Ingenious Inkling

Not a CREATURE was stirring

Not a CREATURE was stirring at Jingle Belles this week ... we're asking you to create a holiday card featuring an animal ... or if you want to stretch the theme and are in a Halloween state of mind that could mean a Monster, Yeti or other Creature if you want to stretch the theme a bit.

You know I'm stretching the theme, right?

 

 

I had these fun Star Wars Tags in my stash, so I couldn't resist a little Christmas friendship card (Darth Vader & a Storm Trooper are Creatures in my book). 

 

 

My layout is a World Card Making Day Sketch from Sketch ~N~ Scrap.

And one lucky participant in our Jingle Belles prompt will receive the CZ Design Chunky Christmas Stamp Set.

 

Santa Baby

We're still creating with PINK this week at Jingle Belles (and both Lauren and I will donate $2 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for each card linked-up).

The Santa Baby Paper Collection by Prima has some of the prettiest pink holiday papers. 

I used lots of them together with they layout from The Sketchy Challenge (with one vertical strip from Dress My Craft Christmas Bells, another lovely paper collection with pinks).

 

 

The finishing touches were some gold strips and epoxy dots.

 

I'm dreaming of a PINK Christmas

It's the first Jingle Belles prompt of October, which if you've been around here for any amount of time, you know is all about a PINK Christmas where Lauren & I each donate $2 per card linked to Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  All you have to do is create a new holiday card that is predominantly pink and link it up by 6pm EST on Wednesday, October 20th.

 

I started by pulling out all of my 6" pads of pink holiday paper and then searching for some in the same pink family for my card design.

After I pulled out the floral paper, I realized it reminded me of the In Bloom Background Stamp from Taylored Expressions, so I stamped it in pink on the background designer paper for my layout using the Sketch ~N~ Scrap World Cardmaking Day Sketch.

 

 

Next I pulled out my Taylored Expressions Mythical Creatures and colored the Yeti with some pink markers.  The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions Christmas Simple Stripes.

 

 

I completed my sketch with a Pink Glittery Snowflake for the #TEMakerChallenge where one of the themes is to use something that begins with S (there is snow under my Yeti's feet as well).

 

Dashing through the Snow

The next Jingle Belles prompt is to create a card that features SNOW. 

I wanted to also join the Stay Crafty with Hero Arts Challenge #staycraftywithhero, which is stenciling ... but my only Hero Arts stencil wasn't the least bit Christmasy (Every Which Way), so I had to get creative.

 

 

I started by inking my stencil with Speckled Egg and Tumbled Glass on white cardstock.  Next I stamped Hero Arts Stacking Snowflakes in Black ink on the background.

 

 

I added a scrap of coordinating blue shimmer paper with Hero Arts  and then layered on a sentiment from the Stacking Snowflakes & a Snow Globe from Hero Arts Make Your Own Snow Globe stamp set (stamped in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink).

It's also an Anything Goes Challenge at Simon Says Stamp this week.

Christmas Tic Tac Toe

We're still playing Tree Skirt Tic Tac Toe at Jingle Belles.

 

 

I decided to go horizontal across the top row with Santa, Bling & Stamping.  I chose a vintage set from my stash - Outpost Artistic Outpost Snowy Woods.  I stamped it onto a piece of purple hand-marbled paper from my stash ... I thought the marbling reminded me of blowing snow. 

 

 

I stamped a snowflake from the same set across the stop & finished with two Eyelet Outlet Silver Pearl Bling Swirls across the top that continued with the swirly feel.

We hope you will come play along.  The link-up will be live until 6pm EST on Wednesday.

Tree Skirt Tic Tac Toe

At Jingle Belles we're playing Tree Skirt Tic-Tac-Toe, which is kind of like "Beach Blanket Bingo"... but Christmassy... and with a lot more embellishments!

 

 

We'd love for you to join us; all you have to do is pick a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) and create a lovely new holiday card featuring all three elements in that row. There are *lots* of possibilities, so let's get started!

My tic tac toe went straight down the center with Trees, Die cuts and Bling.

