Sweet Picture Perfect Autumn - Spellbinders September 2024 Large Die of the Month

Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Hey there from Nannyland,

I'm always excited to snag my Spellbinders Large Die of the Month out of my mailbox each month!  I'm never disappointed at the wonderfully designed dies inside the package.  September's gorgeous set of dies called Picture Perfect Autumn contains dies of all sizes and shapes for creating beautiful fall scenes. The sky is literally the limit.  I chose to use a slimline card format to allow me the real-estate to include some fabulous oversized sunflowers in the foreground to give my scene a fun perspective. 

Sponging and Copic coloring work best for me with my die cuts because it's so easy to create just the right color and texture.  It's also much easier for me to cut the dies out using white card stock instead of hunting for just the right color in my huge stash.   

I couldn't help adding lots of Stickles sparkle to the flowers and trees and I think it adds just the right amount of shine and texture to my already cheerful scene.  The bird and mini flowers are dies from some cute Impression Obsession sets I bought many years ago to add dainty details to my nature scenes.  And, of course, I had to add a little bling to my mini flower centers with small gems. 

Happy fall, y'all.  I hope your world is a beautiful wash of stunning warm hues like the ones I see out of my window in my comfy desert home. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.
I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 
Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)
                                                              Playing along with:

Craft Rocket Challenge #119

Creative Knockouts Challenge #533

Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #603

Sisterhood of Crafters October Challenge

The Paper Funday Challenge #70

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #11

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #82

The Creative Crafters #81

A Place To Start October Challenge

Dream Valley Challenge #324

Another Anna Griffin Fashion Show - Anna's Paper Dress Dies

You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life. 

Coco Chanel

Hey there from Nannyland,

A few weeks ago I posted these Anna Griffin dresses  and mentioned I had created enough to assemble cards through the millennium.  In keeping with that prediction, I have enjoyed being able to come up with adorable cards in a flash.  I couldn't resist posting another fashion show featuring some cards I made for some very sweet ladies I recently visited. I added some small changes to the backgrounds and polished up my inside greeting. 

I cut stylish gold foiled card stock to fit the back panels of my cards and I love the elegance it adds to my projects. 

I saved my original "wardrobe" files in Cricut Design Space so all I had to do was access them and cut them out. 

I had fun shopping for the perfect dresses in my humungous, assorted and very chic stash. 

There are two different options for the bodice of the dress, so it was fun to choosing the style I thought best suited my recipient. 

I fashioned either diamond or pearl necklaces to add a touch of elegance to my outfits. 

For the inside, I used water color dp with gold accents, die cut a layered Hero Arts sentiment and added cute Spellbinders sewing-themed die cuts at the bottom. 

I took this collection to Northern Utah with me for our annual 4th of July celebration and hand delivered them to my darling sister and sister-in-laws.  I loved expressing my love for them in this hand-made-with-love way and, from their reactions,  I think they were a hit.

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 - Make it Colorful

A Cut Above September Challenge

Dream Valley Challenge #321

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #127

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #311

Love to Craft Challenge #82

The Creative Crafters Challenge #79

Guest Designer for C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #371 - Polkadoodles Winnie's Winterland Card

 

Hey there from Nannyland,

Today I'm delighted and very honored for the opportunity to be a Guest Designer for C.R.A.F.T. Challenge 371.  The theme is Christmas and the sponsor is one of my all-time favorite card-making and craft supply companies, Polkadoodles.  

For my card I chose this beautiful digital stamp called Winnie's Winterland to create a frosty Nordic scene.  I colored this darling image with Copic markers, including the drawing and shading of Winnie's facial features.  The original stamp has a very adorable simply drawn face, but I chose to add some personality with a little more detail.  

I backed my scene with digital water color paper to mimic the Northern Lights.  The frame was created in Cricut Design Space and cut out with silver metallic card stock.  The sentiment was also created with my Cricut using the Design Space writing and off-set features.

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas cards and I'm excited that I have this one to get me in the holiday spirit.  I hope I have inspired you to do some Christmas creating also.  The holidays will be here before we know it! 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                    Playing along with:

Digi Choosday Challenge - Wk 34

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #168

Dream Valley Challenge #321

613 Avenue Create August Challenge

A Gem of a Challlenge Wk17

Allsorts Challenge Wk 795

Polkadoodles Challenge - Wk 34

Classic Design Challenge #8

Creative Fingers Challenge #283

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #258

Flamingo Anniversary - Spellbinders Grand Tropical Flamingos Large Die of the Month

 A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength. 
Proverbs 17:22 

Hey there from Nannyland,

On August 15 my husband and I celebrated 56 years of wedded bliss.  Don't do the math please, but in our defense, we were very young when we got married.  This year I knew I was going to use these darling Spellbinders flamingos and was so excited to start my fun creation.  Then, as often happens in the aging season of life, I had an emergency visit to the hospital for blood clots (eek) and several stressful medical encounters thereafter related to my breast cancer saga.  I really just wanted to hide under some big pink flamingo feathers and hibernate.  But that's no way to go about life when challenges threaten to take you down.  So, as usual,  I secluded myself in Nannyland and went to work trying to design a card with my limited mojo.

