Ingenious Inkling

Holiday Cheer

The Jingle Belles are thrilled to be teaming-up with the Caffeinated Christmas Challenge this month - our first June prompt at Jingle Belles is to create a Christmas Card with Coffee (and make it  masculine if you're going to link-up at Caffeinated Christmas).

 

 

Caffeinated Christmas is sponsored by Rubbernecker stamps, so I incorporated several of their products into my design.

I started with their fabulous Rubbbernecker Coffee Bean Background for the base of my card framed on a red card base.

 

 

Next I die cut the Rubbernecker Coffee Cup Die cut in Red with the lid cut in black.  I cut the cup sleeve out of holiday holly paper from Simple Stories Claus & Co.  I used a tiny journaling card from the same collection behind the cup, stamping a Holiday Cheer stamp from Impress Holiday Word Set.

My husband asked me what made this card masculine and I told him it was the colors, but also because the Holiday *Cheer* was the shot of Kahlua that he puts in his coffee (LOL).

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland finds:

• no-bake Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
• oh how I miss a good Banh Mi Sandwich ... maybe I should try to make the Vietnamese Pate myself
• a tutorial for an oh-so-cute clay pot succulent wreath
• there's nothing quite like KFC Cole Slaw
• S'mores Bread Pudding
• What a tremendous house before & after
• Rhubarb Cream Cheese Danishes
• Coconut Cookie Bars
• Strawberry Peach Freezer Jam (shown)
• Do you plan Staycations?
• no-bake Butterfinger Bites
• Kani Salad with Mango
• Blueberry Muffin Cake

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Gelli Print Card Making

Last night I made a few more cards with my Gelli Prints using a couple of Sketch Challenges.

The first one uses the packing tape I made with a Gelliprint together with the layout from the Sunday Stamps Challenge.

 

 

I used a sentiment from Concord & 9th Greatest Hits.

 

 

The Tuesday Morning Sketch is another Panel Sketch, which is perfect for another Gelliprint.

 

 

I used another sentiment from the Concord & 9th Greatest Hits with some fun star stickers.

 

 

I'm also linking this card up at The Paper Craft Crew Masculine Challenge.

 

 

It's so fun creating art with my own papers.

You Rock

The newest Global Design Project is a challenge to CASE the Designer.

 

 

I used Ardyth's LIMES method to plan my design.  

 

 

I included the main circle focal image, other elements off the edges of the circle, thread under the sentiment, a scattering of gems and a celestial theme.  I excluded the moon, rectangle sentiment & splattered background. 

My spin was to change the color palette, use another circle for the sentiment, change from white to gold thread, swap the clouds for stars, and used my own Dylusions Shimmer Paint smooshed background from my stash.

 

 

The sentiment is from Concord & 9th Greatest Hits.

I'm also linking-up at the Anything Goes Challenge at Use Your Stuff.

Gelli Print Creativity

As I've been participating in the #birgitkoopsengelprintingchallenge with GelliArts on Instagram this month (if you're not following me on Instagram yet, please do @SmilynStef), clearly I'm amassing a collection of prints quite quicker than I'm able to turn them into art, so today I decided to focus on that a bit.

Day 18 was Fabric.  I printed on a piece of denim, which then produced a fantastic texture on the cardstock with the second print.

 

 

Since the background was mostly pink (with a bit of gold), I decided to join the Color Throwdown Challenge. 

 

 

I love word dies (especially with a background die), so I pulled out several from Simon Says Stamp for today's cards.  I die cut the print with a Dotted Rectangle Die Cut from Dare 2B Artzy Rectangle Framelets and attached it to a Kraft cards base.

 

I finished with the Simon Says Stamp You Matter die cut in white cardstock with a light grey backing to incorporate all of the colors.

Day 19 was to create a print with a found object.  As I searched through my Pantry, I found this mesh back that held some tea capsules, so I emptied it and added some paint.

 

 

Day 20 was to create with plastic wrap.  I thought the colors I chose sort of look like Ketchup and Mustard.

 

 

I decided to go back through prints from earlier days this month and made a few more cards.  I used the the Day 16 Print made using a Carabelle Studios Texture plate with a Simon Says Stamp Happy B-day Word Die by CZ Design.  This time I backed the white die cut with vellum.

 

 

With these vibrant colors and the shine of a bit of gold & the contrast of the white sentiment, I'm linking-up at the Seize the Birthday Make It Pop! Challenge.

 

 

 

And for my final card today, I used the print I made earlier in the month with crocheted lace.

 

 

I used the Simon Says Stamp Yay You Words die by Cathy Zielske.

 

 

I'm linking-up this card at the Anything Goes Challenge at Cupcake Inspiration.

Thanks for joining my Gelli Print fun today.

A Toast

I've had quite a weekend so far.  Someone hacked my Facebook Account Friday night and was able to immediately change all of my information, so when I tried to recover it, Facebook refused to return it to me, saying my information didn't match what was on the account (as if they couldn't see 20 years of history tied to me and my information).  So, I don't think I'll be returning to Facebook (which means I lost my Ingenious Inkling page too), so if you need to reach me, it will need to be on Instagram or by e-mail or text. 

