Ingenious Inkling

Blue Create-in-Quads Snowflakes

This week at Jingle Belles we're still creating with the color blue.  I chose three Distress Oxide Blues (Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky and the gorgeous new Uncharted Mariner) together with Pumice Stone for the dots using Taylored Expressions Create-in-Quads Snowflake Stencil.

I used my Memory Misti to line up the stencils ... you just place each one lined up in the corner and you get perfect alignment for your ink blending.

 

 

I added a few small pieces of Mariner Blue gems to finish three of the designs.  

 

 

I'm also linking-up at the Daring Cardmakers Stencil It! Challenge.

 

 

It was an unexpected color combination, but I loved how it turned out (and that my cards are totally mailable).   With all of my snowflakes, I'm also linking-up at the Christmas Kickstart - Never in a Nativity Challenge (I'm pretty sure it wasn't snowing).

 

 

I think the Taylored Expressions Beautiful Baubles Add-On Sentiment gives it a Mid-Century Modern feel.

 

 

I used Unchartered Mariner for my card bases.   I also gave the page a generous spray of Avery Elle Clear Shimmer Spray before cutting into the four panels.

 

 

The final panel only had the two lighter blues, so I swapped out my card base color and used a sentiment from Taylored Expressions Winter Wishes.

 

 

I added clear gems to accent the design.  The Create-in-Quad Stencils are so fun to get four different designs from one ink blending session.

 

I'm also joining the ABC Christmas Challenge - N is for new (my gems) and O is for old (everything else LOL).

 

Over the Rainbow Birthday

The July Challenge at Poppy Stamps is Over the Rainbow.

 

 

I started by using some unopened Jane Davenport Art Essentials Mermaid Markers to create a striped rainbow on white cardstock.  When it dried, I added a coat of Avery Elle Clear Shimmer Spray, and then I die cut the cardstock with the Poppy Stamps Arched Deco Plate that reminded me of rainbows.

 

 

I used a similar rainbow of inks on the Poppy Stamps Art Deco Birthday sentiment. 

I finished with a rainbow of sequins down the right side.

 

 

I'm also joining the Anything Goes with Dies Challenge at Happy Little Stampers.

The First Narwhal

At Jingle Belles, we're still creating using the colors from this fabulous plate of holiday cookies - Grey/Silver, Pink and Ivory/White.

 

 

I started with some pink designer paper and added a strip of silver metallic cardstock.

 

 

I looked-up a picture of a Narwhal, and saw that they are actually grey spotted, so I used my markers to try to get the same look. 

 

 

I paired her with the coordinating sentiment from Avery Elle Joyeaux Noel Set and some pink gems.

Happiest of Birthdays

When I saw the pillow inspiration at the Color Throwdown Challenge, I thought I could build an entire boy's bedroom around those pillow.

 

 

I chose Catherine Pooler Dress Blues & Twilight with Concord & 9th Stardust (there is really no ink color like that one and I thought it matched perfect).

I paired it with this week's Freshly Made Sketch where I knew I wanted to stamp the vertical line elements of the design.  I used Avery Elle Brushed Stamp, rotating the middle one.

 

 

For the vertical sentiment, I ombre-inked Avery Elle Cake & Candles.  I finished with some Concord & 9th Stardust enamel dots.

 

Retro Happy Birthday

I should be cleaning my studio, but instead I made a card with things I found on my studio table.  

I saw that the Seize the Birthday Challenge was to use an Embossing Folder (and re-stocking my masculine birthday cards is also on my To Do List), so I grabbed the Tim Holtz Retro Cirque Embossing Folder and embossed the piece of yellow cardstock from yesterday's card.

 

After Embossing, I grabbed some Crackling Campfire Distress Ink and a domed foam applicator to bring out the embossed texture.  Next I sprayed with Avery Elle Clear Shimmer Spray (which reacts subtly with the inked surface).

 

 

I grabbed scraps of cardstock and put my card together using the Sunday Stamp Sketch.  For my sentiment, I grabbed a scrap of designer paper outlined with my Fude Ball Pen (love these pens) and finished with some Simple Stories Birthday Blast Stickers.

 

 

I'm pretty sure I could make cards for days with just the items that need to be put away on my studio tables ... back to cleaning.

Hangin' with My Winter Gnomies

Have you checked out all of the fun new Gnome Stickers at {a vintage girl} & her daughter?  Today's card features the adorable Winter Gnomes (and remember if you use my Discount Code SMILYNSTEF at checkout you get 10% off your entire order).

 

 

I started my card by spraying white cardstock with Avery Elle Clear Shimmer Spray and then embossing with the Sizzix 3D Impressions Winter Snowflakes Embossing folder (having your paper slightly damp can give you a more detailed embossed texture. 

Next I die cut my rectangle using the fabulous Crimped Frame Die from The Greetery, which is perfect for the current Let's Squash It! Challenge Theme.

