#inkspiredtreasures

IM44 – Warm Hearted

October 29, 2018 By Connie | Leave a Comment

It’s Monday and time for another Inspiration Monday on Create with Connie and Mary! Here’s another yummy cake, but look close…it’s a fall theme pumpkin cake! Too cute!

So, again, I thought of a Punch Art Pumpkin since we really don’t have too many pumpkin stamps in our Holiday Catalog this year! And I decided to go a little “artsy” with mine by embossing the top of the pumpkin!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Thick Very Vanilla cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
On top is a 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Gold Metallic Paper.
On the 3-3/4 x 5 layer of Very Vanilla cardstock, the Thanks from Warm Hearted (the host set) was stamped with Versamark and embossed with Gold.
The pumpkin is made by cutting three of the Ovals from Layering Ovals Shapes from Very Vanilla cardstock, then embossing them with the Curls & Swirls Embossing Folder.
The tops of the ovals were sponged with Versamark and then embossed with Gold Embossing Powder, then adhered together.
The stem is hand-cut from the Gold Metallic Paper.
The leaves at the stem were just trimmed from the Sprig Punch, cut from Gold Metallic Paper, and then two more Sprig Punches were placed at the bottom.

Kind of a clean and simple lines card, but the embossed pumpkin is SO cool! OK…go check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Challenge this week over on Create with Connie and Mary!

Be ready to deck the halls with Stampin' Up!'s HOME FOR CHRISTMAS BUNDLE featuring a cute gingerbread man, whimsical tree, holly, and peppermint images and dies! The HOME FOR CHRISTMAS DIES also include fun tag and pocket shapes, plus a scallop border! The classic greetings will finish your projects with some festive cheer. We've paired the HOME FOR CHRISTMAS BUNDLE with the TIMELESS CHRISTMAS 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER featuring traditional colors, plaids and stripes for your seasonal-themed crafts. Our HOME FOR CHRISTMAS COLLECTION gives you step-by-step tutorials for FOUR cards and TWO gift card holders for a total of SIX tutorials to use in your classes or personal use. See more details HERE!

How fun to create a traditional Christmas Village using Stampin' Up!'s WELCOME NOEL BUNDLE! Stamp the houses, trees and deer elements to build your holiday scene or cut them quickly with the detailed shapes and the WELCOME NOEL DIES. We used greetings from the Winter Adventures stamp set or use your own sentiments to finish it off. We've paired the WELCOME NOEL BUNDLE with the WINTER DREAMS 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER featuring white on deep blue designs for your winter-themed crafts. Our WELCOME NOEL COLLECTION gives you step-by-step tutorials for FOUR cards and TWO enhanced special fold card ideas for a total of SIX tutorials to use in your classes or personal use. See more details HERE!

Create the feel of a nature walk through the winter woods with Stampin' Up! FROSTED PINECONES BUNDLE! Stamp the pinecone and then add textured details using the FROSTED PINECONES DECORATIVE MASKS or cut the detailed shapes with the FROSTED PINECONES DIES. Add one of the heartfelt winter sentiments to finish it off. We've paired the FROSTED PINECONES BUNDLE with the WHISPERING WOODS 12x12 DESIGNER PAPER. Our FROSTED PINECONES COLLECTION gives you step-by-step tutorials for FOUR cards and TWO small decor ideas for a total of SIX tutorials, all full of seasonal charm. See more details HERE!

Saturday Blog Hop – Grateful/Thanksgiving

October 27, 2018 By Connie | Leave a Comment

This week on Create with Connie and Mary our theme is Grateful or Thanksgiving cards! Won’t be too much longer and Thanksgiving will be here in the US! I wanted to use my Winter Woods stamp set and added some fall color and went with an “artsy” look again.

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Early Espresso cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
The Winter Woods tree line image was stamped with Memento Black Ink on a 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Crumb Cake towards the left side.
The leaves were made with a sponge dauber and colors of Garden Green, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze.
The ground image was inked with Early Espresso and stamped several times along the bottom of the trees.
A 1-1/4 x 4 piece of woodgrain Country Lane Designer Paper was added to the right side of the Crumb Cake layer.
I used the Christmas Traditions Punch to punch the Give Thanks greeting from Labels to Love, stamped with Cajun Craze on Crumb Cake cardstock.
The Braided Linen Trim was looped a couple times and pressed into a Stampin’ Dimensional on the card, then the punch label was added with Stampin’ Dimensionals on top. The ends of the Trim were frayed for a rustic look.

Again, one of my favorite cards using this set! I’ve yet to use any of the other stamps in that Winter Woods set! Continue on with the Create with Connie and Mary Blog Hop to see what the rest of the Design team has done with their Grateful/Thanksgiving challenge this week! Next up is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa’s fabulous card!

CCMC533 – Spooky Sweets

October 25, 2018 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Happy Thursday! We have a FUN color challenge for today…so appropriate for the month of October, isn’t it? LOVE these new Gorgeous Grape and Granny Apple Green colors, especially for Halloween! And Spooky Sweets stamp set worked perfectly!

