Ingenious Inkling

Cardabilities BBQ

Karen's sketches are so elegant, I almost always make a feminine ... so as my final card as a member of the Cardabilities Design Team, I decided to challenge myself to create a masculine design.

Instead of a doily, I used a solid Die Cut label using striped 7 Gypsies Postale paper.

The smoky flourishes coming from the Memory Box Party Grill worked perfectly for the focal design element.  I added a stamped sentiment from Avery Elle Simply Tags: Everyday paired with an SRM Birthday Sticker Sentiment.  A little inking on my banner flag for contrast ... and my masculine card was complete.

Clean & Simple Grunge

The theme this week at Addicted to CAS is Grunge.  I tried to make something for this challenge yesterday, but couldn't quite figure out how to mesh Grunge with Clean & Simple ... but today, I think I nailed it.

 

I started with fabulously grunge papers from Um Wow Studio's Nature Walk Collection (a big thanks to Um Wow for providing products for the Crafter's Companion USA design team).  Next I stamped a round birthday sentiment from Sentimentals - Imagine using a combination of brown & black ink in keeping with my grungy feel.

The layout is this week's sketch from The Paper Players ... I used a kraft background for the *white space* of my clean & simple design.  I finished with a Nature Walk Element sticker, a Cosmo Cricket Label Sticker, and some Um Wow Chipboard Layered Stars.

Masculine Birthday

I wanted to use Unity's Candles & Cake to create a masculine birthday card, so I decided to incorporate both the Sketch and Colors from the current Be Inspired Challenge.

My background is a page from a vintage lease rate calculation book that a Vice President gave me when he retired (all rates are calculated electronically today).  I love using pages of it to make cards for co-workers.

I added a felt gear as my masculine embellishment to finish the design.

Birthday Trio

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is called Three Thirds ... to create a card using three of something ... on just 1/3 of your card.

I used the sketch at Clean & Simple Stamping which features three 1 1/4" punched squares or polka dot paper from Basic Grey's Highline Collection.  I also used three pink pearls ... and three stamped black elements (cake, happy & birthday).

Additionally, my card was inspired by Three Pillows from Crazy for CAS.

A Three Thirds Trifecta I do believe.

All Bundled Up

This week we're All Bundled Up at Jingle Belles ... which means we're creating card with lots of layers.  I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch for my layered design.

It's a Layer Cake Challenge at A Blog Named Hero, so I used my Hero Arts Merriest Christmas Words as my focal panel.  

I started with a base of solid cardstock ... the next layer is Birch Tree Designer paper fom BoBunny Woodland Winter.  Next I added cardstock banners before finishing with my Birch Trees and Cardinal and a tiny sentiment banner.  I used my sparkle pen to add a little shimmer to the falling snowflakes.

 

Thanks

I made a quick Thank You card using Paper Smooches Stamps (Potpourri & Sentiment Sampler) for their Anything Goes Challenge together wtih some primary colors.

The layout is the current Wanna Sketch?

Fusion Challenge - Chevron Straws

I love the happy feel of this week's Fusion Card Challenge.

I found some designer paper in my Studio Calico Collection that I used for the focal panel in the sketch.  

I tried several chevrons, but finall settled on a birthday party sock monkey and a few pieces of my hoarded flair ... happy birthday fun.

And if you'd like some further inspiration, click through and see what the Fusion Card Challenge Design Team has created:

• Betty J
• Dannielle Robeson
• Deepti
• Geri Freeman
• Jeanne Jachna
• Julia Aston
• Katie Brooks
• Kelly Griglione
• Kimberly Wiener 
• Lyndal Higgins
• Lynn Mangan
• Michelle Folland
• Michelle Lupton
• Sindu
• Stephanie Severin <---------- Me

Thursday Link Love

More fun finds from blogland:

• the art of Jee Young Lee is so inspiring (shown)
• Must try this Swedish Pastry
• Virtual Art Library
• My easy go-to supper is a version of these Quick & Easy Tostadas
• Love these amazing graphic quilts
• I've been thinking a lot about design & function for my new condo ... I think a trip to Ikea may be in my future
• I want this Burrito Bowl ... now
• Julie's Art always inspires

Have a tremendous Thursday.

Easel Card Revisited

Many of the Crafter's Companion CD-ROMs include Easel Card Designs (here's a tutorial I did on how to make one).  I loved this image from the Barkley Everyday Papercrafting CD-ROM, but wanted to see if I could use the papercrafting elements from the Easel Card design in another way.

I cut the larger panel from the Easel Card base in half, making three equal panels when I flipped the paper on its side.

I trimmed down the focal image, so it would fit inside my horizontal base & matted it with grey cardstock for contrast.

I cut out one of the paper buttons, edged it with a bit of black ink, and tied a bow with grey twine for my embellishment accent.

I used my extra paper panel (which would have matted my image in the Easel Card design).  I also added one of the tags from the card embellishments.

I stamped a sentiment from Crafter's Companion Memories are Made on the inside of the card.

Here's my finished card design featuring another sentiment from Crafter's Companion Sentimentals Friends and Family (it's amazing to me what a difference taking a photograph of my card in my light tent makes ... the assembly photos were taken in the not-so-great night-time lighting in my studio).  Barkley makes an adorable Father's Day Card ... perfect to send along with a pair of new slippers.

I'm also joining the Man's Best Friend Challenge at The Male Room ... and the Animal Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

Sweet Baby

Tonight I made another quick baby card featuring SRM Stickers (Fancy Sentiments Baby) and this week's Tuesday Morning Sketch.

I moved the sketch elements around a bit to work with the floral element on my base paper.  

I'm also joining the SRM Challenge Blog where the theme is Celebrations ... I love celebrating new babies.

I am grateful that my blog is accessible tonight ... for those of you that aren't aware, Typepad (the host of my blog) has been under a denial of service attack for several days, so access to my blog and all typepad hosted blogs (as well as to the ability to post to my blog) has been very intermittent while they try to resolve it.  I apologize for the disruption.