November Digi Blog Hop Time

We have a fun new Digi Stamp available starting today that is sure to get you in the mood for the coming holiday season! And our INKgirls have some beautiful samples to show you how much fun it is to create with. This month's set is called North Pole Snow Globe and sells for only $3.25.


Please enjoy following our Digi Release Blog Hop and be sure to comment allong the way...we have a free digi coupon for one lucky winner and you never know which blog we’ll be choosing a winner from! You will have until Thursday, November 4th at midnight Eastern Standard Time to comment on all the design team blogs for a chance to win our new digi image!

To purchase our new Digital Stamps, follow this link and click on Digital Stamps. There are no shipping or handling charges. After your purchase you will receive a confirmation receipt email and, once the payment is posted you will receive another email with your download instructions.

So to start things off hop on over to Marti's Blog to see her stunning project.

Thank you for joining us today for the Artful INKables November Digi Set Blog Hop, be sure to head on over to the store pick up this adorable new set North Pole Snow Globe!

Digital Stamp Blog Hop

So are you ready for our Big News?

Artful INKables is going DIGITAL!! We are opening a new section in our store for Digital Stamps and we will be adding one new digital stamp set to it each month. This month, we start out with an adorable Fall image called Harvest Crow. It includes 3 digital stamps for only $4.



To purchase our new Digital Stamps, just go to http://www.artfulinkables.com/, click on our Store and Digital Stamps. There are no shipping or handling charges. You will then receive a confirmation receipt email and, once the payment is posted you will receive another email with your download instructions.

Now to celebrate our news, we are having a Blog Hop to show off some inspiring ideas for our new images. Be sure to follow the hop all the way to the end and make sure to leave a comment on everyone’s blog, you never know which blog we’ll be choosing a winner from! You will have until Monday, October 4th at midnight Eastern Standard Time to comment on all the design team blogs for a chance to win our new digi set!

So to start things off hop on over to Marti's Blog to see her stunning project.

Thank you for joining us today for the Artful INKables October Digi Set Blog Hop, be sure to head on over to the store pick up this adorable new set Harvest Crow!

March Release Blog Hop

It's that time again, time for a New AI release! This month we have FIVE new sets to share with you! I kinda went a bit crazy with peacocks this month because we have not one, but two sets with a peacock theme. The first is a great combination of peacock images and paisley shapes called...you guessed it...Paisleys and Peacocks. After that set was designed, I hade to make a peacock backgroud to compliment it. This set is called Peacock Pagentry and can be used with the other set or alone since it also comes with 2 sentiments. In My Garden will get you in the mood for spring with its lovely garden theme and if you are in the mood for a game of chance or know someone who is...Game On will be a set to check out. And finally, incase you haven't gotten your fill of Twilight themes stamps, we have one more to share with you that centers around the last 2 books. It is called Epic Tales. We hope you find something to fit your needs and style in our new offerings and to help inspire you, we have some great samples to share as you (blog) Hop along with us.

My creation is a seed packet holder and card in one. The front features the little gardener with her birdy friends.

And inside you will find a simple seed packet made with a template and the 'garden seeds' stamp you will find in the set.

Garden Card by Kristin Soboloski
Stamps: In My Garden
Ink: Momento Black ink
Paper: Turquoise, green, orchid, white and yellow card stock and random decorative paper from SU!
Accessories: Varigated ribbon from May Arts (can be found in our store), Scallop and circle punches from SU!, Border punch by Martha Stewart, Copic Markers, tag die from Cuttlebug.

Now I want to make sure you all remember to comment on every one's blog, because two lucky commenters will win some AI stamps! One will win In My Garden and Epic Tales, and the other will win Peacock Pagentry and Paisleys & Peacocks. Please leave your comments by Thursday, March 25th, 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time. The winners will be chosen on Friday, March 26th.

Dont forget to welcome all the New INKgirls as you hop along the way!! Thank you for participating in today’s blog hop, now hop on over to Ann’s Blog and after her on to Joy's Blog to enjoy the rest of this wonderful release! (There may be a bit of confusion since we have a new team, so if you get lost, just hop back here to get on track.)

