Friday, December 29, 2017

My Inky Friends Design Challenge #1 MIFDC1



For our inaugural design challenge, we request that you be inspired by page 61 of the Annual Catalog which is pictured above.  Just design a card and upload it to the My Inky Friends Blog. After the linky closes on Friday, January 12, 2018, we will post a winner.   If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword MIFDC1 .

1. Follow the general design of a sketch, although it can be flipped. For a color challenge, Stampin' Up! colors are listed. You can use compatible colors and add neutrals as needed.
2. Create something new that has not been posted before.
3. Post your creation on your blog or online gallery, please provide a link back to our challenge. Provide a direct link to your project or post to the Linky. 
4. Feel free to combine with up to three challenges, as long a you include a link to the Inky Friends post.
5. Have fun!


Here is a link to the blog: My Inky Friends Blog 

Since I'm The Stampin' Bunny, I of course wanted to use the Sweet Little Something set as soon as possible.  So for this challenge, I used several of the papers from the Sweet Soiree Specialty Designer Series Paper.  Only one is the specialty side (the tiny dot), and the others are sort of the "back side", but I really like them.  This is very versatile paper in my opinion.  I used the Sale-A-Bration ribbon for the ribbon element and the label punch for the sentiment.

We hope you all enjoy the sketch!!

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Friday, December 8, 2017

Stampin' Up! Blends Inky Friends Blog Hop



Welcome the the Inky Friends Blends Blog Hop!

We're taking time this month to show off the great new Alcohol Ink Blends by Stampin' Up!  We're using them in projects of various kinds to fill your calendar with coloring ideas. We used something to represent each month of the year.

For April, Shelley created lovely designs with the Best Birds set.  They are so rich and pretty--her robin is amazing!  If you'd like to go back to it, click here to reach her Miss Mad Stamper blog.  Also, for a full list of participants, go to the Inky Friends Blog.


My month is May, and I chose the Garden Girl stamp set. I loved this set when the catalog arrived last May, but I couldn't imagine how I'd do her justice with our regular markers. I waited to buy the set until the Blends were released, and I am so happy to finally use this fun set.

The first two "identical" cards are a comparison of my limited abilities with the regular Stampin' Write Markers on the left and with the Stampin' Blends on the right.  My intention here is to show how nice the Blends look even when one doesn't change their style of coloring. (I didn't change to the typical alcohol marker use of leaving quite a bit of white space within the image to show reflecting light.)

The smooth look of the Blends used on the right creates a more realistic image. In one way, it isn't a fair comparison since we don't have a Caucasian skin color in the Stampin' Write Markers. (I used Pink Pirouette.) On the other hand, the Light Cherry Cobbler Blends marker is not as lovely as Real Red itself, but other than that, I think it is obvious that the Blends make me look much better as a card-maker.

Below are bunnies that I colored in varied ways.  The bunny at the bottom left was colored using the old Stampin' Write markers. It does have a nice rough texture that matches a bunny's coat, but it is a bit plain. The center top bunny was colored using just the Light Crumb Cake Blends marker, and the top right bunny was colored using just the Dark Crumb Cake Blends. For the bunny in the middle at the bottom, I used both Light and Dark Crumb Cake Blends for what I think created the most personality and charm for the bunny. :)


Originally, I just wanted to color a variety of images from this set. The Blends made coloring so easy that I just mounted my 1/4 sheet on a card base for a cute little note card.



Now it is time to continue on to June where Sharleen will display her lovely Spotlighted projectss with the Flower Shop set on her Stamp with Shar blog.  Such a striking technique!



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Thursday, December 7, 2017

CASEing Dawn Griffith's Matchbook Ghirardelli Holders

I love Dawn Griffiths adorable Ghirardelli holders from last Christmas. They really look like a matchbook inside! I had been searching for the perfect holder to make with gold to match the wrapper, and I think her design was fantastic. Quick and SO cute!




Monday, December 4, 2017

At Home with You Blends Stampin' Up! Christmas Card

The At Home with You set is lovely for Christmas too.  I used the Stampin' Blends to color everything, but the true use of technique is olny on the door and leaves. I darkened edges and down in crevices a bit.  I couldn't resist a giant banner over the door from the Birthday Banners set, and I used the Merry Christmas sentiment from the Star of Light set.




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