Ingenious Inkling

Growing in Unity - Day 5 - Background Stamps

Welcome to Day Five, the final day of my Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity week.  I've been sharing projects all week that feature Unity's high quality, red rubber stamps. I'm so sorry my week is coming to an end.

If this is the first day you've joined me please go back and visit  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 & Day 4.  If you are a returning visitor, thank you, and welcome back.  Be sure to leave a comment on each Growing in Unity Blog Post this week blog post to be entered for a chance to win one of two fabulous prize packs from Unity Stamp Company.  Winners will be announced on this blog and on the Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity Facebook page.

Today's post is focused on Unity Stamp Company's awesome background stamps with Distress Oxide sprayed papers..  Backgrounds have always been one of my favorite stamps ... and in my opinion, red rubber stamps the best for large background images.

I'm starting with my card for our Jingle Belles prompt this week.  My crafty besty Lauren and I are in our 10th year of taking back December one holiday card at a time as the Jingle Belles.  It's so fun to use your holiday stamps all year long ... and have all your holiday cards ready to mail at the end of November.

 

 

The theme at Jingle Belles this week is Fa-La-La-La-La where we're celebrating one of our favorite things at jingle belles ... Christmas Music. We're asking you to create a card (or gift card holder, or whatever else you'll be needing for the holidays) that incorporates music, a musical instrument, or a holiday song title or lyrics.

I love pairing unexpected (okay usually a bit snarky) sentiments with elegant cards.  I sprayed my watercolor paper with Mermaid Lagoon and Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide Ink.  After it had dried, I used my MISTI to stamp the Unity Stamp Company Burst of Flakes Border Background using Blue Belle Versafine Clair Ink.

 

 

Next I added the reindeer from the awesome October 2016 Unity Sentiment Kit ... a joyous season (such a great set) ... does he look guilty?

 

 

The Song Title Sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company Naughty is the New Nice, which is an awesome group of Holiday Sentiments stamped in the same Blue Belle ink on White Cardstock and attached with foam tape.  I finished with a few cardstock layers and several sizes of light blue epoxy dots.

 

 

The next card features another favorite border background from Unity Stamp Company ... Up, UP & Away.  The floral balloons are especially lovely.  

 

 

This background was made by swiping my watercolor paper through all of the leftover colors of Distress Oxide Ink on my craft sheet ... blues and greens with a bit of purple.  The Up, Up & Away {border background} is stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

 

 

The sentiment from Unity Stamp Company ...hope is a beautiful thing February 2020 Sentiment Kit is stamped on a scrap of the same sprayed watercolor paper, trimmed and edged with black ink.  There is a tiny heart under Hope, but I wanted to use this card for co-workers, so I covered the heart with some tiny gems.

 

 

The next Unity Stamp Company background is a partnership with Brutus Monroe called Freshly Cut.  We always used to go cut down a Christmas Tree when I was a child, and I can still remember that smell.  As I mentioned, I stamped each background multiple times with my MISTI to get solid coverage on the Distress Oxide Sprayed background paper.  This background combined multiple green sprays and stamped with Versafine Clair Rain Forest green ink.

 

 

I die cut the background, wrapped it with a chartreuse ribbon, and attached it to a dark green card base.

 

 

I found a scrap with more of the lighter green color and stamped a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company Naughty is the new nice which was die cut and attached with foam tape.

And that my friends is the conclusion of my Growing in Unity Week ... it's been so very fun sharing my love for Unity Stamp Company (seriously some of the nicest people in the industry).  Make sure you check my blog and the Growing in Unity Facebook group to see if you're a lucky winner.

Gel Stick Blooms

I recently purchased a large set of Kingart Mixed Media Gel Sticks, and tonight I decided to do a quick play with them.  I chose four of the colors to apply to the large floral image from the Hero Arts 45th Anniversary You Make a Difference Stamp set with PinkFresh Studio (which is a great price right now).  I sprayed the watercolor paper with a few spritzes of water and then sprayed directly onto the stamp to get this ethereal look.

 

I wanted a little more definition, so I cleaned off my stamp and inked it with red ink to stamp a few more times.  I should have sprayed with a setting spray after that, so I didn't get quite as much smearing (learning for next time), but I just went with it and sprayed over the smear.

