myasperations 3-20-25

     This is my second entry into Time Out Challenge’s “The Red Carpet” theme/mood board. I imbibed in some web research, drinking in dozens of beautiful gowns that would work well on a card front. However, my eyes were drawn to the gorgeous array of dark red peonies tumbling down the length of a gown Cameron Diaz wore at the 2002 Academy Awards. (Details HERE.) Peonies were one of my mom’s favorite flowers, so they have always been special to me. I knew I had several peony digis in my collection that I could use for my card. I copied a lovely digi from Ching-Chou Kuik named “Peony Dawn” into my Word program, cropped it back to end up with a digi strip that held a few blooms and leaves and sized it to fill half of an A2 card front. Next, I copied and pasted another strip beside the first… and I had the base for my card front! After printing and cutting the A2-sized pair of digi strips, I used a closeup of the Red Carpet photo as my guide to try to replicate the look of the flower-laden gown! The process of coloring and embellishing the peonies took seven steps, but I like how they turned out. (The steps plus photos are just above the supply listing in case you would like details.)

      Mz. Diaz draped a pretty scarf (with blue diamond shaped patterns) and a chunky silver/gold belt around her waist. These inspired me to use blue patterned paper and metallic accents on my card. Lastly, I selected the sentiments, thrilled to discover that I had some Mother's Day wood-mount stamps (circa 1990’s!) My mom would have loved this card… so I plan to send it to my sister in May. (Since I have two sisters, I'll be making a second one!)  

  

    Step 1- outline blooms with a deep shade of red. 

    Step 2-Add depth by blending in two additional shades of red. 

    Step 3- Outline the leaves with a medium shade of green, add another lighter shade of 

        green, then outline leaves with white gel pen. 

    Step 4-Outline the edges of the colored blooms with a white gel pen.  

    Step 5- Use a ruler and a light pink marker to draw lines down the peony strips, evenly 

        spacing them ¼ inch apart. 

    Step 6- Use a white gel pen to draw a white line down each side of the pink stripes. 

        Optional- Trace over the pink lines with a sparkly pen or marker. 

Supplies: 

·   Peony Digi- Ching-Chou Kuik Grayscale digi (Peony Dawn)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Sparkly Heart Stickers- punched or fussy-cut from glittery and metallic paper scraps

·   Front Sentiment “Happy Mother’s Day”- Wood Mount Printworks Stamp (no longer available)

·   Front Sentiment “A Mother Holds a Special Part…”- Wood Mount Printworks Stamp (no longer available)

·   ZIG Wink of Stella clear glitter brush marker (To add sparkle onto pink stripes)

·   Blue and gold patterned paper- Hobby Lobby

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Scrap of sheer cream/gold ribbon, Green ink pad, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into: 

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #284 (The Challenge: The Red Carpet)      

Allsorts Challenge- Week 819- Feminine 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #691-692

Paper Funday- #74 Anything Goes     

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge-AG March 2025

      This final card features a beautiful Moondrea Designs digi named Cherry Blossom, which is provided free to participants of their monthly Progressive FB Challenge. Cherry Blossoms bring a hint of Spring, so I loved making this card. Although you can’t see it in the photo, my card also has lots of sparkle with several gel pens and markers. 

 

Supplies: 

·   Background photo of Cherry Blossoms- from www.istockphoto.com

·   Digi- Moondrea Designs Digi (Cherry Blossom)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Sparkly Heart Stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Sentiments are from a We Are 3 Digi Sentiment set (Etsy Shop closed) 

·    Embellishments on inside sentiment- From Power Poppy digi set (Blossoming Cherry)

·    ZIG Wink of Stella clear glitter brush marker

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Strip of sheer ribbon, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Moondrea Designs Progressive Challenge FB-(March-Cherry Blossoms)  

  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (March) Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival

  Penny’s Paper Crafty Challenge- #592 Anything Goes

  Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #780: Add a Sentiment

  Papercraft Challenges- Challenge #117 Spring Blooms 

     This card features a cuddly Di’s Digi image named Candy Cane Bear. Sadly, this cutie is now retired, but if you visit Di’s Etsy Shop, you’ll find lots of adorable critters and right now they are on sale for 30% off (I especially love her bears and bunnies!) The gorgeous patterned paper provides a wonderful vintage look to the card. And the little bear looks pretty comfy perched on the frame I created on the card front. I added some depth to the card by printing, coloring, and fussy-cutting an extra set of his legs that were attached with foam tape.

Supplies: 

·   Dis Digis- Candy cane Bear (Retired)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Front Sentiment- “Thinking of You at Christmas” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Christmas Cardinals)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Jingle Bells)

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #55 March 2025         

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge- #250 AG 

Di’s Digi Stamps-All About Animals

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday: March (Christmas) 

Outlawz Challenge-March 2025 Linky

myasperations 3-19-25

      When I saw The Time Out Challenge mood board for its current challenge “ The Red Carpet” I was thrilled. When I was growing up, if I wasn’t drawing or coloring, I played with paper dolls or my beloved Barbie and her gorgeous clothes. Working on cards for this challenge brought back so many happy memories. This first card, inspired by the sequined rainbow dress on the mood board, took on a sparkly life of its own!

      The base for the dress is a template (info in supplies) I printed off on regular copy paper. After fussy-cutting the dress skirt and bodice, I use a scoring tool to gently add the fold line, then used decorative chalks, a makeup sponge, and my fingers to carefully add pastel color stripes.  When finished, I folded the skirt, adding tape to the back to hold it together. Next, The bodice was added, trimmed to fit, then taped to the skirt (on the backside.) I gave the dress the look of sequins by covering it with little dots of Diamond Stickles. Setting the dress aside to dry, I experimented with options for the background… and settled on some gold sparkle paper that adds a major WOW factor. I cut an oval from the gold paper and adhered the remaining “frame” to a white A2 card base. When the dress was dry, I cut a small strip of the sparkly gold paper to create a “belt”, then positioned the dress and sentiments on the card. So fun! 

 

Supplies: 

·   Origami Dress Patterns are available on the web. The one I used is no longer available but I found a similar one HERE. Instructions for folding the pattern can be found HERE and HERE.  And one that will help you create a template with a circle and a ruler HERE!

·   Colored with Decorating Chalks- a few names that I’m aware of are Pebbles (I Kan'Dee) Chalk Set and Craft-T Chalks.

·   Stickles- Diamonds  or a similar sparkle base!

·   Front Sentiment “Hello Sunshine” from  Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Hello Sunshine)

·   Inside Sentiment “ You add COLOR to my life”  A freebie from Desert Diva HERE

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #284 (The Challenge: The Red Carpet) 

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge- #250 AG 

Allsorts Challenge- Week 819- Feminine

Outlawz- Tuesday Color Challenge- Rainbow  

Outlawz Challenge-March 2025 Linky  

      This Fairy named  Cecily from Sweet November Stamps was provided to the their FB group members who entered four fairy-themed cards during their 2025 “Faebruary” challenge. The March challenge encourages including rainbows on our cards, so I used my Paint.net program to provide a colorful background on which I could give Cecily center stage!

 

Supplies: 

·   Rainbow Background- a freebie from the TLC Junk Journaling page on FB (No longer available)

·   Free Paint.net program can be found HERE (you can add watermarks, layer digis, and more!)

·   Fairy Digi- “Cecily” a freebie for participating in the Feb 2025 challenge at Sweet November Stamps.

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Ladybug Stickers- Jolee's 3D Red Foil Sticker 

·   Front Sentiment-Freebie from TlcCreations (Happy Spring)

·   Inside Sentiment “Each day…” is from a Jan’s Digis set (Bonnet Bouquet) Ssadly, no longer available

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Swirly border/frame was fussy-cut from an old certificate

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Friends of Sweet November (FB) March  

Outlawz Sunday Challenge: Songs and Rhymes- Little Folk

Cupcake Inspirations- #614 Color Challenge- Sky Blue, Pink, Green  

Penny’s Paper Crafty Challenge- #592 Anything Goes

Polkadoodles Challenge- Challenge 4, Week 1- AG                     

  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (March)     Lephrechans: The Little Man of Disneyland

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: March Mood Board-Kermit GREEN   

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday: March (St Patrick's Day, Spring) 

    This month’s sketch at the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers group (BYSHC) Challenge on FB is a simple one that has inspired me to make many cards that I’ll be posting over the next few weeks. I flipped the sketch for this card, creating a landscape vs. portrait layout. Its front features a 4 x 5¼ inch section of patterned paper, which was included in a prize packet I won in a past BYSHC challenge! The paper includes both whitewashed wood panels, plus a swag of beautiful holiday greenery. The holly-decorated sentiment was stamped with a wood mount stamp that I’ve had in my stash since the late 1990s. After stamping and embossing the image with black EP, I colored and highlighted the holly and frame. I also trimmed the ends of the ribbon on holiday greenery background so that I could nestle the sentiment beneath it.

