Inkspirational #358 - Shades of Blue

 There's a new challenge up at Inkspirational today - #358 Shades of Blue

I made a 3 1/4" x 4" encouragement card with a Knot Bird made from Yasutomo All Blue Orgami Paper - perfect for this challenge!  

I found a tutorial for making a Knot Bird on YouTube by

Karen Elaine and there are lots of samples by others on Pinterest.

I used Origami paper as it is thinner and easier to make a knot with it.

  

This Origami paper is one sided and the back is white, so the head on one side and the tail on the other side of the knot end up white. I used coordinating Copics to color the white ends.  You trim one end to be the head and you trim the other end to be the tail.

Cut a tiny triangle out of black card for the beak and glue it on - use a black marker to make the eye.

Your bird can be used facing either way as both sides work.

I made my birds with strips 5 7/8" x 3/4".  

My origami paper is 5/78" x 5 7/8" so that's why I made it that length.

I did later buy some Origami paper printed on both sides but haven't used it yet.

Here is the flock of birds I whipped up in a short time -  and some bird affirmation quotes I found by Google-ing.

I smooshed the panels and the card base on my craft mat using Ranger Distress Broken China spritzed with water.  It gives them a white cloud -  blue sky look!

I die cut the quotes with rectangle dies.

I adhered the quote to the card base, adhered the bird on a foam strip, drew her legs with a fine black marker and added 3 blue enamel dots!  

Please join us and show us how Shades of Blue inspired you to create!  Link up your creation over at the Inkspirational Blog where you will also find some lovely inspiration by the rest of the DT!

This challenge ends on Jan 30th!

Also sending my card to:

Love Those Pretty Papers

anything goes ends 1/31

Make My Monday

Use Paper with a Pattern  ends 1/25

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge

anything goes  ends 1/30

Creative Inspiration Challenges

Always anything Goes  ends 1/29

NBUS

First time using this Knot Bird pattern and this Origami paper

Color Hues

ends 1/29

Paper:  White, True Black - PTI, Yasutomo All Blue Origami Paper (I found it on Amazon, Blick also has it).

Ink:  Ranger Distress Broken China

Accessories:  Blue Copics to cordinate with the paper colors, computer generated Bird Quotes, Rectangle dies - Nestabilities, Stitched Mat Rectangles - Lil Inker Designs (retired), craft mat, water mister, enamel dots - Altenew, heat tool to dry the smooshed panels.

1st Inkspirational Challenge of 2026! Word Prompt: Shiny/Shine

 The 1st Challenge of 2026 is up over at Inkspirational.  We're changing up our challenges a bit so be sure to check out the blog.  Our first challenge is a Word Prompt - chosen by DT Marlena.

I went with Shine:Star  AND Shiny:Gold Foiled Paper.  

I just happened to have an undecorated pine wreath to display my shiny paper star!

I found a video on how to make this lovely star on Pinterest/Instagram by FloralFlairStudio.

 I used 6  4"x 4" squares of foiled paper for my star.  It measures ~8" point to point.  Use smaller squares for a smaller star. It folds cleaner with thinner papers.

The gold is really shiny IRL. I tied a sheer gold ribbon at the top.  The center circle is made from two floral dies cut from metallic paper and a gold gem added to the center

You can watch the video to see how she folded each square - but I took some photos as I made each fold so I'd hopefully remember what I did!    This might seem clearer to you after you watch the video!

So, we hope you will join us for the 1st Inkspirational Challenge for 2026!  Link up your Shine/Shiny creation over at Inkspirational where you'll also find how the rest of the DT interpreted this challenge! 

This challenge ends on Jan 16th!

Also sending my star to:

Anything but a Card

ends 1/31/26

NBUS

First time using this pack of metallic papers 

First time using the pattern for the star  

Creative Inspiration Challenges

Anything Goes

ends 1/31/26

Crafts Galore

Anything Goes

ends 1/31/26

Paper:  Foiled Fundamentals 12"x12" Paper Pad - Recollections (Michaels), Kraft Stock Metallic Paper - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology.

Other Supplies:  star instructional video, Tombow Glue (she used a glue gun), Stitchy Flowers and Leaf Dies (for star center) - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Gold Gem - Parklane, sheer gold ribbon - from stash.

December 2025 Card Chain Reveal

 Today's the big reveal of all the cards exchanged in December over at The Card Chain Challenge!  This month my card went to Jo in England ( I mailed it on Dec 8 but it still hasn't arrived😖) and I received a card from Pia in Norway!  Twenty three cards were exchanged in December!

We had rather specific instructions for this end of the year challenge!  Usually we just have to use one of the suggestions but for December we had to use ALL of these.

Challenge Directions 

 

Please use all the following options.

