Under The Sea Themed Birthday card

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! It's a rarity for me to get a card made that is not a design team commitment especially now that I've started my own challenge blogs! I hadn't looked at an AAA Birthday challenge blog for awhile and thought I'd try to get a card made before their deadline. However the theme of sea life became the challenge for me to conquer. This is very subtle but see what I came up with. Seize the Birthday's new challenge theme option is to "stripe it up" so this counts, too. The inspiration colors for The Card Concept match perfectly with the Seaside Retreat stickers used for "Under The Sea Birthday" card=

All of the stickers are from Seaside Retreat sticker sheet from Webster Pages. I've almost bashed this sheet. Zoom or enlarge the photo for details which I will describe. The bottom border sticker has sand dollars, fish, seahorses, and octopus. The short label sticker has a crowned fish! A short border of sand dollars are under the palm tree which was plain wood die-cut from Dollar Tree. I used a dark brown marker to color the trunk portion first then went over the whole surface with a green glitter paint pen. Then the other stickers are still part of the Seaside Retreat. A scrap of light yellow cardstock was stamped with the main sentiment 'happy birthday'. 

I was wanting this to a slimline card with just the blue and white being the card base however the cardstock was lighter weight and just felt too flimsy and I really wanted to get more sea life on there, so getting that bottom border sticker was vital. Overall dimensions are close to 8 or 8.25" wide and about 5-5.25" deep.

For my typical style, this is actually CAS--clean and simple. I still want to add more to it but I would have to go buy or do an online search for a free digital image/clipart. It is very hard for me to keep it simpler. 

Overall the symbolism of a scene was made: white for sky, scalloped border sticker is marking the horizon and to serve as land/seashore and blue for water. I don't use frames very often, but it was fun using the frame sticker from the Seaside Retreat sheet and creating a focal area. 

Link-ups for participation at certain challenge blogs and sharing in FB groups are:

1. AAA Birthday- birthday card challenges; #35; Under the Sea; 

link= https://aaabirthday.blogspot.com/2022/03/game-35-under-sea.html

2. Seize the Birthday challenge blog; anything birthday with option topping of 'stripes'= the scalloped border strip that separates blue from white or water from sky has short little vertical stripes of colors

link= http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2022/03/seize-birthday-235-stripe-it-up.html

3. The Card Concept challenge blog; started March 30th; #172; my inspiration for the card was to make it an under the sea themed birthday yet the color palette matches perfectly with the inspiration photo colors in TCC's photo=

link= https://thecardconcept.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-card-concept-172-easter-blessings.html

my card has a green card base and green palms, light blue 'sea' and light blues in the frame design, orange in the bottom border, sand dollars, and scalloped border stickers; and light gray in the scalloped border sticker. 

4. Mixed Media Creativity group in FB; brown marker, green glitter paint pen, blue ink stamp pad and HB stamping as well as inking the edges of the white and blue panel

5. Passionate Paper Creations and Friends group in FB; sharing

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Crafting in the USA heartland (and not from deep in the ocean!!!)--

Becca S

this is not a design team commitment project however the 2 challenge blogs I own are:

Heart's Quest Challenge Blog

and

FarmQuest Challenge Blog

please go check them out; I just started HQCB on 2/28/2022 and FQCB on 3/28/2022!!!!!!

2022 MTTC March 25 #478 Theme of Using Lots of Layers min of 3

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! My heart and spirit didn't get too excited as I started this project. I'm thinking like oh lots of layers! I do that all the time! Easy peasy! It wasn't until I started building the color palette of rich burgundy, magentas, and vibrant purples and that use of flower petal specialty paper that I got energized for my first inspiration project. Then the layered floral and insect stickers became the perfect accents!

My Time To Craft challenge blog (MTTC) has a new competition running from March 25 to April 7, 2022 [#478] with a theme/format requirement of using 3 or more layers on your paper crafted project. I like to do 'messy' layers. I can do structured layers that use a matting kind of framed look, however I really enjoy stretching my brain cells to arrange and rearrange until I get a look that is pleasing to my eyes. My fellow DT crew members have done their tags or cards in the other structured style. So make sure to see their projects on the MTTC posting.

MTTC design team inspiration project #1: 

Springtime Birthday card= with 5 layers of cardstock or patterned papers & 1-2 layers of embellishments= 

The gold stamped sentiment says 'congratulations'. 

