Ingenious Inkling

World Cardmaking Day with Unity

Unity Stamp Company had a fun inspiration challenge for World Cardmaking Day.

 

I stamped the Unity Stamp Company Joy to Go Coffee Cup in Navy Ink and clear heat embossed. 

Next I painted my cup using Catherine Pooler Sauna & Daydream inks and then used the same colors on the Unity Stamp Company / Brutus Monroe Vintage Burlap background stamp.

 

 

I finished by stamping the sentiment from Unity Stamp Company's Whit's Words in the Daydream Ink and covering the *Joy* on the Coffee Cup (since this is supposed to be an Autumn card).  I finished with coordinating Enamel Dots.

Thanks to Unity for a fun way to create on this annual day.

bestie

The September Card Challenge at Pinkfresh Studio is Stripes & Gradients.

 

 

I used ink squares of four of the five colors to create my striped gradient background.  Then I used the fifth color (Passion Fruit) to ink my Pinkfresh Studio Gazebo die cut and my Pinkfresh Studio Phrase Builder - Hello bestie die cut background.  I also used it for my card base to tie it all together.

 

 

I used the Pinkfresh Studio Dotted Scallop Cover Plate on my background and then die cut the Pinkfresh Studio Curvy Leaves from white cardstock and wove them through the gazebo.  I finished with some Pinkfresh Studio Clear Iridescent Gems.

Autumn Mica Sprays

I got my newest collection of Ranger Mica Sprays, so I combined them with a few existing ones to create lots of backgrounds on watercolor paper and kraft cardstock.

After they dried, I combined them with stamps from Impression Obsession and some wooden leaves I had in my stash to make a group of cards.

 

 

The first one is for the Addicted to Stamps Birthday Challenge using the Sunday Stamps Sketch.

 

I love the combination of the two backgrounds.  Sentiment is Impression Obsession Typewriter Slimline Shorts.

 

 

The next one is for the Can You Handle the Pressure? Challenge with a twist of fall.  I embossed the sprayed panel with a Darice Fall Leaf Background Embossing Folder and then inked the raised texture with orange ink.

 

 

The sentiment is from the same Impression Obsession Typepwriter Slimline Shorts stamp set (I love that slightly wonky typewriter font and the set has so many options).

The next one positioned the leaves on top of the Impression Obsession Burlap Die Cut from Kraft cardstock.

 

This sentiment is from Impression Obsession The Skinny.

I'm linking-up my next card at the Country View Challenge Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness.

 

Sentiment is Impression Obsession Watch the Leaves ... and I added a vintage button to ground my wooden leaves.

 

My final card features another vintage button together with a sentiment from Impression Obsession Maple Set.

Never Lose Hope

I had a few Gel Press My Favorite Things Die-namics Falling Leaves leftover from yesterday's card, and they were too pretty not to use them for another card.

 

This one is inspired by the Fall Fun Challenge at The Paper Players Challenge.

 

 

I paired a couple of fall papers using a Sketch from the Sketch ~N~ Scrap Challenge and a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company Be Your OWN Kind of Beautiful Kit of the Month.

 

 

I finished with a cork house sticker from my stash.

New Chapter

The August Challenge at Pinkfresh Studio is to create your own Beautiful Background.

 

 

I started by embossing the Dotted Scallops Coverplate Die on white cardstock.  Somehow I thought it would coordinate with the Geo Arch Stencils, but it does not.  However, I decided that things didn't need to line-up exactly to be beautiful, so I stenciled on top of the dotted background anyway using the pink, light blue & mint green hues form the inspiration photo.

I framed it in the blue & mounted it on a pink card base.

 

 

I found a Pinkfresh Studio Keeping it Real Chipboard sticker that coordinated with the colors, so I die cut and cut out one of the dies from the Pinkfresh Studio Classic Tags with Fillable Elements Die Set using white cardstock and then backed it with pink before framing my sentiment sticker.  I added a navy band pulling the color from one of the books to help tie it all together.

Back to the Books

The current theme at Shopping Our Stash is Back to the Books - make a card that has anything to do with school or books ... or use a book page on your design.

 

 

I decided to combine the book theme with a book page using Gina K. Designs Open Book Stamp set.  I stamped the book on a dictionary page that almost fit exactly inside the pages.  I attached it to cardstock for some stability, and then used scissors to cut out the book.

 

 

I highlighted one of the dictionary definitions and then found some Authentique Classique Beauty book page & patterned paper for my card base.  I attached the right side of the book and let the left side fold up slightly.

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from Gina K. Designs Grow Positive Thoughts to pair with the definition.

We can wait to see what you find when you Shop Your Stash.

You Are Killing It!

This week's Just Us Girls Challenge is to CASE a Designer.  

 

 

I've always been amazed at my friend Seeka's Ink Blending prowess, so I chose this monochromatic ink blended card to inspire my design. 

