myasperations 10-31-24

     I like making Halloween cards with this adorable ghost digi named Boo Loves Scary Larry from Sweet November Stamps, especially when paired with a night sky digital image of the “Witches Broom Nebula”! I wanted little Boo to be transparent, so traced him onto a scrap of vellum (added a bit of shading and highlighting to Boo with a marker and white gel pen), then printed off a copy of just Scary Larry which I colored, fussy-cut and tucked into Boos sweet little arms!

      I used a T-shirt pattern that I created for an A2 sized card for this card, and attached a copy of the pattern here! The “BOO!” sentiment on the front of the card was hand sketched and created from paper scraps.

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz: Tuesday Color Challenge (my card feature three of the five color options- Navy Blue, orange and blue, and fits into the optional twist of Make it Halloween), and  The Paper Shelter: Make it Sparkle (the background of my card is awash with sparkly stars!)  

 

Supplies: 

·   Witches Broom Nebula night sky- from my BING Screensaver Collection

·   Ghost Digi- Sweet November Stamps (Boo Loves Scary Larry)

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

·   Front Sentiment- hand-sketched/created

·   Inside Sentiment- TLC Creations Freebie (FaBOOlous Halloween)

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

Entered into:  

Friends of Sweet November (FB) Oct

Outlawz- Tuesday Color Challenge- Photo Inspiration  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- AG

The Paper Shelter- #616 Make it Sparkle  

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge- Anything Goes (twist- October colors and holidays)

Allsorts Challenge- Week 804- Cute and/or Cuddly    

     A few years ago I discovered a great group on FB named Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers {BYSHC}. They offer monthly Christmas-themed sketch challenges which I’ve regularly entered ever since!  Not only does the challenge help me use up lots of bits and pieces of paper and embellishments from my stash, but it also provides a monthly Sketch to provide inspiration.

     This card features a wood mount stamp from Hero Arts, Mini Santa. It didn’t require much coloring. Just a few markers and a white gel pen added bits of color and the texture of thick curls to the little guy's beard! I wanted to add a Holiday embellishment to the inside sentiment, and this Santa snow globe sticker from Hobby Lobby is the perfect fit!

Supplies: 

·   Santa Claus-Hero Arts Wood Mount Stamp (Retired)

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

·   Front Sentiment “HoHoHo”- purchased from Oriental Trading Company many years ago.

·   Inside Sentiment- a freebie from Birdscards.com (Wishing You a Magical Christmas)

·   Snow globe sticker-Hobby Lobby

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #50 October 2024         

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #671-672

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas)

Outlawz Challenge- Oct 2024 Linky

    This is the third month that I participated in Moondrea Designs Progressive FB challenge, and this months digi has a strong Halloween vibe. Like the first card in this posting, the “BOO!” on the front of the card was hand sketched and cut from black paper scraps. The inside of the card features a free Halloween subway sentiment, a few digi embellishments, and vellum ghosts created with a freebie from Patties Creations Challenge.

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Cupcake Inspirations: Color Challenge (my card features all three of the colors, purple- card base, black -“Boo”, and Lime-hair highlights/streaks), Inspiration Station: Inspiration Photo (my card was inspired by the colors and holiday), and Park Hopping-My Happy Place (this is one of my favorite challenges. It’s introduced me to many places that are now on my bucket list, the host is talented, generous, and all-around sweet! My card was inspired by the Halloween theme as it features witches... and potions... and spells... Oh My!)

 
Supplies: 

·   Woodgrain paper (background)- Hobby Lobby

·   Digi-Moondrea Designs FB October Progressive Challenge

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

·   Front Sentiment- hand-sketched/created

·   Inside Sentiment-Subway Art from eighteen25.com (Printable Halloween Banner)

·   Embellishments on inside sentiment (pumpkin, books and potion) trimmed from this month’s digi, colored and fussy-cut

·   Ghosts-Freebie from Patties Creations (Oct 2020) check this month's freebie HERE

·   Other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Moondrea Designs Progressive Challenge FB-(October)

Cupcake Inspirations- #605 Color Challenge- Lime, Purple and Black 

Inspiration Station- Challenge #66 Inspiration Photo 

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #42 AG                                       

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Oct)    Halloween Horror Nights (Universal Parks worldwide)

myasperations 10-25-24b

These two cards were created for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays 2024 Linky Party.

    The first card shows the little kitten peering out into a snowy winter scene and has a fun sentiment (also a freebie) that adds to the magical/whimsical feeling of the card. For this card I needed two copies of the pre-colored winter window. On the first one, I used an Exacto blade to carefully cut out the windowpanes. On the second one, I just needed the Christmas tree framed within the window, so I cropped that from the digi in my Word program, printed, and trimmed around the frame.

