Ingenious Inkling

You Got This

Chemo Angels is a Non-Profit organization that pairs volunteers with patients going through chemotherapy.  I have volunteered with the organization for years in honor of my step-mom who lost her life after a valiant battle with leukemia.  I love that the cards I make hopefully brighten the days of someone fighting their own battle.

I love this sentiment from My Favorite Things Encouraging Words.  I combined it with this week's MFT Sketch Challenge using papers from Basic Grey's B-Side Collection.

The embellishment is a beautiful flat-backed resin flower from The Eyelet Outlet.

 

Re-cycled Packaging Christmas

Sometimes the packaging is as pretty as the embellishments they hold.  I save all of the pretty pieces in my scrapbox, so the Peace on EARTH(day) Challenge at Jingle Belles was the perfect opportunity to pull them out and see what I could create.

I trimmed the Basic Grey packaging for my focal image and attached it to the Melody Ross Green.

I also used-up a package of vintage Snowflake Stickers and finished by re-cycling a 3-D sentiment sticker that had arrived crooked.  I detached the top and used foam tape to reassemble it straight.  I used a strip of maroon cardstock between the patterns to help ground the design.

We hope you'll come celebrate EARTH day with us by doing some of your own re-cycling.

Fusion Rainbow Birthday

Sometimes I look at the Fusion Card Challenge image and sketch, and inspiration is immediate.  Other times (like this week) it takes some time for an idea to come together.

I went searching through my collection or umbrellas or rainbows and couldn't find either.  Then I saw this gridded paper from BasicGrey's Capture collection, which reminded me of the sections of the umbrella and the card came together.

For the sketch, I cut a row of rainbow hearts from another paper in the collection and then added three blooms attached with a gorgeous 10mm gem brad from the Eyelet Outlet.  I love how that baby sparkles.

 

Peace on EARTH (day)

It's one of our favorite times of the year at Jingle Belles ... Peace on EARTH (Day) ... the time of year we celebrate up-cycling & re-cycling.

When I received a package from Lauren wrapped in this fantastic birch bark paper, I unwrapped it super-carefully, so I could save the paper for a future card.

I really wanted the paper to be the focal point of my card, so I just added a few chipboard pieces in muted holiday colors.  

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

We're still celebrating Christmas Trees at Jingle Belles ... and I'm still trying to work my way through my holiday paper stash.

This week I featured Christmas Tree paper from BasicGrey's 25th & Pine.

I used a great sketch from Sunday Stamps.  The top seemed a bit *naked*, so I added a wrap of ribbon ... I was going to use white, but I like how this light blue pulls out the blue in Santa's Beard (how come I seldom use ribbon any more?).

I liked the sketch so much, I made a second.  I used Spellbinders Labels 20 to cut the top of my cards (one of my favorite die cuts).

 

 

Special Amazing Day

I love this week's Sketch at My Favorite Things.  I was inspired by several of the Design Team Members who used the Snow Drifts Cover-Up for their focal point.

I needed masculine birthday cards, so I used the fun papers from BasicGrey's Second City collection by Kelly Purkey.

I curved the sentiment from MFT Amazing to fit the curved section of the background.

The great thing about this design is that you can use the pieces to make a second (and third, and fourth) card design.  A few sequins are the perfect finishing accent for a masculine card.

I'm also linking-up at Seize the Birthday.

Sketchtivus for the Rest of Us

We're still getting sketchy at Jingle Belles this week.

I loved Lauren's torn layers last week, so that was my original plan ... then I found this great paper from BasicGrey Alpine Frost Collection that had wavy torn layers built right into the paper design.

I added a coordinating 3-D embellishment and a sentiment sticker and voila ... so easy it almost felt like cheating ... but it's not.

I hope you'll come join us.

They Say It's Your Birthday ...

This weeks Sunday Stamps Sketch is perfect for diving into my stash of Project Life Cards that I purchased for card making.

All I had to do was add a stamped sentiment (vintage Stampin' Up) to put this quick birthday card together.

Designer paper is Basic Grey Barista.

Pink Christmas

We're dreaming of a Pink Christmas at Jingle Belles again this year ... it's the time of year that Lauren & I donate money to Breast Cancer Research for each card that links-up to our Pink the Hall prompt.

This year we'll be donating to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which focuses strongly on the research aspect of the disease and has earned very high marks from charity evaluation sites such as Charity Navigator.

I decided to create a paper quilt with 3/4" strips of pink designer papers.

I matted it on pink shimmer paper and then added a pink-inked Circle Sentiment from Simon Says Stamp.  I added a few tiny pearls to finish the card.

There's no limit to how many brand new ♥PINK♥ holiday cards you can submit, so we'd love for you to join us early and often! Just link up at this post before 6pm on Wednesday, October 21st. Feel free to share this info, re-post the graphic, and link to us on your blogs and your favorite social media sites. Many thanks and lots of love! ♥♥♥ 

SOS Christmas

This week Jingle Belles is joining Shopping our Stash for a Shop Your Stash Christmas ... that means use products that have been in your stash for at least a year.

In my case, since I was hanging out at Lauren's house for Art Camp, I got to shop her stash.  I chose this D.O.T.S. Christmas tree that has to be at least 15 years old (probably closer to 20 I'm guessing).  Check out how Lauren used the same tree for her card this week too.

I stamped it on a piece of watercolor paper that had been *painted* with Color Burst Watercolor Powders.  I didn't get a good impression, so I stamped it again on a second piece.  Rather than waste the first piece, I cut out two sections of the tree to add some dimension.  I added a piece of water-colored dictionary paper along the bottom.

The layout is Leslie's Crooked Stamper Sketch Challenge.

I stamped a banner sentiment from My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas along the bottom of the tree for the sentiment and punch two snowflakes from the scraps of green water-colored papers.   Next I shopped through Lauren's bling and decorated the tree in yellow & pink.

When I got home, I shopped my own stash and added a golden star to the top of the tree & a row of SRM Stickers.

And yes ... there will be prizes from both blogs, so make sure you come join the fun.