Tuesday, August 26, 2008

It's another ARTINK Challenge!

Hi everybody!

Today it was my turn to be the hostess for this week's Limited Supplies Challenge, and boy what a challenge it is! *Insert wicked grin here* :) For this week's challenge, here are the rules:

1. You may use only 2 layers on your card plus a base (maximum 3 layers)
2. You may use 1 type of embellishment (ie: ribbon or brads)
3. You may use a sentiment
4. Your card must be any size of square
5. No Designer Paper allowed! (GASP!!! I know...but it can be done :)
6. Have fun! - Haul out your Score Pal or Cuttlebug and have fun with this creating some textures!

As with any of the Artful INKables challenges, you are welcome to use stamps by any company and the idea is to just have fun. If you upload your creation to any online gallery, please use the work ARTINK (all in capitals) in the keywords slot so that we may find your card easily to leave a comment! Feel free to link your creation back here as well or to any of the INK girls blogs. Please take a moment to pop by the INK girls blogs to see what they have come up with for this challenge and while your there tell them that I said "hello" lol


Here is my creation:


I first inked up the inside of one of my cuttlebug folders with Close to Cocoa ink and then placed my Creamy Caramel card stock inside so that the ink would be left in the embossed impression to make a two toned paper. I then cut and scored and stamped my watercolour paper. I used my Stampin' Up Markers and Aqua Painter to colour in and blend the palm trees. The outlines of the image as well as the sentiment are heat embossed using Basic Black Ink and Versa Mark with Clear Embossing Powder. I then took my ribbon and mat pack and started creating holes where I wanted my rustic stitching to go. I used some natural hemp thread and just cross stitched the card together and popped the whole thing up on dimensionals. As a finishing touch, I added Crystal Effects to the palm tree leaves for some extra texture and gloss :)

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Artful INKables - Paradise Island
Paper: Papertrey White, Creamy Caramel,, Watercolour
Ink: Close to Cocoa, SU Markers, Basic Black, Versa Mark
Accessories: Natural Hemp Thread, Aqua Painter, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Needle, Embossing Powder, Crystal Effects, Cuttlebug, Brayer, Dimensionals, Grosgrain Ribbon, Score Pal

Thanks for playing along!

Kim

Note from Kristin: Sorry I didnt participate this time, guys...my craftroom is being redone/remodelled and right now, I cant find a thing to stamp with...even for a limited supply challenge! It is my turn next time though, so I'll be sure to have something wonderful for you!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Great Recipes Start with Great Ingredients

At least that is what my husband, an ex-sous chef, always tells me! I suppose in this case my 'great ingredients' are great stamps and supplies. And the recipe can be shared with friends and family on my finished recipe card project.

This project was my first chance to tryout my new Copic markers...there definately is a learning curve involved with using them. I learned a few things- for instance I need to use a darker color to shadow since is barely shows up in the photo. Also, the 'blender' isnt really a blender so much as a color remover! I still have to work on blending, I guess. Im not exactly sure how to accomplish a truely belended line at this point. The leaves leave something to be desired but in general, Im happy with my first attempt.



My pocket card was made to share a favorite recipe and measures 6 1/4" x 4". And it showcases three stamps from the new Olive You Artful Inkables set. Other supplies include, Creamy Caramel, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip card stock by SU; Brilliance Graphite Black ink and Chocolate chip SU! ink, Brown, olive and green gingham grosgrain ribbon and paper punches (1/8", corner rounder and frame corner punch).


Thanks for looking and dont forget: All orders over $35 will be free of all shipping charges (US and Canada only) for the rest of the month!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

New Sets and FREE shipping!



Olive You


Orange You Sweet






Paradise Island



Top Dog


Finally! Our 4 new stamp sets are now available for purchase! Plus if you place an order of $35 or more between now and the end of August, your shipping will be free! (US & Canada only)

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Our Final Sneak Peek...Olive You



Today is the day we share with you our final sneak peek projects. It is also the day for our regularly scheduled AI challenge so things might seem a bit confusing here on our blog today. We tried to incorporate our challenge with the last set we are showing you which includes a martini stamp. So as Julia said if you wish to participate in our challenge, please link a card featuring a drink stamp here or on SCS.


