Ingenious Inkling

Triple SCS Challenge ~ Loving Home

I think I went a little challenge overboard on this one.  I wanted to incorporate the color and sketch challenge from SplitCoastStampers.  Then I got the bright idea to also add the Way to Use it Challenge, which is to incorporate food into my design.

For some reason, I don't have many food stamps in my collection except for birthday cake.  Living in Iowa, I do have some corn in my collection, so I decided to add that to the mix.  I stamped the stalks of corn on to a scrap of Rhonna Farrer Autumn Leaves DP.  I used the same DP for the strip across the center of the card base.  I stamped the barn in black and punched it with a mega oval punch and trimmed it on two sides.  I matted it on a Giga scalloped oval in Olive and trimmed it to mat.  I added a Home sentiment and a heart sticker from Heidi Grace matted in black. 

This will be a card for family members who work so hard at farming each year.

Ingredients: Papers: My approximation of Old Olive, More Mustard and Bashful Blue, black cardstock, Rhonna Farrer Autumn Leaves DP; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Lime Pastel, Ranger Archival Jet Black; Stamps: Art Impressions Barn, Mountin' Rubber Stamps Corn Stalk, Art DeClassified Pay Your Due Greetings; Accessories: Heidi Grace Mini Words Embossed stickers (heart), Mega Oval Punch, Giga Scalloped Oval, Mustard Ribbon, pop dot.

Sewing Pajama Pants and Basic Grey from the Archives

Tonight's sewing class went fairly well.  I kept forgetting to put the foot down before I started sewing (I did this so many times that I think I'm going to have to put a little sign on the machine to remind me to "put the foot down") & I had to rip out almost as much as I completed, but things are coming along.  It sort of reminds me of some of the frustrations I experienced when I first started making cards ... but with much less instant gratification.

Since there was no stamping tonight, I thought I'd post a creation from the archives.  This one features papers from the Basic Grey Blush Collection.  I love cards that showcase all of the beautiful scrapbooking papers that are available.  Even the sentiment from Stampin' Up's All Year Cheer is stamped on a piece of DP.  Enjoy the week.

Fatherhood

No stamping tonight ... I have to focus on my sewing project for tomorrow night's sewing class.  My interfacing is all attached (I am so thrilled that I didn't iron anything to the ironing board) and now there is pinning to be done & a bobbin to be wound.

I was very thrilled to see I won last week's Monday Mojo Challenge at Poetic Artistry.  It's fun to have a Monday sketch challenge to get the creative blood flowing.

This is a card from the weekend that I made for my brother.  I love watching my brothers with their children ... they are amazing fathers. 

There's no stamping on this one.  The card base is dark brown Bazzill Bling and the polka dot DP is by Wild Asparagus (a fun mat pack from Hobby Lobby).  The three stickers are from the 7Gypsies Fatherhood sticker set.

"Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do.  Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Blog Birthday Challenge Card

Cindy Keery of imagine. dream. create. is having a one-year blog birthday party.  To celebrate, she has challenged her readers to create an original card using the color combination of Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa & Very Vanilla.  Since I didn't have the Stampin' UP cardstock, I used approximations from Bazzill Bling cardstock and Wild Asparagus DP.

I started with a Chocolate card base and added mats of Ruby Red and the DP.  Then, I sponged the edges of the DP with ColorBox Chalk Dark Brown ink for a little depth.

The floral flourish from Fancy Pants From the Garden set was stamped on the DP using the same Dark Brown ink.  The small Joy with two flowers (also from this set) was stamped in Dark Brown on vanilla cardstock.  I sponged the image with Dark Brown, Rouge and Warm red & added Sakura glitter pen to the word and flowers.  I got this wonderful ribbon that is almost like a thin piece of fabric at Ink & Stamp with Sue in Galena, Illinois ... a very fun store if you're in the area.  The image was matted on the Ruby Red cardstock and attached using pop dots for some dimension.

Head on over to Cindy's blog and make a card to help her celebrate her Blog Birthday (she'll be sending out some birthday goodies to the winner).

Party Party Party

This is my second card for the Featured Stamper Challenge at SCS.  This time I tried to stay true to both the layout and feel of Kristina's (starofmay) design.  It was inspired by her adorable CD sleeve.

I kept the color palette similar with Brown, Orange and Light Blue, but changed up the mixture.  I replaced her sentiment and chipboard accents with American Crafts Greenhouse Felt Flowers and a vintage Die Cut Sticker by Pebbles. All are attached with pop-dots.

The center DP is a scrap of LilyKate by Basic Grey.  This design is perfect for those strips I cut off of the 6"x6" papers when I am using it to cover a standard card front.  I stamped two different stamps from Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds in ColorBox Chalk Tangerine and Dark Brown. The finished card is just over 4" square.

Ingredients: Papers: Autumn Leaves Rhonna Farrer DP, Basic Grey LilyKate DP, Orange and Brown Cardstock; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Tangerine and Dark Brown; Stamps: Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds; Accessories: American Crafts Greenhouse Felt Flowers; Pebbles P.RealLife Stamps Cardstock Diet Cut Stickers, Chocolate Brads, Chocolate Ribbon, Pop Dots

KWerner Inspired Halloween

Today's Featured Stamper on SCS is Kristina Werner.  She is a graphic designer by day, and it's easy to see that she incorporates all of her marvelous design skill & mojo into her paper crafts as well.  Her sense of color, layout and balance are amazing and always inspiring.  And, she loves The Office ... what's not to like about Kristina.

