#inkspiredtreasures

Saturday Blog Hop – Adventure

January 18, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Wow! Another Saturday has rolled around! This month on Create with Connie and Mary blog hops, we are featuring “empowerment words”. Every Saturday we will have a new word that hopefully inspires the card we make. This week’s Saturday Blog Hop word is “ADVENTURE”! What does adventure mean to you? To me it means travel! I can’t wait to see what the Design Team has done with it.

One of the places HIGH on my bucket list is visiting Paris! I was supposed to go when I was in high school with my French Class, but some circumstances led to me having to back out at the last minute. I so wish I would have gone! Now I can hardly even remember any of the French I learned!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Crumb Cake cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
A 3-1/2 x 4-3/4 piece of Parisian Blossoms Designer Paper was angled in the background.
A 2-1/4 x 4-1/2 piece of Whisper White cardstock was stamped randomly with Parisian Beauty Stamp set — the handwriting image in Crumb Cake Ink, the cancelled postage image in Crumb Cake Ink, the seal in Petal Pink and Amour in Cherry Cobbler Ink — to “make” my own Designer Paper (who else remembers when that I was we HAD to do to have printed paper?)
A piece of Petal Pink 1/4 Metallic Edge Ribbon was wrapped around the Whisper White cardstock and then adhered across the front.
The Eiffel Tower was cut with the Parisian Dies from Basic Black cardstock and added to the front.
Merci was cut with the Dies from Cherry Cobbler cardstock and added across the Tower.
A trio of black Peaceful Poppies Sequins were added to the background.

This REALLY makes me want to go on an adventure to PARIS! Who is going with me??? OK…next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa’s fabulous card! See what everyone did with this challenge!

Create wonderful dimensional poinsettias in a variety of sizes with the PRETTY POINSETTIA BUNDLE! The dies cut and emboss at the same time for lots of detail and texture. The coordinating stamp images add fun seasonal greetings, sprigs and other festive touches to your cards and projects. We've combined the PRETTY POINSETTIA BUNDLE and the A STITCHED SEASON 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER for a traditional holiday look you'll love! You'll get step-by-step tutorials for SIX projects...FOUR cards and TWO favors in our PRETTY POINSETTIA COLLECTION! See more details HERE!

Bring your most meaningful memories to life with the HEIRLOOM BOUTIQUE BUNDLE. You’ll love how the coordinating stamps and dies add delicate florals, layered details, and heartfelt sentiments to your cards, scrapbook pages, and handmade gifts. These timeless designs will help you turn every project into a keepsake to share and cherish. We've combined the HEIRLOOM BOUTIQUE BUNDLE and the BLOOMS BOUTIQUE 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER for a soft artistic look! You'll get EIGHT step-by-step tutorials for EIGHT cards in our HEIRLOOM BOUTIQUE COLLECTION! See more details HERE!

Stamp a bunch of violets quickly with the line-drawn images in Stampin' Up!'s FRAMED VIOLETS BUNDLE (available for customers beginning July 1st). Layer them together easily and add a die-cut oval, some accent florals and leaves for extra texture and subtle details. Everyday greetings give a finished level of polish. We've combined the FRAMED VIOLETS BUNDLE and the VIOLET DREAMS 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER for an eye-catching cohesive look! You'll get SIX step-by-step tutorials for FOUR regular cards and TWO small 3D projects in our FRAMED VIOLETS COLLECTION! See more details HERE!

CCMC595 – Timeless Tropical

January 16, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Wow…another Thursday has rolled around…the weeks go by FAST anymore for me! But that is FINE in the winter! lol! Check out what our Challenge Team has done with this bright and bold color combination this week over on Create with Connie and Mary!

I used the new Timeless Tropical bundle on my card today…love the pineapple in the dies, but today I used the pretty hibiscus!

Stampin’ details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Thick Whisper White, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
The 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Whisper White is embossed with the Coastal Weave Embossing folder (I LOVE that folder!)
Two 2 x 2-5/8 pieces of Peaceful Poppies Designer Paper were added to the background, overlapping just a bit in the center.
The hibiscus and leaf from Timeless Tropical were stamped with Memento Black Ink on Whisper White, then colored with the Light & Dark Poppy Parade, the center with Dark Mango Melody Stampin’ Blends. The leaves were colored with Light & Dark Old Olive Blends.
They were cut out with the In The Tropics Dies and added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Aloha from the In The Tropics Dies was cut from Rich Razzleberry cardstock and added to the front.
A trio of Noble Peacock Rhinestones (green) were added in the background for a little bling!

Pretty, pretty!!! OK…jump on over and see what the Challenge Team did this week with the color challenge on Create with Connie and Mary!

IM106 – Forever Blossoms

January 13, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Happy Monday! It’s time for our Create with Connie and Mary Inspiration Monday challenge! This week’s inspiration is some pretty paper flowers!

