InkspiredTreasures.com

Elegant Bouquet

Here is a Clean and Simple Valentine's Day card for you to try!  I think I'll be sending out a few of these myself!

I started with a base card of Melon Mambo Cardstock.  I layered on Very Vanilla card stock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Elegant Bouquet Impressions  Folder.  I highlighted the center of the flowers with the Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker. 

I used the NEW Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit Die and cut out the heart from Melon Mambo card stock.  I LOVE how it embosses the dots along with cutting out the Scallop heart shape!  I added a bow of Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon with a couple Mini Glue Dots.  Finally, I stamped Happy Valentine's Day from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Melon Mambo Ink.

Like I said, clean and simple…and QUICk!

Don't forget, the Create with Connie and Julie special EARLY BIRD PRICE of $34.95 ends on Sunday, January 3!  Make sure you take advantage and get your subscription NOW!

I (Heart) Hearts

Well, I normally don't like to give out too many hints about the new mini before it actually is available, but the Occasions Minis and Sale-A-Bration brochures are just now hitting mailboxes!  I think they were delayed in the postal system because of the holidays.  Hopefully my customers will start seeing their copies arrive in a couple days.  I sent one to myself, too, so I'll know when they get them.

This set, I (Heart) Hearts, is one that was immediately on my list to purchase.  It has many different sized hearts.  Of course, a couple of them match up to the Full Heart and Heart to Heart punches!  The little checked heart is one of my very favorites in the set…and the Love one is my second favorite…so I combined the two of them.  I also used my third favorite one, the filigree heart at the top in the background…can you see it?

I'm sad that Valentine Greetings is in the set, Grateful Greetings, in the Holiday Edition Mini.  So, if you didn't get that set, you only have a few more days to purchase it before it is gone!  I love the font they used for this greeting!

OK…now for the details of the card!  It is sized 3×6 so it fits in the Open End envelope and can be mailed.  I used the base of Rose Red, and layered Pretty in Pink on top.  I stamped the Filigree heart in Pretty in Pink on the top half.  I added a 1" strip of Rose Red cardstock, then lined up five 1" squares of Whisper White, stamped with the Love heart (well, 4 were stamped).  The middle one I stamped the checked heart, punched it with the Heart to Heart punch, then cut out the Love Heart and adhered it over it.  Those two hearts are popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Finally, I stamped Valentine Greetings with Rose Red under the center hearts.

Preview Week starts on Sunday!  Time is running out to take advantage of the EARLY BIRD SPECIAL on Create with Connie and Julie Occasions Edition blog.  For only $34.95 you'll get NINE full weeks of ideas, tutorials and challenges!  We have three very talented designers joining us for this session.  It is going to be even bigger and better than the Holiday Edition!  Get the Early Bird Special NOW before it goes away!

A Happy Heart – brad challenge

This week's challenge over on Late Night Stampers is to use brads.  Here is my design team submission for the challenge.  I also challenged myself to use nothing but scraps left on my table!  That was a little tougher!

The background on this is an experiment using Watercolor Paper and Classic Inks.  I misted the paper before I stamped on it, and completely filled it with the large heart inked with Bravo Burgundy, So Saffron and Regal Rose.  I like the abstract look to it!  It was layered on Always Artichoke.

The Tic Tac Toe image with inked up with Stampin' Write markers in Bravo Burgundy, So Saffron and Regal Rose and stamped on Very Vanilla card stock.  I layered it on Always Artichoke, too.  I stamped the I heart u with Close to Cocoa ink on Regal Rose, coloring the heart with Regal Rose marker.  (It was a scrap in my leftover punch container).  The Designer Paper is a scrap…sorry, I can't remember what it is from…maybe retired?  I layered everything on So Saffron cardstock and a base of Regal Rose cardstock.  Then I added three So Saffron mini brads along the left side.  Turned out to be some very non-traditional colors for Valentine's Day, but I like the combination!

Hope you have a great week!  I'll be busy getting ready for Leadership next week!  Woohoo!!!

Time is running out to take advantage of the EARLY BIRD SPECIAL on Create with Connie and Julie Occasions Edition blog.  For only $34.95 you'll get NINE full weeks of ideas, tutorials and challenges!  We have three very talented designers joining us for this session.  It is going to be even bigger and better than the Holiday Edition!  Get the Early Bird Special NOW before it goes away!

