Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Hip Reindeer Tag

Welcome back for the second December installment of Ink It Up!  Every second and fourth Wednesday, Leigh Penner and I post a project using uninked sets.  I am showing the last of this year's Christmas tags for my family.  It's actually the second design I created, but I wanted to save these for my Ink It Up post because I used three different new stamp sets.  Three!  They are from the Candy Cane Lane Stamp of Approval kit by Catherine Pooler Designs.  Not only that, I used Nuvo Crystal Drops for the first time.  I love them!  Gimme all the pretty colors, please.  :)

Isn't that darling?  I cut the two tag layers using Tag Sale #8 from Papertrey Ink in Pure Poppy and Kraft cardstock.  On the Pure Poppy base, I stamped the Peppermint Stick Background in VersaMark ink.  I did the same thing on the Kraft tag layer, but using a sentiment from Merry & Bright Boughs.  I like the subtle background it created.  I stamped the word "noel" from Hip Holiday on the bottom in black ink and then glued the layers together.

That adorable reindeer is from Hip Holiday.  I stamped him in Dark Chocolate ink on white cardstock and then cut it with the matching die.  I added his little nose using Red Berry Nuvo Crystal Drops.  That stuff totally holds dimension!  They are just as high and rounded as when I first squeezed it out.  Love!  I was so tempted to add drops of different colors to his antlers to mimic Christmas lights, but I ultimately decided to keep it simple.  That way the focus is on that cute red nose.  I popped up the reindeer with dimensionals and added him to the tag.  Lastly, I tied on some red and white baker's twine.

I'm really pleased with these tags.  I like the simplicity!  I have fun making the family tags every year and my kids love to guess whose is whose.  It's one of my favorite traditions now!  Be sure to pop over to Leigh's blog, To the Full, to see her post today.

Stamps:  Hip Holiday, Merry & Bright Boughs, Peppermint Stick Background (Catherine Pooler Designs)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark; Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Kraft, Pure Poppy, White (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Hip Holiday dies (Catherine Pooler Designs); Tag Sale #8 die (Papertrey Ink); Red Berry Nuvo Crystal Drops

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: I Can't Even

The last two weeks are a blur.  My son Ben left for his mission yesterday and I miss him terribly.  Between his preparations and the house basement repair, not to mention plenty of other things, I feel completely depleted.  Drained.  Because Life.  Can I quit being an adult now?  HA!  Life keeps moving on.  In all the crazy, I forgot my Ink It Up post again.  So this stamp set by Stamping Bella immediately came to mind.  It's called the chicks who "couldn't even".  Seriously appropriate, because this is exactly how I feel right now.

Humor is the best medicine, right?  I'm also listening to Christmas music this morning.  Don't judge.  I bought the brand new Straight No Chaser and Gentri Christmas albums.  Music always makes me feel better.  My house feels very empty right now.  I'm counting down the days until my two oldest kids come home for their college break at the holidays.  Usually I wait until after Thanksgiving to listen to my vast Christmas music collection, but not this year.  I need a shot of happy.

I love the adorable chicks in this stamp set.  Who hasn't had days or weeks like this?  I bought it earlier this year and it's been sitting in my unused stash patiently waiting its turn.  Today is it!  It was very therapeutic to color this simple image with my Copic markers.  I mounted the panel on a white scalloped card base.

Simple and to the point.  This card makes me smile.  Inside, I stamped the chick lying flat on its back.  lol  But yes, I can do this.  Just give me a few days!   :)  Hop over to Leigh Penner's blog, To the Full, to see her Ink It Up card.

Stamps:  the chicks who "couldn't even" (Stamping Bella)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  0, C1, C3, E08, E19, E42, E55, E99, Y11, Y15, Y17, Y26, Y35, YR15, W5
Misc:  Noted: Scalloped A1 die (Papertrey Ink)

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Wishing You Unicorns

Oh my goodness, I am sorry this post is late!  I have been so scatterbrained lately and completely forgot to get it ready.  Leigh Penner and I post twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesdays, to share a card using uninked stamps.  I chose to use this adorable Magical Unicorns set by My Favorite Things.

