Ingenious Inkling

Coral Christmas

When I had to vacate my studio (so the damage from flooding due to a pipe breaking in the adjacent space could be repaired ... after a 4 week wait, contractors start next week), I packed-up a few stamp sets from each company to take to my temporary studio space, so I could hopefully join in some challenges while I am a refugee.

The February Gina K. Designs Monthly Mix Challenge is to use the Pantone Color of the Year - Coral.  I got creative with this one and used the Winter Flower Clear Mini Stamp set (because why can't Poinsettias be Coral).

 

I used some designer paper layers for the current sketch from The Paper Players Challenge.  I added a bit of colored pencil shading to the centers of my blooms.

 

Black & White Birthday

Seize the Birthday is all about Black & White Birthday cards.

 

I started with some awesome Gina K. Designs Petite Patterns Paper and then added stamps & dies from Concord & 9th Birthday Stacks.

 

Perfect for a classy masculine design.

Mondrian Mandala Birthday

Fellow My Sweet Petunia design team member Susie Wymer (LoveRibbons) is the Featured Stamper at SplitcoastStampers today, so I wanted to participate.

I chose this wonderful card she made with Rina K.'s Mandala Builder Set to inspire my design.  I loved the Mondrian feel of her design.

 

I used my MISTI to stamp out a combination of Squares and Circles from the Mandala Builder Stamp Set with Gina K. Designs Amalgam Ink and then clear embossed.  I tried several times without embossing, but was having a terrible time with bleeding with the paper I used. 

 

I chose 6 markers (2 shades each of blue, red & purple) from my Spectrum Noir Marker set.  I finished with a sentiment from Gina K. Designs Wreath Builder Stamp Set.

 

I'm also joining the Stamping Only Challenge at Seize the Birthday.

 

 

Wishing You Peace

The Monthly Mix Challenge at gina k. designs is to create a card that only features a sentiment.

 

I used the gina k. designs set Peace, Courage & Memories from Unity Stamp Company.  Sentiments were stamped in black on watercolor paper with my MISTI and clear embossed (my MISTI makes it easy to use the grid and line-up multiple sentiments).

 

Next I loosely painted on three colors (peach, pink & red) of Zig Pearlescent Watercolor Paints and then finished with a wrap of Alexandre Renke plaid washi tape before attaching to my black card base.

I'm also joining Make My Monday where the Challenge theme is Use Words or a Sentiment.

Vivid Poppies

On a cold icy morning, it's good to have a nice warm studio to create.  I decided to join the SplitcoastStampers Inspiration Challenge from a fabulous site - Unique Vintage.  I chose this vibrant floral top with a bow to inspire my design.

I stamped Technique Junkies Small Poppies Background in Gina K. Designs White Kraft Ink on Watercolor Paper (which has more of a fabric texture) using my MISTI to get great coverage ... then I clear-embossed.

I started with Brilliant Red Brusho Powder and sprayed with water, but didn't get the vibrant resist I was hoping for ... so like any great crafter, I experimented and added a second layer of Thalian Pink Shimmering Bliss Spray ... and Voila.

 

I cut my panel in thirds and mounted it on a vibrant blue to pull some of the blues from the floral pattern and of course ... finished with a big beautiful bow.  Sentiment is Just for You from Technique Junkies stamped on a scrap of the pained & sprayed paper.  Remember you can use my discount code TJ10Stephanie to receive 10% off everything at the Technique Junkies Store.

 

While I was embossing and spraying, I decided to try a second one using just the Shimmering Bliss Sprays with the Small Poppies Background again ... this time I combined Thulian Pink & Mardi Gras Purple for a different color combination.  I just love the overall shimmer and vibrant resist you get with these sprays (and the nozzles don't clog ... love that).

 

I cut this one into two pieces and added a big purple bow with the same Just for You Sentiment (perfect for so many occasions.  This time I embossed the font after stamping on a scrap of my sprayed paper.

 

Since the Small Poppies Background was a new stamp for me and it was the first time using that color of Brusho, I'm also linking-up at the Something New Challenge at My Time to Craft.

5 Favorite Christmas Cards - 2018

Since Lauren & I started Jingle Belles in 2010, I've been recapping my five favorite Christmas cards of the year (you can find 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 here) ... I always enjoy revisiting my creations for the year.

