MTTCC #76 Happy New Year card for DT project on 22 December 2023

 Welcome to Becca's Heart for Creativity blog! This is 1 of 2 personal paper-crafting blogs to showcase works of art and heart. :)

Purpose: this fancy fold heart-swing card is for My Time To Craft Christmas #76

When: competition #76 theme of Happy New Year starts 22 December 2023 and lasts 13 days

What: #76 design team inspiration card = "Celebrate--Happy New Year 2024!"; new beginnings

Standing folded:

scanned flat:

reverse side=

Notes:

1. white cardstock fancy fold heart-swing card base with envelope (set) = Hot Off The Press via Paper Wishes website

2. papers are new to me/my stash; received in October from a crafting friend= all from Stampin' Up; 2 different collections that were mixed and matched 

3. "artichoke" ink pad; received earlier in the year from another crafting friend= also from Stampin' Up (used for inking edges of cut cardstock pieces)

4. multi color foil star stickers and layered butterfly accent = stash; the butterfly is my symbol for new beginnings

5. gold foil "Celebrate" dazzle/sticker = Hot Off The Press via Paper Wishes website

Where: MTTCC #76 Happy New Year theme posting link=

https://mytimetocraftchristmas.blogspot.com/2023/12/mttcc-76-theme-is-happy-new-year-2024.html

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other places:

A. Creative Inspiration Challenges; current for 1 more week; anything goes

link= https://creativeinspirationchallenges.blogspot.com/2023/12/creative-inspiration-challenges-9.html

B. Creative Knockouts; current; theme is Time to be Merry; my card is about new beginnings and starting the new year

link= https://creativeknockouts.blogspot.com/2023/12/511-time-to-be-merry-paper-shelter.html

C. Ellibelle's Crafty Wednesday Challenges; current for 10 more days; anything goes

link= https://www.simplyellibelle.com/2023/12/ellibelles-crafty-wednesday-december.html

D. Word Art Wednesday; current; anything goes that's uplifting, encouraging; my card is about new beginnings (symbolized with the butterfly) for New Year's 2024

link= https://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/2023/12/anything-goes-annual-blog-hop.html

E. Creations in Pink; current; anything goes mostly with lots of pink; my card has lots of blush pink, some pink foil stars on each side, and then lots of a coral or salmon pink/peachy tone

link- https://creationsinpink.blogspot.com/2023/12/challenge-65-anything-goes-in-mainly.html

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Crafting in the USA heartland,

Becca S

*you will find most of my creations are for these 10 commitments:

1. MTTCC

2. MTTC

3. AACB

The next 6 are shared on a different personal blog (Becca's Quest for Love and Country Creativity)=

4. CBCB

5. HQCB

6. HQFCB (formerly known as TFATU)

7. HQCOLCB

8. FQCB

9. FQGS

10. FQCCCB

APTS blog January 2020 anything goes theme with option of CAS

A Place To Start challenge blog is starting 2020 with the month of January having anything goes with an option to do CAS (clean and simple layout style). For this resident designer project I have chosen to not do CAS for my card featuring Bugaboo's Ginger Bowl digital image.

Bugaboo is our sponsor for January 2020 and they have graciously provided a wide array of their selections for the team to start this 1st month of a new decade!

link to APTS new challenge post= https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/2020/01/january-2020-challenge-anything-goes.html

link to Bugaboo's store= https://bugaboostamps.com/

Bugaboo's badge=
new sponsorship badge=

 old one

Supply and design notes:
a. glitter paint pens in yellow/gold, green, and red were used
b. black with white lettering stickers (white parts were painted over)
c. upcycled/recycled promotional postcard received from cell phone company in 12/28/19 mail was trimmed down to use as the graphic-kind of journal card on the left--YES!!!!
d. the digital image was printed on white cardstock and then has a combination of colored pencil, markers, and glitter paint pens
e. base card dimensions are 5" x 7" and made with Honeycomb cardstock from a multi pack from Astrobrights/Neenah
f. the colorful varied stripe patterned paper is just 1 design in a 6" square paper pad bought at a dollar discount store--YES!

