JB2524: Blog Banner Inspiration

It's the final week of the 2025 Jingle Belles season (no worries, we'll be back on January 1, 2026!) and thus here is one more card inspired by our 2025 Jingle Belles Blog Header:

Here's what I made this week:

I had planned to use all of the elements from the banner, but put them on an all-white card this week, Thus I set about diecutting Spellbinders Bottle Brush Trees and Sunny Studio Snowflakes from various types of white cardstock. As I was getting ready to make my mostly-white background, I happened to find this torn and stitched panel that I must've made last year some time and not used, and it was EXACTLY the right size! Plus, it kind of looked like rolling hills to me; and also had the same tealish, blueish, greenish shades as the blog header... (plus a bunch of pink and brown bokeh too) ...and I thought, "All-righty then, job done!".

You have until next Wednesday evening, December 3rd, to link up your own Jingle Belles Blog Banner Inspired card and we'd love for you to do just that!

JB2523: Holiday Leftovers

One of the best things about a big holiday meal is the LEFTOVERS, don't you agree?! For various Black Friday lunches (generally a Family Art Day at my house) we've made Turkey Panini (with Brie and cranberry obvs), Turkey Biscuit Bombs, Turkey Pizza and even Turkey Totchos. This year we're thinking about a Turkey version of Hot Dish! 

But in a cardmaking sense, when we Jingle Belles say Holiday Leftovers, it means we're creating cards using all those leftover offcuts and scraps of patterned paper, alphabet stickers, little snips of ribbon, extra diecuts that didn't get used the first time... you know, all of those tiny things we save because they're too pretty to throw away? Well this is the fortnight to drag them all out and see how many we can use on holiday cards! 

For this card, almost all my Leftovers are older Wendy Vecchi items. The poinsettia is from her MAKE ART Doodle Christmas Stamp Set (it was embossed but not colored); the small flowers (from Floral Doodles) were stamped AND colored on sticky-back canvas tape, I just needed to cut them out. The square panel of sheet music was attached to a 6" card base that for some reason didn't get used (no idea why); and the "MERRY" (from Wendy's Statements Chippies) had been white-embossed with her Perfectly Plaid Background Stamp, but the white embossing was not very prominent... (likely why it became a "leftover" instead of an element) ...though I discovered I liked it once it had a coat of Leaf Green Archival Ink. The additional sparkly foliage is newly cut, using the Xmas Add-On from Not Your Ordinary Card Collection; I also used the negative space from one of the branches to "stencil" some English Ivy underneath where I was going to place the branches. The washi tape is from an older roll that I *thought* I'd be finishing up but no, there's still some... wait for it... leftover! ;)

Head over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's beautiful card, then get our your box (or folder, or envelope) of Crafty Leftovers and start making a card. Link it up on the Holiday Leftovers post by 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, November 19th.

Let It (Continue to) SNOW!

We're still creating holiday cards that feature SNOW this week at Jingle Belles... It might be snowmen, snowflakes or just a snowy landscape; but include some snow on your cards. Here's how I got SNOW-y this week:

The other night I had fun ink-blending various shades of blue Ranger Ink Distress Oxides over several panels of white-embossed snowflake backgrounds. But then I couldn't decide which one I liked the best... so I popped a hole into one and layered it over the other... problem solved! The snowman and sentiment are from Simon Hurley's North Pole Sentiments die set by Spellbinders; the Snowflake Brads and Enamel Hearts are from Eyelet Outlet.

Link your fabulous snow-centric masterpieces on the Dashing Through the Snow post at Jingle Belles by next Wednesday evening, November 5th! ♥

Stenciling on Burlap? (YES!)

