Ingenious Inkling

Color & Sketch Challenge Combo

Kristina Werner posted another Color Inspiration challenge inspired by these great outdoor pillows from Pottery Barn.  I do okay with a 2 or 3 color challenges, but when there is a 4th or 5th color, I sometimes struggle (unless I can find a DP that already incorporates several of0 the colors).

I decided to try the colors using a sketch from DragonFlyTime.  You have until June 6th to link up a card using her sketch, for a chance to win a Big Bite.

I started with the Memory Box Aerial DP in Soft sky, then I repeated the flower element in my punched embellishments and my sentiment from Autumn Leaves Romance of Spring. 

I initially had the saffron in one of the stripes at the bottom, but it didn't look balanced.  Instead, I added the saffron in a thin mat behind the sentiment and in the gold adhesive gems on the bloom.  The navy panel is embossed with the diamonds in the rough pattern, although it is hard to see in the photo.

Cleaning & Creating

I've been cleaning today ... you know that good kind of cleaning where everything gets put back in its place.  I had a few tiny scraps of DP on my work table that were really too small to keep ... I started moving them around and realized I could piece them together into a card.  I love how the different patterns of this great Family Affair DP work together.  The small patterns are just perfect for cards.

The sentiment is from Denami and the daisy is from a 1998 Hero Arts set ... I also love pulling out rubber that has been around for a long time.  I stamped it twice, so I could paper piece the center and attached it with a dimensional pop-dot.

And do you see that fun scalloped border ... I finally found the elusive Fiskars threading water scallop punch at Michael's yesterday ... and with a 50% off coupon, which made the find even sweeter.

Inspired by a a Book Jacket

Last night was a mini-virtual stamping night on SCS.  I love having a little stamp party with all of my on-line friends. 

The theme was Book Club ... and challenge was called What Lurks Behind the Cover?'  The challenge was to make a card using vellum with a design, either stamped or embossed over the card that has a design on it.

I chose bright green flourished K&Company Mira DP, because I wanted something very bright to show through the vellum overlay.

The Fancy Pants In the Garden Flourish is stamped in Versamark and embossed with Ranger Silver Pearl EP.  The sentiment is from Studio G. 

One tip for embossing Vellum ... the Coloriser heat tool by EK Success has both a high and low setting ... and the low setting is perfect for embossing vellum without curling or singing the paper.  I attached the vellum using small silver brads.  I left it loose the front of the card, like a real book jacket.

Thanks ladies for the inspiration.

Movie Dresses

With the premiere of the Sex & The City movie this weekend, I've been drinking up the fun fashions in pictures from the movie.  So on that note, this week's SCS Inspiration Challenge is to make a card inspired by a movie dress.

The challenge was suggested by LeisaJane who made this amazing card inspired by Rose's Tea Gown from the movie Titanic.

After looking through pages of movie fashion, I decided to take my inspiration from Miranda's geometric dress, although the other two dresses also have caused more ideas to swim around in my head.

To mimic the open oval/circle effect on Miranda's dress, I embossed my CHF Open Circles Backgrounder with Versamark and clear EP on black/tan Core-dinations cardstock.  Then I got out my sanding block and just kept sanding until I had revealed the tan core of the cardstock inside the circles.  This cardstock is fun stuff.

Next I added a gold belt with two punched buckles.  The large circle sentiment is inspired by Miranda's huge gold earrings.  i added dots with my metallic soft gold paint pen.  I thought the Autumn Leaves sentiment was perfect for a movie about friendship.

I hope you find some inspiration.

More Sketch Cards

I really loved yesterday's sketch, so I used it to make some more cards for my Dad for Father's Day.

I left off the eyelet punch & gem, since I thought they were a bit girly.  I combined more papers from A Family Affair with my Cuttlebug Embossed Fancy corner.

I really love the clean design with a bit of texture.

Dress Inspired Sketch

My card tonight combines today's SCS Sketch #178 with Beate's Inspiration Challenge #15 - this great dress from J Crew.  I loved the circular patterns which I picked up in my new A Family Affair two-sided cardstock by ATD (I picked it up on an end-cap at Michael's in a 5"x7" pad).  I feel like I was channeling a little Amy Westerman with my three DP design.

I replaced the large circular medallion design in the dress, with a Cuttlebug embossed fancy corner and repeated the circular design with all of my DP's. 

The cardstock cracked slightly, so I sponged the square with ColorBox Chalk Dark Peony to cover up the cracks and add some depth to the embossed texture.  I used my Martha Stewart eyelet border punch and a gold adhesive gem to finish. 

I like having 'no sentiment' cards in my stash when I just want to send a quick note.  I can personalize it with a stamp inside if I want ... or just have more room to write.

Rockin' Birthday

I used this great sketch #6 from Page Plans to make a birthday card for my teenage nephew.  When I'm making teen cards, my first thought is DCWV Rockstar DP.  I rotated the sketch so I could feature the guitar in my design.

I matted the strip of DP that I cut off the left side.  Sorry, not sure who makes the birthday stamp (it's a rubber cling set ... I wish they would print the name of the company or the set on the cling sheet - ETA ... just found the set online - Inkadinkado Birthday).  I added one-half of a scallop for my design element on the right. 

I had a wonderful day of doing very little.  I did manage to make my way through a stack of magazines that had been piling up, and now I have lots more design ideas I want to try.

Remember there's a great prize up for grabs at Caardvarks, and all you have to do is show us one of your best month-themed tags (it doesn't have to be specifically made for the month ... just inspired by it).  Get your tag linked up by June 3rd for a chance to win.  Click on over and check out the gallery.

Triple Play Birthday

Today's SCS Try a New Technique Challenge was a triple play - combine one of the first ten technique, sketch and color challenges into one card.  It was a lot of fun going back and looking at how each of these challenges began.

I started with my technique choice - a Paint Chip card.  Then I realized, that meant I had to find a paint chip in my stash that would work with one of the required color combinations.  The one I found was by Dutch Boy and it worked for Gable Green & Green Galore (two colors I never would have chosen on my own ... but I really like how it turned out).  Then it was on to the sketch challenges to figure out how I could feature my paint chip.  I chose SC03 (the paint chips are the two tuck-ins).

I stamped CHF Pretty Pattern backgrounder using Color Box Lime Pastel ink ... unfortunately, I apparently didn't do a very good job of cleaning my background stamp the last time I used it, and I ended up with overtones of dark brown.  I decided I liked the look, so I chalked it up as a happy accident, and moved on.

I stamped the Kolette Hall stamps on the paint chips with Ranger Archival Jet Black ink and embossed with Transcendence clear EP.  I did the same with the Serendipity Stamps sentiment on vellum.

I attached the vellum strip to cardstock with brads, and then taped along the side and bottom to form the pocket.  This is certainly a card I never would have made without today's challenge ... and I love it.  I think what I love most is having an extra day to spend in my studio.

Magazine Mosaic

When I saw Karla's cool scrap tiled technique on One Little Word, I knew it was something I wanted to try.  However, for my mosaic, I used strips cut from magazine pages instead of DP.

As I was getting ready to recycle my latest edition of Cooking Light, I decided that all of the beautiful colors should make their way into a card (see the skin of a pineapple on the left of the middle strip of paper?).  I tore out several pages with bright colors and cut them into varying width strips.  I covered my base with adhesive and then began to add the strips, being careful not to overlap.  When I was finished, I trimmed the edges & I covered the entire piece with Versamark and Clear EP (I did this twice for a more consistently shiny finish).

Next time, I think I'll try it with coordinating DPs.  I really gave no thought to color when I did this card, however it seems to have a tropical feel to me (I wished I would have had some sort of coconut drink or tiki image to finish the design).

Enjoy the day.

Prima Smiles

This card uses the first sketch from Emma's Paperie.  When I saw the long vertical design of the sketch, I knew I wanted to use my new teal Prima blooms I picked up at Michael's. 

When I went searching for some DP to use as the base, I found this great piece of Prima DP from The Sasha Collection that no only coordinated perfectly, but also had a fabulous bird element that was highlighted perfectly by the sketch.

I really love the combination of colors and textures in this design.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts. 

I hope you had some fun time to create today.