Jul 24, 2019 | InKing Royalty Blog Hop, The Library Challenge |

Welcome to InKing Royalty’s July Blog Hop!
This year’s Blog Hop themes are inspired by a single word – and this month, our projects are centered around SUNSHINE. The Sun is the single most important source of energy for life on Earth – it guides our clocks, calendars and planting schedules. We may be enduring a heat wave this week, but we still associate the Sun with positivity, joy and renewal. We are excited to share our creations with you today! After you read my post, I hope you’ll hop over to the next person on the list found at the base of this post.
The Library Challenge and Sunshine!
One of the blog challenges in which I have enjoyed participating in the past is The Library Challenge, and I think the theme of challenge #38 fits with the InKing Royalty Blog Hop theme of Sunshine. Challenge #38’s book title is Five Weeks in a Balloon, by Jules Verne, and the project inspiration can come from the title, cover, or story.
Here’s the cover:

How does this book relate to sunshine for the Blog hop? I am so glad you asked. I can’t imagine taking a hot-air balloon ride on a stormy, rainy day. The perfect weather for this kind of adventure is SUNSHINE, so there’s the connection.
Here’s my card:

A Go-To Die Set
I’ve said it before, but the Rectangle Stitched Framelit die set is one of my all-time favorite sets, partly because I love the double stitching on each die. However, my most favorite reason is because of the amount of cardstock I can save by using these framelits on the mats of cards!
For example, in this card, the background Balmy Blue cardstock is the middle of a mat for another card. I chose the appropriate sized die for the frame based on the size of the middle mat, and then used the rectangle dies. I now have the two pieces I needed for the frame card and another center piece for a different card.
Here’s an example cut I cropped from the Granny Apple Green cardstock base:

I found that I absolutely love (!!!) the color combination of Balmy Blue, Blueberry Bushel, and Granny Apple Green when I played along with the Paper Players #450 challenge. I decided to go with Granny Apple Green balloons, the largest of which I stamped off. The smaller balloons also in Granny Apple Green, colored the baskets with Blueberry Bushel, then fussy cut the balloons. I stamped the sentiment in Granny Apple Green as well, and cropped it using the Stitched Shapes dies. I used Blueberry Bushel marker to color in the stitched ditch
The Balmy Blue Background Cardstock
When I was finished with the balloons, I used the cloud stamp (3 clouds, one stamp, wonderfully easy) and StazOn Cotton White ink for the clouds. The resulting light white and lighter white clouds gave the Balmy Blue some much needed texture.
After I got the frame and base put together using dimensionals, and then dry fit the balloons and sentiment piece, I thought I needed something else. The Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle added some interest without bulk, so I threaded it through the frame. I really thought I would wind up with a square knot, again, as always because I am “bow challenged”. But, to my surprise and glee, I created an actual bow! YEAH!
I popped all the pieces up with dimensionals and again realized I needed something else, more specifically something flat and not popped up. Therefore, I grabbed the bird stamp, stamped it a couple of times and it finally felt done.
Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you’ll hop along to the next stop on the blog hop, Lynn Holcun at Avery’s Owl. You don’t want to miss all the inspiration found in this group!
- Brian King at Stamp with Brian
- Sue Jackson at Just Peachy Stamping
- Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery
- Julie DiMatteo at The Paper Pixie
- Shawn de Oliveira at Shawn Stamps
- Jennifer Spiller at Westside Paper Creations
- Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
- Jan Dufour at Stamp Me Silly
- Katie Ferguson at Cottage Paper
- Pam Morris at Tap Tap Stamp
- Sheryl Sharp at Sharp Notes by Sheryl
- Robbye Hamilton at Miss Hammie’s Crafts
- Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
- Linda Krueger at The Stamp Coach
Dec 22, 2018 | The Library Challenge |
The Library Challenge
I love to read, I love the library, and I love to create. Therefore, when combined together, three of my favorite pasttimes mesh together. The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs, is the inspiration for The Library Challenge # 22. The inspiration can come from the cover, the story, or the title. The sweetness of the cover and the title inspired me.
Here’s the book cover:

Santa’s Workshop DSP
I think I’ve finally learned my lesson; when I see a suite I absolutely love, I need to just get it all. I can’t wait any more because I seem to miss out more times than not. The Santa’s Workshop suite, and the speed at which it sold out, finally convinced me. I purchased the stamp set, and had purchased a paper share for the holiday catalog DSP, so that’s what I had to use. I’ve colored many an elf, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the rest of the stamps, which has been relaxing and fun, but having more DSP and the coordinating thinlets would have been so much better.
One pattern in this DSP pack is all about the snowmen. Love it as each snowman in the repeating pattern is adorable and full of life, just like the cover of the book.
Here’s my card:

Since I was using the sentiment “Wishing you everything on your list….” I chose to have the snowman getting the present as my focal image. This simple card came together quickly with just the DSP, sentiment, and the Poppy Parade ribbon, all of which is in the Suite.
Off to create some more cards
I don’t know about you, but I am still not finished with my Christmas cards. It’s 12.22, and I am still making cards. Last year I finished my cards by Thanksgiving, which was wonderful. I am going to have to do a better job next year.
Thank you for stopping by. I’d love to see what you created using this sweet DSP, so feel free to post a pic in the comment section.
I hope you all have a very happy holiday season.
Sue
Jul 13, 2018 | Fab Friday, The Library Challenge |
Many Thanks to the Librarian!
Before I jump into my blog for these two challenges, let me say how honored I was to be chosen as one of the Librarian’s Choices for The Library Challenge # 9 with a Where the Wild Things Are theme. You can see my z-fold card I created here. I didn’t even know I was chosen until I went in to make sure I didn’t miss the deadline for the current challenge. While I enjoy participating in challenges, I’ve missed more deadlines by just a few hours for a variety of challenges. Can you imagine my surprise?!?
Current Challenges
Fab Friday 114 sketch challenge for this week is simple, which I love. However, when combined with the Library Challenge # 10, it becomes very elegant. I chose to use the cover of the Rose Garden, written by Susanna Kearsley, as my inspiration. The gorgeous photographic Petal Promenade DSP is perfect, and I am very thankful for the DSP share in which I participated for this paper. More about DSP shares later.
Here’s my card:

Here are the posts for the challenges:

Petal Promenade is Beautiful!
When I first saw the DSP options in the 2018 – 2019 catalog, not all of them Wow’d me, including Petal Promenade. Therefore, I did what I always do when there are new DSP sets: participate in a paper share with my upline, Brian King. A paper share includes patterns from each of the DSP 12 x 12 (cut to 6 x 12) and 6 x 6 stacks. The shares allow me to hold in my hot little hands to see if I want to order ALL of it. This set of papers is gorgeous!!!! I didn’t think I would order it, but now it tops my list for the Buy 3, Get 1 Free shopping list.
Blushing Bride cardstock provides the bottom base, and I also used the Wood Textures DSP for the middle mat. I punched out the circle to go under the Share What You Love doille for some contrast. This suite also provided, the pearlized enamel dots, the metal flower, and the sentiment. After choosing my DSP from Wood Textures, I decided on Soft Suede ink. I thought the Whisper White label needed a little something – something. Therefore, I chose a flower stamp and stamped it off in Blushing Bride. The retired Crumb Cake ribbon seemed to fit this card, and the Fab Friday challenge, perfectly.
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I greatly appreciate your visits, and would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment.
Have a Peachy day!
Sue
Jun 18, 2018 | The Library Challenge |
Where the Wild Things Are
There are times I will click, read and click again, repeat, repeat, repeat…… you get the idea. Somehow I wound up finding a new challenge, The Library Challenge seems perfect for me. I’ve always loved the library, and have many happy memories of childhood Saturdays at the East Islip Library on Long Island. I still love libraries, and when I taught elementary school I had a pretty extensive library of my own from which the kids could borrow books. Now that I am teaching high school, my library is mostly non-fiction, but it is a classroom library and I still love going to the library.
This challenge’s theme is based on Maurice Sendak’s beloved book, and I went immediately to the A Little Wild stamp set. I knew I wanted to use all three of these adorable animals, so I needed a card larger than an A2 size. I decided on a Z-fold card, and then pulled out the Garden Impressions DSP. If you haven’t gotten this DSP yet, you need to do so quickly! Gorgeous colors and patterns. Bold and vibrant, with some subtle patterns as well.
My Card
There were so many elements that went into making this card, and my desk mess was proof of the evolving card process.
Here’s multiple views of my card:



I used SU Blendabilities for the coloring, and this was the first time I was happy with the result. I don’t have an orange blendability, so I used the SU Stamping Write Pumpkin Pie marker to outline all the fur locks on the lion’s mane. Then I used the Daffodil Delight blends on the whole lion..
When I picked this fabulous DSP from Garden Impressions, my colors became Pacific Point, Shaded Spruce (LOVE!!), Soft Sea Foam, and Whisper White. I used the DSP for the first and last folds of the card. Whisper White is in the middle for a little note. The Pacific Point banner was embossed with the Petal Burst embossing folder. I included circles cropped with the Stitched Shapes thinlets. I stamped the back fold circle with “To:, From:” because the area for the note in the middle was kind of small.
The leaves were stamped using the Petal Punch and the stamps from the Painted Harvest stamp set. I used Soft Sea Foam cardstock, then stamped the fill stamp in the same ink. I finished with Shaded Spruce for the detailed leaf stamp.
Pretty Pleased
I love Maurice Sendak’s book, and this theme was fun. I hope I did justice to the book, while adding a playful twist.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you’ll leave a comment, especially if you are a library lover.
Have a Peachy Day!
Sue