Ingenious Inkling

Puffy Hearts

When I saw the inspiration photo at the Inspired By Challenge, it gave me warm fuzzies as it brought back a memory.  In my younger days, I was part of an amazing non-profit group that did all sorts of good things for our small home town. 

One year, we made puffy hearts like these and took them to local nursing home residents for Valentine's Day ... memories of such great friendships and heart-warming experiences.

 

 

I used Essentials By Ellen Stacking Hearts to die cut designer paper and cardstock outlines (I love how the floral paper has tiny little hearts).  

 

 

I used the Inspired by Sketch adding a button and ribbon loop with a Pretty Little Studio Valentine Pun sentiment in the center.

 

I'm linking-up at the My Time to Craft Heart Challenge.  It's also a Be My Valentine Challenge at Daring Cardmakers.  Lastly, Love is in the Air at Simon Says Challenge.

You Make My Heart Happy

The February #TEMakerChallenge at Taylored Expressions is a Color Challenge.

 

 

 

I chose Tropical Punch for my third color and used all three colors to ink-up the Taylored Expressions Good Hearted Background Stamp.  Since I've never inked-up that heart stamp, I'm also linking-up at the NBUS Challenge.

 

 

Next, I die cut the cute little Taylored Expressions Quick Critter Cow from Fig Cardstock with a Tropical Punch heart on circles cut from Taylored Expressions Stitched Circle Stacklets. 

I finished with a sentiment from the same Quick Critter set and some googly eye stickers ... because in my artsy world, everything is better with googly eyes.

I'm also linking-up at the A is for Anything Goes Challenge at Little Red Wagon.

You Are So Loved

The February #monthlymixchallenge at Gina K. Designs is - All You Need is Love - to include the word LOVE on your card.

I inked-up the new Gina K. Designs You Are So Loved stamp & die bundle set.  I colored the hearts and sleeves, and decided to leave the hands white, so that the hearts would really pop.

 

 

I combined paints to create a GelliArts printed cardstock that matched the marker I used for the hearts.  I printed several layers to give it a nice texture, and then I embossed it using the Gina K. Designs Lattice embossing Folder.  I found a piece of Authentique designer paper that sort of reminded me of the textured walls of my childhood.

I finished with a sentiment from the You Are Loved stamp set.

 

 

I'm also joining the Time Out Challenges with Heart & Love.  And lastly, the Simon Says Challenge is Have a Heart.

 

Collaged Valentines

I had so much fun in my recent collage class that I had to turn some of the tiny collages I made into a card.  The assignment was to use a limited number of your collage papers with some asemic writing papers.

 

 

I added some gold die cut hearts and a simple typed sentiment from Memory Box Big and Little Valentines.  I'm joining the Can You Feel the Love Tonight at Little Red Wagon Challenge.

This is also perfect for the Inspire.Create.Challenge CAS Challenge.  

 

 

For the second one, I used a similar plan but a pink card base.  This one is perfect for the Cut it Up: Add a Heart Challenge.

 

Gnome Valentine

As I was putting away my AALL & Create Blush Washi Tape from last night, I realized the pink heart tape would look perfect with these gnome stickers in my Valentine's Day stash.

 

 

The little Gnome with a letter was perfect for the Clean & Simple Postman Bring Me a Letter Challenge at The Paper Players.

 

 

I'm also linking-up at the Love is in the Air Creatalicious Challenge.

Washi Tape Valentine

AALL & Create had a big year-end sale, so in addition to lots of fun stamps & stencils, I picked up the first new Washi Tape I've bought in a while.

The patterns and colors reminded me of the Inspired by Pillows Challenge.

 

 

So tonight, I used the Washi Tape to create a quick & fun inspired valentine.

 

 

 

I attached the washi tape to white cardstock and then die cut with a stitched rectangle.  I added two wooden hearts and a sticker sentiment to complete the card.

 

 

I'm also linking-up at Just Add Ink with my new Washi.