I cut white and black cardstock with the Sunshine Layers dies by Wplus9 Design Studio.  On the white piece, I stamped a random pattern of sunbursts and colored the centers with a Y13 Copic marker.  I then embellished the suns using Lemon Drop and Sugar Cube iridescent glitters by Martha Stewart.  You know I love all that sparkle!

I stamped and colored the unicorn image using various Copic markers.  I added silver Wink of Stella to the horn and hooves.  The wing is a separate piece of cardstock that I glittered with Sugar Cube.  I cut a white cloud with the Clouds 1 & 2 dies by Papertrey Ink, did some shading with a C1 Copic marker, and covered the whole thing with clear Wink of Stella.

I stamped a sentiment from Magical Unicorns onto a Double-Ended Banner die cut.  I layered a second banner underneath cut from Spring Rain cardstock.  Once I finished all the bits and pieces, I adhered it all to a Spring Rain card base.  It turned out super cute!

Make sure you hop over to Leigh's blog, To the Full, to see her Ink It Up post!

Stamps:  Magical Unicorns (My Favorite Things)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Spring Rain, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  0, C1, Y13, B000, B00, B02, R20, R30, RV13, RV14, RV17
Misc:  Double-Ended Banner die, Clouds 1 & 2 die (Papertrey Ink); Sunshine Layers dies (Wplus9 Design Studio); Sugar Cube and Lemon Drop glitter (Martha Stewart); clear and silver Wink of Stella pens; glue pen

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Moon Blast

This year is just flying by.  How are we already into October?  It was downright cold outside this morning when my daughter left for the bus.  The trees are starting to show their autumn colors.  It's my favorite time of year!  My son Benjamin received his mission call two weeks ago and we are getting him prepared to leave.  He reports to the MTC (missionary training center) on Nov 9th and will be serving in the Utah Salt Lake City East mission.  Change is in the air.

It's also time for the newest Ink It Up post with Leigh Penner.  We share a project on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month using uninked stamps.  When cleaning out my scrap drawer recently, I found this piece of metallic star paper already cut to size.  I simply adhered it to a white card base.  There it sat for a couple of days until the Half Pint Heroes set by Waltzingmouse caught my attention.  Sadly, that company is out of business now.  I saw the fun rocket ship and decided to re-create a card design I made several years ago. (found here)

Waltzingmouse made such wonderful stamps!  Thankfully, several of Claire's designs are now available through Gina K Designs.  Not the Half Pint series at this point, but you never know what will come in the future.  I stamped the rocket ship on a piece of white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers.  I added Wink of Stella on the flames and Glossy Accents over the boy's head.  Hopefully you can see it in these close-up photos.

I used the Mini Bubbles embossing folder by Paper Studio on a gray cardstock circle, shading it with Soft Stone ink, and then spritzing it with Perfect Pearl Mist.  And there you have it - a moon.  I love the shimmer!  It's almost otherworldly.  I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock and cut it apart into words.  The rocket ship is hand-cut and popped up for dimension.

This card was fun to make.  It's about time I got these darling stamps inked!  Once I got an idea, it came together very quickly.  Make sure you pop over to Leigh's blog, To the Full, to see her Ink It Up card!

Stamps:  Half Pint Heroes (Waltzingmouse)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Soft Stone (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White (Papertrey Ink); Rockstar Stack dsp (DCWV)
Copic: 0, C1, C3, C5, E00, E30, E42, R05, R20, R24, R29, BG72, BG75, BG78, BG99
Misc:  Standard Circles Large die (Spellbinders); Mini Bubbles embossing folder (Paper Studio); Perfect Pearl Mist, Glossy Accents (Ranger); clear Wink of Stella; ink sponging tool

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Happy Howlidays

It's time for the first September installment of Ink It Up!  Twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesdays, Leigh Penner and I post a project using our uninked stamps.  I got this adorable Lawn Fawn set in the mail last week.  It's called Happy Howlidays and is a Stamptember exclusive over at Simon Says Stamp.  I simply could not resist!

