Ingenious Inkling

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This week it's an Anything Goes Challenge at The Male Room (with an optional twist of no designer paper). 

 

 

For the men in my family, a Beatles-themed card is always a safe bet.  Growing up, the sound track of our lives were the Beatles. There were lots of other artists playing on the record player every day, but the Beatles were the ones who left the biggest impression.

 

I built the card around some fun Beatles Album Cover Stickers.  I created my background using Paper Inspirations Sheet Music Background Stamp & the sentiment is from My Favorite Things Keep On Rockin'.  The Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside was perfect for my wavy lines.

It's also Masculine *Anything Goes* Challenge at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenges.

I Love Winter

We're still creating cards featuring SNOW at Jingle Belles.  I decided to build my card around Lawn Fawn's Stitched Snowflakes.

 

I die cut the snowflakes from Watercolor paper, Blue and Red Card Stock and layered them on a piece of lighter blue designer paper.  I picked the colors based on the tiny image of children sledding.

 

I used the sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Yeti Set Go (I intended to join the Something Old, Something New Challenge at Lawn Fawn, but it turns out both the stamp set and dies were released in the Winter of 2014).

I'm also joining the Any Holiday! Challenge at Hiding in My Craft Room.

All is Calm

We're still creating PEACE-ful cards at Jingle Belles this week.

I started my card with this PEACE Bingo card.  Next I went searching through my doilies ... because clearly a Bingo card needs a doily.

Next I found the scrap of texty packaging (it makes me feel peaceful when I recycle) and an already trimmed piece of burlap paper.  Next in the process was finding a piece of base paper that incorporated both the brighter green of the bingo card and the mintier green of the package ... Basic Grey Juniper Berry papers to the rescue.

Next I added the Lawn Fawn wooden snowflake pieces and a gold *merry christmas* rub-on to my bingo card with a minty green enamel dot in the center.  Then I added the S&H Green Stamps, which always remind me of my Grandma.  She and I used to sit together at the dining room table licking all of those stamps and filling up the books while we solved the world's problems.  Then when it was time for me to go to college, she picked-up all of those books and took me to the S&H Green Stamps store where I picked-out a Black & Decker Iron to take with me to college (that I continued to use for almost 20 years).  Those memories make me happy ... and very peaceful ... remembering how much she loved me and how much I loved spending time with her.

Finishing touch as an All Is Calm sentiment sticker to help tie in the black from the background paper (and add one more peace-ful element).  I really love how this one turned out ... and I loved the creative process.

I hope you'll find peace in your creating this week and come join us.

Junkie Fest 2018 Wrap-Up

What a fun weekend ... so thrilled I got to experience all of the crafty fun. 

Junkie Fest was an event in Minneapolis, Minnesota organized by the talented artist Chris Dayton for members of the Stamp Junkies Facebook Group (a group formed to celebrate our love of the MISTI Stamping tool invented by Iliana Myska of My Sweet Petunia) to get some real *face time* with one another and share how the MISTI changed our stamping lives.

 

Here are the Stamp Junkie Group Admins (with Iliana and Chris) that keep the group running so smoothly.

 

There were 8 different classes ... tons of make & take learning experiences (the necklace above was one of those projects) ... and lots of love & laughter (and so many giveaways from super-generous sponsors.

I made wonderful new friends like including lovely ladies who traveled from the UK and Canada to join the fun ... left to right, Laura Gallimore of Crafty Not Shifty, Lizi of Love from Lizi, and one of my crafting companions for the weekend, the talented and oh-so-patient teacher Kim Brown-Blyleven of The Creative Card.

 

This class taught us four different interactive card designs including this adorable card with the Lawn Fawn Reveal Wheel.

 

 

We also made this adorable Magic Color Change card (love learning techniques that are completely outside of my standard design world).

 

I also learned how to assemble the The Pop-Up Poony Die Cut and have a card exchange with Effie Chou from The Ton Stamps and her lovely mother Laura who traveled from New York City.

 

Here are a few of the card she created while spending so much time with attendees teaching them new skills.

 

I had the privalege of taking classes from the talented Taylor VanBruggen (and her talented assistant Leslie) of Taylored Expressions to learn how to use her new Liquid Watercolor (a delicious rainbow of colors) ... don't you adore that Mandala stamp (and yes, our swag bag from the class included Swedish Fish, which I ate while I created to channel my inner Taylor).

Taylor also gave us the super-cute stamp set Sarcasti-Chick, which I watercolored one evening with Danel Smith Watercolors (fun cards to follow when I get home).

 

I got to learn how to use the Wreth Builder Stamp Sets from none other than Gina K and her daughter Rina ... so so many possibilities for this amazing tool.

Even Jennifer Maguire was there in spirit providing us an amazing bag to hold our swag and a gift as well (and Kathy Racoosin of The Daily Marker taught lots of coloring tips) ... I heard she even did some Face Time in one of Gina's classes.

 

I got lots of tips for using Turn ABout Stamps from Angie Backman Concord and 9th (there will be lots more of those in my future) ... and try the newly released foils from Christopher of Brutus Monroe & Therm O Web.

It was my first time using a laminator to do foiling ... but it won't be my last since one of my prizes was an amazing package from Gina K Designs and Therm O Web (seriously so much swag I'm taking an extra bag home with me.

 

 

I got to create two different mixed media projects with Angela & Whitney of Unity Stamp Company (and the talented Nic made us custom Stamp Junkies stamps).  I even got watercoloring lessons from Lydia Fiedler of Understand Blue and Flourette Bloom of Ink on 3.  Even Cathy Zielske made a surprise appearance to hang with her new Cardmaking Tribe.

All-in-all and amazing experience that resulted from months of hard work and the generous generous donations of time & product from sponsors ... thanks so much to everyone.

Junkie Fest 2018

I'm having a great time in Minneapolis with lots of awesome artsy peeps.  We also made a stop at Crafters Haven to do a little shopping ... I picked-up this cute little Stamp Set & Matching Dies from Memory Box.

Tonight I'm doing some watercoloring with an adorable Taylored Expressions Set called Sarcasti-Chick (with a matching die) that was included in our swag bag.  Can't wait to make some cards with those cuties when I get home.

I also had fun in classes today including one by Laura from Crafty Not Shifty filled with interactive cards like this Lawn Fawn Reveal Wheel.  I made Sherbet Cones with bright watercolors.

I also had fun meeting-up-with fellow Technique Junkies Design Team members Lee Ann Barrett and Ceal Pritchett.

Rainbows & Unicorns

I had so much fun with rainbow colors & Unicorns yesterday, I decided to make a second one (because can the world really have to much rainbows & unicorns).

For this one, I used the Lawn Fawnatics Challenge colors as my rainbow palette.

I started with the Lawn Fawn Winter Unicorn colored in three of the challenge hues using my Spectrum Noir Markers (with a sparkly silver horn) which reminded me a bit of Rainbow Brite's Horse from my sister's childhood.

I used the layout from Tuesday Morning Sketches and a sentiment from Lawn Fawn Lovable Legends.  The rainbow hearts were die cut from Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card dies.

With my pattern of squares, I'm also joining the Geometric Pattern Challenge at Shopping Our Stash.

We Three Kings

The current prompt at Jingle Belles is We Three Kings - that means this week we're creating in multiples of THREE. 

We're asking you to create a card with THREE of one element … three circles, three reindeer, three packages under the tree … you get the picture.

I took my inspiration from this Jingle Belles card I made in January 2011 (it came-up in my Facebook memories and I took that as a sign to do an updated design).  

I die cut three stitched squares using Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Square Stackables Dies and then stamped three circle snowflakes (from Simon Says Stamp Circle Sayings Holiday) and used a 7/8" punch for my circles ... I finished with Eyelet Outlet enamel dots in the centers. 

 

My card this time is larger ... made from a base that is 5" x 12" two-sided vintage Basic Grey paper with scores at 2" and 4" from the edges for an off-set opening.   The fun thing about using a two-sided paper is that the inside is decorated too (see those adorable snowmen).

We hope you'll find your favorite trio of elements and come join us as we take back December one holiday card at a time.

I'm also linking up at The Holly and Ivy Challenge where it's Anything Goes Christmas.

Unbelievable Birthday

I am hosting the Inspiration Challenge at SplitcoastStampers this weekend, and our inspiration site is super-fun store called Jellycat, a London store that releases a new soft toy at least twice a year.

For my inspiration I chose Snagglebaggle Dudley Dragon.

I designed my card using fun Dragon Brads from Eyelet Outlet.

I perched my dragons on die cut clouds on Stitched rectangles on a green ombre card base. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn Lovable Legends.

Mermaid Wishes

The company for the July Mix-It-Up Challenge at Ellen Hutson is Lawn Fawn Stamps.  

I've been loving all of the mermaid-themed designs lately, so when I looked at what I believe (based on the sentiments) is supposed to be a Halibut Tail in Essentials by Ellen's Stay Salty Stamp Set ... I see a Mermaid.

I started by creating my ocean waves using my MISTI and Essentials by Ellen's Wonky Backdrops.  One of my favorite techniques is to layer-on different colors of ink by partially inking a stamp using my MISTI ... it makes it easy to achieve cool ombre-like effects.  For this card I combined various teals, light blues and dark blue.

Next I stamped my Mermaid inked in teal and purple ... and did the same two-color stamping with my Lawn Fawn Chit Chat sentiment bubble (because seriously, who hasn't wished at least once to be a Mermaid).

I finished by layering with Lawn Fawn's Stitched Rectangles and coloring my Mermaid with Purple & Clear Wink of Stella Pens.  The final touch was adding a few sparkly sequins.

Stars, Stripes & a Unicorn

Every year I manage to make at least one Jingle Belles card that when I'm finished I think ... Who on earth am I going to send that card too??  This Stars and/or Stripes creation would be that card.

This week I discovered a drawer of art supplies that had been misplaced from our flood evacuation last year, which included my patriotic papers.  Also with those papers was the adorable Winter Unicorn stamp set from Lawn Fawn.

And this is what resulted.  I colored my little Unicorn with Spectrum Noir Markers and a silver glitter pen for his horn.  For some reason, the lighting makes my white iridescent sequins look pink.  The finished card is 5 1/2" square.

I also took my inspiration from the current Fusion Card Challenge.

I'm also joining the Holiday Challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More.  We hope you'll come join us ... we're less than six months from Christmas, so if you haven't started, you can begin taking back Christmas one holiday card at a time.