Ingenious Inkling

The Monster at the End of this Book

When my sister was little, I read her lots of books ... but one of our absolute favorites was Grover in The Monster at the End of this Book.

 

 

I would do all of the voices and she would giggle and laugh ... such a precious memory ... just like the memory below of us on the beach at about the same age when I would have been reading this book to her.

 

 

So when I saw that was the book at the Once Upon a Time Challenge, I knew I had to make a card inspired by the book cover and memories of spending time with my sister.

I stamped the waving monster from Impression Obsession Monster Set in Grover Blue, die cut him out, and then added his red gem nose.

 

 

I inked my brick embossing folder with white pigment ink to get the look of the books on the cover.  I stamped words from Impression Obsession Express Yourself that reminded me of times with my sister and then finished with a sticker sentiment.

Here's a bit more recent picture of the two of us enjoying time together.

 

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.

Wedding Love

I love how just switching-up colors with the same stamps & die cuts can give you completely different looks.

My wedding card stash is completely depleted, so I shopping my Gel Press Print drawer and picked out some prints that I thought would make good wedding card backgrounds.  Next I shopped my cardstock scraps to find coordinating colors to use with the backgournds.

First wedding card uses an Alcohol Ink Gel Press print with copper metallic cardstock.

 

 

The die cut is Impression Obsession Heart Couple Frame (probably one of the most used Die Cuts in my stash ... it makes wedding card making so easy).  The sentiment is Impression Obsession Love Stamp by Kalani Allred.

I'm linking-up at the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

 

 

Love this dramatic color combination from the Global Design Project and love the visual interest a gel press print adds as a background.

 

I love how the white really makes this background pop.   I'm linking this one up at the We Love Stamping Challenge where the theme is Hot Sunny Colors ... I think these hues fit the bill (however I was notified multiple times by different blog members that my card did not have enough stamping to qualify for their challenge, so it has been deleted.  Make sure if you consider entering their challenges that you only include stamping and not other techniques/products).

Wedding card stash restocked ... yay!  Do you have a favorite?

Cup of Cheer

This week at Jingle Belles we're making cards inspired by the color palette found in this plate of cookies from Sweet Sugarbelle at The Cake Blog – Pink, Grey (or Silver) and Ivory (or White). 

 

 

I started with a grey and white Pinkfresh Studio Just a Little Lovely floral designer paper, for the Flower Challenge at the Caffeinated Christmas Challenge.

 

 

I used this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday Sketch for my layout with a wooden Coffee Cup sticker and a clear snow globe sticker.   

 

 

I added a strip of designer paper down the center, some silver sequins and a grey twine bow.  The sentiment is from Impression Obsession Christmas Words.

 

Cool Yule!

This week at Jingle Belles the theme is The Twelve Days of Christmas.  We're giving you the option of creating a card for your True Love; or creating a card that features a Heart or Hearts; or lastly creating a card inspired by the lyrics of the song (or any combination of the three). 

I chose to combine the first two using the adorable Cool Yule Polar Bears from Impression Obsession and Hearts.  After seeing all of the adorable cards that Laura Williams made with the set, I had to have it.  I took my card inspiration from the Just Us Girls Challenge Photo Inspiration.

 

 

I started by Gel Press Printing my background using Tiara Ruby Double Pigmented Acrylic Metallic Paint.  

 

 

Next I embossed the print using a Cuttlebug Heart Embossing Folder and then applied Gina K. Designs Red Hot ink direct to paper for some more contrast with the embossed texture.

I stamped two of the polar bears in black ink, detail cut them out, and then colored with markers.  

 

 

I stamped the sentiment from the same set and die cut using Spellbinders Tag That! Die.  I finished by adding a stitched landscape cut from white shimmer paper and attaching the stamped elements with foam tape for dimension.

We can't wait to see what part of the prompt inspires you.  One random participant will receive the Impression Obsession Christmas Words Stamp set just for joining us.

 

 

 

Banner Merry Christmas

We're still creating cards inspired by our 2021 Jingle Belles Banner.

 

 

I started with a dark green piece of designer paper from the Patina Collection of the essential Craft Papers by Craft Consortium that I thought captured the feel and color of the banner.

