myasperations 9-15-23

   Hello! Kathy Asper here, thrilled to return as a Guest DT at Gerda Steiner Designs, sharing my second card featuring the festive Furry and Bright stamp set.  

    Since I started stamping back in the '90's, I've loved using dspecialty folds can give handmade cards an additional “wow” factor and are often surprisingly easy to create. Easel cards are my favorites because recipients often display them long after the special occasion is past! (See my supplies list for links to a few of my favorite blogs that offer tutorials for this fold, and many others.)

   I used patterned papers and gemstone stickers (hearts and stars) from my scrapbook stash, to add additional colors, textures, and a bit o’ bling to my card!

    All three sentiments on the card (the "punny" one on the front, and both on the inside) are from the Furry and Bright stamp set. 

Supplies: 

·   Kitty image and sentiments are all from Gerda Steiner Designs stamp set Furry and Bright 

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

·   My favorite tutorials for Easel Cards (and many other folds) can be found at Beccy’s Place 

    and the Butterfly Challenge.

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Make It Cute (StampTember)

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Die Cuts/Anything Goes  

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG #261

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas, Animals)

Outlawz Challenge- September 2023 Linky

Jan’s Digi Stamps- Sept 2023 Anything Goes    

Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge- Furry Thing Goes (#93 Sept)  

I made a few cards for the current Butterfly Challenge, using rubber stamps and other items from my stash. Here is the first one. (See details in my supply list!)

Supplies: 

·   Bucket of Tulips Rubber Stamp- PSX (Company no longer in business)

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

·   Butterfly Stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Inside Sentiment- “Thinking of You Days” Rubber Stamp from Printworks (Company no longer in business)

·   Black ink pad, paper doily, sheer ribbon, and all other items from my stash.

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Butterfly Challenge- #187 Butterflies Galore 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #613-614 Anything Goes   

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #37 AG                                          

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Sept)    Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival

TRIPLE B Challenge (Birds, Butterflies or Blooms)- Sept 

myasperations 9-14-23

I wanted to get another card entered into the Scribbles Designs 10th Birthday Challenge where we are invited to post creations made with our favorite Scribbles image(s). My card features one of my favorite quirky characters from Scribbles, named Woolley, sporting a striking pair of sunglasses, (another favorite digi from Scribbles... and this is a freebie!)

   I'm entering this card into several other challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place (We live near a wonderful family-owned farm that features several theme-based events a year.  We have taken the students in our after-school program there and they loved the corn maze, hay rides, and picking apples in the fall (and eating apple fritters, apple muffins, and caramel apples!) But the all time favorite event in the Spring event that features baby animals. I especially love watching the little lambs skipping and playing. (You can read about the lambs, and other baby animals, many that can be hed and cuddled, here- Govin's Farm)

Supplies: 

·   Sheep Digi- Scribbles Designs (Woolley Thoughtful)

·   Sunglasses Digi- Scribbles Designs Freebie (Sunglasses)

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

·   Birthday background- from my scrapbook stash

·   Silver Star Stickers- JoAnnes Crafts

·   "Happy Birthday" Sentiment- Handwritten

·   Inside Sentiment- “…Magical as Me” from Bugaboo (company no longer in business)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Scribbles Designs Challenge- #123 Favorites     

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Make It Cute (StampTember)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #613-614 Anything Goes   

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Sept)    Govin's Farm

2craftycrittercrazies challenge- #78 Sept 2023

Let’s Craft and Create Challenge- #199 August AG 

Paper Funday- #57 Anything Goes      

        Since I’m a DT for Sheepski (one of the sponsors), please don’t include me in the draw for their prize! 

This is my final  entry into Scribbles 10th Birthday Challenge, featuring a different version of Woolley (and this one is a freebie!) I wanted to give him a look of romance (or maybe intrigue) by adding a mustache digi (from Jan’s Digis.) I fussy-cut the 'stache, then attached it by cutting small slits along the lower part of his nose, lifting it, adding a touch of adhesive and carefully sliding it into place. I found the sentiment in my digi stash, but right now I cannot find the source. If you recognize this sentiment, please let me know so I can provide appropriate credit. Thanks!

I’m entering it into several challenges including the Path Of Positivity’s-TicTacToe (my card includes the three items in the last row- Vintage-B&W swirly background paper, Masculine, and Use Die Cuts- oval die and heart punch.) 