One step at a time, my card came together and I ended up with something that expresses my love for my extremely supportive hubby who bears all my burdens with me with calm patience and optimism.  I cut my flamingos and leaves out of white card stock and shaded them with Copic markers.  The detailed layers on Spellbinders dies make it simple to create stunning dimension without much thought.  I wasn't sure if my Anna Griffin background die was too busy, but I actually like the lattice screen look it gives my card.  I couldn't help zhuzhing up my cute flamingo couple with the crown that comes in the die set and some small flowers from other sets.  I was actually a little shocked that my card came together so easily with stress zapping my energy, but I really like the results and so did my hubby.  

I'm an advocate for the healing powers of creativity.  The blissfully calm hours I've spent creating during some of life's most difficult times have proven to be life savers for me throughout my whole life and especially during my 19-year breast cancer saga.  Thanks to many blessings from a loving God, I'm still here, still creating, and still loving it.

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 Times Challenge #169

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #231

The Paper Funday Challenge #68

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #474

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #8

Ally's Angels Challenge #85

Morgan's Artworld Challenge #79

Once Upon A Time Challenge #25

PINspirational Challenge #316

Classic Design Challenge #8

Spellbinders Cat Lover's Birthday Card - Have a Purrfect Celebration

 People that don't like cats haven't met the right one yet. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

With two crazy cat lady daughters (they happily answer to that moniker) and several cat-lover friends, I couldn't resist adding this adorable Spellbinders Big Cat die set to my collection. The dies are large enough to create a shaped A2 card and just the right size for my usual preferred 5 x 7 base. The basic die has several layers to create dimension and detail, and the accessory die set has lots of festive add-on's to bring personality to an already charming kitty.

I admit, I have always thought of myself as a dog person, but when a large and very gorgeous disheveled black cat wandered into my back yard many years ago looking for food, I became a duel dog/cat fan. Tawnzie lived in our yard for almost 20 years and I still think of her with heartfelt fondness and miss her tremendously.  I appreciate the  uniqueness of all God's cuddly creations and dearly love my two darling grand-cats.  

My good friend in California has a frisky black and white cat she calls "Trouble," so I knew she would appreciate this card for her August birthday.  I loved dressing him up for a birthday celebration with quirky candle glasses and adding a festive circle die embellished with stars for the background. All the layers fit together perfectly with embossing details to guide with the layering.  I love how this little guy turned out.  So much crafty fun!!!

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                         Playing along with:

The Paper Funday Challenge #67

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #473

Avenue 613 Avenue Create July Challenge

Crafting Happiness Challenge #185

As You Like It Challenge - Cats or Dogs - (See above)

A Place to Start July Challenge

A Perfect Time to Craft August Challenge

Critter Crazy Challenge #89

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #79

Classic Design Challenge #07

Craft Rocket Challenge #117

Dreaming Tree Super Dad SVG - Happy Fathers Day

Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear...
until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality
we all share --I'll haver stop fighting.       Clark Kent

Hey there from Nannyland, 

My struggle to create guy cards is real, but I have to admit I had a delightful time creating this Father's Day card for my hubby.  I downloaded this fabulous svg from the Dreaming Tree website and had a blast assembling their incredibly clever card.  After cutting the layers on my Cricut Maker, it took only a few minutes to do all the assembly and add a few fun embellishments.  All the pieces in this design fit together seamlessly like a puzzle

I didn't want to bother with messy sponging, so I added a few light shadows with Copics and colored pencils, which are always at the ready on my desk.  I paper pieced the tie because my husband would rather die than be seen in a boring one. The sample on the website had pearl buttons but I drew  small circles with  my pencils instead for a more masculine look...because, of course, the flowered tie and flower in the lapel are so manly. Hey, I was just trying to keep things balanced. I thought of adding a clever sentiment to the belly band, but the Happy Fathers Day was so cute, I went with that.

