Ingenious Inkling

Everlasting Birthday Bouquet

Tonight I used this week's Wednesday Sketch Challenge from My Favorite Things to create an everlasting birthday bouquet.

Bouquet is from Die-Namics Stitched Flowers and sentiment is from MFT Make A Wish.

Snow

I'm pretty sure this is still likely the look on my face when I lose my mitten ... and I sort of wish I had that striped coat in an adult size.

 

The Best is Yet to Come

I love using journaling stickers to create cards.

 

These stickers paired perfectly with my Camera Brad & Sunglass Brad.

 

 

I framed the stickers in black and hung them on a brick washi tape wall.  I finished with a sticker sentiment.

 

Eyelet Outlet Products Used:

 

• Travel Brads (Camera)
• Sunglass Brads (Dark)
• Brick Washi Tape

Dad's December Visit

My Dad came to visit last week, and as always there was a mix of projects and fun in the house.

We started by hanging lots of new art I had hung since his last visit.  I bought this gorgeous triptych from local watermedia artist Rosemary Craig to hang over our bed.  Dad did an awesome job of drilling into the brick and getting everything centered and leveled (this girl is super-picky about level and so grateful for a Dad who is patient).

We also hung a fabulous vintage ash tray that my Dad brought me for Christmas.  I collect vintage ash trays both to hold art supplies and hang on the walls.  I also have several vintage ceramic fish swimming on the walls around our home, so Dad thought this one reminded him of both ... and I did too.  It looks perfect in our bathroom (and matches my Marimekko Shower Curtain I bought years ago on our Washington DC Trip).

I had originally bought one piece of another Rosemary Craig Triptych, but when I bought our larger piece, I had to also bring the other two smaller pieces home.  Dad hung them on the bottom right of our art gallery on our stairway.  I love the view from the top of the stairs and how the wall space is filled with things I love (some amazing art from Michele DeSutter, Amythest Warrington, Tammy Kopecky Paulus, Shawn Wolter, Brian Andreas and many others)

Dad also got create and used some under cabinet lighting to create spotlights for my new original painting by local artist John Paul Schafer  ... we absolutely love having Einstein in the house.  Having the spotlights really brought the colors to life (PS ... don't be afraid of large art on small walls).

To celebrate all of our accomplishments, we celebrated with Sunday Brunch at Pig & Porter ... one of our favorite treats.  If you go, always get the Flapjacks ... the best in town.  We ended-up sharing several dishes.

And we ended our long weekend of adventures with a trip to tour the Kinze Manufacturing Plant in Williamsburg, Iowa.  The stories of innovation were mind-blowing and seeing the construction from steel to finished product was amazing.

If you don't have 3 hours, you can just stop by for a free tour of their Innovation Center to see the stories of their numerous patents and innovations in the farming industry (and lots of big machines too)  Very impressive and enjoyable.

Until next time Dad ... love you.

Interactive Tag Gift Card

Of course, the final Tag in the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist was the hardest for me ... Interactive ... not in my wheelhouse.

My interactive is pretty basic, but I think it passes the test.  I created a pocket that holds a gift card tag.  There is an image and sentiment on the front from Essentials by Ellen 'Tis the Season.  I used a scalloped circle punch and an Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Brad at the top of my tag.

 

For my tag, I made a small fold at the bottom and wrapped it with Eyelet Outlet Cardinal Washi Tape to make a pocket for my Gift Card.

I'm guessing for the nieces and nephews, an interactive card that involves money to spend would be the best kind of interaction.

I'm also linking-up at the Muse Christmas Visions Challenge.

Another fun December of tag making in the books.  

 

MISTI Joy

My schedule & my mojo have not been cooperating this week to finish up the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist.  I was struggling a bit with an idea for the Color Challenge for Tag number eleven.

They even provided a lovely picture for inspiration.

I ultimately took my somewhat literal inspiration from Carolyn Peeler's tag on the front of her card.

I started by picking my four ink colors (I only used one shade of mint).

I started with the Mint, followed by Mauve, Taupe and Grey inking portions of the My Favorite Things Typewriter Text Background stamp.  I also sprayed some water after inking to add a bit more blending to the colors.  I didn't want to overlap too much and end-up with mud. (And yes, you close observers, I did stamp my image upside down ... thankfully in this case it didn't matter since I was going to die cut from the ivory cardstock).