Abstract Art Valentine

One of the current Exhibits at our Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is Beyond the Object: Women in Abstraction.  To honor that exhibit, the Museum's Education Director led an Abstract Art class at one of the local libraries.

I chose to focus on making abstract papers using paper bags and paint, and it was a lot of fun.

 

 

I cut the bottom paper into four rectangles using the current Sketch Saturday to make a valentine.

 

 

I topped my painted bag with some ArtChix Inchies that I rediscovered while reorganizing my studio.

 

 

And with all of the fabulous layers of painty texture of my paper, I'm also linking-up at the Simon Says Add Some Texture Challenge.  And Love is in the Air at the Creatalicious Challenge.

Glitter Valentine

The newest challenge at Shopping Our Stash is GLITTER Me Happy - make a card featuring glitter, which can include loose glitter, glitter glue, wink of Stella, Shimmer Pens, Stickles or Glitter paper. 

 

 

I decided to use glitter paper and go FULL ON GLITTER. 

I chose gold glitter paper for my card base inspired by the Poppy Stamps Midas Touch Challenge.  I die cut the Poppy Stamps Confetti Heart Collage from the Gold Glitter Cardstock.  Next I attached it to a Raspberry Glitter Foam scrap from my stash.

 

 

I added a few Twilight Ombre Glitter Dots and a sentiment from Memory Box Big and Little Valentines.

 

You Make My Doodled Heart Smile

I couldn't resist trying a few more Sketched Hearts (inspired by a Reel on Instagram by Shanoukiart) for a CAS Valentine using my Lindy's Gang Magicals papers I made this weekend.

 

 

I combined one larger heart with a smaller one for a CAS design for Addicted to CAS Code Word Heart.

 

 

I paired it with a simple sticker sentiment, attaching it (and the small heart) with foam tape for dimension.

 

 

I also took my inspiration from The Paper Players To the One that I Love Challenge.

 

And it's Anything Goes at the Simon Says Challenge.

Hooked on You

In the spirit of using my Never Before Used Schtuff (thanks Darnelle), I spent the afternoon playing with my new Lindy's Magicals Tea and Crumpets Shakers. 

The shaker top make it much easier to play with them and stencils, which is what I did (although several got to wet, they turned into more of a solid design, which was just fine with me).  The only purpose of the stencils for me was to add a little texture, not really produce a clear stenciled look.  (I have repurposed the long runner rug inside my front door as my paper drying spot).

 

 

The Jaded Blossom February Challenge is to Use a Stencil, so I added the top portion of the Jaded Blossom Knit Stitch Stencil (moving it to I could cover my entire page) in purple ink on top of one of my more solid pink and purple Lindy's Magical papers.  I love how the knitted stitches look like little hearts.

I used the largest Jaded Blossom Diamond Die Cut on the paper that was at the bottom of my spray box.

 

 

Next I stamped the Heart from Jaded Blossom Knit Happens in Purple ink and die cut it using the smaller Jaded Blossom Diamond Die Cut.  Then I stood back and looked at my card.

My local museum - the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art - has a new art Exhibit starting in February called ROY G. BIV: A Rainbow of Art and as a companion, they are posting color challenges for artists each month.  In February the challenge is:

February: Red

Try to create something red without using red. Then add red where it doesn’t “belong.”

 

 

I didn't really think RED belonged with my pink and purple card, but I decided to think about how to make it fit.  I started by added a red conversation heart sticker on top of my knitted piece.  Next I stamped my sentiment from Jaded blossom Knit Happens in Red ink (I should have used a more vibrant red ... red has so many shades ... and got it a titch straighter, oh well).  Finally I added a strip of vibrant red cardstock behind my diamonds to tie it all together.

 

I finished with some purple Ito paper yarn behind my diamonds, in keeping with the knitting theme.

 

I'm also joining the Sweet Stampin' Challenge to create a Valentine or Galentine (this one is going to one of my girlfriends, so I'm calling it a Galentine).