Isn't that reindeer dog the cutest thing?  I stamped the images on white cardstock, cut them out with the matching dies, and colored them with Copic markers.  For the nose, I stamped it on white cardstock with Pure Poppy ink and hand cut it out.  (I didn't want the white border.)  The shine comes from Glossy Accents.  I put a black oval behind the dog to help it pop out more from the background.

I stamped the small candy cane image on white cardstock in a random pattern using black ink.  I colored the stripes with a red Copic marker and then added clear Wink of Stella over all of the images.  I had to have some sparkle!  Then I stamped some tiny snowflakes in silver ink.

I layered the candy cane piece on some Pure Poppy cardstock and angled them on striped patterned paper by Basic Grey.  Everything is adhered to a white card base.  I stamped my sentiment on a narrow strip of white cardstock and then matted it with Pure Poppy cardstock.  To fill the empty space on the left, I stamped a small pawprint.

So, now I have a new Christmas card to add to my stash!  This one was fun to make.  Hop over to Leigh's blog, To the Full, to see her Ink It Up card today.

Stamps:  Happy Howlidays (Lawn Fawn - Simon Says Stamp exclusive)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); Silver (Encore Ultimate Metallic)
Paper:  White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); Aspen Frost 6x6 pad (Basic Grey)
Copic: R59, E55, E57, E59, W5
Misc:  Happy Howlidays dies (Lawn Fawn - Simon Says Stamp exclusive); Classic Ovals Small die (Spellbinders); Glossy Accents (Ranger); clear Wink of Stella pen  

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Cutie Pie

Isn't this fun?  It's about time I pulled out the Easy as Pie stamp set by Reverse Confetti.  I bought it last November and it has sat unused since.  I love the matching dies and knew it would be perfect to make cards for my sister-in-law, who makes delicious pies!  I just had to use it for the newest Ink It Up post.  Leigh Penner of To the Full and I make a card twice a month using our uninked stamps, posting on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.

I found the darling cherry print paper in the Farmhouse 6x6 pad by Crate Paper and paired it with a Kraft card base.  I also cut a strip of Kraft cardstock with a Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX die.  You just can't tell because I cut off the ends to fit the width of the card.  I stamped a sentiment from Easy as Pie on the strip in Dark Chocolate ink. 

I cut a scalloped circle from Rustic Cream cardstock, which echoes the background print rather nicely.  I chose another patterned paper from the Farmhouse pad for my pie pan.  For the crust, I cut Kraft and Cherry Cobbler cardstock, pieced them together, and covered the whole thing with glitter.  (wishing now that I had sponged it first for some shading)  I added some steam using the Fancy Flourishes stamps and dies by Papertrey Ink.  It's done in Dark Chocolate ink on Rustic Cream cardstock.

I layered everything together, popping up the crust just slightly for dimension.  It turned out very cute!  Make sure you check out Leigh's card here.  Thanks for dropping by.

Stamps:  Easy as Pie (Reverse Confetti); Fancy Flourishes (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Kraft, Rustic Cream (Papertrey Ink); Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up); Farmhouse 6x6 pad (Crate Paper)
Misc:  Easy as Pie dies (Reverse Confetti); Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX die (My Favorite Things); Classic Scalloped Circles Small die (Spellbinders); Crystal fine glitter (Martha Stewart);glue pen 

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: You're Adorkable

Life has been busy lately, so I haven't had much time to stamp.  I finally got back in the studio yesterday and made this fun little card using an adorable stamp set by Paper Smooches for the latest Ink It Up post with Leigh Penner.  We post on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays using stamps that haven't been inked yet.