New Release Blog Hop ~ First of 2010~

So did Joy's "Sneak Peeks" whet your whistle for today's New Release Blog Hop? I sure hope so because I know the INKgirls and I have been dying to share our samples with you! This is our first release of the new year and we think it's one of the best releases EVER!

The 4 new sets being released are called Sexy and Sweet, Newborn Blessings, Fanciful Flowers and Any Birdy Home. Be sure to check them all out on the store site to enjoy each and every stamp in these new sets. I have used the Sexy and Sweet set for my Blog Hop sample. I just love how this set can be used either in a 'racey' or a more demure way for those significant others in our lives!

Sexy Kitten Card by Kristin Soboloski

Stamps: Sexy and Sweet by AI

Paper: All from SU

Other: Circle punches, Dew Drops, Copic Markers, Momento Black ink

This release marks the beginning of a few changes here at AI. The most significant is that this it the last release for our current Design Team. Though a few will stay on in a Senior capacity, we will really be feeling the loss of these talented ladies! Be sure to give them some appreciation this next month before they leave us to make room for the next crop of INK girls. (BTW if you are interested in becoming a member of the new team please visit this post HERE for details.) We will also be gradually changing how our sets are sold. Though we have taken pride in offering hand cut 'ready to use' sets in the past we are finding ourselves getting further and further behind on our shipping times, so over the next 6 months or so, we will be modifying our plates. How? Well if you purchase one of these new sets you will see first hand, as these are the first of the sets to show the change. Basically, they have been arranged so that each set is a sheet of uncut rubber, mounted on ez-mount cling foam, that can fit in the box without the extra labor. (Same boxes and packaging as we currently carry.) You will have to cut them from the rubber sheet at home before you use them...unless you want to stamp a collage, lol! This should greatly decrease the wait for your orders and allow us to expand to larger sales venues such as stamp conventions and retail stores. We will also be introducing a mini set size with some great new stamps for a smaller price.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my samples but it is time to move on and see what the INKgirls have to share with you. Hop on over to HOLLY'S blog next and be sure to hop and comment all the way to the end...as usual there will be prizes! You could be the winner of all 4 new stamp sets if we draw your name! Cool huh?

Celebrate the Release of our 4 New Stamp Sets Today and Hop with Us!

We are celebrating our Last New Release of 2009 today and bringing you some creative inspiration. Artful INKables has 4 NEW Stamp Sets available today that we know you'll love. It may be a bit early to be thinking about Valentine's Day but we know how much stampers like to get a jump on things! So with these cuties, you can get busy on your V-day creations as soon as the Winter Holidays are over. Plus we have a fun new 'get well' set to brighten an ill loved one's day and a cute 'anytime' winter set to add to your collection!

Here are the 4 New Sets but for more details and prices go to our store site.









Now how about some creation inspiration using these sets? Well, Hop along with the INK Girls and myself and hopefully we will infuse you with the creative spirit. My card was made using one of the new love themed sets called Love Ya Lots.

I embossed the Love Birds in white on burgundy card stock, cut a heart out around them and layered it on a white card stock heart. The same was done for the tag, which I placed under the heart like a pocket. The background was stamped in burgundy over fuchsia card stock with the bunch of hearts stamp from the set and I tied it all together with a pink organdy dotted ribbon.

Are you almost ready to jump on over the next blog to see another creation? Well, first you need to know 2 more things. First; you can win 2 of the new release sets (your choice) just by commenting on each blog in the hop and second; remember today is the LAST DAY of our big 25%-35% off sale so don't miss out!!

Now scoot on over and see the lovely work of genius JOY has to share with you!

A 5 Hour Creation

Ok, so maybe I don't stamp too often anymore because it takes me FOREVER to complete a card, lol! I started this card at 2:30 this afternoon, using the sketch Challenge over on SCS and didn't complete it until 8:30. This is according to my daughter who seemed to find it necessary to ask incredulously every so often..."are you STILL working on that card, Mom?" She graciously allotted me an hour for dinner prep/eating/clean up and announced that my "five hour card" was finally complete! *snort* (Sadly, it wasn't the coloring that took all that time...it was the design of the card. Which is pathetic since I had a sketch to work off of!) Crazy!