Creating this super fun card was definitely positive reinforcement to ease my guy card qualms.  I think I'll just keep hopping over to Dreaming Tree for my masculine card designs.  I've seen some really awesome ones I'm dying to try! 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                   Playing along with:

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #256

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #574

The Paper Funday Challenge #66

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #596

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #6

613 Avenue Create June Challenge

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #249 (layers, die cut, patterened paper)

Creative Fingers Challenge #279

Love to Craft Challenge #80

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #77

Quality Time With My Art Supplies - Conie Fong Artistic Leilani Digital Stamp

There's a flight plan in life, whether easy or hard.  It comes with a breathtaking view.
Trust your wings, trust your journey, trust you're never alone.  
See the beauty in the plan.  It's you. 

Hey there from Nannyland, 

One of the things I love most about art journaling is that I can just randomly choose a favorite image and create whatever pops into my head at the moment without thought to occasion, sentiment or  theme.  I often look around Nannyland with eyes agog, getting a little high on the delicious art tools surrounding me on every side.

I chose this adorable Artistic Leilani  image from Conie Fong for my journal page this week,  because she looks like she's contemplating an afternoon of blissful crafting ( if that huge swooping bird doesn't peck the cup right out of her hand. Yikes!).  I was excited to use my Spellbinders paintbrush dies again because I love their awesome embossed details.

I used pin-striped designer paper with flower and bird details for my image background.  I fussy cut the flowers and bird from a matching sheet of paper, added glitter and small flower centers, and popped them up for dimension.  I paper pieced the bodice of Leilani's dress with a shimmery embossed pattern and added Spellbinders flowers to her luxurious hair.  

I die cut coordinating designer paper with a Tattered Lace frame die for the background layer on the opposite page and edged it with a silver leafing pen.  The sentiment was created in Cricut Design Studio with the writing and cutting features. 

Yep, art supplies are definitely some of my most treasured companions.  My Copics, Spellbinders dies, and Cricut Maker are my besties, for sure! We have spent many blissful hours together in Nannyland. while cozily navigating life's peaks and valleys.  I thank God every day for the healing power of the gift of creativity that lives within us all in some form or another. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna close my door now and be at one with my supplies.    

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #255

A Place To Start Challenge - Anything But a Card

Dream Valley Challenge # 317

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #6

Ally's Angels Challenge #82

Classic Design Challenge #5

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #124

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #77

We Love 2 Create Challenge #5

Allsorts Week 783

Fancy Dress Slimline - Anna Griffin Paper Dress Dies

Dressing well is a form of good manners.
Tom Ford

Hey there from Nannyland,

I could spend countless hours creating fancy dresses from Anna Griffin's darling paper dress dies.  Oh wait...I DID!  I chose two of the three dies in this adorable set and reacquainted myself with my neglected 6 x 6 double-sided designer paper pads to use for "fabric." I got all giddy choosing coordinating designs for my chic frocks and was obsessed with folding them into stylish origami-style gowns. Zhuzhing them up with lace trim, button gems and elegant jewelry was the frosting on my girly cake. 

I don't own the 3D Anna Armoire die that was designed to hang her dresses, but I wanted mine to take center stage so I checked out the Cricut image library for "Armoire" images.   A pretty layered frame that mimics an armoire was sized to create a background for  my layout.  I chose a dress form instead of a hanger to showcase my designer ensemble and sized it to fit my dress.  

I'm thrilled that I created enough of these adorable dresses to send cards to my friends through the millennium. I can quickly cut the files I have saved in Cricut, change the sentiment in the writing feature, and add my dress to make a card for any occasion.  

I love the gold accent I was able to create in this layered frame.

 My finished image fits a  4 x 9 slimline card with room for embellishing. 

An adorable Spellbinders scissors die cut in silver and a mini flower 

are a cute accent for my sentiment tag.

These first four cards will go my dear talented friends in California to express how much I miss our weekly card making sessions.   Die cutting definitely is taking over a heartfelt place in my maker repertoire. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                          Playing along with:

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #255

The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Ladies

A Place to Start May Challenge

Get Creative Challenge #131

The Perfect Time to Craft #5

Classic Design Challenge #4

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #76

Pinspirational Challenge #313

Creative Fingers Challenge #277

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2418

Dreaming Tree Fleurette Card with Copic Makers

Like a wildflower, you must allow yourself to grow
in all the places people thought you never would. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

While searching in my Dreaming Tree svg library for a project for my friend's birthday, which resulted in this fun taqueria treat box, I realized that I have tons of beautiful svg's there just vying for my attention.  I found this darling girl called Fleurette and went to work creating a spring card for my daughter's April birthday.  