I drew diagonal lines with a pencil spaced a half inch apart and stamped two different glasses from Incognito along the lines in black ink.  I stamped my sentiment on a narrow piece of Hawaiian Shores cardstock and glued it down at an angle.  Wish I had thought to border it with black before then!  I adhered the stamped panel to black cardstock that I cut with the Sunshine Layers die by Wplus9 Design Studio.  The Hawaiian Shores card base is just a bit smaller than A2, because I wanted a narrower frame of color.  My daughter Emily squealed when she saw this card.  It fits our family perfectly.   :)

Make sure you drop by Leigh Penner's blog, To the Full, to see her Ink It Up today!

Stamps:  Incognito (Paper Smooches)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, True Black, Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Sunshine Layers die (Wplus9 Design Studio)

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Peony Wishes

It's the second installment of Ink It Up with Leigh Penner and it's truly about time these Pretty Peonies by Wplus9 Design Studio got inky.  I actually purchased them from Leigh last year.  The layered style of these flowers is really fun to use.

I made a set of two get well cards.  First, I used the flowers to create a background on white card bases using Pale Peony, Berry Sorbet, and Tuxedo Black inks.  Then I cut Pale Peony cardstock with the Wavy Scalloped Stitches dies by Simon Says Stamp.  I just got them two months ago.  I have a weakness for scallops.  Stitched dies too.  They are hard to resist!  Finally, I stamped a sentiment from Blanket Stitched Blooms.  (also by Wplus9)

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to hop over to Leigh's blog, To the Full, to see her card for Ink It Up.

Stamps:  Pretty Peonies, Blanket Stitched Blooms (Wplus9 Design Studio)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Pale Peony, Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White, Pale Peony (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Wavy Scalloped Stitches die (Simon Says Stamp) 

Ink It Up with Leigh Penner: Forget-Me-Not

Leigh Penner and I were chatting a while back about having uninked stamp sets lying around and we decided to challenge each other to actually use them.  We're going to post a card twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesdays.  I'm excited to do this!  I'm feeling some nervousness about having a regular commitment like that, but I'm squelching the self-doubt monster and diving in.  I have plenty of uninked stamps from which to choose.  For many years, I was more of a collector than a stamper.  Sets still often sit around for some time before they get used.  Time to change that!  I've been following Leigh's blog, To the Full, for a long time, so this is going to be fun.  Let's get those stamps inky!  :)

My first Ink It Up card uses the brand new Forget-Me-Not set by Papertrey Ink.  I purchased the Don't Forget to Write kit when it came out in May and have been using it like crazy.  This new set totally has the same vibe.  I love the darling flowers and dies, so I couldn't resist ordering it along with the new Noted dies.  I'm notorious for forgetting birthdays till the last minute, so I knew exactly what I needed to make.

Isn't it sweet?  I was going for a vintage style.  I cut the Noted: Scalloped A2 card die from Spring Rain cardstock and layered a piece of white cardstock that I embossed with the Dotted Lattice embossing folder by Taylored Expressions.  (also unused)  On the matching die cuts, I stamped the forget-me-not flower bunches in Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Summer Sunrise, and Simply Chartreuse ink.  I double-layered them for dimension.  I also double-layered the word "forgot" cut from Blueberry Sky cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment on Spring Rain cardstock using Smokey Shadow ink and cut it into pieces.  Then I simply adhered everything together.

This is going to my sister who got a last-minute birthday wish on Facebook.  {blush}  My only defense is that several family birthdays happened while I was super focused on helping my son finish his Eagle Scout project before his 18th birthday.  Now to work on my next goal of actually sending cards to people...preferably on time.   :)

Hope you like my card!  Head over to Leigh's blog here to see her card for the Ink It Up challenge.  She's a very creative and prolific stamper so you'll want to follow her blog if you don't already.  Thanks for dropping by Mapleberry Musings!

Stamps:  Forget-Me-Not (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Simply Chartreuse, Summer Sunrise, Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Spring Rain, White (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Forget-Me-Not dies, Forget-Me-Not Sentiments die, Noted: Scalloped A2 die (Papertrey Ink); Dotted Lattice embossing folder (Taylored Expressions)