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other challenge blogs and Facebook groups where this card's photo will be shared=
a. Mixed Media Creativity group on Facebook (see the notes above for all the craft mediums used)

b. Paper, Paper, Paper, & Design Team Calls group on Facebook

c. Shopping Our Stash challenge blog= #410 happy holidays theme through January 6, 2020
link= https://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/2019/12/shopping-our-stash-410-happy-holidays.html

*Edit note on 1/6/2020: I'm hours late getting this posted. I was in the hospital yesterday until about 11:30 am today. Had to get a Rx then due to distance had about a 1 hour break at home and then back out to pre-scheduled dental appointments for both my husband and I. UGH! Only been back home for about an hour to get this released. Sorry for the delay.

I appreciate everyone who follows my blog and those crafting bloggers who stop in for a visit from one of the blogs or groups that I check on occasionally. Thanks! Let's have a wonderful fun time crafting and expressing our artistry in 2020!

From the USA heartland,
Becca S for Becca's Heart for Creativity blog
and a design team member for the following:
A Place to Start (started in May 2019)
52 Christmas Card Throwdown (new in 2020)
Scrapping 4 fun Challenges (new in 2020)
The Crafter's Café Challenges (started in mid-April 2019)
My Time to Craft Challenge (started in May 2019)

CKC blog January 2019 reveal of my copy cat version

Love is reaching new heights

Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog's January 2019 selected kit to motivate us to give our stashes and stockpiles an inspirational overhaul (or maybe just a little purging) is "Hannah" from Felicity Jane. Photos will be posted further down in the post. 

The elements that I chose from FJ's "Hannah" are the following:

a. muted rose hues

b. muted sage green hues

c. grays

d. ivory and yellows

e. black

f. some wood grains

g. script/text

h. scallops/fish scale patterns

i. diagonal lines

j. instead of bicycle images or patterns, I'm replacing with hot air balloons...

Hence, the title I'm designating for my copy cat kit--Love is reaching new heights! Most of my pre-planning at this point centers around showcasing our love story. My husband and I will be celebrating our 23rd anniversary this month and we've already started trying to have 23 dates within a 23-mile radius of our home before our 23rd anniversary on January 27th. As of today, January 5th, we've had 4 dates! Nothing fancy. Either lunch or dinner out somewhere local. Part of the psychological and emotional reasons behind this are due to my husband being widowed previously between year 23 and 24. From the get-go, he just never thought we would be married the same number of years! About 4 years ago, his attitude started shifting when he realized we were getting closer to the 'mark'. I felt it was extremely important for us to place extra emphasis, attention, and time into celebrating #23. 

(about my kit's papers and embellishments) Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I ordered a mystery box from Peachy Cheap website that boasted of products worth $149 for the sale price of $29 (?)...sorry I've forgotten and I'm not going to take time to look it up! But it's been fabulous!!! Most of this January kit is pulled from this. The mystery box included a thick stack of 12" square scrapbook papers from "The Mind's Eye" and I think most are dated from 2013. Even though they are older designs, they are new to me. I could hoard these pretty papers or put them to use right away!?!?!!!!

Row 1: 4 of the patterned papers are from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby). The large scrap gray floral print paper is very old and I used in December for 2 sections of a pocket page layout. The black with white dots might be The Paper Studio...not sure. These papers I've had in my stockpile.

Row 2: From my very recent mystery box purchase: 7 double-sided papers showing Side As

On the left are some "My Mind's Eye" scraps from the mystery box purchase that I used in December; other 'new' products from makers like Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp, Vicki Boutin, Maggie Holmes, Carpe Diem, and some old/other decorative tapes, cording, and gem dots from my stockpile.

Row 1 is the same papers seen in the first photo.

Row 2's papers are the Side Bs, which give some great options and mimics to the FJ kit.

New to me alphas from Heidi Swapp that were part of the mystery box purchased from Peachy Cheap website. It will be fun to use these and maybe even mix the font styles for a layout or two!

So, now, how does my "Love is reaching new heights" kit compare to the selected featured kit picked by Master Forger Susan of CKC blog?

"Hannah" October 2018 kit available from Felicity Jane collage photo. See more photos posted at CKC blog on January 1st, 2nd, and 4th. The 1st was the reveal and a terrific blog hop to see what the Master Forgers have found in their own craft stockpiles plus the talented January Guest Designer Meagan Johnson's copy cats. The 2nd's post is "Just the Gist" to help explain what CKC is all about and some suggestions are how to mimic or copy cat the featured kit from Felicity Jane (FJ). The 4th's post is a fun one that shows how a couple of the MFs select one or more items from the original kit to forge or copy cat (Forgery on the Fourth). I haven't thought that far ahead. Hmm?!?!!! I wonder what I could do?!?!!!