MTTC's #478 blog posting link=

http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/mttc-478-theme-is-technique-formatting.html

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Card #1= other challenge blogs and Facebook groups where this posting will be linked or at least the full card photo shared=

1. A Perfect Time To Craft challenge blog; anything goes; link- 

https://aperfecttimetocraft.blogspot.com/2022/03/a-perfect-time-to-craft-challenge-for.html

2. Seize The Birthday challenge blog; anything birthday goes; not doing the topping of green and white; link= http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2022/03/seize-birthday-234-green-and-white.html 

3. Shopping Our Stash challenge blog; things that fly; my birthday card up above has lady bugs, a butterfly and a bee 

link= https://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/2022/03/sos-466-spread-your-wings.html

4. The Crafter's Cafe' Challenge blog; theme is flowers; I've got flowers on the birthday card up above; link-  https://crafterscafeblogchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/15-march-283-use-some-flowers.html

5. Mixed Media Creativity group in FB; 

6. The Seasonal Cardmaker group in FB; springtime

7. Paper, Paper, Paper and DT Calls group in FB; 

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I found 'time to craft' a 2nd card for this theme! MTTC design team inspiration project #2=

Card #2= To our Anchor--hb or happy birthday card for DT inspiration (7 paper layers!!!)

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Card #2 Design notes:

A. the aqua blue and black are specialty papers; so in person there is some interesting texture and the black also has ragged edging that I put at the bottom edge

B. the anchor is a free coloring page image that was colored with colored pencils and fussy cut

C. the triangle shaped red and white stripe scrap is from the Mint Berry paper pad that I'm trying to bash this year; also the red with white dot strip

D. the grayish-black lettering alphas are from Freckled Fawn; hb which is code for happy birthday alphas and silver glitter star are from Crafter's Choice

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Card #2's other challenge blogs and FB groups linked or shared are:

1. Gem of a Challenge blog; anything goes; link-

https://pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/card-making-craft-challenge-anything.html

2.  100 Pattern Papers Challenge FB group; I didn't start the year with 100 patterned papers pulled from my stash to work with this year but the Mint Berry paper pad that had 63 out of 80 remaining sheets. I've been stalled at having 51 sheets left but lots of scraps...I'm trying bit by bit!

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BONUS CARD #3 was able to be made (lots of family birthdays and anniversaries in February to early April)

To our family's 'solid brick', the guy who works all hours and crazy shifts (hence the clock die-cut), Happy Birthday "B"=

There are 7 layers of paper or cardstock: starting with the dark brown, yellow, green, dark red, light beige, orange, and the B/brick image paper. The khaki kraft brown in the background is a sheet used to block the printer's scanner light. 

A combination of alpha tiles to give a graffiti art wall kind of extension look next to the B are from Webster Pages (green) and Freckled Fawn (golden yellow). The B with the brick wall image was a free coloring page found on the internet. The chipboard kind of die-cut stick-ons have been in my stash for a long time. 

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

Design team member of these 2 challenge blogs:

a. My Time To Craft

b. My Time To Craft Christmas

I've also recently began 1 challenge blog and have another getting ready to be launched--

Heart's Quest Challenge Blog (2nd challenge is almost over)

https://heartsquestchallenge.blogspot.com

and 

FarmQuest Challenge Blog (will launch on March 28th, 2022)

https://farmquestchallenge.blogspot.com

18 March 2022 MTTCC #30 Trees or Decorated Christmas Trees Theme DT Card

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! I've browsed around shopping through my own stash of papercrafting supplies and have managed to include a lot of different pine tree images/shapes on this Tis The Season Christmas card!!! It's all for my design team commitment at My Time To Craft Christmas challenge blog! Challenge #30 starting on Friday evening March 18, 2022 (6pm CST) will be open for participants to link their Christmas holiday cards with this theme until March 30, 2022. 

Tis The Season Christmas card (#1)=

I am so pleased with how this came together! The elements are from different vendors and this is one of those times when I amaze myself about the visual appeal of this card!

