Ingenious Inkling

More Pinkfresh Create & Connect

Our second class at Pinkfresh Create & Connect featured Peony Fantasy taught by Channin Pelletier.

I really love the dimension from stenciling the blooms, as well as the unique way of layering the detailed circle frame die cut.

 

 

She also had us splattered with watered down black ink which produced soft grey splatter.

She's heavy with her ink blending (like I am) and used some bold color combinations.  This time we did stenciled gold embossed images, which is perfect for this weeks Shopping Our Stash Challenge - Make Mine a Tall One - make a Slimline or Mini-Slimline Card

 

More embossing with the hot foil plate and layering the two slimline frames.  

I had so fun to making these two lovely cards.

Beautiful Bugs

The Global Design Project Challenge is all about Beautiful Bugs.

I don't usually call a Butterfly a Bug, but since it's included in their graphic and many of the design team cards, I'm going for it.

I love the drop-shadow technique with full cover die cuts.  This one is Simon Says Stamp Floral Card Front.

 

 

I added a few clusters of coordinating matte enamel dots and finished with a Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strip Birthdays.

Ink Blended Peony Bouquet

The May Challenge at Poppy Stamps is Floral Fantasy.

 

 

I pulled out my Poppy Stamps Peony Bouquet and decided to revisit an inking technique from this inky card from two years ago.  I used my MISTI to stamp the Peony image with fade-out grey ink and then grabbed a combination of yellow and peach dye inks and my masking tape and went to work.

 

After adding the ink, I re-stamped in Jet Black Amalgam Ink (which is why the MISTI is so important).  I used the Happy Birthday sentiment from the same set, and then trimmed down my panel to mount with foam tape on a white card base.

Before I revisited the instructions (that reminded me to stamp in fade-out ink), I had already stamped the image with Jet Black Amalgam Ink, so I made a second floral fantasy design.

 

 

I cut the Easter Egg off the Poppy Stamps Decorated Egg Stitched Frame and attached it over my stamped Peony Bouquet with foam tape.  I used the same sentiment and finished with some Pink Fresh Studio bright pink jewels.

 

 

I'm also linking this card up at the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies Challenge & Springtime Challenge at Make My Monday.

Celebrate You

The May Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K. Designs is to combine three items - an image, a die-cut and a sentiment - into your card design.

 

 

I knew I wanted my die-cuts to be the new Gina K. Designs Botanical Duo.  Next i went hunting for an image that I thought would work as a background, and I settled on the large stamp from Gina K. Designs Holiday Tapestry (remember, holiday stamps aren't just for holidays).   I chose an ink color that gave me a tone-on-tone look for the background.

 

 

I finished with some tone-on-tone gems for embellishments and a sentiment from Gina K. Designs Enjoyable Greetings attached with foam tape.

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.

 

Butterfly Swell

When I saw Jeanne Jachna's card for the Fusion Card Challenge, I had to break out my Memory Box Butterfly Swell Die Cut.

 

 

While I loved her stripes, I decided to break out a Gel Press Print from my stash (which reminds me I really need to use more bubble wrap and Color Burst Powders in my prints) for the butterflies backed by Ivory Cardstock and framed with Navy Cardstock using the Fusion Card Sketch as well.

 

 

I added some Memory Box Clear Fairy Drops to the center of the butterflies and finished with a sentiment from Memory Box Wild Rose Stamp Set (that I only had to stamp about 23 times to get both sentiments relatively straight) ... persistence my friends, persistence (I'm still not sure they're exactly straight, but that's how you know it's handmade right).

 

 

Seize the Birthday is also all about Butterflies or Hummingbirds.

Signs of Spring

The current Seize the Birthday Challenge is to create a card featuring the Signs of Spring.

If you live in Iowa, you know one of the long awaited Signs of Spring is the re-opening of the Ice Cream shops.  Many of them are just little walk-up/drive-through type stands, so they close for the winter months.  The first time you go and get your Spring Ice Cream is magical.  I think I might head to The Freeze and get an Apple Pie Freeze (made with locally made slices of pie).

 

 

I'm still using the Happy Cake Birthday! tags I found in my stash, this time with one of my Gel Press Prints and some coordinating sprinkle paper.  The sentiment is another Simon Says Stamp Birthday Sentiment Strip.  I finished with a Glitter Enamel Dot at the top of the tag.

 

 

 

I'm also joining the Make My Monday Challenge Birthday Challenge (where I was in the Top 3 for my Washi Tape card last week - Yay).

Happy Hooray!

Masculine Birthday Cards ... why am I always out of Masculine Birthday Cards.  This card is inspired by the Tag You're It! Challenge at Cardz 4 Guyz.

I stumbled across some Tag Paper from the Happy Cake Day! Paper Collection, which made it easy to pull this card together.

 

 

I used the layout from Sketch~N~Scrap with the horizontal sentiment across the tag cut from the label of the 12x12 paper.  I added an Eyelet Outlet Cupcake Brad and finished with a Simon Says Stamp Birthday Sentiment Strip.

 

Now I just need to make about ten more.

Hoppy Birthday

When I saw the new Beer-themed dies and sentiments from My Favorite Things, I knew I needed to add them to my stash.  I used them for the current My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge.

I inked white cardstock with three colors of Distress Oxide Ink (Mustard Seed, Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge), and then die cut the My Favorite Things Frosty Beer Mug Die-namics.   After die cutting, I added a big more ink along the edges and at the bottom and then splattered with water to try to give the effect of the bubbles in the beer. 

I die cut the foam for the mug twice from textured watercolor paper and turned the one on the back upside down to give some more dimension to the foam (using a very thin foam tape between the layers).

 

 

I used this Bokeh designer paper from my stash and added some circles punched from Shimmer Vellum for the other two circle elements in this week's My Favorite Things Weekly Sketch Challenge and then I stamped the sentiment from My Favorite Things Here's to You in Rusty Hinge Distress Ink.  I paired it with some rusty designer paper from Crate Paper Metal Textures.

 

 

I took my color inspiration (and a drink as well) from the Just Add Ink Challenge.

 

 

I'm also joining the I spy Something beginning with "B"  from the Allsorts Challenge with my Beer & Bokeh.

Buggy Blended Birthday

I started my artsy day with some Ink Blending for the Stay Crafty with A Blog Named Hero April Ink Blend It Up Challenge.

 

 

I wanted to use my Hero Arts Bug You Stamps for a Masculine Birthday Card, so I chose what I thought were some "buggy" colors for my blend.

 

 

I wasn't particularly in love with my blend, so I decided to combine it with the Hero Arts Every Which Way Stencil and the Baby Wipe Technique.  You place the stencil on top of the ink-blended panel and the lay a baby wipe over the stencil.  I use a brayer to make sure the baby wipe comes into contact with the inked-paper as much as possible.  The baby wipe pulls up the ink leaving a pattern behind (very fun and easy).  I did it several times since I was trying to get the stencil to give the paper a grass-like effect for my bugs.

 

 

I stamped, die cut and colored my bugs using a combination of metallic Karin markers and a Green Stabilo Pencil that I blended with my fingers.  I ended-up cutting down my blended panel to work with the Sketch from Atlantic Hearts Sketch.

 

 

I added some scraps of alcohol ink blended & foiled paper to the band across the card and finished with a sentiment from Hero Arts Message Strips Stamp & Cut and a few enamel dots.

I'm also joining the Springtime Insects Challenge at My Time to Craft, the Masculine Challenge at Allsorts Challenge Blog & lastly the Simon Says Happy Birthday Challenge.