An ORANGE in your Stocking

Did you get fruit in your stocking when you were a kid?  We always got a bit navel orange and an apple (and a glass bottle of Coca Cola, which pretty much filled the stocking).

Today we're still creating cards inspired by this lovely holiday scene.

Here are our inspired designs:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I mentioned last week, for anyone who's not a fan of the bright orange-- or perhaps just doesn't have much in the way of orange supplies-- there are a couple of ways to go: you can ignore the colors completely, and focus on selected elements like the tree, the fireplace, the presents, etc; OR you can just tone them waaaaaaaaaaay down. My card this week is probably closer, proportionally, to how much bright color is in that room compared with how much white + neutral there is. Once again, there are no "holiday" supplies, except for that awesome Memory Box die, "Marvelous Pine". I've got a bunch of different whites-- including a white-ish woodgrain and some white glitter paper for a bit of sparkle. My pops of vivid color come from washi tape, and I've put the entire panel onto a much softer orange background."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I did a riff on Lauren's Washi Tape card for last week's post.  I loved combining all of my orange and green patterns for a fun striped background.  For the big bold white element, I stamped a sentiment from STAMPlorations Miracle of Christmas and finished with a sprinkling of sequins."

Scroll down to the original post to see the readers' gallery, check out the complete challenge details, and link up your own masterpiece!

ORANGE You Glad It's Christmas

This week we're bringing you an Inspiration Photo to inspire your designs.

There's so much here that you might use as inspiration ... Maybe it's the pops of color on white; the fuzzy stockings; the orange pillows; the gorgeous tree ... or even the paint chip ornaments on the tree .... here's how we were inspired:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I was drawn to the plaid wrapping paper on the presents under the tree, so that is where I began my design.  While my greens, oranges & yellows are a bit more muted than the hues in the photograph, I still captured the feel.  I added in coordinating patterned orange paper inspired by the pillows and designer paper of wood logs inspired by the coffee tables.  I finished with my very own white tree decorated with clear lights & pearl ornaments (aka Eyelet Outlet Fancy Long Bling) and a sentiment from Reverse Confetti Sentimental Christmas.  The layout is the final Sketch For You to Try from Reverse Confetti as my layout."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I confess that my first thought when I saw the photo was that I didn't have ANYTHING in my xmas stash with those colors. But then I realized I have loads of non-holiday washi tape in pretty much every shade shown; and loads of fab xmas stuff in white! I decided to make a background with the colors and let my centerpiece be a cluster of white and silver snowflakes. Then I found the cool Crate Paper journal card with nearly the exact same teal as the accent pillow in the foreground-- score! So I scaled back my snowflakes to a slightly smaller size to fit around the journal card, et voila! I also made a second card that mixes a white diecut Christmas tree with the same washi background... I'd love for you to click over and see it!"

Remember, you can use as many-- or as few-- elements from the photo as you'd like! Be creative, think outside the box, and have FUN! Link up here by 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. Keyword for galleries and Flickr is JB:18:08.

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Beautiful Blue Christmas

We're still creating with inspiration from our fabulous Fireplace Photo this week.

Here is what we made for our second round of inspired cards.

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "Once again I've chosen to feature that beautiful palette of bold blue and white, with some little pops of green. I've given the birch logs stacked in the fireplace a bit of a flashback to their previous incarnation ...as a forest. The diecut pine tree with the typing on it is a technique that I've done a few variations on over the years, and there's more info on my blog today, as well as a basic tutorial here. My favorite part of this card, however, is the Cerulean ColorBurst sky, sprinkled with a little snow in the form of Eyelet Outlet Snowflake Brads, along with white and blue sticky pearls."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "This week I started with inspiration from the snowman silhouette on the mantel and continued with inset squares inspired by the shape of the fireplace and lots of fun snowflakes.  I couldn't resist topping that big snowman head with a die cut plaid hat."

Snowflakes Hanging on an Open Fireplace

This week we're bringing you some vibrant Fireplace Inspiration to inspire your design.

