myasperations 6-29-21

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 Beccy invites me to use.  This time, the digi set, named Garden Silhouette, 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 enjoy silhouette stamps, so had fun creating a slimline card using just this sweet image (love this little feline) and sentiment, chalks, a makeup sponge, and stencil. Easy Peasy but oh so beautiful!
I’m entering this card into several challenges including Path Of Positivity’s Challenge Try Something New (I’m using a brand new-to-me digi set that also reminds me to not overlook the important things… in this case self-care. As a result, I've spent time these last few days walking in the beautiful outdoors, weeding the small patch of flowers in front of our apartment, and watching four squirrels enjoy the peanuts and sunflower seeds we regularly put out for them. They are such “regulars” that we’ve even given them names. “Shadow” is the smallest. He is nearly black in color and is super hyper, spending most of the time burying his “treasures.” “Chunk” appears to be the oldest or at least the biggest one. He mainly sits and eats… moving as little as possible, except when Shadow gets too close to the seed pile. Pepper is the “middle brother” who spends much of his time trying to keep the other two from fighting, burying seeds, or digging up the ones that Shadow just buried! Today a brand new squirrel joined the scene, brand new as really young. We named him “Twitch” because he is even more hyper than Shadow. He didn’t get close to the others, instead just climbed partway down the tree and hung by his toes, dropped his front paws down below himself, and waving them at the others in a twitchy way. My sweet hubby and I laughed out loud as we watched the little guy. It was like he wanted to be part of the excitement… but also didn’t want to get beat up. Smart little cutie! )

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiment- Beccy’s Place Digital Stamps (Garden Silhouette)
·   Sky and Grass created with Decorated Chalks a makeup sponge and an All Night Media stencil (no longer available)
·   Mini Flower Sequins- Simon Says Stamp (Sequins Tiny Flowers Vanilla01)
·   Cardstock, slimline envelope, and all other items from my stash.
Entered into:  
Incy Wincy Designs- Slimline or Shaped Cards (no rectangle or square)  
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #92 (Optional Twist- Try Something New)
Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge- Furry Thing Goes #67 (June)
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #497-498 Anything Goes                   
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge 689- Anything Goes

My next card features another scene, this time created with a handful of wood-mounted stamps that I’ve had in my stash for a few decades. I was introduced to this stamp line, and its wonderful and talented owner/creator Kevin Nakagawa, when a friend and I opened a stamp store in South Dakota in 1999. Kevin’s “Stampscapes” became a fast favorite for our classes and I learned most of the tricks and techniques that I taught through Kevin’s amazing tutorials HERE. (His creations are absolutely amazing and I was thrilled when he added a few of my cards to his website gallery many years ago. You can see them HERE.  I just checked to make sure my cards were still there and smiled when I saw them. Kevin had highlighted two of my cards made with card parts that I salvaged from some messy mistakes. I still do that, a lot!)
These days I use digis more than wood-mounts but still pull these stamps out when I was to create stunning scenes. That is exactly what I wanted to do when making make my final card to enter into one of my favorite challenges called the Butterfly Challenge. The sponsor, Mrs. A, is a talented stamper is who also so very generous with her challenge prizes. She also encourages us to create cards with specialty cards for each of the challenges and provides very easy-to-follow tutorials. The current challenge features a Plaited Fold. I haven’t made one of these folds for a while, and that became apparent when I tried to add it to my finished card but made a mistake with the cuts and was left with a mess. (Yep… from now on I will cut the Plait before I do the stamping!) I was able to salvage my card by trimming the oops, then creating the plait on a separate fold of kraft cardstock, which I trimmed and attached to the card front and back “panels” with double-stick tape. After stamping the inside scene, coloring it, and attaching it behind the oval “window” I finished the card with a stamped sentiment and three fussy-cut butterflies. (I took photos of the finished card, only to discover this AM that the adhered Plait was lifting from the card. So… decided to tape the plait to the back of the card with clear tape, and to the inside and front of the card with a strip of washi tape, trimmed in half to be thinner. Tedious, but I do like the look! (I included photos of the before and after so you can see the difference. Just like my cards posted on Stampscapes website, you got to see some of my “behind the scenes” attempts to rescue a card. My cards very seldom go into the trash, but they do often have “cosmetic work” done before they are shared here or sent on! Yes, creating “art” is often a messy process!)
My card features two of the required colors for the Butterfly Challenge (periwinkle blue in the sky and peach in the butterfly wing, plus all three of the themes (Plaited Fold, Butterfly and Pair-of butterflies.) 

Supplies: 
·   Rubber Stamp- Stampscapes (Cloud with Sun-Lg)
·   Rubber Stamp- Stampscapes (Cow Pair)
·   Rubber Stamp- Stampscapes (Pines & Rocks)
·   Rubber Stamp- Stampscapes (Meadow Lg)
·   Tutorial for Plaited Fold available HERE.
·   Scene created with Ink sponge, assorted dye ink pads, and assorted chalks.
·   Inside Sentiment- Embossing Arts Rubber Stamp Stamp (Company no longer in business)
·   A4 card with oval cutout, checked Washi tape, upcycled map and butterflies (upcycled from scrapbook paper).
Entered into:  
Butterfly Challenge- #158 P for Plaited Fold                                   
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday Anything Goes
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday  
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

This card is going into the mail today, heading its way to my sweet MIL. She loves getting hand-made cards, and I think she’ll like the sentiment and sparkly stars I added to this one.  
Am entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Tuesday Color Challenge (my card features the required number of colors- red, cream plus a touch of blue and green in the iridescent stars!) and Double D’s Signs of Summer Challenge (in the USA the biggest summer celebration in the 4^th of July that includes parades and also fireworks!)

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Eureka Digital Stamp (Celebrate with a Bang) Also available in unmounted or cling-mounted
·   Peg mount rubber stamp- Ant image from Judikins (no longer available)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Front Sentiment- Computer Generated
·   Sparkly Star Stickers- Hobby Lobby
·   A4 card with a star cutout, fireworks paper, Sparkly red paper, mini-star punch and misc. from my stash.
Entered into:  
Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge
        Since I’m a DT for Eureka/Stamp On It (sponsor), I’m entering just for fun!
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Red, White and/or Blue
Double D’s Challenge- Signs of Summer                                        
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- June