I suspected that Mary would probably use the Peaceful Moments Poppies on her card, so I wanted to go in a different directions for mine! I used the Forever Blossoms stamp set and multicolored flowers! I’m always drawn to the trays of mixed color flowers in the spring! I always have a hard time choosing just one or two colors for my flower pots.

Stampin’ Details:

- The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Thick Whisper White cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
- The 3-1/2 x 4-3/4 piece of Whisper White cardstock is embossed with the Coastal Weave Embossing Folder and added on top.
- A 1-1/4 x 3 piece of Flirty Flamingo cardstock was added to the background.
- A 3/4 x 5-1/2 strip of Shaded Spruce cardstock was added across the front.
- The flower branch from Forever Blossoms was stamped with Memento Black Ink on Whisper White cardstock, then colored with the following Light & Dark Stampin’ Blends: Rococo Rose, Flirty Flamingo, Purple Posy, Mango Melody and Shaded Spruce.
- The flower branch was cut with the Cherry Blossom Dies and added to the front of the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
- Wink of Stella was added to the flowers.
- A piece of yellow Baker’s Twine (FREE SAB) was tied in a bow on the stem and a trio of the Sequins in that package added to the background.
- The greeting was stamped on a 1/2 x 3-1/4 piece of Whisper White and added to the Shaded Spruce layer on the front.

I think I did pretty good with the paper flower inspiration! I really like how it turned out! OK…check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Monday Challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary!

Saturday Blog Hop – Imagine

January 11, 2020 By Connie | 2 Comments

Wow! Another Saturday has rolled around! This month on Create with Connie and Mary blog hops, we are featuring “empowerment words”. Every Saturday we will have a new word that hopefully inspires the card we make. This week’s Saturday Blog Hop word is “Imagine”, maybe using a stamp set in a different way? Thinking out of the box! So, here’s what I did with the new stamp set and punch bundle, Under My Umbrella!

UNDER MY UMBRELLA

I had fun making punch art butterflies out of the umbrella tops and the bodies from the umbrella handle! The small prints in the Birthday Bonanza Designer Paper worked perfectly! Also, lots of other NEW products on here…can you spot them?

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Thick Whisper White cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The 4 5-1/4 layer of Pool Party cardstock was embossed with the Stone Embossing Folder (I LOVE that folder…it is bundled with the Power of Hope stamp set for FREE with a $100 purchase).
A 1 x 5-1/4 strip of Birthday Bonanza Designer Paper was added on the left side.
The larger umbrella image was stamped twice with Memento Black Ink on the Calypso Coral print DSP and the smaller umbrella stamped twice on the Pool Party Print, then punched with the Umbrella Builder Punch.
The handle was punched four times from Early Espresso cardstock.
The two butterflies were assembled and added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals and the bodies with Tombow Multipurpose Glue.
The “sun” was punched with the 1-1/2 Circle Punch from Pineapple Punch cardstock, stamped with Hello Sunshine from Under My Umbrella stamp set with Memento Black Ink, and added on front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The Metallic Baker’s Twine (another FREE Sale-a-Bration with $50 purchase) was tied in a bow and added to the bodies with Mini Glue Dots.
A trio of Sequins from the SAB Twine/Sequin package were added in the background.

I am SO happy with how this turned out and feel I really used the power word “imagine”, don’t you? OK…next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa’s fabulous card! See what everyone did with this challenge!

CCMC594 – My Meadow

January 9, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Happy Thursday! It’s time for another Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge. We have a fun sketch for you to try this week!

I decided to use my new My Meadow stamp set from the Occasions Catalog! I love the style this artist uses…and since I have the other two sets, I needed this one, too. Surprisingly, the cards I’ve made with all three sets look different, even with the artistic style being the same! Yeah! I love this little gazebo!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Crumb Cake cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The 2-7/8 x 4-3/8 piece of green polka dot is from the Best Dressed Designer Paper.
It is layered on a 3 x 4-1/2 piece of Early Espresso cardstock and adhered towards the right side of the base card.
On the 2-3/4 x 3 piece of Whisper White cardstock, I stamped in the following order.
- The background water with Pool Party Ink, full and stamped off.
- The front ground with Crumb Cake Ink, full and stamped off.
- The gazebo with Early Espresso Ink, then filled in the roof with Dark Crumb Cake Blends so you couldn’t see the “water”.
- The tree trunks with Early Espresso Ink.
- The tops of the trees with Granny Apple Green, full and stamped off.
- The flowers randomly along the bottom with Mango Melody Ink.
The Whisper White cardstock was added to a 2-7/8 x 3-1/8 piece of Early Espresso cardstock, then added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Happy Birthday from Label Me Bold is stamped with Mango Melody and hand-cut, then layered on a Classic Label punched from Early Espresso. It is popped up on the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The Mossy Meadow Linen Thread from Magnolia Lane Ribbon Pack was tied in a bow and added to the tree with a Mini Glue Dot.

Love how this turned out like I pictured it in y head! OK…go ahead and check what the rest of the Challenge Team did this week with the sketch challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary!

