Hoooo Loves You?

This weeks Be inspired challenge is to make an easel card. These cards are hot, if you need directions check out this printable tutorial at splitcoast stampers. This was my first easel, and I had a hoot making it! Of course this super cute owl cut from the create a critter has a way of warming your heart instantly, he was standing by waiting for his perch to be completed like a mascot cheering me on!

When the card is closed it will fit in a 5x5 square envelope. I couldn't help extending the branch and sentiment off the card just made it so much more fun! You know how I can be...give me a line and I will cross it {creatively speaking} that is. I love how the herringbone folder mimics the pattern in the quite contrary little boy blue paper from My Minds eye.

I resisted the temptation to add a sentiment on the inside of the card, I really wanted to leave it blank so I can use it for any occasion....but I'm not sure I can part with my new mascot friend *grin* The scalloped trim acts as a stand for the easel, love when a decorative embellishment does double duty!

Have you had a chance to play with smooch spritz yet? This is log cabin misted on my branch, its a great way to add a bit of sparkle! Hooo loves you glitter? I do!!

When using cricut cuts on your projects, try adding dimension by using foam tape on your layers. I also sponge the edges to add depth, and don't forget texture, embossing a portion of your cut can make all the difference between cute and CA-UTE!

Happy creating, thanks for stopping by,

Subscribe to inkingpink, get email updates every time I post!

Bold Bright

This bold card is fashioned from this weeks mojo monday sketch, I just love the striking contrast of the bright tropical print on black card stock and black stitching.

    Sadly my old sewing machine is not behaving itself very well. This is my back up machine, and I had it completely revamped last summer but she is skipping stitches and the feed dog are slipping....I cant bare to part with it, its the machine I stared my childrens clothing store with...that basic little brother machine changed my life forever. I owe so much of who I have become to that sewing machine and what it taught me.

If you will are stick with me through the summer, I sure would be grateful for your kindness to my little ol' sewing machine, substandard stitches and all. If it weren't for all those years of self taught creativity I wouldn't be here. If my home-ec teacher could see me now...I bet she would be pretty proud of me, especially since home-ec is the only class I ever failed....twice :)

Subscribe to InkingPink wanna' know when I  post? subscribe for eamil updates today!

Sweet Inchies

This week the be inspired challenge at cuttlebug challenge blog is to use inchies! If you are not familiar with inchies, they are basically small one inch shapes that are stamped or decorative in any way.There are many ways to interpret the inchie into your design, I invite you to play along with this fun challenge. For all the details including this weeks prize, go to cuttlebug challenge

These tiny cherries are from the cutest little stamp set called tart and tangy by Stampin Up! and have a thin coat of crystal effects on them for a glossy finish. To be fair my scallop squares are a tad bigger than an inch, but I took a little creative licence with the theme of the challenge  :) every now and then you just have to color outside of the lines *giggle*

How much fun are these vintage buttons? I have a big jar of misc buttons that my cousins found at a tag sale a few years ago, I will need to make a thousand cards before I use them all, thanks Lisa and Jeanette!!!

Now that you know what inchies are I hope you have fun coming up with your own version! Happy Creating!

Subscribe to InkingPink, join me on my creative journey!

Summer Flowers

Even though she is well into her teens, my youngest daughter can still see the value in picking flowers for her Mom. A smile as bright as the sun and a fist full of delicate daises, and a giant  peony blooming with perfect pink petals, she bursts through the door and steals my heart just as she did when she was only two.

A simple vase, and a sunny window sill  have turned my little cottage Kitchen into a beautiful oasis.

This is the last of my peonies for this summer, I treasure these flowers so much, they were planted by my mother in law and sadly she never got to see them bloom. I cant help but smile knowing how much she would have loved this big bloom picked by the granddaughter who was named after her.

Its a wonderful summer day, I hope you had an extraordinary everyday moment today!

Happy Dance

How about a little more mojo?

I'm pretty excited to tell you all that I was one of the winners from last weeks Mojo Monday sketch!!! Can I just share this one little embarrassing secret with you? I did the happy dance all around my kitchen and got "the look" from my teen aged daughter...and an eyebrow from Mr. Wonderful *giggle* But once I explained the cause of my bad dancing...it was celebration all around :) Cant wait to try out some yummy verve stamps!!

This weeks sketch was a quickie for me, I just whipped this little card together in no time...I guess my mojo was in full swing ! Meagan suggested Pumpkin and blue, a dash of kraft really brought these colors to life!

I cut out the flowers from my DSP and embossed them with swiss dots, and of course I had to sand them, I love to break down the fibers so the flowers are more workable.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit with me, I have THE BEST readers in all of the blogosphere, and I appreciate each and every one of you!

