myasperations 8-7-25

      This is my DT card for the “New Release Inspiration” Day for artist Wendy Burns' latest creations at All Dressed Up Stamps.  Since I love the ocean, this digi named “Sea Shells” was fun to play with! First, I created a beach scene by tearing along the edge of a card front that features a pretty watercolor image in the colors of the sea. A few more pieces of torn paper, layered beneath the torn edge, created foam along the edge of the water. A piece of tan parchment cardstock was tucked under the foamy ocean edge, adhered in place, and scraps from a few shades of parchment cardstock were torn into strips and placed upon the “beach” to create light ripples of texture.  Next, I printed off and colored the digi, but didn’t color the sand. I fussy-cut around the outer edge of the digi, leaving the inside of the shell-shaped circle intact.I  laid the digi atop the card front and used colored pencils (watercolors or chalks would also work) to lightly add shades of tans and creams to extend the “ripples” across the sand. If desired, sandy colors can also be added to any shells along the outside of the heart shape that weren’t fussy-cut close enough. Lastly, add a sweep of Diamond Stickles along the foamy ocean edge, and add a bit of spray up into the waves, creating some sparkle out in the water.

     One added note- I accidentally dropped a marker when coloring the digi, which left a blotch of red ink (of course, red!) in the space below her left eye, within the heart shape of sand. Ack!! The color was too bold to try to color over, so I had to cut that section out. I made a semi-okay repair by sliding a few strips of torn parchment paper to match the rest of the "beach." If you look close, you’ll be able to see it, but at least it’s not the eyesore it was before I “fixed” it! (And any of you newbies that might be reading this will know that even those of us that have been stamping for several decades can occasionally make some really major oopsies!) 

                            

        

Supplies: 

·   Digi- All Dressed Up Stamps (Sea Shells)

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

·   Watercolor Dreams Cards and Envelopes- The Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby

·   Stickles- Diamonds

·   Sentiments are from Beccy’s Place Digi Sets that are, sadly, longer available. (Business recently changed to clear stamps/wholesale only)

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into: 

Stop back later!

myasperations 8-6-25

     I really like bees, so I was excited to see the new challenge at Double D. This bee-bearing card will be my first of many! It features bee digis from Beccy’s Place, a beautiful wildflower photo from a favorite FB site, and a scripture verse freebie from Lovesvg.com (I signed up for their newsletter and get notices of freebies on a regular basis. Not sure if this one is still available, but you can check their website.)

   I created the inside sentiment with a font I’ve had on my laptop for quite a while. Since I like the way it turned out, I’m sharing with you to use if desired! (That said, I've created lots of sentiments, but this is the first time I’ve tried to share one and the lettering looks a bit fuzzy to me. So I provided the name of the font I used in my supplies list. It's available for free on several websites. If needed, you can generate it on your own.)

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Sunday Challenge: Songs and Rhymes-Marigold (I’m not sure there are marigolds in this photo, but they do have bright orange blooms, and are attracting lots of bees) , Outlawz- Tuesday Color Challenge- Color Board-Aug (like the mood board/photo, background on my card provides flowers and foliage, plus the bees provide for the “twist” of “add wings”),  and the Time Out Challenge (The “Pick Two” items I included on my card are Torn (I tore the edges of background scene to provide a bit of texture), and Transport (the bees in on this card are busily transporting pollen via their hairy legs to the hive, to be stored as food. I did a bit of research and found a wonderful video HERE and learned so much about this wonderful process.)

       

Supplies: 

·   Scenic Background- from the FB page of Briarwood Flowers (an amazing wedding/event floral business. Their photos are great!)

·   Bee Digis- From Beccy’s Place Digi Set are from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Bees and Blooms) Sadly, no longer available.

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

·   Stickles- Diamonds (on bee wings)

·   Front Sentiment- “Kind words are like honey,” a freebie from Lovesvg.com 

·   Inside Sentiment-“May Your Day Be Blessed!” (Computer Generated using Edwardian Script ITC Font, available to download from several free online sites, and Calibri)

·   Digital Image- Glass jar of honey, freebie from Vecteesy.jpg

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Double D’s Challenge- Be Happy     

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #294 (Pick Two)    

Outlawz- Tuesday Color Challenge- Color Board-Aug (twist- Add Wings)  

Outlawz Sunday Challenge: Songs and Rhymes-Marigold    

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #710-711 AG/Family Friendly

    This card is my final entry into the current ABC Christmas Challenge, and it is the hardest of the five I’ve made… because it is a one-layer card! If you follow my blog you’ll know that I love to layer and embellish, so I seldom make a single-layer anything!  For this card, I used a sweet digi named “Ice Princess” from Paper Nest Dolls. I added the sentiment using a free Paint.net program. After printing the card, I sketched the speech bubble atop the sentiment with a pencil before tracing over it with a fine-line black marker.   

