myasperations 3-22-26

        This card is my second entry in the current Time Out Theme challenge “In the Clear.” I remembered I had a digi set from Jan’s Digi Stamps named “Glasses” that I’d used a few years ago, and adding acetate “glass” lenses provided a fun touch of realism to the card. I had fun using it to make a Valentine’s card that featured two types of glasses- vintage “cat's eyes” plus traditional black rectangular frames. It took a little time to cut the centers from the two frames and replace them with strips of acetate, but I love how they turned out. The final touch was to add black photo corners to hold the eye-chart in place.

  

Supplies: 

·   Free Eye Chart- found HERE

·   Digis from a Jan’s Digi Stamps set named “Glasses” (Sadly company is closed)

·   Shading and highlights added with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white & silver gel pens

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Papers, acetate scraps, adhesive, and foam tape from my stash.

·   Sentiments-Computer Generated

·   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 #309 (Theme Challenge)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #744-745 (AG/Family Friendly)

Paper Funday- March 2026 #84 AG 

    I like upcycling old calendar pages as backgrounds on my cards, which will be easily apparent when you see my next three cards. 

    I used a floral calendar photo and a sweet digi image and sentiments from Not2Shabby to create this beautiful Easter card. The digi named “I Pick You” is actually a young girl dressed in a dress with apple designs, holding a basket of apples. I had fun using the digi on an Easter card,  easily fitting into that theme by paper-piecing her dress with a scrap of patterned paper, and filling the basket with Easter eggs made with scraps of pastel paper, decorated with gel pens. A sentiment from Not2Shabby was divided to fit onto both the front and inside of the card. 

Supplies: 

·   Background scene is upcycled from an old calendar

·   Digi from Not2Shabby (I Pick You)  

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

·   Sentiments- from a Not2Shabby Digi set (Carrots the Bunny)

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

·   Scraps of polka dotted and pastel papers, a strip of pink satin ribbon, other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Not2Shabby Mood Board Challenge-March- (Color board/Mood Board- Spring) 

Double D’s Challenge- Easter/Church/Cross 

Classic Design Challenge: Anything Goes #3-2026 March/April 

      

  The theme of the March challenge at Sweet November Stamps (SNS) is ‘Use Green’. I dug through my collection of old calendars to find a photo that held enough green foliage, to allow a sweet digi from SNS, named “Slow Ride,” to take center stage! I am thinking this card will be sent to a dear friend who recently retired and is enjoying life's slower pace, but I'm not sure of the sentiment I’ll attach. So for now, it is just a pretty picture!

     (I had no idea how to color the snail, so I did some web research and found lots of options. A poster provided a nice color image of a Garden Snail, which inspired the coloring of this little trailblazer. A bit of research told me that snails really do leave a “trail” wherever they go. Since this snail's rider is a beautifully dressed fairy, I opted to add some bling to this snail trail with a few dabs of Stickles.)

Supplies: 

·   Background scene- upcycled from an old calendar

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (Slow Ride)

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

·   Chart of Snails used to assist with coloring found HERE

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

·   Stickles- Diamonds

·   Other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into:  

Friends of Sweet November (FB) March 

STAMPlorations- March 2026     

     Back in the mid 1990’s, a new friend named Linda invited me to a Stampin' Up! Party at her

home on the plains of South Dakota. Almost immediately, I knew I'd soon be “hooked” on this

new hobby. What I didn’t know was that Linda would quickly become my BFF, and a few short

years later, we opened a stamp store! It was such a fun adventure to share with my best friend,

who had a business degree and a warm heart that drew people to the store! We loved spending

time together, sharing our favorite hobby with customers who came from near and far (a few

from 200+ miles away!) to share in the fun… and also enjoyed our classes and sales.

    It was so fun to get to know the artist/owners of stamp companies that provided stamp

lines which grew into our customer favorites! Included were Denami, Printworks, Eureka

Stamps, Stampendous, and especially Art Impressions. 

     The Art Impressions Front & Back stamps were so popular that they almost flew off our

shelves. In the years since, my hubby and I have moved several times, and I’ve changed jobs

three times, but my love of stamping still runs strong. In all the moves, I’ve downsized my

rubber stamp collection, but I still have many Art Impressions Front&Back stamps.  I pulled

out a few of these wonderful vintage treasures to create this fun… no, this MAGICAL...

Christmas card for the current challenge at Art Impressions! I love the sense of wonder on the

ittle girl's face as she peeks at the surprised little Christmas elf perched upon a neighbor's tree!

(Can you say "Awwww?")

 PS- I found a packet of itty-bitty star confetti after I'd posted this card, and wanted to add a bit

more magic to the card by showering the little elf with them. I did that and swapped out the

updated photos here. So, if you stopped by Monday or Tuesday, you'll notice that photos are

now a bit more sparkly than the one I posted to a few challenges! I like them better, especially

the closed card because the stars give a glimse of why the little snowsuit girl is entranced!

Supplies: 

·   Background scene is upcycled from an old calendar

·   Vintage Art Impressions Rubber Stamp Front & Back Digi- Peeking Child (in snow suit)- Retired

·   Vintage Art Impressions Rubber Tiny Christmas Elf- Retired

·   Vintage Art Impressions Wooden Country Fence- Retired

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

·   Front Sentiment- “Santa Claus is coming to town” from a Beccy’s Place digi set (Simply Santa) (Beccy recently

     closed her digi shop. She now sells clear stamp sets online. Check HERE  to see which sets are available!)

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

·   Itty Bitty Star confetti (I learned that the brand I used is no longer available. But if you do a web search there

    are several options available) 

·   Stickles- Diamonds (Used to attach star confetti,  drawing attention to the sweet little elf peeking from the tree

    bough, and also to "draw" sparkly lines radiating from the elf to add more "magic"!)

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

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

Entered into:  

Art Impressions Monthly Challenge- March #423 (3D)

Neglected Stuff Challenge- March 2026  

ABC Christmas Challenge- E,F & G are for… ?  ‘'E is for Elves'

Outlawz Challenge Monthly Linky- March 2026

Outlawz Christmas Only Challenge- March 2026