Here’s what I did! I love that Spooky Bats punch, too!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Gorgeous Grape cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
On the 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Whisper White, a 1-1/2 x 5-1/4 piece of Toil & Trouble DSP was added.
On top of the DSP are 1/4 x 5-1/4 strips of Pumpkin Pie and Granny Apple Green cardstock.
The bats from Spooky Sweets were stamped with Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green and Gorgeous Grape on Whisper White cardstock, then punched with the Spooky Bats punch and added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The greeting was stamped with Memento Black Ink on Pumpkin Pie cardstock, punched with the 1-1/4 Circle Punch, then added to a 1-3/8 Scallop Circle punched from Granny Apple Green and a 1-1/2 Circle punched from Basic Black cardstock. It was added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Pretty simple, huh? Love the bright colored bats! OK…check out what the rest of the Challenge Team did with the color challenge this week over on Create with Connie and Mary!

IM43 – Spooky Sweets

October 22, 2018 By Connie | 3 Comments

It’s Monday and time for another Inspiration Monday on Create with Connie and Mary! I love this Spooky Wreath for someone’s front door! Great colors and so festive for Halloween!

I used to do Punch Art Classes every month and I’ve kind of gotten away from them. My card was definitely fun to create using the wreath as my inspiration!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Pumpkin Pie cardstock, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
On top is a 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Smoky Slate cardstock, stamped with the “grunge” image from Spooky Sweets in Smoky Slate Ink around the bottom and top edges.
The cauldron is a Layered Shapes Oval cut from Basic Black cardstock and sponged with White Craft Ink around the edges and added to the front.
The bubbles were punched with 1/2 and 3/4″ Circle Punches from Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green, Pumpkin Pie cardstock and the gold and green in the Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper (LOVE it!). They were added around the cauldron with Mini Glue Dots.
The swirls were slim pieces cut from Pumpkin Pie and Granny Apple Green cardstock and wrapped around a pencil to curl, then adhered under the bubbles.
Two “sticks” were cut from Basic Black cardstock and a bat punched from Spooky Bats Punch placed on the top of one and added with a Mini Stampin’ Dimensional.
The greeting from Spooky Sweets was stamped on Pumpkin Pie cardstock and punched with a 1″ Circle Punch and placed on a 1-3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch of Granny Apple Green cardstock and added with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Finally, I needed a little spider, so pulled out this month’s Paper Pumpkin and stamped the small spider with White Craft Ink, then drew a spider web line with the Chalk Marker.

Pretty fun, isn’t it??? I think so! OK…go check out what Mary did with the Inspiration Challenge this week over on Create with Connie and Mary!

Saturday Blog Hop – Cards with Leaves

October 20, 2018 By Connie | Leave a Comment

This week on Create with Connie and Mary our theme is Cards with Leaves! Our leaves in the neighborhood are JUST starting to turn a little! I love it when you can see all the colors, but there is still a touch of green in them, too! I used the stamp set Falling for Leaves on my card today. This was one of the cards we made at my Stampin’ Blends class a few weeks ago!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Sahara Sand cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
The 3-3/8 x 4-1/8 layer of Whisper White cardstock was stamped with the Falling for Leaves greeting in Memento Black Ink in the lower right corner.
The Whisper White layer was added to a 3-5/8 x 4-3/8 layer of Mint Macaron cardstock, then adhered to the front.
The large leaf was stamped with Memento Black Ink, then colored with the Mint Macaron and Mango Melody Stampin’ Blends, then cut with the Leaf Framelit.
The large lacy leaf Framelit was cut from Mango Melody. Both were adhered to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
A length of Braided Linen Trim was tied around the step and shredded.

Pretty simple…took longer to color than it did to design the entire card! Continue on with the Create with Connie and Mary Blog Hop to see what the rest of the Design team has done with their Cards with Leaves challenge this week! Next up is our Create with Connie and Mary website, then on to creative Mary Brown, or head backwards to see Melissa’s fabulous card!

Control Freaks October 2018

October 19, 2018 By Connie | 1 Comment

Hi! Welcome to the monthly Tour de Freaks, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers! This month our theme is HAPPY FALL! The temperatures here in Ohio are certainly reflecting fall with COOL temps! From 80s to 50s in a couple days is a HUGE swing! You’ve probably just come from the awesome Wendy Weixler…love her projects, don’t you? Just click on the link below to take you around the entire blog hop for some GREAT inspiration!

HAPPY FALL – FALLING FOR LEAVES

I love watching the trees change color in our neighborhood! The view out our windows at the trees is stunning! Reds, golds, yellows, purples, greens…just a mix of beautiful shades. So, for my projects I went with some bright colors and pumpkins! It certainly says “fall” to me!

First up is the card.

