myasperations 1-14-25

      This first shape card features a cute panda bear from a Beccy’s Place digi set named “Bear Hugs” perched on the front of a -T-shirt!  (I provided a photo of the template I created in case you want to make one.)

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place where the challenge is anything inspired by a theme park. I used the wonderful “inspiration” listing that sponsor Makira provides which lists items/themes found in parks around the world. Since Valentine's Day means chocolate to me...I searched for chocolate and found Cadbury World. It offers an afternoon tea event that “gives the classic British experience a chocolate-themed twist which sounds like a “win-win” to me!) 

Supplies: 

·   Template for TShirt card- Created by me (to fit into an A2 sized envelope!)

·   Bear Digi- from  Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Bear Hugs)

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

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

·   Front Sentiment- “Sending you Hugs and Kisses” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Keeping it Simple)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Happy Valentines Day” from We Are 3 Digital Sentiments Set (Sadly, this wonderful Etsy Shop is closed) 

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

·   Patterned paper and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Get in Shape (no squares or rectangles)   

  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Jan)                Cadbury World: Afternoon Teas

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Anything Goes 

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge- Jan 2025

This circle-shaped card features an adorable piglet, the free digi provided for this month's  Progressive Challenge at Outlawz. I’ve always appreciated Sherry West’s whimsical artwork, and I had fun coloring this little cutie, providing a Valentine's Day theme with patterned paper and sentiments.

      I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Wednesday Sketch Challenge (my card reflects this months two cues-Circles and Cute) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi provided by Sherry West Art for the January Progressive Challenge at Outlaws

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

·   Front Sentiment- “Happy Valentine's Day” from a Conie Fong Digi Set available HERE

·   Inside Sentiment- “You Make My Heart Smile” a freebie from LoveSvg Available HERE

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

·   Patterned papers, heart stickers, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

(Posted via Pinterest) Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Get in Shape (no squares or rectangles)   

Outlawz Wednesday Sketch Challenge- Jan 2025   

Outlawz Challenge- Progressive Challenge (Jan) by Sherry West Art  

We Love Stamping- January: Anything but Square (optional AG)  

      I received this cute Onesie-shaped card base at a card-making class back in the late 1990s! The stamp and sentiment I used are from my stash… and are almost that old. (I'm decluttering my craft room and finding lots of treasures in the process. So fun!)

                                         

                        

Supplies: 

·   Onsie card base provided at a card-making class I attended at a stamp store in South Dakota a few decades ago!

·   Baby Image from Stamping Up! Wood mount Rubber Stamp set (retired) 

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

·   Front Sentiment- “Welcome Baby” sentiment a Freebie from Papercraftsmagazine.com (no longer available) 

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated

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

·   Other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

(Posted via Pinterest) Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Get in Shape (no squares or rectangles)   

Di’s Digi Stamps-Hand Colored Image

Paper Funday- #72 Anything Goes 

        This final shape card features a sweet little cardinal from a Beccy’s Place digi set named “Winter Cardinals”. The festive Coffee Cup-shaped card was created using a free template from a Papercrafts magazine years ago. After creating the coffee cup, I decorated the cup with patterned paper. After coloring the little cutie, I adhered him to the front of the cup.  The top of the cup slides up to show a Christmas-themed sentiment, and a bit of double-stick tape holds a coffee shop gift certificate in place.

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Inspiration Station: Photo Prompt (My card was inspired by the season-winter, and the winter bird focal point adds a shout of color to the card!)

Supplies: 

·   Coffee Cup Template- The one I used is no longer available, but a quick web search for  

     “Coffee Cup Gift Card Holder Free Template” provided many options!