I started by die cutting the Memory Box Marvelous Pine twice from two shades of green cardstock and attaching them together slightly offset to provide a shadow.  Next I attached my tree to an Alcohol Ink Gel Press Print from my stash, which has both horizontal and vertical stripes for the Memory Box Stripes Challenge.

 

Next I used Eyelet Outlet Green Jewel Bling Strips to Decorate my tree with Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Bling for the "star".

I finished with a sentiment from Memory Box Typewriter Holiday.

 

Christmas Cookie Snowmen

This week at Jingle Belles, we're still making cards inspired by these adorable Snow Globe Cookies from Missy's Sugar Shop.

 

Coming off my #CrushingOnCardstock classes last week, I decided to cut 1/2" paper strips in the four background colors of the cookies as my starting point.  Next I cut those into 3/4" strips and then staggered them on a black card base.

 

When I went hunting for the perfect holiday critter to feature on my card, I found a sheet of Doodlebug Winter Wonderland Enamel Sprinkles Stickers, which also included snowflakes that look like the snowflakes on the cookies.

For the sentiment I used Simon Says Stamp Reverse Holiday Sentiment Strips.

We hope you'll come join the fun with us.

Cookies for Santa

This week our Jingle Belles theme is to make a card inspired by these adorable Snow Globe Cookies from Missy's Sugar Shop.

 

 

I started with the Memory Box Snowmen Snow Globe Die cut from White Cardstock.  I cut the clouds twice and layered them with foam tape for dimension.  I colored the snowman arts & accessories inspired by the colors in the Snowman Cookie.

 

 

For the background, I blended Catherine Pooler inks and then sprayed with water.  When that dried, I added a few spritzes of Shimmer Spray.  Next came some Distress Oxide Spray and then I finished with splatters of White Enamel Ink.

I attached that panel to a Memory Box Purple Cardstock base inspired by my accessories and the background in the cookie photo.  I finished with a sentiment from Memory Box Typewriter Holiday.

I'm also joining this month's Memory Box Challenge to use a white focal element.

 

Reindeer Magical Holiday

We're still creating with only cardstock at Jingle Belles this week (not a snip of designer paper allowed). 

I chose three shades of Green Cardstock from Memory Box that I cut into strips and attached to a scrap of white cardstock to create my base design before trimming into a rectangle.  Next, I used the Memory Box Pinpoint Snowflake Plate on top of the attached strips.

 

 

Next I die cut the Memory Box Reindeer Window and Antlers from heavy white cardstock for my focal point for the August Memory Box Challenge to use a White Focal Point in your design.

I finished with a Red Fairy Jewel on his nose and a sentiment from Memory Box Holiday Greenery stamped in two shades of green.

I'm also linking-up at the Simon Says Stamp Add a Sentiment Challenge.

Cardstock Christmas

For the next prompt at Jingle Belles, we're asking you to step away from the designer paper … yes, put it away … none allowed … not even a scrap … because the next prompt is to create a card using only CARDSTOCK.

You can tear it, ink it, stamp it, spray it, emboss it … but stick to only cardstock for your holiday card design.

When I thought of cardstock ideas, my memories took me back to the first innovative cardstock product I remembered - Core'dinations and the magic of embossing it. I made some card samples for them way way way back in the day, so I knew somewhere I still had quite a stash of their paper (and I actually remembered where I had it stashed ... a crafty miracle).

 

 

I chose the blue cardstock and embossed it with the Echo Park Mini Triangles embossing folder that reminded me of tiny Christmas Trees and then got out my nail file and sanded away to reveal the light blue Core'dinations core.  Next I sprayed the cardstock with shimmer spray and splattered with white acrylic ink to bring in a snowy effect. 

I die cut my STAMPlorations Merry Christmas Sentiment from the same blue cardstock, but the contrast didn't work ... I tried a lighter blue, which didn't seem to work either ... but when I combined the two to create a drop shadow ... Voila!. 

 

 

After gluing them together, I added some more shimmer spray.  My choice of the blue color palette and clean & simple design was inspired by the Less is More Shades of Blue Challenge.