myasperations 1-18-22

Hello. I’m posting this on my third day in quarantine after testing positive for COVID on Sunday. Yep… it was a surprise to me, too! I’d known a few people who got COVID even though they were vaccinated, but didn’t think I’d be one of them. Although I am exhausted and have a  severe head cold, I don’t have a fever or any lung issues. Am hoping that continues. This AM my sweet hubby has a sore throat and cough. He is also vaccinated but has MS, so please hold us in your prayers.

I spent last Friday and Saturday in my craft room so wanted to get a few of them posted.

The first one is for the current Butterfly Challenge (one of my favs!)  that requires specific guidelines, including a different creative fold as one of the challenge themes. The sponsor, Mrs. A, provides instructions for each fold that are really helpful. The current fold, Triple Point Card, is new to me but was easy to make. My card also includes all four Colors: Thistle (purple), Tickle me pink, Tan (hair color), Tea Green (sage), and all three Themes: Thank You, Triple Point Card and Butterfly (part of the sweet Paper Shelter digi named Little Butterfly.)

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- The Paper Shelter (Little Butterfly)

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

·   Triple Point Card- Instructions available HERE

·   Front Sentiment- “Hello” Sticker-Hobby Lobby

·   Inside Sentiment- upcycled greeting from old card

·   Scrap of pink satin ribbon, cardstock, patterned paper, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

The Paper Shelter-#494 Color It

Butterfly Challenge- #165 T For Triple Point Card  

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #173 Anything Goes

Simon Says Monday Challenge- Insects/Birds

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday  

The pastel color palette in the second card fits into two current color challenges. I provide our church with a packet of cards several times a year and this card will be included in my next donation. Sadly the companies that created the digi and sentiments are both no longer in business as they belong to two wonderful artists/businesswomen.

Supplies: 

             ·   Digi- Bugaboo Stamps (Thoughts and Prayers Candle) Company no longer in business.

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

·   Silver photo corners available from several web sources (WXJ13 Photo Mounting Corners)

·   Butterfly- Freebie available from HERE (antennae and other details added with a Sharpie black permanent fine-line marker)

·   Inside Sentiment- Imagine That Digistamps set (Sentimental Thoughts) Company no longer in business.

·   Cardstock, patterned paper, diamond gemstone (candle flame) and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Pixie's Snippets-Week #419

Incy Wincy Designs-Pastel Colors and/or sketch

Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge-Inspiration Photo  

Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday Anything Goes (Optional Twist- Feminine)

This final card was made for another of my favorite challenges, Pixie’s Snippets (which requires the use of bits and pieces of paper.) I made a card like this a few decades ago at a card-making class in South Dakota, that just showed up in a box of cards I’ve had in storage. What a great find!  I used it as my template to sketch the apple parts on paper scraps, cut and piece them together onto a scrap of lovely scripted paper. A scrap from a red heart doily, photo corners, and computer-generated sentiments finish out the card, which will be added to the packet of cards I’m making for our church.

Supplies: 

·   Cardstock, paper scraps, red heart doily, green ribbon, and other items from my stash.

·   Sentiments- Computer Generated

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

Entered into:  

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- January                 

Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #3 Anything Goes                        

myasperations 1-16-22

I apologize that I am posting this a day late. The last few days have been difficult ones. 

     

     After being in hospice for about a week, my sweet MIL passed away this AM. Sally had lived a long life and left a legacy in children in grandchildren. I couldn’t have asked for a better MIL and my sweet hubby was so blessed to have her as his mom. She was actually in pretty good health until recently, when she suffered one of the many infections that are typical for a person her age. She became increasingly confused and hasn’t recognized Rich during his weekly calls to her the last few months. So, Rich and I are glad she is in a better place right now. We imagine her drinking coffee with my mom and his aunts in their mansions and enjoying baked goods that are... well... heavenly!!

      Rich posted the following info to his FB page this AM. I share it because it so beautifully reflects my husband’s heart… and the love for his dear mom! We will miss her dearly! “My mom passed away this morning.  She was 98 years old.  My dad passed away 62 years ago.  She raised my three older sisters and I until all of us were out on our own before she remarried.  When she turned 80, we had a big shindig for her with the extended family and each of us wrote something about what she meant to us.  My sisters and I each wrote separately of how safe we felt growing up in our home.  Now, it’s her turn.  She’s safe and at home.”

     Sally loved receiving cards from us… and was always thrilled when I gave her gift packets of cards to send to friends and family. Up until the last year she never missed a birthday, anniversary, or graduation. So, I’m pretty sure she will be smiling down on me as I work through my grief over the next few weeks in my craft room. Now on to my posting!

      It’s the middle of the month which means it’s time for a challenge at QKR Stampede which is always “Anything Goes” and several prizes are awarded. Stop by the challenge and maybe you’ll be inspired to enter a card or two yourself?

