Ingenious Inkling

Happy Dust

It's been a while since I've played along with the Snarky Sisterhood, and since this morning I'm feeling a bit snarky, it felt like the perfect opportunity to express it with some paper.  This week's theme is M for Monochromatic.

 

 

Since I'm also about mixing-up my challenge, I chose the Rainbow Card Challenge Daffodil for my Monochromatic Hue.

 

 

For my snark, I went with one of my favorite Itty Bitty Stamps from Unity Stamp Company (that was gifted to me by my dear friend Cyndie) - Happy Dust, so I'm also joining the Let's Get Itty Bitty Challenge at the Unity {Show & Tell} Facebook Page. 

In hindsight, it probably would have been better to stamp my sentiment in black, but I was trying to stay as monochromatic as possible.

 

 

The layout is this week's Saturday Sketch.  I finished with a stiches sticker from Pretty Little Studio and three enamel dots.

 

 

 

And for a little more Daffodil Fun ... I made a Bee out of trash/recycled materials for the Ecofest Focus on Bees and took her (I named her Gilda after Gilda Radner in her Bee Costume) to join her other friends at the public hives outside our home.

 

Ho Ho Deer

It's another week of Earth Day recycled creations at Jingle Belles.

 

 

I went back to my packaging stash and combined another tissue box with some K&Company paper for my die cut background.  Then I used Cathy Zielske's Ho Ho Deer Circle Die on some Cosmo Cricket Grid packaging.  I backed him with a scrap of coordinating pink designer paper and added a red nose ... and you know I never pass-up a chance to bring out the googly eyes.

 

I finished with a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Christmas.

 

 

Thursday Link Love

Another week of skipping through blogland:

• how cute are these Air Dry Clay Pots
• Do you eat these Fruit Scraps?
• Four Key Traits of Effective Introvert Leaders
• I have some extra potatoes that I think will become Roasted Potato Wedges (I miss that KFC doesn't have these any more).
• A Goat Cheese Beet Salad is one of my favorite flavor combinations
• How to Zest & Juice a Lemon
• Do you know these Computer Keyboard Shortcuts
• I love this floating side table (shown)
• I can't eat Green Peppers, but this Philly Cheesesteak Soup still looks amazing
• How cute are these little Paper Frying Pans
• Strawberry Blondies
• love some Schoolhouse Rocks
• Have you tried different ways to cook hard boiled eggs ... I swear by my Electric Cooker (you need to use Medium or Large Eggs)
• Grandma's Coconut Chews

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Going Fishin'

I started tonight's card by embossing three different wood grain embossing folders using the three colors from The Paper Players.

 

 

Next I cut down the pieces using the current Mojo Monday Sketch.

 

 

Next I had to find an image with a person, so I could join the Let's Squash It! Challenge.

 

 

I used the vintage fisherman from Artistic Outpost Keeper as my person.

 

 

This image actually reminds me of younger pictures of my Dad and my little brother, which makes me smile.  I added a fish sticker on top of the fish stamp in the image and another sticker for the sentiment.  The finishing touches were a Love from Lizi Peel Off Sticker Strip & gold gems.

 

 

The inspiration for using the Wood Grain came from the theme of The Male Room challenge.

 

Next-Level Amazing

I loved the fun herringbone paper pieced design on dark cardstock in the Inspiration Photo at the Inspire.Create.Challenge.

I picked two similar designer papers from the Pinkfresh Studio Some Days Collection and cut 1/2" strips.  Next I trimmed the strips into 1 1/2" bricks and pieced together my design on a scrap of black cardstock.

 

 

I used the same punch as the Inspiration Photo for a sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Favorite Things to Say #2.

 

I hand-cut a matt from lemon yellow cardstock and finished with a wrap of pink waxed twine and two clusters of lemon pearsl.

Given the Angles in my Herringbone Pattern, I'm also linking-up at the Heart 2 Heart What's Your Angle? Challenge.