The paper choices seemed to give me more agita than anything. I just didn't have anything that looked like the imaginary paper I saw in my head, lol. I knew I wanted to use our new Bird's Song set and once those things were finally decided upon, (Basic Grey decorative paper, chocolate chip card stock) I got to work. I stamped the leaf image on various colors of mottled paper and cut them out. Then I stamped the bird image on the paper vertically and colored it using Copic markers. It is colored to resemble a titmouse, one of various birds that has a bit of a crest on it's head. I "artfully" arranged the leaves to fall off the branch and gave them some dimension with pop dots as shown here:

Finally, I stamped the quote by Maya Angelou, cut it out with my oval cutter and added some interest by using some of our May Arts textured ribbon and a copper brad. The 3 pearl dots in the left corner were an after-thought, one by daughter told me was overkill. *grin*

So I hope you enjoy my creation, I hope the next time I stamp, it will be a bit less painful for all involved, lol! TTFN

October Release Blog Hop

I'm here and I'm Hoppin'! (I feel like I've been 'hoppin' for the last month or so but that is another story. ) As Artful INKables grows, I find myself with less time to do what made me start the company in the first place...STAMP! So as I made this card today, I found myself falling in love with the craft all over again and I resolve to MAKE and SHARE more cards with you very soon! In the meantime, I want to send out a big thanks to both Holly and Joy for keeping it all together for me!! You both rock!

Two new sets are being released today, the one I will be showing is called Down on the Farm and the other set, being showcased by some of the DT, is named A Bird's Song. Both of these sets can be viewed over in our store under the "animals" category and will be featured on the front page there for the remainder of the release month.

I had fun with the design for this card...I've always been fond of framed farm scenes and though I didn't want to limit the images in the set by framing any of them in, I knew I would be framing some in my own work to share with you.

To create this scene, I stamped the farm and the tractor on white card stock, cut it down to the size I thought would work and then drew a black line frame (with a ruler) around the edges with a #3 black pen. Then I added little hatch marks to the line...I think they kinda look like barbed wire, don't you? I have to admit, I extended some of the lines for the fields to the line I drew but, in hindsight, it really wasn't necessary. Then I took the fence stamp in the set and stamped it on white 2 times, cut them both out and layered one on the other so I could extend it a bit further off the page. I colored the scene and the fence pieces with my Copic markers, assembled it and added the cork flower to the corner.

Now as you move on to Julie's blog, then the rest of the team's blogs after hers, you may see that there is a vast difference in the styles achieved with the Down on the Farm stamp set, which is something I'm quite proud of. This set is so versatile, that it can go from cutsie all the way to P. Buckley Moss style depending on what your needs are at the time.

Now, be sure to go check out both new sets in the store after you've hopped all the way through our blog hop. And be sure to comment on each and every blog in order to be eligible to win our BLOG HOP PRIZE DRAWING of both new sets. (winner will be announced Sunday October 18th) And remember, if you enter and win the blog hop prize for the month but have already placed an order, your original payment will be refunded. So no waiting necessary!

Blog Hop With Artful INKables today!

So did Joy's "Sneak Peeks" whet your whistle for today's New Release Blog Hop? I sure hope so because I know the INKgirls and I have been dying to share our samples with you! This is our first release that feature sets for specific up and coming Holidays. In the past I've been a bit wary to make sets with a limited time appeal but if these are popular, I'm sure there will be more!

The sets being released are called Halloween Hauntings, and Holiday Treats and Tails. Though they are holiday specific, I hope you are excited by the different elements in these sets. For instance, I'm so excited about the Little Reaper and the Evil Cat in the Halloween set...they are just a bit off the norm to be really fun. And as the INKgirls said after seeing the Christmas set...Holiday Beavers? Who'd have thought...but they are so adorable! Please visit the home page here http://www.artfulinkables.com/ to see all the elements of these 2 new sets.

