Monday, March 18, 2024

myasperations 3-18-24

     I’ve always liked celebrating St. Pat’s Day…partly because Spring follows closely behind! This card was fun to make using a fun giraffe Leprechaun from The Paper Shelter and two freebies from the web.  
    I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place (I discovered this challenge last year and it has become a favorite of mine. I’ve learned lots about amusement parks mainly because the challenge host, Makira, provides a listing of “inspiration” to help learn more about Amusement Parks around the globe. That is how I learned that a wee bit ‘o St. Pats is incorporated into one special site in Disneyland. You can read more HERE!
Supplies: 

·   Digi- The Paper Shelter digi set (Giraffes on Parade)

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

·   Lumps of gold- from Hobby Lobby clearance aisle (Diamond painting gems)

·   Inside Sentiment- Freebie Subway Art from thegirlcreative.com (Irish Blessing)

·   Inside Sentiment -Freebie from LoveSVG (Happy St. Patrick's Day)

·   Sparkly Shamrock Stickers- Hobby Lobby

·   All other items from my stash.
Entered into:  
The Paper Shelter- Spring Colours (My card includes lots of green PLUS a rainbow!)
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-A Bit of Green
The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Spring (March 2024 
Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: March-Green  
Paper Funday- #63 Anything Goes      

I’m working on Spring and Easter cards these days… and this little fluffy duck from a Beccy’s Place digi set was just asking to be featured with a rainbow. So… this is the result! (An exciting note-Beccy Muir, artist/owner of Beccy’s Place, is holding a retirement sale of several digi sets for 50%. Check the sale listing out HERE!)
Supplies: 

·   Digi- from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Easter Joy)

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

·   Card Base- upcycled from an old card

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated

·   Gem butterfly-Hobby Lobby

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
Allsorts Challenge- Week 772 Feathers and/or Fur
Time Out Challenge- #259 Birds of a Feather   

Di’s Digi Stamps- Welcome Spring  

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

I was happy to discover the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge last year and have enjoyed entering it since then. This month's challenge is to add some green to a coffee-themed card. This is my second entry in this challenge that features a unique silver wire coffee cup brad, which  I bought at Oriental Trading Company during 60-80% off after-Christmas sales over 10 years ago. (Sadly, I only have one more left in my stash!)

Supplies: 

·   Front Sentiment “Warm Holiday Wishes” (I can’t locate the source of this item right now. If you recognize it, please let me know!)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Have Yourself a Merry…” from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Home for the Holidays)

·   Inside Digi- Gingerbread Cookie from a Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Retired)

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge March #27 Coffee + Green 
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #639-640
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas)
Outlawz ChallengeMarch 2024 Linky

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

myasperations 3-13-24

     This is my second card for the Time Out Challenge photo inspiration. The cute little tree frog is from a Beccy’s Place digi set that includes three inspirational sentiments. For this card, I paired the little cutie with foliage patterned paper and a computer-generated sentiment that always makes me smile.  (An exciting note- Beccy Muir, artist/owner of Beccy’s Place, is holding a retirement sale of several digi sets for 50% off (meaning that this set is just $1.95 US!). Besides this set, I have several others, so I’ll be posting cards made with them between now and March 31st. Check the sale listing out HERE!)
    I'm entering this card into several other challenges including the Lift Challenge (my lattice fence looks a bit different than the inspiration card, because I quickly realized that he couldn't "squeeze" through the spaces in the lattice of my originally planned fence. So, the size and spacing of the fence planks had to be changed!) and two Spring themed challenges (I wasn't quite sure when frogs show up... so googled it and learned that the do "pop up" literally, in the Spring!) 



 
Supplies: 

·   Digi- Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Frog and Oleander)

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

·   Foliage Paper- Hobby Lobby

·   Sentiments- Computer Generated

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
Time Out Challenge- #258 Photo Inspiration (Tree Frog)    
Lift Challenge- Elevator Challenge #186   (lattice/fence card)\
The Four Seasons Challenge- Anything Spring (March 2024)   
Double D’s Challenge- First Signs of Spring 
Colorful Options Monthly Challenge: March-Green  
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #639-640
Beccy’s Place Challenge- March    Since I’m a Contributor for Beccy’s Place, I’m entering just for fun!
Paper Funday- #63 Anything Goes      
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #667 (Optional twist- monochrome 
  
 My final card for the Time Out Challenge features a cute digi named “Skippers Pocket.” (I love the name Skipper for a frog!) After coloring the digi with alcohol markers, I used gel pens to add the look of “embroidery floss” to the flowers on the pocket and stitching to the pocket and background frame. I also added silver brads to the pocket and a scrap of doily to dress it up a bit!
Supplies: 

·   Digi- “Skippers Pocket” from Imagine That! (company no longer in business, and I miss Kris, a lot!)  

