myasperations: myasperations 6-23-25a

I had fun creating this card using a 6x6 Not2Shabby paper pack filled with watercolor backgrounds and two pages of adorable pre-colored sea turtles. The colors of the turtles and background papers were a perfect fit for the June Colorful Options Challenge, so I got busy fussy-cutting two of the cute turts. When finished, I created the undersea background by adhering a piece of patterned paper with a watercolor look in shades of aqua/blue/teal to an A2-sized white card base. Torn scraps of tan parchment cardstock and a brown paper bag were layered at the bottom of the page to create a sandy ocean floor, into which I tucked and adhered several fussy-cut seashells, a starfish, and one gold coin!

I wanted to add the feeling of movement to the card, so I used two small circle paper punches, plus scraps of vellum plus teal and aqua paper, to punch several dozen “bubbles.” After adhering the turtle's head and front fins to the background, I started layering the paper and vellum bubbles in a scattered pattern to create an explosion of bubbles following in his wake as he dove toward the ocean bottom. Possibly a flash of gold caught his eye and sent him into the quick dive? I made sure to tuck a few of the larger bubbles under his little bottom and back fins, adhere these bubbles in place, and then adhere his little bottom and back fins on top of them, holding everything in place. The final touch to the front of the card was to use Stickles to add sparkle to the bubbles, and to add very small “bubbles” by scattering drops of Stickles around within the turtle's wake.

Supplies:

· Pre-colored Turtle (and scraps of colored paper)-Not2Shabby paper pack (Watercolor Cuties) The small Turtle Digi embellishing the inside sentiment was upcycled from the front cover of the paper pack

· Patterned paper background- Hobby Lobby

· Seashells and starfish cut from patterned paper- Hobby Lobby

· Seaweed digi from a Fred She Said digi set (Emma the Mermaid)

· Assorted circle punches and vellum (to create the flurry of bubbles)

· Stickles- Diamonds (to add sparkle to the bubbles, and extra “droplets” to the watery background.

· Sentiments- Computer Generated

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

· Assorted papers and a small gold coin from my stash.

Entered into:

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: June Mood Board-Summer (Shades of Aqua Blue)

I served as a DT for Sheepski Designs for five years, and loved working with artist/owner Andrea Norris, who is a talented, kind, and generous person. Proof of that is that even though Andrea closed her Etsy shop on December 31, she continues to sponsor challenges for other companies, providing her wonderful digis to the challenge winners.

In March, I was thrilled to be the Random draw winner at the Passion for Markers Challenge, and this is one of the Sheepski digis that I chose. I already had several Unicorn stamps and digis, and I liked them, but most are cute or cartoonish. So I love that Andrea drew a Unicorn that is resembles a real horse, in all its regal splendor. It was so fun to color the Unicorn, and to embellish the regal creature with a bit of Gold Stardust gel pen sparkle! (I enlarged the second pic so you can see the sparkle!)

Supplies:

· Digi- Sheepski Stamps (Unicorn) Sadly, this wonderful shop closed at the end of 2024.

· Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique marker, Sakara Gelly Roll White and Gold Stardust gel pens

· Cloudy background-Upcycled from a Fleet Farm Calendar Page

· Rainbow Digi- Freebie from cornishkat.blogspot.com (HERE)

· Front Sentiment “ You add COLOR to my life” A freebie from Desert Diva HERE

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

Entered into:

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #793: Animals

Since I’m a DT for All Dressed Up, I’m entering just for fun. Please don’t include me in the prize draw!

I discovered digital stamps over 10 years ago, and loved how easy they were to use! Plus, there were many free digi on the web. Dearie Dolls were some of my first favorites… and I still enjoy using them. This cute Santa digi was to fun to use on this card, which has a playful tone. Can’t you imagine the week following Christmas, Santa saying to his sweet Mrs. “I just want to bake stuff and watch Christmas movies!” So fun! (I also love the cute “Gingerbread Wishes” paper from Digi Doodles Studio that is peeking out from behind Santa. I fussy-cut two of the little cookies from a scrap of the paper to embellish the top of the inside sentiment. They look like they are doing a Christmas jig!)