For my samples today, I used the Halloween Hauntings set:

I had no Halloween themed paper so, for the first time, I DL'ed some from the net! I did a google search and found a site last week...and now, of course, I cant find where I got it from! *rolling my eyes*

The little Jr Reaper is featured in this card, along with the 'batty moon' and the "Reap Well..." sentiment. I stamped him with black Momento ink on Old Olive card stock and then colored his face and feet in with a white gelly roll pen. I outlined him a bit with a green marker to make him stand out from the background and gave him a hill to stand on. The moon was stamped on white, colored, cut out and glued onto the cs with the reaper. Sponging was added, along with the little tag and some paper layering. The cute ribbon I used is one of the new styles we are now carrying from May Arts. It has a beautiful metallic shine on some parts and comes in 8 different colors. We also have a fun new skull charm but we didn't get them until after I made the cards, so I couldn't use one.

The main image on this card was stamped on white card stock with black ink and then I stippled on some grey ink to give it a hazy, spooky look. The windows were colored in with yellow and the fog swirls were added using a white Galaxy Marker. The moon was stamped over the gnarled tree and shaded using copic markers. The rest is pretty obvious but it was all tied together using some black velvet rick-rack I found in my ribbon basket.

Hope you've enjoyed my samples but it is time to move on and see what the INKgirls have to share with you. Hop on over to Joy's blog next and be sure to hop and comment all the way to the end...as usual there will be prizes!

It's Hop Time Again!

So...how did you all like those great sneak peeks that Joy teased us with?

Are you ready for some full size views of the 3 new sets releasing today??

Well you're in luck because today is our New Release Blog Hop! All 3 of our new release sets are available to purchase today in the STORE and detailed views of what is in each set can be seen on the site HOME PAGE. This is our first Hop with all of the NEW INKgirls so, hold onto your hats and be prepared to be wowed!

If you are new to our blog hops or you just need a reminder, this is how it works... after you enjoy the card I have to share here, you will be directed to the next Ink Girl's blog on our list...follow them all the way to the end and the last DT member will have a little surprise for you in the form of some super blog candy, along with directions on how to enter. Sounds like fun, huh? Well let's get hoppin'~

My card uses the new set called Steampunk Sarah. For those who aren't familiar with steampunk here is a little definition for you: Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy & speculative fiction, set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used. It may denote fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells & Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer, occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk follow an alternate history-style look at "the path not taken" when it comes to technology. It also celebrates the mechanics of something rather than hiding it under a sleek exterior. What does that mean for us stampers? Well this set will help us create a vintage/anacronistic type project that will work for young and old, male and female alike because of it's universal appeal. Plus it is so much fun to color! See the recipe below for the details of this card and then jump on over to Lisa Kind's blog to see what set she will be sharing with you.

Stamps: Artful INKables Steampunk Sarah

Paper: Really Rust, Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand Always Artichoke and Whisper White card stock from SU! Generic cracked DP and some old DP from SU that I cant remember the name of, lol.

Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa

Accessories: Copic Markers, a gold brad, stipple brush and a white Gelly Roll pen.

Do Vampires Blog Hop?

It's New Release Day! Ready for something a bit different? My sneak peek card from last week might have been a clue for many of you what direction our creativity led us this month. A certain vampire romance series has become a pop-culture obsession for many Stampers out there over the last few years...this stamper included! So much so that 2 of this month's release sets were inspired by the saga. To those who share my love of this special series, I hope you find fun & inspiration in these sets & the co-ordinating charm package. I see many possibilities for these sets that go beyond the simple card and I hope we can share some of those ideas over the next few weeks.

For today's Blog Hop, I have a fun little creation that uses both the new sets, Into The Moonlight and Fictionally Inspired. (See the store for full views of these sets.) This decorated tin holds five 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch cards.





I don't really feel any explanation is necessary for this fun little gift but if you have any questions on how they were made, just email or leave a comment. Here are some detail pictures of each card:







This set of cards and the tin will be one of the 2 prizes we are giving away today for the New Release Blog Candy. More about that in a minute...

To those of you who don't share this vamp-book-love, I really apologize! Sometimes, an idea takes hold and wont let go. I hope the new set, A Friendly Light, will tickle your fancy until the next release. I know many of the INK Girls have some beautiful samples they have created with this set and they are dying to share them with you.

