Get Cracking On Christmas {Blog Hop}

Welcome! 

Jenn Shurkus has brought 
some great designers (and friends) 
together for a fabulous Christmas in July blog hop! 

(Bonus: there might be a few giveaways!)

For those of you who may not know me or my company, my name is Tifany and I own Ink Blot Shop. I design clear stamps (made in the USA) for card making, Bible art journaling, bullet journaling, and more.

If you aren't already following Ink Blot Shop, please be sure to follow along on the @InkBlotShop Instagram account and the Ink Blot Shop Facebook page.

The Projects:

For both cards, I used the Peas on Earth stamp set (without the peas). I am not a fan of red, so my Christmas cards generally tend toward non-traditional colors.

I started by stamping a couple of the globe images in a light ink, and used some markers to do a bit of no-line watercoloring. (One card is done with Zig markers and one is done with Tombow markers.)

I used the same basic layout (the sentiment over the globe) for both cards, but decided to add a little extra pizzazz to one by turning it into a shaker card. I heat embossed the sentiment on both cards to help it pop.

If you want to see another card design using the same Peas on Earth stamp set (this time with the peas), you can check it out here. And here are two more cards created by Jenn Shurkus for you to check out.

Although it was definitely a creative challenge for me to create Christmas cards in the middle of the summer, it was really fun to stretch myself and I hope you will give it a shot, too. If you do, please be sure to use #GetCrackingOnChristmas on your social media posts. 

The Giveaway:

Would you like to win the Peas on Earth stamp set that was used on my cards today? You can!

To enter:

Leave a comment on this blog post. That's it!

If you would like additional chances to win:
Comment on any of the posts associated with this particular giveaway on the Ink Blot Shop Facebook page and/or the @InkBlotShop Instagram account.

Rules of this giveaway:
Blog comments for the giveaway will close Monday, July 23rd @ 11:59pm (Eastern) and the winner will be announced Thursday, July 26th here on this blog.
- The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their information.
- Due to shipping costs, giveaways are available to US mailing addresses only.

Please remember to check back to see if you've won.

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.

After leaving a comment, be sure to hop on over to Jana Millen's site to continue on the hop.

The Hop List:

Jenn Shurkus

Susan Opel

Chari Moss

Cheiron Brandon

Libby Hickson

Caryn Davies

Emily Midgett

Vera Yates

 >>> Tifany DeGough <<<

Jana Millen

Lydia Fiedler

Lisa Cisneros

Susan Wymer

Jessie Banks

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Teri Anderson

Lisa Henke

Thanks for stopping by today!
Get cracking!

Supplies: 
Stamps: Ink Blot Shop, LLC (Peas on Earth); 
Watercolor Paper: Ranger (Distress Watercolor Cardstock); 
Shaker Window: Grafix (Dura-Lar Clear Film);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Lime Twist - Life of the Party 6x6); American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - 5th & Frolic 6x6); Crate Paper (Portrait Collection 6x6); 
Ink: Tsukineko (VersaFine - Onyx Black); Simon Says Stamp (Barely Beige); 
Markers: Tombow (452, 133, N75); Zig (31, 41, 94);
Embossing: American Crafts (Zing! Clear Embossing Powder);
Sequins: MultiCraft Imports (Go Green Sequins, Black & White Sequins); Martha Stewart (Iridescent Glitter); Pretty Pink Posh (Silver Heart Confetti);
Dies: Spellbinders (Standard Circles);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); Wagner (Heat Gun);

Embossed Bird Shaker Card {Ink Blot Shop, LLC}

I don't know if you have tried shaker cards yet or not, but if you haven't - just be aware that they are a little bit addicting to create!

For today's card, I embossed this cute bird image from the new Flopsy Birds stamp set on the shaker window. (Perfect for the current SSS embossing challenge.) I kept it clean and simple, and I love how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Stamps: Ink Blot Shop, LLC (Flopsy Birds);
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Smokey Shadow); Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Cut & Paste - Adorbs 6x6);
Ink: Tsukineko (VersaMark Watermark Ink);
Embossing Powder: Hero Arts (White);
Clear Film: Grafix (Dura-Lar Clear Film); 
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh (Silver Heart Confetti, 4mm Charcoal); Martha Stewart (Glitter - Sugar Cube Hearts);
Dies: Spellbinders (Wonky Squares);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); Wagner (Precision Heat Gun);

Thankful Jars (& Free Printable!) {The Twinery}

Can you believe how quickly Thanksgiving is approaching?! I was totally caught off-guard recently as I realized that Thanksgiving is next. week. 