Stamping 411 – Love Bandit

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!  I'm posting early, so I know we are still enjoying the holiday…

Here is my Stamping 411 Operator Challenge for this week!  Loved the sketch!

And, here is a sneak peak of a new set in the Occasions Mini called LOVE BANDIT!  Isn't that squirrel cute?  It also has a raccoon in the set, which is why I purchased it…and for this darling tree!

Quickly, the base is Sahara Sand, with a strip of two different Designer Papers out of the To The Nines Paper Pack.  The tree I used Garden Green and Chocolate Chip markers, with a little Real Red heart.  The squirrel was stamped with Chocolate Chip and colored with Creamy Caramel.  I stamped "I fancy you" with Chocolate Chip on Whisper white, punched with the Small Oval, and layered on the Large Real Red Oval.  Finally, I added a Chocolate Chip Corduroy Button in the upper left corner!

Hope you enjoy my sketch challenge card.  Make sure to check out the rest of the Stamping 411 Operators and play along this week!

Bloggers Challenge – Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone!  Merry Christmas!

For today's Bloggers' Challenge, I thought I'd share this year's Christmas card with you.  Love that Bride Designer Paper, Ornament Punch and Rich Razzleberry card stock!

Hope you and yours have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Ohio State Christmas Cards

This will be VERY quick!  I'm feeling VERY behind this year on everything!  I'm still wrapping the last couple gifts!  I never am this late.  I've just had one thing after another going on and still trying to catch up.  Still have one more run to the grocery store for dessert ingredients for Christmas dinner (here!)

My son asked me to make two special cards to go with his bosses' Christmas gifts.  They are former Ohio State golf players, so I quickly put together a couple Ohio State themed cards.  He says they loved them!

You can see they are basically the same supplies, but by turning the orientation and sizes of the layers, they look different!  I used the Block O and Buckeye leaf and nut Quickutz dies and ran them thru my Big Shot.  The Real Red Patterns Designer Paper is from a hostess pack last year (?)  The Scarlet/Gray ribbon I found at my LSS.  I stamped Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings in Basic Black. 

Card stock colors used were base cards of Real Red, Basic Black, Going Gray, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel.

Merry Christmas!  I have a post ready to go Friday and Saturday, you may or may not get a post from me tomorrow!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Build a Bear Name Frame

Every time a new baby arrives in the family, their first Christmas gift is a Name Frame from me.  I've been making them for about 5 years now.  I've included the ones I've made over the years just for fun!  Fun to see how our craft has evolved over the years!  My newest one doesn't even have stamping on it…just Big Shot dies!

Paxton is our newest baby and his mom said he really didn't have any theme for his room (probably because he is the 4th child!)  His dad plays professional baseball, and the family loves Ohio State, we also have a cousin who plays baseball for Ohio State, so I made Paxton's Build A Bear into a baseball uniform!

I started with a $3 black frame from Walmart.  You can still get them there!  The inside measures 5 x 12.  I used the Pawsitively Prints Designer Paper for the background.  It is layered on Real Red, but you can't see it in the photo.  The BAB is Creamy Caramel with Chocolate Chip behind his eyes, nose and mouth.  The shirt, hat and stripes on his baseball pants are Real Red.  The shirt cuffs, pants, O letter and #1 are cut from Going Gray cardstock.  I added some black baseball shoes and belt, too.  I cut the letters in Real Red and Going Gray with Stampin' Up!'s Alphabet Simple Letters (LOVE those dies!) and punched the small stars from Real Red cardstock.

I'm very happy with how this turned out!  I think his mom will be thrilled!  These name frames make a great gift from the heart for not a lot of money, once you've invested in the dies!

Some name frames from the past:

 Hope you enjoyed that stroll thru the years!  Merry Christmas!

INKspired Treasures Blog

A Happy Heart

Sometimes as a demo, I feel I rush the seasons along.  It isn't even Christmas yet, and I'm already thinking and designing for Valentine's Day.  For magazine publications it is even worse!  Right now, they are sending out calls for late summer and back to school items!  But, I just couldn't wait any longer to pull out my Valentine stamps!

Stampin' Up!'s set, A Happy Heart, is one of my favorite sets of all time.  I love the little Tic Tac Toe stamp in it, the I heart you, and the large word heart!  So versatile!  I knew the minute I saw Mary Jo's Monday Lunchtime Sketch TSSC101 challenge that I would use this set.

