Ingenious Inkling

Promise of Spring

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is an Anything Goes with an Optional Challenge theme of Nature. 

 

That provided the perfect opportunity to pull out some of the gorgeous Penny Black Stickeroos.  This one is from the set called Promise of Spring (we actually saw the leaves finally starting to come out on the trees on our walk this morning).

 

I used this week's Make the Cards Challenge Sketch and paired it with some gorgeous patina paper from Craft Consortium Metal Textures Pad.    I attached the sticker to cardstock, so I could punch the corners and then I added some enamel dots.

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from Penny Black Words of Encouragement.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Just Us Girls Flowers Challenge.

Spring Umbrellas

The inspiration for this card started with The Little Red Wagon Save Me from April Shower Challenge to use an Umbrella on your card.  I started with some lovely umbrella designer paper from Echo Park My Favorite Spring.

 

 

I took further inspiration from The Card Concept How Does Your Garden Grow Challenge for my Clean & Layered Design.  I was inspired by all of the rain that would have been needed to make all of those gorgeous blooms grow.   I also added a vintage fabric bird (with his own little bird house) that loves spring blooms and a lady bug (which I'm sure is loving his home in that flower bed).  Finally I chose the perfect floral spring sentiment from the same Echo Park collection.

 

 

The layout is this weeks Vertical Sketch from the Paper Craft Crew.

 

Notable & Quotable

I recently purchased the new Catherine Pooler Stamps Set Notable & Quotable (with coordinating dies).  I loved the quotes and the slightly wonky typewriter font.

I stamped the floral images from the set and added a bit of color to the blooms.  Then I created three CAS designs using different coordinating sentiments.

 

 

I started with a simple sentiment flag.  

 

 

For this taller bloom, I liked a sentiment band.

 

 

And for the final shorter bloom, I tried several sentiment possibilities.  When I do an angle cut sentiment, I cut one side, and then I take the cut off portion and flip it over to the other side, so my angles are the same.  When I did that for this card, I flipped it upside down and thought it framed the words well & looked like a flower pot.

With my cards, I'm joining the Dies R Us Anything Goes Challenge.

What's Up?

I found this trio of Ephemera Frames in my stash, and I thought they would be perfect for the current Sketch at The Paper Players.

 

 

I added a cute little coordinating Giraffe, a few scatterings of gems, and a Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strip.

 

Stellar Human

This week's Challenge theme at Shopping Our Stash is What a Difference You've Made in my Life - we're making cards for Moms, Grandmas, or any other special person in your life who has made a difference.

 

 

I am very blessed to have a number of amazing mothers in my life, so I always send a lots of Mother's Day (or not the Mother's Day) cards out to let them all know how much they mean to me.

I started my card with some yellow woodgrain cardstock and added some floral ephemera and a butterfly.

 

 

I finished with some enamel dots and a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp CZ Design Simple Sentiments No. 01.

We can't wait to see your cards for those special people in your life.

 

 

I'm also linking-up at the Time Out Challenges with my card inspired by Spring.

Find Your Voice

The current Simon Says Stamp challenge is Wild and Wonderful ... to create a card featuring something Wild. 

I immediately thought of my Stamperia Arctic Antarctic Papers.  I went with the wild howling winter wolf.

 

 

I used the layout from Arctic Hearts Sketch with sentiments from Unity Stamp Company Empowered Words and an Eyelet Outlet Enamel Heart.

 

 

All the Feels

The Make My Monday Challenge is to use Washi Tape.  I chose a combination of pinks and greens which gave me a total 1980's vibe (yes, I wore pinks & greens)

 

 

I chose this Essentials by Ellen Die Cut All the Feels sentiment that I thought had a fun 80's-like feel.  I finished with a few glittery enamel dots from Eyelet Outlet.

Amazing not Perfect

I attended a Women's Leadership Conference this week where Elise Holtzman shared the dangers of Perfectionism in her talk titled Imperfect Impactful Leadership, and how we (particularly women) strive for perfectionism starting with behaviors encouraged by our parents and society at a very young age ... so those thoughts have been on my mind all week.  

I am grateful for art, where it seems easier for me to let my perfectionistic tendencies relax while I just lean into the creative experience.

Today's card is inspired by the delicious, juicy colors from the April Challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie.

 

 

I found those delicious colors in this wonderful Penny Black Pen & Ink Sticker for the Penny Black Anything Goes Challenge.

 

 

I used the Penny Black Stitches of Love Die to cut a frame from one of my Gel Press Prints.  I layered that on top of an embossed lavender card base. 

 

 

I finished with a scattering of gems and a sentiment from Penny Black Words of Encouragement, which is perfect for the thoughts circling in my head.

Spring Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers.  I remember sitting on the cool back step of my Grandma's carport surrounded by their blooms.  Hydrangeas are also the inspiration at the Fusion Card Challenge.

 

 

I decided to go with Fusion and combining the photo inspiration & the sketch.  Purple is my favorite color of Hydrangea, so I combined that with Green, which are also the colors from the Color Hue Challenge.

 

 

I cut 1/2 inch strips of three purples & three greens for the Sketch Layout and for the little red wagon Three of Something Challenge.

 

 

I had a Taylored Expressions Stitched Circle Stacklet on my studio table, so I used it to back my Hydrangea dimensional sticker.  I finished with a scattering of bling (keeping with the three of something) and a sentiment from Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Friendship.

In My Thoughts

The April Poppy Stamps Challenge is to add some Texture to your card.

 

 

I decided to combine that with the Let's Squash It! Challenge to add Geometry and Repeating Patterns.

 

 

I started with the Lined Diamond Embossing Folder for my repeating geometry (no name on the folder & I was unable to locate the source ... that's what happens when you have 20 years of art supplies).  I use the colors from The Paper Players for my design.

 

 

I due cut the Poppy Stamps Baylan House with the roof die cut from black ... it also has a repeated embossed texture that was hard to capture in the photo.

 

 

I finished with a stamped sentiment from Poppy Stamps Art Deco Birthday Greetings and a few Love from Lizi Black Peel Off strips to frame my panel.