myasperations 2-27-22

My final entry for the current PINK challenge at Double D features a coffee themed card that I gave to my sweet hubby this year for Valentine's Day. He is the coffee brewer at our home… and he makes an amazing cuppa! I love the building digis from Scribbles Designs and had fun decorating this Café with coffee papers from a 6x6 Echo Park pad (that is sadly no longer available.)

I’m entering this card into several challenges including the Path Of Positivity Challenge- the optional twist in the current challenge is Celebrate Something Special about my family or a specific family member. My hubby has been my best friend for 46 years and my spouse for 44, is my personal comedian (he truly has the best wit of anyone I’ve ever known!) He is an MD (Internal Medicine)  but had to close his practice in 1987 for health issues. Today, he is moving through the final stage of MS. Yet, in spite of the many challenges he has faced, and new ones he faces daily, he has a positive attitude and unwavering faith. If you can’t tell, I kinda like the guy!), Cupcake Inspirations- any Café that I frequent regularly has both coffee AND cupcakes!, and the Outlawz Saturday Paper Ala Mode Challenge-I’m looking forward to the day when I can, once again, meet friends for coffee and cupcakes and give a hug of greeting and/or a hug at goodbye! (I’m a hugger, which is one more thing I miss because of COVID.) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Scribbles Designs (Café)

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

·   Background paper and front sentiment from an Echo Park Coffee 6x6 pad. (no longer available)

·   Inside Sentiment “Happy Valentine’s Day”- Hero Arts (retired)

·   Sparkly heart stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Pink plastic document folder scraps and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Double D’s Challenge- Shades of Pink   

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #176 Anything Goes
Cupcake Inspirations- Challenge #538   Theme- AG   
Paper Funday – ATG w/Opt. hugs & kisses
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #98 
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Theme : Looking Forward To…
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

This next card is my entry for the February Rudolph Challenge. It features a sweet digi and inside sentiment from two Christmas sets from Beccy’s Place, rustic touches (weathered wood patterned paper), and a bit of bling (sparkly stars.)

 

PS Beccy’s Place will be retiring many digital and also clear stamp set at the end of April. Until then, you can pick up some of my favorites for 50% Off! Link to the entire list HERE.

Supplies: 

·   Baby Jesus Digi- from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Lamb of God)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, a white colored pencil and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside Sentiment- “Christmas Blessings” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Nativity Set)

·   Patterned papers, sparkly and gold star stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Cardstock, yellow vellum, gold metallic paper, Star punch, and other items from my stash

Entered into:  
Rudolph Days Challenge- February
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #531-532 Anything Goes                   
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes  
Beccy’s Place Challenge- February   Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #583 AG
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- February               
Papercraft Challenges   Challenge #79-Anything Goes
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday  

myasperations 2-25-22

I don’t use sketches very often, but I do often like the ones provided at the Sketch N Scrap Challenge. This one caught my eye, and I had fun using a sweet digi from Paper Shelter and a pastel color scheme to create a birthday card for our soon-to-be one-young old great-niece. I found a package of lovely plaid baby announcements at a local thrift store and had fun using a strip of the plaid in the sketch. A balloon punch, plus the stars and balloons from the announcement, provided a trio of items to take the place of the little winged heart in the sketch. So cute!

I’m entering this card into several other challenges including The Paper Shelter, where we are helping to celebrate their 500th challenge, by creating a card using any of the themes from past challenges. I selected Challenge #454-Happy Birthday!) and Passion for Markers (our card must feature wings. Although partially hidden by the candle's glow, this happy guy does have cute little wings.) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- The Paper Shelter (Dragons Birthday)

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

·   Sentiments- Simply Cards & Papercrafts Magazine sentiment downloads- (No longer available)    

·   Blue plaid Baby Announcement slimline card- from local thrift store

·   Cardstock, balloon punch, scraps of vellum, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Sketch N Scrap-Card Sketch #212                                     

The Paper Shelter #500 Favorite Past Challenge

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes  

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #531-532 Anything Goes     

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #629 Things With Wings            

Cupcake Inspirations- Challenge #538   Theme- AG     

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Anything Goes

My second card, for the Outlawz February Progressive Challenge features a Hetty Clare digi named Flower Pot Hat. It makes me long for Spring… which can’t come too soon this year!  

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Hetty Clare (Flower Pot Hat)

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

·   Front Sentiment “Hello Sweet Friend” from Beccy’s Place Digital Set (Keeping It Simple)

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated

·   Cardstock, patterned paper, scrap of twine, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Outlawz Challenges- Progressive Freebie- February (Hetty Clare- Flower Pot Hat)

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday  

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #7 Anything Goes                        

Double D’s Challenge- Shades of Pink   

I fell in love with this digi as soon as artist Francesca Lopez, posted it to her February Progressive Challenge on FB. When I learned from my boss that her daughter, who looks quite a bit like this cute digi, was born on February 14th, I knew that I had to make her a special card. Her mom loved the idea… and it sounds like the card was a hit… as was the gift card it held!) An added note, when I finished coloring the cutie (or should say I thought I was finished) I didn't feel that the dress and bow had the elegant look I was after. I wanted them to look like satin. Hmmmm? I seldom use my colored pencils, but with a little experimenting, the white one added just the right amount of sheen. Ahhhhh! 

