myasperations 5-13-26

    I love the photo inspiration for the current challenge at Time Out, which inspired me to make this card. It features a free digi from Beccy’s Place, which I’ve always thought would work beautifully on a Sympathy card. So… that is what I did! I punched a circle from a Post-it note, adhered it to the scene, and sponged layers of yellow, orange, and rusty red to create a rich sunset. After removing the “sun”, I added sentiments to the front and inside, then finished the card with butterflies, which I use on sympathy cards to represent new life!

    The timing of this photo inspiration challenge was almost unbelievable, as the day it was posted was the day that my sister’s husband, Marty,  went into hospice after a 7-year battle with colon cancer. He passed away the next day, and my hubby and I just returned from his funeral. 

    I knew Marty as an amazing man who, for nearly 47 years, cherished my dear sister, whom he called “The love of my life”, and was one of the best dads I’ve ever seen. He was loved and respected deeply by my sister, Carol, his three sons, and their wives. He was also the beloved grandfather to four little girls who called him "Papa" and enjoyed his generosity with hugs, treats, and especially his funny stories and cartoon voices!

    What I did NOT know is that during his career as a teacher, coach, and later the manager of a few businesses, he mentored hundreds of other people’s children.  His funeral was probably one of the most touching that I have ever attended. If you’d like to “meet” this real-life hero, you can view a recording of the service on YouTube HERE.

     My card features bands of color similar to those in the inspiration photo, plus Marty's life shimmered with light and encouragement, which he poured into the lives of so many people. His legacy is that the helped make the world a better place because he was in it! 

     I'm entering the card into several other challenges, including Passion for Markers-Masculine (it seems that Sympathy cards often feature flowers, I made this one to have a more masculine feeling.) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Freebie from Beccy’s Place (Free Silhouette Digi) (Beccy closed her digi shop, but continues to offer a large number of free digis on her blog, and sells clear stamp sets online. Check HERE  to see which sets are available!) 
·  Colored with assorted inkpads a sponge from my stash, and a circle mask. 

·  Front Sentiment-Gina K. Designs (Sentiment Set-Mixed Messages)
·  Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated
·  Butterfly images- trimmed  from the upper margin of a 12x12 sheet of American Crafts paper from JOAnnes Crafts (sadly 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: 

Time Out Challenge- Challenge #312 (Photo Inspiration)  

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- Weeks #752-753 (AG/Family Friendly)

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #837: Masculine

Pattie's Creations Challenge- #242 AG (May 2026)

Paper Funday- May 2026 #87 AG 

     This card is my first entry into the monthly challenges at the  Coffee Loving Paper Crafters/Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge and Stamplorations.  It features one of my favorite Stamplorations digi is named "Framed Coffee Cup." I printed a copy of the complete digi onto white card stock, then cropped the digi to include just the cup, and printed that onto striped fuchsia colored paper that I loaded into my printer, then fussy-cut, and adhered it atop the cup on the white “Framed Coffee Cup digi”. A bit of color and whimsy were added with a strip of Christmas Ornament paper, a sentiment tag, and a small Santa hat from my scrapbook stash. The inside sentiment was embellished with a coffee cup and hearts stamped on green paper with an old Stampin’ Up! Coffee-themed stamp set. 

   

Supplies: 

·   Stamplorations Digital stamp (Framed Coffee Cup) (clear stamp is retired. Digital image is available for $2.oo)

·   Inside Sentiment “Tis the Season for Coffee” from a Beccy’s Place digi set (Christmas Cheers) (Beccy closed her digi shop last year but still  sells clear stamp sets online. Check HERE  to see which sets are available!)

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

·   All other misc. items and tools from my card-making or scrapbooking stash.

Entered into: 

Coffee Loving Paper Crafters/Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge: #53 May 

STAMPlorations- May 2026      

Outlawz Christmas Only Challenge- May 2026

Outlawz Challenge Monthly Linky- May 2026

      This card is my second entry into the May Challenge at Sweet November Stamps, where May signals a wonderful event named “MerMay”! This sweet little mermaid, named Nami, is perched within a delicate oval to share a bright greeting with all who see her! She is sure to brighten the day of anyone who sees her!

     I’m entering this card into several challenges, including Pick 3- card includes the following picks: Friend (sentiment), Feminine, and Pastel)

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (Nami)

·   Oval Templates and Front sentiment- from my scrapbook stash

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

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

Entered into:  

Friends of Sweet November (FB) May 

Friends of Sweet November (FB) MerMay- May 2026 Week 2  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends Challenge- #277 AG 

Pick 3 Challenge- #4 April/May 2026  

    I tried a new fold on this card, a “Three Panel Gatefold,” but I mustn’t have followed the directions that I found HERE since it took me forever to get the panels to slide together without a hassle. And then, to keep them together so that the card doesn’t look like a sloppy mess, I ended up adding a pretty red bow. I like the end result, so it was worth the effort. Since I really like the look of the sample card, I'll give it another try. For now, here is my final card for this post. It will be on its way to one of my sister-in-laws tomorrow. I know that it will make her smile!

Supplies: 

·   Three Panel Gatefold Instructions (and video) can be found HERE

·   Birthday Cake Digi from Bugaboo Stamps (Sadly, the company is no longer in business)

·   Front Sentiment-Musical Happy Birthday from Birdscards (blog now closed)

·   Inside Sentiment “You don’t look a day older…” from a Beccy’s Place digi set (Feathered Friends ) (Beccy closed her digi shop last year but still sells clear stamp sets online. Check HERE  to see which sets are available!)

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

·  Patterned paper, satin ribbon,  other misc. items and tools from my stash.

Entered into: 

Pammies Inky Pinky Challenge #2619

Polkadoodles Challenge-  Challenge 5 Wk 2- AG

Crafty Catz Challenge-#713 AG