

Birthstone Challenge #7

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

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

Ching Chou Kuik Party Girl

The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.  It is not that we seize them,
but that they seize us.   Ashley Montagu

Anna Griffin Fantastic Flip Card in Cricut Design Space, Cricut Maker, Copic markers, Xpressit Blending card stock,
pink glitter card stock, silver textured card stock, "party" die, white gel pen, heart 3-d embellishments

Hey there,

It's birthday season for my creative card-making friends and I'm having a blast creating cards to suit  their unique personalities.  I think this Love Balloon digi by Ching Chou Kuik is perfect for the lady who enjoys a festive birthday bash.  A fancy dress and a glitzy heart balloon screams "let's rock and roll, " even if your guest list consists of your close family members wearing masks and standing six feet apart.    

For this shimmering kinetic card, I used my favorite Anna Griffin Fantastic Flip Card design, which I have used many times and is already downloaded to my Cricut Design Space projects.  I sized my digital image to coordinate with this 5 x 7 card base, colored her with Copics, and fussy cut her to layer off-center on my front panel.  This card actually flips twice so I have some extra real estate for an added decorative panel and my inside sentiment.

I used my fave color combination of aqua and red, with a little hot pink for some extra pop. Black and white stripes always add contrast and elegance to a vivid palette.  All of the panel pieces are part of Anna's design so they cut to size perfectly.  Even the lovely scripted Happy Birthday is included in this design as a writing option.  I used a regular word die to cut the "party" sentiment on the front panel..

Thank you for visiting.
Go forth and party on.
Nancy

Playing along with:

Dream Valley Challenge #228

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge #134

Crafter's Castle Challenge #30

Creative Fingers Challenge #188

Daring Cardmakers - Glamorous

Just Add Ink Challenge #510

Everybody Art Challenge #472

Digi Choosday Challenge #25

Luna Whispering Digi in Copics - Ching Chou Kuik

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Mahatma Gandhi

Hey friends,

I originally colored this lovely Ching Chou Kuik greyscale digi image for one of my beloved  Kit and Clowder online classes, but even with Alyce Keegan's expert guidance, I couldn't seem to get Luna's rainbow hair right.  I thought this image was so gorgeous, I couldn't give up so easily.  The lengthy saga of my second attempt to tackle this image borders on the heroic.  I decided to forgo the original rainbow hair and go for these "understated" aqua tresses so I could  practice my tiny hair stokes with my copics.    I won't relate all the gruesome details but my color palette kept getting darker with each "fix" and the pre-shaded background on this digi turned into a muddy mish mash.  The butterfly looked way too sad and heavy to fly.

Sometimes my tenaciousness can be a gift, especially when all hope is lost. I couldn't bare to waste all the time I had spent coloring Luna, and I realized if I fussy cut her, I could add a brighter, prettier dp background behind her.  I also cut out the butterfly, colored it with lighter colors to match  my background and popped it up over my original sad one.

I wish I had taken a picture of my original struggle to document how much happier this card is than my  "Luna Stuck in the Mud" version.  The color scheme is a lot prettier and brighter and I like the white details in the background.  I love using designer papers for backgrounds because all the hard work is done, the variety is endless and I can always find something I like to fancy up my artwork. I added some details with gold and white gel pens and some gold leafing around the main panel.  Yippee...another epic save.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and rescue a card.
Nancy

Playing along with:
        Craft Rocket Challenge #62
        Crafting with an Attitude Challenge #54
        Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #352
        Crafting by Designs August Challenge
        Crafty Hazelnuts August Challenge
        Crafty Creations Challenge #395
        Creative Moments Challenge #173
        Little Red Wagon Challenge #508