Ingenious Inkling

Another Week of #dyicad2023

I'm still having fun creating Index Card Art.

 

 

For day 22, I just combined a random collection of gelliprints, which I thought produced an Unexpected result.  I finished with some snark that can also be unexpected (but then again, when it comes from this mouth, maybe not so much).

 

 

Day 23, I went with a Winter Enchanted Forest using wildlife stamps from my stash (that were gifted to me by my mother-in-law who meant the world to me).  I positioned them on another Gelliprinted Index card (I'm really having fun creating prints on this smaller palette size).

 

 

Day 24 had me breaking out my Tim Holtz Bubbles Stamp in shades of pink ... because what's more bubbly than Pink Champagne.  I also included a P!NK lyric sticker in keeping with the theme.

 

 

For day 25 I tore a page out of one of my saved-for-collaging Children's Dictionaries and paired it with another-yet-again Gelliprinted index card.  I added another gelliprinted scrap and a wrap of twine to complete the design ... I was happy with how this one turned out.

 

 

For Day 26, I tried my hand at drawing (on another gelliprint) ... and remembered who I seldom try my hand at drawing.  Someone said they knew what it was when they looked at it, so that means it wasn't a total failure.  This prompt took me back to playing Pinball for hours with my brother while our Mom & Step-Dad bowled in a bowling league (usually we stayed home with a sitter, but some nights that must have fallen through and we got to just hang-out entertaining ourselves all evening).

 

 

Day 27 I played with brayering ink onto a gridded index card trying to achieve a slight variation of opacity, which I think I was successful at doing.  I went with simple letter stickers to finish this one.

 

 

Day 28/61 of #dyicad2023 is Asanoha Pattern. Yes, I had to look it up. I found a free printable that I Gelli printed on top of before adding stickers related to its meaning.

 

 

And lastly, a current photo of me.  We had our annual awards banquet last weekend, where I had the privilege of bestowing the service awards to a group of amazing co-workers.  I loved my outfit all the way down to my green ombre nails & green sandals (would you believe I found that dress at Kohl's)

 

Thinking of You

I needed a Thinking of You card to send in the mail to my current Chemo Angel assignment.  I'm linking-up at the Just Us Girls Thinking of You Clean & Simple Card Challenge.

 

 

I stamped the sentiment from Catherine Pooler Notable & Quotable Stamps in Catherine Pooler Crushed Violet.  Next I added strips of a Gelli Print roll-off sheet that I had actually thrown into my trash basket by my studio table.  There were so many layers of paint, you couldn't even see the MISTI grid paper.

 

 

I finished with a couple of silver Love from Lizi Peel Off Stickers.  

 

 

I'm also joining the Less is More Anything Goes Challenge.

 

I'm also joining the Sweet Stampin' Challenge to use no designer paper.

but this mouth ...

For some unknown reason, I was feeling a bit snarky this afternoon.  I decided to channel the snark and join the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers O is for Ombre Challenge.

 

 

I used several colors of Catherine Pooler inks to attempt to create an Ombre Gelliprint for my card base.  I settled on blue (that I splattered with water to give the solid background a bit more interest, and used the Crushed Violet ombre print for my stripes, reversing the direction of the dark to light for a bit of contrast.

 

 

I stamped one of the women from Inky Antics Saucy & Sassy and used similar blue alcohol markers to color her hair.

 

 

 I used this week's Sketch from The Paper Players and finished with the perfect snarky sentiment sticker and some Pinkfresh Studio Jewels.

 

 

I'm also joining the Funny theme at the Time Out Challenges.

Another week of ICAD creativity

It's the end of Week Three of creating art with the annual ICAD (Index Card a Day) Challenge on Instagram (come follow me at @smilynstef).

 

 

 

For Day 15 Sea Glass I felt a little lost.  I decided I would try gel printing on an index card to create the milky look of a beautiful piece of sea glass plucked from the sand.  I added the silver letters since my print was dry.  I felt like I succeeded, and I loved the artistic challenge of printing on a smaller palette.

 

 

For Day 16 Alphabet, I pulled out some unopened Alphabet stamps from my stash and gave them a try.  I started by brayering ink onto my Index Card with Catherine Pooler Catching Rays ink and then stamped the Alphabet (with it's repeating letters) in Uptown ink.

 

 

For day 17 Sunflowers, I went very literal & simple.  As Lauren shared in her post today, the importance is to make art every day, even if it's simple.  This sunflower is from Doodlebug Design Flea Market collection.

 

 

Day 18 Xylophone was my favorite of the week.  I harkened back to the Fisher Price Xylophone, which was one of my favorite toys to play with my younger siblings and children I babysat.  I could play tunes and amuse them for a long time.  My little sister commented that it took her back to those times too, which made me smile.  I used those same Alphabet stamps to stamp the word after building my Xylophone with paper & punches.

