Ingenious Inkling

Thursday Link Love

Another week of fun blogland discoveries:

• Download some Free Back to School Papers
• Unique & gorgeous Paper Flowers (shown)
• Adore this Studio Space makeover
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups looks quite tasty
• Free Disney Princess Dress Templates
• love the texture of this crocheted bath rug
• I remember the fun of making God's Eyes at summer camp
• Mediterranean Cucumber Salad is my go-to summer lunch

Have a tremendous Thursday.

Fused Glass Fun

I've been taking another fused glass class this summer.  I started by making more monsters.  My husband suggested some one-eyed monsters, and turns out that since the eye is the most challenging part of the process, those came together much quicker.

Next I made a cracked glass plate.  This is phase one.

And after the first fuse.

And after slumping into a mold.

I also had fun trying a snowflake to hang in my window during the winter. Here it is after cutting and gluing lots of tiny pieces of glass

and here it is out of the kiln.

And my favorite thing is making pendants from scraps of glass.

And after firing.

And after I attach the bails.

It's so fun and challenging to create in a medium other than paper ... I love it.

Coffee, Music & Bicycling

When I saw Kelly's awesome Hipster Card for the Sunday Sip & Share at the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog, I knew exactly what I was going to make with her sketch.

I bought the Hero Arts Hipster at Heart stamp set because it features lots of elements that are perfect for my men in my family.  This card is for my awesome husband whose birthday is next week.

He's all about the coffee, music and riding his new bike (and I've never seen him without a mustache).  I kept my card in monochromatic hues with a more clean & simple design.  Happy Birthday is from Essential Messages, one of my most used stamp sets.

Rather than glitter tape, I used some new Foil Copper Dots Washi Tape from Eyelet Outlet ... this stuff really shimmers.

Thanks for the inspiration Kelly.

Knit Happens

I inked-up my grouchy grumplings today for the Taylored Expressions Share Joy Challenge ... it's just been that kind of week.

I loved the sketch ... perfect opportunity to feature some pretty designer papers.

My grumpling kitty was stamped on light grey before I added some color with Spectrum Noir Markers.  Some weeks knit happens.

Color Blocked Wedding

Today's SplitcoastStampers Inspiration Challenge is all about Color Blocking.  I love color blocking in my art, jewelry and clothing, so I had to join the fun.

I thought the color block design of this dress reminded me of this week's Freshly Made Sketch (if you flipped it on its side).

Since I wanted to make a wedding card, I used the colors from this week's colourQ Challenge.

I added a silhouette image from Gina K Designs in keeping with the color block theme.

I finished with some bling flourishes for a touch of elegance.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Did you realize it's only 19 weeks until Christmas?  Have you started your holiday card stash?

You know I love making holiday cards all year long, and one of my favorite things to do is use adhesive Swirl Bling to decorate a Christmas Tree.

 

I start by die-cutting a Christmas Tree.  Since the Swirl Bling is on a clear sheet, you can lay it on top of the tree to see how the various swirls are going to fit.

 

 

 

Next I start performing Swirl Bling Surgery by cutting apart the individual swirls to fit my tree.

 

 

 

When I'm done, it looks something like this.

 

 

Every one I make is different, so it's fun to see how it will all come together.

 

 

I added a clear square jewel to the top of the tree for a *star*.

 

You can also decorate your tree with pearls ... the effect is a bit more muted, but still very elegant.  This tree features Gold Pearl Swirl Bling with a Champagne Gem for the star.

 

Here's another view.

 

 

And one last look at the cards side-by-side.

 

 

I'm also joining the Time Out Challenge which is Holiday Cards with no stamping.

 

I hope I've inspired you to try decorating your own holiday trees.

 

• Swirl Bling - Clear
• Square Jewel - Clear
• Swirl Bling - Pearl Gold
• 12mm Bling Jewels - Champagne

Have you followed Eyelet Outlet on Twitter yet?  How about Facebook?

Promises to Keep

The theme at Jingle Belles this week is Rudolph the RED Nosed Reindeer ... we're making cards that predominantly feature the color RED.

I combined one of my favorite red inks - Ranger Archival Vermillion - with a favorite image from Artistic Outpost's Snowy Woods for an easy card design.

I mounted it on foam tape on coordinating cardstock and added a few pearls on the corners ... this stamp looks great in any color (here it is in blue).

I'm also joining the Show us your AO Art August Challenge at Artistic Outpost.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of fun blogland finds:

• 12 Bloggers share their Most Popular Salad Recipes
• a fun Tote Bag from two fabric napkins & a belt
• love these cute little Scrubby Fruits
• how to make Stitching Sample Coasters
• Amazing Book Art & Sculptures
• fabulous Tool Chest Makeover
• home design with Maps (shown)
• unbelievable Paper cut-outs
• how-to for Jersey Fabric Macrame

Have a terrific Thursday!

Color Pop Pineapple

Yep, I'm going to keep stamping pineapples as long as I can.  

This one is for the pop of color challenge at A Blog Named Hero ... Everything is in shades of green except for the few pops of purple.

I stamped my Hero Arts Color Layering Pineapple & flower in shades of green with a pop of purple on the final layered pineapple stamp.  The sketch is from CAS on Sunday.

Greatly Loved

Having fun with my new Baby Set Die Cuts from Impression Obsession.

The first card is for the Square Card Challenge at Impression Obsession.

I die cut the onesies from a scrap of rainbow ombre designer paper and then cut the coordinating frames from the same paper.  The sentiment is from Impression Obsession Greeting Card Sentiments (CL342), which must be discontinued.

These dies were cut from the same ombre rainbow paper using this week's CAS(E) this Sketch.