Ingenious Inkling

Gorgeously Through the Cosmos

Unfortunately, this week I find myself needing some sympathy cards.  It is always such a relief to be able to make exactly the card I want to send for such a difficult occasion, rather than having to hunt around at a card store for one that is never quite right.

I used this week's CardPatterns sketch with Pink Paislee Queen Bee papers and clear border sticker (I love the little Queen Bee in the corner).  The sentiment is Our Real Selves from River City Rubber Works with some added cosmos stars from Paper Parachute.

It's also for Sue's 52-Card Pick-up theme ... The List ... which to me is about the importance of letting people know how important they are to us while we still have that opportunity. 

And remember there's still time to link up a card for this weeks' Etsy Inspired Challenge for a chance at three awesome prizes.

Double Distressed Holidays

It's been a while since I had time to play along with the Compendium of Curiousities Challenge, but the current technique of Double Distress caught my eye.  Turns out it is very easy & has quite a dramatic effect.  I used the Tim Holtz Alterations Ornamental for my tag embossed with the Sizzix Thin Ice Embossing folder with Fired Brick and Black Soot Distress Inks.  The sketch is this week's Two Sketches 4 You.

The sentiment is CatsLife Press decorated with an A Muse micro dot twinkle sticker.  The gorgeous ribbon arrived in my mailbox today all the way from Finland ... one of my dearest long-time friends saw it in her one of her favorite interior shops & thought I might like it for my cards ... is there any better gift than an unexpected surprise ... I think not ... oh yeah, and there was red licorice too ... yum.

This Tag is also for the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge to make A Tag ... as well as Sue's 52-Card Pick-up Challenge.  This week's theme is "All the Small Things", which this sentiment sums up well ... the things I remember about the holiday's aren't the decorations or gifts ... it's the time spent laughing with family and friends that are the moments I remember and treasure.

Genuine Monster Smiles!

This card is for the 52-Card Pick-up Challenge where the theme this week is Genuine Smiles ... and for Simon Says Stamp & Show, where the challenge is to create whatever makes you happy.  

I recently had to get a new driver's license, and the new requirement in Iowa is that you have to keep your mouth closed and not smile for your photo.  The experience reminded me that smiling is how I feel most comfortable ... and that not smiling seems completely unnatural (and apparently that's not just me, because the guy in front of me had to get his picture taken 4 times before he could remember not to smile).

I chose this fun Inkadinkado sentiment and paired it with Sassafras Monstrosity Collection paper & Silly Monster Felties ... seriously, how can you not smile when you look at those Monsters??   I particularly love the blue one at the bottom right with the big mouth-open-teeth-showing grin ... yeah, that's pretty much me.

The sketch is this week's Get Sketchy!

Come on ... Smile!

Peace ~ Joy ~ Love

My initial plan for this evening was to make a Thanksgiving-themed card for Sue's Count Your Blessings 52-Card Pick-up Challenge.  Only one problem with that plan ... I apparently don't own a single Thanksgiving-themed stamp.  Turkey - nope; Pilgrim - nope; Cornucopia - nope.

As I was going through drawers and cabinets trying to find a stamp that I thought would work for thanksgiving, somewhere along the way my focus changed.  I realized I have tons of blessings to count right in my own little studio.  A life-long hobby that brings me joy every single day; a overflowing amount of fabulous products with which I can design; friends I've made all over the world who bring me smiles & share my love of paper; and the oh-so-much-appreciated mental peace I experience when I'm creating that helps the challenges around me temporarily melt away.

So that's what I decided to create ... a card that celebrates the many blessings that come with creating.  I found a forgotten about stash of vintage Basic Grey Urban Couture, one of my favorite lines, so that's what I used for my design.  I also used Valerie's recent Got Sketch? layout.

The sentiment is a Paper Source stamp I picked up on our recent trip to Lincoln Park.  The Floral Flourish stamped once in each corner is from Paper Inspirations & the Peace symbol is from Inkadinkado's Peace Signs.  Since I'm also blessed with lots of great music in my life that inspires me throughout the day, I added some Tim Holtz Symphony Paper tape, and colored it with yellow colored pencil to coordinate it with the overall design.

Thanks Sue for the opportunity to remember the blessings that are all around me.

Play Hard

Tonight I needed a birthday card for my adorable great-nephew Kolby who turns five this week.  I decided to go with a dinosaur theme & used this week's Sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You.

I stamped the skateboard from Kim Hughes' Little Boy stamps set & added a dinosaur sticker from Basic Grey's Archaic collection.  For the vertical piece of the sketch, I added a border sticker to simulate the road.  The sentiment started out as a single sticker, but I cut it into two little clouds to finish my design.