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

·   Sentiments “Hoppy Birthday” &“Hop Hop Hooray” - Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Frog Hop)

·   Patterned paper, dragonfly brad, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
Time Out Challenge- #258 Photo Inspiration (Tree Frog)   (I also posted this card to Pinterest) 
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- AG
Outlawz ChallengeMarch 2024 Linky
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-A Bit of Green
Park Hopping-My Happy Place (MarchDollywood Frogs and Fireflies
Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge- Anything Goes
Di’s Digi Stamps- For a Child or With a Child  
The Paper Shelter- Spring Colours

Monday, March 11, 2024

myasperations 3-11-24

My first card for this post is for the Butterfly Challenge, one of my favs! The challenge sponsor, Mrs. A, is offering a few changes for the new year. Each challenge will incorporate a letter/sentiment as one of the themes, and will include six colors from which to choose. The current challenge has a technique that is new to me, creating a cloisonne by embossing onto a magazine or similar type of photo. I was excited to try it… until I discovered that my heat tool has gone “walk about”! I looked for it for quite a while with no luck. But… in the process, I found an unopened package of dainty gold rub-on butterflies… which I think might have even been in one of the wonderful prize packets from Mrs. A (the sponsor of the Butterfly Challenge!) I used an old calendar with colorful pictures, and although it took a bit of experimenting, I ended up with several that look a bit like cloisonne! I wanted to make a really feminine card to enter into We Love Stamping Challenge, so used some delicate dried flowers (dried violets and other blooms from my flower garden in South Dakota about 15 years ago). Paired with doily, pretty patterned paper, gold trimmed ribbon from my stash, and computer-generated sentiments the finished card has a wonderful Victorian feeling!
My card includes three of the featured colors- Camel (dried flowers), Cerise and Cornflower Blue (butterflies), and three of the featured themes- Faux Cloisonne, Circles (the doily, patterns in the doily, and dotted swiss paper) and Butterflies.

Supplies: 
·   Gold Butterfly Rub Ons- (a gift from a past challenge, I think it might have even been from this wonderful challenge host!)

·   Sentiments- Computer generated.

·   All other items from my stash.

Entered into:  Butterfly Challenge
The Paper Shelter- In a Garden
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #637-638
We Love Stamping-Feminine  (optional AG)
Double D’s Challenge- First Signs of Spring 
Paper Funday- #63 Anything Goes      

Since I was running late at getting things posted last night, I added the next two cards to my Pinterest page. Decided to also post them here... so today's blog is aflutter with butterflies!! 
I need to get to work... but will return later today to fill in supplies used on these cards. 

   This one features four of the required colors- Blue, Camel, Cerise, and Celadon, plus circles, butterflies (a small one on the inside made with the cloisonne technique), and Congratulations.


   This one features the following colors- cornflower blue, celadon, cerise, and canary plus the themes- congratulations, circles, 
butterflies, and cloisonne technique.



Saturday, March 9, 2024

myasperations 3-9-24

    An exciting, change of life, announcement- As of March 4th… I am retired! (Well, sort of retired.) Read on if you’d like to know details… or just skip right to the card details below if desired!
     Last fall I'd decided that I'd like to retire this Spring. In my 13 years on the job, my Department has grown pretty drastically, with our annual budget rising from $near 100,000 to over $400,000 and the number of our Prevention Staff doubled. I discussed my plan with our Executive director, and she began advertising for a replacement to take over my many responsibilities of managing the agency’s Prevention Department. We started interviewing candidates and we were blessed to find a wonderful person, named Sherry, who was willing to take on the challenge. But she had one request… that I’d continue to work at least 3 months to help her transition into the job. Within a short time, I came to realize the almost unbelievable number of details (and reports) our five programs required due to their many federal, state, and county grants. Sherry was a quick learner, but her first few months on the job were pretty intense for both of us. From December through February, my time was consumed with training Sherry, while also cleaning/organizing the many files in two cabinets, developing timelines, checklists, etc. to help Sherry control of the many “behind the scenes” tasks that the job required. On March 4th, I handed the reins for the Department to Sherry. Since she is tech-savvy, I have a feeling that she will do an excellent job improving upon the way I performed many of the key tasks! The current plan is that I will continue a day or two a week for the rest of the school year to finish up some of our school-based programs. (I love teaching and have several standing requests for High School Health classes I’ve provided every May. After that, I think I’ll be ready to 100% retire. Until then, after this week, I have more time to dedicate to crafting, blogging and hopefully return to doing acrylic portraits! (Stay tuned for more on that hobby/passion this summer!) 

