Ingenious Inkling

Promise of Spring

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is an Anything Goes with an Optional Challenge theme of Nature. 

 

That provided the perfect opportunity to pull out some of the gorgeous Penny Black Stickeroos.  This one is from the set called Promise of Spring (we actually saw the leaves finally starting to come out on the trees on our walk this morning).

 

I used this week's Make the Cards Challenge Sketch and paired it with some gorgeous patina paper from Craft Consortium Metal Textures Pad.    I attached the sticker to cardstock, so I could punch the corners and then I added some enamel dots.

 

 

I finished with a sentiment from Penny Black Words of Encouragement.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Just Us Girls Flowers Challenge.

Amazing not Perfect

I attended a Women's Leadership Conference this week where Elise Holtzman shared the dangers of Perfectionism in her talk titled Imperfect Impactful Leadership, and how we (particularly women) strive for perfectionism starting with behaviors encouraged by our parents and society at a very young age ... so those thoughts have been on my mind all week.  

I am grateful for art, where it seems easier for me to let my perfectionistic tendencies relax while I just lean into the creative experience.

Today's card is inspired by the delicious, juicy colors from the April Challenge at If You Give a Crafter a Cookie.

 

 

I found those delicious colors in this wonderful Penny Black Pen & Ink Sticker for the Penny Black Anything Goes Challenge.

 

 

I used the Penny Black Stitches of Love Die to cut a frame from one of my Gel Press Prints.  I layered that on top of an embossed lavender card base. 

 

 

I finished with a scattering of gems and a sentiment from Penny Black Words of Encouragement, which is perfect for the thoughts circling in my head.

Clothed in Strength and Dignity.

I picked-up a new Penny Black She Builder Stamp Set at Scrapmania over the holidays and decided to ink it up for a card to mail my Gran.  It's also perfect for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge where the theme is Something New.

 

I decided to pair the new with the old - a 2007 Penny Black Stickeroo called Pen & Ink, which I used as my main image.

I finished with a simple scattering of gems.

Plow Around the Stump

The current Penny Black Saturday Challenge is to use something new, so I broke out this new-to-me Penny Black Life is Simpler stamp set to make a retirement card for a co-worker who is retiring to move back home to work on his family farm (that doesn't really sound like my idea of retirement, but to each his own).  He will certainly be missed.

 

I stamped my image in Gina K. Designs Amalgam Ink and colored with Alcohol Ink Markers.

The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is also to Use Something New, so I'm linking-up there as well.  The Make My Monday Challenge is also to use something new from your stash.  And last but not lease, Shopping Our Stash is all about What's New With You?

 

Silhouette Sprigs

The Penny Black Saturday Challenge is Anything Goes with an optional theme of nature.   I combined it with the TGIF Challenge to use Silhouettes.

 

 

 

I usually think of Silhouettes stamped in black ... but tonight I used three different green inks with the Penny Black Christmas Sprig Stamps, which are silhouette leaves.   The Penny Black and More Challenge is also In the Garden, so I am also linking-up there.

I used the Penny Black Many Thanks die for my sentiment.

 

 

I'm also joining Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog where the theme is Clean & Simple.

Exquisite Envelope Bouquet

The June Penny Black Saturday Challenge is Anything Goes with an Option to use Spots and/or Stripes. 

I thought this lovely scrap of scalloped striped paper in my stash would be the perfect backdrop for an envelope filled with blooms, so I die cut it using the largest Penny Black Stitches of Love Frame Die.   

I stamped my Envelope from Penny Black Exquisite Envelope in Archival Watering Can ink and die cut it from coordinating pink cardstock.

 

Next I stamped & die cut almost all the other images from the Penny Black Exquisite Envelope set fully intending to color them ... but I loved how they looked in just the Watering Can grey ink (I was on a crafty call with friends while I was making the card and one of them described the look as "French*, and I don't disagree).  I only used adhesive at the base of the blooms so there is some dimension to the bouquet.

I did some stamp surgery to one of the sentiments from Penny Black Birthday Humor to get just the Happy Birthday.  I finished with a pair of tiny epoxy hearts.

 

 

Out of Focus Blooms

The theme at Less is More is Out of Focus ... so I did some Watercolor Stamping with Penny Black for their Anything Goes Challenge.

 

I inked the Penny Black Exquisite Envelope stamps with Distress Oxide Inks (Seedless Preserves & Mowed Lawn) and sprayed with water before stamping and die cutting.

 

 

I took my inspiration from Simon Says Stamp Spring Moodboard ... those blooms reminded me of the lovely purple crocus.

 

 

Sentiment is a sticker attached with foam for dimension ... and I embossed the white card base for a bit of texture, using the Tuesday Morning Sketch.

 

 

I love how there is a die for the envelope to tuck in the bouquet.

 

 

I'm also linking-up at the Flora or Fauna Challenge at Paper Anthology's Creation Staycation.

 

 

Cardinal Thank You

When I saw the {PIN}pirational Challenge this morning, I knew I would have to join the fun ... because we love cardinals at our house (and are really missing our St. Louis Cardinals baseball).

 

I've had this lone remaining Penny Black Sticker from her Christmas At Dusk Stickeroos in my stash for quite a while, so I decided to feature it front and center.  I used this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! for my layout, which I flipped to work with my horizontal focal image.

 

The current Penny Black Saturday Challenge is Anything Goes with an Option to use Ribbon or Twine, so I used my hoarded stash of Sari Ribbon around the top.  I also used my new Penny Black Many Thanks dies that were gifted to me by a friend ... I originally did it in Red to match my Cardinal, but it faded into the background too much when I photographed it, so I added a second sentiment die cut from brown slightly off-set on top.

 

 

For my second panel, I embossed some brown cardstock for a bit of added texture for the Simon Says Stamp Add Some Texture Challenge.

Snow-Covered Branches

The theme at the Penny Black Saturday Challenge is Something New.

 

I had several packages of never-opened Stickeroos in my stash, so that's where I started my design ... with a sticker from Penny Black Christmas Song.

 

 

I used the Mojo Monday Sketch to build my design adding red & teal cardstock to build the focal image.  I used a piece of 6" cardstock, so I could create a top-fold card base for wrapping with ribbon that was large enough for my sticker.  I finished with a sticker sentiment attached with foam tape.

 

Silver Bells

After my glitter trauma over the weekend, of course another challenge I want to try - the Penny Black Saturday Challenge - also has the alternate theme of Sparkle & Shine. 

I had also found some embossing glitter (which was only a tiny bit less messy than the micro glitter), so I used it on the Penny Black Jingle Belles Trio from my new stamp pile that were stamped in silvery grey and embossed on ivory cardstock.

 

 

Then I matted the Jingle Bells on some glittery cardstock for a bit more sparkle.

 

I finished with several sticker sentiments attached with foam tape for dimension.  I love that I've already gotten a head start on next year's holiday cards.