Follow Your Bliss…

Oh man am I ever glad it’s Friday!!! I LOVE Fridays! So, I’m sure you’ve noticed over the past couple months, that I have been using Inchies. At first, I didn’t really “get” the whole inchie thing. What would I do with them? What’s so special about them?

Well, after I started making projects with them, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with them. They are cute, easy and fun to make, and versatile. As you’ve seen on my blog, you can use them individually on a card, or like tiles as a “quad”. You can stack them vertically for taller “tiled” images. You can make darling little magnets, ornaments for little Christmas, Easter, or Halloween trees. There’s no limit!

You can find fun ideas from Inchie Arts, as well as Ellen’s blog and store. Ellen has also created a special blog dedicated specifically to inchies, called Inchie INKlings. Several of us are designing ideas for you on our blogs: Sharon, Cindy, Mish, and Debbie. Also Karen Lockhart has ideas on her website. (click highlighted links to go to these sites!)

Ellen is carrying a really fabulous line of products from Inchie Arts, that make creating these projects a dream! You can see all of the items in Ellen’s store HERE. I really love the black and white inchie squares that are made of museum quality archival matboard. She also carries a pack of 108 precut patterned paper squares, for those that don’t care to cut these small little squares. There’s magnets, pins, glass squares…so MANY cool products. There’s also a Gotta Have it All kit that gives you everything you need to get started.

Here’s a couple inchie magnets I created using the white matboard squares, and magnets from Ellen’s store:

I used Karen Lockhart’s Itty Bitty vase and fishbowl, and colored them with my Copic markers. (for the fishbowl: Y21, T3, B000, B00. for the flowers: Y21, Y38, YR24, R46, R59, BV04, YG17, E77, B000, B00, T3) The vase and fishbowl are covered with Ranger glossy accents. The fish, rocks, and plants were colored with Copic Spica glitter pens, as were the black dots for the background. I matted the inchies with a black scalloped square, created with my Spellbinders Nestability die, then snipped a piece of magnet from the roll, and adhered it to the back. (the magnet is self adhesive on the back-just peel off the protective backing!).

I encourage you to give these Inchies a try. I think once you start playing with them, you will fall in love just as I have! Be sure to link your projects here, so I can come take a peek!

Have a great weekend!

…doot n doo dooooo…here comes the sun and I say…it’s alright! (is that the words? LOL!)

So, now that you will all be singing that song all day with me… I have a card to share!

This design came together in pieces. I wanted to stamp these Lockhart hydrangeas on a quad of 4 white matboard inchies, then separate them to look like tiles. I also wanted to use some of this lovely Memory Box inspire patterned cardstock. The paper allowed me to choose some different colors to use in coloring my image. I used the following Copic markers: BV02, BV04, BV08 (for the blossoms), YR24 (for the berries), BG72 (for the background), G21, G85, G99 (for the leaves and can), E57, E47 (for the can), W4 (for shadows)and 0, the colorless blender to remove some color from the leaves.

Here’s a closeup of the image, also accented with Stickles (naturally, LOL!)

The rest of the card is quite simple. I didn’t want to cover very much of this gorgeous paper, but I felt like the inchie tiles needed some framing. I decided to use my Spellbinders scalloped square die to create an embossed frame. I think it adds “just enough” ~ do you? I finished off the design with some Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie rub ons, and a little aged copper swirly clip (SU!) tied with some moss grosgrain. It’s mounted on a Memory Box vanilla bean notecard.

Just one last reminder that I will be drawing 5 winners tonight around 9:30pm Eastern time! Be sure to scroll down and enter for the Trudee Treats, if you haven’t already!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous day!

Happy Sunday!

My friend Mish Wooderson issued a challenge this week to post a project with inchies today. Well, you all know how I feel about challenges, right? LOVE them! So, I created a couple projects to share with you today~ a card, and my new Inchie Index!

Spring Winged Things

I am absolutely in LOVE with this new Memory Box Aerial patterned cardstock! I had the idea to use 4 of Karen Lockhart’s Itty Bitty bugs as the focal point for a card, so when I came across this particular pattern in the pack, I knew it would work perfectly! I began by stamping my bugs on 4 white matboard inchie squares with Adirondack pitch black ink. I colored them with my Copic markers, and airbrushed some pale (Y21) yellow in the background. Then, I sponged all around the edges with Adirondack espresso ink. I also added flight patterns to the dragonfly, ladybug, and butterfly using my Copic multiliner pen. I covered the bugs with Ranger glossy accents, and set them aside to dry.

I created a faux stitched “frame” for my inchies, and embossed a border inside the faux stitched frame. I did this rather simply, turning over the cardstock, placing it on my Spellbinders tan embossing mat, and dry embossing inside of the stitched frame with my embossing stylus and a straight edge. (I just used my piercing template since I had it out.) I stamped the PaperTrey sentiment in the lower corner, then adhered this to a Prism spring willow cardbase.

