Ingenious Inkling

Pink Tree Christmas

At Jingle Belles, we're still making holiday cards inspired by our 2023 Blog Banner.

 

 

I decided to start by spraying watercolor paper with Dylusions Bubblegum Pink Shimmer Spray.  Next I die cut three Memory Box Marvelous Pines, which I then splattered with White Dina Wakely Media Gloss Spray.

 

 

I stamped the tan card base with the We Wish You a Merry Christmas stamp from Tim Holtz Tiny Text Christmas Sentiments multiple times in light grey ink.  I attached the three sprayed trees using foam tape on the center one for dimension.

I added a few Pinkfresh Studio sentiment stickers and spelled Peace with Pinkfresh Studio silver Spring Vibes Puffy alphabet stickers.

I finished with a white pearl flourish like the banner.

 

 

I'm also joining Jenn's #getcrackingonchristmas.

Holly Jolly Mocha

This is the story of a die cut coffee cup.   I cut this out months ago and then managed to lose it somewhere on my studio table (don't ask).  Then I found the die but couldn't find the paper.  Then I found the die packaging and lost the die.  Today I finally found the die cut, the die & the packaging all at the same time, so I decided that was a sign to make a card.  Of course by the time all of this happened, it looks like the Picket Fence Studios Coffee Mug die has been discontinued.

Of course it's just in time for the 2023 Fall/Winter Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog Hop.

 

 

It also overlaps the newest Caffeinated Christmas Challenge to combine some coffee & holly (how serendipitous that my coffee cup was cut from holly designer paper).

 

 

I kept the card simple with my die cut Picket Fence Coffee Cup together with the perfect sentiment from STAMPlorations Caffeinated Christmas.

 

 

I finished with some pearl flourishes for steam.  

 

 

Colors of Halloween

The next Challenge at Shopping Our Stash is Color Me Beautiful - showcase your favorite coloring medium.

 

 

I chose my Gellipress as my favorite medium.  It works so well for large stamps like So Franken Cute from Picket Fence Studios.

I used a combination of green inks to create my paper and then stamped Frankenstein in black ink before detail cutting the image.  I used a scrap of the green inked paper for stamping my sentiment as well.  I added some silver pen to his posts & brackets, and used colored pencils for a bit of green shading.

 

 

I used another gelliprint (that one with paint) for my background.

Can't wait to see how you shop your stash to join us.

 

Laugh Till You Leak

I was feeling like a little CAS cardmaking this morning, so I decided to start with the CAS Mix Up Challenge to use a Stencil and Pastes or Gels.  I was thrilled that when I opened my jar of Fern Green Picket Fence Studios Paper Glaze, it was just as mixable as when it was new. 

 

 

I paired it with a Dina Wakley Dot Stencil for the Addicted to CAS Dots Challenge.

 

 

I stuck with Dina adding the Essentials Silhouette image.  I paired it with a sentiment from Dylusions Quote bubbles for a card that makes me snicker.  Taylored Expressions Cilantro Ink paired nicely with the Fern Green Glaze on a kraft cardstock base..

 

 

I'm also joining the Creatalicious Challenge where the theme is Anything Goes with an Option of using a Stencil.

Hope you laugh till you leak this week.

Thank You for Being My Friend

I like seeing if I can turn color challenges into ink-blending combinations.  For this card, I used the colors from the CAS Colours & Sketch Challenge.

 

I translated those colors into these Distress Oxide Ink colors - Speckled Egg, Stormy Sky & Peeled Paint.

 

I did my blend horizontal to work with the sketch, and since the colors reminded me of a landscape, I thought it was the perfect home for the adorable Peach and Paper from Picket Fence Studios.

 

 

I used a sentiment from the same set and finished with a sprinkling of sequins.

I'm also joining the Anything Goes Challenge at Simon Says Stamp.

Wishing It Was a Donut

I haven't left the house that much since the shelter-at-home recommendations, but when I saw there were fresh raspberry filled donuts at the bakery this morning, I put on my mask and headed out for a quick trip ... and they were most certainly worth it (and I was also able to make it a "two-birds" trip with a stop at the Post Office while I was out).

 

So when I thought about the flavor of my doughnut for the Picket Fence Food & Drink Challenge #pfs100, I knew it had to be Raspberry.

 

 

I used my Spectrum Noir's for coloring.  Stamps are Picket Fence You Make Me Glazy and the tiny Hashtag from Picket Fence Here is Where I Work on the Coffee Cup.  I finished with some matte enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs in coordinating hues.

Falling Leaf Birthday

I'm still stocking my birthday card stash even though I have to mail them to my co-works now, rather than hand deliver them.  

I started by die cutting the Lawn Fawn Cross Stitched Circle from the Simon Says Stamp Tumbling Leaves Stencil that I had filled with Picket Fence Studios Paper Glaze in Fern Green.

 

I paired it with one of my Gel Press Prints on a piece of Clothing Pattern Instructions.  The sentiment is Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Strips.

 

I'm also linking-up at Seize the Birthday Anything Goes.

Paper Glazed Funky Leaves

My Paper Glaze from Picket Fence Studios arrived, so I had to play.  There's a bit of a learning curve (at least for me) to get nice even coverage.  The sheen is just gorgeous when it dries.

I combined the Funky Leaves Stencil with Ocean Poppy Paper Glaze (because in my studio leaves can be any color I want).

 

Gina K. Designs Turquoise Sea Ink was the perfect mach for the Picket Fence Studios Happy Happy Happy Birthday Sentiment stamped on a scrap of watercolor paper left over from glazing (which is why the letters have a softer look).

 

The layout is this week's Sketch from The Paper Players.

 

 

 

This Too Shall Pass

I have so many great sentiment sets from Simon Says Stamp, and I wanted to use some of them for the current Freshly Made Sketch, since it just screams multiple sentiments to me.

 

I gave my new Fern Green Paper Glaze from Picket Fence Studios a try using the Tumbling Leaves Stencil from Simon Says Stamp.  My first attempt needed some work to get the Glaze even, but I was able to use the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circle Die on a portion of the leaves for the sketch.

I used sentiments from Simon Says Stamp You Got This & You Got This with C Z Design.  I'm taking this card to work to have on hand ... and since cards for the office often need room for the whole team to sign, I made this one on a 5" x 6 1/2" card base.

I'm also linking-up at the Anything Goes Challenge at the Simon Says Stamp FlickR Group Challenge #143.

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.