Link to the January 2nd post=  https://counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/01/january-2019-just-gist-of-it.html

Check back periodically throughout January to see how I use my kit "Love is reaching new heights". I hope to document our crazy, sort of romantic, brilliant anniversary celebrations.

Becca S

HIMCR #333 freestyle

Hiding in My Craft Room #333 challenge is a 5th Saturday freestyle theme!


http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2017/12/himcr-333-freestyle.html

Look at this posting and other details about how to link your creations and be in the running for the prize. (Free to create whatever: digital image or not; stamping or not; birthday, get well, holiday, thinking of you, sympathy or whatever; card, bookmark, tag, home décor, or whatever etc.)

The sponsor is Laurie's Craft Room:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/laurie*s_craft_room/m.html?item=253211614683&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

The challenge winner receives $10 AND free shipping from Laurie's Craft Room. She's got quite a variety of items available so take a look at the link when taking a break in your crafting.

Also besides my polar bear framed winter scene, please visit the other inspiration work of the other Design Team (DT) members! There is a quite a variety of techniques and styles amongst us.

This is a close-up of my little snowy friend!

Recipe:

1. Image: Friday Freebie from Bugaboo

2. Light blue oval frame cardstock and teal blue cardstock behind the polar bear image are Colorbok.

3. Tonal blue designer paper is from The Paper Studio by Hobby Lobby.

4. White cardstock is recycled packaging scraps cut to look like snow drifts.

5. Snowflakes foam stickers, gray satin ribbon, iridescent gems, tree pop-art style sticker, silver 5" x 7" photo frame, and let it snow graphic (gift tag) were purchased at either Dollar General or Dollar Tree.

6. Plastic (snow globe or glass window look) is recycled packaging.

7. Various general arts and crafts supplies to complete details: black gel ink pen, markers, colored pencils, pencil, ruler, scissors, & adhesives.

Note: Unless you were lucky enough to see the reveal of the Friday Freebie from Bugaboo between December 22 to the 29th, it is not available. There was a Merry Christmas special image available last night plus a new FF digital image if you care to look.

Look for this image or the labels to check out all things connected to Bugaboo Stamps and Catch The Bug Challenges Blog. Here's the most recent FF posting:

http://catchthebugblog.blogspot.ca/2017/12/freebie-friday-at-bugaboo-best-friends.html

I'm excited for this day to reveal my little polar bear fella that I made last weekend! You have until January 6th at 2 am to link your freestyle creation to the HIMCR #333 blog posting. After that it will be 1st Saturday color challenge for #334....

Crafting in the extremely cold north central IL, Becca

Christmas 2017 postcard minis

In late October to early November, I got the urge to start crafting again in order to help motivate me to keep working on my recovery. You know, get out of bed; get moving; get something accomplished beside sleep and eat.

I knew with our limited budget (due to our triple traumas/dramas) that I would need to buy a few things every 2 weeks or so and slowly re-build my stash of craft supplies. In Wal-Mart I found blank 3" x 5" index cards in heavyweight cardstock. I knew they were under-sized to be mailed as a postcard but the simplicity of size and lack of bulk appealed to my circumstances in temporary displacement to a rental house.

A friend from church gave me a gift of set of 6 stencils of a Bible journaling from American Crafts about the same time.

So with purchases of markers and colored pencils from Dollar Tree, I started looking at the stencil set with creative imagination on how I could use individual letters from words and some of the shapes.

I made about 15 Thanksgiving or thankful for you types to mail or give to people that had given us money to help pay for my medicines or medical bills or housing needs or made visits to hospital, etc.

Then I got about 10 Christmas and about 7 New Years themed ones created. Most have been mailed. The few left are to be mailed or given in the next few days were photographed last night and will be blogged about today. (Have to see New Years blog post later.)

Creative re-imagination: pennant used on 1 card but I inverted it and only traced 3 to make trees (or they could symbolize 3 wise men) for the other 3 shown. The stencil set had a mini journal page set up for sermon notes and the date back-slash lines were used to help space for dating.

Here's Thanksgiving/'thankful for you' selection:

"Thankful and 'u'" were traced out of different words provided in the Bible Journaling set.  I really like the mix of font styles! It makes it time-consuming but fun and interesting creatively.

As the saying goes "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade". Well life handed me quite a lot in a matter of 2 1/2 months and I'm trying to start with the seeds to plant a lemon tree!!!!!!!

Blessings from the blessed to be alive,

Becca