IM105 – Heartfelt

January 6, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Happy Monday! It’s time for our Create with Connie and Mary Inspiration Monday challenge! This week’s inspiration is a box full of yummy looking heart cookies!

I love the From My Heart Suite of products that Stampin’ Up! came out with in the new Occasions catalog! I especially love the metallic red foils in the papers…it also has lots of stripes and dot patterns…my favorites! I used both on this card!

Stampin’ Details:

- The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Flirty Flamingo cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
- The 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Whisper White cardstok was added on top.
- A 2-3/4 x 4-3/4 piece of the diagonal stripe in From My Heart Designer Paper is put at an angle in the background.
- On top is a 2-1/4 x 4 piece of the metallic dot pattern in From My Heart DSP, placed at an opposite angle.
- A 3/4 x 4 piece of Bermuda Bay cardstock was added across the front, towards the top.
- The Flirty Flamingo Heart Doily is angled on the front and added with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
- Happy Valentine’s Day heart from Heartfelt Stamp Set was stamped with Bermuda Bay Ink on Whisper White cardstock and punched with the solid heart in the Heart Duo Punch. It is layered on a Real Red cardstock heart, punched with the Scallop Heart Punch, with Stampin’ Dimensionals, then adhered on front.
- Two red From My Heart Faceted Gems were added to the Doily Heart.

Love these colors and the entire suite! OK…check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Monday Challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary!

Saturday Blog Hop – Encourage

January 4, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Happy Saturday and Happy New Year!!! One of the best things about the New Year and getting a new catalog (the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogs are here!) is that I get in the mood to organize. Once I’ve cleared out the Holiday Catalog items to make room, it seems to get the entire process started. Today’s project is labeling and “filing” all my new Die Cuts. I place them on Magnetic Cards and in a plastic sleeve to protect them, then file them in a basket in my drawer (in alphabetical order, of course!) Hard thing is that the stamp set and die set names aren’t the same. So, I make a cross-reference sheet to help me with that. I print it and keep it in my drawer. That’s on today’s list to make, too!

This month on Create with Connie and Mary blog hops, we are featuring “empowerment words”. Every Saturday we will have a new word that hopefully inspires the card we make. This week’s Saturday Blog Hop word is “Encourage”. I find out I send a lot of encouragement cards to those that might need a little cheer. I think this one will put a smile on their face!

DRESSED TO IMPRESS

Who wouldn’t like that little bit of encouragement, especially on a dreary day?

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Lovely Lipstick cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The Whisper White layer is 3-3/4 x5.
The Best Dressed DSP lipstick print is cut to 2-3/4 x 4 and added on top.
The Best Dressed DSP striped print is cut to 1 x 3-3/4 and added across the front towards the bottom.
A 1/4 x 3-3/4 piece of Silver Glimmer Paper was added on top.
The 2-1/4 Circle was punched from Whisper White cardstock and stamped with the Dressed to Impress greeting in Memento Black Ink.
The small smudge image was stamped several times with Lovely Lipstick Ink across the word lipstick. The circle was added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The lipstick image from Dressed to Impress stamp set was stamped with Memento Black Ink on scrap Whisper White cardstock and colored with Lovely Lipstick Light & Dark and Smoky Slate Light and Dark Stampin’ Blends. It was cut with the Dies ad added to the circle with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Two buttons from the Dies were cut from Petal Pink cardstock and added next to the circle with Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Another fun card made with this set! OK…next up on our blog hop is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa’s fabulous card! See what everyone did with this challenge!

CCMC593 – Painted Poppies

January 2, 2020 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Happy Thursday! TOMORROW is the day! The Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog and Sale-A-Bration rewards catalogs will go live! Are you ready? I have loved playing with the new products the past couple weeks. We have a pretty color combination for you to try this week on Create with Connie and Mary.

I must admit, the soft colors were a little more challenging to work with when it is SO cold and snowy around here! But, hopefully my flowery card will get you thinking of spring!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Petal Pink cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
On top is a 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Mint Macaron cardstock.
The 3-1/2 x 4 piece of Whisper White cardstock was stamped randomly with the splatter image in Painted Poppies stamp set and the colors of Purple Posy (or stamped off Highland Heather if you don’t have that ink pad), Mint Macaron and Petal Pink Inks.
The large flower from Painted Poppies was stamped over top of the splatters with Memento Black Ink. TIP: Keep your ink pad well inked for the centers to really show up!)
The stamped panel was added to a 3-3/4 x 4 piece of Basic Black cardstock.
A length of new Petal Pink Metallic Edge Ribbon was wrapped around and tied in a knot, then the panel added to the front.
Happy Birthday was stamped with Memento Black on Whisper White cardstock and cut with the label in Painted Labels Dies. It was trimmed along the edges at the indentation, then layered on another label cut from Basic Black cardstock to give it a matted look.
Two Frosted Flower embellishments were added on each side of the greeting for a little more bling!

OK…check out what the rest of the Challenge Team did with this color challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary this week! Then join along!