I added a sentiment from the set in black ink in the center and mounted on a red card base.  My card is for the Anything Goes Challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

 

Heartfelt Hugs

The current Memory Box Challenge is all about Friendship.

 

I started by die cutting my Memory Box Hugs Loving Heart Die 3 times (twice from raspberry cardstock and once from light pink).  I layered it a variety of ways before deciding on the final off-set outcome.  I attached it to a piece of vintage BasicGrey designer paper.  I used my blending brushes to add a bit of Victorian Velvet Distress Ink around the edges.

 

I finished with my MISTI and stamped sentiments from Memory Box Big and Little Words.

I prefer sending Galentines for the holiday ... because who in your life couldn't use a little hug.

Makeover Monday

I love the idea of the January Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K. Designs ... Let's Reflect.  The Challenge is to take a card you've made the last year and create a do-over.  I think this is an idea I may adopt for my blog this year.  I posted my first card online in November 2006, so I've got a ton of cards that would be eligible for Makeover treatment.

I started with this card from May 2019 using Gina K. Designs Elegant Asters, Mini Wishes Stamp set and the Wishes Die.

 

I wanted to keep the monochromatic palette, the all-over leaf stamping and the die cut from foam in my new design (I also kept the enamel dots and die cut leaves by the time I had finished).

I pulled out my Memory MISTI which makes it easier to stamp off all the edges of the 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of cardstock.  I stamped with Gina K. Designs Lucky Clover Ink (I treated myself to her entire Ink Collection during the holiday sales ... now to get all the cardstock).  I used all three leaf stamps from the set again, stamping them in groups of three to fill the cardstock.

I folded the card and stamped two more of the leaves to die cut for accents.  I also die cut the Wishes from Foam ... but this time I used Green Glitter Foam.

 

For this card I used coordinated enamel dots instead of the contrasting white I used in the first design.  I attached the second bunch of leaves with foam tape for dimension.

 

What a fun design exercise (not to mention the fun of having another version of a card I loved).

Thanks a Bunch

When I saw this week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge, I immediately began imagining a literal interpretation ... but when I was going through my supplies and saw the MFT Snow Drifts Cover-Up Die-Namic, I thought I could be a bit more creative.

 

I die cut the Cover-Up in Brown & Red Cardstock, using the hues from this week's Color Throwdown Challenge.

 

I left two sections blank, so I could stamp sentiments on the left and right side like the Sketch Challenge.  I used the lid of my MISTI to curve and position the sentiments from MFT Bitty Thanks & Gratitude into the open spaces.

 

I finished with a few Puffy Heart stickers (I've been in the process of gathering together all of my various Valentine's Day-like supplies, so they were on my studio table ... and turned out to be the perfect finishing touch).

say it big Gel Press

The timely Mini-Challenge at Unity Stamp Company is to make Thank You Cards.  I'd been wanting to the try the big bold letters of Unity's ... say it big on my Gel Press prints.  I stamped it in black ink multiple times with my MISTI and then clear embossed ... this is one of the reason I made so many *solid* prints.  This one with less ink worked well because there was less surface texture.

 

I die cut it with a stitched rectangle die, framed it in dark coral with some dark coral enamel dots and then used the larger stitched frame for the background.  A set of these would make a nice and easy gift.

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.

Magic of Christmas

I wanted to use some of my new stamps to join in the December TEMaker Challenge at Taylored Expressions.

 

The December theme is Holidays & Celebrations.  I wanted to use the Snowed In Background paired with  Handlettered Holiday 2 Sentiments.

 

I had planned to stamp the snowflakes on white or blue cardstock ... but then I saw the remainder of the snowflake paper from Carta Bella I used on my earlier card, and thought it might be cool to stamp Snowflakes on Snowflakes ... turned it out it was.

I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock, cut it with a 2 1/2" circle, and used foam tape to attach it inside the circle in the stamp.  I finished with a simple wrap of Lake Ribbon (which make me reminisce about the days when no card was complete without a wrap of ribbon and perfect bow ... funny how trends change).  I love that even with ribbon, this card could be masculine or feminine.

Technique Junkies November Stamp Release

Lots of fun new stamps at Technique Junkies this month ... remember they are 15% off through November 8th and you can stack my discount TJ10Stephanie for another 10% off your entire order (and all Christmas stamps are 20% off - and another 10% with my discount code) ... it's time to go shopping.