Design notes:

1. card base is the taupe/chalky brown color, flat, 5"x7", with matching envelope (the Paper Source website)

2. the pretty mid-blue was chosen because of the blue/teal stripes in the vertical panel; it is from a cardstock mat multi color pack (The Paper Studio)

3. the green and white loopy patterned paper, from an old bright mat stack from Colorbok, 

4. the diagonal stripe, foliage, and tree border (part of a larger mixed patterned striped kind of design) cardstock pieces are from "Cottage Christmas" collection by....

5. the cork-looking alphas (Freckled Fawn)

6. the gold tree (Thickers)

7. the black ink for edging, green and red stars, green glitter foam tree stickers (stash)

MTTCC #30 link=

https://mytimetocraftchristmas.blogspot.com/2022/03/mttcc-30-forest-or-christmas-trees.html

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other challenge blogs and Facebook groups where this will be linked or shared=

A. ABC Christmas Challenge blog; letters and topics for E, F, & G (Embossing, Fancy & Fussy, and/or Glitter); [my card #1 is fussy and has green glitter trees; card #2 also qualifies for glitter: red glitter on the tags and a silver glitter star and a gold glitter star--I'll show card #2 photo]

link= https://abcchristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/abc-christmas-challenge-e-f-and-g-are.html

B. The 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up Challenge blog; #86; doing anything Christmas, not the option; link= http://12monthsofchristmaslinkup.blogspot.com/2022/03/ch-86-anything-goes-christmas-with.html

C. The Holly and The Ivy Christmas challenge blog; #111; Anything Christmas Goes;

link= http://thehollyandivychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/challenge-111-anything-christmas-goes.html

D. Mixed Media Creativity group on FB; lettering, inking, different embellishments, etc.

E. Paper, Paper, Paper and Design Team Calls group on FB; 

F. The Seasonal Cardmaker group on FB; 

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Be Merry Christmas card (#2) =

A few design notes for this 2nd card:

1. flat base, 4.25" x 6.25", mid-brown, Neenah

2. background border cardstock, 4.125" x 6.125", beige, Neenah

3. focal background red with white dot cardstock, 4" x 6", Mint Berry pack from The Paper Studio/2016

4. upcycled gift tags are the focals and have provided the sentiment

5. gold and silver glitter foam stars and green crystal gems as well as a gold ink pad used on the cardstock edges are from my supplies

This was easy to put together because of the upcycled use of the gift tags. About 30-45 minutes from start to finish! Yea!

This 2nd card photo will be shared at 100 Pattern Papers Challenge group in Facebook because the red with white dot cardstock came from the Mint Berry pack and it is my 2022 goal to get this pack's remaining sheets and scraps used! The pack originally had 80 when I bought it in late 2017 or early 2018. At the end of January 2022 when I selected this out of my stash, it had 63 full sheets + 3 scraps of different sizes. The full sheets are down to 51 but the scraps are growing!! :)  

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

MTTCC design team  and

MTTC design team

--and--

owner/designer Heart's Quest Challenge Blog (has 2 challenge types each month; a color-based and one called love & what?)

owner/designer Becca's Heart for Creativity blog (personal)

Sympathy Card

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! Lots of hearts on this sympathy card are physical reminders that the receiver is loved while they are mourning. The Scripture verse is found at Word Art Wednesday challenge blog and is a free digital to download. Yesterday I stencil-painted the 'scattered hearts' and had traced the heart shape onto the gray cardstock prior to brushing on the paint. Leftover paint on my foam brush was swirled around onto a scrap of the mid-gray cardstock. More design notes after the pics. 

Sympathy card=

Design notes:

A. chromatic colored grid heart is a freebie image offered in the Heart's Quest Challenge Blog Fans Group in FB.

B. the purple acrylic painted stenciled heart was made with Simple Stories Scattered Hearts stencil

C. the white/diamond glitter heart's cardstock is from Pen + Gear

D. the white vinyl "WDS" is a dazzle from a mixed sentiment set from Paper Wishes website/store

E. the light gray and mid-gray cardstocks are from Pen + Gear

F. the dark purple cardstock is old stash from Colorbok

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blogs and FB groups to play along=

1. The Scripture is a free image from the Word Art Wednesday challenge blog. Challenge ends in 1 more day. I went over the verse with a smoky deep purple colored pencil and then used a dark purple marker for the perimeter edging. 

