Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Tropical Trip

It's time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!

I'd love to take a trip right to this tropical scene that I created with Lawn Fawn's adorable Life is Good stamp set and coordinating dies. I started with the stamped island and water, then watercolored in the sand, sea, and sky using Tombow markers and a water brush. The trees, hammock, and crab are stamped, watercolored, and die-cut. The sun was cut on my Cameo (which is in obvious need of a new blade and/or a fresh, new, nice and sticky mat - my apologies for the sloppy sun!). The "hello" and clouds are die-cuts (Simon Says Stamp and Lil' Inker, respectively), and the word "paradise" was computer-generated prior to die-cutting. 

For little extras, I added some twine bows to tie the hammock onto the trees, used a clear Wink of Stella pen to add some shimmer to the water, and coated the hello die-cut with glossy accents.

Tropical Trip Designers

Amy Kolling
Amy Sheffer (you're here)
Amy Tsuruta
Gayatri Murali
Kim Singdahlsen
Lisa Henke
Marisa Ritzen
Maureen Plut
Monika Davis
Sheri Gilson
Stacey Schafer
Tenia Nelson
Tracey McNeely

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Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Tropical Trip for the challenge details and to play along with us!

STAMPS: Life is Good (Lawn Fawn)

DIES: Life is Good (Lawn Fawn), Small Hello (Simon Says Stamp), 

Rainbow & Clouds (Lil' Inker Designs)

CUT FILES: Lori Whitlock Sun (Silhouette ID #17118)

PAPER: Neenah solar white card stock, Papertrey Ink Harvest Gold card stock, 

Tim Holtz watercolor paper

INK: Versafine Onyx Black, Tombow Dual Brush Markers

OTHER: clear embossing powder, water brush, Scotch foam tape

white linen thread, Ranger glossy accents

June SFYTT - Lil' Inker Designs

Happy first Saturday of the month! Are you looking for the new Sketch For You To Try?

This month we're sponsored by the awesome Lil' Inker Designs, one of my favorite companies! Check out all their super clever dies and the companion sentiment sets!

Here's our sketch:

Isn't that a fun one? Feel free to use stars, as shown in the sketch, or any other embellishment you'd like. I'm liking the relative simplicity - background, large focal panel, and a few embellishments. Less thinking required, which is a most welcome thing during the crazy end-of-school-year chaos!

I used Lil' Inker Designs' adorable 2 Cute Ink - Cutie Cat stamp set, along with the clouds from Rainbows & Clouds Dies. Coloring is with a combination of Copics and Prismacolor pencils. The wavy and chevron patterns are from the Indie Chic lines by My Mind's Eye.

Stop by the SFYTT Sisters for lots more sketch inspiration:

Jen del Muro with Designer of the Month Julie Elak (welcome, Julie!)
Amber Hight
Amy Sheffer
Becky Carafa
Carole Burrage **taking a break**
Jen Tapler
Jodi Collins
Kerry Johnson
Megan Lock
Susan Liles
Tracy Schultz

Hope you'll join us! Link up your creation HERE.

Details (click to enlarge):

Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs 2 Cute Ink - Cutie Cat
Paper: Papertrey Kraft card stock; Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock, My Mind's Eye Indie Chic
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up So Saffron
Accessories: Lil' Inker Designs Rainbows & Clouds Dies, Copic markers Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders Classic Circle Nestabiities, The Cat's Pajamas felt, Papertrey button, May Arts jute string, white pom-pom trim (Maya Road, maybe?), foam dimensional adhesive
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

Nuts About You

Thought I'd pop in and share a little treat that the staff at my children's elementary school are getting today from the PTO. I thought this adorable acorn idea that I found via Pinterest (thanks for pinning it, Laurie Schmidlin!) would work perfectly with Lil' Inker's equally adorable Acorn Die & Stamp Set.

I used mini nutter butters (found packaged in plastic cups at grocery and convenience stores) and Hershey Kisses to make the acorns. For the stems, I used a frosting bag and small round tip to squeeze out just a smidge of melted Wilton dark cocoa candy melts (available at craft stores). Mini chocolate chips (shown in the original idea) would work, too -- the candy melts were a bit more efficient for me. Hopefully you can kind of see the acorns in the above photo. I didn't think to photograph them before bagging them all up.

The tag dies are by Verve (Tabbed Rectangle for some and Sweet Scallop for the others). The acorn and sentiment flag dies are by Lil Inker Designs. The acorn bottom, cap, and (one) leaf are all part of the same die, so the fun part was cutting out a bunch and then mixing and matching colors and patterns. You know I would have stuck a button on there if I didn't have so many to make! Some combos turned out better than others, of course. Here are a few more:

And here's all 64, boxed up and ready to take over to the school!

Sorry I haven't had anything else to blog this week :)  Have a super weekend, my sweet, stampin' friends!

Sky's The Limit

Laura Pryor, of Lil' Inker Designs, has done it again! She's something of a creative genius, I tell ya! First it was the sentiment flag die and stamp set combo, then the adorable (and ingenious) pinwheel die/stamps combo, and now she's got the cutest rainbow and clouds dies, with a coordinating stamp set, of course! I can't wait to see what future brilliance might be clanging around in that noggin of hers!

