Ingenious Inkling

Creating with Friends

This afternoon I joined a group of friends from across the time zones for an online crafting meet-up ... I didn't realize how much I needed it.  The friendships I have made in this industry have been the very best.  It really lifted my spirits and talk about art supplies, projects, and tater tots ... and I got several cards finished too.

Last week Tami of The Paper Forest shared a Video that featured how she had been inspired by several cards I had made (which made my heart so happy), so today I decided to join in the virtual challenges she shared on The Paper Forest Facebook Page.

Challenge #1 was to make a card using Sketch #426 at Freshly Made Sketches.  I decided to make another Easter Card using The Ink Road Eggstra Stamp Set.  I masked and stamped two of the Easter Eggs and colored them in shades of chocolate brown.

 

I paired it with chocolate colored papers from Prima's Engraver Collection and a piece of recycled packaging from the Hero Arts Die I used in yesterday evening's card for Daring Cardmaker's Recycle Challenge.

Yesterday I opened my hoarded back of Riesen's Chocolates, and I will confess I did get a bit Chocolate Wasted.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Spectrum Noir Spring is in the Air Challenge.

 

My second card was for The Paper Forest Challenge #2 - to use this color combination.

 

I used the colors for layering the Birch Press Caprice Heart Die for my first Mother's Day Card (I like to send as many cards as I can get made to all the wonderful mothers in my circle).  I love the look of those colors layered together.

 

The layout is from Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch.  Sentiment is Memory Box Big and Little Valentine's Set.

 

I hope you found some time to create today.

Pigeon Crapping on My Heart

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is offering up A is for Anti-Valentine as their theme this week.

 

I couldn't resist pulling out a few stamp sets from The Ink Road and stamping-up a few quick cards.

The first is from the fabulous Phoebe of Friends ... a polka dot card base with sentiment from Ink Road's The One With All The Stamps.  I used white paint pen to add a little pigeon poop to the puffy heart stickers.

 

 

The next one uses a sentiment from The Ink Road Zerofcks.

 

 

Probably not a card most people are seeking out for Valentine's day ... but you never know I suppose.

Screws Fall Out All the Time

When I saw this week's CAS(e) this Sketch! I wanted to go play with washi tape ... so many possibilities.

 

 

I thought I would do monochromatic, but then I saw one of the measuring tape washis ... and then a second ... and I thought, do I have four of these (because I clearly like measuring tape) and sure enough I did.

 

I thought the colors would work more with a black card base ... then the quest to find a sentiment.  I really wanted measure twice, cut once but somehow I don't have that in a stamp ... so instead I used this sentiment from The Ink Road Pretty Bizarre ... a quote from one of my favorite movies.

That came together so quickly, I may have to go through my washi tape and try another.

My 10 Favorites of 2019

Each year I like to go back and revisit all the art I made and choose my ten favorites from the group (You can see my Five Favorite Holiday Cards of 2019 here) ... here are my favorites in no particular order.  I found it a little challenging to narrow down the group this year, which I suppose is a good thing ... here's to another year of creating projects I love.

1. This card was for the January Blog Hop with My Sweet Petunia and My Favorite Things.  I loved designing for My Sweet Petunia ... and how the various blog hops often pushed me out of my comfort zone.  I also loved being able to incorporate my Gel Press prints into cards ... this one did both.  I want to do more smaller prints this year.

 

 

2.  I took a fused glass class in February from a new Instructor and really enjoyed the experience.  He held the class in his home studio in his basement, so I got more hands-on experience with things than I did in the professional studio.  I loved this cool dichroic glass bracelet, earrings and pendants that I made.   It was a bright light in the midst of our home flooding due to frozen pipes next door and the subsequent weeks of repair.

 

 

3. I love the texture and variety in this card for the SplitCoast Stampers Inspiration Challenge.  I love collecting vintage items ... but I love using them on my cards even more.

 

 

4. This card for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Ombre Challenge still makes me laugh ... so grateful for Ink Road Stamps ... and clean & simple monochromatic designs.