 

NBUS

(new but unused stuff) 
something from your stash that is unused
It doesn't have to be new, old unused stuff is OK too

AND 

your favourite 3 colours

AND

an animal OR a flower OR a fruit 

I used two newly purchased and never used until now dies - Stylish Oval Hello You Floral Dies from Spellbinders for the bloom and sentiment and Capsule Basics Die from The Greetery for the oval background.

I used 3 of my favorite colors to use together - blue, green and brown, using Ranger Distress Inks - Stormy Sky, Peeled Paint and Brushed Corduroy.

I rubbed the inks on my craft mat - one color at a time - spritzed with water and smooshed panels of watercolor paper onto the mat, drying between smooshings, continuing until I had the coverage I wanted on each panel

I die cut all the pieces of the floral stem in the three colors, glued the pieces together and layered it over the die cut oval and adhered the panel to a panel of DP.  The die cut sentiment is part of the floral die set.  I added 3 green enamel dots.

If you'd like to join in this fun card exchange challenge for January - check out this post over at The Card Chain Challenge where you'll find all the info you need -  you have until Jan 6th to sign up!

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

first time using the floral and oval dies

Die Cut Divas

Use a New Craft Item 

new floral and oval dies

ends 1/31/26

Paper:  Water Color Paper - Spellbinders, Blueberry Sky - Papertrey Ink, DP The Magic of Winter 6x6 pad - Echo Park.

Ink:  Ranger Distress Stormy Sky, Stormy Sky, Brushed Corduroy.

Other Supplies:  Stylish Oval Hello You Floral Dies - Spellbinders, Capsule Basics Die - The Greetery, craft mat, water mister, heat tool, green enamel dots - Altenew.

Inkspirational Challenge #357 - Designer Choice: Cold

 Inkspirational Challenge #357 is up over at the blog - It's Designer Choice this time and Marlena has chosen COLD!

I went with 'snow' as it certainly needs to be cold to snow!  AND I got to use my recently purchased Holiday Moose die and stencil set from Waffle Flower -   he cracks me up just being shown from the snout up - SO clever!!  And he's so easy to color using the stencils.

I layered him over a panel of a dark snowy sky DP and I added Glitter Dust to his antlers just to show how REALLY cold out it is!  The sentiment is from a retired set by PTI.

We'd love to see what you create using COLD!  Please link up your creation over at the Inspirational Blog where you will also find inspiration from the rest of the team!

This challenge ends January 2nd!

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using the Moose die and stencil set.

Christmas Kick Start

ends 12/31

Four Seasons: Winter

Die Cut Divas

Christmas/Winter

Stamps:  Christmas Cheer - Papertrey Ink (retired)

Ink:  Nocturne - Versafine Clair, Ranger Distress Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint.

Paper:  White, True Black - Papertrey Ink, DP Winter 6"x6" Paper Pad - Echo Park.

Other Supplies:  Holiday Moose Die and Stencil Set - Waffle Flower, Glossy White Snow Flakes - This Calls for Confetti, Glitter Duster - Stampers Anonymous.

Inkspirational #356 - Stencils - Optional Twist of Snowflakes

 Here's my card for the newest Inkspirational Challenge - #356 Stencils -  optional twist -Snowflakes!

I used the Optional Twist with snowflake PP and a snowflake stencil!

I used a 'new to me' technique called Stenciling over Patterned Paper - that I saw on FB - there are several tutorials on YouTube if you'd like to see more examples.

This is a pic of the patterned paper I used on the left - the snowflake stencil placed over the patterned paper and inked with Stormy Sky Distress Ink on the right

Here is a photo of the stencil removed - and the snowflake pattern revealed.

I used a light enough ink that the pattern of the paper showed through the sponging as well as under the area of the stencil.    

I die cut the sentiment twice and adhered it to the middle of the card,  I die cut the edge with a frame die and added 3 sequin snowflakes.

We hope you will join us over at Inkspirational - and show us how you use stencils on your card design! 

This challenge ends Dec 19th.

Also sending my card to:

NBUS

1st time using this stencil that went with a Make it Market Kit from PTI I bought over 10 years ago! I had the box up on a shelf! I used other things from the kit - but never the stencils and, of course forgot what was in the box!

Stencil Fun 

optional winter related

ends 1/3

Christmas Kickstart

ends 12/31

Paper:  white - Papertrey Ink, DP - The Magic of Winter 6x6 paper pad - Echo Park.

Ink:  Ranger Distress Stormy Sky

Other Supplies:  Let It Snow Die - Christmas Cheer Die Collection - Papertrey Ink (retired), Nested Stitched Scallop Rectangle Frame die - Amazon, Snow Flake Sequins - This Calls for Confetti, blender brush.