Ingenious Inkling

Growing in Unity - Day 5 - Background Stamps

Welcome to Day Five, the final day of my Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity week.  I've been sharing projects all week that feature Unity's high quality, red rubber stamps. I'm so sorry my week is coming to an end.

If this is the first day you've joined me please go back and visit  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 & Day 4.  If you are a returning visitor, thank you, and welcome back.  Be sure to leave a comment on each Growing in Unity Blog Post this week blog post to be entered for a chance to win one of two fabulous prize packs from Unity Stamp Company.  Winners will be announced on this blog and on the Unity Stamp Company Growing in Unity Facebook page.

Today's post is focused on Unity Stamp Company's awesome background stamps with Distress Oxide sprayed papers..  Backgrounds have always been one of my favorite stamps ... and in my opinion, red rubber stamps the best for large background images.

I'm starting with my card for our Jingle Belles prompt this week.  My crafty besty Lauren and I are in our 10th year of taking back December one holiday card at a time as the Jingle Belles.  It's so fun to use your holiday stamps all year long ... and have all your holiday cards ready to mail at the end of November.

 

 

The theme at Jingle Belles this week is Fa-La-La-La-La where we're celebrating one of our favorite things at jingle belles ... Christmas Music. We're asking you to create a card (or gift card holder, or whatever else you'll be needing for the holidays) that incorporates music, a musical instrument, or a holiday song title or lyrics.

I love pairing unexpected (okay usually a bit snarky) sentiments with elegant cards.  I sprayed my watercolor paper with Mermaid Lagoon and Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide Ink.  After it had dried, I used my MISTI to stamp the Unity Stamp Company Burst of Flakes Border Background using Blue Belle Versafine Clair Ink.

 

 

Next I added the reindeer from the awesome October 2016 Unity Sentiment Kit ... a joyous season (such a great set) ... does he look guilty?

 

 

The Song Title Sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company Naughty is the New Nice, which is an awesome group of Holiday Sentiments stamped in the same Blue Belle ink on White Cardstock and attached with foam tape.  I finished with a few cardstock layers and several sizes of light blue epoxy dots.

 

 

The next card features another favorite border background from Unity Stamp Company ... Up, UP & Away.  The floral balloons are especially lovely.  

 

 

This background was made by swiping my watercolor paper through all of the leftover colors of Distress Oxide Ink on my craft sheet ... blues and greens with a bit of purple.  The Up, Up & Away {border background} is stamped in Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.

 

 

The sentiment from Unity Stamp Company ...hope is a beautiful thing February 2020 Sentiment Kit is stamped on a scrap of the same sprayed watercolor paper, trimmed and edged with black ink.  There is a tiny heart under Hope, but I wanted to use this card for co-workers, so I covered the heart with some tiny gems.

 

 

The next Unity Stamp Company background is a partnership with Brutus Monroe called Freshly Cut.  We always used to go cut down a Christmas Tree when I was a child, and I can still remember that smell.  As I mentioned, I stamped each background multiple times with my MISTI to get solid coverage on the Distress Oxide Sprayed background paper.  This background combined multiple green sprays and stamped with Versafine Clair Rain Forest green ink.

 

 

I die cut the background, wrapped it with a chartreuse ribbon, and attached it to a dark green card base.

 

 

I found a scrap with more of the lighter green color and stamped a sentiment from Unity Stamp Company Naughty is the new nice which was die cut and attached with foam tape.

And that my friends is the conclusion of my Growing in Unity Week ... it's been so very fun sharing my love for Unity Stamp Company (seriously some of the nicest people in the industry).  Make sure you check my blog and the Growing in Unity Facebook group to see if you're a lucky winner.

Water Colored Embossed Stencil

The theme at the CAS Stencil Challenge is to use Heat Embossing with a Stencil.

 

 

I wasn't sure what to do, so I went searching at SplitcoastStampers and found this Watercolor Bokeh Technique I thought I could modify.   I used Taylored Expressions Liquid Watercolors to create my rainbow background.

Then I used a circles stencil and Gina K. Designs White Pigment Ink to apply ink.  Finally, I clear embossed the white ink.  I didn't get quite the contrast I was hoping for, but I still liked the effect ... sort of a 70's tie-dye.  I cut it into three pieces for three cards.

For the first one I used some Easter Bunny stickers and a sticker sentiment.

 

Then I found these psychedelic 3-D Pineapple stickers in my stash that worked perfectly.  You can see the embossed circles more in this card.

 

And one more fun little pineapple ... because we know that an UGH is perfect for some situations.

 

I love challenges that make me play with my supplies ... I don't do it nearly enough.

Happy Mail - Happy Heart

The challenge theme at Just Us Girls is to create a card with Inlaid Die Cuts ... this is a technique I don't think I've really tried, so I figured now was the time to dive in.

