Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Gina K. Designs –Inspiration Blog Hop: Day 2

Good morning! The Cast and Crew for Gina K Designs welcomes you to another fabulous blog hop celebrating the new stamp sets by Gina K and the illustrator team from Gina K Designs! We hope to inspire you with some beautiful card projects as you hop along to each of the designer’s blogs! Today, we are featuring the stamp sets Vicky Mermaid by Beth Silaika, Cottage Garden by Claire Brennan and the Botanical Blocks Incentive set. These stamp sets are so fun and versatile! 

Ready for some inspiration? Here are a few of the projects I have created for today’s hop:


I couldn't be more thrilled with how this one turned out, exactly how I imagined after seeing that sentiment, "Inking about you"!! (I guess technically anytime I stamp a card, I really AM inking about the person, lol!) Anyway, I used watercolor paper for this one, but did a lot of sponging first with Ocean Mist and Blue Raspberry at the corners to create a base of color. Next I got the cardstock wet and dropped on some GKD Black Onyx and Blue Lagoon drops using the reinkers.  The smaller drops I just touched the tip of the reinker to the paper.  While the Black onyx was still wet, I smeared it to blend out with a brush, like a cloud of ink dissipating. Finishing touch was a few bubbles with a white gel pen.  Base is GKD Applemint.
So I was looking at my postage stamp border from Stately Flowers 11 again and suddenly l saw waves! I just stamped this repeatedly in Turquoise Sea working my way down, and then sponged in the same ink to fill the water.  These were really fun to color (Spectrum Noir) Finally, stamp just a few bubbles, the greeting and seaweed, also stamped in the Turquoise Sea.
Vicky Mermaid- CLEAR


Next up, we have Claire's gorgeous Cottage Garden set!  it screams fairy tales and storybooks, both dear to my heart!  I kept these very clean, like a book illustration on a white page.  
This little gated garden is perfect for some meditative coloring time. I had a wonderful time filling in all the tiny bits, discovering the different flowers, leaves and other special touches.


I shared this one at the party, all the tiny creatures begged me to have them hiding in the trees! I worked biggest to smallest, filling in the little corners with the tiniest last.  Colored with Spectrum Noir.  Just add a shadow to ground the tree. 


Cottage Garden- CLEAR


Today we wrap up with the latest incentive set, Botanical Blocks, free with a purchase of $75 or more! (Set will automatically be added to your cart.) These bold nature elements work in so many ways!  I came up with a couple ways to use them with Stately Flowers 11:

Here I inked up just the top and side of one of the blocks with Kraft ink to get that cool distressed and artsy edge, and stamped it 4 times, turning it each time to create this open, square frame, which I then stamped the mock orange flower into.  After coloring, I inked up the same block in black and added under the mat kind of like the swath of a paint brush. Cool way to add texture and interest and have that fun reveal of the tiny flowers inside it. Cardstock is GKD Pure Luxury Kraft, Red Hot and White.
Next, I inked up two of the blocks in Ocean Mist and Jellybean Green to make a color blocked spring day inside my postage frame. Stamping the paintbrush flowers over in GKD Black Onyx with no coloring lets the gorgeous detail of these Botanical Blocks show through. Cardstock is Ocean Mist, Black Onyx, and White.


Incentive Stamp Set- Botanical Blocks

Ready for more awesome creations?! Please enjoy more gorgeous inspiration samples and ideas from the team and then comment on each blog for your chance to win a $20 Gina K Designs gift certificate! To see who won, check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hop.

Beth Silaika  -Illustrator of Vicky Mermaid
Claire Brennan - Illustrator of Cottage Garden
Cathy Tidwell
Melanie Muenchinger (you are here!)

Don’t forget to pop over to the Gina K Designs Store and check out all of the new products available this month in the “What’s New” section at http://www.ginakdesigns.com.


Thank you for stopping by!

42 comments:

  1. All beautiful projects! Love your designs!

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  2. So pretty, love how you have used the new sets to make so many beautiful creations! GORGEOUS!