Supplies: 

·   Black Pigment ink and Black Embossing Powder from my stash

·   Front Sentiment “Merry Christmas with Holly” Wood Mount Stamp from Printworks (stamp no longer available)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside Sentiment-“Spreading Holiday Cheer…” from Power Poppy digi set (Gingerbread Family) 

·   Pioneer Clear Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Gold photo corners available from several web sources (WXJ13 Photo Mounting Corners)

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Crafty Catz Challenge- #689 AG- Optional: Add a Sentiment 

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #780: Add a Sentiment

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #691-692

ABC Christmas Challenge- “E, F and G  are for…? ”  ‘F is for Focal Sentiment'

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #55 March 2025         

myasperations 3-16-25

    This month's sketch at the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers group (BYSHC) Challenge on FB is a simple one that has inspired me to make many cards that I’ll be posting over the next few weeks. This one features a happy Santa image from The Paper Shelter. After coloring Santa I fussy-cut the digi, then trimmed the packages so that the card front matches the sketch. (I moved the packages around, and moved two of them to embellish the inside sentiment. Altering the image also meets the optional twist for TPS challenge.) Creating a green background for the card allows me to enter him into the current Double D challenge.  

                  Supplies: 

·   The Paper Shelter Digi Set (Here Is Santa)

            ·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Front Sentiment “HoHoHo”- Fussy-cut from patterned paper)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Home for the Holidays)

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #55 March 2025       

Double D’s Challenge- Going Green  

The Paper Shelter- #629 Anything Goes  (Opt Twist Alter It)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge- #250 AG 

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday: March (Christmas) 

Outlawz Challenge-March 2025 Linky  

  

      This wintry card features a freebie digi from Newton’s Nook, which works beautifully when paired with a background paper packed full of woolen winter wear! I added knitted texture to the gloves on the digi using a technique I learned from Anabel Haines in an easy-to-follow tutorial. Lastly, I fussy-cut images from the patterned paper to embellish the inside sentiment.

Supplies: 

·   Digi/Sentiment- “Warm and Cozy Wishes” from Newtons Nook Freebies

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Tutorial for creating knitted texture (on gloves) can be found HERE

·   Inside Sentiment-“Spreading Holiday Cheer…” from Power Poppy digi set (Gingerbread Family)  

·   Patterned paper on front, and cut into embellishments- Hobby Lobby

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Classic Design Challenge: Anything Goes March-April 2025

Cupcake Inspirations- #614 Color Challenge- Sky Blue, Pink, Green    

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #691-692

Polkadoodles Challenge- Challenge 4, Week 1- AG                     

ABC Christmas Challenge- “E, F and G  are for…? ”  'F is for Focal Sentiment'

Paper Funday- #74 Anything Goes      (Optional Twist: Weather Related) 

     I’m a wee bit Irish, on my Father’s side, so I usually make a few cards to send out!  Since my hubby and I usually enjoy a little Bailey’s in our coffee to celebrate the holiday, I felt it was appropriate that this card features a mug covered with Irish Gnomes. Top ‘O the Morning to you all!

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place where the challenge is anything inspired by a theme park. This is one of my favorite challenges… as it has introduced me to many new places to add to my bucket list! I used the wonderful “inspiration” listing that sponsor Makira provides, and found a theme park that features a very small surprise, based on a Golden Book character,  Lephrechans: The Little Man of Disneyland. I did some research (HERE), and it sounds like the little guy's home is now at  the entrance of the Indiana Jones jungle!

Supplies: 

·   Cup shape- template was hand drawn to fit the front of an A2 card front.

·   St Pat’s Decorated Paper Hobby Lobby Clearance Aisle

·   Steam on coffee made with scraps of vellum

·   Front Sentiment “So Lucky…”- Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Must Be Love) Available until June 30 for $ 2.53  (US rate)

·   Inside Sentiment-Freebie from LoveSVG (Happy St. Patrick's Day)

·   Inside embellishments- gnomes fussy-cut from paper, gold coins sketched onto sparkly gold paper with Sharpie permanent fine-line black pen

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- A Bit ‘O Gold

Penny’s Paper Crafty Challenge- #592 Anything Goes

Crafty Catz Challenge- #689 AG- Optional: Add a Sentiment

  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (March)     Lephrechans: The Little Man of Disneyland

  Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: March Mood Board- Kermit GREEN