A while ago I saw Wendy Vecchi do some stenciling on burlap and it was kind of mind-blowing to me, I had never thought of that! Recently, I found half a roll of sticky-back burlap ribbon and I thought, "Aha! This is my chance!" so of course I broke out the six piece stencil set that comes in the Spellbinders' Thank You Bouquet Bundle from the Tabbed Classics Collection and had a go. I used Wendy's Archival Inks from Ranger. They're translucent, which means that the color of your substrate will subtly influence the color of your finished project. Since my burlap was about the same shade as kraft cardstock, that meant I chose darker shades of reds, greens and oranges, so they'd show up well and coordinate nicely. I used the awesome Tip Tuesday trick that Wendy demonstrated for us in this video, where she brilliantly used her MAKE ART Stay-tion and the magnetic corner square from her Perfect Stamp Positioner to line up the stencils perfectly, meaning that you can position them in ANY direction without having a hard time on subsequent layers.

I chose to mount my strip of burlap on a coordinating layer of Dina Wakley Kraft Cardstock that I had debossed with the Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder. I used the one step Emboss and Cut feature of the Thank You Bouquet Folder to make a few textured blooms and added a bit of delicate foliage from the folder with my Christmas Add-On set; part of last year's Not Your Ordinary Card Collection. A super-skinny mat of ivory cardstock sets off the whole panel, and a bit of machine stitching ensures that my burlap won't fray or come loose. 

I'd write more, but I'm pretty sure that somewhere in my craft stash I have some colorful burlap and I suddenly NEED to go and find that!!! :)

More Pink? (YES, Of Course!)

I try not to use pink for EVERY project, even in October, but the fact is that Wendy Vecchi's Archival Ink collection from Ranger sported two of the best pinks ever: Pink Peony and Rosy Posey so it's hard to resist. For this card I made quite a loose background by "watercoloring" with Archival Ink and rubbing alcohol. 

I added some really rough stenciled flowers (also Rosy Posey, but with a heavier hand) using the stencils from Wendy's Thank You Bouquet Bundle from Spellbinders. Then I placed the dry panel, slantwise, into the Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder and topped the whole thing off with the individual flowers from the Thank You Bouquet's emboss and cut feature. I added a soft swipe of Peachy Keen Archival and finished off with small dots of Rosy Posey Liquid Pearls in the centers. 

See the entire Tabbed Classics Collection and lots more awesome Wendy Vecchi goodies at Spellbinders!

Stenciling on Perforated Paper

One of the coolest ways Wendy Vecchi has been using her new Thank You Bouquet Bundle Stencils from Spellbinders is stenciling them on that perforated paper you can use for needlework. The question that raises is: HOW do you attach such a panel to your card? Of course you can use spray mount or any other invisible adhesive; or you can add a couple of diecuts on top of the design and hide a visible adhesive behind them. But... you can also "show your work" as they used to say in math class, and here are a couple of ideas for doing that:

Idea #1: Brads! I've added three Eyelet Outlet Dragonfly Brads, pretty evenly spaced, towards the center of this panel. I placed my stenciled flower panel on top of the pale blue mat, secured it very lightly with low-tack tape at the corners, then pierced holes through the holes of the perforated paper, threaded the brads through and opened the prongs at the back. Job done. Secure your thread ends at the back of the cardstock panel with tape.

Idea #2: Stitches! Perforated paper was literally designed to be used for stitching, and if you happen to have some laying around, chances are you have some embroidery floss, too. This time I didn't need to secure the corners because I had my brads in place, but if stitches are going to be your only attachment, you will want to keep the panel from wiggling while you pierce your holes.

Bonus Tip: How to pierce holes for stitching or brads if you don't have a paper piercer: A push pin is absolutely perfect for this, and you almost certainly already have one somewhere in your home or office. Pointed tweezers also work. Spellbinders' Tool n One (more commonly used for poking diecuts out of intricate dies) is good, as well. I actually have an ancient Heidi Swap Paper Piercer and I use it ALOT atop a piece of an old mouse mat that I saved especially, but any piece of semi-stiff foam or an old padded envelope works well to put underneath. 

(Just FYI: Yes, you really do need to pierce holes; a needle or the brads' prongs will probably not be able to go through your backing cardstock without bending or marring it. Ask me how I know!!!)