     My DT card features a QKR digi and sentiment that work so beautifully together. I had fun using them on a Triangle Fun Fold card (which is super easy to make!) I had fun cutting out the inside of his helmet and slipping a scrap of acetate down over his head and face to create a clear view of the beautiful galaxy behind him. Silver metallic cardstock and silver holographic stars complete the card which really is out of this world!

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Tuesday Color Challenge-(my car includes a few of the colors in the photo, plus the bright points of stars mimic the sunlight through the trees.)  

Supplies: 

·   Triangle Fun Fold- Found on Pinterest HERE

·   Digi- QKR Digital Stamp (Star Catcher) Also available in unmounted or cling-mounted

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

·   Galaxy Patterned Paper and Star Stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   Inside Sentiment- QKR Digital Stamp (Catch Your Dreams) Also available in unmounted or cling-mounted

·   Cardstock, a scrap of acetate, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
The Paper Shelter-#494 Color It
Passion for Markers Challenge- Week # 623 Going Dotty
Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge-Inspiration Photo 
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

      A recent episode of the YouTube program, Craft Roulette, featured a wonderful blogger named Jessica Taylor as a guest stamper. She was challenged by Mary Gunn FUNN, the host of the program, to create a card-live on camera-that featured four randomly picked themes. Jessica beautifully met the challenge then invited her blog followers to create a card. I had fun creating this card which meets the four required themes: Pocket- stamped Teddy bear sits on a pile of hearts with a pull tab; Colors- Purple + 3 (gray, pink, and green/teal); Transportation- truck; and Oval- sentiment.

     My card features a beautiful classic truck from a Beccy’s Place digi set that is soon being retired. (On sale through April for 50% off, which means I got it for just $3.64 US. I pasted a WM of the set and also the retiring sets flyer so you can maybe do some shopping?!) I copied the colored (deep rich red) truck jpg, dropped it into a Word document, then before printing it off, I clicked the picture format option, then color option to change the color to grey so that the bright red wouldn’t overpower the pastel hearts.  

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Beccy’s Place Digital Stamp Set (Cruisin)

·   Classic Truck (colored digi) shaded with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and highlighted with Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Scenic Tree Paper- Hobby Lobby

·   Teddy Bear- Rubber Stamp from a retired Stampin’ Up set ( maybe from the late '90s?)

·   Front Sentiment- Desert Diva freebie (Hello How are You)

·   Inside Sentiment “Loads of Love” From Beccy’s Place Digi Set (The Long Haul)

·   Cardstock, and assorted valentine stickers from my stash.

Entered into:  
Simon Says Monday Challenge- Transport It
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #173 Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #525-526 Anything Goes                   
Beccy’s Place Challenge- January  Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!

Before I forget, I wanted to share a few other Beccy’s Place digis and sentiments that I used to decorate my office door for a contest during the holidays. I printed the digis vertically on 8.5 x 14-inch copy paper, taped them together, colored then fussy-cut the snarky critters before attaching them to some wonderful, patterned Christmas wrapping paper. I printed off the snarky sentiments, sketched word bubbles around them, fussy cut, and added them to the door.  There was some major competition-one door included a bowl of real, hand-baked cookies in small baggies for easy grabbing, and another included a 3-D snowman made from white solo cups with flashing lights and music!!) … it did bring in lots of comments and giggles from people passing by. I guess that many of my co-workers can understand the truth in those sentiments. (My fat pants got dangerously stretched this year!!)

      I’m entering this card into several challenges including Digi Doodle Studios- (One of my favorite things about stamping is always looking for new ways to use my stamps, digis and supplies. And if my efforts bring a smile- or chuckle- well, that makes me happy!) 

Supplies: 

·   Goose Digi  “Fat Pants”  and “Naughty List” Sentiment from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Grumpy Goose)

·   Chicken Digi from Beccy’s Place Digi Sets (Poultry in Motion)

·   Colored with Assorted markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Chalkboard Christmas Wrapping Paper, scraps of vellum (to create "steam" rising from the coffee cup), Santa patterned paper and cardstock from my stash.

Entered into:  

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday  (Animals)

Digi Doodle Studios- #45 Be Happy and/or Your Favorite Thing

myasperations 1-14-22

It’s Friday and time for the Colour Crazy Challenge. This challenge is “Anything Goes” but it adds a requirement; the creation needs to include coloring in “any colouring medium you like, onto any project you like, and in any colours you like.” I’ve never outgrown my love for coloring… which is why making cards is stress therapy for me!! 
This week's sponsor is Ching-Chou Kuik Digital Stamps and my DT card features a digi named Dark Lilies. I printed the beauty on white cardstock and used Spectrum Noir Classique Markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen to add color, shading, and highlights. I used a few photos from the web for guidance when coloring the lovely lilies. Some patterned paper, photo corners, and a sweet sentiment finish off the card.  
Note- The sentiment is from a beautiful Beccy’s Place digi set that is soon being retired. (On sale through April for 50% off, which means I got it for just $2.19 US.) I love the image in this set, and use the sentiments from the set quite often. They are so versatile for many types of cards!