Next I stamped Impression Obsession Sketched Trees three times starting with the first stamping in Deck the Halls Green at the top and second generation stamping in the middle.  I finished with one more stamping in white craft ink along the bottom.

 

 

I die cut the sentiment from Impression Obsession Christmas Stitched Words from Silver Glitter paper and then backed it with a white/ivory glitter paper.  

I finished with two snowflakes from Impression Obsession Snowflakes Die Set cut from ivory shimmer paper.  I topped them with Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Bling.

I'm also joining the Cut It Out! Challenge at Little Red Wagon to use Christmas Die Cuts.  It's also Anything Goes at Simon Says Stamp.

We hope you come join us for our last holiday prompt of 2021.

Live a Beautiful Life

When I was playing with my alcohol inks on Sunday night, I started on a piece of Ranger Black Alcohol Ink Blending paper, but I couldn't quite make it work, so I set it aside. 

Last night I tried again bringing out pearlescent and glitter inks together with some white and finally got a cool effect.  I came in at the end adding a touch of silver foil.

 

 

I decided with all of the silver to feature a vellum butterfly sticker on silver paper from my stash. I used the layout from the Inspire.Create.Challenge replacing the circle with the butterfly ... but looking at it now through the camera lens, I wish I would have angled it a bit (why are design facets always clearer when you photograph).

 

 

I stamped my Impression Obsession Words for Art Sentiment on vellum in black ink and clear embossed and backed it with silver metallic paper to stay with the theme.  I'm linking-up at the Simon Says Stamp Thinking of You Challenge as this one goes in the mail.

 

 

Now to figure out more inks that will work on this black paper.

 

 

I'm linking-up at the TGIF Challenges Alcohol Ink Blending Challenge as well.

 

Happily Ever After

The current Color Hues Challenge is a lovely one - Pink & Purple.

 

My sister is getting married and I was honored to create her wedding invitations.  I chose the Impression Obsession Heart Couple Frame as my focal image.  I die cut it from light purplish Pink and again from a gold glitter cardstock, which I offset.  I added a gold glitter sticker on the left side.

 

The sentiment is from Couture Creations Forever and Always.

When I completed that assembly, I attached it all to a gorgeous piece of hand-made paper I found at Artist & Craftsman Supply on our trip to Kansas City (I loved that I found the paper on a trip, since traveling with my sister is one of my favorite things & we have explored Kansas City together many times).

I couldn't be happier to be gaining a new brother-in-law.  

Bunny Friends

I love the cute little Bunny Frame Die Cut from Impression Obsession.  Today I'm designing at the Ink Pat NYC Blog where I'm pairing it with the new Impression Obsession Slimline Cloudy Sky Stamp.

I die cut the Bunny both from the light kraft cardstock and from the Cloudy Sky Stamped on white cardstock (so that I could inlay the stitched part of the die cut).

 

 

Next I trimmed the rest of the Cloudy Sky Stamp to frame my bunny at attached it to a kraft card base.

I die cut the ears and nose from a piece of white cardstock sprayed with Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide Spray.

 

 

I finished with a scattering of pink bling and a sticker sentiment from Tim Holtz Big Talk Snarky Sticker Tablet ... sarcasm & shenanigans ... what more does a friendship need (okay maybe some really great food).

 

For my second card, I die cut the Bunny from Light Grey Cardstock.

 

 

This time I omitted the stitched circle insert and just backed the opening with the stamped Cloudy Sky.

 

I snipped the word friends from another one of Tim's Snarky Stickers.

 

Would You Like to Build a Snowman?

The current challenge at Impression Obsession is Snowmen.

 

 

Strangely enough I only have one Impression Obsession Snowman in my collection - the Chin Up Snowman - ... but he is a cutie.

 

 

 

I stamped him in blue on a white card base and then used a blue marker to extend the landscape line across the card.  I used a marker for a pink flush on his cheeks. I added lots of iridescent sequin snow and a sentiment from Impression Obsession Words for Art.

 

 

I also took inspiration from The Anthology Challenge at The Library Challenge from the December 2018 book - The Snowman.