Our last sneak peek set is called Olive You which features stamps having to do with olives. It is kind of an eclectic set with some fun, not very common images. Now since I chose to use one of the non-drink stamps in the set, I am not sharing my card along with Julia's post.


My peace card ended up using both of my favorite colors, green and purple. Makes me wonder if maybe those colors make me feel 'peaceful'? :D Or maybe it was just this great decorative paper. Either way, I didnt seem to be able to keep my hands off the glitter! The dove's wings and tail are dusted with some lavender glitter, as are the 4 brads in the corners and the layer right under the dove piece in the front.

So thanks for checking out my final sneak peek and I hope you'll be sure to check the other Ink Girl's blogs to see what stamps from this set they used today! And remember these four wonderful Sneak Peek stamp sets will be available to purchase tomorrow at the Artful INKables store, so be sure to check them out!


Recipe for today's sneak peek card:
Stamps: Olive You
Paper: Vinyard Flowers decor paper by Heidi Grace, Vintage Violet, Always Artichoke, brushed silver and shimmery white card stock by Stampin' Up!
Ink: Versamark
Supplies: Silver Hardware Oval, Purple brads, Lavendar glitter, glue marker, Dimensional glue dots, Silver embossing powder, Green Satin Ribbon, Olive/Moss & Grey markers to color in parts of the image.

Artful INKables Challenge #3 - Use A Beverage Image

Hi Everyone! I'm Julia Aston one of the Inky Girls! - a Design Team Member for Artful Inkables.


We're so glad you are joining us for the Artful INKables 3rd Design Team Challenge! My challenge for everyone this week: to use any beverage image stamp on your card. Martini, coffee, tea etc!


My card today uses a beautiful stamp from a new set called Olive You. This set, along with 3 others, will be available for you to purchase at Artful INKables Aug 14th!




So - get out your beverage stamps (coffee, tea, martini etc!) and make a card for this fun challenge! We know you have them!!


Simply load your card on your Split Coast gallery and use the Keyword ARTINK (use all CAPS) so we can all see everyone's cards!


If you don't have an SCS gallery just link your card here in the comments section.


This is NOT a contest. No pressure. No deadlines. The challenges are simply for creative inspiration and FUN !!!


Be sure to check out the other Inky Girls blogs to see their creations for this challenge:







Stamps: Olive You - Artful INKables
Paper: Bazzill Green, White- papertreyink, DP - Basic Grey: Dasher
Ink: Onyx black versafine, Old Olive - SU
Supplies: oval punch, distresser - Heidi Swapp, prismacolor markers - sky blue light, bronze, oatmeal, cinnamon toast, walnut, olive, dark brown, green tea, oval Nestabilities, sewing machine, slit punch - SU, paper piercer, sponge, olive grosgrain ribbon - Michaels

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Puppy Power!

I had so much fun both designing this set and creating cards with it! I tried to provide a variety of puppy dogs and still leave them customizable so they could match a furry friend you know. Plus this set comes with some really fun elements to make backgrounds or embellishments. I hope you enjoy playing with it as much as I do.

For my cards today, I chose to use the same dog stamp to experiment with the ways that I could make them look different. For the first one, I took the large dog stamp and made him look like a dalmation. This wasnt as hard as it may seem...I just referenced a picture of a dalmation from the internet to get an idea of how their spots can be distributed and colored some in with a black marker. I then went back and gave some depth to the white areas with a grey colored pencil and added a 'floor' under his feet.



To finish off this card, I stamped the bone stamp in white on black card stock, layered some red cardstock on the side to compliment the red kerchief around the dog's neck and layered the dog on grey card stock. Then I stamped the 'top dog' tag, colored it in, and layered it on grey. It was then hung with 2 little jump rings to a piece that I just hand wrote the word "you're" on. These 2 elements are popped up on dimensionals.