 

 

Rather than limey greens, I went with the trio of yellow inks from Simon Says Stamp Saturated Ink Collection.  Seeka only used two colors (a light and heavy) and I went with three (but wished I had stuck with two due to the heavy contrast on the bottom fourth on my card).

 

 

My CZ Design Yay You sentiment didn't take up quite as much real estate as Seeka's, so I added a tiny one at the bottom.

I'm also joining the Crafty Friends Summer Color Challenge ... because nothing says summer like the color of the sun.

This card reminded me that the only way to get good at ink blending is to do it more often ... practice, practice, practice.  Thanks Seeka for the inspiration.

WTHeck Embellishments

This week at Shopping Our Stash we're asking you to pull out those WTHeck Embellishments from your stash ... So...what do you have in your stash that you look at and shake your head and think... What in the heck?? Why did I buy these??  How long have I had these??  Where did they even come from?? Why do I have so many of them?? How can I use them??

 

 

As I was shopping my stash, I found these large random photo corner stickers.  My only guess is that they were part of some sort of grab bag or mystery box I purchased at some point (or that they coordinated with a paper collection I no longer have).  Regardless ... why???

 

 

I decided to figure out if there was a way I could form some sort of shape with them.  I settled on a straight line on Kraft Cardstock.

 

 

I had one extra, so I paired it with it's mate to form a square and then added a sentiment from Taylored Expressions Simple Strips - Snarky using foam tape.  I finished with a few Doodlebug Heart Sprinkles Stickers pulling out three of the colors from the photo corners.

Sending Hugs

The current theme at the Let's Squash It! Challenge is Keep it CAS!

 

 

I thought I would challenge myself a bit more to see if I could combine embossing with one of the other CAS Challenges this week.  I searched through my embossing folders for possibilities and ultimately chose the Windy theme at CASology with the Sizzix Paper Airplanes embossing folder by Tim Holtz (because we know a good wind will make that paper airplane fly higher). 

I tried several different techniques, but finally landed on embossing some light blue core blue cardstock that I embossed and then sanded to bring out a bit more of the texture.

 

 

I trimmed it down to 3" x 4" and attached it to a white cardstock base.  I chose a sentiment from Gina K. Designs Happy Hearts to send some hugs across the miles.

 

Guest Designer at Funkie Junkie Boutique

Since I won The Music of Life Challenge at the Funkie Junkie Boutique, I was invited to be the Guest Designer for their current challenge - to create using Three Stencils which runs through 11:55pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 12th, 2022 (so come join the fun for a chance to win $25 for shopping).

I shopping my stash to find as many products from the Funkie Junkie Boutique to pull my designs together.  I started by applying clear gesso to a piece of designer paper from the 8"x8" Klimt Stamperia Collection.   My three stencils are  - Tim Holtz Ringer Layering Stencil, Tim Holtz Lace Layering Stencil and the Dylusions Small Martha's Most Massive Mat.

 

 

I used a paint brush and make-up sponge to apply Dylusions Shimmer Paints through the stencils.  I also dipped the stencil into paint and *stamped* with it to add more circles.

 

 

You can see one of my tricks for messy creating in the photo - I save all of the clear cellophane bags from stamp sets, stickers and papers and use them as disposable palettes - much easier than cleaning-up painty or sticky messes.  When I was done stenciling, I sprayed-on some Dina Wakley Media Gloss Sprays.

 

 

Once my paper dried, I cut it into two 4"x8" pieces to use as the bases for two slimline cards.  I started with a feminine design.  I created my dimensional rectangle by using the Tim Holtz Mini Mechanics embossing folder on a piece of watercolor paper.  After embossing I sprayed it with a mixture of the Media Glass Sprays.  When that dried, I used my finger and Black Marble Shimmer Paint to bring out the texture of the embossing.  I rescued a piece of the over-sprayed watercolor paper from the recycle to use on my card.

 

 

The Klimt & floral images were cut from other pieces of designer papers from the same Stamperia Collection.

 

 

The sentiments are from the Tim Holtz Metallic Sticker Book.  I sprayed the Prima Marketing Painted Flower lightly with more Gloss Spray to help tie it all together (which you can see more clearly in the close-up).

 

 

I finished with some Finnabair Art Extravagance Jewel Effect Texture Paste on the corners of the card front.

I used the other half of the 8"x8"x background for my masculine card.  In addition to more sentiments from the Tim Holtz Metallic Sticker Book, I added some of the black labels as well.  I also featured one of the Tim Holtz Baseboard Dolls as the focal image.

 

I finished with more of the Finnabair Texture Paste on the corners, some Dylusions Washi Tape and a few Japanese butterfly stickers from my stash.

 

 

I love the curled edge of the paper and how his boutonnière looks like the same flower as shown in the designer paper.

I had so much fun with these mixed media creations for the Funkie Junkie Boutique ... I hope you enjoyed them too.