Ingenious Inkling

Plan?

When I saw today's theme at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers, I stopped in my tracks and immediately inked-up the new Starving Artistamps image on my studio table ... because you know I love my Monsters.  I used to have these stamps in red rubber, and was so glad to see them re-released in acrylic.

Sometimes card designs are thoughtful ... other times (like today) they are more like accidents.  I grabbed a piece of gray cardstock on my studio table (perhaps influenced by the grey background of the challenge graphic) and stamped with the Seedless Preserves Distress Ink that I hadn't yet put away from my prior project ... then I saw my set of The One With All The Stamps from The Ink Road (also not yet put away from a prior project) and a card was born.

All I had to do was go find my Googly Eyes and color the coffee/tea in his cup.

SLEIGH.

This week's theme at Jingle Belles is Let it SNOW ... we're creating cards featuring featuring snow … it might be a snowy scene, snowflakes or maybe even a round little snow-person.

Each week, when I see the Jingle Belles theme for the week, I usually go shop my stash to see what I have that I might incorporate into my design.  This week, I stopped when I saw this snowflake paper from Shimelle's Christmas Magic Collection (collection is still available digitally) ... love the non-traditional Christmas colors.

 

I paired it with the super-fun stamps from The Ink Road's Happy Holla Days.  The layout is the sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges."

 

I'm also linking-up at the Sweet Stamping Christmas Blog.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of skipping through blogland:

• Love this Wood Slice Feature Art (shown)
• Fun DIY Paper wreath (so many color possibilities)
• Peach Cake ... yes please
• How cute is this Drinking Straw Necklace 
• Shepherd's Hand Pies
• This Button Art Unicorn looks like a project I would have enjoyed making with my Grandma and her button collection
• Erum's stunning Constellation Backgrounds blow me away (well, pretty much anything she creates does that)
• I haven't thought about Bisquick Sausage Balls in years ... this Mexican Version sounds yummy
• Gorgeous Watercolors of Ingrid Sanchez
• Love this Rainbow Paper Bunting
• The Museum of the Moon
• Refreshing your Fall Wardrobe ... I love the greens and I want a plaid coat.
• Stove Top Lasagna looks like comfort in a pan
• Tips on Shopping for Cheap Reads

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Celebrate

Let's see ... what do I need to make tonight ... big surprise ... MORE Masculine Birthday cards ... need always exceeds my inventory.

I started with this week's Wednesday Sketch Challenge at My Favorite Things.

I flipped it on it's side, so I could use my new CELEBRATE Speech Bubble Die-Namics ... which I placed on a tag for the Tag You're It! Challenge at Little Red Wagon.

I also used these happy hues from the MFT Color Challenge. I'm also linking-up at Helen's Anything Goes Masculine Challenge at the Water Cooler Wednesday Challenge.

 

Love that how you can use the letters and the negative of that fun Celebrate Speech Bubble Die-Namics ... I have a feeling you'll be seeing it quite a bit.

 

Mr. & Mrs.

When I saw the theme at CASology this week, I immediately thought of a Wedding Dress.

For some reason, most of my wedding stamps in my stash are vintage wood block stamps.  Every time I pull them out to create a card, it makes me love my MISTI that much more ... especially with this East of India Sentiment stamp that is mounted crooked on the block.  I need to find some CAS Classic Wedding dress/couple stamps that aren't wood mounted ... suggestions?

 

My dress is 2011 Penny Black Bride & Groom stamped in grey Watering Can Ink for this week's Just Us Girls Color Challenge.  I used Coral for my sentiment & added a third color of light pink to color the flowers in the bouquet and boutonniere.  

 

I'm also joining the Penny Black September Anything Goes Challenge.

I Could Just Squeeze You

I went full FUSION for the Fusion Card Challenge.  I was drawn to the red grapefruit in the picture ... both because I love one for breakfast (and haven't had one in quite some time) and because they remind me of my Grandad who taught me how to eat one with a grapefruit spoon.

I had the never-been-inked Concord & 9th Orange You Sweet Stamps in my stash ... so it was time to give them some love.

I stamped the solid Grapefruit three times using Catherine Pooler It's a Girl Ink & cut them out with the coordinating Die. 

I used Versafine Clair Nocturne to add the slices & the Thinking of You sentiment.  I finished with punched leaves & another sentiment from the same set along the bottom.  Love those yummy colors.

The Library Challenge ~ Oscar

I love playing along with The Library Challenge ... I love books ... I love creating cards inspired by books.  The Challenge is to create a card inspired by The Cover, The Title, or The Story of the book.

When I stumbled across this gorgeous book cover for Oscar by Mauricio Segura, I e-mailed the challenge to see if they ever take suggestions ... turns out they do, and I'm joining the challenge this week as a Guest Designer.

I loved the composition of this book cover ... the bright colors and how they overlapped and contrasted with the bold black text. 

I immediately thought of creating with Distress Oxide Inks (Abandoned Coral, Squeezed Lemonade & Twisted Citron).  I looked for a solid image like the piano, but instead settled on bold solid words from Cas-ual Fridays Bomb Diggity Stamp Set.  I flipped the coral word upside down like the piano and overlapped the yellow.  My MISTI makes getting those solid colors stamped so easy.

 

Next I added black bold sentiments where the title, authors name, and translator information are located on the cover.  I finished with a Tim Holtz #hashtag to turn this into a birthday card.

I hope you'll come join the challenge ... I'd love to stop by and see how the book cover inspired you.  

Gelli Press Wreaths

I wanted to join the #gellifallfever Challenge from Gelli Press on Instagram ... and this is my print.  It combines lots of layers of paint with some stencils and scratches and metallic bronze paint for overall shimmer.

When I make a print, I usually don't give any thought to what I'll ultimately make with the finished product.  I just like to play with paint and see what I end-up with.

The more I looked at this print, the more I thought about making a wreath.  The first wreath I found in my stash was the Tim Holtz Layered Holiday Wreath ... but who says I can't stretch my stash and turn it into some fall wreath fun.  I don't even think you can tell they are Holly Leaves with these printed papers.

 

I cut my print in half, ran it through the die cut machine, ran it through the coordinating embossing folder, and these are my two end projects.

 

I used Cornflower Blue Ink and paper to pull out the blues in my print.  I'm joining the Autumn or Spring Challenge at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog ...

and L is for Leaves at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers (because how fun & snarky is that Sassy Pants Best Friends sentiment from My Favorite Things .

 

I combined the same blue paper with purple from my stash (and a scrap of the Gelli Press Print) together with wooden birthday sticker.  I'm linking-up at Seize the Birthday where the Topping is Die cuts or Punches.

 

All is Calm

We're still creating PEACE-ful cards at Jingle Belles this week.

I started my card with this PEACE Bingo card.  Next I went searching through my doilies ... because clearly a Bingo card needs a doily.

Next I found the scrap of texty packaging (it makes me feel peaceful when I recycle) and an already trimmed piece of burlap paper.  Next in the process was finding a piece of base paper that incorporated both the brighter green of the bingo card and the mintier green of the package ... Basic Grey Juniper Berry papers to the rescue.

Next I added the Lawn Fawn wooden snowflake pieces and a gold *merry christmas* rub-on to my bingo card with a minty green enamel dot in the center.  Then I added the S&H Green Stamps, which always remind me of my Grandma.  She and I used to sit together at the dining room table licking all of those stamps and filling up the books while we solved the world's problems.  Then when it was time for me to go to college, she picked-up all of those books and took me to the S&H Green Stamps store where I picked-out a Black & Decker Iron to take with me to college (that I continued to use for almost 20 years).  Those memories make me happy ... and very peaceful ... remembering how much she loved me and how much I loved spending time with her.

Finishing touch as an All Is Calm sentiment sticker to help tie in the black from the background paper (and add one more peace-ful element).  I really love how this one turned out ... and I loved the creative process.

I hope you'll find peace in your creating this week and come join us.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland discoveries:

• How to tie various Macrame Knots (takes me back to 5th grade girl scouts)
• Yum to Pumpkin Pancakes 
• meditation routine to fall asleep
• I want to try these Italian Sub Breadsticks
• wish I had learned this earlier in life
• love this tiny Lemon Meringue Pie for Two
• Fall Foliage Prediction Map
• Gorgeous Wedding Photos
• This Mix Tape Coffee Table makes me smile (shown)
• We saw a display of DaVinci's Journals at a museum a few years ago (amazing) ... love that some are now online
• How to get the most out of Art Classes
• Gorgeous Carved Ceramics.

Have a Terrific Thursday!