My April 2026 Stash Bash Kit for layouts and cards

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity, a personal crafting blog!

who: I'm Becca S, a 60+ year old craftsy-artsy former teacher who fell in love with paper crafting and blogging/message boards back in 2009-2010. About 15-20 years before that, I started sketching my own holiday images to give to some family and friends. Through the years, while teaching, I would try to mail or personally hand  each student at least 1 postcard during the semester or year. At one school district, there were 6 new to the JH & HS starting at the same time. So for the four years I was there, I would place holiday cards or cheer-up mid-quarter or quarter postcards in their mailboxes to build rapport and team/community.   

where: this is a non-design team related commitment

when: my kit and first card were pulled together on Friday April 10 and the kit-focused post will be released on Saturday, April 11th. nope: Sunday April 12 @ approx 12:10 am

why: It's getting close to mid-month and I hadn't put a kit together. A kit helps for quicker making of layouts and cards; that is after the initial planning and pulling of items from different stash boxes. I'm hoping to do two- 1 page notebook size scrapbook layouts and maybe a few cards using this kit between April 10-30th. 

what: My Stash Bash Kit for April 2026; lots of light-mid-tone blues, lavenders, pinks, greens

main elements pic =

and

additional stickers pic =

how:

1. Colorbok solid colors papers: light blue, black, 

2. recycled tissue box packaging: (2) bright floral print and the other blues + gray + white stripes print

3. Recollection: spring plaid patterned paper

4. American Crafters: gold alpha THICKERS and small font dark blue alphas

5. Echo Park's Our Happy Place = cut-a-part mini cards (3)

6. Crafter's Square: butterflies (4 different partial packs), embossed puffy flower stickers (2 different partial packs); also ribbon in lavender and pink

7. Nicole Brand Crafts: pale pink rhinestone hearts, red gems, yellow/gold gems, pearls, 

8. Poppy & Pear's Bea Valint ephemera package

9. K & Company's Antique Garden sticker book

10. Journaling/documenting stamps (who, date, etc.) = Heidi Swapp planner clear set of stamps 2019

11. Colorbok's Pastel Cardstock: 1 each of yellow, pink, blue, lavender and green

12. Core-dinations' Premium White Cardstock: 2 full sheets

link-up to showcase my April kit:

a. Lisa and Lori's Great Stash Bash challenge; new on April 1st; see the image

link = https://createdbylisa.blogspot.com/2026/04/lisa-loris-great-stash-bash-adventure.html

their formula image badge:

*stickers: besides alphas, I've put in lots of butterflies, a sticker book that is 80% full, 

*embellishments: gems/pearls in a bag (lots of colors and types), 2 spools of ribbon (lavender and pink), an ephemera pack that I just got two weeks ago

*alphas: 2 stickers packages: 1 gold foam type and 1 dark blue tiny font size type

*cardstock: plain solid colors: 1 sheet each of 4 colors + 2 sheets of white

*recycled cardstock: in 2 different prints/colors

* patterned papers: plaid paper 12" square minus about 5%; 3" x 6" scrap cut glossy bright colors geometric print; will add in as needed

ALSO: sentiment stamps will be added as needed 

My Mondrian Mondays Journal Page #34 on 6 April 2026

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity, a personal crafting theme blog!

who: I'm Becca S, who is a 60+ year artsy-craftsy mish-mesh style of maker most of the time. Sometimes I restrain my impulses to do 'more is more'!!! Ha-ha! It is so hard for me to Clean and Simple style! For this next Mondrian-influenced geometric design, I had a difficult time deciding what to do. How much of his compositions do I try to bring in? And how do I go about it? My last entry that I loved, had my brain cells urging me to do something very similar. But I did resist. Read on for more insights....

where: This is a non- design team related project so there is not a specific 'where' that this journal page design is tied. If you go back in my previous posts, maybe 3 or 4 entries ago, I did share a few cropped pics of Mondrian's geometric paintings and several of mine scattered during the past year.

