Thinking of Inking

Well, that’s not exactly right.  I don’t think the card itself is bad.  But the reason for creating it definitely was heartbreaking.

I’ve mentioned before that I make cards for our elementary school’s PTA Board to send.  Most often I create cards for faculty members’ birthdays, but I’ve also sent cards to teachers who have had a death in their family.  I’ve also made cards for the retiring teachers.

This card was sent to the family of a student who died in an automobile accident earlier this month.  She was only 9 years old and would have been in fourth grade this coming school year.  I didn’t know this girl very well, but she seemed to be a good student and a well-behaved child, interested in learning and making those around her happy. 

The girl’s obituary stated that her favorite color was pink, so that’s how I arrived at my color scheme.  I colored the image stamp with markers to get the varied shades of pink and green. 

As much as I enjoy making cards, I hope I never again need to make one for this reason.

Supplies:
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Linen (Stampin’ Up!)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White (Stampin’ Up!)
Ink: Pretty in Pink (Stampin’ Up!)
Other: Pretty in Pink, Positively Pink, and Mellow Moss markers, ticket corner punch (Stampin’ Up!); piercing tool (Making Memories)

I’ve been feeling uninspired this week.  Normally I wouldn’t be terribly bothered by that.  But today it bothers me because I do need to make some cards to send out by the end of the week.

A lot of times when I’m feeling that my creativity has left the building, I’ll turn to an older card that I made and make something based on it - the same layout, or the same colors, or the same stamp set.  I’m beginning to think that maybe it’s time to revisit the layout of the card in today’s post.

This was actually a double challenge card at Splitcoaststampers - Sketch Challenge #177 and Color Challenge #167.  I don’t often think to stamp on designer paper, but this time it worked really well.  I lucked out with the Primas matching so well. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Everything, Linen (Stampin’ Up!)
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky Prints designer paper (Stampin’ Up!)
Ink: Blue Bayou (Stampin’ Up!)
Other: ticket corner punch (Stampin’ Up!); Prima flowers; crystal beads; sponge

Here’s another birthday card I made not too long ago.  This time I used Choc-o-lot Shimmerz on the cupcake icing, and the camera really captured the shimmer!  The layout is Lizzie Anne Designs Sketch Challenge #78 and the stamps are from Lizzie Anne Designs, too.  This is one of my two favorite cards I’ve made with the Stampin’ Up Berry Bliss designer paper.

Supplies:
Stamps: Party Animals, Sketched Sentiments (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Berry Bliss designer paper (Stampin’ Up!)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate (Stampin’ Up!); Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Other: Wonderful Watercolor Crayons and Purely Pomegranate ribbon (Stampin’ Up!); Choc-o-lot Shimmerz; Windows & Frame Making dies for cutting the circles (Sizzlits); sponge

Recently I decided to try some of the newer items on the cardmaking market.  So I bought some Shimmerz paints.  I was a little dubious at first because I’m not one to go for a lot of glittery stuff.  These aren’t exactly glittery, but they really do shimmer.  They’re gorgeous!  I have only two colors right now, but I do hope to buy more in the future.

Here’s a quick birthday card I made for one of my friends who really loves cupcakes.   I used Opal Shimmerz on the cupcake icing.  The layout is my take on Lizzie Anne Designs Sketch Challenge #80.  I did a tiny bit of paper piecing for the cupcake wrapper. The sentiment is a rub on. Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced the package it came from. When I find it again, I’ll edit this post to include the manufacturer.

Supplies:
Stamps: Party Animals (Lizzie Anne Designs)
Cardstock: White Paper Basics (PaperTrey Ink); Pretty in Pink cardstock, Berry Bliss and Tea Party designer paper (Stampin’ Up!)
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Other: Wonderful Watercolor Crayons (Stampin’ Up!); Opal Shimmerz; scalloped circle from Cuttlebug “Harmony” alphabet; circle punch (EK Success); Textured Trios ribbon (Michael’s)