For my second card with this stamp, I colored the dog to look more like a chocolate lab. The coloring technique for this one was prismacolors and gamsol. I paper pieced his kercheif and used the same paper as a layer behind the image piece. It was then layered again on caramel card stock and finally on to a piece of dp from basic grey. The card size for this is 3 1/4 x 5 1/2.

To finish this card off , I made a tag using 2 stamps from this set and threaded it over a cute piece of brown and tan ribbon. The brads on the top corners of the image piece are copper.

So we have one more day of Sneak Peeks and then, all of these fun new sets we have shown you can be purchased in our store. If you decide to purchase any of these stamps, I'd love to see what you make with them! Feel free to add a link to your Artful INKable creations to any post we make here and I will be sure to check them out!!

Dont forget to visit the design teams' blogs and see what they made with this set...they all look so different! What talented ladies I have working with me...I feel so blessed!!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Sweet...but late!


Sorry Im a bit late getting my Sneak Peek card up for today, in all honesty...I just finished it! LOL You gals have gotta stop placing all these order so I can get some time to create! Nah...slash that...I'll find the time somehow! :D

Today's card features the new Artful INKables set called "Orange You Sweet". Actually it isnt a card at all but a fun little ATC. I thought the mimosa drink stamp would be just the right size for a trading card image. I stamped it using black stazon on shimmery white card stock an then stamped the image again on Apricot Appeal cs...this is where my oranges came from. I used Only Orange, Pumpkin Pie and Blush Blossom markers to darken and highlight them and added a bit of green and white at the end to make it look a bit more dimensional. I dotted my markers at times to give the orange skin the right texture. The leaf was stamped on gable green cs and colored in the same manner. These were then cut out and assembled and the placed over the image on the shimmery white cs. The drink image was colored using an apricot appeal marker. I added some darker orange dots up the side along with some dots from my sakura glitter gel pen to simulate bubbles. Then I highlighted around the image with a bit of barely banana marker and covered it all in crystal laquer. To finish off this ATC, I layered it on Green Galore and Apricot Appeal cs, added a doodled border with a pen and tied it with a ribbon and my sentiment. The sentiment, by the way, was stamped on acetate with black stazon, punched out with my oval and 1/8' punches and tied to the ribbon with a bit of gold cord. (see detail below)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

New Sets Sneak Peek!!

I am very excited to announce that Artful Inkables will be releasing 4 new stamp sets this week! That's right, in just 4 days, four fun new stamp sets will be available for purchase at our store. In the mean time, the design team and I thought we'd tickle your creative tastebuds with a few sneak peeks! Today's set is called Paradise Island and features some fun tropical themed stamps.



This set is great fun to color and has some cool decorative elements like the bamboo piece and the palm leaf. The card above was stamped on water color paper with Stazon ink and colored using a combination of SU! markers and a water brush. The palm tree part was mounted on a bit of Olive cardstock. For the bamboo frame piece, I stamped the bamboo segment on the watercolor paper and then 'washed'' the background with some summer sun re-inker mixed with water. Then I went back and colored the bamboo pieces in with marker and a water brush. After it dried, I highlighted with a white gel pen. The card itself is a piece of celery cardstock which was all over stamped with the palm leaf and olive ink. I used the same coloring method for the islander as I did for the palm tree, but cut it out after it dried and "popped" it up on dimensionals over the previously mentioned pieces. The sentiment was stamped in black stazon.



My second card also uses only stamps from the new Paradise Island set. This time I chose the tiki hut and the fish drying on a pole. This card was colored using traditional watercolors on WC paper with a paint brush. The pole is stamped on the background with the fish added 3 dimensionally over top. The water is accented with glitter.

Now if you've had fun checking out my samples today, be sure to go and visit the design team girls' blogs as well. They have some super samples to share!! (links are at the top of the right hand column) And be sure to come back tomorrow for a peek at another new set that we will be releasing for sale on Thursday.