Whoever hacked my account also managed to charge things using my Paypal account (through Facebook - make sure you don't have anything linked between the two), attempted to hack my Venmo, e-mail and Instagram (thankfully unsuccessful on those), so if you interact with me be very careful with any purported contact, change your passwords, and turn on two-factor authentication (which is what saved me on my other accounts).

So needless to say, with all of the password changes and other safety measures, there hasn't been much time for cardmaking.  When I saw the bar cart inspiration at Time Out Challenges, I knew it was time to break out a cold drink.

 

 

I paired some drink paper from my stash that has the same sort of retro feel of the bar cart with a sentiment from My Favorite Things Good Time to Wine.

 

 

I'm also joining AAA Cards Challenge to create CAS with Hot or Cold Drinks.

 

 

 

I'm also linking-up at Simon Says Stamp Add a Sentiment.

Merry & Bright

We're still creating with NO STAMPING at Jingle Belles.  I love stamping ... but I also love paper-crafting. 

I particularly love to pick-up 12" pieces of designer paper that features twelve 3x4" journaling cards.  I trim them down and keep them in a stash for quick holiday cardmaking 

This card features one from Simple Stories Mix & A-Mingle Collection that I picked up at Pine City Scrapbooking on our vacation last weekend (certainly worth a stop if you're in the area ... lots of great card samples).

I loved the unexpected color combination of this collection.

 

 

I found another scrap of designer paper in my stash that had most of the colors from the card.  I finished with a snowflake button and some gold cord; several paper flags; and some glittery enamel dots - all using Card Sketch #242 from Sketch~N~Scrap.

North Shore Vacation

We just returned from a lovely little trip to the north of us.  We started in Minneapolis with a reservation for supper at Pizzeria Lola.  We learned about the restaurant watching Chef's Table on Netflix and dining there was how our vacation plans began.

I started with an absolutely delicious bowl of olives (my husband despises olives, so they were all mine, and I ate every single one), while he had roasted cauliflower with lemon and peppers.

 

 

We shared the Lady ZaZa Pizza with Kimchi and roasted pork.  I devoured soft serve ice cream with olive oil and sea salt (not shown) and then took an uber-rich Chocolate Budino to eat later.

The next morning we walked a few blocks to breakfast at the Hen House Eatery where we had to try their famous Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with a delicious omelet.

 

The bathroom wallpaper was too fun.  And of course I had to get one of their shirts and a piece of cake for the road.

After breakfast, we headed northward to Duluth, Minnesota on the beautiful shore of Lake Superior.  We started at the Tweed Museum of Art where they had a wonderful exhibit by the Duluth Fiber Handcrafters Guild.  One of the more unique pieces was this woven paper quilt with text written on the pieces of paper and woven into the design.

 

 

Next we headed to the Lincoln Park Arts District to explore, where we found some fabulous quilts on display.

 

 

We continued northward to our VRBO house on the shores of Lake Superior (just north of Two Harbors, MN).  This was our view when we arrived.

 

 

And even though the temperatures of the lake was like dipping your toes in an ice bath, I had to do it.

 

 

We drove north the next day to spend the day in Grand Marais, one of our favorite small towns.  We took time wandering through all of the cute little locally owned shops enriching the local economy and ate a late lunch right on the waterfront at the Angry Trout Cafe.

 

 

After our time on the north shore we headed back to Minneapolis and enjoyed time at the Weisman Art Museum.  This piece from the New York World's Fair was one of my favorites.

 

 

 

We also loved this amazing drift wood piece.

 

 

The next day we took a tour of Paisley Park.

 

 

They prohibited any photography (so much that they lock your phone in a pouch) until you reach the final room of the tour.   I loved seeing an entire room filled with Prince's shoe collection ... so amazing.

 

 

We had a relaxing getaway and enjoyed our time away.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of skipping through blogland:

• a fun City Scavenger Hunt
• Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cookies
• love the style mash-up of this home
• single Rice Krispie Treat
• Garden Apron made from jeans
• a new way to make Cinnamon Toast
• how to make your own Loop Yarn Rug
• California Spaghetti Salad looks so yummy (shown)
• Small Photos ... Big Impact
• Cheesy Shrimp & Grits
• amazing Floral Portraits of Gio Swaby
• I'm intrigued by Pickled Eggs

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Woodblock Wednesday

It's another Woodblock Wednesday with Amy Tsuruta.

 

 

Unfortunately, I needed a sympathy card, so I chose one of my oldest and most-used woodblock stamps from Hero Arts - Difficult Time from 2003 (wow 20 years).  I paired it with with Hero Arts Garden Silhouette, both stamped on one of my inked Gel Press Prints in Versafine Black Ink.

 

 

I framed the blooms in a tiny bit of black cardstock & attached it to a confetti cardstock base. 

 

 

I'm also linking-up at Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero Dance of the Flower Challenge.

 

 

 

 

With my 20 year old woodblock, I'm linking-up at Retro Rubber Challenge Anything Goes.

 

 

I'm also joining We Love Stamping In the Garden Challenge.

 

 

And my blooms are inspired by the Gladiolas at the Double D challenge, which remind me of my dear dear Grandma and her memory.