Ingenious Inkling

I heart SNOW

Yes, we're back for our NINTH year of Jingle Belles.  I still remember when we dreamed-up this idea to keep us connected through out the year ... and to take back our December one holiday card at a time.  Thankfully it has worked so well on both counts, that we're going to keep on going.

Prompt number one is No Time Like the Presents ... before you put that wrapping paper away, pull out a scrap or two and use them to create a card for next year's holiday (or maybe you still have some scraps that were just too pretty to recycle ... well, now's the time to use them).

On the scale of present-wrapping skills, Lauren would be a 10 ... seriously, her presents come wrapped so beautifully I often wait several hours to open them because I just want to look at them a while longer.  I, on the other hand, would be down in the 1-2 range on that spectrum.  Pretty much, I'm a gift-bag or go home type of wrapper (to my credit, they are usually very cute gift bags and often involve yetis ... but hey, they're still bags).

So even though I help determine our prompts for the year, I was ill-prepared to make a gift wrap card this year ... because I bought none (I actually had all my gifts mailed by the first of December and never ventured out into the Christmas shopping mayhem ... yes, I'm that person).  So as I searched through the stash in my gift wrapping closet, I found a couple of pieces of vintage gift wrap from the Veterans of Foreign Wars that my mother-in-law must have gifted to me at some point.

How cute are those patriotic little tumbling snowmen in their stars & stripes.   We're a bit scarce on snow in Iowa this year ... but I'm sure it will come eventually.

 

I covered my card front with the paper, added a few leftover snowflake stickers (one of my goals this year ... use-up those leftovers) and finished with three sentiment stickers from three different sticker sets.  Perfectly adorable ... and mailable.

I hope you'll join us this year ... making one holiday card a week ... to take back your December one holiday card at a time.

Quick Holiday Thank You Cards

With each Ellen Hutson Order, she include a lovely hand-colored Thank You (don't judge me ... I order a lot ... she is my favorite store). 

If possible, I trim off her signature (if you're reading this Ellen, move your signature about 1/4" lower), so I can re-purpose the lovely little designs into cards.  Today as I needed a few holiday thank you cards, my little stack was the perfect solution.

I started with a basic layout, pre-made card bases, and simple embossed panels for texture.  For this one I combined the Cross-Stitched Embossing Folder from Taylored Expressions with the cute little Elf on the Shelf from Essentials by Ellen (which has since retired).  I added some tiny blue bling to the snowflakes.

 

I've been saving this cute little Essentials by Ellen Otter for a while now.  I trimmed down an Argyle embossed panel from my stash that I had sprayed with Vivid Volt Shimming Bliss Spray (don't tell the other colors, but I think this spray is my favorite ... and remember with my code TJ10Stephanie you get 10% off the entire Technique Junkies Store).

 

Next is the most recent thank you (I have quite a few of these) ... featuring images from Essentials by Ellen Mountain Holiday.  I love how the grey cardstock looks embossed with Taylored Expressions Nordic Holiday embossing folder.

 

Next-up is this adorable Raccoon from Brandi Kincaid's Essentials by Ellen Tree Farm Set.

Don't your adore the striped pajamas from Essentials by Ellen Light Parade, also from Brandi Kincaid.

 

And we end (as the song does) with a retired Partridge in a Pear Tree (okay not exactly in the pear tree ... more like sneaking off with a pear ... but I did use the Taylored Expression Leafy Vine Embossing Folder for a tree-like feel).

 

Thanks Ellen for the care & art you include with each order (and your super-fast shipping).

All You Need Is Love

With my latest order from Topflight Stamps they provided a recycled tag and request to create & post what I create with it.

I used my MISTI to stamp with Carabelle Stamps Mini textures & Doodl'Art and finished with a sentiment from Magenta #TopFlightTag ... my first valentine for 2019.

Vivid Poppies

On a cold icy morning, it's good to have a nice warm studio to create.  I decided to join the SplitcoastStampers Inspiration Challenge from a fabulous site - Unique Vintage.  I chose this vibrant floral top with a bow to inspire my design.