Maybe you'll be inspired by the fireplace itself or the vibrant color palette ... or perhaps the white silhouettes against a bright blue background ... or maybe even the firewood or cute little doggie.  Whatever inspires you, we want to see it.

Here's how we interpreted the inspiration:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I may have gone a bit overboard with incorporating elements from the design including firewood, the rich color palette, snowflakes, and even a cute little dog (courtesy of Doodlebug's Polar Pals).  Layout is from Try Stampin' - or Not - on Tuesday."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "Meanwhile, my focus is very general, I've basically just used the palette and the sparkly snowflakes! My background was created using ColorBurst pigment powders in Cerulean, Ultramarine and Indigo; I've added snowflakes via stencilled copper embossing paste, with glitter paper punches and diecuts on top. Finally, a few sparkly Eyelet Outlet Jewel Brads and Gems notch up the glam factor!"

Link-up by Wednesday, July 19th at 6pm (EST). Keyword for galleries or our Flickr Gallery is JB:17:14.

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The first NOEL

We're still creating cards inspired by our gorgeous Christmas photo this week.

Source

Here is how we were inspired for our second round of cards:

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I wanted to feature a white Christmas tree this week ... and the design of the rug inspired me to use this gorgeous cable knit embossing for the background.  I used a *home* themed sentiment to complete my design after decorating my tree with silver glitter enamel dots & a square bling for the *star*."

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I had saved a photo of this gorgeous card by Debby Hughes a while ago and when I saw it again the other day, I realized it shared a lot of the things I love about the inpsiration pic: it's got white + kraft colors, plus a sort of rustic vibe with intricate decorations, and a little bit of sparkle on top! Since I don't own either of the Clearly Besotted stamp sets in the sample card, I decided to draw the poinsettias and use an actual doily instead of a stamped one. Eventually, it occurred to me that a doily is really just a very dense white mandala-- my favorite thing to draw, lol-- so I got out a white Gelly Roll pen and had a bash at that as well. The beautiful pearl heart brads and white glitter enamel dots are from Eyelet Outlet "

Remember, link-up your inspired designs in the post directly below this one by 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, November 30th.  The keyword for galleries & Flickr is JB:16:24. 

Dreaming of a WHITE Christmas

For our final Jingle Belles prompt of 2016 (can you believe it) we're bringing you a holiday photograph to inspire your designs ... and there are so many possibilities for finding inspiration.  

Maybe you'll be drawn to the white & neutral color palette ... the fun spelling of NO*L ... the Christmas tree decorated with white owls ... possibly even the quatrefoil design in the rug ... or the plaid on the pillow.  We can't wait to see how all of the gorgeous elements in this photo inspire you.

(Source)

Here is how we were inspired by the photo.

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I loved the neutrals + naturals color palette of the inspiration photo, and for supplies I was definitely feeling in quite a vintage mood. So I've loaded my card up with sheet music, an old postcard, some cancelled postage, text paper, doilies... a little bit of everything I love that felt like it would "fit" in that pretty, cosy room!"

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I wanted to start by capturing the gorgeous white-on-white feel of the mantel decor, so I die cut my Hero Arts Tag from textured white cardstock and then attached it with foam to white cardstock embossed with Taylored Expressions Nordic Holiday design.  Next I pulled in the wood-grain from the wine rack and the touches of blue on the wine labels and the mantel to finish my design.  I love how it captures the peaceful rustic feel of the photo."

Link-up your inspired cards here by 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, November 30th.  The keyword for galleries & Flickr is JB:16:24.  

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Colorful Christmas

This week we're still creating cards inspired by this gorgeous holiday scene.

Source: Inspired by Charm

Here are our inspired creations:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "Yep, I got out the Color Burst pigment powders again, this time i've added some H2O and used them to watercolor a background inspired by the luscious rainbow ombre tree in the photo. Since it's quite a busy painting, I didn't add much in the way of embellishment, just a layered diecut snowflake... and plenty of bling. Because bling is ALWAYS a good addition, imo!"

