myasperations 5-7-24

     A few years ago I was introduced to a wonderful line of stamps and digis when a stamping friend gave me a giftcard for Sweet November Stamps (SNS). I started building a collection of their beautiful images and was happy that I had a few SNS mermaids to enter into their 2023 MerMay challenge. Since then, I’ve added several more cute mermaid images, so I printed off a few dozen of them for the current MerMay challenge.  

     This is my first entry, featuring an SNS digi image named “The Lookout.”  I used my much-used free Paint.net program to place her into a tranquil night scene, using a free photo (see the link to it in my supplies list.) It was a challenge to get the shadows and highlights from the moon glow figured out. They aren’t quite what I planned, but not bad for a first try!

    I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place where the challenge is anything inspired by a theme park. This card, with the mermaid looking like she is longing to see her Prince was inspired by Disney Parks The Little Mermaids Undersea Adventure (Magic Kingdom, CA & FL USA).  

Supplies: 

·   Background Scene- Free Photo found at wallpapersafari.com (moon over ocean)

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (The Lookout)

·  Free Paint.net program can be found HERE (add watermarks, layer digis, and more!)

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

·   Front Sentiment “Mermaid Wishes and Starfish Kisses”- Source Unknown 

·   Stickles- Diamonds and Stardust versions (to add sparkle to scales and waves on water.)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Feminine

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (May)    The Little Mermaid

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: May-Royal Blue   

Friends of Sweet November (FB) May 

Friends of Sweet November (FB) Mermay)  

     Several years ago, I found a package of rose-embossed invitation cards at a thrift store. They surfaced last month when organizing my craft room, and I turned them into Mother’s Day cards.  First, since the inside of the card was a template for a wedding invitation, I cut the front from the card. I planned to cover the “Please Come” sentiment, but first I used a light touch to apply pale pastel shades of pink and green to the embossed rose and leaves on the front of the card. (One of the pictures below shows the bottom of the embossed image, on the back of the card front.) A blender pen smoothed the colors out, and I finished by highlighting them with my white gel pen. Since the ink bled through the embossed images, I added a layer of paper with light pink stripes to cover the inside of the card front.

Supplies: 

·   Embossed Rose Image- from a set of Thank You cards I found at a thrift store years ago.

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

·   Front Sentiment “Thinking of You”- Victorine Originals Digis (Company no longer in business)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Grantastic Mothers Day” is a retired freebie from Love SVG (Search for other options HERE.)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Double D’s Challenge- Pretty Florals for Mom  

The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Spring (May 2024)   

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #645-646

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #121  (Anything Goes Positive)   

Paper Funday- #65 Anything Goes      (Optional Twist: Flower Shop!)

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Mother's Day) 

     This final card is for a challenge I enjoy… partly because the challenges focus on either specific colors or a theme, plus the inspiration photo always features decorated cupcakes!  The current challenge requires the colors pink, orange, and poppy in the finished creation. I dug through my stash to find those colors and found several items that helped me create this fun, and colorful, card.

Supplies: 

·   Beach scene background is upcycled from an old calendar

·   Beach Sticker from my scrapbook stash

·   Tropical flowers cut from scraps of patterned scrapbook paper

·   Inside Sentiment- “… current takes us” from a Beccy’s Place digi set (Floating By) Retired

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Cupcake Inspirations- #593 Color  Challenge  (Pink, Orange, Poppy)    

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #671 (Optional twist- Summer )   

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #229

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge (Anything Goes)

Outlawz Challenge- May 2024 Linky