I adhered my inchies to the cardfront, and embellished with some Martha Stewart vellum “confetti” leaves, and cowboy Dew Drops. For a final touch, I added some Stickles to the wings of the bee and dragonfly.

For my second project, I wanted to cover my darling little Inchie Index. I think this is the cutest little thing!! Such a great idea to keep a log of your inchies.

For this design, I used the NEW Memory Box Sprout patterned cardstock, and Karen Lockhart’s Itty Bitty inchworm. I covered my white matboard inchie square with the striped pattern, then stamped my inchworm with Adirondack espresso ink. I colored him with 3 Copic Spica glitter pens: lemon, melon and olive. It was easy to blend these 3 colors, first coloring all over with the lemon, then the melon green on the top half, and a dot of the olive on the very top. I used the melon again to blend the olive in, which created a nice shading effect! I did this same method across the bottom of the patterned paper square used for the cover.

To give some personality to my inchie, I added a strip of “grass” created from the polka dot patterned paper. I added the title with Karen Foster snap stamps, and naturally, a little bling with some pink Queen & Co pink flowers. To add some definition, I colored around the raw edge of my inchie square with an E47 (brown) Copic marker.

I wanted to add something more to my design, but didn’t want to cover any of this gorgeous paper, so I cut a scalloped square from transparency with my Spellbinders Nestability die, and machine stitched it to the cardstock base. Some grosgrain ribbon from Anna’s store, and more Martha Stewart vellum “confetti” finish off my little index!

Thanks for the challenge, Mish!! Be sure to check out Michelle, Ellen, Sharon, Debbie, and Cindy’s blogs to see what they’ve come up with! Do you receive Ellen’s newsletter? If not, you have till 6pm tonight to sign up to get your coupon that can be used tomorrow for a St Patrick’s day sale!! Sign up to be on her mailing list at the bottom of her home page HERE. And guess what?? Nestabilities will be available for preorder for this sale!!! YAHOO!!!!!

Have a lovely Sunday!! ~~HUGS!!~~

I have been a baking fool this weekend, and am pleased to say that I got all of it done! I made double batches of all of the cookies. This will be enough for me to send long distance, but I will need to make more for my local friends. I will share pics when I have them packaged!

How about some more inchies? I am having fun with these cute little images!! Karen Lockhart’s Itty Bitty stamps are perfect for the inchies, and these Itty Bitty Grapes are no exception. I thought it would be fun to put them on the diagonal. What do you think?

Joyful Inchies

(Sorry about the glare on the photo.) After I cut and embossed the grapes with my Spellbinders Nestability die, I colored it with my Copic markers, then sponged with caramel and choc chip ink. The grapes were also highlighted with the melon and purple Copic Spica glitter pens.

I thought the CHF leaves backgrounder coordinated perfectly with this Daisy D’s Gypsy Harvest patterned paper! I also used some Prism Suede Brown dark cardstock for this design. I so love that texture under the Basic Grey rub-on sentiment.

A bit of faux stitching, chocolate taffeta ribbon, and some Paris Dew Drops finish off the design.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

Hello! Here is the inchies post that I promised! This design features one of Karen Lockhart’s new releases: the Itty Bitty Vase!!

With Gratitude

I used a lot of SU on this design-blue bayou, soft sky and wasabi cardstock and porcelain prints designer paper. Image cut out with my square Spellbinder’s Nestability die, and colored with my Copic markers, and accented with Stickles:

Here are the markers used for this project:

See you later!!!

Hello! It’s been a really busy weekend around here, but I wanted to share a fun idea with you! I promised that I’d share my version of “inchies” today, so here they are! Inchie magnets!!

These were so much fun to make, and quick, too! I adhered the MemoryBox Homespun patterned cardstock to 1 inch squares of chipboard, sponged the edges with caramel ink, and set them aside. Next, I stamped the Lockhart Itty Bitty apple, pear and hot cocoa on cryogen white cardstock, then colored with my Copic markers. I cut them out, adhered them to the inchies, then added some Stickles for a little sparkle.

In order to protect these, I ran them through my Xyron laminator, but I am not wild with the way they turned out. Next time, I will cover with a layer of crystal effects or Ranger glossy accents. Finally, I adhered a 3/4″ magnet to the back. (available in the craft section of Wal-Mart.)

Here’s a closeup, and a pic of the back side:

I hope you find some inspiration with these, and I encourage you to give them a try! If you do, please leave a link so that I can come see what you did!!

Only a few hours left to take advantage of Ellen’s big sale!! Be sure to hop on over and check it out!!