I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Tuesday Color Challenge (My card reflects the pastel colors and lacy details of the inspiration photo.) 

Supplies: 
·   Digi- Ching-Chou Kuik Digital Stamp (Dark Lilies)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Front Sentiment “Hello Friend” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (True Beauty)
·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources
·   Cardstock, patterned papers and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- For the Girls
Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge-Inspiration Photo  
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday Anything Goes (Optional Twist- Feminine)
Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #5 Anything Goes                        
The Paper Shelter-#494 Color It
Ching-Chou Kuik's Digital Stamps Inspiration & Challenge- “Something New" 
Ching-Chou Kuik's FB Challenge- “Something New” 

Decided to add a few more cards to this post to help increase the number of viewers… which I feel I owe to the companies/challenges for which I’m a DT! This Christmas card features a Tree Shaped die cut tag as it’s base, sweet little gingerbread cookies from another Beccy’s Place digi set that is soon being retired. (On sale through April for 50% off.) Sadly the elf digi is no longer available (I miss Bugaboo Stamps!) because I love that I was able to bend his little fingers around a cookie. The colorful pile of gifts is upcycled from a sale ad from Simon Says Stamp!

Supplies: 

             ·  Digi- Bugaboo Digital Stamp (Deacon Elf) Company no longer in business.

·   Gingerbread Cookie Digi- from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Gingerbread) Now 50% off (which means I got it for just $2.92 US)

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

·   Inside Sentiment- LoveSVG Freebie (May Your Christmas Be Sweet)

·   Christmas Tree tag Diecut- from a Package I found at a thrift store a few years ago

·   Gifts under tree upcycled from a Simon Says Christmas flyer.

·   Cardstock, snowflake stickers and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
Digi Chooseday Crafting Challenge- Week #1 Anything Goes     
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #525-526 Anything Goes                   
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #576 AG
Beccy’s Place Challenge- January Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!

Since my cards usually involve layers, fussy-cutting and coloring/shading/highlighting, I love how easily this card came together. Using a Sheepski Designs digi with an incorporated sentiment, the card is almost CAS- at least for me! I created the cloudy sky background with chalk, a makeup sponge, and a cloud stencil. (Note- the stencil I used is no longer available. However, I checked one of my favorite stamp supply shops, Simon Says Stamp!, searched “cloud stencil” and 70 options popped up!) 
I’m entering this card into several challenges including Simon Says Stamp Challenges Monday (Balloons are a non-conventional way to transport greetings, notes small gifts and a smile!) and Wednesday (I used a stencil, blue chalk and a makeup sponge to make the billowy clouds. Plus, I provided a link to Simon Says Stamp shop which offers many designs and sizes of cloud stencils plus thousands of other items. It’s one of my favorite “go-to” online shops!) 

Supplies: 

•  Digi- Sheepski Designs (Happy Birthday) 
•   Colored with Spectrum Noir Classique markers, Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen 
•   All Night Media Cloud stencil (no longer available) but lots of cloud stencils HERE 
•   Cardstock, blue chalk (clouds), a scrap of satin ribbon, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:

Double D’s Challenge- 6^th Birthday Party Balloons 

Simon Says Monday Challenge- Transport It

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Fun With Stencils

STAMPlorations- CAS Challenge January (Optional- Rainbow) 

STAMPlorations- Stencil Challenge January (Anything Goes)      

Incy Wincy Designs-Pastel Colors and/or sketch

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Birthday)

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

myasperations 1-11-22

This festive card features a fun image from The Paper Shelter named "Rooftop Party."  I love the title’s play on words, especially since Rudolph looks less than happy about the situation! Red, gold and bronze glitter paper add some bling to the card. I also printed, colored and fussy-cut an extra little bird to embellish the inside. The final touch was to add one lovely puffy heart sticker to add emphasis to the “All Hearts Come Home” freebie sentiment.

Supplies: 

·   Digi- The Paper Shelter (Rooftop Party)

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

·   Front Sentiment “Let’s Celebrate!”- Computer Generated

·   Inside Sentiment-Freebie from LoveSVG (All Hearts Come Home)

·   Puffy Heart Sticker- Sticko's 

·   Cardstock, patterned paper, scraps of glitter paper and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
The Paper Shelter- Anything Goes
Gem of a Challenge- Week #1 Anything Goes                                
Digi Chooseday Crafting Challenge- Week #1 Anything Goes     
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #525-526 Anything Goes                   
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #173 Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #576 AG
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- January                 
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Animals)
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge