Ingenious Inkling

Hark the Harold Angels Sing

At Jingle Belles, we're celebrating the Angels (and everyone else) singing for the holidays by creating cards  incorporate music notes, sheet music or instruments. Because everybody loves holiday music, right? Well, maybe not *everybody* but we sure do! 

I started with some wrapping paper featuring lovely hand-drawn score.  

 

I added a scrap of sheet music paper and some caroling snowman to complete my musical theme. 

 

My sentiment is from Concord & 9th Joyful Noel and was trimmed perfectly with my My Sweet Petunia Cut-Align.

Ink Blot Shop and My Sweet Petunia (MISTI & Cut-Align)

The design teams from Ink Blot Shop and My Sweet Petunia are sharing the new stamp release from Ink Blot Shop today.

 

I had the pleasure of designing with the new Doodled Rainbow Scoops and Food For Thought stamps.  I started by using my MISTI and creating ombre backgrounds with the Doodled Rainbow Scoops stamp.

 

Next I stamped the adorable orange from the Food for Thought Stamp set (will you look at all of those stamps in one set).

 

Then I used my new My Sweet Petunia Cut-Align to trim some mats ... I've never been a knife-girl until the Cut-Align made it so easy-peasy to get straight perfect cuts.

 

And finally ... some adorable cards.

 

There are three different sizes of eye-balls in the stamp set, which is super-fun.

 

Next I used shades of purple on the Doodled Rainbow Scoops and my MISTI to create another ombre background.

 

 

This big background is so fun ... and so is the adorable jelly jar.  I love how the wrap of twine goes with the twine around the top of the jar.  I'm linking-up this purple beauty at the Fabulous February Challenge at Shopping Our Stash.

 

And maybe Jam is more your style (I always prefer Jam to Jelly on my toast).

 

This purple cutie is linking-up at the Amethyst Challenge at Just Us Girls.

 

Here are the links to the fun & fabulous blog posts:

Jeanne Streiff
Giovana Smith
Ilina Crouse
Ceal Pritchett
Stephanie Severin
Chris Dayton
Kia Gibson-Clapper
Lydia Fiedler
Ink Blot Shop
My Sweet Petunia

Please comment on each post for a chance to win this amazing prize package from Ink Blog Shop .... or a MISTI and Cut-Align from My Sweet Petunia.

Thursday Link Love

Another week of fun blogland finds:

• the Starbuck's Pink Drink is one of my favorites
• digitized Art History Books
• I bought the Trolly Dolly to use at the Farmer's Market this summer
• I'm intrigued by Chocolate Root Beer Pound Cake
• love the idea of Solar Panel Blinds
• transfixed by Sena Runa's gorgeous Paper Quilled Art (I just ordered an original from her Etsy Store)
• the Art of Book Covers
• Crispy Breakfast Potatoes ... yes please
• Photoshop Tutorial Videos
• I do love a Glazed Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit
• How cute are these little birdies ... love the colors too (and the card is so true)
• I need these new Postage Stamps (shown) by Elsworth Kelly

Have a tremendous Thursday!

Dog Hair

What I love about making art ... is that my world can be any shape and color that I choose. 

Today on the Technique Junkies blog I'm using my MISTI and some stamp surgery to create several fun green dog cards for St. Patrick's Day.   Remember, you can use my discount code TJ10Stephanie for 10% off your Technique Junkies order.

 

 

Flowers for Friends

I actually learned something while making today's card ... did you know that Corn is a monoecious plant, meaning that it grows its male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flower of a corn plant is called the tassel, while the ear with its corn silk is the female flower.

So what better stamp for and Iowa girl to choose for the Impression Obsession Flowers for Friends Challenge ... than this lovely ear of Corn from Impression Obsession.

I stamped it in brown and then added layers of green together with the Impression Obsession Birthday Top Edgers Die Cuts.

They are also celebrating *flowers* at the Crafty Cardmakers, so I'm joining the fun there too.

Makes Everybody Feel Like a Somebody

I'm joining the Stock Your Stash Challenge at Reverse Confetti with an Encouragement card.

 

I'm also joining the On the Wings of Inspiration - Bunches of Butterflies Challenge at TGIF Challenges.

 

Sentiment is from Reverse Confetti My Tribe.  Sketch & design inspiration with my Kaleidoscope (Rainbow) of Butterflies is from the Fusion Card Challenge.

 

Life is better because of people who exemplify this sentiment ... so grateful I have some in my life.

Iowa Sports Fun

One of the positives about creating at my temporary studio is that I get to use my friend's vast stamp, paper and sticker collection.  I made some fun Iowa Cards using several sketch challenges.

 

The first one combines two stickers for this week's Freshly Made Sketch Challenge.

 

Next I used this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! for two more sports cards ... first, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

 

I stamped Herky in to make him more faded like the sketch design.

 

And of course, there is also Iowa State University Cyclones.

 

Coral Christmas

When I had to vacate my studio (so the damage from flooding due to a pipe breaking in the adjacent space could be repaired ... after a 4 week wait, contractors start next week), I packed-up a few stamp sets from each company to take to my temporary studio space, so I could hopefully join in some challenges while I am a refugee.

The February Gina K. Designs Monthly Mix Challenge is to use the Pantone Color of the Year - Coral.  I got creative with this one and used the Winter Flower Clear Mini Stamp set (because why can't Poinsettias be Coral).

 

I used some designer paper layers for the current sketch from The Paper Players Challenge.  I added a bit of colored pencil shading to the centers of my blooms.

 

Fabulous Spring Flower

The February CUTplorations Challenge at STAMPlorations is all about flowers.

 

 

I had a request to make a set of cards inspired by this card which was a Tori Burch inspired glittery design.

 

I did a variety of floral color combinations, creating a virtual glittery bouquet like the inspiration picture.  

 

I combined the CUTplorations Fabulous Word Die together with the CUTplorations Spring Flower Layering Die (I only used the detail die).  This one is cut from some Shimmering Bliss Sprayed paper.

 

This color combination is for the STAMPlorations CAS Challenge which has a color twist of Cerulean Blue.

 

 

And one final combination for the Simon Says Stamps No Stamps Allowed Challenge. 

 

Retro Fasion

The theme at the TIME OUT Challenge is Retro ... imitating a style or fashion of the recent past.

 

I love collecting vintage clothing patterns ... I have such fond memories of paging through the Pattern Books in the Fabric Department trying to make my annual selection of what I wanted my Grandma to make me for my birthday.  I still remember each and every outfit and how I wore them with pride because her handiwork was so much better than anything I could afford at the clothing store.

 

 

When I saw this image on the front of a vintage McCall's fabric pattern for children's robes, it reminded me of me and my little sister (aka my best friend). Every year, we still cross the miles to have an annual slumber party together (aka our Annual Sisters' Weekend). It also reminded me of my robe that I used to wear to slumber parties during elementary school.

I started with a vintage dictionary page painted with Color Burst Powders ... and then added the text from the pattern envelope as a border.  I also stamped the discontinued Hey Girlfriend sentiment from Unity Stamp Company' on an section of clear space on the pattern instructions (love the color of aged paper).

The background is stamped using a D.O.T.S. splatter stamp that I would guess is more than 20 years old in keeping with the Retro theme.  I also added a little sewing machine stitching in keeping with the idea of sewing from a pattern.