I die cut Ellen Hutson's Concertina Tag from my stamped background and then again from Taupe (aka light kraft) cardstock.  I die cut a third time from Mint cardstock to cap the top of my tag.

I finished with Grey Sequins, Mauve Gems and Mint Holly leaves together with my die cut sentiment.

I'm also joining the Christmas Time Challenge at My Time to Craft   It's also Let's Play Tag at Shopping Our Stash.

Dressing-Up my MISTI for Christmas

Did you know you can "dress-up" your MISTI?

Maybe Pink is not your "thing" (can't say that is true for me ... just ask my little sister who was not the least bit grateful when she inherited my (as she called it) "Pepto Bismal Room" growing-up ... yep, my walls & trim were all pink all the time) ... then you can choose to swap out your rulers for Blue or White.

Teal is probably my second favorite color (okay orange might battle for that one, but those three colors are everywhere in my home and wardrobe), so that's the color I decided to use.

Just take your fingernail and slide under the edge of the sticker ... remove the long side first and then the two shorter sides.

Next I aligned the "6" end of my sticker with the edge and easily attached my new sticker (for a little extra I used my Teflon bone folder to burnish it to make sure everything was stuck together soundly).

The final step was centering my long sticker and attaching it.  Easy Peasy for sure.  While you're shopping for you stickers, make sure you pick-up a few bar magnets too ... and heck, you deserve a MISTI Studio Bag to match your new stickers as well.

And for my project, I took a little inspiration from today's SCS Inspiration Challenge at Department 56.

And the final step was mass-producing some Postal Thank You cards for my husband to give to the patrons on his mail route ... this process is so-much-easier this year with my MISTI.  I had them done in minutes.

I also made some in Gray (Catherine Pooler Black Jack to be exact ... I'm still lovin' my new inks) for the CASology Gray Challenge.

Mail box is Outgoing Mail from Deep Red Cling Stamps (which just happens to be on deep discount if you're a collector of all things Postal-related like I am) & the Thank You is a long-time favorite from Stampotique.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of skipping through blogland:

• Christian Marianciuc's amazing Paper Crane a Day Creations (shown)
• Love turning stamped leaves into poinsettias
• Marachino Cherry Pound Cake (I love them)
• Best tools for less than $10
• Still searching for the perfect Cheeseball
• Fabulous AfroArt Photo Series
• How many of the 8 Types of Friends do you have?
• Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole sounds quite tasty
• Fun Brush Pen Sampler
• Salted Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies ... perfect combination of flavors
• Love her creative Christmas Tree card
• Apple Fritter Cake is calling my name
• Why I Still Send Christmas Cards
• Tutorial for air dried clay ornaments
• I love organized arrangements

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Vintage Sewing

A few weeks ago, as a friend and I wandered through a vintage thrift store, I found a Sewing Pattern Book from the 70s.  Oh the hours I spent thumbing through pages just like these trying to find things for my Mom and my Grandma to make for me.

 

I used some one of the vintage illustrations together with Eyelet Outlet Thread Brads & Sewing Tape Washi.  I remember going through all of the rolls of thread trying to find the perfect match for my fabric.

 

 

I also incorporated a vintage sewing machine and a clear sticker sentiment.  I "stitched" along the edge with Essentials by Ellen Stitching Lines.

 

 

If you or someone you love likes sewing, thread brads are the perfect embellishment.

 

Rainbow Bright Christmas

The 10th Tag of Christmas with a Feminine Twist is Rainbow Bright - to create a holiday tag featuring bright colors.

They provided this picture as inspiration.

I used the tree and the round bauble wreath as my primary inspiration.  I started by covering my tag with bright blue glitter paste stars using a star stencil.

Next I die cut Memory Box Winterland Tree from Pink Cardstock ... and then used the die cut outline to hand-cut my bright pink background.  I used bright pink, blue & purple glitter enamel dots from Eyelet Outlet to decorated my tree (like the baubles on the wreath).

I think it looks a bit more like this Rainbow Bright, but at least I tried.

I finished with bright pink ribbon & a sticker sentiment.