 

I've had the PinkFresh Studio Leafy Envelope Die on my studio table for a while, so I thought it would be perfect (but clearly I didn't think long enough about all of those teeny tiny pieces).  I actually die cut the Envelope four times (five times if you count the final cut for a couple of teeny pieces I lost).  I used two Distress Oxide Sprayed pieces for the envelope & leaves, a Gel Press Print for the background, and white cardstock for the outline.

 

 

The sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio Surviving a Funk with a tiny felt flower nestled among all those leaves.

 

I'm also linking-up at the Cut It Up Challenge, where the theme is to use your favorite color ... that limey green/blue is one of my favorite hues.

Makeover Monday - Layering Die Cut Stencil Valentine

I'm back for another Makeover Monday.

This week I chose this Valentine from February 2017, which was the first (and I believe only) time I have used these rather expense Birch Press Designs Caprice Heart Layers Die Cuts.  When I saw Jennifer Mcguire's video this week on how to turn these layering die cuts into stencils, I figured it was the perfect time to give it a try.

 

I die cut the three hearts from a scrap of kraft cardstock on my desk, and then die cut one more time to create my mask.  Since I intended to cut out the heart, I used the mask for all the layers.  I used Jennifer's technique of then cutting out the center of the 4th die to create a white heart frame.

I used three of the inks from the Pink Fresh Heart Beat Quartet - Coral Reef, Passion Fruit and Berrylicious.  I couldn't find enamel hearts in my stash to match these colors, so I used a little foam heart sticker in the center and two Eyelet Outlet Pink Hearts at the top.  

The sentiment is a die cut from Simon Says Stamp Everyday Words on a Line for another Galentine.  And I'm still joining Sam's Use My Stuff Challenge - Love (those sentiment dies were unopened ... and yay for using my heart dies a second time).

Pawsitively Special

This card resulted from too many challenge ideas floating around in my head.  Both Seize the Birthday and Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge have a stencil theme ... and Paper Smooches Challenge is Anything Goes, so I knew I wanted to start with a Paper Smooches Stencil.

 

I thought it would be fun to see what it would look like if used the Paper Smooches Buffalo Check Stencil by first brushing on one ink and then off-setting the stencil slightly and inking with a second color ... I love the effect.  I used Rina K's Electro Pop Neon ink in Blaring Blue & Loud Lime.  Pixie Spray makes stenciling so much better.

 

Next I wandered off to find a sketch ... I chose the current CAS(E) this Sketch!, so I trimmed down my stenciled background to allow the card to have some more white space for a CAS design ... and then I added some paint splatters in a darker green.

 

 

I knew I wanted a birthday card, so I played around with several different sets before spotting the Paper Smooches Paws for a Cause Stamp Set in my stash ... those puppies are absolutely  perfect for Where the Red Fern Goes at The Library Challenge.  I used Gina K.'s Amalgam Ink to stamp my dogs on loud lime cardstock (that ink is the absolutely best for silhouettes) and then stamped a few bones to use in lieu of the flower embellishment in the sketch.

 

I finished with a sentiment from Paper Smooches Happy Birthday and mounted both the focal rectangle and sentiment on foam tape for dimension.

 

Gel Stick Blooms

I recently purchased a large set of Kingart Mixed Media Gel Sticks, and tonight I decided to do a quick play with them.  I chose four of the colors to apply to the large floral image from the Hero Arts 45th Anniversary You Make a Difference Stamp set with PinkFresh Studio (which is a great price right now).  I sprayed the watercolor paper with a few spritzes of water and then sprayed directly onto the stamp to get this ethereal look.

 

I wanted a little more definition, so I cleaned off my stamp and inked it with red ink to stamp a few more times.  I should have sprayed with a setting spray after that, so I didn't get quite as much smearing (learning for next time), but I just went with it and sprayed over the smear.

I added a sentiment from the set in black ink in the center and mounted on a red card base.  My card is for the Anything Goes Challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

 

Gifted Birthday

I love that Taylor changed up the #TEMaker Challenge for 2020.  The challenge is to use one of the elements to make a card ... but as a perennial over-achiever, I had to find a way to use all three.

When I was at Stamp Joy, I bought the products to replicate my favorite card ... so that was the plan for the morning ... only one problem ... it really didn't seem to fit with any of the challenge elements.  I wasn't going to let that stop me ... I pushed through to figure out a solution.

I started by die cutting an oval and masking the center of the Taylored Expressions Gifted Background Stamp (I originally tried Taylored Expressions Oval Mask, but the plastic was too thick to get a good stamped image around.  I switched to cardstock (but should have switched to typing paper to get the mask even thinner ... learning for next time).

I left the oval in place and positioned the Taylored expressions Gifted Stencil over the stamped image.  I finally used my Taylored Expression Blender Brushes with a masculine trio of hues - Lime Zest, Pineapple and Gumball.