Plus this set will be the second piece of blog candy for today's give-a-way. So, how can you win either the Tin of Cards or the set A Friendly Light? Well, you must follow the hop all the way through to the end, commenting on each and every blog in the hop (11 in all). Then , next Wednesday, June 24, I will choose 2 winners from all the names that commented on all of our Blog Hop posts. So, if you are done here, H-O-P on over to Joy's blog and see her fantastic creations! And be sure to check back with us next Tuesday for more surprises and free-bees.

Edit: Due to technical difficulties, I had to post this early. The rest of the hop isnt due to be posted until 6am MDT.

A Sneaky Peeky-

It is getting to be that time again...time for an Artful INKables New Release. We will have 3 Fun and somewhat different, new sets to share with you soon....along with a great grouping of pewter charms to go with them. We are planning our release and blog hop for Friday, June 19th, with another special treat happening on the 23rd. In the mean time, I have a little Sneak Peek for you all.



I made this card yesterday for the SCS sketch challenge. The layout was just screaming for the diamond background that is part of one of our new release sets so I had to give it a try. I used 2 stamps from the soon-to-be-available Into The Moonlight set. (Seven stamps in this set in all) I colored the main image with copic markers and stamped the diamond background with black ink on red cardstock. The white and black DP is from the Basic Grey Scarlett's Letter collection. The apple charm is a sneak peek too, I suppose, since it is part of our new charm set and it is tied on with silver cord.

Let me know what you think!

Please Note: The Bare Rubber sale is still going on...for now...but the animals collection is now sold out. The flora & fauna collection and the silhouettes collection is still for sale, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.

Stampin', Hoppin' and Sharin'

It's Great day for HOPPIN'! Come blog hop along with us today as we share with you some of our creations with Artful INKables FOUR new Stamp Set Releases.

The card that I am sharing with you today is a bit of a departure for me. It is a very simple, monochromatic card. But I felt that the detail in the instruments of the Music a la Carte set can really be shown off with a more simple card. The strip of background paper I used is from my scraps pile so I cant share the manufacturer but I really thought it mirrored the swirls around the guitar in a pleasing way. I also used one of our new guitar charms to add some bling to this card. (It can be found in the AI store along with 2 more new ones.) I think adding a charm to a card is a fun way to give the recipient a special little something. They can either enjoy it on the card or take it off, add it to a charm bracelet or necklace and always remember you for it. I hope you like my card and can see the possibilities that this set, Music a la Carte, can bring to your stamp set collection.

There are also three other sets available to purchase today and all are of a different variety. Please visit the home page : artfulinkables.com to view these other sets and the other stamps available in this set. And don't forget, we have low prices EVERY DAY and free shipping for any order over $45.

Now, it is time for you to hop on over to Elena's Blog to enjoy her talented creation using a new AI set. And be sure to follow the blog hop all the way to the end because, as usual, there is blog candy involved!

Thanks for stopping by!

Coloring on Kraft Tutorial

Wow, that sure was a killer Blog Hop wasnt it? How are we ever going to be able to top that? How about with a super guest tutorial? Loretta is ready to share with us her secret for an eye-popping look with Kraft paper and Prismacolor pencils. Loretta has such an elegant design style and eye for detail...I love every thing she makes for us! When she suggested this topic for her tutorial, I jumped at the chance to have her share it with us since I have admired her colored pencil work in the past. So with out further ado, here is Loretta's guest tutorial.

Coloring on Kraft Tutorial- by Loretta Lock

First off, I want to say I’m not a Prismacolor expert. I’ve used them for about 25 years and I’ve experimented a lot and so I’m comfortable with how I use them. There is no right or wrong way to use them, just different. There are many tutorials for using Prismacolors, and I’m thankful to you for reading mine.

I use dark dye ink to stamp my images for Prismacolors. I find I’m impatient and so I don’t use pigment ink because I would have to wait for it to dry OR I would have to heat set it and I’m still impatient and there are too many steps involved. I’ve tried using emboss powder with pigment, then colouring, but the Prismacolors take the melted powder off the paper.

