Ingenious Inkling

Birthday Blues

When I saw the colors at the CAS Colours & Sketches, I thought they would be perfect for a masculine birthday card.

I found those three colors of cardstock in my stash and combined them with this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge.

Stamps are MFT Chalkboard Greetings.  Rather than the circle at the top, I used the Banner Die-Namics.

I'm also linking-up at Seize the Birthday.

Anniversary in Bloom

The current Mix-It-Up Challenge at Essentials by Ellen is Winnie & Walter.

I had fun inking-up my new Winnie & Walter In Bloom - Eva's Favorite Flowers with all sorts of Rose & Orange inks.

I added a sentiment from Essentials by Ellen Totally Awesome in the darkest ink hue (Ranger Archival Monarch Orange).  I added a few paper flower and some enamel dots (both as design elements and to cover up some smudges ... when in doubt, embellish).

Rockin' Birthday

There's a little Tic-Tac-Toe to go with the sketch at the Taylored Expressions Share Joy Challenge this week.

I went straight down the middle with stitching, blue & enamel dots.

For the horizontal lines & dots, I used Taylored Expressions Stroke of Genius 2.

Sentiment & main image are from You're My Hero.   I added two colors of enamel dots and sticker stitches from SRM Stickers.

This card will be sharing joy for a co-worker's birthday.

Mondo Poinsettia Trio

We're still celebrating *We Three Kings* at Jingle Belles.  I started my card with a trio of Essentials by Ellen Mondo Poinsettias ... I love those blooms.

Next I added a trio of leaf clusters ... and finished with a three-word Brushstroke sentiment.  I added some Eyelet Outlet bling to finish the design.

Dedication & Determination

Today at the Eyelet Outlet Blog, I am making cards that feature the Army Men Brads ... these cards are a great way to send encouragement and appreciation to those serving in the military.

 

I combined them with Express Yourself Military Stickers from SRM Stickers for some quick and easy card designs.

 

 

I attached my Army Men Brads to a piece of white cardstock and then attached that strip of paper to my card front using foam tape.  I added a strip of designer paper and three stickers to finish the design.

 

 

Here's a close-up of the three different brads included in the set.

 

 

I used the same technique for this design, this time only using blue stickers.

 

 

Thursday Link Love

Another week of amazing blogland discoveries:

• I love Plates on the Wall (one shown)
• I've got to try this Press 'n Seal technique for Die Cuts
• Doesn't everyone need Everyday Chocolate Cake
• love these Colorful Clouds
• stunning Paper Arts
• tutorial for making gorgeous baked clay jewelry with stencils
• Mexican Street Corn Soup sounds delicious
• colorful magazine collages by Mayuko Fujino
• Browniest Cookies ... yes please
• how to make fun Map Envelopes
• my family would love this No-Bake Banana Cream Pudding Cheesecake
• how to do a salted watercolor technique
• Fun Tattle Monsters

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Succulent Thank You

A new challenge posted at The Heart Desires ... it's all about succulents, metallic & wood grain.

I incorporated all three into my design.

Succulents & sentiment are both Hero Arts.

Watercolor Birthday

When I saw the Inspiration Photo at Addicted to Stamps and More, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to break out the resist cards I found in the clearance bin at Michael's last weekend.

I painted with blue & green peerless watercolors and added a stamped sentiment to finish the design.

Such fun watercolory play.

It's also perfect for the color challenge at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog (because that tiny A Muse Artstamps Happy Birthday is about as retro as it gets).

Pineapple Birthday

This week's Taylored Expressions Share Joy Challenge is a fruity inspiration photo.

I decided to combine watermelon pink, blueberry red and lime green with some of my own fruity inspiration ... Simply Stamped Pineapple.

Since I needed a birthday card for a co-worker, I combined it with the sentiment from Party Monsters.