Ingenious Inkling

Sepia Winter Fun

We're still creating cards featuring all of the ways you can have Fun in the Winter at Jingle Belles.  

This time I went searching through my vintage Ideals magazine collection and found this Sepia illustration of all sorts of Winter Fun from skating to drinking hot cocoa (I do love my cocoa with lots of marshmallows).

 

 

I added lots of Tim Holtz Sticker Sentiments, which to me made it feel sort of like a page out of a Richard Scarry book.  Those were my absolutely favorite as a kid ... learning new things, appreciating all of the art, and reading all of the text.

Do you remember dressing-up in layers until you looked like the Michelin Man to play outside for hours?  So much fun.

Rainbow Snowboarding

This week at Jingle Belles we're making cards that feature ways to have FUN during the winter time. 

You might enjoy skiing, ice skating or sledding … or you might be more about sitting inside watching the snowfall from your favorite chair while drinking hot cocoa and reading a book. Whatever says winter fun for you, include it on your card & tell us why you (or the recipient) enjoy it.

While I have never snowboarded, I have several people on my Christmas card list who love the sport.  This 1997 Stampington & Company Snowboarder is one of the oldest stamps I have in my stash, and I still think he looks just as great today. 

I inked-him using four ink colors to create a rainbow with the overlap for the Caffeinated Christmas Challenge theme of Rainbow.  To bring in the Coffee, I stamped a tiny coffee cup from Hero Arts Kelly's Coffee & Donuts and placed it on the end of the snowboard.

 

 

My layout is the sketch from the Retro Rubber Stamp Challenge. 

 

 

I used Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders for my snowy slopes and finished with a sentiment from Memory Box Dashing with Reindeer inked in reverse rainbow order.

 

Frozen Flakes Peace

The December Challenge at Poppy Stamps is Happy Holly Days.

 

 

I pulled out some Memory Box glitter paper and cardstock for the card base & die cut the Poppy Stamps Frozen Flakes from the glitter paper.

 

 

The sentiment is Poppy Stamps Tidings of Joy.

 

 

I'm also joining the Inkspirational Challenge where the Word Prompt is Ice.

Snow

The December Memory Box Challenge is Snow.

 

 

I started with the Memory Box Frosted Christmas Tree (looks like the exact one I have is discontinued but here's a Frosted Pine Tree or Frosted Christmas Trio).  In looking at the picture on the outside of the package, it felt like there should be two dies inside, but instead there was just one that cut out the Christmas Tree Outline.  I researched on-line and realized I would need to use the Die to create the "frosted" part of the tree.  

I applied Snowdrop White Paper Glaze through the die to get the snowy look on the branches and then sprinkled on some white glitter while it was wet.

 

 

I used the Memory Box Pinpoint Snowflake Piercing Plate for the sky and then added a white glitter base.  

Next came the cute little Reindeer from Memory Box Dashing with Reindeer stamped on light brown cardstock & Die Cut before I colored with markers before adding a Memory Box Red Fairy Jewel for a nose.

I finished with a sentiment from Memory Box Typewriter Holiday Elements.

Create in Quads Snowflakes

This afternoon, I had fun inking the Taylored Expressions Create in Quads Snowflake Stencils on kraft cardstock.  I just grabbed each color relatively randomly, but loved the end effect.

 

 

You can see I got a little bit of a smear on the larger snowflake ... nothing a little Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Bling can't rescue.

 

 

I paired it with a sentiment from Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Christmas.

 

 

Next I turned one of the quads into a tag (and then into a Card-Tag-Combo) for the December #TEMakerChallenge.

 

 

I added purple pearls and another Simple Strips Christmas Sentiment.

 

I turned the next one into a Birthday Card with a sentiment from the new Taylored Expressions Get Cozy.

 

The final one has more purple pearls and yet another Taylored Expressions Simple Strips Christmas sentiment.

Can't wait to make lots more with these fun stencils.

Let It Snow Again

Our Cable decided to die at our house yesterday, and we can't get a technician until Thursday afternoon, so for the first time since the Derecho I'll be venturing out in the snowy landscape to drive to work ... so why not celebrate with a CAS Snowy design.

I started with inspiration from The Paper Players.