Dreaming Tree designs are always super clever with lots of incredible details.  This cute girl has many layers which fit together nicely and create amazing dimension.  As a Copic colorist, I prefer to cut the smaller shapes out on white card stock and shade with markers.  In this case, I started by shading the clothes, sun, background flowers, and hair layers. I removed the original cuts for the face in the svg with the contouring feature in Cricut Design Space, to create a smooth surface for me to draw and color her features. I then drew simple facial features with a pencil and shaded the face, neck and arms in flesh tones. I replaced the original flower dies with several small ones from my stash, mostly from my Spellbinders collection.  And, as always, I added small gems and pearls for extra personality and sparkle. 

Nothing is more enjoyable for me than creating with die cuts and zhuzhing them up with Copic coloring and fancy embellishments. I love taking a wonderful design from Dreaming Tree and using my own style to make it uniquely mine.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Passion for Markers Challenge 734

Try it on Tuesday - Rainbow Colors

Unicorn Challenge #97

A Place to Start April Challenge

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #4

Classic Design Challenge #3

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #75

613 Avenue Create April Challenge

Dragonfly Dreams April Challenge

Craft Rocket Challenge #113

Oh Puhlease Bee My Honey - Spellbinders LDOM Honey Pot

I make art to show my soul that I'm listening. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

I'm not even a little bit disappointed that I joined the Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club. I've only been a member for a few months, but I have been thrilled with every set that lands in my mailbox each month.  What's not to love about a surprise package of delightfully detailed dies showing up to spark my creativity. 

The January die set is an adorable layered honey pot that comes with a cute detailed bee (with legs, for Pete's sake) and pretty spring flowers.  It's a large size so it fits my usual 5 x 7 card base perfectly with room for a sentiment.  I created my punny sentiment in Cricut Design Space using the writing feature. The curve feature enabled me to match the shape of my honey jar perfectly.  Yeah, I love my Cricut! 

Most of the flowers here were included in the die set, but I created some variety with a few flowers from other Spellbinders sets. I'm really appreciating the versatility of  Spellbinders flowers because the layers give them dimension, but not so much that they get squished in the mail.

I presented this card to my hubby for Valentines Day and he didn't even flinch at the flowery aesthetic.  Maybe it's because he used to be a florist and knows that colorful flowers are for everyone or maybe it's because he knows a card created by me will probably have some girly zhuzh.  Either way, I give myself permission to glam up my cards, regardless of gender, because I gotta be me. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                Playing along with:

                                                  

                                            Creative Knockouts Challenge #515

                                                         Sisterhood of Crafters - LOVE

                                              Try it on Tuesday - Hearts and/or Flowers

                                                              A Perfect Time to Craft #2

                                                             Ally's Angels Challenge #79

                                                      Beautiful Blossoms Challenge #1

                                                                Daisy Chain Challenge #82

                                                                Critter Crazy Challenge #83

                                             Die Cut Divas - Non Traditional Valentine Card

                                                           Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge # 73

Jeremiah Ketner Digi Journal Pages - Be Impossible to Forget

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

I recently talked to my daughter who lives in Pacific Grove, California where she has been enduring (just barely) a four-day power outage. Yikes!   No offense to Punxsutawney Phil, but it doesn't look like spring is coming anytime soon, with extreme weather swirling around us on all sides.  It's a little soggy here in the desert, so I've been daydreaming of flower buds and warm spring breezes for the past few days.  This blissful reverie has expressed itself in the form of journal pages that look like a candy shop and a flower garden had a baby.  The bright, warm colors make my eyes so happy!  

Jeremiah Keltner's images are always so elegant and serene with their gorgeous Asian flair.  What could be more fanciful than kittens and flowers cascading down luxurious curls. I found just the right page in my dp stash with the perfect colors and quote for my sentiment page.      

I colored my image in warm Copic shades and framed her with a lacy Heartfelt Creations die frame.  A Spellbinders mini sprig of flowers accents the free space at the bottom of my frame.  I added matching  blooms to my sentiment page to tie the pages together.  

Yes, I think I'll keep the spring vibes going with some cheerful Valentine and Easter cards. Last night, as I was trying to go to sleep, I thought of a really cute idea for a Valentine card for my hubby. Stay tuned...I think it's going to be one-of-a-kind.   I get some of my best ideas at night.  How about you? 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Make Your Mark Challenge #461

Make My Monday Challenge #218
A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #2
Classic Design Challenge #1
LTSCB #165
Mix it Up Challenge #69
Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #73
Worldwide Colorists and Crafters Challenge #13
613 Avenue Create February Challenge
We Love 2 Create challenge 1

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