There's quite a lot to love in this latest set, Rainbow & Clouds ...

1. You get not one, but two rainbows ... one is the half-arc that I've used on today's card and the other is a smaller full arc
2. The same die cuts both of the rainbows and a second die cuts two clouds - large and small
3. Perforations around the perimeter of the clouds -- so cute!
4. Super cute coordinating sentiments in a most fun handwriting-style font -- love, love!!

I put together a quick and cute rainbow scene just by layering the rainbow and clouds die-cuts onto some cloud pattern paper, then adding a sun sticker and a grass border. Embellishments are minimal -- hand stitching, a jumbo scallop border, ribbon and a button tied off with yellow twine.

Here's a look at the smaller, full-arc rainbow, which I added to the inside of my card, along with a congratulations sentiment. I'm late getting a graduation card and gift sent off to a friend's son. He's heading away to college in the fall and this will be perfect!

I also made this for the current Embellish Rainbow Color Trends Challenge:

A pair of close-ups:

Have a colorful day!



Stamps: Rainbow & Clouds (Lil' Inker Designs)
Paper: Papertrey Dark Chocolate, Harvest Gold, Hawaiian Shores, and White card stock; Stampin' Up Wild Wasabi and Real Red card stock, My Mind's Eye Good Day Sunshine and Fly A Kite dp
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Lil' Inker Designs Rainbow & Clouds dies, My Favorite Things Fresh-Cut Grass and Jumbo Scallop Die-namics dies, Simple Stories 100 Days of Summer sun sticker, Papertrey ribbon and button, The Twinery twine, paper piercer/needle/thread
Size: 4 1/4" x 5 12"

Lil' Inker Designs -- Pinwheel Die!

If, by chance, you have not yet seen the new pinwheel die and coordinating stamp set that Laura Pryor of Li'l Inker Designs has come up with, then allow me the pleasure of introducing it to you...

Is it not the cutest thing ever?! I think this is just a supremely clever idea for a die! And the sentiments in the coordinating stamp set are adorable! Now, I know you can make a four-point pinwheel out of a square of paper, but I love the curvy design of this way better, and I love that you can make it as full as you want just by adding extra die-cut pieces (I used six here).

Here's a close-up:

I followed the instructions Laura has posted on her blog, and found it quick and easy to put together. I can't wait to play around with this some more! I think these would make great flowers or bows for packages, too -- just add a few more pieces for a fuller look.

Here's something cool. As I was setting up my links just now, I noticed that Lil' Inker Designs is sponsoring the current Color Throwdown Challenge and that the Color Throwdown DT is featuring the pinwheel die. So hop on over to the Color Throwdown blog for lots more pinwheel inspiration!

I hope to play along with CTD another time, but for today, I've played along with this week's  Embellish challenge. Love these yellow and aqua colors!!

And {twist my arm, why don't ya}, the added requirement is crochet trim! I ended up using three different trims -- one of them I ruffled just a little for some added interest.

Thanks so much for stopping by!






Stamps: Pinwheel (Lil' Inker Designs)
Paper: Pink Paislee Hometown Summer, Papertrey Kraft
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Lil' Inker pinwheel die, MFT Jumbo Scallops Dienamics die, Maya Road Bone White Vintage Crochet Trim, Melissa Frances trim, Wright's trim, Wilton lollipop stick, Jillibean Soup Frames Corrugated shapes, Papertrey buttons, May Arts burlap string
Size: 3 3/4" x 5 1/2"

Lil' Inker SFYTT

Good morning, friends! Today's Sketch For You To Try is being sponsored by Lil' Inker Designs. The owner, Laura Pryor, has created an adorable, sweet and wonderfully *practical* flag/banner stamp set with coordinating steel die. Be sure to check out the Sentiment Flags combo in the Lil' Inker Designs store. This is sure to be something you'll reach for again and again and again! And just by playing along in today's sketch, you'll have a chance to win a Sentiment Flags stamp/die combo. Be sure to link your creation to today's sketch challenge post at Jen's blog. Good luck!

Here's the sketch:

For more sketch inspiration, visit the SFYTT sisters:

Jen del Muro with guest designer Lesa Smaligo
Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Carole Burrage
Jenn Diercks
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Megan Lock
Sonja Christoph
Susan Liles

For my sample, I've stamped one of the flag outline images and the Happy Birthday sentiment onto a flag cut with the matching die, then colored inside the flag outline with a light aqua Copic marker. The balloons are from Verve's Birthday Bash, the papers are Cosmo Cricket's Togtherness, the decorative square behind the circle was cut with a Spellbinders Labels Sixteen Nestabilities die, and the open scallop border was cut with one of MFT's Die-namics dies. The dark brown stitching was done by hand.




Stamps: Sentiment Flags (Lil' Inker Designs), Birthday Bash (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Kraft, Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate card stock, Cosmo Cricket Togetherness Mini Deck
Ink: Ranger Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels Sixteen and Classic Circles Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, Lil' Inker Designs steel die, Papertrey button and twine, hemp twine, My Favorite Things Open Scallop Border Die-namics die, paper piercer, needle, thread, foam adhesive, BG000 Copic marker