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Thick Whisper White cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
On top is a 3-1/2 x 4-1/4 piece of Toil & Trouble Designer Paper added towards the left side.
A 1 x 4 piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock was added across the center.
The large label from Stitched Labels Framelits is cut from Gorgeous Grape cardstock and added to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The Stitched Oval was cut from Whisper White and added on top of the label.
The pumpkin stack was cut from Toil & Trouble and added on top with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
The Natural Twine was tied in a bow and added with a Mini Glue dot.
Thankful from Falling for Leaves stamp set was stamped with Memento Black Ink on Crushed Curry cardstock and cut with another label from the Stitched Labels Framelits, then tucked under the stacked pumpkins.
Two of the leaves from Falling for Leaves were stamped with Cajun Craze Ink on Crushed Curry cardstock, then cut with the Framelits and tucked around the label.
Some Wink of Stella was added to the pumpkins and the leaves for a little sparkle!

Next up is a candy holder made with 1/2 Acetate Box and filled with Hershey Nuggets.

The Acetate Box was cut in half.
A 1 x 11 piece of Pumpkin Pie was wrapped around and secured in front for the belly band.
The decorations were the same as above with the labels and cut out pumpkins and leaves.
The backing for the box is 4-1/2 x 4-1/2 Gorgeous Grape cardstock, embossed with the Subtles Embossing Folder. It is scored at 2-7/8 and 3-1/2, then the back fits down in the box and the flap is over the front and tucked behind the label to secure closed.
The Nuggets were wrapped with 1 x 3 pieces of Toil and Trouble DSP.

Nice and bright and colorful, isn’t it? Hope you liked my Happy Fall projects! OK…next up on the Control Freaks Blog Hop is another stamping friend, Melissa Davies! I love her work, so I know you’ll enjoy her projects, too!

CCMC532 – Beautiful Blizzard

October 18, 2018 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Another Thursday has rolled around…where is the time going? It is really feeling like Fall here this week…and soon we will get that white stuff in the air! So, I just had to pull out my Beautiful Blizzard stamp set for this Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge!

I really like this card…in fact, it is a SERIOUS contender for my Christmas card this year!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 4-1/4 x 11 Thick Whisper White, scored at 5-1/2 and folded.
The 3 x 3-3/4 piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock is stamped with the snowflakes image in Beautiful Blizzard with Bermuda Bay Ink randomly over the background.
Two 1/2 x 3-1/4 pieces of Bermuda Bay (Brights) Designer Paper were added to the back, then the element placed on the front.
The greeting from Beautiful Blizzard is stamped with Memento Black Ink on scrap Whisper White, then cut with the Layering Circles, and adhere to a larger Scallop Circle Framelit. It is popped up on the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
A 1/4 x 2-1/2 strip of Silver Glimmer Paper is tucked in the circle sandwich.
Two snowflakes were cut from the Blizzard Thinlit Die from Whisper White cardstock and tucked around the Silver Glimmer Paper with Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals.
Two Glimmer Dots were added to the centers of the snowflakes.

LOVE it!!!! And it would be SO easy to mass produce for Christmas cards! OK…make sure to check out what the Challenge Team did this week with the sketch over on Create with Connie and Mary!

October Greek Isles Achievers Blog Hop

October 16, 2018 By Connie | 1 Comment

It’s a brand new Stampin’ Up! year and so those Achievers who earned the Stampin’ Up! Greek Isles Trip are holding a Blog Hop! This month our theme is the Holiday Catalog! Wide open theme…I like…but hard to narrow it down to just one thing! I’m SO thankful to my customers and downline who helped me earn this trip of a lifetime! The Greek Isles has been on my bucket list since the original Mama Mia show came out!

BEAUTIFUL BLIZZARD

Although I’m certainly not a proponent of snow…I’m more of a summer girl…I do love all things snowmen and snowflakes. Today I used the Holiday Catalog’s Beautiful Blizzard on my card! The Frost Shimmer paint adds just the right amount of bling!

Stampin’ Details:

The base is 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Coastal Cabana cardstock, scored at 4-1/4 and folded.
On top the 4 x 5-1/4 layer of Pool Party was stamped with the collage snowflake image in Bermuda Bay Ink and the background “watercolor” image in Coastal Cabana Ink.
The Frost Shimmer Paint was splattered all over the background and allowed to dry.
A 1-1/4 x 4 piece of Whisper White cardstock was stamped with the Snowflake greeting in Coastal Cabana and added across the front.
A 1/4 x 4 strip of Silver Glimmer Paper was added on top.
The snowflakes from the Blizzard Thinlits Die were cut from Whisper White and added to the front with Mini Glue Dots.
A bow was tied from Pool Party & Silver Baker’s Twine and added to the large snowflake at the top with a Mini Glue Dot.
The two smaller snowflakes at the bottom have Rhinestone Jewels in the centers.

I really LOVE the splatter of Frost Shimmer Paint…just makes it pop! If you are in the US, you can order these products at my online store below!