Ingenious Inkling

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.

You're So Sweet

The newest Challenge at Shopping our Stash is You're So Sweet - create a card featuring something sweet (ice cream, cake, cookies, fruit ... basically my 5th food group).

 

 

I decided to go with Rina K's Sweet Stuff Stamps, Dies & Stencils for a cool delicious ice cream cone.  I combined it with the current Gina K. Designs Monthly Mix Challenge to use her Masking Magic Masking Strips to create a masked & stenciled design.  I used three colors of Electro Pop ink and three stencils - Festive, Mega Flowers & Water Droplets.

 

 

 

I used the delicious Electro Pop Orange for an orange Sherbet Cone (if it were real life, I'd also have a second scoop of vanilla to mix the two together).  I used Gina K. Designs Small Stitched Ovals for my black matt to help the cone pop more against the busy background.

 

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from the same set (which coincidentally matches our challenge theme exactly ... love that).

I hope you'll shop your stash & come join us for some sweet fun.

No Stamping Christmas

Instead of a Hard Candy Christmas, we're having a NO Stamping Christmas at jingle Belles this week.  Have fun pulling out your embossing folders, die cuts, Cricut cuts, stamps and stickers to create your holiday card design.

I started with one of my Gel Press prints in colors from the Christmas Kickstart Challenge.

 

 

I die cut the Penny Black Merry Christmas & the ornaments from Penny Black Ornament Kit from the Gel Press Print.  I die cut the ornament tops & ornament string from the inside of a Kleenex with cooling lotion box (such great silver cardstock inside, so make sure you save them).

 

I attached them all to a piece of Lawn Fawn Let it Shine Snowflake patterned paper.  I was a bit frustrated that I couldn't seem to capture the foil sparkle of the designer paper (my studio including my photo box is currently dismantled waiting on window installers to finally show-up to replace some windows ... why is it when you're not ready they want to come that day, and when you get ready the day they say you should, it is weeks before they arrive??).   I'm linking-up at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge to use patterned paper in your design.

 

I finished with a few enamel dots to decorate one of the ornaments.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland finds:

• Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
• An essay from Samantha Irby's new book - I Like It
• I would love a German Apple Pancake for breakfast (or for lunch or supper)
• I feel like I need to master the single serving Cinnamon Roll
• Cling Wrap Hack to make custom envelopes
• Pumpkin Pie Filling Bread
• enjoy some *live* School House Rock
• putting Pennies & Vodka in your Vases (buy yourself the flowers)
• Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
• love these DIY built-in Book Shelves (shown)
• Crispy Potatoes are a favorite treat ... so I need to try them in my Air Fryer
• Millionaire Pie sounds like childhood (no bake Dream Pies were one of the first desserts I remember learning how to make)
• Are you as ready for fresh strawberries as I am? ... saving all sorts of strawberry recipes
• Pineapple Lemonade
• Joan's cards always make me happy

Have a tremendous Thursday!

More May Gelli Printing

I've still been having fun with the GelliArts May printing challenge with @birgit_koopsen.

 

 

Day 11 was circles.  I printed with my much-loved circle stencil and deep purple paint.

 

 

Day 12 was lace ... I always pick-up bits of lace at the Create/Exchange just for printing.  I used a crocheted lace doily for these prints.

 

 

 

Day 13 was printing with cardboard.  Yes, once again I went cardboard dumpster diving to get a piece of cardboard to use to create a print (I have no shame when it comes to art supplies).

 

 

Day 14 was foam stamps ... I already shared those prints together with cards I made from the prints ... see them here.

 

Day 15 was printing with Bubble Wrap.  I pulled out a much used piece of tiny bubble wrap and created two prints and an awesome clean-up print with gold paint.

 

 

Day 16 was printing with texture plates.  I always forget about the texture plate ... I pulled out a much used favorite de lignes et de courbes from Carabelle Studio.  The top left is a clean-up print using my roll off paper.

 

 

 

And lastly, Day 17 is an Egg Carton.  We still had a few eggs left, so I tore it in half and used the bottom to make one print & the textured paper of the top to make the second one.  You never know where inspiration might be.

 

 

 

I love the fun artistic experimentation that these monthly challenges bring to my creative process.

Rainbow Thinking of You

The May Challenge at Pinkfresh Studio is all about the Rainbow.

 

 

I thought the Pinkfresh Studio Geo Arch Stencils reminded me of rainbows, so I used four Pinkfresh Ink colors and overlapped to get all of the rainbow hues.

 

 

I decided to go simple with the card design, so the rainbow could shine through.  I used a sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Foiled Sentiments 3 and some Pinkfresh Studio Sparkle & Shine Ombre Glitter Drops on a black card base keeping a thin white border around the stencil design.

 

 

 

I'm also linking-up at the Simon Says Stencil It Challenge.

Coffee & Flowers

I'm thrilled to be Guest Designing at the Caffeinated Christmas Challenge this month where the theme is to add Flowers.

 

 

 

I started with a coffee mug from Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Get Mugged Mat Minis that I covered with red ink.  Next I added a cascade of tiny paper flowers from Prima Luna Planner Flowers.  I love the little bits of silver in the blooms, so I added a piece of silver mirror paper behind the mug.

 

 

I paired my mug with the perfect sentiment from Caffeinated Christmas by my friend Damsel of Distress for STAMPlorations.

I finished with even more flowers on a lovely poinsettia designer paper for the card base.

So thrilled to have had the opportunity to join the ladies at Caffeinated Christmas this month.