myasperations 5-8-24

     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 and this time my two cards feature images and sentiments from Beccy’s new digi set,  “Pond Pals”. 

    I've always appreciated how Beccy creates personality to her characters, even down to naming each of them!  My first card features the adorable seal named Sylvie.  I used the set’s precolored digi, mainly because I knew I couldn’t color this cutie nearly as well as Beccy did!

    A bit of fussy-cutting was all that was required before I adhered Sylvie onto a scenic background (trimmed from an upcycled calendar page), and used a white and grey gel pen to sketch in some "waves" around the bottom to anchor her into the water. After adding sentiments from the set, I added a touch of cuteness to them… mainly because Sylvie is the queen of cuteness… by using a pencil to lightly sketch little hearts into the openings in a few letters. After placement and size looked right, I colored the hearts with alcohol markers and framed in the scene with black photo corners.  

    I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place where the challenge is anything inspired by a theme park. (This is a favorite challenge… as it has introduced me to many new places to add to my bucket list! I used the “inspiration” listing that sponsor Makira provides, and found a theme park that features seals, Sea World! I spent some time on the website learning a lot about seals including that they are classified as “Pennipeds,” and are related to critters like Walruses and Elephant Whales that can weigh up to 3000 pounds- more than a car!! The site even includes audio recordings of all types of creatures. Did you know that seal pups bark? So cute!) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiments- Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Pond Pals)

·   Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white and grey gel pens.

·   Pioneer black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Upcycled calendar page and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge (Anything Goes)

Outlawz Challenge- May 2024 Linky

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #647-648

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (May)    Sea World- Pennipeds

     The second card features a playful Otter named Obie. This time I colored the little guy, and I think he turned out fine. I knew fussy-cutting around those wonderful whiskers would be tediously impossible, so I framed him within a circle. This time, the top part of the card is a hazy photo of trees (from a trip my DH and I took to the Black Hills in South Dakota many years ago), while a strip of blue wave-patterned paper fills the lower part.

    After positioning Obie onto the wavy background, I didn’t like that the white circle stood out so starkly. So I used a pencil to lightly sketch the waves to look like they continued across the white circle. When satisfied, I lightly colored them in with alcohol markers and, as with Sylvie, anchored Obie into the water with a few gel pen ripples. I added black photo corners and was Ta-Done!   

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Path Of Positivity: The Power of Words-Art/Creativity (I am pretty creative in using materials I have on hand, and upcycling. This card demonstrates that, plus the sentiment sends a positive message!) 

Supplies: 

·   Digi and Sentiments- Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Pond Pals)

·   Spectrum Noir Classique markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white and grey gel pens.

·   Pioneer black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Personal photo and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #645-646

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #671 (Optional twist- Summer )   

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #121  (Anything Goes Positive)  

Paper Funday- #65 Anything Goes   

 

      My final card this post also features a digi from Beccy’s Place, but this is one of Beccy’s many freebies!  Although it’s name is, appropriately, “Gnarled Wreath”, the addition of little flowers, satin ribbon, and bow give it a lovely almost vintage look.  Since I love adding lots of details on my cards, I used my trusty white gel pen to add veins in the leaves, sheen to the ribbon, and touched the center of the flowers with a dot of Buttercup Liquid Pearls.

   An added note- Beccy is a wonderfully generous person, which you'll see if you check the link in my supplies list where you will find a line image, a pre-colored image AND a gnarled wreath with no flowers or ribbon. And you can nab one, two or three of the set easily and at no cost. Sweet! 

  

Supplies: 

·   Wreath Digi- Beccy's Place Digital Stamp (Gnarled Wreath) 

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

·   Liquid Pearls-Buttercup

·   Front and Inside Sentiments- Polka Dot Orchard (Younger Than Tomorrow)

·   Patterned paper, vellum, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Feminine

We Love Stamping-Vintage

Outlawz Sunday Challenge- All the Worlds Alive Again   

The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Spring (May 2024)  

Inspiration Station- Challenge #61 Inspiration Prompt 

Double D’s Challenge- Pretty Florals for Mom  

Passion for Markers Challenge- Week #738: Birthdays

Beccy’s Place Challenge- May   

        Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge- Flower Power   

        Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Spring Flowers)

myasperations 5-7-24

     A few years ago I was introduced to a wonderful line of stamps and digis when a stamping friend gave me a giftcard for Sweet November Stamps (SNS). I started building a collection of their beautiful images and was happy that I had a few SNS mermaids to enter into their 2023 MerMay challenge. Since then, I’ve added several more cute mermaid images, so I printed off a few dozen of them for the current MerMay challenge.  