A few other ideas that I haven't shown here: Staples, either regular or decorative (especially cool with a grunge aesthetic); Eyelets; Machine stitching; and possibly... I haven't tested this but I suspect it will work... A wax seal applied on top of your design? Experiment and have fun!

So! Much! Texture!

If you haven't yet tried Spellbinders' 3D Embossing Folders, you have a treat in store because they really do live up to their name. There are two* in Wendy Vecchi's Tabbed Classics Collection, and I've used them both on this super-textural pumpkin greeting.

Ok, so, you may have noticed there are three distinct embossed patterns on this card, and you're correct about that. The ovals which make up my pumpkin (more on that in a minute) are embossed using the bouquet area of Thank You Bouquet Emboss and Cut Folder without the dies. The four small square background panels are courtesy of the Polka Dot and Posy Duo which, at 5.5 x 8.5" is big enough to emboss two A2 panels at the same time.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a social media post in which the artist showed a super-easy way to draw a pumpkin: basically, it's just five ovals. One in the center, two set behind the first one and just very slightly higher up; then two more flanking those and again a tiny bit higher up from the base line. When it comes to card-making, an even faster and easier way to do it is with five oval diecuts! I was a bit stumped for a pumpkin stem until I saw the candy corn outline dies in the Halloween Add-On set from last year's Not Your Ordinary Card Collection. It turns out, if you layer them behind and offset from each other, one large corn and two medium corns make a pretty flippin' awesome stem!

Back to the more traditional elements of the card: The large flowers are also from the Thank You Bouquet set, and YES, you really can emboss and cut at the same time, it's very cool! I added a little bit of Archival Ink to the centers and attached them to the pumpkin. The dark and medium green leaves are from the Essential Envelope Everyday Add-Ons Die Set. The pale green fronds are from The Christmas Add-On to Not Your Ordinary Card Collection; and the tiny blossoms are from the original Essential Envelopes set.

One final shot to show you the inspiration for this card, which was a super-fancy paper plate of all things... just goes to show that cool ideas can come from ANYWHERE! ♥

*There was a gorgeous 3D Embossing Folder in Wendy's last collection, too; it's called Flowers & Foliage, it's one of my alltime faves AND... it's on sale at Spellbinders. Just sayin'...

Hearts and Flowers

It's a Very Vecchi Mandala Monday! I'm using (somewhat non-traditionally) the stencils from the Thank You Bouquet 3D Emboss and Cut Bundle*, which is one of my favorite elements from the Tabbed Classics Collection that debuted on Friday from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders. For this creation, I used only the first three stencils in the set, because basically I just wanted the petals and the centers this time. I did, however, move the stencils a few times, so that I could have multiple repeats of each flower.

For this mandala, I "watercolored" a 12 x 6" panel of cardstock with Pink Peony Archival Ink and Isopropyl Alcohol; splashing on a little bit of Goldenrod Archival that was leftover from something else. After the panel dried, I used the Thank You Bouquet Stencils, as I mentioned above, quite selectively: coloring just the biggest flowers but giving them two sets of Rosy Posey petals, spread across the whole panel; finishing off with a coat of white gesso to make the centers pop. I filled in the non-floral areas with one of Wendy's older Studio 490 Polka Dot Backgrounds. At the end, I took a black Fineliner and added super-scribbly outlines. Then I cut out a large circle, and used the heart dies from last year's Heartfelt Thanks and Scallops set to make petals of various sizes, which I matted on bold brick red cardstock and attached around the edges of the circle.

As I said, it's not a very traditional piece in any way, but I absolutely LOVED making it and I think it shows how very flexible these sets are!

♥♥♥♥♥

*Just a reminder the Thank You Bouquet 3D Emboss and Cut Folder IS available without the stencils; but honestly... I cannot imagine NOT having the stencils, so I definitely recommend the Bundle!!!

Blue Bouquet (Blue-quet?!)