I’m entering this card into several other challenges including  the Outlawz Tuesday Color Challenge (monochromatic color scheme, we can use the greens in the inspiration photo, or color of our choice. I opted for shades of pink, wine, burgundy, and maroon.)  

 Outlawz Monochromatic Color Challenge

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Cute As A Button (Heart Bow)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers,a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen and white colored pencil 

·   Puffy Heart Sticker- Stickos

·   Inside Sentiment “Happy Valentine’s Day”- Hero Arts (retired)

·   Black Photo corners, assorted dies, cardstock, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Cute As A Button-FB Progressive Freebie Challenge- #76 Heart Bow

Cute As A Button- February: CH #77 Anything Goes + (Option) From the Heart

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge- January: Rosy Red        

Paper Funday – ATG w/Opt. hugs & kisses             

Papercraft Challenges   Challenge #79-Anything Goes

Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge-Inspiration Photo              

myasperations 2-22-22

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 and sentiments are all from a just-released set named Chute. I made two cards to share several of the sweet images and sentiments in the set. 

For the first card, I printed the pre-colored version of topsy-turvy elephant on an A2 sized section of white cardstock. I also printed off and fussy-cut an extra copy of his head and front legs, which I attached with foam tape to add some depth. To add texture to the large critter, I “bounced” the tip of a light grey marker and blender pen on the colored image. When dry, I added highlights with a white gel pen. I layered the image atop a rectangle of bright, polka-dotted paper, then paper-pieced the chute with scraps of the patterned paper, adding stitching with a white gel pen as the final touch.

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiment- from a Beccy’s Place Digital Set (Chute)

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

·   Cardstock, patterned paper, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #6 Anything Goes                        

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #531-532 Anything Goes                   

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- February               

The second card features a playful bunny. This time I used the B&W version of the digi, printed it on white cardstock and positioned it to fit on a slimline card front. The cloudy sky background was added with a homemade cardboard template and items from my stash. I wanted to add some depth to this card, too, so have him “holding” a sign. My trusty white gel pen provided his delicate whiskers. So fun!

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiment- from a Beccy’s Place Digital Set (Chute)

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

·   Cloudy sky created with chalks, home-made cardboard template, a makeup sponge, and soft white eraser

·   Cardstock, patterned paper, a scrap of twine, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  BP Chutes Digi Set- Bunny

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Slim Line Cards

Gem of a Challenge- Week #4 Anything Goes                               

2craftycrittercrazies challenge- Feb 2022                                      

PS Beccy’s Place will be retiring many digital and also several clear stamp set at the end of April. Until then, you can pick up some of my favorites for 50% Off! (I just added several more to my collection for just $2.92 each- US$.) You can link to the entire list HERE.

Here is an easel card made with a sweet gingerbread cookie digi from a set that I use often and in so many ways. And it's being retired… so if you want it (and all the other wonderful digis and sentiments in the set, you better nab it soon!) The yummy cookie was printed on Kraft cardstock and colored with markers and a white gel pen. The background for the card was created with the “paint chip” type squares from a box of plaid cards/envelopes I picked up on sale at Hobby Lobby a few months ago. I love that the little collection of plaid patterns resembles a quilt.

I’m entering this in several challenges including the Path Of Positivity Challenge (I love that this challenge helps me to focus on the positive- which has been so necessary over the years of COVID. The optional twist in the current challenge is Celebrate Something Special about YOUR FAMILY. Until I was five years old, my grandparents lived in an apartment in the basement of our home. My siblings and I spent many happy hours watching B&W TV programs with them, playing card games, drinking "coffee" with Grandpa (90% milk, 5% sugar, 5% coffee!), and helping" Grandma in the kitchen. I loved getting to wear one of Grandma's aprons. Plus, when making cookies, it was an adventure to use her huge wooden rolling pin, and help frost them (usually frosting several of my fingers in the process. No problem. Cleanup was finger-licking fun!)  And also another favorite challenge of mine named Pixie's Snippets which requires the use of bits and pieces (i.e. snippets) of paper. For this card, I dug into my scrap box and found the plaid paper to use as the apron "fabric", the herringbone paper to use as a background, and small scraps of paper decorated with Christmas candies (I trimmed and fussy-cut several of the yummies to use as embellies) plus scraps of red ribbon. I also used a portion of the box that held the paper and envelopes item that created a quilt background for the card front. (I do love to upcycle!)

Supplies: 

·   Gingerbread Cookie Digi- from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Gingerbread) 

              Now 50% off (in my case just $2.92 US)

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

·   Plaid background “quilt”- Hobby Lobby’s Plaid Box of Cards (Upcycled from box)

·   Easel Card- Instructions found HERE  (But I started with a vertical card base to add the height needed for the cookie!)

