Ingenious Inkling

May Peace Be With You

The Button Mojo card was well received by the requester, which is always a good thing. 

This card uses Sketch Challenge 148 at SCS.  Not your usual holiday card colors, but I like it.The background papers are from my DCWV Once Upon a Time mat stack.  I love this tiny sentiment from A Muse and the doves are one of my all time favorite holiday stamps by Magenta, both stamped in Warm Green ColorBox Chalk ink.

Hope you had a terrific Tuesday.

Button Mojo

I had a request for a wedding congratulations card, and this is what I came up with using Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch #9.  Since I knew this card was going to be hand-delivered, I wanted to use my new Basic Grey buttons that I got for my birthday.  My DSH (dear sweet husband) thought the buttons were "a bit much", but I like them.  However, I heeded his advice and made an alternate back-up card that is a bit more subdued, so the requester can choose.

I covered a 5 1/2" card base with a piece of Basic Grey Phoebe cardstock.  Then I took another piece of Phoebe and trimmed it 3 1/4" wide and cut it in half at 3 1/4" to form the square for the top and the rectangle for the bottom.  I matted both pieces on green cardstock cut a 1/4" wider.

I traced a smaller circle on the back of my large maroon circle and then followed the line with my scalloped scissors (to keep it even).  The center hearts are punched with the Martha Stewart scallop circle punch and matted on a 1 1/4" circle.  The sentiment was done the same way with one extra mat and attached with a pop dot.

Recipe: Papers: Basic Grey Phoebe DP, Maroon, Olive and White Cardstock; Ink: Color Box Chalk Pink Pastel and Maroon; Stamps: Li'l Davis Designs Sentiments, Michael's $1 hearts; Accessories: Circle punches, scallop scissors, Basic Grey Infused Buttons, Michael's $1 adhesive bling, glue dots (to adhere buttons).

All It's Cracked Up to Be

Today's Technique Challenge at SCS is the cracked glass technique.  I thought I'd do something a little different and try the technique using colored cardstock.

I stamped this floral image by Great Impressions in Wisteria ColorBox Chalk ink on light pink cardstock (the same light pink cardstock as the circle sentiment).  Then I covered the cardstock with Versmark and Ultra Thick Embossing Powder.  I repeated two more times until the image was sheer and glossy.  I love how the embossing darkened the pink cardstock.  I put the image in the freezer to cool and then bent it from the corners to "crack the glass".

The background papers are from the 4.5" x 6.5" DCWV Once Upon a Time mat stack.  I love the glittery papers and the smaller patterns.

Recipe: Papers: Purple and Light Pink cardstock; DCWV Once Upon a Time DP; Stamps: Scrappy Cat Kids and Teens Flower Fun, Technique Tuesday Times to Treasure, Great Impressions Floral Image; Ink: ColorBox Chalk Wisteria & Pink Pastel, Versamark; Accessories: Circle Punches, sheer pink ribbon, Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Powder.

Tag - I'm It

I've been tagged by Sharon at No Time to Stamp?

Here are the rules:
1.  Link to your tagger (see above), and also post these rules on your blog.
2.  Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3.  Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4.  Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1 - I love roasted vegetables.  Last week my supper consisted entirely of a pound of roasted brussels sprouts (the big ones sliced in half).

2 - I met my husband on-line long before there were any organized match-making websites.  We did it the old-school way by posting a pen pal request.  Does anyone remember AOL's Net Girl?

3 - I love sending mail.  I've sent cards and correspondence on a regular basis since I was 12 years old.   Thus my discovery of the world of card making and the fact that I'm married to a postal carrier are the perfect symbiotic mix.

4 - I drive with my windows down whenever possible because I love the feeling of the wind in my hair.  I would love to have a convertible, but it just doesn't seem practical in the frigid upper Midwest.

5 - Graceful is not a term that has ever been used to describe me ... okay, to be honest, I'm a klutz.  My grandma made me a ballerina costume when I was little in hopes of bestowing me with a sense of grace.  It didn't work. 

6 - I love to plan trips, almost as much as I enjoy taking them. 

7 - Volunteering has always been important to me.  I've been an activities planner for an adult group home, assisted at a medical clinic in Haiti, provided respite with hospice patients, answered incoming calls on a 24-hour crisis line, and currently enjoy being a Card Angel.

I've never been much for playing tag.  When I was a kid, I would get tagged just so I could refuse to tag anyone else to end the game.  However, in the spirit of the game, I will list a few bloggers that at first glance look like they haven't been tagged yet (or at least haven't responded to a tag).   

Durcan Designs

Stampings of the Shug

SusieStampsALot

Stampin' with Markie's Mom

The Stampin' Librarian

SillyBirds Stamping Diary

Quacking Creations

Archivers and Blooming Thanks

The trip to Archivers was a huge success.  I got my Autumn Leaves "Designing with 2008" shadowbox calendar.  I've had this calendar for the last two years and LOVE it.  Every morning when I get to work, there's a new page of inspiration waiting on my desk for me.  Then when the year is over, I add my favorite pages to my inspiration notebook.

