INKspirations!

 Hello! Diane and Darlene have a fun challenge on their blog using bows!  To join along in the fun, click the link  (HERE) For my card I used this card sketch from EMK Creations. You can find more great sketches and tips (HERE)   This card began from sorting through my ziploc bags of scraps!  I had a bag of yellow printed papers and liked how the flowers coordinated with the subtle dijon patterned paper.  This card sketch was great simply because it doesn’t require a ton of paper.   I used the bicycle image from Unity’s Kit of the Month - Wander and Wonder - September 2024.   I stamped in Crumb cake ink (SU), and used the fine tip from the coordinating marker to add shading on the tires and seat.   The sentiment was stamped from the same Unity kit of the month on the inside of the card.  It reads “may blessings bloom around you.” This sentiment can be used for encouragement or a birthday. The flowers were colored with a few markers and p...

Hello! Today’s card is all about sand and sun!  I was inspired from the mood board from this month’s Four Seasons Challenge: Summer. To join in on the fun, click the link  (HERE) For my card, I used a piece of watercolor paper and a large paint brush to add a light wash of color for the sky. I continued to drop in more shades of blues to mimic waves, and dropped a few splotches of plain water to remove a little color.   For the sand, I loosely added Crumbcake ink, and allowed the paper to partially dry.  I used a sponge to pounce a little texture to the sand, and a few flicks of the brush for pebbles. While the paper was damp, I embossed with (SU) Subtle Textures (EF). The beach chair was stamped in Misty Moonlight ink (SU), and watercolored with a fine tip round brush. For the card design, I used this sketch from My Favorite Things (Sketch #268) - found on Pinterest.  I trimmed up the background and used a square cutting die for less white space. The image was ...

 Hello! This cute card is inspired from this month’s Top Inky Inspiration Sketch #42 For my card, I used Unity’s squirrel Fruit and Fluff - June 2025, and Unity’s Slices of Summer - Watermelon Patterned Paper Pack. I trimmed 2 sheets of patterned paper  to 3 3/4 x 5 inches, and tore the top and bottom corners leaving the center with the white core exposed.  The two pieces were adhered together and added to a 4 x 5 1/4 mat in Strawberry Sorbet cardstock (SU). The squirrel was stamped in Versa fine Onyx Black ink, and watercolored with an aquapen and Dusty Durango, Strawberry Sorbet, Polished Pink, and Gumball Green ink pads (SU). I brightened up the dress a little more with a crayola pink marker.  Wink of Stella was added to the Watermelon for a little shimmer, and a small lime green and white bow was made from baker’s twine.  Thanks for stopping by! - Valerie Kaye

 Hi there! The theme for the challenge at Avenue 613 is summer fun.   One of my favorite ways of enjoying summer, is eating fresh watermelon! To join in on the fun, go to this link  Avenue 613 This  little squirrel from the June Unity Kit of the Month, was just perfect!  My Mom gifted a few stamps from this set plus the Watermelon - Paper from Unity called Slices of Summer. I began by very lightly inking Versafine black ink on mixed media paper.  I used SU-Dusty Durango which although it’s retired, it’s a great color for water coloring animals.  I let the squirrel dry, and added a darker shade of brown and black for shadows.  The eyes, ears and nose were all detailed with Prismacolor pencils.   The watermelon was watercolored with Sweet Sorbet  SU, and Wild Wasabi.  The darkest edge of the rind and the dress were colored with Prismacolors. To assemble, I trimmed the Slices of Summer DSP to 4 x 5 1/4 inches.  Another green rind ...

 Hello! I am participating in Sunday Stamps current color challenge.   Challenge 366 .   I also needed to make 3 - birthday cards this month, so I dug through my stash and used My Favorite Things- Penguin Parasise set.  I began by choosing 3 penguin images from the set and a few of the accessories included.  I had a precut sheet of white cardstock cut down to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, so I used a My Sweet Petunias platform and arranged all the images and stamped them all at once.  This is a huge time saver if you need to make a few cards at once.  Next, I tried to match the colors as closely as possible with Prismacolor pencils.  A black thin crayola marker and SU- Costal Cabana marker were used to larger areas. I found yellow diagonal striped paper as the DSP used.  It’s from Stampin Up’s - It’s my Party Paper Pack.  I cut 4 - 4 x 5 1/4 inch pieces and set them aside. The first card I used the whole diagonal striped paper as sheet of paper was the...

  Greetings!     It's grey and snowy in the Midwest today, but I am feeling sunny!  I'm working on organizing projects ahead for this year and have a lot of papers, stamps and dies on my craft room floor.  Laying things together helps me visualize how they will work in projects.  I love giving themed gifts, and this year I am going to try to incorporate a set of gift cards with each gift basket or box.     I got on a roll with the theme of fruits, and pulled out lemon dies, berry stamps, and oranges!  I didn't realize how many I have accumulated.   As the year progresses, I will work these themes into gift baskets.  The berry set will make nice jam toppers, and tags.  A card set will also be included, nestled inside a berry or bushel basket.   The lemon set, can easily be used with lemon curd and a scone recipe, and the oranges can be used for a package with a juicer and fun tea towels.   You ...