Jeremiah Ketner Sunflower Girl

 Be like a sunflower...stand strong, tall and follow the sun. 

Jeremiah Ketner digi, Spellbinders frame, copic markers,
  Cricut Design Space writing feature, white gel pen, assorted gems

Hey there,

I've been missing my sweet cat-loving Cali girlfriend a lot lately, so I I'm sending her some love from my sunlit hub today. This darling Jeremiah Ketner cutie with her adorable bright-eyed kitty and  cheery sunflowers was a joy to color with my Copics and embellish with some glitz.  Initially, I added a sparkly necklace to my pretty girl's graceful neck, but then I decided she was elegant enough  and the cat could use a chic, fancy collar instead.  Yep, the cat and I think it was a good call. 

 I always love complimentary colors for striking contrast, so I used shades of orange and purple to make my images pop.  I added a white Spellbinders frame to back my bright summer scene and a blue card base to mimic the sky.  The  sentiment was created with the writing feature in Cricut Design Space.  

The sun is fiercely beating down on  both my friend and I from our separate western state abodes. Nice to know we can experience the same "warmth" from the sun, even though we're miles apart.    

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and spread some sunshine.

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #689  

Daisy Chain Challenge #53

Creative Moments Challenge #217

Little Red Wagon Challenge #607

The Sisterhood of Crafters Anything Goes

Color Throwdown Challenge #648

Try it on Tuesday - Here Comes Summer

A Bit More Time to Craft Challenge #142

Classic Design Challenge #6

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #6

Fathers Day Beach Scene - Lori Whitlock Pop Up Box Card

Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, 
story-tellers and singers of song.    Pam Brown

Lori Whitlock svg, Cricut cutting and writing features, Copic markers,
swirl embossing folder, silver gems 

 Hey there,  

Initially, this adorable beach scene svg from Lori Whitlock seemed a little too ambitious for me to finish in a week for Father's Day.  A Guest Design Team project, birthday and quilting projects, along with pending cataract surgery were looming large and taking up my energy and mojo.   But  I decided to go for it, and I'm so glad I did.  

I like to cut out small pieces for a project like this in white card stock on my Cricut Maker, and then color them with Copics.  It's so much easier and I can shade them to give them a little more pizazz.  The card base, mats and  the two blue van layers were the only pieces I cut with colored card stock and it turned out to be a huge time  saver.  The  fish, sun, palm tree, coconuts and shell were all simple and fun to shade with my markers.  I used solid flat coloring on the small van pieces, which turned out even and streak less. I'm surprised at how much I like the end result.  Sometimes things just come together magically!

I've done so many of these Lori Whitlock pop up box cards, I can practically assemble them blindfolded.  Everyone loves a card that does tricks, so they're worth a little extra creative effort.  

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and honor the wonderful men in your life.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #220

Double "D" Challenge - Signs of Summer

Try it on Tuesday - For the Man in Your Life

Pearly Sparkles Challenge #63

Always Fun Challenge #218

Dream Valley Challenge #250

Make My Monday Challeng150

UnstampaBelles Challenge #112

Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - June - For the Boys

 

Studio Light Missees Fashion Show

If your soul is good and your mind is positive, then you will start to see the beauty in yourself. 

Studio Light Misses dies and stamps, designer paper, metallic copper card stock,
 assorted gems, slimline card base and frame, Hero Arts  "hello" die and stamp set

Hey there,

If someone had told me when I was an artsy little schoolgirl that I would still be coloring fairies and unicorns and playing with paper dolls as a "mature" adult, I would have thought they had bats in their belfry. But here I am, living the dream. My Copic makers are as thrilling to me now as my crayons were way back then, and cards using Julie Nutting dolls are some of my faves.  The minute I saw THIS YouTube video demonstrating these darling Studio Lite Missees dies and stamps,  I knew I  had to have all three sets pronto.  My hopes were dashed when I saw that these popular dies were mostly on backorder.  But after a frantic search, I managed to get my hands on THIS  base die and stamp set called Betty which  is the one that all the other sets build on.

It was pure delight experimenting with this first set and figuring out how to make the faces a little more detailed with my Copics.  I used the hair die to create a short red  hairdo like my own but I had to wait for the Carol set to create my glasses.   I'm planning to make cards that look like selfies of my friends and me, with customized facial expressions and sentiments to add a personal touch.  I know....life altering.

The endless looks that can be created with the simple dies and stamps in these three sets is mind boggling.  I couldn't stop die cutting tons of different hair styles and outfits in a variety of colors and prints and then just going crazy designing my sisterhood of paper beauties.   

When my bestie went all out for my birthday last week, I wanted to give her a special thank you card. I realized that one of my cards came close to her adorably prissy likeness. She was thrilled when I presented it to her and plead with me to invite her into my craft room to make some cards for her teenage granddaughters  She's a brilliant artist and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. Can you think of anything more delightful than going nuts making trendy teen beauties!  They'll be over-the-top post-worthy, so stay tuned for  the chic teen fashion show we conjure up.

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and spend time doing something you were nuts about as a kid.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Creative Knockouts Challenge #405

Always Fun Challenge #217

Dream Valley Challenge #249

Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2123

QKR Stampede Challenge #421

SheepSki Designs Challenge #51

613 Avenue Create Challenge #6

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #6

Classic Design Challenge #6

You are Unique - Janna Prosvirina Flip Card

Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.   Dorothy Parker

Janna Prosvirina digi, Copic markers, green and clear gems, white gel pen, silver leafing pen,
green glitter card stock, silver foil card stock, magenta card stock, Cricut Design Space cutting
and design features, iridescent peel off stickers, Jane Davenport sentiment and star dies  

Hey there,

I was beyond thrilled to get a brand new shiny computer for my birthday last week, but HOLY MOLY...downloading a humungous amount of data from a prehistoric computer (apparently the "flip phone" of the breed) has been a monumental task, even when done by a competent professional.  It's been almost a week and I still don't have everything running smoothly, but ultimately I know I will be ecstatic with my updated, state of the art technology.

In the meantime,  I managed to figure out how to edit my card in my newfangled Photo Shop Elements program and upload it to my blog. It's like finding some favorite "old friends" on a twisted path in the dark.  Now I can't wait to find some time to relax and create in my happy place.

This glamorous grayscale Janna Prosvirina digital stamp is colored with Copic markers with a few Prismacolor details.  I used pastel colors for her hair which is uncharacteristic for me and was a little challenging. But it's always good to try something new, right?  I lined my card panels with a silver leafing pen and added a few gems to the necklace, the panel corners and the stars.  The silver foil card stock sentiment and stars were created with Jane Davenport dies.   I added further decoration to the  necklace and the back panel with iridescent peel off stickers. 

I loved creating the flip card base for this card in Cricut Design Space.  I chose a layered frame from the Cricut library, did some simple math, and manipulated the square shape with some added score lines and, hallelujah, a fabulous flip card was born.  Once I got the knack,  I made several in different shapes and sizes.  I'm obsessed with all the incredible features in Design Space.  It's worth taking time to conquer the learning curve because the sky's the limit for what you can accomplish. 

It's good to be back in the game.  I feel so happening!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and challenge yourself to learn a new crafty skill.

Nancy

Playing along with:

Fab'n'Funky Challenge 526

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge May 25

Classic Design Challenge #6

Crafter's Cafe Challenge #267

LeAnn's World 101 Challenge #39

Love to Craft Challenge #59

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #6

Dream Valley Challenge #249

You are Fabulous - Mo Manning Digital Diva

Be your own kind of beautiful. 

Mo Manning digi stamp, Copic markers, Spellbinders frame,
alphabet stamps, Impression Obsession mini flower dies,
hot pink gems, rainbow water color digi paper, Nuvo Drops

 Hey there,

I've just returned from a marvelous reunion with my two daughters in Monterey, California after being separated for a year and a half due to the pandemic.  It's a treat to get my crafting mojo back again in my restorative craft room paradise.  One of my daughters has been visiting from Copenhagen, Denmark for five blissful weeks and has managed to get fully vaccinated here, so we'll be sending her off tomorrow much safer  than  when she arrived. 