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  3. You always find those out-of-the box kind of suggestions. Love your waves! The garden does look like an image in a storybook. I really like how you featured the incentive set. Great ideas!

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  4. That octopus with the "ink" is terrific. My fave!

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  5. Love them all. I had seen your tree one at the release party but thought you had paper pieced it. Not until yesterday when my sets arrived did I see that the animals were all a part of the set. Great card. Thanks for all your talents and inspiration.

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  6. Love the ink coming from the octopus.
    Funtastic idea.
    Great cards.
    thanks for sharing.

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  7. Super cards. I love the simplicity of your garden gate.

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  8. So many beautiful colors and designs! Love your work!

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  9. Melanie, your cards are beautiful. I especially love the red ones!

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  10. Love the ink Octopus one! So clever - and the use of the postage stamp! Oh my word! Fantastic! Love the birds in the tree too!

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  11. Great cards! Love all of them. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. These cards are fantastic Melanie! I just love that tree card! Will have to case that one.

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  13. All the cards you made with these sets are so awesome.

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  14. Stunning pieces of art, Melanie - thanks for sharing:)

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  15. That octopus inking is so cute!! And you make such a variety with other items in the new release. I would really like to meet you.

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  16. I bet you had so much fun making all of these! I love your ideas.

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  17. great choice of color on your card!

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  18. That "inking" in the first card made me smile. It was perfect! Love all you cards, as usual. I had to look twice to find the incentive stamp. How clever! Great look!!!

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  19. Wonderful inspiration Melanie The sea and flowers are my two favourite things in life Cant wait to get these sets Tfs Liz

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  20. Fabulous cards, Melanie! I really love all of your one layer designs!!

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  21. Very clever...love the inking idea...I had forgotten they do that. Using your stamp for the waves of water was a super idea. Love the flowers at the gate and the beautiful tree. I like the Botanical Blocks used for edges and background colors...a clever way to use those stamps. Wonderful job.
    quilt 4 fun 2 at hot mail dot com

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  22. Just love the inky octopus card. It makes me smile!!

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  23. Adorable and beautiful. Wonderful cards.

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  24. Well if that is not the cutest inky octopus card I've ever seen! So reminds me of Finding Nemo. Thank you for explaining the steps. I had never thought of creating a background like that and it's gorgeous! Look at all the techniques you used on the other creations - outstanding Melanie. And thank you for inspiring us! ♥

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  25. How do you do it? Jaw dropping designs again. Wow, and Wow. Love that inky sea you created for the little octopus.

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  26. Wow, your cards are just wonderful as always! Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  27. Well your little inky octopus is GENIUS!! As is the "Tree of Life". Love how you stamped all those little critters in that tree. So much inspiration here. I need to go pin now!!!

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  28. Amazing cards. Love each one of your fabulous and creative cards, Melanie!

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  29. Each of your cards has a unique atyle the octopus is so fun and inky! The menrnaid cute and fun. Love the gate card and how the colors make it crisp. The state flower is gorgeous and love your postcard card. This postage telease is my favorite.

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  30. Your designs are always so clever! The tree is fabulous and the "inking of you" card is just too cute!

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  31. Melanie, all these cards are so pretty and creative! I love the birds stamped in the tree image. So clever! Asks the octopus 🐙 and all the ink! But as always sweetie, I so love your cards! ❤️

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  32. Your inking octopus make me chuckle. So cute!
    Beautiful cards.

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  33. Oh my gosh! I almost squealed when I saw the octopus card with it "inking"! My first thought when I saw the set was of an octopus doing its inking thing and you captured it perfectly! Your garden gate is stunning! Perfect coloring of all those flowers. I love the tree with all the birds in it -- it reminds me of an illustration from a child's book.

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  34. Fabulous cards. I really like the inking octopus.

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  35. Love all your gorgeous cards. The INK cracks me up:-)

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  36. Love your cards! I just love those little sea creatures and mermaid!

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Your generous feedback helps make my work and this blog better! Thanks for inspiring and motivating me! :)