Ingenious Inkling

STARRY for Christmas

Since tomorrow is Independence Day in the USA, the Jingle Belles are asking you to incorporate either stars or stripes into your card design (it needn't be red, white or blue) … just stars or stripes (or both!) in any medium you choose.

I couldn't resist breakout out my Taylored Expressions Starry Background with coordinating Stencil & Cutting Plate. 

 

I used the Starry Cutting Plate on Purple Glitter Cardstock and laid it over the Stamped Image on light purple cardstock that I stenciled with two colors of purple ink.   

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from Taylored Expression Flip the Snowflake.

 

I'm also linking-up at the #TEMakerChallenge since one of the July Elements is Stars.

 

 

Christmas Mitten

We're still SHAPE-ing Up at Jingle Belles this week.  For my second card, I enlarged a clip art picture of a mitten to card sized and then traced it onto a scrap of red designer paper for my mitten base. 

 

 

Next I attached the green designer paper to the cuff and trimmed it to fit.  I tied a loop of kraft ribbon where the paper joined, and the attached my mitten to a small card base. 

I decorated my mitten with a round holiday sentiment from Catslife Press punched with a 2" circle punch that I attached to a scalloped circle that was punched from the same green designer paper, but sponged with green ink for a slightly darker look (and to cover those little white bits that show when you punch designer paper).  I finished with a tiny red gem in the middle of the snowflake.

 

I'm linking-up at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge which is all about Occasions.

Get in SHAPE for the Holidays

The official start of summer next week seems like the perfect time to "get in shape" but luckily there's no diet or exercise required, the Jingle Belles are just asking you to make a shaped card, by which we mean NOT a square or rectangle. Of course a fancy fold or some clever engineering (like an easel card, slider or pop-up) will also qualify.

I turned two die cut circles and dies from Paper Smooches Snowman Card Dies into this fun Snow Man card. 

 

I added two different sizes of googly eyes, a carrot nose cut from a scrap of orange water colored paper, some flair on the scarf, and my very own hand-cut stove pipe hat decorated with some eyelet outlet bling.

I'm also joining the Anything Goes Challenge at Paper Smooches.

 

Now the challenge will be making an envelope big enough to hold this round little guy.

We hope you'll break out your favorite holiday shapes and come join us ... did I mention there's a prize for one lucky participant?

 

 

Bringing the Christmas Tree Home

I always buy fun ribbons like this Red Truck bringing the Christmas Tree home, but then they just sit in my ribbon drawer.  For this week's Jingle Belles Ribbon Prompt, I used the fun ribbon to cover a Kraft Tag.  I just cut strips of ribbon, put adhesive on the back of both sides of the tag, made sure to alternate the position of the trucks and wrapped the strips. 

I punched a hole through the top strip of ribbon and created a new grommet hole to position over the top (but ended-up covering it up when I stapled on my ribbon ... design works like that sometimes).

 

I used a combination of Coordinating holiday papers including several from BoBunny Merry & Bright and a Gold Thickers Joyous Puffy Christmas Tree Sticker decorated with Eyelet Outlet Bling at the top. 

A sticker sentiment finished the design using the Mojo Monday Sketch #538.

 

And I am joining the Heart2Heart Challenges where the Challenge Theme is Tags.

Tie a Christmas Ribbon

This week at Jingle Belles we're creating with Ribbon & Trim. 

In my very earliest card-making days, ribbon was often my only embellishment, so it was fun to revisit the ribbon wrap technique. 

 

I wrapped three different ribbons around my card front and attached them to the inside with clear packing tape.  Then I attached another * inside front* to my card to cover the tape. 

I layered on on felt snowflakes and a silver glitter sticker (to coordinate with my silvery hand-painted paper and two silver ribbons) and finished with a sentiment flag from my stash.

BLING-a-Ding-Ding

We're still creating with Bling at Jingle Belles this week.

This week I combined a double-dose of Glitter with some Chunky Bling for a big dose of sparkle. 

 

I love this off-set die cut technique for an extra-dose of elegance. 

 

Dies and Stamps are from Taylored Expressions.

Merry Little Christmas

At Jingle Belles this week we're BLING-ing it on ... creating cards with Bling and sparkle.

I started with one of my lessons from Spring Card Class 2 ... embossing with Stencils.    I used the Taylored Expression Poinsettia & Pine Stencil to Dry Emboss Pink cardstock background and then ink blended to bring out the texture.

 

 

Next I stamped & die cut my focal point sentiment from Taylored Expression Handlettered Holiday 2 Sentiment ... and then I bought out the Eyelet Outlet Bling to add some sparkle to say Merry Merry.

 

 

I combined my Jingle Belles card with the Taylored Expressions TEMakerChallenge (to use Pink, a Circle and Ink Blending).   

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

We're still creating with Bells this week at Jingle Belles.

 

My Jingle Bell this week is from Reverse Confetti and is framed by an alcohol ink background and greens and golds. 

 

I finished with several holly leaf die cuts from the same Reverse Confetti Joys of the Season Set paired with a sentiment sticker.

*** Edited to add that clearly I had Online Card Class ESP since Anti-Coloring is today's Lesson ... I may try another.

Jingle Belles Bells

This week the Jingle Belles are creating with Jingle Bells ... that's right we want to see some Bells on your cards.  

I went Clean & Simple this week by die-cutting two tiny Impression Obsession ringing bells from Impression Obsession Christmas Icons from gold glitter cardstock.

 

I placed them inside a leftover die cut and embossed frame from Impression Obsession All in One Frames - Oval and then finished with gold glitter die cut piece from Impression Obsession Typewriter Sentiments.

I love the color combination and simplicity of this decision.  We hope you join us and share your Bells with the Belles.

We Wish You a Merry Sketch-mas

We're still getting Sketchy at Jingle Belles this week.

 

 

I have quite a collection of fancy gift tags that I have picked-up at after-Christmas sales over the years like this 3-D Glittery Beauty for occasions just like this one.

 

I paired it with a piece of stunning holiday paper from Dress My Craft Christmas Bells Collection (an absolutely gorgeous collection). 

I added a Lawn Fawn Die Cut Lacy Border and just like that, this card was done ... love how it turned out ... so quick and easy, but super classy.

 

Remember, once lucky participant will get these super-awesome Laurels Dies from Paper Smooches (that I loved so much I bought them twice ...)