I love the way Prismacolors and kraft paper mix and mingle. Of course, I love Prismacolors on white paper too, but there is something that happens that is magical about Kraft paper and Prismacolors!



I often choose my colours based on the designer paper I’m using so the project is cohesive in appearance. I typically choose a light and dark of each colour I use unless it is for a large area. I will then choose a light, medium and a dark of similar colours (ie. Limepeel and Moss Green, Crimson Lake and Pink, Kelly Green and Celadon Green, etc)

I often work on a single area at a time to completion (ie. just the fountain, just the water, etc) but for this tutorial and the sake of brevity, I have first coloured all the dark areas. The fountain was coloured with the dark and light colours (shadows and highlights). In the places I want deeper shading, I colour more heavily with the Prismacolors and for the rest of the shadows, colour with a bit lighter hand so the colour looks a bit ‘grainy’. This will allow the colours to blend well.


Next, fill in the remainder of the image with the lighter colours, or medium colour for the fountain, slightly overlapping the colours in the ‘grainy’ areas. It looks pretty darn good as is! It has a bit rougher, artistic look to it and if you like it like this, leave it alone – it’s all good!


I don’t use Gamsol or other odourless mineral spirits very much anymore. I find even odourless spirits have a slight odor which I can’t tolerate well. And this last step is where magic happens! I use the Prismacolors colourless blender to blend the colours. I do one area at a time, working from light to dark. If I get a coloured wax build up on the blender, I clean if off on some scrap paper, much like using a blender pen. One of my favourite final touches is highlighting the image with white gel pen. The white really pops on the kraft paper and in this image it gives a little extra life to the water in the fountain.

Card made using the new Artful INKables Greek Gardens stamp set.

HOP on Over and Enjoy our Newly Released Stamp Sets

Howdy!!

It is finally that time again! The April release of Artful INKables stamp sets is available NOW! There are some really exciting sets for you this month, so hop along with us and see what is in store! The INK girls are hopping along with me today & showing off their stuff so after you are through enjoying what I've shared here please hop on over to Joanne's blog to see what she is sharing today. And be sure to follow the hop all the way to the end because there are some goodies along the way.

Today's card uses one of my favorites from the New Release. The set is called THREE WISHES and features both a boy and a girl genie as well as other great images to go along with the fairie tale.



Cards Details: Genie and bottle are colored using copic markers. The Palace in the background piece is stamped on glossy card stock, masked and sponged to depict sand and sky. It was then colored using SU! markers since they dry better on glossy cs. The back layers of card stock are SU's Sage Shadow, the center DP is by My Mind's Eye and the corner accent is cut from a piece of DP by DCWV. The bow is made using our new satin stripe May Arts ribbon (available in the store now).

The New Release sets available today are:

Three Wishes

Greek Gardens

Celestial Bodies

Bouquets and Butterflies

We also have 3 adorable new charms that will coordinate with some of these sets and as mentioned above, 6 new colors of May Arts ribbon. Now it is time to hop on over to the talented Joanne Travis's Blog to see the great project she has to share using one of the new sets. Enjoy!

Another Peek...

We are one day closer to our NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP! The INK Girls and I are getting so excited!! I really hope our new sets are as big of a hit with you all as they have been with the Design Team! LOL

So today I'm giving you a peek at another new set to be released on Wednesday. This one is from a set called Greek Gardens.



The column was colored using copic markers and the border was hand doodled with a fine tip black pen. I did some paper tole on the leaves and fruits of this card as you can see in the close up picture below. The big leaf is layered 2 times and the fruits 1.

I tend to color my images as I see fit and then mimic the colors I used in the rest of the card. As you can see, I used the grey of the column to frame column piece, the burgundy of the fruit is found in the decorative paper background and the green of the leaves is the card itself. I layered two different green ribbons together on the card and used the narrower one to make the bow accent. This ribbon is made by May Arts and is now available in our store along with 5 other fun colors.

Now you may be wondering what the 3 little embellishments on the left side are. Well, they are buttons *grin*. I covered the button holes with a diamond dot sticker by Stampendous. I thought it made the buttons look alot more elegant that way, dont you?

Please be sure to check back tomorrow to see the new sets and all the FABULOUS samples the girls have created to share with you!!