 

 

5.  I loved taking a class from Alexandra Renke at JunkieFest and getting to design with her gorgeous products this year.  I also love that I was able to incorporate my Gel Press prints into this design.

 

 

6. Grateful to have had another year designing for Technique Junkies ... I loved how this paper-pieced dogwood card with Shimmering Bliss Sprays turned out ... the Dogwood is the state tree of Missouri, so it always reminds me of the arrival of Spring during my childhood.

 

 

7. This card was for a Stamping Friends Trifecta with My Sweet Petunia, Gina K. Designs and Picket Fence Studios.  I was so grateful to have the opportunity to design for My Sweet Petunia and all of the other great companies that partnered with our team ... such a blessing (and I adore Gina K.'s cardstock and colors).

 

 

8.  Love this card made with the Inspiration Colors from Butterfly Reflections Ink ... and great stamps from Avery Elle ... this card still make me happy.

 

 

9. This card was created as a Guest Designer for the Feeling Sketchy Challenge Blog and combined digital images with the coloring techniques that I learned from Kathy Racoosin at JunkieFest ... loved how combining coloring with markers and pencils turned out.

 

10.  This card was made for a Guest Designer as Die Cuts With a View Sketch Challenge ... I love how all of the papers and stamps work together in this design.

 

 

Here's to another year of fun in the studio.

Hella Cheer

I'm joining in Ellen Hutson's 12 Days of Christmas Tags. 

This tag is for day 7 inspired by the song Cool Yule ... a Christmas song I had actually never heard before.  My card is inspired by Lisa Spangler's fun Santa Tag.

 

 

Instead of bright pink, I used a red glitter Essentials by Ellen Shipping Tag and the Santa from The Ink Road's Happy Holla Days.  I added a sentiment from the same set to my tag.

 

He's a pretty Cool Yule.

Thankful

I have so many new stamps on my studio table, but for some reason tonight I was feeling Retro.  I used this Inkadinkado Thankful for You stamp which dates back to at least October 2008 when I made this card (which I still love ... can't say that for every card I made in 2008).  I used this week's Sketch from Retro Rubber Challenge.

 

And of course I had to use one of my favorite Gel Press Prints from the weekends art-fest at Lauren's house ... I really love this color combination.

 

I paired my Retro sentiment with a newer one from The Ink Road's Dark & Twisty.

Blitzened

We're still creating PINK holiday cards for a Cure at Jingle Belles.

 

 

I am always on the lookout for Pink Holiday paper, and on my travels last week, I picked up the fun Holly Jolly Collection from My Mind's Eye.  I wanted to pair it with a Santa, so I used the one from The Ink Road Stamps Happy Holla Days.

 

I paired him with a sentiment from My Favorite Things Sassy Pants Holiday and this week's Sketch Saturday.

 

 

I'm also linking-up at Addicted to Stamps and More where the theme is Holidays.  And the 12 Months of Christmas Link-Up is Sensational Santa.

 

 

I'm also linking at Simon Says Stamp All Things Pink Challenge.

 

Muggles

When I saw the Library Card Challenge was Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, I knew I had to break out my Expecto Stamp Set from The Ink Road.

 

 

I used this week's (CAS)e This Sketch! for my layout with Rust Ink on speckled kraft cardstock from Crafter's Companion.

 

I'll Have What She's Having

The theme at the Less is More Challenge this week is Typography.

 

In Road Stamps has lots of great Typography, but I chose the Subway Art: Love

 

I inked it in an ombre color palette of Versafine Clair Warm Breeze, Blue Belle and Fantasia and then matted with a dark purple cardstock frame before attaching with foam tape.

Halloweird

This week's CASology Challenge is all about laughter ... so I knew I had to break out some stamps from The Ink Road ... and since I'm still in that Halloween mode, I chose Halloweird, a collaboration with The Hedgehog Hollow.

I stamped two of the ghosties in purple and cut them out with the circle cutter, since I planned on using the Sketch from Just Add Ink.

I dug into my Halloween paper stash to use that classic Halloween color combination of Purple, Orange and Green.  I added a touch of color to my ghosties and a sentiment from the same set ... now which of my Halloweird friends will get this card.