when: Monday, April 6, 2026

why: In late August, it will be 2 years since my mom passed. My husband and I had been her caregivers/helpers for 5-6 years before she died up until her last 3 months when she needed skilled nursing care. Her needs changed over time as different falling injuries intensified her needs and started altering how often she needed assistance. I didn't realize until about her last 8 months that I developed caregivers fatigue. My crafting and blogging were my stress relievers but even that precious time was being affected. So I decided to pick a day of the week to alliterate and have a creative muse. Mondrian Mondays grew out of a mental need to do something different. 

what: My Mondrian Mondays #34

how: using black straight lines and white spaces with the design for Mondrian's takeaways; the color palette, circles and dots were my tweaks.

1. an index card and decorative cardboard spool were my tracing templates

2. the colored pencils (8) = Marvy Uchida

3. a fine tip & extra fine tip black markers = Sharpies

4. journaling notebook with 80 peach tone graph paper sheets = bought at Dollar General

5. mechanical pencil was used first to create the grid layout

6, note: I did messed up on my rotation of the colors and even wanting to reverse the direction go from left to right and then right to left. So the color placements ended up being unpredictable...which I guess is a good thing. 

LINK-UPs:

a. Kleuren met Potloden; still open until ; theme is usage of colored pencils; all my applied colors for the design spaces is with colored pencils; markers were applied to my pencil-traced lines and curves.

link = https://kleurenmetpotloden.blogspot.com/2026/03/challenge-maart-alles-mag.html

b. Allsorts Challenge; new on Apr 4th/open; theme is 'it's springtime' or anything goes; My chosen color palette is springy how because it's a journal page, I'll indicate it as A.G.

link = https://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/challenge-846.html

c. A Place to Start; Monday April 6; anything goes or option of ombre; My color palette is analogous tones but not applied in a ombre approach...so A.G.

link = https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-202604-april-2026-anything.html

d. Creative Aunts Challenge; new on Mon April 6; theme of circles

link = https://kreativtanten-challenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/112-kreise-circles.html

e. 613 Avenue Create; new on Sunday Apr 5; theme of anything goes or opt of April showers; MY journal page is A.G.

link = https://avenue613.blogspot.com/2026/04/april-2026-anything-goes-w-optional.html

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

** this is a non-design team related creation

* owner/DT = ConBC; CCC; AA; plus HQCB, HQFCB, HQCOLCB, HQLQCB, and HQFSCAT; also FQCB, FQGS, FQCCCB, FQHCB and FQGGCB.

* DT member only = CIP; PRS and Pin-spirational

My Heart's Quest Fantasy #4 in 2026 design team projects on 4 April 2026

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity, a personal crafting blog!

who: I'm Becca S, owner of this blog and 13 crafting challenge blogs! YES! My hobby of paper/hybrid crafting has become a super power hobby during the past 2-3 years! I started fine arts piano lessons when I was 6 years old and practical arts skills of sewing, cooking and baking when I was 9 years old. My parents were very supportive and even our grandmothers for my sister and I to try diverse crafts/hobbies. My sister did a lot better at crocheting than I did. I did better with sewing even in spite of being left-handed!! (Everything is designed for right-handed folks!!! grrrrr! :)) 

where: These cards are for Heart's Quest Fantasy Challenges Blog. The blog link will be located after my closing. 

when: #4 in 2026 starts April 4, 2026 and ends on April 30th. 

why: Heart's Quest Fantasy Challenges Blog is my rename for the former "The Fairy and The Unicorn" which had been owned by at least 2 previous individuals. The theme has always been anything goes fantasy. I just felt the blog title only wanted 2 kinds of fantasy creatures. I've been owner plus a design team member for several years. 

what: Project #1 = This wise old gnome taking a nature break by reading outside in his garden! 