 

Brayered Paper Silhouette

The current them of our lessons at Wonderlust is about Silhouettes with Kate Crane.  She started with several ways to create our vivid backgrounds.  The Brayer-to-Paper technique was one I had used several years ago at Art Camp with Lauren from watching a Paper Artsy Video, so I already had a stash of painted papers in my stash, so that is where I started.

 

 

I picked a vivid one and trimmed it down to attach in my Art Journal.  Next I stenciled paint and used a technique she showed about putting alcohol ink around lids to create circles & stamping with the lids and paint.  With my stamping using a soda pop bottle lid I'm joining the Sweet Stampin' Challenge to use something not normally used for crafting.  I also added some stenciling with Turquoise and Black paints.  I tried stenciling with the alcohol ink, but ended-up with that little purple blob at the bottom.

 

 

My silhouette was a die cut sun ray that I put on top to frame my painted background.

 

 

I finished with some sentiment stickers.  I want to go back and try her alcohol ink on gel press technique later this week, but yesterday I had fun creating with supplies in my stash.

Platypus Happy Birthday

The current Honey Bee Stamps Buzzworthy Challenge is all about Birthday Cards.

 

Only one problem ... no birthday stamps in my Honey Bee Stamps stash. 

I saw that the adorable Penny Platypus had a gift accessory, so that's what I went with.  When I searched for Platypus colors, I saw Perry the Platypus from Phineas & Ferb, and decided I liked the fun cartoon color hue.

 

 

I die cut Penny the Platypus Paper Piecing Honey Cut from teal & gold cardstock and added some inking to the tail.  I stamped & die cut the gift from the Penny the Platypus Stamp Set and added some Spectrum Noir coloring to the bow. 

The black & white paper is from the Honey Bee Stamps Farm Fresh Holiday Papers.

 

I flipped this week's Fab Friday Sketch for my Layout and finished with googly eyes, sticker sentiments, and some enamel dots.

Earth Day Christmas Card

If you've been around Jingle Belles for any period of time, you know in April we always celebrate Earth Day by making Holiday Cards that feature recycled elements.

 

 

I have a little recycling pile that I save all year long ... bits and pieces of packaging that are just too pretty to recycle in the recycle bin.  Can you guess what I recycled today?

 

 

We go through a ton of tissue boxes at our house (I think I got an extra mucus gene), so I'm always on the look-out for pretty ones that can have a second life.  I just loved this blue marbled pattern, so into the recycle pile in went.

 

I decided to die cut it with three Sizzix Circle Christmas Words and backed it with bright blue paper to bring out that color in the marbling.  Next I added a sentiment from Impress Holiday Word Clear Stamp Set (love those tiny fonts).  The finishing touch was a scattering of Craft Buddy blue gems.

 

I hope you'll look around and find something fun to recycle into a holiday card with us.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland fun:

• how gorgeous is that Strawberry Spinach Salad (shown)
• How to improve your flexibility
• Sheet Pan Quesadillas is a fun idea
• Take a New Orleans Vacation at home
• the Art of making a French Omelette
• I love the flavor of Amaretto in Sweets
• No cost ideas for giving your Home a New Look
• Have you driven the Lincoln Highway
• 7 Types of Rest
• An adorable Easter Card ... or how about Otters & Rainbows
• I think this Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie is screaming for a scoop of ice cream
• Menemen looks like a great weekend breakfast
• Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pasta looks so satisfying ... I love the crunch with the creamy ... I'm all about taste & texture
• 35 Things to Do for Yourself
• Online Grocery Shopping?  I just tried Misfits Market and am waiting for my first order.  You can save $10 here.  

Have a Tremendous Thursday!

Painted Butterfly Swell

The April Memory Box Challenge is all about Paint.

 

 

I thought it would be fun to pair a Memory Box Die with one of my brayer painted papers.

 

 

I chose the Memory Box Die Cut Butterfly Swell.

 

 

I chose a thank you typed sentiment from Fresh Cut Bouquet the STAMPtember Memory Box set with Simon Says Stamp.  I finished with some clear enamel dots in the centers of the butterflies.