Ingenious Inkling

Old Fashioned Holidays

We're still creating with Vintage items (or more recent items that have a vintage feel) at Jingle Belles.

My card features poinsettias that I die cut with a stitched rectangle die from a vintage holiday card that I purchased at an estate sale.

 

 

Next, I stamped my Savvy Stamps Happy Holidays Block sentiment on the back of the card, and then I die cut using a circle die.

 

 

I finished with some gold thread and gold bling using the layout from Atlantic Hearts Sketch.

 

 

And remember, one lucky participant will win this great package of vintage elements from Lauren's awesome Etsy Shop Just Enough Stuff.

Sketchy Hearts Love Day

This morning I watched a Reel on Instagram by Shanoukiart where she quickly scribbled a heart on texty paper and cut it out to make her own embellishment, and I knew I wanted to give it a try.  As I expected, it was a bit trickier than it looks in her video (at least for me), but I made it work.  

I chose some "rejected but saved" glittery spray papers from my stash (note to self - February may need to be my own "Daily Spray" challenge), which turned out to be perfect when I chose little areas of the sprayed patterns to draw my hearts.  I decided I wanted to use them for the Sketch from The Paper Players.

 

 

I found a gelliarts background that I had made with thread back in September 2022 that I thought would be the perfect background, so I cut it with a stitched rectangle die cut.  And because using my prints in my art & trying new techniques are two things that make me very happy, I'm joining the "What Makes Me Happy" Challenge at the Cut It Up Challenge.

 

 

I looked at multiple colors, and finally went with a yellow strip for the hearts and a bright purple card base.  I really love this color combination.

 

I finished with a vintage wood block sentiment from Savvy Stamps.

 

My sketchy hearts also took their inspiration from the TGIF Challenge.

Living Life in Peace

Amy T's Woodblock Wednesday Challenge is always a bit of a walk down memory lane for me. 

Today I went wandering through my winter stamps, and ultimately chose two of my very well-loved favorites for today's card.

 

 

I started by stamping the happy little Savvy Stamps Let It Snowman in black ink on pink cardstock & again on white cardstock to detail cut & paper piece it together (if I'm using vintage stamps, I figured I might as well throw in a vintage technique.  When I was done, I colored the scarf with pink and die cut with a stitched circle.

 

Since a snowfall that produces that type of smile is always one of the most peaceful moments to me, I paired it with a John Lennon lyric from Peddler's Pack.

I used a combination of silver & pink washi tapes on silver metallic card stock that was die cut with a stitched die cut, so I'm joining the Use More than One Die Challenge at the Cut It Up Challenge.

 

I used a layout from Sketch Saturday & the Pink and Silver color palette for the Color Hues Challenge.  I finished with some Silver embellishments.

 

 

Bingo Birthday

My card started with the Retro Rubber Challenge and thoughts of how I might incorporate those colors.

 

 

Next, I looked at the Tic Tac Toe at The Paper Players, and decided I wanted to go horizontal across the center with designer paper, a die cut and enamel dots.  That took my shopping in my paper scrap bin.

 

 

I found this fun yellow bingo card that I die cut with a stitched rectangle.  Next I added some bright blue designer paper and coordinating enamel dots for a vertical Bingo. 

Then I finished with my Retro Rubber stamped woodblock sentiment from Savvy Stamps - block happy birthday - that is at least 2 years old, but I'm guessing closer to 10 years.  I stamped it in Versafine Claire Verdant Green.

 

 

I'm also joining the Anything Goes Challenge at Use Your Stuff, since all of the items on this card were certainly in the stuff category.

Oh Tinsel Tree, Oh Tinsel Tree

At Jingle Belles this week, we're still creating cards inspired by this DIY Tinsel Tree Tutorial from White House Crafts.

 

 

I wanted to try to recreate the tinsel effect using paper.  I used some Fringe Scissors from my stash that I've had forever, but I'm not sure I've ever used on silver glitter cardstock.  I attached the Tinsel fringe to a Gel Print that incorporated both the teal blues and the silver.