My original intention was to use her file folder pocket card template and make a classy, clean, card like the one she features on the header of her blog and here.

However, when I found the orange file folder in my stash, that plan went out the window.  I went searching for some DP with a serene color combination that featured orange, instead I found these fun K & Company Halloween papers that coordinated perfectly with the orange.  I also thought the rounded corners on the tags reminded me of tombstones, so off I went.

I outlined the folder on the back of the DP, so I could match up the curves along the top.  I also notched down one pocket in order to fold it to make a little flap.  The sentiments (all Michael's $1 stamps) are stamped in Versamark and embossed with black detail EP for a little more pop.  I added lots of little square epoxy stickers that I've had in my stash for sometime. I'll have to try for classy & clean on my next inspiration card.

Live Your Life with Joy

Here's one more challenge card for the day.  This one is for Beate's Weekend Sketch #20.  I used this week's color challenge 132 (river rock, really rust and chocolate chip) & threw in some chipboard for good measure.

Since river rock was the only SU cardstock I had, I approximated the other colors using a dark Bazzill Bling Brown and a beautiful rust speckled cardstock.  I added three papers from the DCWV Old World Mat Pack.  I used my cuttlebug to emboss two of the pieces.  The larger panel across the bottom was actually de-bossed (put into the folder upside down, so that the indentations go down instead of up).  I used ink pads direct to the paper to bring out the texture.  I stamped the Sketch Line Square by Hero Arts and then stamped Hero Arts Window Leaves in the center (I don't use a stamp-a-majig ... I just look over the top and eyeball it).  The sentiment is a piece of DCWV chipboard that coordinates with the papers. The finished card is 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" with 3" base squares.

After I finished the card, I realized that I have these same colors in the runner rug at my front door ... obviously I like them :^)

Ingredients: Rust, Chocolate & River Rock cardstock; DCWV Old Word Mat Stack DP's - Ink: ColorBox Chalk Dark Brown & Creamy Brown - Stamps: Hero Arts Window Leaves and Sketch Line Square - Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder; DCWV Chip Board sticker;

Lost in Love

I had so much fun with my first Goodwill creation, I had to try another.  I picked up this 45 of Air Supply's Lost in Love.  It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but Air Supply was the first album that I purchased with my own money, and as I proved to my husband tonight, I still know the lyrics. 

I used my heat gun to heat along where I wanted to cut, and then I used my craft scissors to cut the record in half.  This layout is inspired by Card Positioning Systems Sketch #31.  I traced the album onto cardstock using a wide marker on the reverse side of the cardstock, and then I cut along the outside edge of the marker line to form the border.  Both of these papers are from cardstock samplers I ordered from Cut Cardstock.  These are very beautiful metallic papers.  Both sentiments are from Art Warehouse Circles by Limited Edition stamped on Ranger Archival Cobalt on White cardstock.  All are attached using strong double-stick tape. 

Goodwill Chipboard

When I stopped at the Goodwill store this morning in search of some items to use for DCM's Charity Challenge, one of the things I picked up was a well worn Little Golden Book ~ Jingle Bells.  I thought I could use some of the pages for a Christmas card background.

However, when I started disassembling the book, I realized how much the image on the back of the book made me smile.  It reminded me of all of fun characters in the Little Golden Books I'd read to lots of little children through the years.  I needed a birthday card for my great-nephew who turns two next month, and I thought I could make it work.  Also, the chipboard element works for {Caardvarks} Do These Pants Make My Chips Look Big Challenge.

I cut the chipboard down to size retaining as much of the train image as I could.  I added a few birthday balloon stickers for Big Bird, drew on the strings, and completed the card with a simple matted sentiment form Stampin' Up's It's Your Birthday stamped in Close to My Heart Star Spangled Blue.  The finished card is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". 

Also, I was thrilled to see that my card was chosen as runner-up in Sillybird's tent card contest.

Enamel Frame Inspired

When I saw today's Inspiration piece, an oval enamel fairy frame by Jay Strongwater sold at Nieman Marcus, I was stumped.  I wasn't particularly inspired by the colors, theme or design.  I decided I needed to step back and take a less literal approach.

I knew I wanted to incorporate an oval frame and some sort of feminine element.  The closest thing I had to "fairy-like" were some Mary Engelbright holiday stickers, so I started designing with those in mind.

I stamped the Gina K oval trim on the center of a red 4 1/4" square textured card base.  I used my Creative Memories circle cutter and cut out an oval inside of the punch.  Then I went in search of a feminine image that would fit inside of the opening and coordinate with the Joy dimensional sticker. 

Stampendous Sassy Packages was stampted in ColorBox Charcoal on a textured yellow cardstock.  I punched out the image and attached it to the back of the card front and added some black satin ribbon from Paper Source. 

It's always good to stretch my creativity.