     This is my first entry, featuring an SNS digi image named “The Lookout.”  I used my much-used free Paint.net program to place her into a tranquil night scene, using a free photo (see the link to it in my supplies list.) It was a challenge to get the shadows and highlights from the moon glow figured out. They aren’t quite what I planned, but not bad for a first try!

    I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place where the challenge is anything inspired by a theme park. This card, with the mermaid looking like she is longing to see her Prince was inspired by Disney Parks The Little Mermaids Undersea Adventure (Magic Kingdom, CA & FL USA).  

Supplies: 

·   Background Scene- Free Photo found at wallpapersafari.com (moon over ocean)

·   Digi- Sweet November Stamps (The Lookout)

·  Free Paint.net program can be found HERE (add watermarks, layer digis, and more!)

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

·   Front Sentiment “Mermaid Wishes and Starfish Kisses”- Source Unknown 

·   Stickles- Diamonds and Stardust versions (to add sparkle to scales and waves on water.)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Feminine

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (May)    The Little Mermaid

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: May-Royal Blue   

Friends of Sweet November (FB) May 

Friends of Sweet November (FB) Mermay)  

     Several years ago, I found a package of rose-embossed invitation cards at a thrift store. They surfaced last month when organizing my craft room, and I turned them into Mother’s Day cards.  First, since the inside of the card was a template for a wedding invitation, I cut the front from the card. I planned to cover the “Please Come” sentiment, but first I used a light touch to apply pale pastel shades of pink and green to the embossed rose and leaves on the front of the card. (One of the pictures below shows the bottom of the embossed image, on the back of the card front.) A blender pen smoothed the colors out, and I finished by highlighting them with my white gel pen. Since the ink bled through the embossed images, I added a layer of paper with light pink stripes to cover the inside of the card front.

Supplies: 

·   Embossed Rose Image- from a set of Thank You cards I found at a thrift store years ago.

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

·   Front Sentiment “Thinking of You”- Victorine Originals Digis (Company no longer in business)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Grantastic Mothers Day” is a retired freebie from Love SVG (Search for other options HERE.)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Double D’s Challenge- Pretty Florals for Mom  

The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Spring (May 2024)   

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #645-646

Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #121  (Anything Goes Positive)   

Paper Funday- #65 Anything Goes      (Optional Twist: Flower Shop!)

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Mother's Day) 

     This final card is for a challenge I enjoy… partly because the challenges focus on either specific colors or a theme, plus the inspiration photo always features decorated cupcakes!  The current challenge requires the colors pink, orange, and poppy in the finished creation. I dug through my stash to find those colors and found several items that helped me create this fun, and colorful, card.

Supplies: 

·   Beach scene background is upcycled from an old calendar

·   Beach Sticker from my scrapbook stash

·   Tropical flowers cut from scraps of patterned scrapbook paper

·   Inside Sentiment- “… current takes us” from a Beccy’s Place digi set (Floating By) Retired

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Cupcake Inspirations- #593 Color  Challenge  (Pink, Orange, Poppy)    

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #671 (Optional twist- Summer )   

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #229

Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge (Anything Goes)

Outlawz Challenge- May 2024 Linky

myasperations 4-30-24

    My first card for this post is for one of my favorite challenges names “Snippets.” I love that it encourages me to use all the lovely paper scraps that I hoard… I mean… save for later use! I found a pile of a pastel colored scraps from a paper pad I bought to make a baby gift years ago. The pages in the pad all had the same pattern in a half-dozen pastel colors. I trimmed the scraps into strips, then created a herringbone pattern using one of my often used tutorial that I found on Pinterest years ago (weblink in supplies list.) The bunny, bunch of carrots, and inside sentiment are all from a Beccy’s Place digi set. (I used a strip of fluffy white yarn to create a tail with texture. After seeing this photo, I decided it looks more like a frosted mini-cinnamon roll than a bunny tail! I’ll see if I can fluff it up a bit before I slip it into the gift bags of assorted themed cards that I’ll be giving as graduation and wedding gifts in the coming months.)