THIS adorable Mo Manning digi diva with her fantastically snazzy attire was a delight to color and accessorize.  She's a reminder to all of us that the most beautiful thing we can  wear is confidence.  The background is a rainbow water color digi print and the Deco style frame is from Spellbinders.  I embellished the frame and fancied  up  her colorful glasses with hot pink gems.  A few little mini die cut daisies with Nuvo Drop centers adorn her perky pony tails.  The "fabulous" sentiment came with the digi so I just stamped the "you are" and mounted it on foam tape to complete the thought.  

This card goes to my sweet childhood friend who has experienced some hard times lately, to put a smile on her face and remind her she's wonderful no matter what challenges come her way.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy 

Playing along with:

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #406

Creative Moments Challenge #215

CD Sundaya Plus Challenge #61

Lil Patch of Crafy Friends Challenge #158

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge #266

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #87

Createful Heart Challenge #32

Stinkin' Inkers Challenge - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Allsorts Challenge #625

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #146

Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge #303

You Are So Lovely - Zan Von Zed Ladies of Leisure Digi

Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you.  Live life with gusto.
Dale Carnegie

Zan Von Zed Ladies of Leisure digital stamp, Tim Holtz background die,
Heartfelt Creations stamps, dies, and mold, Cricut cutting and writing features,
 glossy gold card stock, Xpressit blending paper, Copic markers, iridescent sequins

Hey there,

Grayscale coloring can be both amazing and challenging at the same time.  Zan Von Zed, the incredibly talented artist of THIS coloring book where I found this gorgeous digital image, uses light shading in her designs but also leaves open areas,  like the eyes here, for the colorist to use her own skills and imagination. There is occasionally some controversy in the digital art community as to whether this additional shading might be "cheating" since it shows through as light shading in the finished product.  For me, there are definite pros and cons to grayscale.  I enjoy shading so much on unshaded images and the light gray is a little harder to blend with Copics.  And since light source and shading are some of the most important skills a colorist can learn, I don't think it's helpful for beginners to rely on these shadows in their work.  But I like the result I get, even though it can be darker and more intense than my usual coloring.  And since many of my favorite artists use grayscale to differing degrees, some even offering dark, medium or none in their digi shops, I'm all in for the challenges and advantages of grayscale coloring! 

What do you think?  If you haven't tried grayscale, you should give it a go.  Some of the best artists use it to varying degrees in their artwork and many colorists create stunning artwork with it.  Just be aware when you see an unbelievably shaded image colored to perfection,  the colorist might have had some help from the artist. 

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and experiment with some grayscale artistry.

Nancy

Playing along with:

The Card Concept Challenge #155

The Paper Funday Challenge #29

Digi Choosday Challenge Wk 19

Try it on Tuesday Challenge - Make it Feminine

A Place to Start Challenge #5

Get Creative Challenge #101

Just Us Girls #583

A Bit More Time to Craft #139

Classic Design Challenge #5

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #5

QKR Stampede Challenge #419

 

Penny Black Isabelle Stamp - Wistful Thanks

My mission in life is not merely to survive,  but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.  Maya Angelou

Penny Black "Isabelle" stamp, Heartfelt Creation die cut and molded flowers,
 Copic markers. thanks sentiment die, corner die, Tattered Lace frame dies

 Hey there,

 If  I had enough time and steam, I would send handmade thank you cards endlessly to all my incredibly supportive tribe. We card makers know that a personalized, hand crafted card with a heartfelt tribute inside is a very upllifting way to express our affection and gratitude to those we adore.  

This pretty cling stamp image from Penny Black Stamps, which I purchased from Joann's a few years ago, is called Isabelle.  She's a little hard to find now, but an internet search shows she's still available online.  Amazingly, she's large enough to  fit a 5 x 7 card perfectly.  After coloring her with Copics and fussy cutting her, I  attached her to a water colored digital background and framed her with layered die cut Tattered Lace frames.  I die cut the sentiment and corners with  gold foil card stock and added handmade Heartfelt Creations flowers for color and dimension.  She looks quite wistful, but it's obvious she's counting her myriad of wondrous blessings.

Thanks for visiting,

Go forth and express your thanks to those you love!

Nancy

Playing along with:

Craft Rocket Challenge #81

Krafty Chicks Challenge #558

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #404

Crafty Creations Challenge #421

Little Red Wagon Challenge #600

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #315

Dream Valley Challenge #247

Pammie's Inky Pinkies