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says,"I got a new Tim Holtz Stencil that reminded me of the Christmas ornaments, so I used it with silver metallic ink on a black card base.  Then I hand-cut triangles from designer papers to create the different sections of color for my tree.  I finished by decorating with silver glitter enamel dots and a gem for a star (both from Eyelet Outlet)."

Remember, you have until Wednesday at 6pm EST to link-up your inspired card at the original post.

Ombre Colors of Christmas

This week we're bringing you an inspiration photo to kick-start your Christmas creativity.

You may decide to go with an Ombre color palette ... or pops of color with lots of white ... or even be inspired by that cute little house sitting on the shelves ... just make sure and let us know how the photo inspired your design.

Source: Inspired by Charm

Here is how we were inspired:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I'm often a bit of a *literalist* when it comes to inspiration photos.  I sponged four colors of Distress Ink onto cardstock (overlapping the hues to create the transition colors) and then die-cut my tree.  I splattered lots of water to create a bokeh-like effect with the inks and then decorated my tree by covering it with Clear Swirl Bling from Eyelet Outlet.  I added the wood panel to bring in the texture of the island and blinds using a Sketch from The Paper Players."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I can be fairly literal, too, but in my case the aspect of the photo that really caught my attention was the dramatic rainbow of baubles, so I decided to make some of my own and arrange them in a sort of cascade. I traced a few sizes of circle template onto scraps of watercolor paper painted with different shades of Color Burst Pigment Powders mixed with water. Then I stenciled a bit of white modeling paste onto each bauble. They make a bold statement, so I finished the card with a couple of mats, including a luscious dark wood grain paper which resembles the furniture in the background of the inspiration pic."

We can't wait to see how you're inspired by the photo.  Link your cards here by 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, July 13th.  Keyword for galleries & Flickr is JB:16:14.

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Cookies 4 Santa

This fortnight we'd like to see holiday cards based on any aspect of this gorgeous inspiration photo that appeals to you, whether it's the colors, the shapes, the idea of leaving a note and cookies for the man in red... in short, you can use as many (or as few) elements as you find inspiring!

Here's what we made this week:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "When I saw the plate of cookies, I knew I wanted to do a teal & red snowman card ... so I pulled out my vintage Frosty from Artistic Outpost and my new Lawn Fawn Peacock ink  (love that color) and pulled this card together using this week's sketch from The Paper Players.  I added some sparkle & shine with teal glitter paper and sequins."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "When I first saw the photo, I worried I might not have enough relevant stash items to be able to construct anything interesting, but as it turned out, I almost had too many cool things-- not that I'm complaining, lol! In the end, I focused on the colors and the cookies; added in some "secondary" ideas from the picture (white woodgrain and snowflakes); and mixed in a few extras (trees, a santa hat) to flesh out my little cluster of elements."

Now it's your turn to take whatever aspect(s) of the photo you like best and turn them into a gorgeous holiday card! Link your creations here by 6pm (EST) Wednesday, August 12th. Keyword for galleries and Flickr is JB:15:16.

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I'm Dreaming of a Bright Christmas

This week we're still creating Christmas cards inspired by this vibrant Christmas table setting.

Here's how we were inspired this week:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "One of my favorite items in the inspiration picture is that dramatic flourishy placemat, so I wanted to see if I could make a version in card form. I started with a black patterned paper panel by Bo Bunny, which had the blue dots, faded text and even a few blue flourishes on it. I added some diecut flourishes in bright acid green, then finished off with the black pearl flourish, which I cut apart so it would fit better. For the layout of the card I used the current sketch (#118) from Cardabilities."

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I started with wanting a purple Christmas tree like the one on the table and built the rest of my card around that using a sketch from Sunday Stamps ... pretty much three different glitter paper, a glitter star & epoxy stickers ... easy peasy & oh-so-sparkly."

Link up you holiday cards inspired by any feature of that fabulous tablescape before 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, March 11th. Keyword for galleries and Flickr is JB:15:05.