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place (my card is inspired by Universal Studios, The Secret Lives of Pets which features a cute but also completely unpredictable rabbit named “Snowball.”

Supplies: 

·   Herringbone background- made with paper snippets cut into strips (instructions HERE)

·   Digis on card front and sentiment on inside all from a Beccys Place digi set (Easter Joy)

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

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Snippets- Week #479  

Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: April Pastels  (optional rainbow)   

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #645-646

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes

Park Hopping-My Happy Place (April)    Rabbit: The Secret Lives of Pets

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Spring is in the Air)

Beccy’s Place Challenge- April   

        Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun! 

   If you are a regular here at my blog, you might know that I regularly donate cards to the drug/alcohol treatment center where I work, so that our clients can keep in touch with loved ones. I often get requests for kids cards, especially princesses and dinosaurs. I recently was asked if I could make a card with turtles, specifically Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). Since I like challenges… I said I’d try.  I don’t have any TMNT stamps or digis, so decided to sketch them… with the help of a TMNT coloring book (which I’m thinking will become happy mail to one of my grandnephews/nieces in the near future!)  

     I’m entering this card into several challenges including Di’s Digi Stamps: Fantasy (Tte challenge lists several options for the challenge including “talking animals.” Although they are reptiles, since the TMN Turtles say things like “Cowabunga, dude!” I think they qualify as fantasy/pretend?!)

Supplies: 

·   Front-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Sketched from a Nickelodeon Coloring Book     

·   Inside-Turtle image- Whimsy Stamps Clear Set (Under the Sea)

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

·   Sentiments- Computer Generated

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #670 (Optional twist- For a Boy )   

Outlawz- Tuesday Color Challenge- Color Wheel (Photo)  

Outlawz Challenge- April 2024 Linky

Di’s Digi Stamps- Fantasy Challenge (Mermaids, unicorns, fairies, talking animals, etc)

      This cute feline in a stamp set from Biblical Impressions named “Crazy Kitty” always makes me laugh. This time I stamped it on kraft-colored cardstock with black ink and got to work with my Spectrum Noir Coloring System alcohol markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. The paws, which come in the set, were stamped on scrap paper, colored and fussy-cut. I then mounted them with foam tape, positioning them to look like the kitty is peeking over them. The front sentiment is a vintage wood-mount stamp from Printworks. The “Excerpt from the Diary of a Cat” on the inside is computer-generated. I found it on the internet years ago and it was love at first sight. (Since I like to give credit when I use an image or sentiment, I researched its source when I first posted a card using it in 2017. I couldn’t find the original author, but I found an article from the 1990s that mentioned it. I just checked and that site is no longer available. Currently, the funny excerpt does pop up in lots of locations on the web, one of them is a 400+ page book named “Getting Out: Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary” by John Woodcock. Since I found the earlier listing from the 1990’s and this book was published in 2009, it’s not the original source… but it might credit the original author. For that reason, I’m going to say I’ve done my due diligence it trying to follow copyright rules! (Can you tell that two jobs I’ve had in the last 50 years were at a community Carnegie Library during high school, and as a work-study librarian at the University I attended in the 70s!)

Supplies: 

·   Image- Biblical Impressions Wood-mount stamp set (Crazy Kitty) Stamp line is currently unavailable

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

·   Front Sentiment- from Printworks Stamps (no longer in business)

·   Inside Sentiment -

·   Victorian Postcard, brown ink and sponge used to stencil edge of A2 Kraft card.

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  

We Craft Cards- Dogs and Cats

Allsorts Challenge- Week 778 Use Stencil  (Option AG)

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #228

Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge- Anything Goes (optional: Baby Animals)