I wanted to come up with something cute to decorate with, and I wanted it to be something simple enough to share (and re-create) with my daughter's Girl Scout troop.
Enter the "thankful jar":

No, the idea of a thankful jar isn't new, but...well...it's another reason to decorate a mason jar! (And I sure love mason jars - don't you?)

I decorated two different jars - one feels a little more "Fall" and one feels a little more "Winter" - but I was just going for variety and fun colors.

It was a simple process: wrap jars with glittered burlap, add a pop of color by wrapping with The Twinery's twine, stick in a few paper leaves, and finish it off with a twine-tied button. 

I used The Twinery's Solid Caribbean and Solid Strawberry twines on these jars, but there are a lot more solid and striped options to choose from!

The point of the thankful jar is to add in little notes of what you are thankful for, so I created this printable to coordinate with my jars:

{Click here to get the FREE printable - for personal use only}

Do you do a thankful jar (or some other "thankful" tradition) for Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about it - just leave a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean, Solid Strawberry); 
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye;
Tools: Fiskars (Squeexe Punches, Scissors); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);

New Stamps! {Unity Stamp Company}

I am so excited to share that I have more new stamps out with Unity Stamp Company!
For these new sets, I have expanded on the recently released "Little Lads" and "Little Ladies" kits.

The new sets feature Fall and Halloween themes. Here they are:

{Little Fall}

{Little Tricks Halloween}

{Sweet Little Halloween}

And here are two tags and a (non-Halloween) card I created with the new "Little Fall" and "Sweet Little Halloween" stamp sets: 

I've got a project coming soon (hopefully!) using the "Little Tricks Halloween" stamp set.
Stay tuned!

Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Sweet Little Halloween, Little Fall); 
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Lime Twist - Life of the Party 6x6);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean, Solid Strawberry, Solid Lilac); 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 110#); 
Colored Pencils: Prang (various colors);
Tags: (13 Point Cardstock Shipping Tags - Manila: 4 3/4" x 2 3/8"); 
Other: Recollections (Mini Clothespin); Snug Hug (seam binding); (mini doily); (washi tape);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); 

Baby Shower in a Box - Pop Up Banner

Living at a distance from friends and loved ones can present a problem when you want to send a cute gift. Recently I gathered up gifts from members of our church family to send to a family who had moved away. I wanted to make this feel a little bit like a baby shower (as much as can be done in a box)...and baby showers need decorations, right?

I created this banner that would pop up when the flaps of the cardboard box were lifted:

It came together rather easily - just a few shipping tags, some washi tape, Unity alpha stamps, and it is all strung up with The Twinery's twine, of course.

I thought this was a fun addition for a gift sent from afar. 

Please share with me - what do you do to make long-distance gifts special?

PS - I am next week's Growing In Unity gal! Please be sure to stop by each day next week to see what I've created - and comment to win some Unity stamps!

Supplies: 
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Liz Hicks Alpha); 
Tags: (13 Point Cardstock Shipping Tags - Manila: 4 3/4" x 2 3/8"); 
Washi Tape: My Mind's Eye (Decorative Tape - Blue & Yellow);
Ink: Memento (Bahama Blue);
Twine: The Twinery (Marigold);
Tools: Fiskars (Scissors);

Little Love Animals

Today I wanted to join up with Unity's Friends With Flair (FWF) and share these cards that I created with the new Meow. Purr. Baa. kit:

I am so excited about this new kit (and the Roar. Grr. Eek. kit, too!) and can't wait to see what others create with them!

{See more cards I created with these new kits on my blog post from yesterday.}

PS - They are both available for only $6 each with this weekend's fantastic sale - be sure to add them to your cart!