 

One of my favorite stamps of the release is called Decaf Coffee ... it reminds me of my amazing sister.  I paper pieced her hat with purple paper since it's my sister's favorite color ... it also reminded me of my awesome hat my sister knitted for me.

I wove some ribbon through some book-punched designer paper and then added a bit of pink pastel for blush on her cheek.

And of course, it's perfect for the Fall/Winter Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog Hop.

When I showed the new Brickwork Background Stamp to my husband, he said it looked like the brick roads in our neighborhood ... after that, I could get the brick road idea out of my head .. but instead of the roads in our neighborhood, I immediately started singing ... Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

For the first one I used three colors of Gold Ink on Gold Paper ... the lighter ink at the bottom sort of faded into the paper, but I decided I liked the effect, so that's where I placed my sentiment from Technique Junkies Wisdom of Oz.  I added Glenda's Silver Crown Sticker ... and fun Witch Leg Brads from Eyelet Outlet.

 

For the next one, I inked the Brickwork Background with shades of darker orange on yellow cardstock ... I found a few hoarded Wizard of Oz stickers in my stash and paired it with my favorite sentiment from the Wisdom of Oz Set (it has 7 sentiments).  I finished with a row of black pearls because even the bad witch needs a little bling.

 

And I couldn't resist doing one more ... this time for Glenda ... and her cardbase and bling are pink ... of course.

 

 

And one more Brickwork card in more traditional Brick hues.

 

The center image is the gorgeous new stamp Winter Bouquet stamped in brown ink on mint green cardstock ... and then I used colored pencils to add some highlights.

 

I used foam tape on the center of my image, so I could curl-up the edges for a bit of dimension ... I love the cozy texture of the felt ribbon.

Next up is the the wonderful Framed Deer for some masculine cards.

 

I kept this one clean and simple with just some washi tape and the wonderful big Happy Birthday sentiment from Technique Junkies Floral Framed Sentiments (set of 6 stamps).

 

And this pudgy little Snowman stamp just makes me smile.  Sentiment is Technique Junkies All Is Calm.

 

I stamped him in navy on white cardstock and then detail cut him out (remember the days when we did that all the time ... I find it to be a bit therapeutic). 

 

I colored his buttons and hat and attached him to some snowy designer paper on some snowy hills cut from white textured cardstock.

Hope you've enjoyed my tour through my favorite stamps from the November release ... make sure you hop along with the other designers to see the whole collection.

 

• Technique Junkies Blog https://techniquejunkies.blogspot.com/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-release-and.html
• Beth Norman-Roberts https://www.sunflowers-dragonflies.ca/blog/62828/technique-junkie…ase-and-discount/
• Ceal Pritchett https://simplybeautifulcreations.blogspot.com/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-release-hop.html
• Giovana Smith https://giovana-believe.blogspot.com/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-release.html
• Holly Brown https://glitterstampsandink.blogspot.com/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-release.html
• Janine Tinklenberg - http://www.jantink.com/2019/11/mss-tj-nov-2019-release.html ‎
• Jeanne Streiff https://inkypaws.splitcoaststampers.com/2019/11/01/big-sale-at-technique-junkies/
• Judy Jackson -https://judysstampart.blogspot.com/2019/11/nice-news-for-november.html
• Kia Gibson-Clapper https://kia-splace.ca/cards/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-release/
• Pat Huntoon https://patstamps.blogspot.com/2019/11/final-stamp-release-of-year.html
• Ro Donner https://rodonner.blogspot.com/2019/11/tj-november-release.html
• Stephanie Severin https://ingeniousinkling.typepad.com/ingenious_inkling/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-stamp-release.html
• Lynda Pleckan https://paperartscafe.blogspot.com/2019/11/technique-junkies-november-2019-release.html

 

Count Your Blessings

The current Impression Obsession Challenge is Harvest Treats (aka Fruits & Vegetables).

 

The only produce stamp in my Impression Obsession Stamp was ... surprise ... Corn (what else would an Iowa girl have).

I used a variety of Ink Pads to *paint* the stamp applying ink to different sections and blending using my MISTI.  I finished with a sentiment from Impression Obsession Holiday Words (a very versatile set of sentiments)