Get Up, Dress Up - Lori Holt Millie's Dresses Wall Hanging

 Look your best and you will think and act your best. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

I've been patiently waiting for just the right quilt block to exemplify my life's mantra and I found the perfect one in this beautiful vintage dress block called  Millie's Dresses by Lori Holt.  The minute I saw it I knew I was going to make a wall hanging for Nannyland with a sign above it symbolizing the daily motto I have followed since I was a teenager.

I'm going to confess to what may be a controversial practice in today's "free to be me" climate.  I have been engaging in an obsessive ritual that some might consider compulsive at worst and quirky at best.  I've been getting up every morning, since I was a teenager, dressing in an outfit appropriate to be seen in public, and  completing a full hair and makeup routine.  My daily mantra is always "Get Up, Dress Up."  There, I've said it.  My girls can back me up on this.  No matter what my daily challenge is, be it toothache, earthquake, surgery, cancer treatment, family crisis, girls camp...you name it, I'm going to be looking as spiffy as possible to greet the opportunities and challenges of the new day.  

Now, some of you might be thinking, "Could she be more vain?," but I have found the affect is just the opposite.  Once I've taken care of my own grooming, I don't think about it the rest of the day and I can go about my activities with confidence.  I can smile at strangers and engage with the people I meet, look for ways to do service, welcome visitors to my home without peering through a crack in the door, do errands any time for myself and others, hang with the people I love and just generally be present in the world.

I get this is not for everyone. The majority of my friends and family look and feel fabulous everyday, as they should, without focusing on eye shadow color or hair gel.  And don't get me started on those people with the thick mermaid hair, long dark lashes and glowing skin that don't ever need to look in a mirror!  This is just a ME thing that has helped me get through some difficult times, feeling like I can take on the day with faith and composure.  

I ended up in emergency a couple of weeks ago with some pesky blood clots and was happy that I had on full make up to offset the very unattractive, ill-fitting gown. I'm very happy that not one of my doctors or attendants seemed impressed with my lipstick color, but I, myself, didn't feel like a poor sick old lady who just dragged out of bed, and that meant something to me. The doctor commented on how healthy I was and said he didn't think blood thinners would be a problem for me since I didn't look like a person who falls a lot.  Because I obviously had the wits to apply make up, people! So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Get Up, Dress Up. It's worth the effort, I swear. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

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

Grandma's Flower Garden Quilt - English Paper Piecing

 Why did she make things? Well, she enjoyed it, of course,
but it also somehow helped her remember who she was
 and where she came from. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

Yayyy! I finally finished my Grandma's Flower Garden quilt and I really love the way it turned out, imperfections and all.  I've been sewing the English Paper Pieced hexagons together to create my flowers since the dawn of time and I was excited when I realized I had finally accumulated enough for a quilt.  I used THIS Flowers For Emma pattern by Sherri McConnell for my inspiration because I loved the way she pieced four low volume fabrics to create the backgrounds for her flower blocks.  

My EPP flowers are truly scrappy because I used small, very old scraps from my stash that I had collected over many years and none of my flowers are the same.  I used yellow dotted fabric for the centers to create a unifying element.  

I chose a cute flower pantograph for my quilting to mimic my flowers.   I added white sashing to add some contrast to my blocks and a green Lori Holt "sew cherry" border because many of my fabrics had cherry or fruit motifs.  What's not to like about cherries!   As usual, I added striped binding to finish my quilt. 

Although this quilt certainly has a handsewn vibe with lots of imperfections, it will always be one of my favorites because so much time and affection went into it.  This one won't end up on some careless person's lap in front of the TV in danger of getting snacks spilled on it.  I'll just carefully lay it on my lap when I want to reminisce about all the wonderful years I've spent blissfully playing with beautiful fabric and quilting. And all the fun hours I spent watching Hallmark movies while sewing my hexagons together.  I'm already starting a new batch and can't wait to see where they land. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Another Meeting of the Nannyland Craft Club - Martini Twins Help Me Get Organized

 

Hey there from Nannyland,

Okay, I admit it, sometimes I prefer the company of kids over adults. They're just so full of curiosity,  openness and excitement, and they know how to have a good time creating. Oh, and they're beyond hilarious!  I have two lovely grown daughters and, if I had been able to control my fate, I would have had a few more. I substitute taught K-12 students very blissfully for fourteen years and spent many years teaching and supervising kids in my church.  But I just can't seem to conjure up any grandchildren! My daughters have refused to cooperate. The nerve. 