Baa. Card Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Miss Caroline - Fiddlesticks);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Meow. Purr. Baa.); 
Colored Pencils: Prang (17, 18);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Meow. Card Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Follow Your Heart - Be Happy);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Meow. Purr. Baa.);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural);
Colored Pencils: Prang (14);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Circle Punches); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

All Kinds of Happy {Unity Stamp Company}

Today is a busy blogging day for me! 

Looking for my SEI Guest Designer post? 

Click here.

I'm squeezing in again today to Unity's hop to share a couple cards I created with a new kit I designed, "All Kinds of Happy".

During this weekend's sale, you can get the new "All Kinds of Happy" stamp kit FREE with a $60 purchase...not to mention the free sentiment stamps you will get with every $10 you spend.

("All Kinds of Happy" will be available for purchase after the sale is over.)

For both of these cards, I did a bit of paper piecing. I designed this kit (and last week's new kit, "Hello Birdie") specifically with big, open areas and clean lines that are easy to paper piece and/or to color.

I hope you will have as much fun with these new kits as I am having!

Here is a look at the Hello Birdie Kit that was released last week:

And here are two new kits that I created (only $6 each this weekend!):

This one is called Roar. Grr. Eek.:

And this one is called Meow. Purr. Baa.:

And if you like the new kits, you may also enjoy "Flowers for a Friend" - a former Stamp of the Week that is now available to purchase for non-SOTW members:

Don't forget: for today's blog hop, Unity is giving away two great prize packages! Be sure to leave a comment on each blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) to be entered to win. (The winners will be announced Monday night on the Unity blog.)

Continue hopping on through to the Unity blog, and then go shopping!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Oh Happy Day & Happy For You Cards Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Lime Twist - Life of the Party 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (All Kinds of Happy);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Go Wild. Card Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Stella & Rose - Mabel 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Roar. Grr. Eek.);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Circle Punch); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Squeak. From All Of Us. Card Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Cut & Paste - Adorbs 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Meow. Purr. Baa.); 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Blossom);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Circle Punch); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Easter 2013 {Pocket Page Scrapbooking}

Today I wanted to share a page from my newest venture in paper crafting: pocket page scrapbooking.

I've been eyeing the Project Life/pocket scrapbooking style for quite awhile and loved the size and configuration of the Simple Stories SN@P pages, so I decided to give it a whirl. I love how it is such an easy mix between a photo album and a scrapbook page. It is so much quicker to create a layout, but still has a beautiful look.

For this page, I used some papers from My Mind's Eye and created my title easily with some Lily Bee Design stickers. I added that cute little wood veneer bird from Studio Calico to give it a little something extra. 

I am excited to continue documenting our family memories this way. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Cut & Paste: Adorbs - 6x6);
Stickers: Lily Bee Design (Handmade: ABC Stickers); 
Other: Studio Calico (Wood Veneer Shape - Bird);
Pocket Page Protector: Simple Stories;
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Baby Shower In A Box

Today I wanted to share with you a fun idea for mailing gifts. I've created a "Baby Shower in a Box"...but this idea can easily be adapted to a "Birthday Party in a Box", "Bridal Shower in a Box", "Christmas in a Box", etc.

To start, I created an invitation...

Inside is the typical invitation stuff (For, Date/Time, Place, etc.), but where it has a place for the Date/Time, I wrote: "Right now"...and for Place, I wrote: "In this box".

I wanted to add in some decorations as well, so I created this banner (with my precious nephew's name)...

Each banner piece is a letter from his name stamped onto a shipping tag (which I first stamped with that cute argyle outfit), then I embellished it with some washi tape and strung it together with The Twinery's Gold Shimmer twine.

Then it was time to place it all in a box. I started by putting the gifts in first...

Then I added in some air bubbles to keep it safe during shipping (although I think some blown up balloons would have been more festive...I just couldn't find any in the right colors...until after I shipped the box, of course).

Then, I topped it off with the invitation...

...and banner...

...and it was ready to take to the post office.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Stella and Rose - Hattie 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Color of the Seasons - KOM 8/12, Frame this Alpha);
Ink: Memento (Rich Cocoa, Cantaloupe);
Twine: The Twinery (Gold Shimmer, Solid Denim); 

Other: (Shipping Tags); (Washi Tape);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);