  Supplies: 

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

·   Digi- Paper Nest Dolls Digital Image (Digi is no longer available. Clear stamp available Here-(Ice Princess)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sharpie Black Permanent Fine-Line Marker, Sakura Gelly Roll white, silver and gold sparkly gel pens

·   Front Sentiment “Hello Friend”- from a Beccy’s Place Digi set (Sadly, Beccy Muir now sells wholesale items only)

·   Inside Sentiment-“Wishing You a Magical Christmas” a freebie from Birdscards.com (Blog now closed)

·   Patterned paper used to frame the inside sentiment and Sookwang double-sided tape to attach it in place.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

ABC Christmas Challenge- “N and O are for…? ” "O is for One Layer”

  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Aug)  Disney Princesses (All Disney Parks worldwide)

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday: Aug (Christmas)         

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Anything Goes (Aug) 

Outlawz Challenge-Aug 2025 Linky 

    I need a birthday card for a great-niece and know that she will love this sweet digi from The Paper Shelter named Little Butterfly. I enlarged the digi to fill the corner of an A2 card base,  printed it onto white card stock, colored, fussy-cut, and set it aside. I looked through my collection of old calendars to find a background for the cute digi. After deciding on a field of wildflowers, with trees and mountains in the background, I cut it to size and adhered it to the card front. The sentiments were added, and the card is ready for the mail! So fun.  

Supplies: 

·   Scenic Background- upcycled from an old calendar

·   Digi- The Paper Shelter (Little Butterfly)

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

·   Front Sentiment- Desert Diva Freebie (Hello Birthday Girl) Freebie is no longer available, but a similar one can be found HERE

·   Inside Sentiment-“Thinking of You…”from Jans Digi Stamps set (Bonnet Bouquet) Sadly, company is no longer in business

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Classic Design Challenge: Anything Goes #07-2025 Jul/Aug

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #800:AG  

The Paper Shelter- Summer Break 2025   

Crafty Catz Challenge- #699 AG

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge- #259 AG 

myasperations 8-4-25

      The theme for this weeks challenge at the We Craft Cards Forum is Vintage. The host provided us with a fun challenge. She noted, “Vintage means from the past. So…think back to when you first started making cards, what did you use? Maybe a tool, a way of doing things, or a type of product? Now, make a card using that and tell us what it was.”

     When I started making cards back in the 1980’s the only types of stamps available were wood-mounted, red rubber beauties!  So, I dug through my collection of wood mount stamps and found a set from Printworks. It has a teddy bear and several small sentiments that fit into the heart that he holds. I remember that I’d always liked stamping this sweet teddy on brown/kraft paper, so that is what I did for this card. We didn’t have alcohol markers back then, so I dug around and found brown, grey, and red watercolor markers (that still worked) to color the stamped image. Back then, I mainly used a white colored pencil for highlighting images, so that is what I did on this card. That said, I did have to pull out my beloved white gel pen to add the shine on the ribbon, and the sparkle in his eyes and nose! Even back then, I remembered that layering cards was the norm for me, so I added a few pieces of checkered paper and one piece of holiday green. I also liked (and still like) to add ribbon or other embellishments to my cards. So… that is how I “tied” this one up!

Supplies: 

·   Memento ink pad – Tuxedo Black

·   Teddy Bear and sentiment are both from Printworks Stamps (Company no longer in business)

·   Colored with Tombow Watercolor Markers, white colored pencil, and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Papers, ribbon, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into: 

We Craft Cards- Vintage: Technique and/or tool used when first started stamping

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday: Aug (Christmas)         

Outlawz Challenge-Aug 2025 Linky  

 Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Aug)  The Many Adventures of Winnie the  Pooh (Disneyworld, FL)

     When digging through my wood-mount stamps, I found this wonderful sailboat from Personals Stamp Exchange (PSX) that I’ve had in my collection since the late 90s. It was fun to use it on a card for my second entry into the current Time Out Challenge. The “Pick Two” items I included on my card are Transport (I’ve only been in a sailboat once in my life. I was in high school and spending an afternoon at a local lake with a few friends. One owned a sailboat and took us out for a short ride. I loved the almost magical feeling of the boat skimming over the water. We didn’t do any fishing, so the only things transported on that trip were three happy teens!), Torn (I tore the edge of a piece of gold speckled paper that I made using a spray paint Marbling technique found on the web.), plus Stars and Stripes (Stripes in the flag on the boat’s mast, and a star frame for a small anchor image from my stash of nautical items.)