 

 

 

Next I positioned the embossed panel on a kraft card base using the current Freshly Made Sketches Layout ... it's hard to capture how gorgeous that clear shimmer is.

 

 

 

I lined up three of the cute little Winter Gnomies and finished with the perfect sentiment from the new Typewriter Phrases Stickers in Kraft (they also come in white).

 

Love how those cute gnomes looks on that shimmery snowflake embossed texture.

 

Washi Birthday Make-Over

I had so much fun doing the Gina K. Designs Make-Over Challenge the last two weeks, I thought I would expand and look for other cards in my history that deserved a make-over too.  I chose this Avery Elle Washi Tape Birthday card from August 2015 because it has been way to long since I played with my Washi Tape (and as we know, some of that tape just doesn't age well).

 

I started my card with the heart and flower washi tape, and built my color palette around that using red and that shade of blue.  I used the same Cake & Candles Sentiment from Avery Elle.

 

 

I also decided to try to make a larger card (mine ended-up around 5" x 6 1/4"), which gave me room for two pieces of flair instead of a flower (one is the fabulous Keith Haring and the other is from A Flair for Buttons.

My 10 Favorites of 2019

Each year I like to go back and revisit all the art I made and choose my ten favorites from the group (You can see my Five Favorite Holiday Cards of 2019 here) ... here are my favorites in no particular order.  I found it a little challenging to narrow down the group this year, which I suppose is a good thing ... here's to another year of creating projects I love.

1. This card was for the January Blog Hop with My Sweet Petunia and My Favorite Things.  I loved designing for My Sweet Petunia ... and how the various blog hops often pushed me out of my comfort zone.  I also loved being able to incorporate my Gel Press prints into cards ... this one did both.  I want to do more smaller prints this year.

 

 

2.  I took a fused glass class in February from a new Instructor and really enjoyed the experience.  He held the class in his home studio in his basement, so I got more hands-on experience with things than I did in the professional studio.  I loved this cool dichroic glass bracelet, earrings and pendants that I made.   It was a bright light in the midst of our home flooding due to frozen pipes next door and the subsequent weeks of repair.

 

 

3. I love the texture and variety in this card for the SplitCoast Stampers Inspiration Challenge.  I love collecting vintage items ... but I love using them on my cards even more.

 

 

4. This card for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Ombre Challenge still makes me laugh ... so grateful for Ink Road Stamps ... and clean & simple monochromatic designs.

 

 

5.  I loved taking a class from Alexandra Renke at JunkieFest and getting to design with her gorgeous products this year.  I also love that I was able to incorporate my Gel Press prints into this design.

 

 

6. Grateful to have had another year designing for Technique Junkies ... I loved how this paper-pieced dogwood card with Shimmering Bliss Sprays turned out ... the Dogwood is the state tree of Missouri, so it always reminds me of the arrival of Spring during my childhood.

 

 

7. This card was for a Stamping Friends Trifecta with My Sweet Petunia, Gina K. Designs and Picket Fence Studios.  I was so grateful to have the opportunity to design for My Sweet Petunia and all of the other great companies that partnered with our team ... such a blessing (and I adore Gina K.'s cardstock and colors).

 

 

8.  Love this card made with the Inspiration Colors from Butterfly Reflections Ink ... and great stamps from Avery Elle ... this card still make me happy.

 

 

9. This card was created as a Guest Designer for the Feeling Sketchy Challenge Blog and combined digital images with the coloring techniques that I learned from Kathy Racoosin at JunkieFest ... loved how combining coloring with markers and pencils turned out.

 

10.  This card was made for a Guest Designer as Die Cuts With a View Sketch Challenge ... I love how all of the papers and stamps work together in this design.

 

 

Here's to another year of fun in the studio.

You Are Awesome

I've had the Avery Elle Stamp Set Loved & Admired and coordinating dies on my studio table waiting for some love for way too long.  Today I'm using them with inspiration from the May Mood Board at Butterfly Reflections Ink ... those colors speak to me.

 

I stamped the wreath using two colors of green ink on lime cardstock.  I die cut the wreath, and then used the negative of the die cut inside my MISTI to perfectly position my stamp ... love using my MISTI for that (especially for a large stamp like this wreath that can be more challenging to position correctly).  Next I decorated it with gems in the various inspiration colors.

 

I stamped the Loved & Admired Sentiment in Teal and the strip sentiment from Avery Elle Simply Said You in Navy.  The layout is this week's Mojo Monday Sketch.

Happy Anniversary Baby

The theme at the Cut It Up Challenge! is to be inspired by a love song.  When i thought about various love song lyrics, for some reason the rather melancholy one-sided love song Happy Anniversary by The Little River Band came to mind ... so I went with it (because not every love story gets a happy ending).

I started wtih the Heart Connection Die from Memory Box cut from wine red shimmer cardstock.  Then I cut it a second time from light pink cardstock to fill in one of the hearts.

 

The senitment is from Avery Elle Simple Sentiments.

I'm also linking-up at the Memory Box Pink and Red Challenge.