The Wedding Table

I'm quite late in posting my project today for the continuing Wedding Affair event at Cuttlebug Challenge blog. Today's display is all about the table. My butterfly adorned floral containers function as chair decorations.Can you just imagine a room filled with decorated chairs and beautiful tables all decked out with pink linens, and gleaming stemware?

What a beautiful way to make a lasting impression.

For more Wedding event ideas, inspiration, and information please visit cuttlebug challenge, the designers have so much to show you each and every day!

Surfs UP!!!

So few things are as simple and easy as the long, lazy days of summer. This card just shouts "summer is here"! I'm already sporting a flip flop tan line, and the sunny days have me smiling and dreaming of the family BB Q's, marshmallow roasts, and fireworks displays that always make the summer so memorable.

Surfs Up and the waters fine! Grab your best girlfriends and a stack of beach towels, get out and have some fun in the sun. Don't you just love it when the scent of sunscreen hangs in the air? That scent still takes me back to the best times on Siesta key Beach in Florida with my friends {of course we used tanning oil, we thought we looked so good with sunburns}...ahhh if only I still looked as good in a bikini as I did at 17 *sigh* :)

This super cute and fun paper "pink flamingo" is due to retire on the 1st of July *sniff sniff*  but the good news is its still available!!! I may need to stock up on a few more packages , its my fave SU paper ever! {not just because its named "pink flamingo"} but that doesn't hurt :)

To place a Stampin'Up! order with me visit my SU website here!

Subscribe to InkingPink, get email updates each time I post!

You Are Warmly Invited To Attend

 A week long event filled with inspirational wedding ideas, plans, and unlimited possibilities . In the divine tradition of Cuttlebug Challenge, we are taking the notion of DIY to a level of beauty and complete coordination rarely encountered on a blog.

June 14-19 2010

As a senior designer for Cuttlebug Challenge,  it is my honor to present this stunning line of patterned papers named appropriately enough, Mr. and Mrs., from our sponsor, the gorgeous Teresa Collins. Our wedding colors are a luxurious mix of black, pink, and butter. Core'dinations color core paper lends itself to work in perfect harmony with embossing and die cutting, and as always, we will feature their superior quality card stock in our samples. Each designer will create essential as well as decorative items for this memorable event. Kindly Save the Dates to your calendar, and join us each and every day to plan the wedding of a lifetime!

Subscribe to inkingpink, recieve email updates on crafting, frou-gal tips, and paper crafts of all kinds!

Land Of The Free

I'm so happy with all the individual stamps I created by unmounting and cutting the images from my red white and blue wheel. Watch this video and learn how to do this with your wheels! I also discovered you can use the dotto removable adhesive to stick your rubber to the clear block {works great}

This weeks Mojo Monday 142 sketch  definitely kicked this design up a notch, I love to start with a sketch and just let the card happen as I go along!

I used quite a few "oldie but goodies" on this card, I have been holding onto that large twill square tag for years...Its a happy occasion when you  finally use an embellishment that has been sitting around......the problem with that is sometimes I become smitten and want to go buy more of them!!! {aaccckkkk}

I little spritz of smooch over the entire card adds just the right amount of sparkle, its like fireworks for paper!!

Subscribe to InkingPink, join me on my creative journey!

Chop Shop

Check Out what I did with my new red white and blue wheel!!!

This is a great way to get more bang {or stamp} for your buck!!! I'm staring a brand spankin' new series here on InkingPink called "frou-gal"

Frou-gal {definition} The act of living with utterly fantastic style, without overspending!!  I will share my tips of getting the good stuff and keeping a little extra cash IN your wallet. I'm the original frou frou girl, but I'm also a thrifty girl! I would love to hear from you, and may share your frou-gal tips with my readers!!!

How to Make a stamp set out of your wheels!

How much do you love this tip!!! ???

Check back with me later this week to see what I make with my "new stamp set"

Subscribe to InkingPink, get updates each time I post. For great crafty ideas, techniques, and videos!

Happy Hour

What could be better than gooey cheese covered nachos, frothy cold cocktails and salt rimmed glasses?

Great conversation, and quality time with your best buds!! Summer is the perfect time to throw a little happy hour cocktail party, to sit out on the deck with your friends and relax. Weather you have happy hour before a movie or have a poolside picnic what a yum-tastic way to reconnect!

 This card can function as an invitation or a Birthday greeting! The smile factor is a 10 on a scale of 1-10

This stamped citrus image comes to life with a splash of crystal effects. If you have never used crystal effects treat yourself to a bottle of this multipurpose shiny liquid! It can look like water, glass, or a glossy surface, it also has super bonding properties that are coveted among stampers and crafters alike!

