Ingenious Inkling

Country Roads Take Me Home

This weeks SCS Inspiration Challenge is the fabulous Urban Loft Art ... seriously, I could get lost there for days.  I chose this Old Horse Barn to inspire my design ... it reminded me of the barn in The Outpost set by Artistic Outpost.

I stamped the barn & windmill in Chestnut Roan chalk ink on white cardstock.  I combined three different patterned papers (from two different collections) for my design.

I wanted a bit more color for my image, so I thought about spraying it Blue Skies Glimmer Mist, but as happens more often than not, my sprayer was clogged.  I grabbed a paint brush to see if I could brush on some color.  

Thankfully I tried a piece of scrap paper first and discovered there was still some green residual on my paint brush, which actually worked out perfectly for the lasdscape blending up to the blue sky  (love those happy accidents) ... I also love how the bits where the white paper shows through look like wispy clouds.

I added a sentiment from Artistic Outpost's Home and a wrap of chocolate twine using this week's Skipping Stones Designs sketch.

I also used the Mixed Patterns Color Trend Challenge from Embeliish Online (Woodgrain patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg ... and yellow lace & striped patterned paper from Sasssafras Mix and Mend Wee Bundle).

I hope you find inspiration.

PS ... Jingle Belles has a whole 'nother year of fun up our sleeves ... if you want to take back next December one holiday card at a time ... join us for the fun starting with the new year.

Masculine Birthday Cards

My stash of masculine birthday cards is depleted, so tonight, I pulled out some kraft cardstock and put a few together.

The first uses this week's Twisted Sketch with a *twist* to use black.  I punched a Bangle Chain Border from black cardstock & layered it over strips of cardstock.

I also added some decorative brads for this week's Brads, Buttons or Bows Challenge at Wee Memories.  Sentiment is an EAD Designs Rub-on.

The next card uses this week's CAS-ual Friday Sketch combined with the Die Cuts Color Challenge at Embellish Magazine.

Hero Arts Time Flies Background was stamped in Creamy Brown ink for the background.  

I used a die cut for my sentiment background topped with an EAD Designs Stickerz Sentiment (perfect for 1" circles).  An SRM Sticker sentiment completes the design.

 

You Deserve The Best

I loved the color combination at {Embellish Magazine} this month.  The theme is Mists or Paint, and since it's been a while since I got my fingers inky, I thought it was time to play.  

I started with a flourish mask lightly adhered to a piece of ivory cardstock.  I spritzed repeatedly with Dragonfly Glimmer Mist.  It achieve the same stamped color for my bouquet of blooms from Rogue Redhead Designs' Floriculture plate, I inked with Aquamarine Chalk ink and then with Ocean.  You can see the combination of the colors in the center of the largest bloom.

I finished with an EAD sentiment rub-on and a tiny punched butterfly in grey with ivory pearls.

The sketch is this week's Card Patterns.

 

EAD Designs ~ Random Sayings rub-ons	Rogue Redhead ~ Floriculture	Glimmer Mist ~ Dragonfly	ColorBox Chalk Ink ~ Misty Meadow
Kaiser Champagne Pearls

InLinkz.com

 

Savor All of Life

After a week of quick papercrafty card making, I wanted to get inky today.  I decided to give the Background Stamping Color Trends Challenge at Embellish Magazine a try.   Since Hero Arts is sponsoring the challenge, I started by stamping their Fabulous Flourish stamp in Versamark on tan cardstock & clear embossing.

Next, I got out my sponges and started inking with Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint & Broken China Distress ink.  When I was finished, I used a baby wipe to remove the ink from my flourish.  Next, I used an old toothbrush to splatter water all over my card.

Since Hero Arts is celebrating watercoloring techniques, I used distress inks and water to watercolor my Petaloo Blooms.  

I started by getting them wet with a paint brush and then pressed them into the Spiced Marmalade ink pad.  Next I used my paint brush and more water to soften and blend the inks and added touches of blues and greens for a sort-of tie-dye effect that I thought worked well with the blended background.  Here's a close-up of one of the blooms.

I finished with a sentiment from Hero Arts Essential Messages stamped in India Ink.  The entire panel was mounted with a thin border of tan cardstock.

Isn't life always better after you've had fun getting inky?

Songbirds in Purple

When I saw the theme for the current Embellish Color Trends Challenge was Music, I knew I wanted to ink-up my Artistic Outpost Songbirds for a birthday card.  

I wasn't quite sure how the colors would work for my image, but I ended-up loving the combination.

I used this week's Sketch for You To Try (flipped on its side) for my layout.  The pink and purple strips of paper were embossed with the Al.egro music note embossing folder.

The birds with instruments and sentiment were stamped in Creamy Brown ColorBox Chalk ink on ivory cardstock and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

I finished with a wrap of pink ribbon tied in a bow and three tiny pink adhesive pearls.

I love those purple songbirds.

Smiling Felt Flowers

I wanted to give the Embellish Magazine Color Challenge with Felt a try.  I'm not crazy about this card, but I don't hate it either ... those colors were rather challenging for me.