I also got the Autumn Leaves 'tis the season stamp set by Sande Krieger, Circle Words (I think I have a slight obsession with words in a circle) & Mini Bella Flora from Inque Boutique, Ali Edwards Life Artist & 52 Scrapbooking Challenges by Elsie Flannigan.  Even though both books are focused toward scrapbookers, I find lots of inspiration for my cards and other projects ... and who knows, I might even work on another scrapbook.

Sunday also means nitestamper is today's featured stamper at SCS.

I chose her gorgeous card Define Your Life as my inspiration.  I went with a two-color palette and used different patterned papers for my mosaic background.  These are fun Tres Jolie papers from My Mind's Eye that I found 25% off at Archivers.  I love the double-sided cardstock. 

In order to line up my mosaic, I cut the angle on my top piece, lay it on the reverse side of my next piece and trace the angle.  It makes it much easier to keep things lined up.  The CC Rubber Stamp flower was stamped on the dark rose cardstock with Vanilla Craft ink and embossed with Ranger Bridal EP.  I added a brad to the centers and punched some leaves from black cardstock.  The sentiment is by PSX. 

I love how using touches of black with a monochromatic palette really makes things pop.

All-Bran Banana Bread

No stamping this morning because my dear, sweet husband has offered to drive me to Des Moines, so I can spend my Archivers gift card birthday present that has been burning a hole in my pocket.

Instead, here's a recipe I tried last night that we declared a "keeper".  It combines the best of bran muffins and banana bread and has a nice, dense texture without being too heavy (72 points in the entire loaf for any WW person who is counting).

All-Bran Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

3 large bananas (1½ cups)
2 eggs
2 cups All-Bran cereal
2 cups flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter or shortening (softened)

1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).  Peel and mash the bananas and combine with the two cups of All-Bran.  Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes.

Cream the butter and sugar together, fold in the eggs and then the banana/cereal mixture.  Beat well.

Stir in the sifted flour and other dry ingredients and mix until the flour is evenly distributed through the mixture.

Spray a 9X5X3 loaf pan with non-stick spray and spoon in the mixture (it will be thick). Place in the preheated oven and bake the banana bread for 60 minutes. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the banana bread from the oven and allow it to cool slightly in the loaf tin. Turn out onto a rack to complete cooling.

Recipe from Afri Chef African Recipes Cookbook

Enjoy the day.

Stamp Simply Tagged Gift Bag

This is my attempt at Sharon's (No Time to Stamp?) Stamp Simply Challenge #06.  The first part of the challenge was to make a gift tag that could be mass-assembled in parts.  My little circle sentiment by Inkadinkado says "Merry Merry Merry."  It was stamped in ColorBox Lipstick Red Chalk ink on white cardstock, punched out with a 1 1/4" punch and then matted on a a 1 3/8" black cardstock circle.   

I made the tag by trimming a rectangle from black cardstock and a 1/4" smaller rectangle from the DP.  I measured 1" in from each corner and trimmed to create the tag.  My slot punch was punched several times at the top of the tag to make the opening wide enough for my sparkly snowman ribbon.

The next part of the challenge was to make a coordinating gift bag.  This gift bag is approximately 8 1/2" x 5 1/4".  I get them when I buy beauty products from my hair salon.  I cut some of the same Rhonna Farrer Autumn Leaves snowflake DP slightly larger than the bag, attached it and then trimmed to fit.  The "Let it Snow" velvet ribbon placement was determined by a small tear in the DP that happened when I was trimming.

This is my first ever attempt at decorating a gift bag.  Now I'll make sure to save all of those little bags I get at various stores to decorate.

Wrap It In Ribbon

The Daring Cardmakers challenge this week is to make a holiday card that showcases ribbon.

I'm sure I bought this darling snowman ribbon at some after-holiday sale.  It has been in my stash for at least a year.  It took me several attempts at tying my knot to get the snowman on the tails both where they weren't standing on their heads. 

The card base is black cardstock and the snowflake DP is Autumn Leaves by Rhonna Farrer.  I added a white rub-on by K&Company for my sentiment. 

Z-Fold Spooks

I figured there was still time to get a few more Halloween cards in the mail.  This one uses Beate's Z-fold challenge.  I scored the cardstock at 5 1/2" and 2 3/4" and then attached a couple of the spooks from the K&Company Halloween DP stack.  The sticker is by Reminisce.  The cardbase is Metallic Mango by The Paper Company (on sale at Michael's today).  I lined the inside of the card with another piece of K&Company paper.

This card also works for the Saturday Stamper's Challenge which is Hallowe'en. 

And in keeping with the theme, I put this card together while watching an episode of Dead Like Me on DVD (love Netflix).  I also love how quickly a card comes together when I feature the design elements of the paper.

1 2 3 4 ...

Tell me that you love me more.

When I saw today's Limited Supply Challenge to use only numbers on the card front, the song "1 2 3 4" by Feist immediately popped into my head (you know the one you've heard over and over on the iPod Nano commercials).

I had some scraps of sewn paper left over from last night's project, so I lined up the clear acrylic number stamps by Crafty Secrets (the name of the set is A Sexy Little Number ... love that) on a gridded acrylic block and then inked them with Brilliance Graphite Black. 

I trimmed the sewn paper and matted it in black cardstock.  The ellipsis is some tiny Twinkle Stickers by Amuse.  A little sparkly ribbon and this one is done.

Hope you find some fun ways to feature numbers on your cards today.