Ingenious Inkling

Happy Birthday

I recently placed for my first order with Lil Inker Designs.  I wandered over to buy the Anytime Tags due to the enabling of someone (can't remember who ... I'm an impulse shopper in case you hadn't figured that out), but also couldn't resist the Stitched Clouds & this oh-so-useful Boxed Up Birthday Die (love the stitched edge) that I used on tonight's card.

I wanted a masculine color palette, so I started with olive green using this week's Freshly Made Sketch.

The Box by itself seemed a bit plain, so I die cut several circle swirls from Tim Holtz Scribbles & Splat & finished with a few sequins.

 

Hoppy Birthday

This morning I made a quick & easy birthday card featuring the new Rollin' Stamps from Reverse Confetti using the Sketch For You To Try.

Hopscotch, Bicycles, Roller Skates ... all of the stamps bring back such fun childhood memories.

Looking at the card now, embossing the lower turquoise panel probably would have been a good idea, but I had already attached it to the card before I decided to emboss the square.  I thought the texture reminded me of gravel or asphalt on a playground.

The colors are from the Just Us Girls Challenge.  I used a lime green sequin for my hop scotch marker.

Navy Christmas

We're still celebrating a BLUE Christmas at Jingle Belles.  I took my inspiration from Fusion Card Challenge Navy Patterns.

I combined two different papers from American Crafts Jack Frost Collection using the Fusion Card Challenge Sketch.

The Bells and Sentiment are from Stampin' Up Seasonal Bells.  The bells are topped with an enamel dot from Eyelet Outlet.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of fun blogland finds:

• Gorgeous Paper Flower Wreath (shown)
• Who doesn't love a Wedding that includes Llamas
• Chicken Noodle Casserole looks very satisfying
• I'm fascinated by these Single Line Tattoos by Mo Ganji
• I love Roasted Potatoes
• I also love One Pan Meals

Drink Good Coffee

This card uses new Summer Petal Point Inks from Clearsnap together with my version of the Embossed Embossing Technique from SplitcoastStampers (see my review of the new inks here).

The Tim Holtz On the Go coffee cups were pressure-embossed on kraft cardstock.  Next, I applied two shades of green Petal Point Ink from the Boardwalk colors to cover the entire piece of cardstock.  I applied a second layer of darker green ink focusing on the raised areas and clear embossed a second time for a smoother enamel-like coverage.

I'm linking-up at the Always Fun Challenges where the theme is Dry Embossing.

Sentiment is from STAMPlorations Anywhere There's Coffee stamped in brown ink from Boardwalk and clear embossed on a Manila Tag before adding a Eyelet Outlet Coffee Brad.

 

ClearSnap ColorBox Petal Point Ink Pads

ColorBox Petal Point Pigment Ink Pads were some of the very first craft supplies I purchased when I started stamping 15+ years ago.  The main driver then was affordability ... 8 different coordinated inks in a single container ... and I loved the shape of the ink Petal Point ink pads, which allowed more precision, particularly important for a newer stamper.

 

I am thrilled to roll the clock forward 15+ years and provide a review of the two newest Petal Point Color Combinations (Boardwalk & Sunset) - you can read it at SplitCoastStampers (inks provided to me by ClearSnap).

For this card, I started by applying three shades of blue ink from the Board Walk Collection on Tim Holtz Ideology Kraft Resist Paper.

Next I used a baby wipe to wipe the ink away from the Resist portions of the paper and to blend the inks.

I have an iron I picked-up at a yard sale years ago and I only use it for crafting.  Using an Iron is a quick and easy way to dry Pigment Inks without as much paper warm as a heat gun.  I used a paper town between the iron & paper originally, but then finished with the iron direct to paper on the back of the design.

I finished by adding some stamping directly onto the resist paper (again ironing to dry).  Next I used the three different Petal Point pads to ink of my focal image from Artistic Outpost Route 66 (all stamps are from this set).  

Here's the finished product with indirect light.  I used the petal point ink pad to ink a frame around my focal image.

Here it is with more direct lighting, so you can see the embossing.

I love how the shiny embossing on the car looks like paint ... and I love the combination of textures between embossed and matte.

 

Here's a second card I made using a the same Direct-to-Paper technique (with less blending and leaving the colors more abstract) using four of the rich hues from the Sunset Inks on a piece of watercolor paper.

 

After I inked it, it was cut with Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles and layered on a second piece of watercolor paper.  I finished with a Taylored Expressions Eventful Graduation Die Cut and a Sentiment by Tim Holtz.

I hope you'll come read my review and visit the awesome gallery of projects using these great inks.

Gamer Legend

My brothers loved playing video games when they were young ... and today they enjoy playing them with their children ... so the Video Game Brads were perfect for a Father's Day Card.

 

I hand-drew & cut the Gaming Controller using Eyelet Outlet Video Game Brads & colored brads for the buttons.

 

 

Next I added some of the  smaller controller brads and embellishments & a little *cob web* washi tape (since I thought their gaming skills might be a little dusty).

 

Sentiments are from Avery Elle Father's Day.

 

Products Used: 

• Video Game Brads
• 8mm Summer Brad Mix
• Spider Web Tape (alternative)

Dream Big

When I was in Ankeny visiting Taylored Expressions, I was inspired by one of the cards in the store to add the Eventful - Graduation Border & Picture Perfect Celebrate Frames to my collection, just so I could make this card.

I die cut the larger frame first and then die cut the smaller frame from the inside scrap, so I could trim *dream big* and position it inside the larger frame.  I love how I can customize it easily for any school color combination.

Life of the Party

When I find Project Life cards on sale, I usually pick-up a package of birthday ones for making quick cards.  This week's CAS(E) this Sketch is perfect for using a few.

I started with my Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangles and used the colors from the design to pull together my card.

I finished with some Matte Enamel Dots (which are perfect with the shimmery cardstock) from Eyelet Outlet & a sticker sentiment.

My coordinating red cardstock scrap was a bit small to cover the entire card front, so I made a slight modification to the sketch adding another layer.  This card is accented with regular Enamel Dots from Eyelet Outlet (so you can see the difference).

Mother's Day Bouquets

When I saw these awesome new Bloomers & Greenery dies on my visit to Taylored Expressions a few weeks ago, I knew I'd be making paper flower bouquets for Mother's Day.  I normally hate mass assembly, but each one is different enough it didn't quite feel that way.

I die all my flower dies several times in light blue, yellow & white to assemble my flowers.  I used the Taylored Expressions Pitcher Vase Dies to hold my bouquets.\

Challenge Up Your life is celebrating Blossoms.

I used Lawn Fawn's Stitched Rectangle Dies with various designer papers from Pebbles Front Porch Collection.

The sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp Mom & Dad Icons (love that tiny font) stamped in what I believe may be my new favorite ink ... Oreo Hybrid Ink by Taylored Expressions.

I initially planned to make two and ended-up making seven (one was already in the envelope before I remembered to photograph).  I ended-up using two different colors of greenery.

The vase & pitcher also work together for make a shaker if you like that.

I had so much fun creating all of these bouquets that will never wilt.