These bitty tags were created with StampinUp!'s new tiny tag punch, Use markers to ink separate words on your stamps to create new sentiments. Isolating one word or image can make each of your stamps more usable. To fray the ends of a ribbon, pull the cross end of a thread with a needle or sharp point of your scissors, the ribbon will unravel {most of the time}

to create this Margarita glass I cut a circle at approx 2/3 from top, a sliver for the stem and the small oval punch for the base. I thin line of crystal effects and chunky glitter make a salty rim!

To place a Stampin Up! order click here.

Subscribe to inkingpink, get email feeds when I post. Come on a creative journey

Paint By Numbers

This week our Cuttlebug Be Inspired Challenge is to incorporate paint into our projects, something about playing with paint is so freeing and fun. It brings out the kindergartner in everyone! I used 3 different colors of shimmery glitzy paint on my numbered canvas.

I started with a blank canvas, and covered it with alphabet and number stickers of various sizes and shades of black and gray.  Read this post by Brenda Weaver about dusting off unused stickers and putting them to work, she is a genius!!

 The crown was cut with home decor cartridge, 3 layers all popped with foam tape for dimension.....You know I love me some dimension  *smile*

All 3 layers were painted with shimmer paint (stampin up) in frost white, and platinum. The top layer was left black and generously misted with smooch spritz in vanilla. {heart this spritz}

In the spirit of re purposing, I grabbed a magazine from the "out you go" pile and cut out a block of text, sponging the edges in platinum paint. adding a stamped sentiment, reminding Chelsea to always sparkle!

A funky key with a double meaning , this will sit on an easel on her desk in her room where she draws, does homework and writes countless short stories. 8 is her fav number so I made sure it was a prominent focal point.Check out those sweet tendrils at each side of the crown, {cut from the same cartridge} those were a direct order from the queen herself!!  {your wish is my command}

Want to see more projects using paint?

The CBC Designers have a paint-tastic variety of cards, layouts, and 3D beauties for your inner kindergartner! I invite you to enter this weeks challenge, and take a peek to see who won last weeks challenge click here to for all of the details!

If you would like to get your hands on shimmer paint, or smooch you can order here

want to keep up with my adventures? Subscribe to InkingPink never miss another tip. trick, or technique!

End Of School Year Clean Up!

I Must Warn you, that you about to enter the neglected closet of a teenage girl!!

What can I say? This is what it looks like when your teen girl has not cleaned up or cleaned out her closet all school year long. I'm admittedly a "clean freak" I have long taken the stance that this is my issue and not my girls, so I TRIED to let them have normal teenage rooms.....laundry on the floor and all. It takes a great deal of self restraint  :)

My girls are 15 and 22, and I can promise you some of the crayons in that container have been around for 20 years!!! It was high time to say goodbye to various childhood clutter makers! She has long outgrown crayola colored pencils and favors my prisma color pencils and copic markers for coloring her artwork...she is an amazing artist ....not so much a neatnik though.

We found these fab Black and white polka dot containers at Target {everyone who knows me is saying of course she got them at Target!}The cashiers know me by name LOL anyhoo........

We sorted through hundreds of markers, pencils, erasers, highlighters, and only kept a small portion of the mountainous rainbow pile. we donated the rest to a local pre school they were very happy to have them.

The canvas bag is the new home for all of her hats, scarves, and etc. One of the containers houses a chunk of her Archie comics collection. Do you remember Betty and Veronica, Archie and Jughead? She is a huge fan and gobbles up every issue!!!

What a big project this turned out to be, with folders, clothes, shoes, and lingering toys threatening to bury anyone brave enough to open the door like a scene from the Flintstones, it took an entire afternoon to clean up.  I'm proud to report the room and closet are clean, and mess free.

Color me a happy and organized Momma!

Subscribe to Inkingpink, receive email updates each time I post. You never   know what I will share on my creative journey!!!

My Digital Studio Heat embossing On Acetate

How to heat emboss images from your printer on acetate:

1. 
   
   Select image to print.
2. 
   
   place clean acetate sheet  in printer
3. 
   
   print, immediately sprinkle with embossing powder, heat emboss. Careful do not overheat.

Chances are you have heard of digital scrap booking, hybrid scrap booking, and digital stamps.These types of paper crafting tools are incredible space savers, and have limitless adaptability. Imagine 100 stamp sets at your fingertips, no storage, or inky fingers necessary.  the sentiment on this fathers day card was printed from My Digital Studio.

I used several texture plates to really ramp up the variety, you know how easily men are distracted :)

Don't you just love the way the embossing looks when its sanded?  Don't be afraid to mix it up with texture, and hardware, Those little touches can take a card from "nice" to WOW!!!! Most of all play, experiment, try something crazy, you never know you may invent a new technique that will benefit paper crafters the world over!!!

Subscribe to InkingPink  receive Email Updates each time I post, Join me on my creative journey 

To order StampinUp! products from me, including My digital studio Digital scrapbooking software click here