how for #1 =

1. green CS base = Art Skills

2. Pumpkin Spice mini stamp pad = Lawn Fawn

3. dark green dual-tip marker = doodling the dots = Art Skills

4. seven die-cut ephemera (using the gnome as the fantasy focal) = Enchanted Garden collection by Fancy Pants Designs

5. "love ya" thick foam stickers = also Enchanted Garden collection by FPD

LINK-UPs for #1 =

a. Crafty Catz; part way between mid session to the end; anything goes

link = https://craftycatzweeklychallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/crafty-catz-710-anything-goes.html

b. Creative Fingers; started March 27/midway; anything goes

link = https://creativefingerschallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/challenge-319.html

c. Ellibelle's Garden Party; still open for less than 2 days; anything in or from a garden; My gnome is surrounded by fruit, flowers and leaves = in a garden items

link = https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2026/03/ellibelles-garden-party-no-13-anything.html

d. Little Red Wagon; new on Wed/April 1st; theme is M for Masculine; My card has a male gnome

link = https://lilredwagon.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-852-m-is-for-masculine.html

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what: Project #2 = Space Alien...baby Yoda card

closeup view of the crystal drops; YES! Clear crystal drops on the black CS are scanning with only a bit of reflected light...sadly the closeup doesn't seem to improve the visual effect 

how for #2 = 

21. black CS cut with rounded corners = Crafter's Square

22. pale green paper punched 2x with circle punch = Colorbok (2nd circle is under the wall decal sticker)

23. circle punch = EK Success

24. silver glitter and blue glitter papers also punched = Art Skills (for faux planets) 

25. "The child" or baby Yoda as I call it wall decal sticker = from a long sheet of Yoda designs = by Roommates from York Wallcoverings Company

26. gold glitter stars and the small plastic star = Recollections

27. blue crystal gems and clear crystal gem = Nicole Brand Crafts

28. clear crystal drops = Nuvo by Tonic Studios

29 'WTTW" stamp = from a mixed expressions stamp set = I believe it's from Crafter's Square

30. black stamp pad = Hero Arts

LINK-UPs for #2 =

a. The Sisterhood of Crafters; has 25-26 hours left!!!; theme of galaxy--stars, sun, moon, planets, etc. My card has stars, silver and blue glitter paper circle 'planets' and the flying pod w/ baby Yoda, the child!!! I also have some clear crystal drops scattered around. 

link = https://thesisterhoodofcrafters.blogspot.com/2026/03/march-2026-galaxy-challenge.html

b. Crafty Calendar; new on April 4; theme of dies or punches; My project #2 "baby Yoda" space alien card has 4 punched circles. 1 of the green ones is under the baby Yoda wall decal. 

link = https://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/crafty-calendar-april-challenge.html

c. The Male Room; open; theme of vehicles or transport; My project #2 card has a wall decal showing baby Yoda in a space pod flying through the galaxy, in front of a red/orange planet!! Fun! My 5 year old great nephew loves Yoda and he along with his 2+ year old sister are going to have a sibling in about 7 months! So I thought this would be a cute card to send to them! 

link = https://themaleroomchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-209-vehicles-or-transport.html

d. Pearly Sparkles; new on April 1; theme of something old & something new; My project #2 has old green paper used as punched circles and old gold glitter stars and the acrylic star; the newer products are the glitter papers and the wall decal

link = https://pearlysparkleschallenge.blogspot.com/2026/04/challenge-118-something-old-something.html

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

HQFCB #4/2026 blog post link =

https://heartsquestfantasy.blogspot.com/2026/04/hearts-quest-fantasy-4-for-april-2026.html

badge

*owner/DT = HQFCB, HQCOLCB, HQLQCB, HQFSCAT and HQCB; plus FQGS, FQGGCB, FQHCB, FQCCCB, and FQCB; plus ConBC; AA; and CCC. 

*DT member only - CIP as of mid-March 2026; also PRS and Pin-spirational