myasperations 11-19-24

     I have always loved the holidays, especially since I started participating in the Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge at Beccy’s Place!   Since November 2013, every day in November, artist/owner, Beccy Muir provides a theme (most based on the letters of the alphabet) and invites participants to create cards for ANY holiday and using images from any company. And… she offers several prizes on a daily and weekly basis. So there is no reason not to get involved.

     Stop by Beccy’s 12th Annual Month of Holiday Cards Challenge for details. (Beccy even provided “prompts” for each letter of the alphabet to help you on this adventure!)  Since I’m on Beccy’s Contributor Team, I’m playing along for fun and will use Beccy’s images and/or sentiments on all my cards.

For this card, I took a photo of a recipe card for a Norwegian sugar cookie that was a family Christmas holiday tradition in my hubby’s childhood home. Early in our marriage Rich’s sisters gave us a cookie tray stacked high with mouth-watering holiday treats. My favorite was a fluted, buttery delight named Sandbakkles. The next year, Rich's sister, Louise, gave us a set of Sandbakkel tins and provided this recipe passed on from her mother-in-law, Esther. The original is handwritten by Louise, and since she gave it to us nearly 50 years ago, I consider it to be an heirloom! The almond extract stain, accidentally added by my sweet hubby, makes it even more precious.  

      An added note- Louise decorated her home with many Norwegian items and even painted the kitchen in a beautiful shade of blue she called Norwegian Blue. I looked it up on the web and found THIS. So I dug through my paper stash and found a Christmas-themed paper in a shade of blue close to that. So, although my card does have a bit of red and green, I think I can call it a non-traditional Christmas card!

Supplies: 

·   Digi from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Tied Up With String) Retired

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

·   Patterned Paper- Hobby Lobby

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into: 

Beccy’s Place: A Month of Holiday Cards- Nov 2024   Day 16- N is for Non-traditional

       Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun! 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #673-674 

Allsorts Challenge- Week 807- AG (Optional- Food and Drinnk)

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #682 AG    (Optional- Add ribbon or twine) 

      Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!  

Paper Funday- #71 Anything Goes     

   A sketch from the current Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers {BYSHC} sketch challenge on FB inspired this card. The only change I made to the sketch was to reduce the size of the top section, I wanted to use B&W herringbone paper on the card, and this was the biggest piece I could find!

    The Santa digi was provided by the November Outlawz Progressive Freebie Challenge, and contributed by Cara and Makenna. I had fun using their cute Santa digi to create this festive card. 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Outlawz Progressive Freebie Challenge- November (Santa)

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

·   Front Sentiment “Holly Jolly” a label from my scrapbook stash.  

·   Inside Sentiment- “Wishing You a Bright and Happy Christmas” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Jingle Bells)

·   Patterned papers and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas) 

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Nov)    Santa’s Village

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: November-Red   

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #51 Nov 2024         

 Outlawz Challenge- Progressive Challenge (Nov) Santa by Cara & Makenna  

Outlawz Challenge- Nov 2024 Linky  

     My final card was surprisingly easy to make using a YouTube Tutorial and a few dips into my scrap box. The leaf embellishments were fussy-cut from one of the paper scraps, with stitch lines drawn on with a plain old lead pencil. 

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Time Out Challenge: Cozy (My mom and grandma were both quilters… so anything quilted reminds me of the cozy warmth of a hand-quilted blanket and the love that it represents), and Snippets (I love how this challenge encourages me to use up paper scraps. For this card, I dug into my scrap boxes jammed full of fall-colored papers and patterns. Using the Tutorial as my guide (link in my supply list) I cut and pieced them together to create the front “quilt.” I tucked one remaining leaf-filled snippet behind the inside sentiment and fussy-cut a leaf for an embellishment.)  

    Did you notice that I used the term “tucked in”? Ha! Even my description sounds cozy!