 

Supplies: 

·   Sheep Digi- Scribbles Designs (Woolley Wink-FREE)

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

·   Mustache digi from Jans Digi Stamps Set (Mustaches)

·   Front Sentiment- a fun ‘stache’ saying (source unknown)

·   Inside Sentiment – Computer generated

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Scribbles Designs Challenge- #123 Favorites     

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge-Anything Goes   

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Animals)

Outlawz Challenge- September 2023 Linky

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG #261

Jan’s Digi Stamps- Sept 2023 Anything Goes    

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #115 (Anything Goes Positive with Twist-TicTacToe)  

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Die Cuts/Anything Goes  

myasperations 9-8-23

     I'm excited to be a guest DT at Gerda Steiner Designs this month. This is the first of two cards made with one of Gerda's sweet 3x4 stamp sets named Furry and Bright.  

     To help the colored lights stand out, I stamped the image on monochromatic patterned paper, colored the bulbs with Spectrum Noir markers, and added the soft glowing effect by using cotton-tipped swabs (Q-tips) to add smudges of soft pastel chalks. Simple black photo corners help "frame" the card front! All three sentiments on the card (the "punny" one on the front, and both on the inside) are from the stamp set. 

    I also like to decorate the inside of my cards to reflect the front, so was excited to find a free digital strand of Christmas lights at scrapbookandcards.com to serve as a backdrop for the festive sentiments.  (It is a cut file, that I eaasily printed off as a digital. And it's a FREEbie!)

    I'm entering this card into several challenges including Christmas Craft Creations challenge :CAS (I don't make many CAS cards since I tend toward lots of coloring, layers, fancy folds, embellies, etc. It usually takes me longer to create a CAS card than my normal style, because it seems to take more planning time for me to prevent overdoing things. I know... weird, right? But if you spend time on my blog you'll see that this card is pretty much as CAS as I get. (And I really had fun making it!) 

Supplies:

·   Image and sentiments are all from Gerda Steiner Designs stamp set Furry and Bright 

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

    Decorating Chalk set from CRAF-T Products (Pebbles, Inc./American Crafts also makes a nice set.) 

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners 

·  Light strand backdrop from scrapbookandcards.com is a digital image/cut file that  you    

    can find HERE.) 

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Stamp It (StampTember)

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas, Animals)

Outlawz Challenge- September 2023 Linky

Creative Fingers Challenge Blog: ATG #261

2craftycrittercrazies challenge- #78 Sept 2023              

Christmas Craft Creations challenge- August-CAS   

Our friends at Scribbles Designs are celebrating their 10th Anniversary and invited us to enter cards using our favorite Scribbles images. I have several... so watch for more in the coming days! This first one, named Woodland Santa, features a jolly old elf that I think could settle right into the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I used a sketch from one of my favorite challenges Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers  (BYSHC on FB) to develop the format for my card.

     I’m entering it into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place (This is another of my favorite challenges… as it has introduced me to many new amusement parks. This card was inspired by Santa’s Village which is now on my bucket list!)

                                            

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Scribbles Designs Digital Stamp (Woodland Santa)

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

·   Front Sentiment- 2 Cute Ink Digi Set (Country Christmas)

·   Inside Sentiment – “Celebrate the Season” (source unknown, please notify me if you recognize it!)  

·   Christmas Themed Photo corners- upcycled from an old card

·   Silver puffy star stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Scribbles Designs Challenge- #123 Your Favourites

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge FB- #37 Sept 2023            

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #115 (Anything Goes Positive)  

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge-Anything Goes   

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #706 Christmas in September

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #611-612 Anything Goes   

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

My final card this posting was created for the current challenge at All Dressed Up named “Make it Feminine.” I had fun adding some texture to my card through upcycling. A beachy photo from an old calendar creates the background, a scrap of grosgrain ribbon upcycled from an old gift bag and a scrap of twine helped create a “fabric beach bag”, and a strip cut from an old craft magazine, rolled into a “magazine” is tucked inside with the digis other beach items!  

Supplies: 

·   Digi- All Dressed Up Digital Stamp (Pool Ready)

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

·   Beach scene- upcycled from and old calendar

·   Sentiments- Computer Generated

·   Flip-flop with inside sentiment from a template provided at a cardmaking event years ago. (There are lots of options on Pinterest.)

