Ingenious Inkling

Holiday Cheer

The Jingle Belles are thrilled to be teaming-up with the Caffeinated Christmas Challenge this month - our first June prompt at Jingle Belles is to create a Christmas Card with Coffee (and make it  masculine if you're going to link-up at Caffeinated Christmas).

 

 

Caffeinated Christmas is sponsored by Rubbernecker stamps, so I incorporated several of their products into my design.

I started with their fabulous Rubbbernecker Coffee Bean Background for the base of my card framed on a red card base.

 

 

Next I die cut the Rubbernecker Coffee Cup Die cut in Red with the lid cut in black.  I cut the cup sleeve out of holiday holly paper from Simple Stories Claus & Co.  I used a tiny journaling card from the same collection behind the cup, stamping a Holiday Cheer stamp from Impress Holiday Word Set.

My husband asked me what made this card masculine and I told him it was the colors, but also because the Holiday *Cheer* was the shot of Kahlua that he puts in his coffee (LOL).

Merry & Bright

We're still creating with NO STAMPING at Jingle Belles.  I love stamping ... but I also love paper-crafting. 

I particularly love to pick-up 12" pieces of designer paper that features twelve 3x4" journaling cards.  I trim them down and keep them in a stash for quick holiday cardmaking 

This card features one from Simple Stories Mix & A-Mingle Collection that I picked up at Pine City Scrapbooking on our vacation last weekend (certainly worth a stop if you're in the area ... lots of great card samples).

I loved the unexpected color combination of this collection.

 

 

I found another scrap of designer paper in my stash that had most of the colors from the card.  I finished with a snowflake button and some gold cord; several paper flags; and some glittery enamel dots - all using Card Sketch #242 from Sketch~N~Scrap.

No Stamping Christmas

Instead of a Hard Candy Christmas, we're having a NO Stamping Christmas at jingle Belles this week.  Have fun pulling out your embossing folders, die cuts, Cricut cuts, stamps and stickers to create your holiday card design.

I started with one of my Gel Press prints in colors from the Christmas Kickstart Challenge.

 

 

I die cut the Penny Black Merry Christmas & the ornaments from Penny Black Ornament Kit from the Gel Press Print.  I die cut the ornament tops & ornament string from the inside of a Kleenex with cooling lotion box (such great silver cardstock inside, so make sure you save them).

 

I attached them all to a piece of Lawn Fawn Let it Shine Snowflake patterned paper.  I was a bit frustrated that I couldn't seem to capture the foil sparkle of the designer paper (my studio including my photo box is currently dismantled waiting on window installers to finally show-up to replace some windows ... why is it when you're not ready they want to come that day, and when you get ready the day they say you should, it is weeks before they arrive??).   I'm linking-up at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge to use patterned paper in your design.

 

I finished with a few enamel dots to decorate one of the ornaments.

Coffee & Flowers

I'm thrilled to be Guest Designing at the Caffeinated Christmas Challenge this month where the theme is to add Flowers.

 

 

 

I started with a coffee mug from Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Get Mugged Mat Minis that I covered with red ink.  Next I added a cascade of tiny paper flowers from Prima Luna Planner Flowers.  I love the little bits of silver in the blooms, so I added a piece of silver mirror paper behind the mug.

 

 

I paired my mug with the perfect sentiment from Caffeinated Christmas by my friend Damsel of Distress for STAMPlorations.

I finished with even more flowers on a lovely poinsettia designer paper for the card base.

So thrilled to have had the opportunity to join the ladies at Caffeinated Christmas this month.

Tree Skirt Tic-Tac-Toe

We're still playing a fun game of Holiday Tic-Tac-Toe at Jingle Belles.

 

 

I went vertical down the right side this week with Glitter, Ribbon & Santa.  I started with Santa cut from designer paper and framed in red & green.

 

 

Next I added Green Glitter Paper to my card base & the Pinkfresh Studio Rounded and Braided Rectangle Die cut from Silver Vellum.  I wrapped the card front with red ribbon (yay, I've still got those bow tying skills).  I attached Santa with foam tape and finished with a few clusters of green bling.

We hope you'll come play with us ... you have until Wednesday at 5pm EST to link-up your cards.

Jingle All the Way

This week we're playing Tic-Tac-Toe at Jingle Belles ... hope you'll come play along with us.

Just choose three squares in a row and incorporate those elements into your holiday card design.

 

 

I went diagonal top left to bottom right - designer paper, silver, and Santa.

 

 

I used Designer papers including car-driving Santa from PhotoPlay Not a Creature was Stirring.  I used the layout from BYSH Cardmakers, but tipped the layers a bit since Santa is driving fast to get to all of those homes.  I added a tiny stamped Stampin' Up sentiment in a 7/8" circle and matted it with a 1" circle to make it pop a bit more against that polka dot background.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Vehicles Challenge at Country View Challenges.

Gelli Print Leftover Holiday

We're still creating with Holiday Leftovers this week at Jingle Belles.  When I saw the layout at Sketch Saturday, I thought it would be perfect to try with some of my Gelli Print leftovers.

 

 

I used a 1 1/4" square punch, and then realized I had enough leftovers from this particular Gelli Print to use the rest for the background.  I finished with a leftover sentiment strip that I found at the bottom of one of my stamp drawers and a leftover piece of gold cord from my fiber stash.

 

Holiday Leftovers

One of my favorite things about the holiday meal is the leftovers … I always enjoy a little stuffing and cranberry sauce on my ham sandwich.

So this week we're celebrating Holiday Leftovers at Jingle Belles by creating cards using all of those little leftover pieces of paper, alphabet letters, stickers, ribbon … you know those things you have saved because they were just too cute or pretty to throw them away … well, we want to see you use them to make some fun leftover holiday cards.

 

 

Once of the best ways to showcase little bits and bobs is using a clean & simple design, so I started my design with the AAA Cards Challenge to use a torn or ripped edge. 

 

 

I tore a strip from it to use with the Sketch from the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers. 

 

Since it was purple, I decided to also go with the Color Hues Challenge of Purple & Green.

 

The Gina K. Designs Gnome for the Holidays Dies are perfect to use with scraps of paper that are too pretty to throw away ... I used two gelli print scraps and a scrap of white textured cardstock for the beard & pom pom on his hat.  I took my inspiration from the Peace on Earth Challenge.

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from the Gina K. Designs Gnome for the Holidays stamp set.  I'm also joining The Holly and Ivy Challenge where it's Anything Christmas.

 

 

And believe it or not, it's also Gnome for Christmas at Christmas Kickstart Challenge.

Believe in the Magic

We're still creating Earth Day inspired holiday cards at Jingle Belles this week using recycled materials.

I started my card with a piece of saved Tim Holtz Holiday packaging for my card base ... I love the snowy edges.

 

 

I used the Sketch from Just Add Ink Challenge and layered on a number of Tim Holtz vintage holiday ephemera.  I used a stamped sentiment from Taylored Expressions Pennant Parade Christmas and a rub-on sentiment toward the bottom.

 

Earth Day Christmas

This week we're celebrating Earth Day at Jingle Belles by creating with recycled products.

 

 

I started my card by die cutting the Be Merry from a holiday card my brother gave me a few years ago that I saved for just such an occasion. 

 

 

 

Next I die cut a piece of polka dot packaging from Pretty Little Studio (they have the prettiest packaging too).  In the same way that Lauren saves tissue boxes, I save craft product packaging because so much of it is so lovely.   

 

Since I used their packaging, I added a sticker sentiment from Pretty Little Studio The Merriest Word and finished designing the card with some painted paper from my stash.