Ingenious Inkling

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland fun:

• Blackberry Cheesecake with Vanilla Pecan Crust
• free Retro Christmas Printables
• Chocolate Marshmallow Cream Thumbprints ... yes please
• how cool is this Snow Art
• Bulgogi-Style Eggplant
• Ways you can use Foil without a machine
• historical fashion from paper
• Butter Pecan Cookies
• Small Tool recommendations
• Torn Fluffy Pancake ... how fun
• Free Printable Christmas Tags ... and more tags here
• I love Book Covers
• have you heard of YearCompass
• Peanut Butter Fudge is an annual holiday treat
• I love how the arrangement of her bathroom tiles is inspired by friends
• perfect time of year for Soft Gingerbread Cookies
• love this Origami Santa (shown)

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Last night I joined a group of co-workers, and we made 171 holiday cards to deliver to local nursing home residents.  I love sharing my supplies and seeing everyone have fun creating.

Tonight I'm back in my studio making more the Christmas Tags for the 12 Days of Christmas Tags ... for Day 10 I was inspried by Ardyth's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Tag ... only one problem ... somehow I never bought that stamp set (into my cart it goes).  

 

So instead, I looked through the bundle of Essentials by Ellen Stamps that I do own to see how I could make a bright, fun Christmas Tree.  I thought I might stamp some patterns and then cut triangles, but then I saw there were two tiny tree dies in the Essentials by Ellen Season to Sparkle Dies.  I used three fun Catherine Pooler Inks (Aquatini, Lime Rickey and Flirty Fuchsia) to stamp two of the patterns from Essentials by Ellen Pattern Play.

 

Instead of a masked circle, I made a circle tag using the Essentials by Ellen Alpine Snowfall Die on a scrap of designer paper and my 3" circle die cut.  One of the patterns I stamped shifted a bit, but I sort of liked the effect, so I die cut a third tree from the reject ... it's to remind me that things don't have to be perfect to be beautiful (a good reminder in all the chaos this time of year).

I finished with a bright ribbon and sticker sentiment.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Global Design Project where the theme is O Christmas Tree.

Retro Thank You

When I saw this week's CAS(e) this Sketch!, I wanted to revisit a technique I learned several years ago ... off-set layering a cutting plate.

 

I die cut the Taylored Expressions Retro Cutting Plate from Blue & Green cardstock (since those were the colors I had on my table from yesterday's tag.  I layered them slightly off-set and attached them to a card base.

 

I finished with a sentiment from My Favorite Things Bitty Things and Gratitude.

Rudolph

I went back to Day 1 of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags and made my tag inspired by this one by Therese Calvird.

 

 

When Ellen's Tag Challenge started years ago, it was in response to Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas where the designers would make a feminine version of his designs.  I sort of feel like I made a masculine version of Therese's design with this tag.

 

 

I started with two Essentials by Ellen Shipping Tags.  Next, I used two retired Essentials by Ellen Dies that I refuse to part with (Prize Stag & Laurel wreath) together with a sentiment from Essentials by Ellen Mondo Holly ... I like how Therese attached it as a separate tag.  A red enamel dot for Rudolph's nose and this one was finished.

I'm also linking-up at the Simon Says: Traditional Christmas Challenge.

Eucalyptus Sympathy

I took a break from Christmas Tags to restock my stash a bit.  There is a DieCember Challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Flickr Group to use some SSS Dies.  I've had these lovely Simon Says Stamp Eucalyptus Leaf dies on my studio table ever since they arrive, so it was time to roll them through the Gemini ... I love them so much.  I die cut two sets for my card from a green slightly shimmery cardstock scrap.

 

The colors are from this week's Color Throwdown.

 

I used the gold to frame my light blue mat.  The sentiments are from Simon Says Stamp Clean Line Everyday set stamped in Catherine Pooler Grass Skirt Ink.  I cut one side of each banner, and then flip over the piece I cut off, so I get the same angle on both sides.

 

I finished with a scattering of Enamel Dots.

Let It Snow

Today's Christmas Carol at Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Tags is Let it Snow. 

I love living in an area where we have snow ... I don't always love navigating through it, but it's so pretty when it falls.  I chose Ardyth's snowy tag as my inspiration ... she used ebony for contrast and I chose navy. 

I love the Essentials by Ellen Shipping Tags.

 

 

I had this sparkly felt snowflake in my stash and it paired perfect with this sticker sentiment I trimmed into two pieces.  I topped the snowflake with some Eyelet Outlet Bumpy Bling.

 

I paired it with some Gina K. Designs Blizzard paper for a quick card design (we're making cards for the nursing homes at a work outing this week, so I'm getting a head start with these easy little tag cards).

 

Jingle Bells

One more Tag tonight for the 12 Days of Christmas Tags since I'm on a roll ... I really like working on the smaller shipping tag size. 

This is for Day 5 - Jingle Bells - pretty directly inspired by Lisa Spangler's Tag.

 

I used the same Sentiment Stamp from Essentials by Ellen Retro Holiday Greetings stamped in White Pigment Ink and embossed with Alabaster Embossing Powder.  I wanted to play with the water effect like she did, so I used two different colors of Catherine Pooler ink - Aquatini & Mint to Be.

 

I was a bit heavy-handed with the water splatters, but I still love the effect (I can't wait to play with this some more).  Since I didn't have any Jingle Bells in my stash to tie on my card, I die cut some from Gold Glitter Cardstock using Taylored Expressions Little Bits Jingle Bells (I sure do miss Ellen's Mix-It-Up Challenge ... I love combining products from different companies).  I finished with some metallic holiday cord.

Peace on the Earth Goodwill to Men

Day 6 of the 12 Tags of Christmas is inspired by It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (I love singing the songs while I make my tags). 

I also loved the wonderful contrast of navy and white on Emily's Tags.

 

I die cut a Navy Essentials by Ellen Shipping Tag.  Next I die cut a Taylored Expressions Evergreens and the Peace Sentiment from Spellbinders So Many Sentiments Etched Dies.

 

Hella Cheer

I'm joining in Ellen Hutson's 12 Days of Christmas Tags. 

This tag is for day 7 inspired by the song Cool Yule ... a Christmas song I had actually never heard before.  My card is inspired by Lisa Spangler's fun Santa Tag.

 

 

Instead of bright pink, I used a red glitter Essentials by Ellen Shipping Tag and the Santa from The Ink Road's Happy Holla Days.  I added a sentiment from the same set to my tag.

 

He's a pretty Cool Yule.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of fun blogland finds:

• the Anatomy of Gratitude
• I love Maraschino Cherries
• Practice, practice, practice
• how to make your own Irish Cream Liquor
• if you're looking for a gift for a baker, last year I bought myself a cross-back apron from Stylin' Stitches Shop and I love it
• Toasted Curried Cashews would make a great gift too
• my Grandma made the best Apple Dumplings (I always miss her and them this time of year)
• DIY Christmas Tree ideas (love the paper & books)
• Love this bright Ruffled Tulle Trees
• I would totally wear a Crocheted Christmas Tree Hat (shown)

Have a tremendous Thursday!