     I adhered a scrap of acetate to fill the window panes with “glass” and adhered the acetate to the backside of the digi. When finished, I laid it onto an A2 sized card front, slid the Christmas tree window behind it, positioned it to match up with the top window, held it in place when removing the top digi, and adhered it.

    Time to add the cute Kitty! I experimented a bit to find the best placement, taped him in place (nose to the “glass”), then sandwiched strips of foam tape between the two layers to add depth to the scene. Added sentiments, embellishments, and… TaDa!! Cuteness overload!

    Note- The background window digi is from one artist/illustrator, Paulette Slater, who shares her work through a FB site named Free Printables for your Junk Journaling with TLC, where she offers free sentiments and digis regularly. The FB site also provides details of seasonal and themed sets that Paulette sells through a Ko-fi shop HERE, where I purchased the front window digi and where Paulette occasionally hides freebies.)

 

Supplies: 

·   Background window- TlcCreatesVintage Junk Journal Printable (Home for Winter 

         precolored digi set)

·   Digi set-Angie Blom Digital Designs (Purr Purr Purr Coloring Sheet)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Front Sentiment- Freebie from gingershouse (May you never be too grown-up…)

·   Inside Sentiment- “A Happy Christmas to You” from The Paper Shelter Digi Set (Vintage     

         Xmas Designs)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

{BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party       

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge (AG)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Christmas

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Oct)    The Secret Life of Pets (Universal Studios) 

Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge- Furry Thing Goes- #105 Oct  (Photo)

Paper Funday- #69 Anything Goes      

    For this second card, I colored the little feline as a “Ginger” and placed him atop a background that was inspired by a Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers {BYSHC} sketch challenge on FB (#39 in November 2023). It was fun to find a scrap of music-patterned paper to reflect the sentiment! 

Supplies: 
·   Digi set-Angie Blom Digital Designs (Purr Purr Purr Coloring Sheet)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens
·    Front Sentiment- “Christmas Music makes me happy” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Here 

         Comes Christmas)
·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into:  
(via Pinterest) {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party       
Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #762: Make it Cute  
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #671-672
Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #42 AG                                       
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas)
Outlawz Challenge- Oct 2024 Linky

myasperations 10-25-24a

These three cards were created for the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays 2024 Linky Party.

                                                 

     The first one features a favorite Angie Blom digi named “Birthday Girl Sass”, mainly because the set contains birthday sentiments which all have a snarky sass! It was easy to make a Christmas-themed card, using a rich, although non-traditional, color scheme (pasted pink and sage green vs. bright red and green.)  This sentiment adds some holiday snarky sass!  It’s from one of my favorite free sentiment sites named gingershouse. Although the site has not been updated since 2017, its owner, Ginger Brown, has left it open for us to enjoy! I have over 50 of her fun sentiments in my files!

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Angie Blom Digital Designs (Birthday Girl Sass)

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

·   Patterned paper-Hobby Lobby

·   Sentiment (divided to fit front and inside)- 12-24-16 Freebie from gingershouse.        

        (Apparently crawling…)

·  Green velvet ribbon, rhinestones and all other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

{BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party  

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #42 AG                                       

Paper Funday- #69 Anything Goes      

ABC Christmas Challenge- “U and V are for…?”   'V is for Velvet’

      Both of the next cards feature an adorable little doggy from artist Angie Blom Digital Designs, and it’s one of her freebies!

      I colored the little guy on the first one to look like our beloved Brittany Spaniel, Cody. Although Cody never stood at the window watching for Santa, he regularly watched for my mom… but as soon as he glimpsed her car he started bouncing around on the sofa and whining with joy. (He did love her. And she called him her “grand-pup!”)

      The beautiful window digi, from Beccy’s Place, is a favorite that I’ve used a lot over the years. For this card I needed two copies of the pre-colored winter window. On the first one, I used an Exacto blade to carefully cut out the windowpanes. On the second one, I just needed the framed window portion, so I cropped that from the digi in my Word program, printed, and trimmed around the frame.

      I adhered a scrap of acetate to fill the window panes with “glass” and adhered the acetate to the backside of the digi. When finished, I laid it onto an A2 sized card front, slid the trimmed window behind it, positioned it to match up with the top window, held it in place when removing the top digi, and adhered it.

     Time to add the cute pup! I experimented a bit to find the best placement, taped him in place (nose to the “glass”), then sandwiched strips of foam tape between the two layers to add depth to the scene. Added sentiments, embellishments, and… TaDa!! Cuteness overload!

