Ingenious Inkling

Gel Printed Cards

This weekend's #abcprinting challenge included R is for Rainbow.  I used Dylusions Shimmer Paints to print the rainbow.

 

 

I paired it with the Spellbinders Kaleidoscope Die Cut in Black and white (for a drop shadow).

 

 

 

Stamped Sentiments are Unity Stamp Company Say It Big.

Next up is S is for Stencil (handmade).  I used this cool Bird Stencil that was handmade and gifted to me by my friend Bev. 

 

 

I stenciled in Blue and then went back in with Green (that didn't show through as much as I'd hoped).

 

 

I went back in with a Q-tip and paint on the bird to make it a bit more solid for my card.  I paired it with a vintage wood-mounted stamp (which clearly wasn't mounted straight at the end of the phrase).

 

Embossable Nature Sing

The current prompt at Jingle Bells is My Sweet Embossable You ... to create a card with embossed texture or head embossing (or both if you're into extra credit).

I went with the texture of an embossing folderusing the Spellbinders Forevergreen Embossing Folder on Green/Kraft Core'dinations cardstock. 

 

 

 

I sanded the embossed texture and then inked the embossed texture with Catherine Pooler Deck the Halls Ink for a bit more contrast. 

 

I attached it with foam tape to a red card base and added two sentiments from Spellbinders Mini Christmas Greetings.

Spellbinders Be Bold Dies

This morning, a friend invited me over for a crafty play date (yay for in person crafting and catching-up with friends) and let me use her new Spellbinders Be Bold Die Cuts (affiliate links - no charge to you).  I had been admiring cards made with the dies, so it was fun to give them a try.

I started with the Happy Birthday die set, which I had to hang off the end of my Platinum 6 plate and roll through both sides to get the full cut.  It also fits on the full width of the cardstock, so there's no room for error.

 

 

I used the colors from the TGIF Color Challenge for my Dies & Card Base (and neutral white for my happy).

 

 

I thought the Thank You Die was easier to position and use. 

 

 

For it, I used the colors from the current Color Throwdown Challenge.

 

Peace on the Earth Goodwill to Men

Day 6 of the 12 Tags of Christmas is inspired by It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (I love singing the songs while I make my tags). 

I also loved the wonderful contrast of navy and white on Emily's Tags.

 

I die cut a Navy Essentials by Ellen Shipping Tag.  Next I die cut a Taylored Expressions Evergreens and the Peace Sentiment from Spellbinders So Many Sentiments Etched Dies.

 

embrace the journey

I love this week's Freshly Made Sketch because I love the effect of clustering several small elements together into a cohesive focal point.

I took my color & design inspiration from the lovely modern quilt at the Inspired By Challenge (those are my colors).

I started by embossing a piece of watercolor paper that had been sprayed with four shades of Shimmering Bliss Spray (leftovers from the Butterfly Card) from my scrap pile with Spellbinders / Fun Stampers Journey Pretty Plaid Embossing Folder.  Next I went direct-to-paper with brown ink to bring out the plaid pattern (realized when I went back and looked at the photo that grey probably would have been a better choice, but when you're working in your Alterna-Studio off your phone, you just go with it).  I matted it on kraft to bring out the wooden tones of the bedside table.

Next I punched a circle from the leftover sprayed paper and another from teal cardstock ... pulling in the lime green with my square.  I pulled in the darker teal from the edge of the quilt with my punched branches.  I finished with a sticker sentiment mounted on foam tape for dimension ... sort of love how this one turned out.  

I'm on week five in my Alterna-Studio ... we're supposed to have flooring installed in our first floor by the end of the week and all of the many boxes returned the week after that, so I can start reassembling my studio ... I am so ready to have my space back.

Marbled Christmas Ornament

We're Shaping Up for the New Year at Jingle Belles ... which means we're making shaped cards (anything but a square or rectangle will do).

I decided to go with a holiday ornament shape (if you click over to the Jingle Belles post, you'll see that great minds thought alike this week). 

First I die cut my Spellbinders Nestabilities Heirloom ornament from a piece of folded white cardstock (overlapping the die slightly so I would have a fold) and then I cut it a second time from a piece of hand-marbled paper I made (my husband affectionately dubbed it a Christmas Radish).  

 

I added a glitter paper topper and stripes and finished with a large Simon Says Stamp Alexis snowflake and tiny white rub-on sentiment.

 

We hope you'll join us this week ... we can't wait to see what creative shaped cards you create.

More Time Like the Presents

We're still creating with wrapping paper this week at Jingle Belles ... and after realizing my sore lack of holiday wrapping paper with last week's card, I hit the after-Christmas sales and restocked.

I tend to gravitate to papers that aren't obviously holiday (no Santas or Christmas Trees for me).  I chose this gorgeous paper with snow, greenery and little pops of silver glitter.

 

I used this week's Mojo Monday Sketch and a delicate Snowflake Snippets Die Cut from Spellbinders die cut from water color paper paired with a new holiday sentiment from My Favorite Things Snow Globe Sentiments (PS as I've said before, Gina K. Designs Connect Glue is da' bomb for attaching delicate die cuts like this one)."

 

 

I'm also joining the Holiday Challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More.

And at Happy Little Stampers it's an Anything Goes with Dies Challenge.

Be Merry

I decided for this week's SHAPE-UP Card for Jingle Belles, I wanted to make a To Go Coffee Cup.

I sketched my cup on Authentique Nostalgia Paper (I adore those reindeer in scarves with that texty background) and then sketched the lid on the reverse of the same paper.  I used a Sharpie to outline the lid details.

I cut a top-fold card the same shape as my cup and attached to the back.  I finished by tracing my cup to create the sleeve out of Kraft Cardstock.  The Be Merry Die Cut Sentiment is from Spellbinders.

I'm also joining Christmas in August at My Time to Craft.

I hope you'll get creative and share your SHAPE-UP for the Holidays Cards with us at Jingle Belles.

Seek Adventures

I love being able to make cards that feature specific things that my recipients like.  

The Spellbinder's Howling Wolf is die cut from a scrap of bronze metallic paper, so he has a little shimmer in the moonlight.

Using this week's Freshly Made Sketch, I was able to find homes for three paper scraps on my studio table.  The Authentique Sticker sentiments were perfect to finish the design.

Howling Birthday

For some reason when I saw this week's CAS(E) this Sketch, I thought of a Moon.

And what better to go with the moon than a Howling Wolf.

And my favorite Happy Birthday sentiment from Stampotique stamped in Lawn Fawn Storm Cloud ink ... love that typewriter font.