Sneak Peek

Good Morning everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend.

I have a fun surprise to share with you today...a Sneak Peek of one of the NEW RELEASE sets that will be available this Wednesday!! This card uses stamps from the new set called Celestial Bodies....a fun whimsical set that can be used for any occaision.

Now before I share how I made this card I want to let you know about 3 things. First, be sure to visit me and the rest of the INK Girls on Wednesday April 15th for our BLOG HOP. There will be prizes and we will be showcasing all 4 of the new sets that will be available for purchase that day! Second, go and see Holly's blog RIGHT NOW because she has another sneak peek card to share with you. And lastly, I want to let you know about a fabulous ARTFUL INKABLES SWAP Being hosted by Holly (TOY) over on SPLITCOAST. Most of the INKGirls are participating so if you join in you will get some really gorgeous cards using current Artful INKables stamps.

Card Details: Images colored using Copic Markers and cut out. I stamped the sun on a light blue circle of card stock and layered the cut-out sun over it so that the rays stood out a bit from the base. Then I layered the moon over the sun using pop dots.
The background was a happy accident. I was trying to come up with something vibrant that could be either day or night sky. So after many false starts I tried a polished stone background using a medium blue ink and some gold craft ink...but that didnt totally please me either. So I took a vial of gold leaf flakes I've had in my drawer for eons , shook them over the sticky areas where the craft ink was and pressed them down with my finger. Voila! Vibrant background! I finished it off with a bit of navy ribbon that had moons and stars on it that I got at JoAnn and added some dots to the border of my Marigold card stock. Oh, and I made the greeting arched by sticking it to my acrylic block curved instead of straight...neat trick, huh? Dawn Lusk taught me that! The rest of the sentiment is shown inside with another stamp from the set, a shooting star.

Thinking of You

Good day artful stampers! I am very pleased to hear that many of you are receiving your new release sets...and I want to send out a warm welcome to all of you who have just recently found Artful INKables. We are glad you are here and thank you for helping us grow.



I have a card to share with you today. I am slowly working my way through the new sets to come up with a few samples of my own, though I suppose that is why I have a DT, so dont forget to visit their blogs for continued inspiration. *wink* Anyway, I stamped the row of mailboxes from the new POST A NOTE set and colored them with copic markers. I wanted to make a vertical card so I cut only three mailboxes from the row and I also stamped the little bird (that comes with the set) on one of the posts. The mailboxes were then attached to a lovely piece of dp from the new Basic Grey Porcelain collection. The green wash on this paper lent itself so perfectly to create this scene, right down to an area for the ground to 'plant' the posts on. I used another piece of dp from the same collection for the triangle layering in the background of the card and the solid card stock is from SU!. To finish up I embellished with some prima flowers and fuzzy brads and stamped the sentiment.

Check back on Wednesday to see who won the Blog Hop Candy being given away on Dawn's blog!

Cards by the Half Dozen

Weekends are the busiest time of the week for me so even though I may have the best of intentions, I rarely get any stamping done then. However I do have some special projects to share with you to kick off the week.

My 13 year old daughter has been quite busy with my newest release of stamps and has created some special projects. She has been stamping since she was about five off and on but since she has gotten to middle school it has been more off than on. However, the two sets with the girls in them (Think Big and Berry Picking) have really intrigued her and she cant seem to stop making more cards, lol (Shameless enabling here: those of you who have teen and tweens should consider these sets for your girls!) So today I present 7 cards recently created by my crafty daughter. :)

Now as an artist, there are some things I'd change on a few of these cards but as a mom, I'm just so proud! She made these all without input or supervision by me. The layouts are hers, as are the color and paper choices. I'm especially impressed with the cupcake card where she masked the 3 and popped the large one! And the 4th card, the girls with black hair...I may have to copy that little tab idea (though I will be compelled to center it more, lol). A few of the cards have her own handwritten sentiments on them but since her writing is so pretty you might not be able to tell. Maybe I'll get her to write a few greetings for a set in the future!

Please be sure to leave a comment or two as she is very excited to share and get some "Non-Mom" feedback.