Ingenious Inkling

Fusion Funky Cactuses

When I saw the new Fusion Card Challenge, I thought it would be fun to play with the sketch and some Funky Cactuses Stickers from A Vintage Girl & her Daughter ... remember if you use my discount code SMILYNSTEF in the store, you'll get 15% off your order.

 

I started with the Mariachi Cactus and paired him with a sentiment from Fiesta Quotes.  I used scraps of cardstock for the sketch to coordinate with my Cactus Sticker.

 

It really makes me want a taco. 

While I had the paper out, I went ahead and made a second one with the Wrestler Funky Cactus, which reminded me of my brother and how much he loved watching Wrestling when he was a kid.

 

I love those red & gold flames.  I paired it with another sentiment from Fiesta Quotes. 

Here's the entire Funky Cactuses sticker sheet ... so many possibilities.

 

 

Baby It's Gold Outside

We're still creating with GOLD (or other metals) at Jingle Belles this week.

I started with some foiled snowflakes from the Foil-a-palooza Lauren and I had in 2018.

 

 

I stamped, gold embossed & die cut a new Stampers Anonymous Swirly Snowflake that coordinated with the background perfectly.   

 

 

Then I topped it with the Big Snowflake Bling from Eyelet Outlet.

 

 

Using the Sketch Saturday Layout, I added some puffy gold leaves behind my sentiment and finished with some glittery enamel dots.

Breathe Leaves

Do you have a favorite kind of tree?  For me it will always be the hard maple tree. We had a very large one in our big backyard growing-up and I have so many wonderful memories of that tree ... climbing, swinging, hiding. 

It probably doesn't hurt that I grew-up in a town who's big event was The Maple Leaf Festival.  I just love all the variety of colors as the temperatures grew cooler ... the tree on the corner that always turned red early ... the later oranges and yellow ... just seeing those colors makes me happy.

 

 

So for the Autumn Colors Challenge at Impression Obsession I stamped those beautiful layering Maple Leaves from Dina Kowal's lovely Maple Set.

 

 

For my sentiment, I used this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! and stamped Breathe from Kalani Allred's Kind Words on pearlescent vellum and attached it over my falling leaves.

 

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland discoveries:

• a how to for removing scratches from Aluminum
• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Kittie is the queen of shaping paper flowers
• Fluffy Chocolate Pancakes
• Cheeky Animal Photos (one shown, click through to see them all)
• love this light-filled Tiny Home
• Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping
• the Art of Photographing your Art
• super-fun Recycled Lego Jewelry
• Pumpkin Spice Biscuit Donuts

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Mushroom Miss You

I got this new Buzzworthy Collection Stamp Set from Fun Stampers Journey in the mail today & had to ink it up .... it was perfect for this week's Freshly Made Sketch.  I just love the blockprint style.

 

 

I used Turquoise & Navy for the new Color Hues Challenge and Die Cut my sentiment with Hexagon Stacklets Dies.

 

 

I finished with a sprinkling of Navy Gems from Eyelet Outlet.

 

Love You More

I tried another Distress Oxide ink-blending combination using the colors from Hand Stamped Sentiments (which I translated to Speckled Egg, Dried Marigold & Brushed Corduroy).

 

 

I used the layout from the TGIF Challenges and the Simon Say Stamp Frame It Challenge to complete my design.  I cut my blended panel in half and flipped one side before trimming it into 2 pieces.

 

 

I added a frame from My Favorite Things Single Stitch Line Tag - Corner Rectangle Frames together with My Favorite Things Die-Namics Fab Foliage.  Sentiment is from My Favorite Things Essential Sentiments.  I finished with some white sparkling enamel dots.

 

 

With my Fab Foliage, I'm also joining the Little Red Wagon Challenge where the theme is Nature, Flora or Fauna.

Hey Ghoul

Still working on stocking my Halloween Stash, so I have all I need to get in the mail.  I started with a fun new piece of Halloween paper from DCWV Boo Ya! collection and cut it into thirds for the Trend Week Challenge at Just Us Girls.

 

 

I flipped over one of the thirds to the other side, which just happened to be stripes for Crazy For Challenges.

 

I die cut the cute little ghostie from My Favorite Things Ghostly Greetings and added a sentiment from the same set.  I finished with a few black epoxy dots.

 

Happy Beerthday to You

I found a new Waffle Flower Challenge in their Waffle Flower Garden Facebook Group ... the September theme is all about Falling for Fall.

 

 

One of the things that changes at our house as fall begins is the kinds of beers you will find in the Beer Refrigerator ... deeper, richer and darker.  I couldn't resist breaking out my Waffle Flower Prost Germany Stamps together with a sentiment from the Waffle Flower Home Brew Combo.

 

I used a favorite \fall color combo (Rust, Saffron & Fern Green) and did some rainbow stamping with my MISTI.  I added enamel dots in the same three colors.

I kept this one clean & simple because it needs to travel through the mail.

I'm also joining the Fun Card Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

You Are Not a Mess

I have friends who are spectacular ink blenders (have you seen the blends from SkyPaperScissors??) ... me, not so much.  I need lots more practice and a lighter hand.  Today I tried it with the Domed Ink Blenders from Scrapbook.com and that seemed to help me get softer edges.  

 

I wanted to do an ink-blend for the current Butterfly Reflections Ink Mood Board Challenge ... I used Tattered Rose, Crackling Campfire & Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide ink.

 

 

After blending I did several spritzes of water.  To bring in the gold from the Mood Board, I die cut PinkFresh Studio Floral Square Dies from Gold Cardstock.  I chose two that reminded me of images in the mood board (I love that blue bloom).

 

 

The sentiment is from PinkFresh Studio My Favorite Things to Say ... and then I finished with a scattering of tiny gold gems.

Modern Mosaic

I have been so inspired by the recent creations of Joan Bardee (aka @DearPaperlicious).  Today I decided to make my own versions of this lovely design by Joan.  When she told me she punched the circles from designer paper, I knew I had the perfect Stampin' Up Designer paper from several years to give it a try.

 

I started by punching lots of circles from a 12" piece of scrapbook paper that has oranges, pinks, purples and gold metallic abstract.  I attached the punched circles to a rectangle of white cardstock with small foam squares.  I used a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card base for the first few designs.

 

 

I used a simple graphic sentiment from Essentials by Ellen It's All Good.

The next one I posititioned my panel more to the center, so I could stamp a sentiment from Essentials by Ellen That Thing You Did on top and bottom.

 

 

For my final design, I used a larger 5" x 6 1/4" card base and angled my circles like Joan did on her card.

 

 

I stamped the sentiment from Essentials by Ellen Pure Magic.

 

 

Making these cards was such a meditative process ... and I am thrilled with the end result.  Thanks so much Joan for the inspiration.