Signs of the Season

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 or other items with them!) It is always fun to see the images she invites me to use.  This time, the digi set, named Sweet Christmas is one of Beccy’s encore sets, which means it’s been part of her collection for a while but is also an old favorite… and so deserves to be highlighted! I was excited to create with this set because it is… well… SWEET! Since the image I selected and colored is pretty bold, I knew it could stand up to a bold background (which is actually made with a scrap of wrapping paper that I nabbed at after-Christmas sales last year.) Some golden sheen was added with photo corners and star stickers.  

Supplies: 
·   Digi and inside sentiment- Beccy’s Place Digital Set (Sweet Christmas)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Golden Star Stickers- Hobby Lobby
·   Pioneer Gold Photo corners- available from several sources
·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into: 
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #666 Anything Goes
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week #52 Anything Goes                      
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Christmas      
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

I was thrilled to win a recent challenge at Jan’s Digis and this is one of the sets that I picked. It has been so fun to use… especially since it provides both jpeg and png images! I figured out how to use my free Paint program to layer the png digi of the champagne glasses atop a wonderful freebie background image that I discovered last month. After playing around a bit I figured out how to change the transparency of the digi so that the background text shows through and absolutely LOVE the effect! Layered on gold paper, adhered to a gatefold card, and embellished with sparkly gold stars and a sweet little sentiment tag the card is wonderfully festive. What a perfect way to enter a whole new year… and kick the current one to the curb!  (Right now you can pick up this wonderful digi set for just $3.00. I think this is a really versatile set that I'll use a lot. Think weddings, 21st Bdays, retirement, job promotions... and more!) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Inside Sentiment- Jans Digi Stamps digital set (Happy New Year)
·   Background- Eyelet Outlet Freebie (Happy New Year’s Background) Click on the link next to the image to download it
·   Celebrate Tag- Lili of the Valley (Everyday Sentiment Tags)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Sparkly Star Stickers- made with scrapbook templates and glittery cardstock
·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into:
Jan’s Digi Stamps- December 2020 Anything Goes
Simon Says Monday Challenge- Celebrate                                     
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Sparkle and Shine
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #522 Anything Goes
Scribbles Designs Challenge- #95 Sparkle and Shine
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                

I planned to make a few cards for the current Time Out Photo Challenge because I love the inspiration photo! Due to the busyness of the holidays (arranged and hosted a ZOOM family meeting, put in a few 50+ hour weeks just prior to Christmas, and spent precious time watching holiday movies with my beloved hubby), I was only able to make this one card. But I really like how it turned out! Raided my scrap box for monochromatic papers, die-cut one perfect snowflake and circle of dusky blue, and printed off a freebie sentiment that was the perfect fit for the card's theme. After getting all the pieces ready for the card, I pieced and adhered the background, then turned my attention to the center of attention, Eliza (the name of the snowflake. Yes… she has a name!)  I wanted to mimic the clear balloons in the photo and considered acetate… but figured that adhering the delicate snowflake to it would be tedious and possibly tenuous.  Then I saw the box of clear self-stick laminate sheets on one of my shelves and I had my answer. I used a scrapbook template to trace a circle onto the laminate sheets backing paper that was larger than the blue circle. (I opted not to use a circle die because I feared the adhesive on the laminate would gunk it up!) After cutting the laminate circle, I flipped it sticky side up on my craft table and gently- and carefully- laid the snowflake in its center. When positioned correctly, I laid the blue circle on top of the laminate and pressed it down, sandwiching the snowflake inside and set it aside. After attaching the sentiment I positioned the snowflake onto the card front and pressed the edges of the laminate to attach it securely. TaDa! Clear balloon mimic achieved!  
I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Monday Greeting Challenge (Christmas Clean- I think that nothing can make the world look as clean and fresh as a nice layer of snow!), Pixie's  Snippets (I really enjoy this challenge as it encourages me to use the many scraps, i.e. snippets, that I just can’t stand to toss!) and The Path Of Positivity (the current challenge labeled Rejoice, is to “Create a project that depicts thankfulness or gratitude in some way.” To me a snowflake beautifully fits this theme as they remind me of the skills of the master artist, God himself, in lovingly weaving unique details into the myriad of His creations. From miniature snowflakes to human beings, each one is unique and beautiful. Being a lover of details in my work, God’s level of creativity takes my breath away. He knows each of us from the moment we came into being and we are so very precious to him! During this year of isolation and crisis, I needed to be reminded of that truth. In spite of what's happening in our lives right now, I am comforted to know that He cares deeply for each of us.)

Supplies: 

·   Snowflake Die- Simon Says Stamps (Eliza Snowflake Wafer Die)
·   Circle Die- Little B Dies
·   Front Sentiment- LoveSVG Freebie (You’re Like a Snowflake)
·   Clear Self-Stick Laminating Sheet (I use Avery brand, but the web offers other options)
·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into: 
TIME OUT Challenge- #177 Photo Inspiration 
Pixie's Snippets-Week #393
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #470-472 Anything Goes                   
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- December             
Do-Al[l] Kreatives #48 Winter Wonderland
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Christmas Clean
Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge- B&W + Another Colour from photo            
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #86 (Optional Twist- Rejoice)