·   Front sentiment- Freebie scrapbookandcards.com-bonus summer files 2017 (Hello)

·   Apron sentiment- "Merry Christmas" is a tiny label from my scrapbook supplies

·   Inside Sentiment- “Delicious Christmas Wishes” from Beccy’s Place Set (Christmas Cheers)

·   Candy embellishments on sentiments trimmed from a scrap of scrapbook paper  

·   Kraft Cardstock, herringbone and plaid patterned papers, and other items from my stash.

Entered into: 

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #582 AG

Beccy’s Place Challenge- February  Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #98

Pixie's Snippets- Week #422

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday  

Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Let’s Get Digital!

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

myasperations 2-18-22

I won a Di’s Digi challenge last year and picked this precious image, named Rosie Bear,  as my prize because it reminds me of my sweet mother, who was named Rose. After we attended our first Stampin’ Up! party in the mid-1990s, Mom and I were regular stamping buddies. We both loved to color, and she really liked making cards with kittens, bunnies, and bears… so she would have LOVED this image.  She also collected vintage lace and doilies so I perched Rosie on a delicate lacy heart digi (Mom would have also loved that I got it for FREE. Last year I was introduced to a company named Free Pretty Things For You (FPTFY), which offers a treasure trove of patterned papers, digis, and clipart images…and many of them are free! I get weekly emails that always offer at least one freebie. This digi is from a large set of pretty papers with floral and heart themes. The sentiment is also a freebie from one of my favorite stampers.

I’m entering this in several challenges including the Passion for Markers Challenge (a few of my favorite colors are pink and brown, plus the Victorian colors on the background paper) and the Path Of Positivity Challenge. The current optional twist is Celebrate Something Special about YOUR FAMILY. My mom is a providing of so many of my happy memories (being my stamping buddy was just one of them!)  

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Dis Digi Stamps (Rosie Bear)

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

·   Lacy Heart Digi- A freebie from Free Pretty Things for You (FPTFY)- HERE

·   Front Sentiment- freebie from Desert Diva (You Make Me Happy)

·   Collage Patterned paper from a box of A2 cards with white envelopes- Hobby Lobby

·   Pink Plastic circle- made with a scrapbook template and upcycled front of a journal

·   All other items from my stash.

 Entered into:  

Di’s Digi Stamps- Use Red and/or Pin

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #98

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #628 Favorite Colors

Double D’s Challenge- Shades of Pink

Gem of a Challenge- Week #4 Anything Goes                               

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- February        

Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Let’s Get Digital!

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

     

I love finding treasures in the clearance aisles of craft stores, dollar stores and thrift stores. This colorful birthday card includes items trimmed from 2 different party invitations plus a sprinkling of sparkly stickers all arranged on a Z-fold card.  The adorable fairy digi- complete with vellum wings decorated with a white gel pen- is trimmed from a cute All Dressed Up Christmas image.

Supplies: 

·   Digi- All Dressed Up (Christmas Baubles)

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

·   Sparkly Star Stickers- local Dollar Store

·   Front Sentiment- trimmed from “It’s A Party” invitations (Clearance aisle Hobby Lobby)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Celebrate” from invitations (Clearance aisle Hobby Lobby)

·   Instructions for Z-fold card can be found HERE.

·   Vellum and other basic items from my stash.

Entered into:  

All Dressed Up- #125 Anything Goes (Feb)

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Anything Goes

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Birthday)  

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #6 Anything Goes                         

I used a wood-mount stamp, ink pad, and upcycled calendar page to make this beautiful, and actually CAS card. I cut an A2-sized section of a cloudy sky from a calendar page.  The stamp was inked with a Memento Black pad, then I stamped the rocks off of the bottom of the cloud photo. Before reinking the stamp, I stamped a second image to add a hazy depth to the scene. (The calendar page surface is more slippery than cardstock, so the image smeared a bit when I was stamping it. I think that adds just a little more contrast to the scene, right?!) To add a bit more color, I trimmed it down a bit to add a layer of blue paper. Scraps of white ribbons and a layered sticker finished the card.  I’m entering this card into several challenges including Path Of Positivity Challenge because I love that it always inspires me to focus on positive things in my life. And during the last few years that has been a true challenge!) The current optional twist is Celebrate Something Special about YOUR FAMILY. I know that my family lived in poverty during my younger years. With six kids both of my parents worked hard to keep us fed and clothed! We didn’t have money for extras, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have lots of fun memories! I didn’t stay in a hotel until I was in college, but my family camped in state parks across the Midwest. And when we camped, it was in the "old school" way, on the ground, sometimes even in tents! I remember one July 4th at Custer State Park in South Dakota, my sunrise wakeup call was getting hit by a snowball as I stepped out of the “girls tent.” I didn’t even know it could snow in July in South Dakota. But in the early 70s, it did! 

Supplies: 

·   Wood-Mount Rubber Stamp- Stampscapes (Pines and Rocks 195G)

·   Front Sentiment- Dream Sticker from my scrapbook stash

·   Black ink pad, cardstock, sheer ribbon, satin ribbon, and an upcycled cloud photo from an old calendar from my stash.

Entered into:  

The Paper Shelter #499 Shades of Blue

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #531-532 Anything Goes                   

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #98