Ingenious Inkling

Most Wonderful Time

Today the Crafter's Companion Design Team is excited to play along with Paper Craft Planet for their weekly sketch challenge and we would love to have you play along too.  Here's the fun sketch and you can find more info on the PCP Blog too!  If you would like to play along, upload your card to the PCP Gallery and tag it with SK061413.

 

Here's my take on the sketch featuring a Crafter's Companion Stamp from the Stamp-It Holiday Collection called Wonderful Time combined with holiday papers from Echo Park's Season's Greetings Collection.  Since my sentiment is on my center piece, I swapped the sentiment in the sketch for a wrap of ribbon.

I added a few yellow pearls to coordinate with the yellow centers of the poinsettias.

Oh, and in case you wondered ... there is a prize!!!  For each comment left on the blogs listed below, you will be entered into a drawing for a $20 gift certificate.  ALSO, if you play along on our sketch challenge, you will be entered into the drawing again (just make sure you upload your card to the PCP Gallery with the tag listed above).   Deadline to enter your comments and/or sketch challenge cards is June 21, 2013 at midnight (ET). Entries can be uploaded to the PCP Gallery. 

Now here's who is playing along with us today ~ don't forget to leave some love for your chance to win the Crafter's Companion Gift Certificate!

Christiana Reuling -- http://christygetscrafty.blogspot.com/

Denise Coulter -- http://lalasworldblog.blogspot.com

Khristen Foss -- http://khristenscraftroom.blogspot.com

Stacy Harper-Watson -- http://scrapwithstacy.blogspot.com/

Stephanie Severin -- http://ingeniousinkling.typepad.com <<---- You are here

Trena Brannon -- http://trenastampinhq.blogspot.com

Kendra Wietstock -- http://kendrawietstock.blogspot.com

Deb Felts -- http://withastampandasong.blogspot.com/

Pam Hornschu -- http://1pamperedstamper.blogspot.com/

Susanna Boyd -- http://www.cardoftheweek.com/

Spreading Holiday Cheer

We're still getting sketchy at Jingle Belles this week.

While last week's sketch card started with the background paper ... this week's design started with my glittery snowman 3-D sticker ... I love the fun ball trim at the end of his scarf.

I went to my cardstock scraps and found three pieces to coordinate with my snowman ... and finished with an EAD Designs rub-on sentiment ... couldn't be much easier than that.

I hope you'll join us.

Thursday Link Love

More fun finds from the land of blogs:

• These Leggy Storage Jars make me smile
• A round-up of lots of unusual cookie cutters
• Love these DIY word bracelets (shown)
• These Fluffernutter Bars sound amazing (pretty much anything that includes Marshmallow Fluff is amazing in my book)
• Love these book/magazine holders made from old vinyl albums ... albums also make an excellent photobooth background
• Embroidered Leaves ... amazing
• Crafty Space to make you drool
• A free blank face download ... this would have been perfect to keep me occupied when I was young (and likely still today)
• Stunning Shadow Paintings by Rashad Alakbarov
• tutorial for fun little no-sew fabric gift bags

Wishing you a tremendous Thursday!

Vintage Vagabond

When I saw the Liba Hand Painted Tableware in this week's Vintage Vagabond Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger photo, I immediately thought that I might have an embossing folder with a similar pattern in my stash ... and my hunch was correct.

I embossed some grey Black Magic Core'dinations cardstock with the folder and sanded for contrast.

To pull in both the metal and circular elements in the design, I decided to feature one of my step-mom's vintage metal buttons that she shared with me before she died ... I love being able to incorporate beautiful pieces from her collection into cards for my family members.  The patina on the flower was so lovely that I used a wrap of purple satin ribbon to bring out the color contrast a bit more.

Flora Bunda Fun

The Product Focus at SplitCoast Stampers this week is on the fabulous Embossalicious Embossing Folders from Crafter's Companion.  I had fun trying a new technique using the Flora Bunda 6" Embossing Folder from Crafter's Companion (I love that its easy to use at its original size, or trim down for other card sizes).

I started by embossing vellum (which is pretty just like this) ... love great detailed impression.

Next I applied my ink pad directly to the raised surface of the vellum.

On the left is Memories Archival Vermillion ... on the right a much juicier Picked Raspberry Distress Ink pad (you can see the *wetter* pad got more ink on the unembossed surface) ... there's no right or wrong ... just a different effect.

Next I trimmed the vellum down to my standard card size (4 1/4" x 5 1/2").  I used Crafter's Companion Permanent Tape Runner on the back of the vellum and it didn't show through at all when attaching to a white card base (and held it tight).

Unfortunately, I realized that I should have been more patient and waited for the ink to dry first ... and ended-up with inky fingers.

I grabbed a dry baby wipe that was on my work table (I'm sure a paper towel or other cloth would work too) and gently ribbed in small circles over the card front picking-up the rest of the wet ink ... creating a softer look to my design.

Here's the finished card with a wrap of coordinating ribbon ... perfect for so many occasions depending on the sentiment I decide to include on the inside.

For my Picked Raspberry inked card, I attached to a Kraft Card Base, which produced a completely different look than the white ... you can see, even with rubbing off the excess ink, a juicier ink pad produces a slightly different background look.

Now go have fun with vellum, inks and embossing.

Teacher Retirement

Tonight I had a request to make a retirement card for a technology teacher who loves yellow.  

I love being able to make cards for a specific recipient ... but I confess, this one almost stumped me.  I realized after an hour of rummaging through every drawer and basket in my studio that I really have no retirement, teacher or technology themed stamps or embellishments... so I had to think outside the box.

I started by pulling out any yellow papers ... or any I thought worked with the theme like the scan-tron & graph paper from Cosmo Cricket's the Boyfriend collection.  Next I went searching through my vintage dictionaries for words that would work, and settled on just going with retired (which I accented with a yellow highlighter).  

I added a sentiment from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler embellished with a flower & vintage button to finish the design using this week's Mojo Monday Sketch.

Summer Fun

I have wanted a scooter for years ... but every time I almost talk myself into getting one, I remember I live in cold snowy Iowa, and it's just not practical (not to mention that I'm extremely accident prone, so odds of injury would be high).  

So, today I did the next best thing ... I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color the fun scooter from the Camden Town series by Crafter's Companion.  It's perfect for the June Crafter's Companion Challenge theme ... Summer (link-up your card using at least one Crafter's Companion product for a chance to win).

I used the 6" Petite Dot Embossalicious Folder for my background.  Here are the Spectrum Noir markers I used.

The layout is the June Sketch for You To Try, which has returned on the Reverse Confetti Blog.

I'm also joining the Anything Goes Challenge at paper Playtime.

You Rock!

I needed some Congratulations cards for my stash, so I pulled out one of my favorite die cuts from Die-Versions (seriously one die cut and your card is done).  

I decided to go with Black & White +1 Challenge from the CAS on Sunday blog (an adorable stamp set from The Alley Way is up for grabs).  When I asked my husband to pick my +1 color, he picked turquoise, and it was done ... quick & easy ... and oh-so-fun.

We had our annual work awards banquet this weekend (the one time each year I wrestle on a pair of panty hose ... and express extreme gratitude that I no longer have to wear them every day).  Here's a picture of me in my new dress ... doesn't that pattern look like something that just might inspire a future card design?

Happy Monday!

Wishing I Could Be There

There are so many great Project Life cards out right now ... and they are perfect for cardmaking too.  I used one (and a camera) from Studio Calico to make this card for the Banners & Flags Challenge at CAS-ual Fridays.

The Stamp & Banner are from Simon Says Stamp and the yellow puffy card is Amy Tangerine.

Weekend Market Butterflies

This butterfly stamp from Stamp-It Australia's Birds & Butterflies is a favorite.  I love all of the elegant detail and the variation between the butterfly images ... and it was perfect to feature using this week's Unscripted Sketch.

After stamping it on designer paper and adding a sentiment from Camden Town's Female 1, I overlayed it with a champagne pearl flourish.  The rich colored papers are from Bo Bunny's Weekend Market Collection.