myasperations 9-4-23

     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 I’m getting a jump on Halloween cards with a Beccy’s Place digi set that shows just how frightening carved pumkins can be. The set, named “Stack of Jacks” helped me create two “specialty fold” cards. (Specialty folds can give handmade cards an additional “wow” factor and are often surprisingly easy to create. Easel cards are one of my favorites to make because they go together pretty quickly, and recipients often display them long after the special occasion such as holiday, birthday, new baby, graduation, etc. is over.)

     This first card features an Easel Fold Card. I followed Beccy’s instructions, but since I wanted a taller Easel card, I made a change in Steps 1 and 2. Instead of using an A5 card base, I cut a sheet of 8½” x 11” cardstock into two long strips (each 4¼” x 11”). I folded the first strip in half (at the 5½” mark) then followed Beccy’s Step 1. The other strip I cut in half (at the 5½” mark) and then followed Beccy’s Step 2… and on!) I used a pre-colored “Jack” for this card, which I fussy-cut, then used an Exacto blade to carefully trim the eyes from the image. I backed the pumpkin head with foam tape along the edges, then carefully positioned it atop eyes that I adhered to the card base. This creates errie depth to the guy. (Which you can see best in the side-view photo!) I had fun creating spooky fog rolling across the night sky with thin torn strips of vellum. The card features two sentiments from the digi set, plus some yummy candy corns fussy-cut from a scrap of patterned paper.

     I’m entering this card into several challenges, including Outlawz Sunday “Now the Autumn has Begun” (my card reflects the line in the poem, “September, October bring darker nights…” which can add to the eeriness of Halloween!), Inspiration Station Prompt (I like several types of squash, but especially pumpkins. So my card featured a festive one for Halloween. PS I wanted to make sure that plain old pumpkins really are in the same plant family as squash… so researched it and found that it is. Plus learned it’s NOT a vegetable but a fruit! Informative article HERE), The Sisterhood of Crafters “Create a Scene” (my scene is a dark and scary night!),  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (when searching for a Halloween theme park I found one that is now on my bucket list-Hersheypark Halloween. Two words- Free Chocolate!)  

     

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiments from - Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp set (Stack of Jacks)

·   Highlights and shading were added to the pre-colored image with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen, and a white colored pencil.

·   Scraps of vellum, patterned papers, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Now the Autumn has Begun  

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge-Anything Goes   

Outlawz Challenge- September 2023 Linky

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Create a Scene  

Inspiration Station- Challenge #53 Sept     

Gem of a Challenge- Gem of a Challenge- Week #18 AG             

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Sept)    Hersheypark Halloween

The Four Seasons Challenge- Fall (Sept)   

My second card features another of the “Jacks” from the digi set on a t-shirt shaped card from a template I created a while ago (I’ve enjoyed using it… and you can see proof of that in other cards on my blog HERE and HERE and HERE.) I created another spooky scene with strips of torn vellum, a full “moon”, and created an extra bit of “YIKES” to the eyeballs by adding yellow irises and turning them “bloodshot” with thin red veins. A sparkly night sky (patterned paper) and a large fussy-cut leaf add some depth and texture to the card. One of the sentiments from the set, plus an eerie ghost (sketched onto a scrap of vellum) decorates the inside of the card. (I provided templates of both the t-shirt and ghost for you to use if desired!)

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiment from - Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp set (Stack of Jacks)

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

·   T-Shirt and ghost templates made by ME!

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #213 AG

IncyWincyDesigns- Sept- Colors of Autumn  and/or not a Square or Rectangle

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #35 AG 

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge- Sept-Outrageous Orange      

Papercraft Challenges- Challenge #97 Special Card Shapes

Jan’s Digi Stamps- Sept 2023 Anything Goes    

Paper Funday- #57 Anything Goes      

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

Note- My favorite website for instructions for Specialty Fold cards is actually Beccy’s Place. Her vast library of easy-to-folly tutorials is how I first found Beccy and her amazing artwork. You can check out here “A-to-Z Card Folds” HERE.

Our 2024 Sponsorship Calendar is now open!

One additional note- Beccy is a regular sponsor for several challenges in blog hops and is offering to do that again in 2024. If you're interested, please send an expression of interest to beccy@beccysplace.com.