Ingenious Inkling

Making Spirits Bright

For this week's CLEAR prompt at Jingle Belles, I decided to give a shaker card a try.  I thought the Ornaments from Taylored Expressions Beauty Lies Within 3 would make a cute shaker (without clearly thinking through the challenge of getting my foam strips curved around that very thin little circular border ... but I didn't give up).

 

 

I filled my shaker with Pinkfresh Studio Champagne Glitter Drops before attaching it to a lovely piece of snowflakes designer paper from Gina K. Designs.

I added a few strips of red cardstock & finished with a Taylored Expressions Simple Strips - Christmas sentiment.

Pinkfresh Studio Create & Connect - Day 2

The Day 2 session began with a class in Watercoloring by Manusharee.  I enjoyed watching her, but decided I wasn’t quite in the mood to give it a try, so instead I broke out the layering stencils.

 

 

I really enjoyed trying different color combinations & rotating the image.  This one was stamped with grey ink instead of black, which really gives it a different look after stenciling. 

 

 

I can see myself using this one for lots of occasions.  Mona let me borrow her silver vellum for the final one … love it.

 

 

Next up was Lea Lawson with a set called The Magic is in You.  I ended-up falling in love with those fun little mushrooms.  The little terrarium was fun too.

 

I loved the pop of red with the greys.  I ended-up stenciling and die cutting several times, so I made a second card with the leftovers.  I used a grey card base and more of that lovely silver vellum.

 

 

The final one used some softer hues.

 

 

The final class was with Jennifer Maguire using a combination of products from the various classes.  For this one, we learned how to reverse our stencils & die cut from the back to get more bang for our buck from our products.  The gatefold design was fun too.

 

I enjoyed all of the classes … but mostly I enjoyed the blessing of getting to create in person with my crafty friend … there is really nothing better.

Pinkfresh Studio Create & Connect - Day 1

I really enjoyed Day of Pinkfresh Studio Create & Connect.  I didn’t really learn any new techniques other than to die cut intricate dies into a piece of recycled bubble envelope to get a clean cut, but I really enjoyed the products and creative process.

The first class was with Healther Hoffman using a bouquet of stamped & stenciled flowers in a wonderful milk can die cut.  The milk cans reminded me of my Gran painting scenes on milk cans in the 70’s (I’m pretty sure my Mom still has one).

 

 

We also got some cool ombré gold and silver bling that pretty much goes with everything.  The second card we made was in more rustic hues.  I really liked doing the flowers each in their own color palette.

 

For me, there is something meditative when I color with layering stencils.

Class #2 was all about dimension with Laura Basson.

 

 

These cards were created entirely with layering stencils (the only stamping was the sentiment).  I couldn’t believe the level of gorgeous detail.

 

 

I loved that you could die cut the entire image like we did in the first card, or that you could die cut each individual image and arrange them however you wanted.  I also love how changing the color combination completely changed the look of the design.  We got done early enough I was able to make a third bonus card in my own color palette.

 

I loved the vibrancy of these colors (and that I have another birthday card for my stash).

The third & final class of the day was with Yasmin Diaz and a new Washi/stamp/stencil combination called Fruitlicious.

 

 

The stenciling was so fun and produced such a vibrant bouquet of fruits (I was thrilled to see something other than flowers … now if they’d only do one with masculine hues of greenery).

We have three more classes on Day 2 … should be  another fun day of creating.

Glittery Golden Birthday

I lost one of the plates for my Glimmer Machine, so it's been a while since I've been able to do any foiling.  Since Spellbinders told me I couldn't buy a replacement place, I was grateful for a crafty friend who owns all sorts of plates and a caliper to help me figure out a new sandwich that would work, so I'm back in the foiling business again.

I used gold foil on raspberry cardstock with the Pinkfresh Studio Geo Art Hot Foil plate.  The Glitter panel is the inside of the large Art Deco Frame Die that we received with our Pinkfresh Studio Holiday cardmaking class materials.

 

 

I topped it with a tag & butterfly from the Pinkfresh Studio Happy Heart Ephemera packet and a sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Foiled Sentiments 3.

 

Time for Presents

The new Chalenge at Shopping Our Stash is - Time for Presents.  We're asking you to feature Presents on your card or make a Thank You Card for gifts you've received.

I chose the presents from Pinkfresh Studio's Holiday Elements Washi Tape.  To me, those gifts aren't only for the holidays.

 

 

I combined three of the gift clusters with Pinkfresh Studio Foiled Sentiment.  I finished with their gorgeous Champagne Glitter Drops.

Hearts Full of Joy & Wonder

The December Pinkfresh Studio Challenge is to create with a holiday theme.

 

 

I had my new Pinkfresh Studio Holiday Elements Washi Tape on my studio table, so I die cut it twice for the elements in my card.

I took my inspiration from one of the sample cards posted with the washi tape and used as single wreath and attached it to the Pinkfresh Studio Snowflakes Cover Plate Die cut of white cardstock with foam tape.

 

 

I positioned the two larger poinsettias on the wreath and tucked in the two mistletoe with the bows hidden behind the poinsettia.

I finished with one of the cute little die cut gnomes, sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Christmas Sentiments, and small clusters of the gorgeous Pinkfresh Studio Gold Glitter Drops.

I'm also joining the Crafting Happiness Christmas Challenge and the Once Upon a Time Challenge where the inspiration book is The Legend of the Poinsettias.

 

Rainbow Foiled Thank You

When I saw the Simon Says Stamp Fun with Foil Challenge, I realized it had been a while since I had created with foiling.  

I had some foiled Pinkfresh Studio background in my stash from our stamping getaway (where we all spent a good part of the weekend foiling), so I decided to create a card with a background created with the Pinkfresh Studio Diamond Hot Foil Plate and rainbow foil.

 

 

I used the sketch from Global Design Project with a Pinkfresh Studio Foiled Ephemera Sentiment in the center.

 

 

I finished with gold bling and a gold glitter frame.  

Go Boldly

The November Pinkfresh Studio Challenge is all about Texture.

 

 

I started with new paper from the Pinkfresh Studio Delightful Collection.

The first texture I added was the Pinkfresh Studio Art Deco Frame attached with foam tape.  Then I added Pinkfresh Studio Curvy Leaves also cut from white cardstock.

 

Next I chose my sentiment from the Pinkfresh Studio Delightful Puffy Stickers together with a tiny sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio Delightful Title Ephemera.  I added more Puffy Sticker flowers & a butterfly, and then finished with a coordinating Enamel Dots from the Pinkfresh Studio Delightful Collection.

 

 

I'm also joining the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies Challenge.

Texture Terrific in my opinion. 

Berry Branch Christmas Redux

I had stamped an extra Berry Branch Christmas from Laura Bassen's Pinkfresh Studio Class, and I couldn't resist trying it in some different colors.

 

I stenciled in Purples and Blues and than added a blue card base with the detailed die cut frame from the class.  I also used one of the already-embossed sentiment with the gorgeous new Pinkfresh Studio Gold Glitter Drops.  They come in 12 new colors.

Berry Branch Christmas

I finally had time to create the cards for Laura Bassen's Pinkfresh Studio class, and I love every single thing about them.

The first one used lime greens and corals with the stamp and stencil (and 2 of the 3 stencils for the background).

 

 

For the second one, I used grey blues and greys ... such a peaceful design.

 

 

I can certainly see myself making these again.