 

Supplies: 

·  Sailboat Image- PSX wood-mount stamp (Company is no longer in business)

·  Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen 

·  Front Sentiment “Ocean is my Happy Place” from an Imagine That digi set (Company is no longer in business)

·   Inside Sentiment “The Ocean is my Happy Place” from an Imagine That digi set (Company is no longer in business)

·   Black and Silver paper made with Spray Paint Marbling- two tutorials found HERE and HERE

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Patterned papers, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into: 

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #294 (Pick Two… Transport, Torn, Stars, Strips)      

Classic Design Challenge: Anything Goes #07-2025 Jul/Aug (optional- Sand/Sun/Water) 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-AG

Polkadoodles Challenge- Challenge 9- Week 1- AG         

            

    I’m working to replenish my graduation card supply, and this cute little grad digi is one that I use often because I like perching him on a sentiment or frame, like I did on this card. I colored Deacon’s gown and cap with deep burgundy since that is the color of the local school district. A scrap of black and white patterned paper provides a nice background, a bit of bling (stars punched from shiny gold paper, and a gold tassel made with thread and thin cord, a free sentiment, and black photo corners finish off my card!  

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Deacon Grad sitter from Bugaboo Stamps (Company is no longer in business.)

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

·   Front Sentiment-Dr Seuss freebie from Create with TLC (Appears to be retired, but HERE is a similar one)

·   Inside Sentiment- (You did it Congratulation) from a Desert Diva set of 10 FREE sentiments!!!

·   Kraft brown paper- Hobby Lobby

·   Pioneer Black  Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Patterned paper, star punches, gold paper, little diploma, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #799:Dies and/or Punches  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge- #259 AG 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #710-711 AG/Family Friendly

myasperations 8-2-25

      It’s August! Which means I get to share my DT card for All Dressed Up (ADU) Stamps monthly FB Challenge. The theme is “Favorite Time of the Year”, and my card features an adorable digi named “Christmas Bear Hugs”. Winter is my favorite time of the year (I know… I’m weird that way!), mainly because I love snow… and the fact that there is zero pollen in the air! I also love teddy bears, especially the ones that look a bit threadbare, as if they could have inspired the book “The Velveteen Rabbit.” I like to give teddy bears that appearance on my cards by coloring them with alcohol markers, and then gently bouncing the blender marker lightly to lift some of the color off of the paper giving them a well-loved look! Brightly colored snow-laden patterned paper and a  flurry of die-cut snowflakes help to bring the card to life!

Supplies: 

·   Digi- All Dressed Up (Christmas Bear Hugs)

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

·   Front Sentiment “Warm Winter Wishes!” from an Imagine That! Digi stamp set (company no longer in business)

·   Snowflakes- Lawn Fawn LF995-Mini Snowflakes Die Set

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Snowflake patterned paper, all other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #799:Dies and/or Punches 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #710-711 AG/Family Friendly

via Pinterest- Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-AG

All Dressed Up- Anything Goes (July #164)  Since I’m a DT for All Dressed Up FB Challenge, I’m entering just for fun. Please don’t include me in the prize draw!  

     I made this card for the current Time Out Challenge. The “Pick Two” items I included in my card are Transport (I grew up in a family where my father and two brothers LOVED Harley-Davidson motorcycles. My dads included a side card, in which my siblings and I loved being transported across the plains of South Dakota. Ah… heaven!), Torn (I tore the edges of an upcycled photo of a cycle on the open road, then adhered it onto a piece of an old South Dakota map), and Stars (punched from the old map and embossed scraps of silver cardstock.)

Supplies: 

·   Motorcycle Scene- Upcycled from an old calendar page

·   Front Sentiment- Harley Davidson quote (Source Unknown) It’s been in my sentiment files for several decades. I attempted to find and cite the original source, but there are too many samples on the web. If anyone can share that info, please share it with me!

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated (to fit with front sentiment.)

·   Darice Embossing Folder (Octagon) Appears to be retired, but I’ve occasionally seen it on EBay

·   Silver stars created with scraps of dry embossed silver cardstock. Other stars created with scraps of old map.

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   All other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #294 (Pick Two)   

Classic Design Challenge: Anything Goes #07-2025 Jul/Aug  

  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Aug)  Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday: Aug (Summer)         

Outlawz Challenge-Aug 2025 Linky  

    As summer is in full gear, the weather is sweltering! So the photo of the icy drink in the mood board for The Four Seasons Summer Challenge inspired me to dig out this stamp set  to make a card. Although my pitcher holds pink lemonade instead of strawberries, it does look very yummy! I used several snippets from my stash, including regular vellum, pink vellum, small bits of yellow ribbon, and the last two pieces of pink doily strips from my stash. (I purchased these doily strips in several colors a few decades ago. Sadly, I don’t use them very often, but for some projects they provide a wonderful vintage feeling, so will need to do some research to see if they can be found anywhere!) The stripes were added with an old stripe stencil, and the sentiment printed on the vellum was computer-generated.   

 

Supplies: 

·   Clear Stamp Set from Power Poppy (Tea in the Garden)

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

·   Sentiment- Computer Generated

·   Stripe Stencil from Printworks (Company no longer in business)

·   Pioneer Clear Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Sookwang double-sided tape- Available from several sources on the web.

·   Vellum, ribbon, doily, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

The Four Seasons Challenge- Summer Season Aug 2025  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-AG

Crafty Catz Challenge- #699 AG