Ingenious Inkling

Holiday Leftovers

One of our favorite things about the holiday meal is the leftovers ... I happen to enjoy little stuffing and cranberry sauce on my ham sandwich or eating sweet potatoes topped with pecans and  marshmallows for breakfast.

So this week, we're celebrating Holiday Leftovers at Jingle Belles by creating cards using all of those little leftover pieces of papers, alphabet letters, stickers, ribbon ... you, those things you have saved somewhere because they were just too lovely to throw away or recycle ... well, we want to see how you use them to make some fun holiday leftover cards.  

It just so happened that this was quite a timely challenge.  My studio was a disaster, so I gathered all of the holiday bits from my studio table to make this card.

 

 

I told you my table was a mess.

Here's what I came-up with, and I love it.  It was fun how all of the different papers worked together.

 

 

I even found a sentiment on one of the scraps. 

We can't wait to see what you make with your leftovers.

Dashing Through the Snow

We're still Dashing Through the Snow at Jingle Belles along with our Friends at the Double Trouble Challenge who are creating with Windows.

 

 

To create my Window, I used the Lawn Fawn Stitched Sentiment Banners to cut out my sentiment and attached it to the inside of the card, and then used the same die cut on the front of my card, so it could peek on through.

 

I colored my Woodware Snow Jar with Spectrum Noir Tri-Blend Markers while I was visiting my friend Beverly who loaned me the stamps (thanks so much).  Sentiment is from the same set.

We have a fun prize for one lucky participant (and Double Trouble has a prize too if you want to join all of the fun).

 

Double Trouble Snowflake

It's the middle of July, which seems like an excellent time for the Jingle Belles to team up with our friends at The Double Trouble Challenge, so that you have a chance to participate in TWO challenges with ONE card! As our post title implies, for "Dashing Through the Snow" you need to make a card that features SNOW, whether it be snowflakes, snowmen or a snowy landscape for Jingle Belles.

As you may know, the "Double" in "Double Trouble" refers to the fact that there are several parts to their challenges, though the only requirement is to play along with Thing 1, which in this case is to make a window or aperture card. But the Double Trouble Gang encourage you to add some fun... try their options by participating in Twisted Sister's Thing 3 and/or Double Dare's Thing 2 to earn additional chances in their random drawing. This time, those twists are as follows:

 

 

Remember, you need only make a card featuring some sort of SNOW to enter at Jingle Belles; and the only requirement at Double Trouble is to make a window or aperture card. BUT... if your card has both SNOW and a WINDOW... you can link up on both blogs for a chance at two different prizes!

 

Of course, you know I had to go with the Double Dare.

 

This card started with my needing to clean & re-ink my gina k. designs white pigment ink pad.  I had accidentally transferred some red ink onto the pad with a dirty stamp, and when I tried to use the white ink last week for emboss resist, I kept getting pink instead of white.  To clean it, I rubbed the ink pad direct onto a piece of light blue cardstock until it stopped transferring pink (and then re-inked).  As I went to throw away the inky cardstock, I thought ... what if I embossed the ink with Hero Arts Iridescent Lavender Embossing Powder that was on my studio table ... and voila.

 

Next, I stenciled that clean white craft ink through the gina k. designs Snowflake Mandala Stencil and embossed with white detail embossing powder.  Then, I used the smallest of gina's double stitched circle die cut to create my window in the center of the snowflake and attached acetate to the window opening to create a shaker card.  When I assembled, I positioned the center cut portion of the snowflake at the back of the shaker.  I used adhesive craft foam to stack-up my shaker area.

 

 

 

The Pretty Pink Posh Winter Clay Snowflake Confetti fills the shaker, and I finished with a sentiment from gina k. designs Sparkle and Shine.

Orchid Embossed Holiday Tapestry

For this week's Jingle Bells My Sweet EMBOSS-ible You Prompt, I played with Emboss Resist.  I stamped gina k. designs Holiday Tapestry image twice on white cardstock with gina's White Pigment Ink and heat embossed with White Detail Embossing Powder.

Next I used gina's trio of Orchid Inks to ink blend over the stamped image.   I used a baby wipe to remove most of the purple ink, but it tinged the white embossed image the lightest orchid shade.

 

 

 

I stamped the poinsettia from gina k. designs Winter Flower Mini in white ink on light blue cardstock and embossed with white embossing powder before die cutting with the coordinating die.  Next I blended orchid inks into the center of the bloom using a dark orchid marker to add a bit more contrast.