·   Cardinal Digi  from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Christmas Cardinals)

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

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

·   Inside Sentiment- “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” a freebie from Birdscards.com (Blog now closed)

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

·   Patterned papers and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

(Posted via Pinterest) Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Get in Shape (no squares or rectangles)   

Inspiration Station- Challenge #69 Inspiration Prompt 

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas) 

Outlawz Challenge-Jan 2025 Linky  

ABC Christmas Challenge- “A and B  are for…? ”  ‘A is for Anything Christmas' 

myasperations 1-4-25a

   I made this card for a challenge at WeCrafts Cards Forum (that requires a fancy fold) and  the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Challenge (using its required January sketch.  It features a trio of yummy gingerbread cookies, holiday sentiments, and a pop-up/explosion feature inside of the card… safely holding more cookies! (I haven’t made an explosion card for many years but found a few tutorials on Pinterest that were helpful. I wanted my insert to fit into an A2-sized card, so started out with a 4x4-inch square and followed the instructions using that as my base. Although the fold is pretty easy, the first one can be a bit confusing. So I recommend that you practice on the first explosion fold with copy paper and you’ll quickly ace the skill!)

    An added note- Sadly, on Jan 1^st, Beccy Muir announced that she is discontinuing the digital images section of Beccy’s Place at the end of June. If you'd like to learn more, Beccy explains the reasons for this difficult decision HERE. If you want to add any of her digi sets to your collection, or have any gift cards you need to use, you have several months to go digi shopping. In addition, she has added a “Digital Stamp Sale” section to her shop where she is offering many sets from the past, priced from $3.00 to as low as 31¢ for a set!! (I’ve picked up a few sets and plan to keep watching to see what else will appear there in the coming months! I’ve enjoyed working with Beccy for the last six years as one of her Contributors, aka DTs, and will miss having regular contact with her! She is not only talented, she is also kind and generous.)

    

 

Supplies: 

·   Explosion Card template and video tutorial can be found HERE  and a PDF HERE

·   Pre-colored Gingerbread Digi from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Home for the Holidays)

·   A bit of additional shading and highlights added to the digi with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside Patterned paper- A freebie from DDDoodles (retired) But you can download 283 other freebies HERE!

·   Red zigzag strips cut from scraps of cardstock with pinking sheers I inherited from my mom (They were originally her mom's... so they are older than I am!!) 

·   Sentiments from Imagine That Digi Set (Gingerbread and Cocoa) Retired (Sadly, the company is no longer in business. I miss Kris!)  

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

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

Entered into:  

Inspiration Station- Challenge #68 Inspiration Prompt Inspired by the Gingerbread cookie!

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #53 Jan 2025         

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge-AG Jan 2025

Outlawz Challenge-Jan 2025 Linky  

The Paper Shelter- #622 Anything Goes  

 

  Since making an explosion card reminded me of how fun they are to make, I decided to create a second one. Once again I started with a 4x4 piece of paper, but this time it was from foil gift bag I found at an after-Christmas clearance sale.  I found a piece of vellum that I'd stamped with a few snowflakes several years ago, and adhered it to the inside of the card to provide a place for signatures, etc.    

  I’ve had this sentiment since reading it in a church bulletin back in the 80’s. I haven’t been able to locate its source anywhere on the web, but if anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can cite the source.   

                                         

                              

Supplies: 

·   Explosion Card template and video tutorial can be found HERE  and a PDF  HERE

·   Shiny snowflake gift bag- Dollar Tree.

·   Sentiment from my stash- Computer Generated and printed in blue ink.

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

·   Assorted snowflake stickers and other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Something New   

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #681-682   

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Use Blue) 

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge- Jan 2025: Optional Fun Fold  

Paper Funday- #72 Anything Goes(Optional Twist: Monochrome) 

    I created this card for the current Papercraft Challenge that requires Mistletoe. My card features a suave frog named Carl, who is hoping for a few mistletoe smooches! I like that Carl’s “Shades” come pre-shaded so they look so real. The rest of Carl is colored by me to look as real as possible!

    Note, both Carl and the freebie inside sentiment are from a digi company named Scribbles whose artist/owner, Sandy, offers a large variety of digis, plus lots of free digis and sentiments that you can find HERE.  I do remember that Scribbles closed its challenge blog but the shop was going to remain open for business. I know you can still click on & download the freebies (I checked on that) and think you can still order digis. If you run into any trouble, let me know and I’ll check with Sandy on their status.

    I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Disneyworld just opened up a new movie-inspired adventure named Tianas Bayou Adventure which is sure to provide a hopping good time!)