·   Scrap of dotted swiss ribbon and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

All Dressed Up- #142 Anything Goes (August)

All Dressed Up FB Challenge- Sept-Make it Feminine                 

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Create a Scene  

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #35 AG                                          

Let’s Craft and Create Challenge- #199 August AG 

Paper Funday- #57 Anything Goes      

                

myasperations 9-4-23

     I am honored to have served as a Guest Designer for Beccy Muir at Beccy’s Place and am now one of her “Contributors” (which means that she provides me with digis or clear stamp sets several times a year and I get to create cards or other items with them!) It is always fun to see the images Beccy invites me to use.  This time I’m getting a jump on Halloween cards with a Beccy’s Place digi set that shows just how frightening carved pumkins can be. The set, named “Stack of Jacks” helped me create two “specialty fold” cards. (Specialty folds can give handmade cards an additional “wow” factor and are often surprisingly easy to create. Easel cards are one of my favorites to make because they go together pretty quickly, and recipients often display them long after the special occasion such as holiday, birthday, new baby, graduation, etc. is over.)

     This first card features an Easel Fold Card. I followed Beccy’s instructions, but since I wanted a taller Easel card, I made a change in Steps 1 and 2. Instead of using an A5 card base, I cut a sheet of 8½” x 11” cardstock into two long strips (each 4¼” x 11”). I folded the first strip in half (at the 5½” mark) then followed Beccy’s Step 1. The other strip I cut in half (at the 5½” mark) and then followed Beccy’s Step 2… and on!) I used a pre-colored “Jack” for this card, which I fussy-cut, then used an Exacto blade to carefully trim the eyes from the image. I backed the pumpkin head with foam tape along the edges, then carefully positioned it atop eyes that I adhered to the card base. This creates errie depth to the guy. (Which you can see best in the side-view photo!) I had fun creating spooky fog rolling across the night sky with thin torn strips of vellum. The card features two sentiments from the digi set, plus some yummy candy corns fussy-cut from a scrap of patterned paper.

     I’m entering this card into several challenges, including Outlawz Sunday “Now the Autumn has Begun” (my card reflects the line in the poem, “September, October bring darker nights…” which can add to the eeriness of Halloween!), Inspiration Station Prompt (I like several types of squash, but especially pumpkins. So my card featured a festive one for Halloween. PS I wanted to make sure that plain old pumpkins really are in the same plant family as squash… so researched it and found that it is. Plus learned it’s NOT a vegetable but a fruit! Informative article HERE), The Sisterhood of Crafters “Create a Scene” (my scene is a dark and scary night!),  Park Hopping-My Happy Place (when searching for a Halloween theme park I found one that is now on my bucket list-Hersheypark Halloween. Two words- Free Chocolate!)  

     

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiments from - Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp set (Stack of Jacks)

·   Highlights and shading were added to the pre-colored image with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen, and a white colored pencil.

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

Entered into:  

Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Now the Autumn has Begun  

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge-Anything Goes   

Outlawz Challenge- September 2023 Linky

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Create a Scene  

Inspiration Station- Challenge #53 Sept     

Gem of a Challenge- Gem of a Challenge- Week #18 AG             

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (Sept)    Hersheypark Halloween

The Four Seasons Challenge- Fall (Sept)   

My second card features another of the “Jacks” from the digi set on a t-shirt shaped card from a template I created a while ago (I’ve enjoyed using it… and you can see proof of that in other cards on my blog HERE and HERE and HERE.) I created another spooky scene with strips of torn vellum, a full “moon”, and created an extra bit of “YIKES” to the eyeballs by adding yellow irises and turning them “bloodshot” with thin red veins. A sparkly night sky (patterned paper) and a large fussy-cut leaf add some depth and texture to the card. One of the sentiments from the set, plus an eerie ghost (sketched onto a scrap of vellum) decorates the inside of the card. (I provided templates of both the t-shirt and ghost for you to use if desired!)

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiment from - Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp set (Stack of Jacks)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen, a white colored pencil and red pen.

·   T-Shirt and ghost templates made by ME!

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #213 AG

IncyWincyDesigns- Sept- Colors of Autumn  and/or not a Square or Rectangle

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #35 AG 

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge- Sept-Outrageous Orange      

Papercraft Challenges- Challenge #97 Special Card Shapes

Jan’s Digi Stamps- Sept 2023 Anything Goes    

Paper Funday- #57 Anything Goes      

      Since I’m a DT for Sheepski (one of the sponsors), please don’t include me in the draw for their prize! 

Note- My favorite website for instructions for Specialty Fold cards is actually Beccy’s Place. Her vast library of easy-to-folly tutorials is how I first found Beccy and her amazing artwork. You can check out here “A-to-Z Card Folds” HERE.

Our 2024 Sponsorship Calendar is now open!

One additional note- Beccy is a regular sponsor for several challenges in blog hops and is offering to do that again in 2024. If you're interested, please send an expression of interest to beccy@beccysplace.com.