 

link:  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/2022/03/weeks-533-534-anything-goes.html

2. Christian Card Making ~ Women's Fellowship group in FB

3. Scripturally Inspired Creativity group in FB

4. Mixed Media Creativity group in FB

5. Passionate Paper Creations & Friends group in FB

6. Heart's Quest Challenge Blog Fans group in FB = the blog's first challenge was launched 2/28/22 and the 2nd challenge started 3/14/22 =

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1116135325817836

7. We Love 2 Create challenge blog= mixed media 'anything' = about 11 days left to participate

link= http://welove2create.blogspot.com/2022/02/craft-card-making-scrapbooking-mixed.html

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

owner: 

Becca's Heart for Creativity blog and Heart's Quest Challenge Blog

and

DT member:

MTTC and MTTCC

Using HQCB Fan Group Freebie Image for Thinking Of You Card

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! I'm doing a crossover promotional posting today to promote my new challenge blog Heart's Quest Challenge Blog and the Heart's Quest Challenge Fans group in Facebook. 

Over a week ago, I posted 2 freebie images in the Fans group. I printed out 2 different sizes for the single heart and 1 size of the large double hearts with key which I colored last weekend. I posted a pic in the fans group of those colored images earlier today and I've just finished making a flat slimline Thinking of You with the larger size single heart card. 

Chromatic Grid Heart=

This will be shared in the fans group and in a HQCB posting.

I will also share a photo in the FB group "100 Patterned Papers" because of the pink and white patterned paper is from Mint Berry by The Paper Studio that I'm trying to bash this year. I started in mid-January with 63+ sheets left out of the original 80 and I'm down to 50+ sheets.

HQCB

<3 * <3 * <3 * <3

Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

owner:

Becca's Heart for Creativity 

and

Heart's Quest Challenge Blog

 

2022 MTTC March 11 #477 Theme Animals DT card

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! For this design team (DT) commitment, I had a lightbulb moment that nudged me to check my box of Spring and Easter embellishments which led me to the bunnies and carrot. YEA! The painted circles were done before opening the box and lucky for me the 'carrot' colors worked out great! YEA! And project #2 is the result from me opening up a forgotten plastic shoe box with a mix of stamps and washi tapes that inspired a birthday card.

My Time To Craft challenge blog is who/what these design team cards for inspiration were made. Challenge #477 starts on March 11, 2022 at 6am UK/12 am CST. The theme is animals, so this is a quite broad theme for crafters! Thousands of possibilities. 

Hopping To You Easter card=

close-up cropped scan pic=

MTTC #477 posting link=

http://mytimetocraftchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/mttc-477-animal-theme-challenge.html

Too cute! The paint rings were made with a toilet paper roll! Green acrylic paint on neon deep orange (which the scanner light has faded out) cardstock was adhered to a pale peach/blush pink color cardstock flat base. 

More notes: 

1. alpha letters = Webster Pages

2. bunnies and carrots = ?/bought a year or two ago; probably at DG or DT

3. the kraft paper is not part of the card, just being used to block the scanner light

4. this was easy to make but did take longer for total time due to needing time for the paint to dry--literally

5. overall dimensions: about 6.25" wide and 4.25" high

Bunny with bear Birthday card for DT project #2=

A few design notes for #2=

1. washi tapes are from a set I've had for years (Pen + Gear)

2. 4 different wooden stamps were used for the focal area. Sorry about the faded ink...keep forgetting to buy a new ink pad! sigh....

3. scrap cardstocks used...yea

4. embellishments and cording are old stash items too

It's wonderful to go treasure hunt shopping through your own stuff and coming up with a colorful festive birthday card!

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other challenge blogs and Facebook groups where you will see the full photo linked or shared=

A. Shopping Our Stash challenge blog; has about 4 days left; "Full Metal Jacket" theme; (project #2 has the metal arrow paperclip)

link= https://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/2022/03/sos465-full-metal-jacket.html

B. The Four Seasons Challenge blog; March 2022= Anything Spring Goes; (project #1)

link= https://thefourseasonschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-spring-challenge.html

C. Seize the Birthday challenge blog; has about 4 days left; I'm doing the 'topping'; just anything goes birthday for project #2

link= http://seizethebirthday.blogspot.com/2022/03/seize-birthday-233-ocean-creatures.html