 

 

For Violet for Day 19, I tried using three different colors of violet paint and a stencil to create my card.  I tried four times, and wasn't really happy with any of them, so I decided to tear them up and create a collage on a pale violet card.  I finished with some bloom stickers that I believe are technically bits of a hydrangea, but they reminded me of violets, so I went with it.

 

 

For Day 20 Tranquility I felt stumped again, so I went back to the same technique I used for my Sea Glass and tried to create a gell press printed index card that evoked Tranquility to me.  Once again, I was happy with the result and the process.

 

 

And finally for the Postage Stamp theme of Day 21, I grabbed an envelope of stamps from my stash and created an American Flag / Statue of Liberty Collage.  I had bought bags of stamps when we visited the USPS Museum in Washington DC and had shared them with Lauren.  In exchange for sharing, she sorted all of the themes and put each in its own envelope, which made this process easy.

 

 

I hope you're enjoying taking this artistic journey with me.  It's been fun challenging myself to make tiny art every day.

Daisy Mother's Day

When I saw the gorgeous colors in the marbled inspiration board at the Lawnfawnatics Challenge, I wondered if I could do something similar with my Gel Press and my Catherine Pooler inks (because honestly, I always go through a bit of a withdrawal after the #marchprintingchallenge ends).

 

 

It turned out to be a bit trickier than first envisioned, primarily because of the yellow.  By the time I got all of the other colors into the print, I kept losing the yellow in the layers.  The one I used for my card base was the one I kept the most yellow on.  It also got darker than the marble inspiration, so I went back in heavy with white paint splatter to lighten-up the design.  I also die cut it with the Lawn Fawn Stitched Woodgrain Backdrop to add back in the movement of the marbleized design.

 

 

I used the Lawn Fawn Stitched Circle Die on one of my clean-up prints that was pulled with white paint.  I used another print reject (I actually dug it out of my trash can) to die cut the Lawn Fawn Delightful Daisy Die base adding a bit more yellow inking to the flower center.

I finished with a Mother's Day sentiment from the Lawn Fawn You GOAT This stamp set and added a few clear drops to finish.

Caffeinated Christmas Rainbow

The newest Caffeinated Christmas Challenge is to incorporate the rainbow.

 

 

I knew it was the perfect opportunity to feature my rainbow gelli print I made using Dylusions Shimmer paints during the GelliArts #marchprintingchallenge.

I also took my inspiration from the Rainbow images at the Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge.

 

 

I used a rainbow of Catherine Pooler inks with my MISTI to stamp the snowflake coffee cup from Unity Stamp Company Comfort to Go.  I added some Pinkfresh Studio Clear Iridescent drops to the centers of the snowflakes.

 

 

I finished with a grab bag stamp I got from Unity Stamp Company Dear Santa.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

The final challenge for Day 12 of the 12 Tags of Christmas at Ellen Hutson is - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with the fabulous Ellen herself.

 

 

I used my never-been-inked Reindeer from Catherine Pooler Dasher and added red nose to turn him into Rudolph.  He was so easy to color with my Graph'IT Markers.

 

 

I embossed my Tag with the Sizzix 3-D Textured Impressions Winter Snowflakes Embossing folder and a sentiment from Catherine Pooler Merriest Sentiments.

 

 

I added my tag to a watercolored card base for the Let's Squash It! Challenge with snowflakes on my tags and Stars decorating Rudolph's Antlers (colored with an awesome silver glitter pen),

 

Hey (h)Ombre Autumn

The newest Challenge at Shopping Our Stash is to create something with an ombre design.  

 

 

I decided to use Catherine Pooler Inks to create an Ombre background with Apricot, Ginger & Terracotta.

 

 

It took me several times to get one I loved, so I used the leftovers to die cut some leaves using Spellbinders Autumn Leaves & Mini Fall Blooms.  I'm also linking-up at the Simon Says Stamp Die Cuts Challenge.

 

 

I arranged them in reverse Ombre order falling down the side of the card.  I finished with coordinating enamel dots from AlteNew and a sticker sentiment.  

I do love Autumn.

I hope you'll Shop Your Stash for some Ombre designs and come join the fun.

Blue Christmas

We're channeling our inner Elvis at Jingle Belles this week and creating a BLUE Christmas.

I decided to shop my Gel Press drawer for my blues using a fabulous Sketch from Sketch~N~Scrap ... and of course some perfect blue inks from Catherine Pooler.

 

 

The sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company Holiday Joy Christmas Tree.  I finished with some vintage Martha Stewart glittery punched snowflakes and Pinkfresh Studio Bling in the centers.  

 

 

I just love that Gel Press background ... and the little shimmering inked piece I found hidden among the scraps that were too pretty not to keep.  I'm also linking-up at the Unity Stamp Company July Challenge to share your favorite stamps.  I love the Itty Bitty images that combine an image with a sentiment ... it makes cardmaking so much easier (and the frame is a bonus).

 

 

And it's an Any Occasion Challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.

 

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.