I also made this card for Sue's 52 Card Pick-up Theme this week which is Perfectly Imperfect.  I believe if we all tried to embrace the joy of Playing Hard that we had when we were five years old, we would care much less about perfection, and so much more about being in the moment and enjoying every experience to its fullest ... whether it was jumping in mud puddles ... digging in the dirt ... climbing trees ... skipping rocks ... or jumping in piles of leaves (instead of worrying that we'll just have to rake them all back up again when we're done).  

Here's one of my favorite pictures of Kolby & his great-grandma after he threw out the first pitch at a Cedar Rapids Kernels game this summer.

Never lose your sense of play my dear boy ... Happy Birthday Kolby.

Let it Snow

I decided to break out the winter stamps for this week's 2 Sketches 4 You.  The papers are all Heidi Grace Designs for Fiskers.  I love the soft texture of the flocked velvet snowflakes on the shimmery white background.  The snowman is from Inkadinkado and the sentiment is Hero Arts Holiday Cheer Messages.  The ink is some new Navy Ink from Impress (so far, love this ink).

I centered my snowflake punch over the snowflake designs in the blue and shimmery papers before punching.  I attached the snowflakes in the center with tiny glue dots and adorned them with adhesive glitter domes.

I realize it's a bit of a stretch, but I also thought about this week's 52-Card Pick-up Challenge theme of Imagination when I made this card.  I remembered how playing in the snow as a child sparked all sorts of imaginative ideas ... building snowmen that we imagined would come to life like Frosty ... tunneling into snow banks to make secret forts ... lying on our backs in the snow making snow angels ... sliding around on patches of ice pretending to be Olympic figure skaters ... and if we were really lucky, turning a fresh snowfall into delicious snow ice cream.  

Hopefully this winter when we're buried in the unavoidable inches and inches of snow, I'll focus more on the fun that comes with imagination ... and less on the work that transpires when we have to shovel out.  Let it Snow!

Order, Calm, and Clarity

The theme for this week's 52-Card Pick-up Challenge is Simplify.  Sue is giving away a page of sentiments that focus on this concept.  I built my design around this wonderful sentiment from Hero Arts Treasure the Moments.

Hero Arts Delicate Blossoms were stamped in India ink on white cardstock and again on a piece of K&Company Que Sera Sera paper.  Used my oval cutter cut cut around the flowers and then paper pieced each of the blooms, extending several beyond the frame.  I love the simple beautiful of these gorgeous blooms.

I used the same paper for the base of the card.  The sketch is this week's Order of the Opus Gluei.

Enjoy the White Space of Life

The theme for this week's 52-Card Pick-up Challenge is White Space.  An article from Zen Habits talks about translating the concepts of white space in design (legibility, luxury, balance, and more emphasis) into our lives by focusing on clarity, peace, balance, and emphasis on the important ... a good reminder for us all.

I knew I wanted to make a card that incorporated the white space design concepts, as well as choosing a theme that focused on the white space life concepts.  I think I achieved both with my card.

The sketch is from Everything But the Kitchen Sink (inspired by a Playstation).  It's perfect for using those strips of designer paper (in this case Basic Grey) left over when I cover a standard card front with a 6" piece of designer paper.  I punched the edge with the EK Success Bracket Punch.  

The Memory Box Damask Butterfly was stamped in the center of the remaining white space and accented with a butterfly-themed inchie from Inkadinkado Special thoughts, which is perfect for the Gingersnap Creations Inchie challenge.

I hope you find some much needed white space in your life this week.

Take a Nap and Get Over It

The theme for this week's 52-Card Pick-up challenge is Change Your Mind.  Sue talks about the importance of remembering that we control our attitude ... and sometimes we need to adjust it ... and linked to a beautiful song by Sister Hazel called, appropriately, Change Your Mind.

I don't love this card ... I'm not even sure I really like it.  I put the paper in the embossing folder upside down (hence the backwards numbers at the top left) ... the color balance seems a bit off ... and the layout plain.  However, I do love the sentiment ... it speaks volumes.  Sometimes we all need to just take a time out, make an attitude adjustment, and move on down the road.

One thing I do sort of like about the card is the effect of stamping the Hero Arts Outline flowers over the black text sentiment.  I stamped off once to slightly lighten the image, but it still turned out a bit darker than I'd hoped.

I guess it's time to just take a nap and get over it.  

Invent a New One

The theme for this week's 52 Card Pick-up is Problem Solving based on this Weekend Meditation from The Kitchen.  It speaks of solving one particular problem through "acceptance and a playful, compassionate solution."   Sue relates the article to one of her overriding life philosophies ~ What would be for the greatest and highest good of all involved?

Here's my card inspired by the theme ... reminding me to not get so stuck in the "black and white" of the rules when trying to solve a problem ... and to remember, there are always other more creative options.

The sketch is from Inspirational Card Sketches and starts with a vintage bingo card & some bingo markers.  The sentiment is from Stampers Anonymous.