The last few days, I've been celebrating the awesome new release from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders; it's called the Tabbed Classics Collection, and not only is it outstanding on it's own, it builds on (and works beautifully with!) Wendy's FAB Not Your Ordinary Card Collection from last year!

One of my favorite items from the new release is the Thank You Bouquet 3D Emboss and Cut Folder Bundle. You can get JUST the Folder with Dies, but... the stencils take the whole thing to the next level, imo; so I highly recommend the Bundle!

For this card, I wanted to try using the stencils without the embossing folder or die, and I have to say I looooove the results. Since I wasn't going to incorporate any texture into the bouquet, I chose to use several shades of blue, green and yellow to add contrast to the various elements. I did add texture to the background layer, though, by embossing my pale blueish/greyish cardstock with the Polka Dot and Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder. This folder is 5.5 x 8.5" which means you can emboss TWO A2 cardfronts at the same time; or, if you're like me and enjoy making BIG cards, you can place your panel in the center of the folder to get both dots and posies on the same piece. The sentiment is from the Thank You Bouquet set, and yes, it does emboss and cut in one step!

Be sure to check out the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group and Wendy's Instagram (@wendyvecchi) for lots more ideas and inspiration!

Embossed Bouquet (New Wendy Vecch!)

Yesterday saw the release of some brand new goodies from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders, which is always a good thing! This release is called the Tabbed Classics Collection, and I'll tell you about all of the elements in a minute, but first here's a super-textural card I made:

Ok, so the Tabbed Classics Collection consists of: the Essential Envelope Every Day Add-Ons Die Set (accessories developed to perfectly accent the Essential Envelope Die Set but honestly, all of the parts work on their own, too); the Tabbed In & Out Sentiments Stamps and Dies which give you LOTS of mix-n-match greetings perfectly sized to fit the tabs on the Add-On set; the outstanding Thank You Bouquet 3D Folder and Stencil Bundle (you can purchase just the 3D & Cut Folder on its own, but TRUST ME you definitely want the stencils!); and finally the Polka Dot & Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder which is big enough to emboss A2-sized panels for TWO cards at the same time... or... you can split the panel to have a bit of each together, which is what I've done for the background of this card.

And now a bit more detail about the card: I embossed a square of Core'dinations Whitewashed cardstock with the Polka Dot & Posy e/f so that it was about 2/3 posies and 1/3 polka dots, then lightly sanded it to get the contrasting color. I mounted it on some gorgeous sunflower-colored felt and machine stitched onto a 5.5" square card. For the floral panel, I wanted to see if I could emboss the Thank You Bouquet on a small square without using the coordinating die to cut it out and YES, I could, and I love how it turned out. I did use the folder with the die in place to make my Thank You sentiment... I LOVE that you can emboss and cut in ONE step, and noooooo it doesn't move around once you've nestled the die, added your paper and closed the folder!

More about the embossed Thank You Bouquet: I used the 6 layering stencils that come in the Bundle and my Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks. There is a die that will cut out the whole bouquet, but I wanted to see if it would look good on a white panel (YES!) and if the stencils would allow for full coverage without getting ink outside the design (also YES!). I chose a palette of soft pink, peach, yellow and green that feels like a pastel version of autumn to me.

I've got a few more projects up my sleeve that involve the loose flowers from the 3D & Cut as well as more of the eponymous Tabs (& Sentiments) from the Tabbed Classics Collection, so be sure to stay tuned. Also, you should know that Wendy has made probably a hundred amazing samples and is revealing them bit by bit; you should definitely check out her Instagram (@wendyvecchi) and bookmark the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group which is a constant source of inspiration!

New Wendy Vecchi? Yes, Please!

