Ingenious Inkling

Snowflake Christmas

Somehow our weather seems to have gone straight from Summer to Winter, which makes me side since the cooler fall temps are my favorite.  We had to bundle up in coats, gloves and hats to walk to breakfast today.

So it seemed appropriate to create with snowflakes this afternoon for the #staycraftychallenge at Hero Arts October Holiday! Celebrate! Challenge.

 

 

I started by hot foiling the Hero Arts Snowflakes in Silver on light blue cardstock.

 

 

Next, I stamped the Hero Arts Make Your Own Snow Globe on a white tag and colored with watercolor markers, adding some silver metallic pen to the snowflakes falling in the sky.

I finished with some green twine & silver bling.

All Things Fall

The September Challenge at Unity Stamp Company is All Things Fall.

 

 

I started by using Orange Foil on the Unity/Therm-o-Web Circles a Plenty Card Front (so hard to photogram, but you can see a bit of the sparkle where the light hit it at the top of the card). 

I went through my collection and only found one "Fall" Stamp Set, so that's what I went with - Unity Stamp Company Give Thanks. 

 

 

I added a strip of orange gelliprint down the center and framed it with brown Love from Lizi Peel-off Strips. 

I stamped the tag in brown and the different leaf clusters in a combination of brown & orange for fall colors.  I finished with the sentiment from the set in orange, a gold dot on the dot of the tag, and a brown jute bow where the stems overlapped on the tag.

Autumn Leaves

The current Memory Box Challenge is Crazy for Orange.

 

 

I knew I wanted to die cut some scribble leaves from Orange Gelliprints, so when I didn't find any in my stash, I pulled out the paints and made some.  I discovered I could use Therm-o-Web Gold Foil to add a bit of gold to the still wet bits of paint.  I noticed a few wet bits before I put the gelliprint through the die cut machine ... there was a piece of foil on the studio table, and I had a Lauren moment and thought ... why not ... and it worked beautifully.

I die cut the Memory Box Scribble Leaf Bundle Background from the Orange Gelliprints and cut the Memory Box Scribble Leaf Bundle Outline from matte gold cardstock.

 

 

I arranged the falling leaves on a 2" strip of slightly darker orange gelliprint and finished with a sentiment from Memory Box Best Life Typewriter Sentiments and finished with gold & orange fairy jewels.

 

 

I'm also joining the AllSorts Challenge to use die cuts.

 

 

And The Male Room Challenge is all about Leaves.

Butterfly Birthday

After making my first Wings & Things card for the Unity Stamp Company July Challenge, I couldn't put everything back in the drawer without making one more.

 

 

I decided to foil-up the Unity Stamp Company Butterfly Fly Away Toner Card Fronts using Therm-o-Web Summer Rainbow foil.

 

 

I took some inspiration from the Allsorts Moodboard Challenge.

 

 

I used the layout from Freshly Made Sketches with a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company ... birthday jubilee.

 

 

I'm also joining the Circles Challenge at Seize the Birthday.

 

Love is in the Air

The Challenge at Shopping Our Stash this week is Love is in the Air.

 

 

I started with a gorgeous Alcohol Ink and foiled background (just press sheets of foil while the edges of the ink puddles are still a bit damp).  I die cut it with a stitched rectangle and then added a white mat before attaching to a red card base.

 

 

I added stacked white cardstock Heart Outlines from Essentials by Ellen Essentials Hearts Dies.   The finishing touch is a sentiment from Essentials by Ellen Valentine Vibes.

I also took my overlapping hearts & pink/red inspiration from the Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge inspiration board.

 

 

If you're in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area, this card and others will be part of my Valentine's Day Cards Exhibit at Gallery One from 5-8pm on Tuesday, February 14th.  Bring a friend and stop by for drinks, snacks, art and a visit with me.

 

 

Glittery Golden Birthday

I lost one of the plates for my Glimmer Machine, so it's been a while since I've been able to do any foiling.  Since Spellbinders told me I couldn't buy a replacement place, I was grateful for a crafty friend who owns all sorts of plates and a caliper to help me figure out a new sandwich that would work, so I'm back in the foiling business again.

I used gold foil on raspberry cardstock with the Pinkfresh Studio Geo Art Hot Foil plate.  The Glitter panel is the inside of the large Art Deco Frame Die that we received with our Pinkfresh Studio Holiday cardmaking class materials.

 

 

I topped it with a tag & butterfly from the Pinkfresh Studio Happy Heart Ephemera packet and a sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Foiled Sentiments 3.

 

Stitched Maple Thank Yous

I had a request for a large batch of fall-themed Thank You cards, so I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch and my collection of prints to make them all the same, but different.

 

 

I used the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles Die Cut for the inner panel on a white cardstock card base ... for this first one using an Alcohol Ink and foiled panel.  Next I die cut the Simon Says Stamp Large Stitched Maple from a Gel Printed Panel.  I finished with a sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Grateful and Thankful Sentiment Strips.

I'm linking this one up at the Simon Says Fun with Foil Challenge.

 

 

This background was made using bleeding tissue paper squares ... I've got to play with them some more.  The Maple Leaf is from a Gel Press print.

 

 

This background is an Alcohol Ink roll-off paper with a leaf die cut from kraft cardstock that was sprayed with a combination of Ranger Mica Stain Sprays.

 

I love all of the different combinations I was able to make ... I'm grateful for an extra day to spend in the studio.

Rainbow Foiled Thank You

When I saw the Simon Says Stamp Fun with Foil Challenge, I realized it had been a while since I had created with foiling.  

I had some foiled Pinkfresh Studio background in my stash from our stamping getaway (where we all spent a good part of the weekend foiling), so I decided to create a card with a background created with the Pinkfresh Studio Diamond Hot Foil Plate and rainbow foil.

 

 

I used the sketch from Global Design Project with a Pinkfresh Studio Foiled Ephemera Sentiment in the center.

 

 

I finished with gold bling and a gold glitter frame.  

Good Time to Wine

The colors in this week's Color Throwdown are a really unique combination to me ... and I love them.  That scene looks like something I would combine in my home.

 

 

I searched through my print drawer and found an Alcohol Ink Background that combined purple and red with touches of silver foil.  I added a second print that pulls in that amazing green.

 

 

My inky background is also perfect for the TIME OUT Challenge to Make Your Own Background.

 

 

It reminded me of spilled wine, so that's what I went with inspired by the Fusion Card Challenge. 

 

 

I found a wine bottle shaker sticker in my stash together with a glass.  I added a sentiment from My Favorite Things Good Time to Wine.  I finished with some clear iridescent Pinkfresh Studio drops.

Foiled String Lights

The current Challenge at Seize the Birthday is to use your favorite technique.  Seriously, how can I possibly pick just one ... so I went with my current favorite technique that I'm enjoying and trying to master - hot foiling.  

 

 

I foiled the Spellbinders Tis the Season String Lights background (I didn't even realize this was supposed to be a Christmas design ... I think it looks like lights or banners at any fun birthday party) with gold foil on navy cardstock ... I absolutely love the effect of foiling on colored cardstock.

 

I added a strip of gold glitter paper along the top and bottom and then attached my panel with foam tape.  I combined a Taylored Expressions Simple Strips sentiment in navy ink with a sticker sentiment at the bottom.