Thankfully, I have been blessed with good friends and neighbors who are happy to share their bounteous passels of little ones with me.  My dear friend Dona, who has loads of artistic talent,  has some amazing grandchildren of all ages.  Brielle and Hadley (whom I affectionally call the "twin-adoes") love crafting with their grandma every chance they get.                                                 

I'm constantly purging in Nannyland to make room for the new treasures I keep buying.  I enjoy putting things aside that I think the twins and Dona could use in their art sessions.  When I collect a few boxes of  assorted goodies, I invite the girls to my house to relieve me of my surplus supply bonanza and join me in a McDonald's cheeseburger lunch.  We also discuss some fun things we can do on their next visit, like figuring out how to make some journals with my neglected Cinch Machine. 

It didn't take long for them to paint up a storm at grandma's house on some small canvases and note books.  Dona said they are so excited to use the gems, stamps, stickers, paper, card bases, pens, doilies, die cuts and much more for future art projects.  

I love that my overflowing stash can be put to good use by my sweet little budding artist friends.  My drawers and cupboards are a lot neater and now my friend Dona has lots of supplies to keep her darling granddaughters busy.  Win/win! 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

"Cutesy" Art Journal Page - Mo Manning Friday's Child Digi

 What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, so is
prayer to the soul.    Corrie Ten Boom

Hey there from Nannyland, 

The tiered ruffles on the dress of this darling digi from Mo Manning have been asking for a little rainbow magic for years now, so I thought it was time to make her the focus of some fun bird-themed  journal pages in what I call my  "Cutesy Journal."  It's not a surprise that most of the pages in this journal are the delightful art of Mo Manning. This adorable digi is called Friday's child, after the nineteenth century poem that assigns the nature of a child according to the day of the week in which he/she is born.  Years ago Mo Manning created images of children depicting each day of the week,  and I have several, so I googled this old rhyme:

Monday's child is fair of face, (that's me)
Tuesday's child is full of grace, (my husband and older daughter))
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living, (my younger daughter)
But the child who is born on the Sabbath day,
Is lucky and happy and good and gay 

Of course, I had to google what day of the week each member of my family was born, and was pleased that none of us was born on a Wednesday.  But it's only a made up poem, after all, so I won't get too consumed with  random foretelling. I'll leave that to my horoscope...😀 

I thoroughly enjoy all the planning, coloring and zhuzhing that goes into creating my journal pages.  I feel free to do anything I like, so there's really no mistakes.  I love the Spellbinders bird house dies, and while the scale is a little off in this case,  I think  this one made a fun background scene for my cute girl.  I used Spellbinders birds, branches and flowers on my inspiration page and created my sentiment tag in Cricut Design Space with the writing and cutting features. 

Another fun set of art journal pages for the books and many more blissful journaling hours ahead for this "fair of face" artist.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

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

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                       Playing along with:

Crafty Catz Challenge 676

As You Like It Challenge - Non-Card Project (more room to create)

Craft Rocket Challenge #116

Just Us Girls Challenge #735

Word Art Wednesday Challenge Week #655-656

Try It On Tuesday Challenge - Things with Wings

Dream Valley Challenge #318

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #7

Classic Design Challenge #6

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #78

The Nancy and Hallie Craft Club

 

Hey there from Nannyland,

My adorable six-year-old neighbor absolutely loves Nannyland and enjoys shopping in my drawers and cupboards for her own art supplies.  More than once she has grabbed a handful of some very special embellishments and put them in her pocket to my chagrin, but I just can't say no to her precious smile.  

This week she didn't see me at church and learned I was a little under the weather.  She asked if I wanted her to bring over a craft project  that we could do together to cheer me up.  Of course, I said an enthusiastic yes.  She showed up at my door with a rock painting kit her father had bought her on a recent "daddy date."  It included several rocks of varied shapes, paint brushes, acrylic paint and gems for embellishments.  The tools and paint were of questionable quality, so we went to work finding suitable replacements in my boundless stash.  

She turned out to be one of my favorite craft partners ever and we agreed we should start a Craft Club with regular meetings.  I'm having fun thinking of all the things we can do together.  What a good way to make use of all the neglected supplies taking up space in my craft area.   

Hallie went home with some very artistic rocks and came back later in the day with some cookies to thank me for letting her join me in my special getaway.  And, of course, she was wearing a dinosaur costume because, why not?