D. Mixed Media Creativity group in FB; paint, using toilet paper roll for 'brush', felt stick-ons, alpha letters in addition to the 2 cardstocks (I'll be sharing my posting link)

E. Paper, Paper, Paper and Design Team Calls group in FB; (I'll be sharing my posting link)

F. The Seasonal Cardmaker group in FB; (both photos will be shared)

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

Design team member of  My Time To Craft and the sister challenge blog of My Time To Craft Christmas

4 March 2022 MTTCC #29 with Angels Christmas Theme Card for DT

Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! I've got a small size Christmas card done 2 ways to showcase for this posting for March 4th MTTCC DT commitment. It's 4.25" wide and 5.5" high...that's it! And it's packed with angels--as the focal/sticker and in the main paper feature. Come join us at My Time To Craft Christmas challenge blog and show us your Angel themed Christmas card creations! 

There is a 3rd Angel card shown almost at the end of the posting and it is shown on MTTCC as another DT inspiration project. Make sure to use the link and visit MTTCC to see what the other DT crew members crafted for this theme challenge!

Angel with harp Christmas card (shown on MTTCC) and Angel with trumpet Christmas card=

and not shown on MTTCC=

MTTCC blog post for April 2022=

link=  https://mytimetocraftchristmas.blogspot.com/2022/03/mttcc-29-theme-is-angels-for-christmas.html

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Design notes:

1. Black cardstock bases made from 1 sheet folded in half and then divided for top fold/bottom open 4.25" wide and 5.5" high each (Pen + Gear)

2. Echo Park's Away in the Manger collection for the angel print cardstock (about 4" wide x 4.25" high) and the 2 angel 'elements' stickers

3. green cardstock sections are 4" wide and 1" deep (either Neenah or Pen + Gear)

4. bronze glitter and gold glitter foam stickers are from an ornament filler package (bought at Dollar Tree in December 2020)

5. green metallic foil 'dazzles' sentiments of 'Merry Christmas' (Paper Wishes website)

6. gold metallic gel highlighter 'pen/marker' (Creative Devotion; 1 color of a 3 color set) was used to contrast the angels in the cardstock paper versus the focal stickers; I knew with the very light sage green background and the ivory tones of the angels in both the cardstock and the stickers, that something was needed for contrast

7. black rollerball ink pen used to outline papers and angel stickers (for the angel stickers--this is another way to contrast from the angel print cardstock)

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other challenge blogs and FB groups where this blog posting and/or card photos will be shared:

A. The Holly and The Ivy Christmas challenge blog; Feb 22 start date and ends in 2 days; Anything Christmas Goes; #1 will be shown

link= http://thehollyandivychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com/2022/02/challenge-110-anything-christmas-goes.html

B. Christmas Kickstart challenge blog; March 2022; theme is snowflakes are winter's butterflies; Card #3 will be linked because it includes snowflakes in the golden swirl design bordered paper strip. 

link= https://christmaskickstartchallenge.blogspot.com/2022/03/christmas-kickstart-challenge-60.html

C. The 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up Challenge blog; March 2022; Anything Christmas Goes with the option of things that fly...perfect! All three qualify but I will show Card #2. 

link= http://12monthsofchristmaslinkup.blogspot.com/2022/03/ch-86-anything-goes-christmas-with.html

D.  Christian Card Making ~ Women's Fellowship group (#1-3)

E. Mixed Media Creativity group (whole posting)

F. Scripturally Inspired Creativity group (#1-3)

G. Paper, Paper, Paper, & DT Calls group (whole posting)

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My 3rd Angel card and the 2nd one to be on MTTCC=

a few design notes about the JOY Angel Christmas card:

1. flat cardstock base in the beige, about 6.25" high and 4.25" wide (Neenah)

2. the taupe-y milk chocolate brown cardstock, about 5.75" high and 4" wide (Neenah)

3. olive green scrap pile

4. the 'snow scroll' is border pattern from designer paper from the Wal-Mart "the office" line; old stash item, might be 20 years old....

5. the angel is cut from one section of a folk art quilt type wrapping paper that has been in my stash for a long time--YES!!! 

6. yellow heart crystal gem and 3 yellow crystal gems = stash

7. JOY alphas = Freckled Fawn company

8. foam tape strips are under the angel to give it some lift off the surface

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

*MTTCC design team crew

**MTTC design team crew