I finished with some blue sequins and a sentiment from gina k. designs Sparkle and Shine.

I'm also linking-up at Gina K. Designs' July #monthlymixchallenge - Christmas in July.

 

 

I'm also joining the Christmas Challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.

Forvevergreen Holiday

My Sweet EMBOSS-able You is our newest theme at Jingle Belles.  We're creating using texture embossing or heat embossing (or both if you're an over-achiever).

I embossed white cardstock with the Spellbinders Forevergreen Holiday embossing folder.  Next I applied ink using Catherine Pooler Deck the Halls Green ink.  Finally, I sprayed the panel with Crafter's Companion Bella Luna Gold Shimmer Spray.

 

 

 

Next, I matted the panel with gold and then dark green cardstock before adding the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtemper CZ Designs Merry & Bright die cut (layering the same gold & green cardstock).  I finished with a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Abstract Holiday from at least 2020.

 

With my Retro stamps and other products, I'm linking-up at the Retro Rubber Challenge Christmas in July. 

 

 

We're also giving one lucky random participant the gorgeous gina k. designs Holiday Flora Embossing Folder.

 

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

We're still SHAPING-up for the Holidays with Shaped Cards at Jingle Belles this week.

I think I had as much fun building this paper snowman as I did making them in the back yard as a child.  I always loved when the snow was deep enough that you didn't pick-up a lot of grass from the yard when you rolled your big balls of snow.

I die cut two circles from Glitter Cardstock and attached them to a card base, overlapping slightly at the left.  Then I cut the card base around my circles.

 

Next I got out my punches, scissors and stickers to finish decorating my cute little guy.  The hat is cut from black cardstock with a lovely gold shimmer.  I  couldn't resist giving him a little winter treat to enjoy.

We hope you'll have as much fun as I did making my little SHAPED card for Jingle Belles.

SHAPING-up for the Holidays

Since we're half-way to Christmas, the Jingle Belles thought it was time we started SHAPING-up for the Holidays.  We're asking you to create a SHAPED card (anything other than square or rectangle will do).

I shopped my stash and found this Crafter's Companion Jolly Santa Die Cut Set that was still sealed-up in the packaging (no idea how long he's been waiting to see the light of day, but it's a been a while).

 

 

Rather than just die cut cardstock, I used my GelliArts Press and printed Red Paper with a touch of gold for his suit and had and flesh/pink paper for his face and nose.  I used metallic gold cardstock for the belt buckle.

 

 

The inside comes with slots to easily side in a gift card and write your message on the back side. I'm sure this will make a recipient smile when December rolls around.

We can't wait to see the SHAPES you will make.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

This week at Jingle Belles our prompt is still to combine at least THREE Designer papers in your card.  As a usual over achiever, I managed to use five different papers from the Echo Park Santa Claus Lane collection this week.

 

 

I did add a bit of green ink around the die cut star paper circle to provide a little contrast, and I die cut the cup of Hot Cocoa from one of the papers for the Caffeinated Christmas Masculine Card Challenge.

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from Hero Arts Holiday Meal and a few enamel dots.

 

 

My layout is this weeks Sketch~N~Scrap Sketch Challenge.

Making Spirits Bright

The newest prompt at Jingle Belles is We THREE Kings (THREE being the operative word - we're creating cards that feature at least THREE different patterned papers.

I chose all three of my papers from the Mintay White Christmas collection (man, they make gorgeous papers).

 

With the gorgeous scene on the one paper, all I had to do to finish the card was add a little bling and a sentiment from Kerri Bradford's Oh What Fun.

Christmas in Green

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

 

 

This week I went straight down the center of Embossing, Green & Die Cuts.

I started by die cutting a green Impression Obsession Layered Tree.  I used it as the centerpiece of this week's Sketch from The Paper Players.

 

 

Next I embossed a lighter green cardstock panel with Simon Says Stamp Streaming Embossing Folder and cut it into the two panels in the Sketch.  I cut a woodgrain embossed piece of brown cardstock for the strip across the middle.  I used strips of foam tape on every other layer of the Layered Tree die cut for dimension.

 

 

I die cut the stitched star from Impression Obsession Patchwork Tree from gold glitter paper to top my tree and decorated it with some golden ivory gemstones.  I finished with a sentiment from Impression Obsession Holiday Words.

Remember, you have until 6pm EST to join our game of Tic-Tac-Toe with us.