Supplies: 

·   Pre-colored  Background Digi- from a Beccy’s Place digi Set, (Seasonal Windows)

·   Digi- Angie Blom Digital Designs Freebie (Doggy Coloring Page)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Front Sentiment- “Waiting for Santa Paws” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Holiday Hounds)

·   Inside Sentiment- Christmas Sticker set from Hobby Lobby

·   Christmas Stocking Sticker, and Santa Hat Stickers- Hobby Lobby.

·   Sentiments- Computer Generated

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

(via Pinterest) {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Christmas

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #671-672

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Oct)    Santa’s Village

    The same cute little pup also decorates this second card, once again patiently waiting for Santa. The pup in the digi has a “patch” drawn around one eye. Although I love that look, I made this card for a friend who has a golden retriever. So, I sketched a small oval around the other eye, then colored her shiny fur in shades of light golden brown. (I decided that his wide-open eyes just help show how excited she is to meet the “Big Guy”!)

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Angie Blom Digital Designs Freebie (Doggy Coloring Page)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Front Sentiment- “Waiting for Santa Paws” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Holiday Hounds)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Have a Howling Good Holiday” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Holiday Hounds)

·   Santa Hat Sticker- Hobby Lobby.

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

(via Pinterest) {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party       

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #762: Make it Cute  

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas)

Outlawz Challenge- Oct 2024 Linky

myasperations 10-25-24

     These three cards were created for the current Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge and Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays 2024 Linky Party.
   
    

      The first features a sweet little fox stamp from a Lawn Fawn set named “Winter Fox” that I’ve had since 2017. After coloring the little cutie, I added some texture to the card by using a bit of red and green plaid ribbon to replace his scarf with a more festive one.  The same ribbon is then used to frame the front sentiment and embellish the inside sentiment.
 

Supplies: 
·   Image and front sentiment- Lawn Fawn Clear Stamp set (Winter Fox)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Front Sentiment- “Seasons Greetings” upcycled from old card
·   Inside Sentiment- “Tis the season...” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Christmas Cheers)
·   Coffee Sticker- Hobby Lobby
·   Ribbon and all other items from my stash.
Entered into:  
Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge- Oct #34 Coffee + Whimsical Winter    
{BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party        
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #240 AG
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #671-672
{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #50 October 2024         

    The second card features a fun coffee-drinking Batman digi image and sentiment from a Crafting Desert Diva, named "Coffee Hero" (aka Batman)!  The North Pole digi is a freebie that helps bring a whimsical feeling to my card. Isn’t it fun to imagine that even a superhero might need some caffeine on Christmas Eve in case Santa needs his help “to save the day” on his busiest, and most important, night of the year!Supplies: 

·   Batman Digi and inside sentiment- Crafting Desert Diva digi (Coffee Hero) Company no longer in business.

·   North Pole Digi- A freebie from Scribbles (North Pole)

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

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
(via Pinterest) Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge- Oct #34 Coffee + Whimsical Winter    
(via Pinterest) {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party      
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Christmas
Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Oct)    Santa’s Village
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas)
Outlawz Challenge- Oct 2024 Linky

     The third card features a coffee-drinking Snowman digi image that is a freebie from Tiddly

Inks. (Although Christy Croll, the artist/owner of Tiddly Inks, closed her challenge blog a few

years ago, she still provides several freebies and coloring tutorials HERE, and sells a nice

assortment of digis in her Etsy shop HERE.)  The vintage recipe sheet digi that I used as a

background is also a freebie! The original is colored with beautiful shades of tan, brown, and

red. But I wanted this card to have a monochromatic color scheme so I printed it off in

greyscale and didn’t add any color. NOTE- I’ve used this background once before and you can

see the yummy colored cookies on my blog HERE.    

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including The Paper Shelter: Squared/Circles (The snowman head and body, plus cookies are all wonderful circles) and Time Out: Baking/Sweet Treats (When colored, these cookies look good enough to eat… and make me want to start holiday baking NOW!)

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Tiddly Inks Freebie (Something Warm)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Cookie Background- A freebie (pre-colored) from TLC Creations Freebie (Christmas Cookie Vintage Recipe Card)

·   Front Sentiment “You’re So Sweet”” from SnapClickSupply.com digi set (Sweet As Can Bee Word Art)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into: 

(via Pinterest) Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge- Oct #34 Coffee + Whimsical Winter

(via Pinterest) {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays  2024 Linky Party        

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #762: Make it Cute  

Time Out Challenge-#275  Baking/Sweet Treats   

The Paper Shelter- #615 Squares/Circles