Here they are in no particular order:

1. Layering Holiday Style Stamps from Sunny Stamps for the My Sweet Petunia (MISTI) Blog.  I had fun figuring out the color combination to achieve golden bells (a lot of people had figured out silver, but I couldn't find anyone who had done them in gold).  with my MISTI, the end result was perfection ... oh the magic of stamping.

2.  This was a simple card using Christmas Washi Tape and landscape dies, but the end results was so clean and classy ... I want to make lots of these.  Just proof that a card doesn't have to be complicated to be a favorite.

3. I always love making Christmas Tags ... this one for Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas really popped with the unexpected inspired colors for my bright purple poinsettia with the vibrant green.

 

4.  This card for the Technique Junkies Design Team Blog was special because I seldom color cards.  For this one, I colored the entire background (over several days) using my Spectrum Noir Markers.  The original intention was to do a little spotlight coloring, but I was having so much fun I ended-up coloring it all ... a very relaxing and meditative process.

 

5.  This Glue-As-I-Go Collage I made for Jingle Belles was so fun ... and the end result combines Vintage Sheet Music, Ideals Magazines (that always remind me of my Gran) and stamps from grocery store reward programs (which remind me of my other Grandma and filling in all of those books to redeem).  Nothing like great memories to make a card a favorite.

 

As always, hard to pick favorites, but fun re-visiting all the holiday cards I made (and gave) this year.  Remember, if you'd like to have lots of holiday cards ready when December rolls around, you can join us for our 9th year of Jingle Belles Mayhem beginning January 1st.

 

Best Birthday Ever

Tonight I'm creating with Gina K. Designs Watercolor Garden Luxury Papers ... they are so vibrant and gorgeous.

 

While the sentiments and circle stamps from Gina K. Designs Reasons to Celebrate set are sized to go inside the wreath builder creations, they also stand perfectly alone with her layering stitched circle dies (love that perfect little border).

I used the Mojo Monday Sketch for my layout ... a wonderful mailable card.

 

Craft Table Clean-Up

This morning, my craft tables were so covered an product leftovers that I had to take a break from creating and do some serious clean-up. 

I challenged myself to see if I could make a few simple cards (I didn't want to get distracted from the task at hand) with products that were already stamped and/or die cut on my table.  Here were the results.

 

A scrap of Gel Press Print, two trimmed Shimmering Bliss end pieces, and a Gina K. Designs Stitched Circle die cut.  I added the deer from the Hero Arts Clear Deer Set that was on the table and finished with a few stray gems.  I chose the deer for the More Than Words Merry Mini-Challenge.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Christmas Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

Next I used one of the Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Film Strip Die Cuts together with stamps from Essentials By Ellen Bear Ware 2 and Lil' Inker Snarky Sentiments.

 

And while Essentials by Ellen Bear Ware 2 was out, I stamped a second card on a pre-folded kraft card base for the Christmas Tree Challenge at the Allsorts Challenge Blog.

 

My inspiration is also from the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie Blog.

 

Mission Accomplished ... tables cleaned & scraps put to good use.

12 Tags of Christmas - Florals

My Tag for the 8th Tag of Christmas with a Feminine Twist was inspired by Emily's flowers & use of color.

 

I loved her poinsettias in shades of magenta and purple, so I started by using my Gina K. Designs Stitched Circles dies (they nest inside each other for a perfect border) in ombre purple and grey for my base.

 

Next I die cut the Perfect Poinsettia Dies from My Favorite Things in Magenta Purple & Lime Green.  I finished with a sparkly flower center, some glittery ribbon & a perfect tiny sentiment from Flora & Fauna Holiday Word Party (love this set).

I love being inspired to try something new ... and how awesome it turned out.

Black & White Christmas

As with Birthday Cards, my stash of Masculine Christmas cards fell short as well, so I need to make some more.

I found a new (to me) Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K's StampTV, which is to make black & white holiday cards ... perfect to solve my masculine card dilemma.

Also my new Tiny-Wreath-Builder-Bundle arrived in the mail today from Simon Says Stamp ... so you know I had to ink it up (with my MISTI of course).

I intended to use several branches from the stamp set for my wreath, but I loved how it looked after the first branch (they are closer on the smaller template), so I just stamped a snowflake from Gina K's Holiday Wreath Builder Set and punched it out with a 7/8" circle punch.  All I added was a single white pearl to the center of the snowflake.

 

I finished with a sentiment from the Holiday Wreath Builder set and a strip of black cardstock to ground my wreath.

I'm also joining CAS on Friday where they are also making Holiday Cards.