 

 

Next I added a wrap of my favorite bright pink ribbon to pull in that color before attaching with foam tape to a Dress My Crafts matte gold card base (to pull in the final color from the tree). 

I finished with a bright pink Happy Holidays sentiment.

Woodblock Wednesday

Today I'm joining Amy T for her Woodblock Wednesday Challenge.

 

When I saw the colors at the Just Us Girls Challenge, I knew the papers from the Bo Bunny Whiteout Collection would be perfect.

 

 

I chose a dark blue snowy paper for the background, and trimmed two ticket strips from another piece that featured the two shades of blue.

 

 

I used two woodblock stamps - the snowman from Savvy and a vintage A Muse sentiment ... and as you can tell they are much loved & much used. 

I used a layout from the Sunday Stamp Challenge with a bonus challenge to make it a Celebration Card.  Since I needed a masculine birthday card, that was perfection.

 

 

I used layered stitched circles instead of the heart from the sketch.

 

 

I'm also linking-up at the Ice Ice Baby Challenge at Challenge Up Your Life & the Baby It's Cold Outside Challenge at Little Red Wagon.

Big Birthday Cake

Today I'm sharing a birthday card for a very special friend.

We have a local store called the Create/Exchange where you can bring in your art supplies for store credit to buy other's art supplies.  You never know what you might find.  I found a couple of intricately cut pieces of paper that I thought would look lovely on top of my Gel Prints, and it turns out my intuition was right.  I really love the contrast with this blue and sea green panel.

There was a heart in the center of the panel, but since I wanted a birthday cake, I covered it with a couple of die cut ovals to hold my big birthday cake.

 

I used chocolate and yellow cardstock to die cut the Savvy Layered Cake.  I think it was supposed to be a two layer cake, but I decided to trim down and stack several and turn it into a cake fitting for a big birthday party (then there might be enough to have some cake for breakfast the following day).

I hand-cut the candles on top of the cake and finished with a tiny wood block sentiment from Memory Box.

Repetition Birthday

This week's Just Us Girls Challenge is all about Repetition.

 

I started with this repeating circles Gel Press Print that to me just screams that it need to be a birthday card.

 

 

I used this week's Try Stampin' on Tuesday (or Not) Sketch and several vintage wood mounted stamps for a slimline design, so I could feature as much of those overlapping repeated circles as possible..

 

 

I paired my vintage Savvy Stamps Birthday Owl with a repeatedly stamped A Muse Happy Birthday sentiment for a second element of repetition.

 

 

It's perfect for a birthday party I'll be attending this weekend.

Make Merry

This week at Jingle Belles we're creating free-standing holiday tags ... or using tags on cards.  I don't wrap any gifts, so I don't need any free-standing tags ... however I do hit all of the after-Christmas sales to buy up as many of the glittery fun tags I can find to use on next year's holiday cards.

My card features a big glittery wreath tag using the sketch from Try Stampin' (or Not) on Tuesday.

 

I added a few sequins and since the theme is Anything Goes at the Retro Rubber Challenge, I inked-up this little Savvy Stamps sentiment that is at least 12 years old, because here's a card I made using it from 2007.

 

 

It's also All About Occasions at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

 

 

And the winner of last week's Big Box of Goodness Giveaway is (drum roll please) ...

Allisa said:

2500 mile road trip with my son to deliver a rescue dog to his forever home! Thanks so much for the chance to win.

 

Send an e-mail with your mailing address to SmilynStef at aol dot com and I'll get the goodies sent your way.

Mr. Snowman

The theme at the Inspired by Challenge is Mr. Snowman.

 

I pulled out two vintage wood-mounted stamps for my card ... Savvy Stamps Snowman and Impress Let It Snow.

 

I added a red scarf and die cut my snowflakes from MFT Die-Namics Layered Snowflakes finishing with a blue epoxy dot and frames to bring in the colors from the Inspiration Photo.