I started with stamping the word heart in Rose Red Craft Ink on Whisper White card stock.  I let it dry, then cut it out.  I pierced the "O" and added a Clear Rhinestone Brad.  Next, I cut a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 square of Bride Designer Paper and placed it on a 3 3/4 x 4 1/4 piece of Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper in the pink check pattern, then added the heart with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I stamped the Feb 14 image randomly with Rose Red ink on the Rose Red card stock, only along the top half.  I adhered everything to the base Whisper White cardstock.  Finally, I stamped I Heart You in Rose Red Craft Ink, let it dry, then punched it with the Large Oval Punch.  I added some Rose Red ink along the edge with my sponge dauber.  Pretty simple card, but I like it!

Don't forget…the Holiday Extravaganza Sale is over tomorrow!  Great time to stock up on dies and decor element vinyls while they are on sale!  Click here for more information and to save $20 on the Big Shot Machine!  What a great Christmas gift for you or someone you love!

I'd like to ask everyone for a little prayer today as I undergo a small medical procedure…pray that they find nothing abnormal in the test results.  Thanks!

Merry Christmas!

INKspired Treasures Blog

 Don't forget to visit us over on the Create with Connie and Julie Occasions Edition blog. Our Early Bird Special for only $34.95 is a fantastic deal for NINE full weeks of ideas, tutorials and challenges!  We have three very talented designers joining us for this session.  It is going to be even bigger and better than the Holiday Edition!  Get the Early Bird Special NOW before it goes away!

Stamping 411 – Patterned Pines again

It is time again for Stamping 411's sketch challenge!  Selene gave us another great sketch this week!  I hope you'll play along, even though it is a busy week for everyone trying to get ready for Christmas!

Yep…I love this set, Stampin' Up!'s Patterned Pines!  I'll be sad when I have to stop showing it with my samples, but I'll still keep it in my "must keep" pile! 

For my card, I also used some non-traditional Christmas colors!  The base is Apricot Appeal and I matched it up with Sage Shadow!  The Patterned Pines trees were embossed with White Embossing powder on Sage Shadow card stock.  I then used the snowflake stamp in Patterned Pines and stamped it randomly on Whisper White first with Sage Shadow Classic Ink, then Apricot Appeal Classic Ink, then I went back and filled in the blank areas with stamped off colors of Sage Shadow and Apricot Appeal!  I completely filled the Whisper White card stock, making my own "designer paper" in the colors I wanted.

I layered the "designer paper" piece onto Sage Shadow.  Then I stamped the snowflake again in Apricot Appeal on scrap Whisper White and punched it with the Scallop Circle punch.  I pierced each of the scallops for some added interest and placed a Fire Round Rhinestone in the center.  Finally I stamped Happy Holidays from Four the Holidays (in the Holiday mini!) in Basic Gray in the lower left corner.

Hope you enjoy my version of the Sketch from Stamping 411.  Make sure to check out what the other Operators have done this week!

Merry Christmas!

INKspired Treasures Blog

Bloggers Challenge – Sketch

I'm back!  I've been hit or miss on the Bloggers' Challenges the past month.  Just too crazy busy, I guess!  I love sketch challenges, though, so couldn't let this one go by without doing up a card real quick!

Here is the sketch for today's challenge.  I decided to turn it on the vertical to make my card.

The Stampin' Up! stamp, A Brand New Year, is one I really purchased for future use.  I knew that I wouldn't be making New Year's cards THIS year, but I loved this stamp!  I figure sometime in the future, I can use it on scrapbook pages or for invitations.  I don't have anything like it in my stash!

I started with a base of Shimmer White cardstock and layered on Brushed Gold cardstock.  I ran the Soft Suede layer thru the Big Shot with the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder and highlighted each of the flower centers with a blender pen and Encore Gold Metallic Ink.  I stamped the A Brand New Year image in Versamark on Shimmer White and embossed with Gold Embossing Powder.  I colored in the champagne glass with Sahara Sand Stampin' Write Marker.  This was layered onto Basic Black for some drama!  As a final touch, I added three clear round Rhinestone Brads along the left side and a strip of Groom Designer Stripe Paper along the top! 

I think this card has a lot of impact!  What do you think?  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and finish up everything you need to do to get ready for Christmas!

 INKspired Treasures Blog