Supplies: 

·   Quilter’s Star Tutorial (video and written) can be found HERE

·   Stitch lines added with a regular pencil

·   Front Sentiment-a freebie from TLC Creations (Joyful Thanksgiving)

·   Inside Sentiment- “May your blessings be plentiful” from Power Poppy Digital Set (Autumns Opulence)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Thanks/Thanksgiving  

Di’s Digi Stamps- Thankful or Happy Harvest  

Snippets- Week #493 

Love Those Pretty Papers Challenge- Nov 2024: Optional Use Brown or Yellow as main colors  

Time Out Challenge-#276 Cozy    

myasperations 11-17-24

     Back in 2011, when recovering from major surgery, I joined my first ever challenge blog on the web. It was hosted by a national cardmaking magazines (maybe Papercrafts?) and I fell in love with the regular participants. After that blog closed a year or so later, a few group members kept the blog alive under a new name. It’s gone through several changes since then, but 5-8 of us still participate in the group on Discore named “WeCraftCards”. We mainly share cards, host challenges (with small prizes), while celebrating graduations, new grandbabies, etc. We also provide support to each other through difficult times and losses. Although I’ve only met one of the members in person, they are all special to me.  

    This month's theme is "Hop on the Holidays" and as the host of this week's challenge, I’m inviting participants to that theme literally! Entries of cards, tags, gift bags, etc. need to include a critter that hops. (I did a little web research under "critters that hop" and found lots of options- rabbits, some birds, mountain goats, kangaroos, deer... and many more!) My card features a sweet digi from Sweet November Stamps named “Percy”. (I thought that penguins hopped and found proof on that HERE. They are called “Rock Hoppers” and powerhop UP rock cliffs! Watching them in action is amazing!) My card features little Percy, a circle sentiment, and woolen sweater patterned paper all working together to create a cozy Christmas card in non-tradition colors.

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (Percy Penguin)

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

·   Front Sentiment-“Wishing You a Cozy  Christmas” a freebie from Birdscards.com (Blog now closed)

·   Inside Sentiment-“Let it Snow" (label from my scrapbook stash)

·   Background paper and all other items from my stash.

Entered into: 

Double D’s Challenge- Warm and Cozy 

We Craft Cards- Hop on the Holidays Week 3

Cupcake Inspirations- #606 Theme Challenge- Penguins     

Time Out Challenge-#276 Cozy    

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Nov)    Penguin Trek at Orlando Seaworld

Friends of Sweet November (FB) Nov  

We Love Stamping- November Christmas

     I’m de-cluttering my craft room and finding lots of goodies in the process, including a few pieces of orange paper embossed with a floral-ish pattern. I no longer have the EB folder, but  I found a similar one on the web that I put in my supplies list. A tutorial from Pinterest helped me create a round easel card, with a few revisions. Two digital sentiments plus a piece of beautiful paper with the feeling of fall bring it all together.

 

Supplies: 

·   Circle Easel Card- Instructions found HERE  

·   Darice Embossing Folder- Floral Frenzy

·   Sizzix Big Shot

·   Leaf Stamps from an old Stampin' Up wood mount set

·   Front Sentiment “Thankful, Grateful, Blessed”  from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Pumpkin and Spice)

·   Inside Sentiment- a freebie from TLC Creations (Joyful Thanksgiving)

·   Patterned paper- Hobby Lobby

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into: 

Beccy’s Place: A Month of Holiday Cards- Nov 2024   Day 18- P is for Pumpkin Easel

      Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!       

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Thanks/Thanksgiving  

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #673-674 

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #682 AG   

      Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!  

Di’s Digi Stamps- Thankful or Happy Harvest  

Paper Funday- #71 Anything Goes     

The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Goes Fall Nov 2024    

 

      A friend gave me a set of coffee napkins a few years ago. I discovered that if I carefully pulled one apart, it provided me with four slightly translucent bases for cards. I wanted to turn this into a Christmas card, so I selected some scraps of red and green patterned paper  which I trimmed to size and slid behind the separate cups. I love the way the colors and patterns peek through, adding a festive touch. A frame made with a piece of bright dotted paper bold, a sprig of holly upcycled from an old card, and a few sparkly heart stickers finish the card. (I also added a few photos to show the process of making this card, The first shows what the inside of the napkins look like when the front is pulled off. The other shows us closeup of the cups and holly sprig embellishment.)

Supplies: 

·   Sparkly Heart Stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Front Sentiment “Wishing You a Bright and Happy Christmas” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Jingle Bells)

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated

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

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Inspiration Station- Challenge #67 Inspiration Prompt 

The Paper Shelter- #618 Spots and/or Stripes     

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas) 

Outlawz Challenge- Nov 2024 Linky  

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: November-Red    

Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge- Oct #35 Coffee + Red + Green  

myasperations 11-15-24

    I am honored to have served as a Guest Designer for Beccy Muir at Beccy’s Place and am now one of her “Contributors” (which means that she provides me with digis, or clear stamp sets several times a year and I get to create cards/other items with them!) It is always fun to see the images Beccy invites me to use. 

    This time, the dig set is named, “Signs of Christmas.” I printed off a copy of this great sign to fill most of an A2-sized card, plus printed an extra copy of the wreath and bow. Wanting to have the wreath take center stage, I backed the sentiment with black & white striped paper and colored the sign holder with B&W and a touch of silver. After coloring the wreath and extra bow, I fussy-cut both and adhered them to the card, adding depth to the card by popping the bow with foam tape. Crystal rhinestones were sprinkled on the wreath. Wanting to add a bit more color, I used the burgundy marker (used on the wreath) to color the rhinestones. I love the result! Black photo corners plus more of the B&W striped paper finish the striking card!

Supplies: 

·   Digital Image and sentiments from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Signs of Christmas)

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

·   B&W striped paper- Newtons Nook 6x6 paper pad (Black & White Basics) 

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Rhinestones and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge (AG)

We Love Stamping- November Christmas

The Paper Shelter- #618 Spots and/or Stripes     

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #673-674 

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas) 

Outlawz Challenge- Nov 2024 Linky  

      This card also features a digi set from Beccy’s Place. The elf, playfully juggling ornaments, fits into the “Decorate” part of the sentiment, and the Chalkboard Art paper creates a wonderful background!  I wanted to find a way to make the ornaments stand out, so punched circles from glossy black paper, added a few layers of green Stickles to each to add both sparkle and depth to the card! When dry, I adhered them with  small pieces of foam tape. So fun!

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Front Sentiment “Eat, Wrap, Decorate” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Making Merry)

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

·   Inside Sentiment- TLC Creations Freebie (Merry Little Christmas)

·   Sparkles added to ornaments-Stickles Garden State (Green)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Beccy’s Place: A Month of Holiday Cards- Nov 2024   Day 5- E (for “Eat, Wrap, Decorate”)

Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!  

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #682 AG   

      Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!  

Allsorts Challenge- Week 807- AG

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Nov)    Santa’s Village 

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #765: Dies and/or Punches 

       This fun holiday card features a Sweet November Stamps “Santa Bird” digi, plus a sentiment sticker and a sentiment from Beccy’s Place. A bit of bling is added with festive Christmas greenery stickers.

         

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (Santa Bird)

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

·   Front Sentiment- from my scrapbook stash

·   Inside Sentiment- “Ready or Not...” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Here Comes Christmas)

·   Sparkly Christmas Greenery stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: November-Red   

Friends of Sweet November (FB) Nov   

Paper Funday- #71 Anything Goes     

     For this card, I used a sweet digi from Not2Shabby named “Carrots”, layering knitted sweater paper  behind him, and giving him a paper-pieced sweater to create a Christmas- themed card.

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Not2Shabby (Carrots the Bunny)

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

·   Front Sentiment-“Wishing You a Cozy  Christmas” a freebie from Birdscards.com (Blog now closed)

·  Inside Sentiment- “Greetings of the Season” Freebie from mudmaven.blogspot.com 

· Patterned paper and all other items from my stash.

Entered into: 

Double D’s Challenge- Warm and Cozy 

Time Out Challenge-#276 Cozy    

Papercraft Challenges- Challenge #112 Monochrome  

Not2Shabby Monthly Challenge- November Mood Board