I stamped Technique Junkies Small Poppies Background in Gina K. Designs White Kraft Ink on Watercolor Paper (which has more of a fabric texture) using my MISTI to get great coverage ... then I clear-embossed.

I started with Brilliant Red Brusho Powder and sprayed with water, but didn't get the vibrant resist I was hoping for ... so like any great crafter, I experimented and added a second layer of Thalian Pink Shimmering Bliss Spray ... and Voila.

 

I cut my panel in thirds and mounted it on a vibrant blue to pull some of the blues from the floral pattern and of course ... finished with a big beautiful bow.  Sentiment is Just for You from Technique Junkies stamped on a scrap of the pained & sprayed paper.  Remember you can use my discount code TJ10Stephanie to receive 10% off everything at the Technique Junkies Store.

 

While I was embossing and spraying, I decided to try a second one using just the Shimmering Bliss Sprays with the Small Poppies Background again ... this time I combined Thulian Pink & Mardi Gras Purple for a different color combination.  I just love the overall shimmer and vibrant resist you get with these sprays (and the nozzles don't clog ... love that).

 

I cut this one into two pieces and added a big purple bow with the same Just for You Sentiment (perfect for so many occasions.  This time I embossed the font after stamping on a scrap of my sprayed paper.

 

Since the Small Poppies Background was a new stamp for me and it was the first time using that color of Brusho, I'm also linking-up at the Something New Challenge at My Time to Craft.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of blogland discoveries:

• these Faux Embossed Gift Tags would be perfect for any gift-giving occasion
• Mixed-Media Paper Guide
• Baklava Babka is so lovely
• How to Be an Artist
• 2019 Calendar Template
• Overnight Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls
• Post-It-Note Art Show
• Favorite 2018 New Yorker Cartoons
• Buttermilk Pound Cake
• Free Rose Gold Wreath Download
• I almost always go for the Danish
• Cut Paper Illustrations (shown)
• Amazing Wedding Photography ... love the swings
• I want to make Air Fryer Donuts
• 2019 Colors of the Year
• Crustless Cranberry Pie

Have a tremendous Thursday!

 

Faith. Hope. Love.

Tonight I'm joining in the PaperTrey Ink Blog Hop to make a card inspired by this photograph.

 

I always like this challenge because it has a very short time window (especially when you work all day) and because my PaperTrey Ink Stamp Stash is relatively limited, so it forces me to be creative with what I have.

No flower stamps or dies ... so I looked for images that could replicate the feel & color of the piece.  I like the pale green stenciled background on the embroidery hoop fabric, so I die cut the Hexagon Cover Plate from watercolor paper (for a more fabric-like texture) and layered it on top of light green cardstock.

Next I stamped the butterflies from Melissa Bickford's Heart-2-Heart #10 in two shades of pink on the same watercolor paper because they included hearts, another inspiration element from the photograph.  

And with hearts comes love ... in this case Betsy Veldman's Inspired: Love Mini Stamp Set.

I die cut my stamped images in an oval (which worked better than a circle given the layout) and then cut a second oval from wood-like paper to frame it.  I finished with a ribbon bow like the one on top of the Embroidery Hoop in the photo.

10 Favorites of 2018

I always enjoy looking back on my year of creations ... and thinking about what I want to create in the coming year.  

Here are my 10 favorite non-holiday cards & artsy creations from this year in no particular order (here are my top 5 Christmas cards for 2018).

1.  This has been the year I fell deeply in love with stamps from The Ink Road.  So many fantastic movie and TV quotes to choose from.  I also loved this gorgeous flower die paired with a snarky quote from my spirit animal Leslie Knope of Parks & Recreation for (in my opinion) unexpected design perfection ... not to mention the Technique Junkies Vivid Volt Shimmering Bliss Spray with Kraft.

 

2.  It's been a great year designing for Technique Junkies.  I love their deep red rubber stamps and wonderful background designs like this gorgeous Big Butterfly Background (remember use TJ10Stephanie at checkout for 10% off the Technique Junkies Store).  This was one of the cards I made for the March Stamp Release.  Love the Color Burst design, and the splatters were a marvelous happy accident ... I love when you can turn potential messes into design elements.

 

 

3. I have also had another fantastic year designing for My Sweet Petunia ... the MISTI changed my crafty life and I love sharing new ways to use it ... like creating this super-adorable Winnie The Pooh card with Concord & 9th's Hi There Bear.  Winnie was my brother's constant companion for a large part of his young childhood, so this card also brings back those wonderful memories.

 

 

4.  I was blessed to finally get to attend Creativation (formerly CHA) in 2018.  I got to meet so many people that I had only designed with *virtually* over the years and enjoyed getting to try so many of the new products.  My favorite class was the Mixed Media Revolution Class taught by Seth Apter where we got to use his awesome paint and stamps ... and I also got to meet the oh-so-talented Linda Brun in person.

 

 

5.  One of the fun things about designing for My Sweet Petunia (MISTI) are the collaborations with other companies.  I loved creating with a new-to-me company Heffy Doodle and getting to meet the owners/designers at Creativation.  These aren't the usual types of stamps I gravitate toward (another fun part about collaborations ... stretching my design skills), but I was thrilled with how all of my cards turned out ... especially this fun Sip Sip Hooray Design.  I should really use Alphabet Stamps more to create fun sentiments.

 

 

6. I pushed myself to take more art classes this year, like this fun Mixed Media Class that was held in the lobby of our Condominium building right outside my front door.  The oh-so-talented Dori Patrick once again pushed me outside of my comfort zone to create a finished product I loved so much, it's actually hanging on one of my art walls in my home.

 

7.  Essentials by Ellen always releases some of my favorite stamps of the year (and I was so thrilled to meet the Ellen Hutson teawm) ... and I loved this background I created using inspiration from one of their Pin-Sights Challenge.  It was so easy, but created such a dramatic effect just using paper squares ... and Mermaids were big in 2018.

 

8.  I love learning new techniques and using neglected products like I did on this Dare to Get Dirty Challenge card ... and I love these Inky Antics stamps by Andrea Ockey Parr too (I may have bought everything she illustrated).

9.  When I visited Lauren this year, I was thrilled to get to contribute a Guest Artist page to her Space Age Atlas.  I had such fun combining pictures from Fashion Magazines ... it was a serious 8th grade flashback (in a good way).

 

 

10.  I also had the privilege of Guest Designing for some new releases at STAMPlorations this year including these wonderful phrase dies ... I loved being able to combine mixed media stamping with a wonderful clean & simple design. 

 

I hope you had fun walking down my 2018 memory lane ... looking forward to lots more fun art in 2019.

Holly Holidays

The challenge at CASology is ...

 

My parents have a large holly bush next to the front door at our home ... here's a picture of it during one of the ice storms that I do NOT miss since moving north ... give me snow any day.

 

I punched my holly leaves from a leftover piece of alcohol ink paper ... I love the subtle variation in the color.  I used deep red gems for the berries.

 

Sentiment is from Impression Obsession's Holiday Words for their Holiday Greetings Challenge.

 

Breakfast at Tiffany's

One of my favorite New Challenge Blogs of the Year - The Library Challenge - is having a retrospective challenge ... revisiting all the books of the year.  I chose one of the challenges I missed ... Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I stamped Hero Arts Urban Skyline Bold Prints in Catherine Pooler Juniper Mist ink on Tiffany Blue Cardstock.  I trimmed it to 5" wide and added a sentiment from Hero Arts Celebrate Everyday.

 

I finished with some Tiffany Blue Pearl Stars in the night sky.

I'm also linking-up at the A2Z Scrapbooking Challenge Winter Wonderland ... because this is pretty much New York City in the Winter (and New Year's is one of the best Winter Celebrations) ... and some day I will see it in person.

 

R is for Rude Christmas

Yes ... that's the theme at Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers ... so if rude is not your thing ... please move right along.

 

I've got lots of new Ink Road Stamps in the house ... including Are You Serious, Clark? so I had to ink it up.  It's not quite the same green as the Griswold Family Truckster, but I think you get the picture.

 

And while I was at it, I made a second card using The Ink Road Stamps Happy Holla Days ... I used a little cotton ball for the pom pom on his hat.