I started with some pink adhesive backed felt from the children's craft section at Michael's.  I can cut it with my paper cuter & my die cuts and it holds its shape.  I used this week's Inspirational Card Sketch for my design.

The floral paper from Basic Grey June Bug Collection incorporated the Red, Pink and Yellow, so I started from there & worked up.

I die cut three of the flowers from the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die Cut (roll through once and then back through, so you get a nice clean cut on the felt) and the fourth is a yellow silky flower from my collection.  I cut the center flower from the background paper before adding a brown brad to hold some of the layers together (the rest are attached with thick glue dots for added dimension).

I finished by embossing some swirls on my brown half-circle for added texture and a sticker sentiment from Reminisce.   This card is also for this week's Chicken Soup Recipe #15 to use felt in your design.

 

Floral Journey

I love the colors of the Embellish Magazine Challenge ... so perfect for my favorite Pink Paislee Queen Bee papers.  

And since the theme is backgrounds, I broke out a fabulous large floral climbing blooms stamp I purchased from Impress, as well as adding a little French text background as well.

I used this week's 2 Sketches 4 You for my design.

The floral  image was stamped in Charcoal on the Pink Paislee paper.  I stamped off the French text background several times leaving a bit more ink along the bottom and top of the panel.

Next I added three sizes of tiny white pearls to the centers of the flowers.  I paper pieced several flowers on very pale yellow DP and added a black gem flower center.

I finished with a texty block sentiment attached with foam tape for dimension.  

Velvet Jailbird Halloween

I had a great week of vacation in Missouri with family, but today it was a return to reality with unpacking, laundry, and all of that fun post-vacation stuff.  I finally had a little time to create in my studio before the end of the day, so I decided to try the Embellish Magazine color challenge with Ric Rac.

I started by seeing what color of ric rac I had in my stash, and this orange velvet ric rac was the only one I had in this color palette, so that is where I started my design.  I found this Doodlebug DP that matched the Ric Rac (the base piece is velvet flocked to go with my velvet ric rac) and a scrap of turquoise paper from Basic Grey to go with the Brown & Kraft cardstock.  I used this week's CPS sketch.

I stamped the Inkadinkado Jailbird Halloween in Dark Brown ink on the turquoise DP and again on a piece of orange DP.  I paper pieced the birds and quickly put the design together.  My orange is a titch more vibrant than the color palette sample, but I think it works with this shade of turquoise.  

Here's another favorite photo from our trip that also features some vibrant orange.

Enjoy the week!

Spring Gnome

I'll admit it ... I'm a junkie ... a paper junkie.  I just can't get enough of patterns and colors ... and I don't just want one sheet, I want to own the entire collection, so I can mix and match and play.  Well today was the perfect opportunity to use some of that awesome new paper because today's Tuesday Challenge at the Jacksonbelle Blog is a fun one ... show us your favorite new stuff.

I have new 6" collections from Cosmo Cricket, Pink Paislee (this stuff sold fast, but Lindsay is getting more ... e-mail her to get on the list) & Basic Grey ... and they all rock.  For today's card I decided to use papers from the Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety collection that matched the colors for the Embellish Magazine color challenge.  I also used this week's Unscripted Sketch #46.

I love all of the different sizes of polka dot and repeating pattern papers in this collection ... there's even a whole sheet of pea pods that are too stinkin' cute.

 
I made a little denim landscape for my cute little Gnome.  There's a tiny bit of Hero Arts antique brocade for the ground with a tiny little mushroom & grass from Cornish Heritage Farm's Forest Friendzy.  I fussy-cut my gnome & colored him with pencils.  My favorite new way to blend my pencils is to color really heavy and then use an art eraser to blend and take away color.

I finished with an old Michael's $1 sentiment and some ivory twine.

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the blogs of all of the Jacksonbelle Rockstars!

Dawn Lusk

Julie Lacey

Heather Pulvirenti

Windy Robinson

Amy Tsuruta

Pam Varnell

Lynda Benden

Tobi Crawford

Jill Dunn

Heather Lee-Reppen

Shemaine Smith

Lindsey Botkin

Can't wait to see what you make with your new stuff.

Loving You More Each Day

Ashley has another great color challenge at the Embellish Magazine blog.  It was just the nudge I needed to get started on some valentines.

I started by stamping the heart from the Basic Grey Love Stamps from Jacksonbelle Embellishments in black with clear embossing.  I colored the heart with a red Sharpie and then used a Glaze pen to add all-over shine.

I loved Tobi's ruffled ribbon, so I had to give it a try.  I used extra-strong tape and just overlapped the ribbon as I moved across the card.  I used some small blue dots to position the loops where I wanted them.

The sentiment flag was attached with a glue dot at the end for dimension.

I finished with a dark red antique glass button for a little glamor.  This card also works for Sharon's Stamp Simply Challenge to use something new (my new Basic Grey stamps).  The ladies at Stamp Something are also challenging us to use something new for the new year.

Here's a close-up of the glazed hearts.