 

I'm also joining the Uniko Studio Anything Goes Challenge by using their wonderful Big & Bold Snow Stamps Set & Coordinating Dies.  I die cut the Big Snow from White & Navy cardstock and stamped the other snowflake images from the set in light grey to coordinate with my strips of designer paper before finishing with the Navy Sentiment.

 

 

I'm also calling this a variation on the Fusion Card Challenge Sketch.

 

 

The Code Word at Addicted to CAS is also Snow.

 

 

 

Let It Snow

The current Challenge at Honey Bee Stamps is all about Winter Wonderland.

 

 

Since we had some snow falling today in Iowa, I broke out the adorable Snowman Stamp from Honey Bee Stamps Let it Snow and used the three shades of blue cardstock from the Just Us Girls Challenge (I thought my ink was a bit closer to my dark blue cardstock, but I'm going with it).

 

I used every snowflake in the Honey Bee Let It Snow Set and finished with the die cut sentiment.

 

 

With my four layers of cardstock, I'm also Layering It Up with Simon Says Stamp.

 

I also took inspiration from the colors and that adorable snowman at Hand Stamped Sentiments Inspiration Challenge.

Let it Snow

This week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch is another layout that just cried out to use more Washi Tape. 

This time I combined DoodleBug White Christmas Snowflake Washi with this gorgeous Glitter Star Washi from Eyelet Outlet.

 

 

I die cut Honey Bee Layering Snowflakes from Glitter Paper (combined with a larger punched snowflake) and added some Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Bling.

 

 

I'm also joining the Let It Snow Challenge at the TGIF Challenges.

 

 

The sentiment is from Honey Bee Let it Snow.  I'm also linking-up at the Honey Bee Stamps Buzzworthy Challenge which is Anything Goes.

Imagine all the people ...

I did some Black Friday Shopping at Dies R Us and picked-up a few new dies from Birch Press including this Mini Snowflake Frame Layer Set. 

I die cut the top and bottom layers from white cardstock and the middle layer from my favorite silver mirror chipboard (the inside of a Puffs with Vicks and Lotion Tissue Box).  I added a piece of Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Bling to the center.

 

 

I attached the snowflake to a BoBunny Winter Wonderland paper covered card base.  

The inspiration for all of that snow comes from this week's Cupcake Inspiration Challenge (where I am thrilled to be one of last week's winners).

 

 

I paired my snowflake with a vintage wood mount stamp from 2005 by Peddler's Pack and a scattering of silver sequins.

 

 

I'm linking this card at the Dies R Us Winter Wonderland Challenge and the Heart 2 Heart Challenge Peace on Earth.

 

Five Favorite Holiday Cards - 2020

Since Lauren & I started Jingle Belles in 2010, I've been recapping my five favorite Christmas cards of the year (you can find 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019 here) ... I always enjoy revisiting my creations for the year.

Here are my favorites in no particular order:

 

1.  This card I made for the Jingle Belles Earth Day prompt pretty much sums-up 2020.  The background was stamped with an empty toilet paper roll (and brought back the panic of seriously not finding any toilet paper in our town except for a 120 roll commercial package that we're still working our way through)  ... and Taylored Expressions Big Grumpy who sums-up how many have felt for most of 2020.

 

 

2.  I had so much fun creating this vintage collage for our Vintage prompt at Jingle Belles ... I love when all of those tucked away bits and bobs finally find their way onto a card ... especially trading stamps that remind me of my Grandma and the photo slide that reminds me of watching vacation slides in my Gran & Papa's basement.

 

 

 

3.  I love how striking this Gina K. Designs white snowflake turned out against the tone-on-tone Holiday Tapestry stamped background.

 

 

4. The We Three Kings Prompt at Jingle Belles inspired We Three Reinbeer ... for me, the googly eyes make this card.

 

 

5. 2020 was the year I had more fun playing with Alcohol Inks ... I love the wonderful inky background of this card combined with the contrast of the white stamped images.

 

As always, hard to pick favorites, but also fun re-visiting all the holiday cards I made (and gave) this year.  Remember, if you'd like to have lots of holiday cards ready when December rolls around, you can join us for our 11th year of Jingle Belles Mayhem beginning January 1st