Supplies: 

·   Front Digi- Scribbles Designs (Cool Carl)

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

·   Mistletoe Digi- Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Tied Up with String) Retired

·   Inside Sentiment- Free from Scribbles Designs (Mistletoe Wishes)

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

·   Patterned papers, heart stickers, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Papercraft Challenges- Challenge #113 Under the Mistletoe 

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge-AG Jan 2025

Allsorts Challenge- Week 814

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Jan)   Tianas Bayou Adventure (Disneyworld) 

myasperations 1-4-25

      This card’s sweet image of snow bunny friends enjoying hot chocolate is a freebie from illustrator and children's book author Elizabeth Dulemba. This talented and generous artist has created hundreds of digis and coloring pages that she offers for free download! Since the background paper includes darker shades of color, I used pastel shades on the digi to give it a soft and playful feeling. A few snowflakes fussy-cut from the paper were layered upon the front and inside panels as embellishments.  

   

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- A freebie from Dulemba.com (Snow Bunnies.) 

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

·   Background Paper- Dare2BArtzy bundles that include this patterned paper  named “Deck the Halls” (Merry and Bright)

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

·   Inside Sentiment- “Mugs & Kissex” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Christmas Cheers

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Inspiration Station- Challenge #68 Inspiration Prompt   (was inspired by the Hot Beverage!)

Penny’s Paper Crafty Challenge #587 Anything Goes

Allsorts Challenge- Week 814 

Coffee Loving PaperCrafters/Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge: #37 Coffee + Snowflake    

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge- Jan 2025

Paper Funday- #72 Anything Goes     

The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Goes Winter Jan 2025   

      The beautiful angel image on this card was the November freebie in the Sweet November Stamps monthly newsletter. (If you’d like to sign up for the newsletter to receive a link for the monthly freebies, plus learn of sales, etc. just visit their website HERE. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the newsletter invite.) The sentiments are from Beccy’s Place, and I love how the elegant font fits beautifully with the seasons theme of Peace and Joy!

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Path Of Positivity Challenge- Anything Goes Positive (Because Christmas comes with the promise of new life, my card is inspired by the quote  “To live without hope is to cease to live.” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (Little Christmas Angel)

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

·   3-D Heart Stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Front Sentiment “Light of the World”- from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Peace and Light)

·   Inside Sentiment “May the miracle of Christmas… Joy and Love”  from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Peace and Joy)

·   Little B Cutting Dies-Ovals

·   Silver 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:      

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #681-682   (Photo)

We Love Stamping- January: Anything But Square  

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #126 (Twist-Faith/Hope)  

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas) 

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #769: Mega Christmas challenge-Anything Goes  

      Since I’m a DT for Sheepski (one of the sponsors), please don’t include me in the draw for their prize!  

    Several current challenges have birthday themes, so this card features a free Subway Art background and a sweet focal point… literally! The yummy donut “cake” is from a fun Beccy’s Place digi set. I wanted the donuts, candles and sucker balloons to stay out, so printed the subway art in greyscale to provide a nice background. A strip of sheer ribbon adds a little festive touch to the card.

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Double D’s Challenge: Birthday or Anniversary (my card includes wishes that Double D’s Team will enjoy celebrating their 9th year on line… possibly with donuts?!) and Park Hopping-My Happy Place where the challenge is anything inspired by a theme park. I used the wonderful “inspiration” listing that sponsor Makira provides which lists items/themes that can be found in parks around the world. Although I didn’t think I’d find “donuts” in the listing, Makira surprised me once again!! It appears that Universal Studios in USA/Florida features a donut shop, named Lard Lad Donuts that sells pink frosted donuts that regularly appeared in the Simpsons cartoons. Although I’ve not been a Bart fan… I do love donuts!)  

                                               

Supplies: 

·   Birthday Subway Art is a freebie from TlcCreations. This version appears to be retired, but a similar one can be found HERE

·   Donut Digi (Pre-colored) is from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Sweet Thing)

·   A bit of additional shading and highlights added with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated

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

·   Scraps of yellow vellum, sheer ribbon, plus misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Something New   

Double D’s Challenge- Birthday or Anniversary  

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge-AG Jan 2025 (optional twist- Birthday) 

Outlawz Challenge-Jan 2025 Linky  

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Jan)     Lard Lad Donuts at Universal Studios in FL