It's time for some brand new goodies from Wendy Vecchi and Spellbinders, which is definitely cause for celebration! This release is called the Tabbed Classics Collection, and I'll explain all the elements in a minute, but first here's a couple of pocket cards I made pairing the new accessories with last year's Essential Envelope Die Set that I can't wait to show off:

Ok, so the Tabbed Classics Collection consists of: the Essential Envelope Every Day Add-Ons Die Set (accessories developed to perfectly accent the Essential Envelope Die Set but honestly, all of the parts work on their own, too); the Tabbed In & Out Sentiments Stamps and Dies which give you LOTS of mix-n-match greetings perfectly sized to fit the tabs on the Add-On set; the outstanding Thank You Bouquet 3D Folder and Stencil Bundle (you can purchase just the 3D & Cut Folder on its own, but TRUST ME you definitely want the stencils!); and finally the Polka Dot & Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder.

For this dynamic duo of mini cards, I made pockets using the score-and-cut die from the original Essential Envelope Set, then worked in basically every accessory in the Essential Envelope Add-Ons Set to decorate them with envelope fronts, banners and lots of three-layer frilly flowers.

I used the tabbed card from the Add-On set, with mix and match greetings from Tabbed In & Out Sentiments Set. You can see the second part of the sentiments when you pull out the tabbed cards.

I love the way that literally ALL of the new items work perfectly with --and add seamlessly to-- the original collection; but the new stuff also stands on its own, and can be used separately. Oof, I nearly forgot to mention that I used the the Polka Dot & Posy Duo 3D Embossing Folder on the envelope fronts, one is embossed and one is debossed. Ok, I admit it, the latter was done ACCIDENTALLY, but it genuinely looks equally nice as such, so I left it!

I've got more projects up my sleeve, which I'll be showing off in the next few days, so be sure to stay tuned for that. In the meantime, you will most definitely want to check out the gorgeous samples Wendy has made... you can find her on Instagram as @wendyvecchi and in the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group.

Home for the Holidays

There's just something about being Home for the Holidays, isn't there? Thus, that's the theme (and feeling) we're celebrating at Jingle Belles this fortnight. That means we're asking you to make a holiday card that includes a House, Housing-like materials (wood-grain paper, a brick embossing folder), or the word "Home". Or, you know, if you're feeling really overachievery, you could do all three! Here's my card; spoiler alert: I did not do all three, lol!

As a cardmaker who sometimes feels silly saving all my off-cuts of patterned paper and cardstock, this design is a little bit of a triumph because, apart from the 5.5" square cardbase, it's made entirely of scraps! I used both dies from Penny Black's Trees and Hills set; Both curvy dies from MFT's Stitched Basic Edges 2; and the house, fence, trees and snowflakes from Spellbinders' Winter Label Motifs set. The diecut flag sentiment is also Spellbinders and was in my leftover diecuts box, glued up and ready to roll.  

Be sure to head over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's beautiful card and link up your own HOME-made masterpiece. JB2520: Home for the Holidays runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, October 8th.

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere!

Well not quite everywhere, but certainly all over this sweet little giftbag I made using the multi-layer flower dies from Wendy Vecchi's Essential Envelopes Die Set, part of her Not Your Ordinary Card Collection from Spellbinders.

I chose the colors to coordinate with a gift card and holder I made with the Essential Envelopes set last year when the collection first debuted from Spellbinders. You can read a bit more about it on the original post if you'd like.

The felt is of the self-adhesive variety, made for papercrafting, and comes in a set of 25 gorgeous rainbow shades from Peachy Keen Crafts. It's considerably thinner than ordinary felt, so it diecuts beautifully.

I added Eyelet Outlet Jewel Brads to the flower centers purely as decoration, because the self-adhesive felt sticks really well to both paper and to other pieces of the felt... making layered diecuts easy as pie! PS: That's some WV Washi under the flowers for a little extra color!

Wendy's brand new Spellbinders' release, featuring stamps, stencils, 3D embossing folders and additional coordinating accessories for the Essential Envelopes set, will be coming out on October 10th. Check out Wendy's Instagram Account or the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Facebook Group for a sneak preview and stay tuned!

