Ingenious Inkling

Celebrate Marshmallows

If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that Marshmallows are one of my favorite foods ... especially melty, gooey marshmallow.

So when I decided to make another card for the Celebrate You! Challenge at Impression Obsession, I knew I had to use this Impression Obsession Money stamp ... because nothing celebrates me like Marshmallows.

I used this week's Mojo Monday Sketch together with a scrap of my hand-made paste paper (this one *printed* with a plastic doily).

 

PS - a friend pointed out that I subconsciously created a *paper s'more* with my stacks of paper and marshmallow sentiment.

Love Your Life

The challenge theme at Impression Obsession is Celebrate You!   For my card, I took my inspiration from this gorgeous design by Marion Vagg at this week's Muse Challenge.

I used the three colors to stamp celebratory sentiments from Impression Obsession Birthday Wishes (CL67) and Life & Flowers (CL250).

I added some embossed texture and coordinating sequins to celebrate ... me.

Birthday On the Farm

As I looked through my backlog of saved challenges, this card came together.  

I started with Seize the Birthday where the theme is Nothing But Neutrals.  Next-up is The Kraft Journal where the theme is Anything Goes - Masculine.  Third, I decided to use the sketch from Match the Sketch (but I had to rotate it to work with the stamps I wanted to feature.

I needed a farm theme, so I used two stamps from Artistic Outpost (for their June Challenge) - The Outpost & Home - both stamped on Kraft with Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.  My sentiment is an SRM Sticker.

The big oak tree is perfect for Shopping our Stash where the theme is Out on a Limb.  Finally, I'm joining the 3rd  Birthday Party at Addicted to Stamps where the theme is Clean & Simple.

Happily Ever After

I wanted to try to create a card inspired by this lovely card at the Tag You're It! Challenge.

I started by stenciling Cup O' Joe Ink into a Kraft card base using SRAMPlorations ARTplorations Nested Circles.

I tried getting the same effect on my tag using watercolor paint, but couldn't find a way to minimize the brush strokes.  I realized after the fact, I should have put paint onto my craft sheet and wiped my tag through it for a softer effect.

Next I stamped the bride and groom from STAMPlorations Ever After on top of the dried paint.  I clear embossed multiple times to try to get a more solid contrast to the paint.  I added a sentiment from the same set.

I also took my inspiration for stamping on top of the painty texture from this card at the STAMPlorations Inspiration project.

I finished with twine, a piece of a Hambly transparency and some washi tape.  In my opinion, not particularly my best work, but I learned a few things in the creative process ... and for me, that's a win.

I'm also joining AAA Cards where the theme is Stencils.

Swagger

This week's Pals Paper Arts Sketch is perfect for using scraps of designer paper ... and for mass producing.  I used papers from the Swagger Collection by Fancy Pants.

I used the Thank You Die-Namics from My Favorite Things.

I'm also joining the Dies R Us Challenge where the theme is Flags and/or Banners.  Easy-peasy and mailable too.

Since I was already cutting into these papers, I used the same designs with this week's CAS(E) this Sketch for a clean & simple masculine sympathy card.

SRM Stickers to the rescue for a quick finish ... I love those stitches.

Birthday Wishes

I'm having fun watching The Women's World Cup and creating cards ... a perfect way to end the day.  I'm playing along with the Paper Smooches Picture Perfect Challenge.

I loved the clean lines and colors of this week's Inspiration Photo ... I also wanted to incorporate some chevron designs.

Since the cute owls in Paper Smooches We Adore You have some chevrons, I started with them and build my card around them using this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch.

I used Hero Arts Cup O' Joe ink, which is such a nice neutral brown.  My designer papers are cut from some Project Life Cards, which provided nice coordinating patterns.  I thought the doily captured the feel of the open windows in the Inspiration photo.  I used my Spectrum Noir Markers to add a little color.

Celebrating Life

The theme at the 200th Stampotique Challenge theme is Celebrating ... my card with the *When I'm Old ..." sentiment celebrates life ... and pretty much describes my day.  

I have found as I age, I am much more stingy with my free time ... and much more deliberate about spending it the way I want ... and with the people I want.

The layout is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch (love the circles with the vertical lines).

The colors are from this week's Color Throwdown (these colors are seen on more than half of the clothes in my closet ... love them).

I added some embossed texture (which reminded me of the bedspread pattern) and finished with some sequins.

Saturday Morning Adventure

I took off for a walk this morning & enjoyed my first Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers' Market of the year.

We were out of coffee beans, so I picked-up bags from Black Top Roasters from Decorah, Iowa and Hagers Roasting Company from Quasqueton, Iowa.  I also got a loaf of delicious vegan lemon cake from Cheryl's Flour Garden in Cascade, Iowa (where her awesome Mom & Mom-in-Law were handling the check-out).

I'm always excited to have Rehberg's Pork in the freezer (nothing better than a grilled bacon burger) and I picked-up a yummy jar of *It's Just Sauce*.

Next stop was Revival on the River happening at the NewBo City Market.

I was immediately drawn to the bright colors of The Iron Garden.

I had to stand and watch the steam engines for a while ... thinking about how much my Granddad would have enjoyed them.

I picked-up a few goodies ... a table, a cute metal goat and a Cedar Rapids T-shirt from Red Ball Printing (another of our friends in the neighborhood).

I especially love living downtown on weekends like these.

All Over Floral

Today's Splitcoast Stampers Inspiration Challenge comes from Miracle Suit.  I chose this Pick A Posey Side Tie Sarong to inspire my design.

I love the floral patterns of My Mind's Eye Just Sayin' collection, but for some reason I find them rather challenging to actually create with.

I tried stamping a sentiment, but it just got lost in all of the patterns, so I ended-up using one of the paper elements that came with the collection.

This was me trying to find the right shade of green for that tiny vertical piece from this week's Cardabilities Sketch.

Cardstock Christmas

This week at Jingle Belles we're making cards that only feature Cardstock ... no designer paper allowed (I know you have as much cardstock hoarded as I do, so you have no excuse not to join us). 

I started with the color challenge from The Paper Players, which I thought would be great for a holiday card.

Next I went searching through my neglected woodblock holiday stamps and found this Christmas Mosaic from Stampotique.  The challenge at the Stampotique Designers Challenge is Shimmer and Shine, so I stamped the image in red and then sprayed with several glimmer sprays for a wonderful overall shimmer ... and finished with a bit of silver Stickles Glitter for a bit more sparkle.

I used the layout from Sweet Sunday Sketch adding a tiny sentiment from Catslife Press to my Hexagon.  I flipped the sketch to accommodate my larger image.

Here's a shot that tries to better capture the Shimmer & Shine.

 

I'm also joining Anything Goes at the Christmas Card Challenges.