   Now onto my blogging. Earlier this year I posted a card I made with a sweet 2024 New Years digi from Gerda Steiner Stamps which made me smile… and it was FREE… which made my smile even bigger! (You can see that card and details posted HERE.)  I’d made over of dozen of them to send to family members… however, due to an unexpectedly busy workload at the office that never occurred! I found the pile of cards already addressed but never mailed tucked away with Christmas tax documents. I decided I’d send out the belated letters next week, adding an “Asper Update” letter that details the reason the card is late, i.e.  life changes plus my increasingly dingy brain! 
   I also recently found a handful of similar card fronts, that I’d printed for New Year 2023, but had never colored. I decided to make them into humorous, and purposefully belated, cards to send to a few dear friends I know will get a kick out of them. I’ll include a copy of our “Asper Updates” letter to share the current news with them, too!
    I was excited to get an email from Gerda Steiner Design a few days ago that included a special WM with an invitation to join in a fun Easter Egg Hunt by adding it to any cards made with their wonderful stamps or digis. So, you’ll see that colorful WM on my card… and can also find it posted on the GDS FB page!)
   The funny dog digi on the inside of the card is a freebie from illustrator and children's book author Elizabeth Dulemba, who created hundreds of digis and coloring pages that she offers for free download! (This cute pup can be found HERE.)  I traced the pups sash onto a scrap of white copy paper, fussy-cut it, handprinted “2024” and adhered it atop the original. Then added “frosting” to his nose and front paw, plus a spattering of tiny Sprinkles clipped from very thin strips of pastel paper scraps. Tedious… but so worth the results!
                
Supplies: 
·   Digi- A freebie from Gerda Steiner Design (No longer available, but Click Here and HERE to nab two other freebies!)

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

·   Inside Sentiment- Computer Generated

·   Inside Digi- freebie from Dulemba.com. (Coloring pages can be found HERE.) 
·  “Frosting” on pups nose and paw made with Scribbles Shiny White 3-D Paint from 
       JoAnne’s Fabrics 

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners 

·   Photo of cookies from the web, and all other items from my stash.

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #637-638
Di’s Digi Stamps- For a Child or With a Child  
Paper Funday- #63 Anything Goes
GSD Stamps FB Page- HERE

I was happy to discover the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge last year and have enjoyed entering it since then. This month's challenge is to add some green to a coffee-themed card. Some of the background Christmas digis (freebies from Graphic Fairy) amd paper behind the unique silver wire coffee cup brad, which  I bought at Oriental Trading Company during 60-80% off after-Christmas sales over 10 years ago. (It’s amazing what a person can find when organizing/cleaning a craft room!)
Supplies: 

·  Graphic Fairy Freebies (Santa and Christmas Stamps) from HERE and HERE

·   All Sentiments from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Christmas Cheers)

·   Vintage lace and ribbon scraps from my Mom’s craft box

·   Inside- cookie embellishments- colored then fussy-cut from an old coloring book

·   Silver Wire Coffee Cup Brad, cardstock and parchment paper scraps from my stash.

Entered into:  
Beccy’s Place Challenge- March   
Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge March #27 Coffee + Green      
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- AG (optional: Add some green!)
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Friday (Christmas)
Outlawz ChallengeMarch 2024 Linky

   This card was created to enter into the current ABC Christmas Challenge-C is for Cats. I acquired this fun digi and sentiment from the QKR/Eureka Challenge where I served as a DT for several years. (Sadly, the challenge is no longer being offered as the owner of the stamp lines is looking for a buyer of their wonderful lines. I do hope they find one soon as they offered so many great wood and rubber stamps and digital images.)   
  I’m entering this card into several challenges including Park Hopping-My Happy Place (I discovered this challenge last year and it has become a favorite of mine. I’ve learned much about amusement parks mainly because the challenge host, Makira, provides a listing of “inspiration” to help learn more about Amusement Parks around the globe. As a grade school student, I remember seeing the always sweet and gracious, Walt Disney, talking about the park he had built in far-off California. It looked both amazing and magical, but little did I know that stray cats actually got to live there! Thanks to a link that Makira posted, I learned about “The Cats of Disney and now you can, too!)
Supplies: 
·   Digi and sentiments- Eureka Digital Stamps (Currently Not Available)

·   Pioneer Black Photo corners- available from several sources

·   Crystal star sticker, patterned paper, googly eyes, cardstock, and other items from my stash.

Entered into:  
ABC Christmas Challenge-C&D (C is for Cats or D is for Dogs)
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge-Add a Sentiment
Allsorts Challenge- Week 771 Use Yellow (on Christmas bulbs)
Polkadoodles Challenge- Week #10 AG                                          
Park Hopping-My Happy Place (March)
Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge- Furry Thing Goes-#98 March