SOS556: The Cat is in the Bag

There's a new challenge at Shopping Our Stash. For "The Cat is in the Bag" we'd like you to feature any kind of bag (purse, backpack, beach bag) and/or a cat; so there are LOTS of ways to go this time! I chose the "cat" option, as you can see:

I have several different "cat" options, but my favorite is this adorable guy from the Halloween Add-On to Wendy Vecchi's Essential Envelopes set. Since I had the bin out, I also used two of the Pinking Edge Frames and sentiment from the Birthday Add-On to her Not Your Ordinary Card Collection from Spellbinders; and one of the Heartfelt Thanks and Scallops frames as well as the Flowers and Foliage 3D Embossing Folder, which are both part of From the Garden Collection. I love piecing the cat using sticky-back black felt, it's hard to tell in a photo, but IRL it has lots of texture. I split the birthday diecuts and added "PURR" in velvetty pink letters to make the whole thing a tiny bit punny. ;)

SOS556: The Cat is in the Bag will run at SOS until the evening of Monday, September 22nd. Be sure to hop over to Shopping Our Stash and see the inspiring cards the Crew have made!

'Twas the 12 Days of Cardstock

Over at Jingle Belles, Stephanie and I are still celebrating Cardstock Christmas by making holiday cards with absolutely no designer/patterned paper. (Yikes!)

Not only is this card entirely free of patterned paper, I've used mostly scraps and leftovers! When I was making the Dressed to Chill kits last week, I made a few different versions of the sign and the happy snowperson from Simon Hurley's Spellbinders North Pole Sentiments Die Set; the white-embossed watercolor panel (made with Hero Arts' Christmas Rose cover stamp) was made probably a year ago and (mysteriously?!) never used; the sparkly snowflakes were in my diecut organizer; and the background is made of thin, random-width strips of coordinating pink cardstock, stuck to an adhesive sheet and stitched around the edges.

JB2518: Cardstock Christmas runs until next Wednesday evening, September 10th, so there's still time to join the fun!

JB2514: Poinsettia Perfection

We're attempting "Poinsettia Perfection" this fortnight at Jingle Belles, for which we're making holiday cards that feature... (as you may have guessed, lol) ...poinsettias; but other holiday blooms, plants or greens are also included, such as mistletoe, holly and pine. Here's my card:

I have a few choices for holiday foliage and flowers, but one of my favorite options is the Christmas Add-On set for Wendy Vecchi's Essential Envelope dies from Spellbinders. I used the triple holly leaf die on two shades of glimmery yellow/gold cardstock to build double-layer poinsettias, which the set's  feathery foliage die complements beautifully. I broke out Wendy's Studio 490 Perfectly Plaid stamp to use as the background (embossed in Ranger's Vintage Pearl powder) and again on a Statements Chippie (in Marigold powder). A sage green mat and some WV Washi Tape complete the design of my 5.5" square card.

Check out Stephanie's card at Jingle Belles and then start thinking of what sort of festive foliage you'll use to make a card. Link up with JB2514: Poinsettia Perfection by 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, July 16th.

JB2509: Week 2

It's the second week of our Ornamental Color Challenge at Jingle Belles, and here's a reminder of the palette; of which we'd like to see you use three (or more!) colors:

And here's my card:

This week, I was inspired by the inspiration photo itself, so I made an ink-blended background using Distress Oxide Inks in the shades closest (imo) to the top three colors in the palette: Uncharted Mariner, Broken China and Speckled Egg. Then I embossed the panel using Spellbinders' Forevergreen e/f and flicked some watered down Liquid Pearls (in White Opal and Gold Pearl) on top. I made a large snowflake stack to stand in for the fancy bauble in the photo and finished the whole thing with some clear gems that look a bit like the bokeh fairy lights.

Check out Stephanie's card and the little prize one lucky random cardmaker will score by linking up with us at Jingle Belles this fortnight. JB2509: Ornamental Color Challenge runs until the evening of Wednesday, May 7th.

JB2507: Flat Feliz Navidad

This fortnight at Jingle Belles we're embarking upon that most challenging of challenges (at least for ME, lol!) that is generally called the One Layer Card; though some folks refer to it as the No Layer Card. What does that mean? It means your entire design is flat... your elements get stamped, drawn, embossed, etc directly onto the cardbase; so basically you're not taping or gluing ANY additional papers/diecuts/layers to that base. This is NOT my natural metier, but I'm always up for a challenge so here's what I made this time:

I started with a white 5.5" square card, taped off all four edges with some low-tack washi, then broke out the awesome Wendy Vecchi Build-a-Plaid Layered Stencil Set from Spellbinders and my MAKE ART Stay-tion to create a diagonal Christmassy plaid in Archival Inks of the red, green and gold variety. Then I added some of Hero Arts' Winter Foliage Rub-On Transfers, which are as wonderfully glitch-free as they are beautiful to look at. (I mention this because I know that some folks are nervous about rub-ons.) The sentiment is from another set of HA Rubs called Holiday Messages. I like the way you can very very faintly see the plaid inking underneath the transfers AND the fact that this baby is even flatter than the average credit card bill, which will be a great advantage when I hit the post office in December!

Head over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's fabulous card and to link your own One/Zero Layer card. Flat Feliz Navidad runs until the evening of Wednesday, April 9th. 

SOS543: Think Ink

This fortnight at Shopping Our Stash we'd like to see lots of ink, but... (here's the twist!) ...NO COLORING. Think sponging, smooshing, stenciling, brayering, splattering, gel printing, etc. I confess I was stumped for a minute, but then I realized I actually make cards this way allllllll the time, and the "no coloring" stricture isn't terribly limiting anyway. So I just got out lots of Wendy Vecchi stencils, Archival Inks and stamps and got going!

Just in case there are any fellow Vecchians reading this, I'll mention the products that I used. The big diecut flowers are from last August's Spellbinders' Essential Envelopes die set. I diecut several layers from coordinating shades of pink cardstock; randomly stamped on them with various backgrounds using Rosey Posey Archival; then flicked them with Pearl Mica Spray and added glitter enamels to the centers. The floral sidebar was made using the Garden Party Layered Stencils but without the stamped outline (the stamped outline would've still fit the challenge, but I love the soft, slightly vintage look of using the stencils on their own). The right-hand background is an older Studio 490 Stencil called Basically Bricks, and I was excited to find that my ultimate brick color (mostly brown but with a hint of  red) can easily be achieved by applying Orange Blossom Archival using a dauber that was previously used for Acorn Archival... and maybe putting a tiny bit of extra Acorn on top. Also, using varied pressure when stenciling the bricks helps to get that slightly uneven dark/light effect that real bricks have. I stamped the corners of the Studio 490 Wild Rose Collage (basically just inking the typed text and not the flower) around the edges of the brick and added very light overstamping with Perfectly Plaid and a dotty background for which I cannot find the package or a link, sorry. I added a strip of Wendy's MAKE ART Washi Tape to divide the sides, added the flowers and leaves on top, then matted on white and green before affixing the whole thing to a 5.5" square card.

SOS543: Think Ink runs until Monday evening, March 24th. Visit Shopping Our Stash to see the glorious inky creations from the Crew and to link up your own card!

Cheers!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year with hopes that 2025 will be your happiest and most creative year yet! It seems appropriate to start the year with a toast... and Eyelet Outlet definitely has a fine selection of beverage brads, including, from left to right: Lemonade, Beer Brads, Cocktails, Liquor Brads, champagne flutes from the Wedding Set and Wine Brads. With Party Hats and Balloon Brads to decorate the numeral balloons, each diecut from a different shade of Glitter Tape. All on a background of extra wide Calendar Washi. 

And don't forget the Tea, Coffee and Soda Brads for those who prefer their beverages a little softer. All of these and lots (LOTS!) more in the Eyelet Outlet Online Store! ♥