 

I used the same die cut and the slightly larger size to cut a frame for my masked oval (which helped cover some of the issues from using the cardstock vs. typing paper) and then stamped a sentiment from Taylored Expressions Big Bold Birthday using the Grey Ink for the Challenge theme.  I trimmed down my stenciled piece and placed it on a grey card base.

I have been in search for micro gems, so I asked my friends at Stamp Junkies the other night, and they directed me to a few new stores.  These lovely blue gems are Craft Buddy D.I.Y. Self Adhesive Crystals ... I love that each sheet of gems has four different small sizes.

I'm also linking-up at the Seize the Birthday Layer It Challenge since I've got three layers to my design.

 

And it's Anything Goes at The Male Room.

Alcohol Ink Play

As I often do this time of year, I've been looking back at what I experienced in 2019 ... and thinking about the experiences I want to have in 2020.  What I realized this morning is that I really love my Art Camp with Lauren each year ... just creating for the sake of creating with no end project in mind.  I don't do that enough the rest of the year ... so on to the list of 2020 experiences that goes ... more playing with art supplies just for the sake of experimenting and creating.

 

When I saw the sketch at the Paper Craft Crew Challenge, that background immediately reminded me of how long it had been since I played with alcohol inks.  I grabbed several colors and a piece of shiny paper from my stash (I honestly don't know what kind of paper it is, only that it had a resistant surface).  I just started dropping inks (even different brands, which had different concentrations of pigment) and watching what they did.  Then I added some blending solution to check out that effect ... then I mixed it up with a little yellow.  It was so meditative and fun.

 

I decided to trim it down to a 4" x whatever" long card (there was a poll on Facebook this week about what you call this card size ... I usually call it an #10 for the envelope size).  I didn't have two oval sizes that worked for the sketch, so I trimmed down my inside oval to work with the sentiment from Supercalifragalistic by CAS-ual Fridays (one of my favorite stamp sets).

 

For the snowflake embellishment I used a 3-D butterfly sticker and then added several colors and sizes of sequins.  I really love how this one turned out ... which is evidence that more play is certainly needed in 2020.

Glittery Hope

Anyone who creates with me knows that I hate glitter.   I don't mind Glitter Glitz Gel or Glittery Paper that doesn't shed, but I hate having sparkles all over my studio that last for days.  So when I saw the Unity Stamp Company Mini Challenge was All That Sparkles, I almost just walked on by.  

Then I remembered that I had found a random container of Jewel Glitter Ritz micro glitter when I was cleaning my studio table (I must have seen someone do something cool with it ... thought I needed it ... and then realized how much I hate glitter).  It had never been opened.  When I searched for the glitter (I wasn't even sure what to do with it), I found a tutorial from 2011 showing using it with two-sided adhesive.  It looks like they don't even make this particular glitter any more (the link takes you here, so I wonder if this glitter is similar).

Of course, then I couldn't find my sheets of two-sided adhesive ... but I realized my widest roll of Be Creative Sookwang Tape (2.5"} would work with the Unity Stamp Company Layers of Life Magical and Hopeful (05/18) Stamp, so I was off and running.  I stamped the image in Warm Breeze Versafine Clair on a Lime Green Cardstock, applied the tape, and then sprinkled on the glitter.  I tried to contain it ... but I've got sparkles everywhere.

 

Another thing I hate about glittery ... you end-up with a gorgeous card, but photographing it to capture that gorgeousness is nearly impossible.  Trust me ... this guy is super-sparkly.

For the background I used Unity's Burst of Flakes (Border Background) in the same ink on the same green cardstock ... as a border, I'm not sure you would even guess it was snowflakes).  I mounted the entire piece on a deep purple card base.

 

Now I'll be off to try to contain as much of the stray glitter as possible ... but likely will still have some on my face tomorrow.

Jingle Bells

One more Tag tonight for the 12 Days of Christmas Tags since I'm on a roll ... I really like working on the smaller shipping tag size. 

This is for Day 5 - Jingle Bells - pretty directly inspired by Lisa Spangler's Tag.

 

I used the same Sentiment Stamp from Essentials by Ellen Retro Holiday Greetings stamped in White Pigment Ink and embossed with Alabaster Embossing Powder.  I wanted to play with the water effect like she did, so I used two different colors of Catherine Pooler ink - Aquatini & Mint to Be.

 

I was a bit heavy-handed with the water splatters, but I still love the effect (I can't wait to play with this some more).  Since I didn't have any Jingle Bells in my stash to tie on my card, I die cut some from Gold Glitter Cardstock using Taylored Expressions Little Bits Jingle Bells (I sure do miss Ellen's Mix-It-Up Challenge ... I love combining products from different companies).  I finished with some metallic holiday cord.