A Very Vibrant Christmas

This week we're bringing you an inspiration photo (found via Lushome) to get your creative juices flowing.  You might take your inspiration from the awesome colors ... the reindeer, oranments, fallen snow, or perhaps the stacked plates & flourishes on the placemats ... feel free to create using whatever inspires you.

Here is how we were inspired:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I knew I wanted to combine as many colors as possible together with a glittery reindeer ... and this is the result. For some dimension, I die cut the reindeer once from green glitter paper and three more times from thick white cardstock.  I layered them all together before adhering to my Lawn Fawn Bokeh background ... I finished with an SRM STicker, a flair button and some sequins & pearls (including a purple nose).  The layout is this week's Retro Sketch."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I have to confess that when I saw the gorgeous inspiration photo, as much as I liked it, my first panicky thought was, "I don't have ANY Christmas papers in those colors!!!" Later on, a search of my stash revealed that, in fact, I *DON'T* have any Christmas papers in those colors! As it turned out, I didn't need them, since I had quite a few ordinary papers in those colors, which I used in conjunction with clipart to fussy-cut the bauble shapes. Then I added snowflake stickers and bling and some fun shiny silver atick-on pearl borders to act as hangers... and called it a day."

Link up you holiday cards inspired by any feature of that fabulous tablescape before 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, March 11th. Keyword for galleries and Flickr is JB:15:05.

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Taking a Header

To celebrate the conclusion of The World Cup, we'll be Taking a Header this week.

No we won't be hitting soccer balls with our heads (thank goodness for me) ... instead, at the suggestion of our Lovely Guest Star Marie Bingaman, we'll be making cards inspired by the Jingle Belles Blog Header (which Stephanie points out was designed by the very talented Lauren; digital image credits are in this post).

You can find your inspiration in the colors, layout, elements or just the overall vibe of our design.

Here's how we were inspired:

Marie's Card

Marie says, "I’ve been inspired by the Jingle Belles header for a good while now-- (like since it first changed at the beginning of the year!) --and I can’t believe my good fortune that no one else suggested using it as inspiration! Smile Gray and purple is also a pretty combo I’ve been wanting to put together for a long time. I guess I achieved both of those goals then!"

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "Ok, admittedly, I had a bit of an advantage this time, since I designed the header using digital versions of all the things I love in my real life stash. So for my card it was easy to combine my favorite poinsettia die, some glittery alphas, a bit of lace, a little grunge and a whole lot of layers! My favorite thing about this card is that 90% of the things I used are not especially Christmassy, but when you put them all together, they still work!"

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "When I see Purple & Christmas together, I think of Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather Collection.  I pulled out some scraps using this week's Sketchbook Saturday Layout.  I used a vintage stamp for my sentiment, which turned out to be mounted a bit crooked on the wooden block, so I added a golden snowflake to help off-set the sentiment wonkiness (I call it an embellishment opportunity)."

We can't wait to see what you create. Remember you have until Wednesday, July 30th at 6pm EST to upload your designs.

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Scandinavian Christmas

This week we're celebrating the Red, White & Jul ... and bringing you a picture of some Scandinavian Christmas Ornaments to inspire your designs ... maybe you'll be inspired by the colors, the shapes, the grouping of elements ... just go with whatever makes you excited to create.

Source

Here's what we created:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "When I saw the picture, I knew I wanted to use red felt Stampin' Up snowflakes I've had in my stash for some time.  I layered several with a white felt snowflake and vintage white button (tied with red & white twine).  I wanted my background to have the softness of the fabric in the inspiration photo ... so I embossed a piece of adhesive white felt and love the sweater-like effect.  I also loved that I was able to adhere a rub-on directly to the felt."

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "i actually thought *I* had some red felt snowflakes, too, but i was wrong; all of mine were the traditional white, darn it! :) so i used one of those, and colored a plain chipboard flake with a red sharpie marker, instead. then i realized i DID own products which could duplicate many of the other elements i loved from the photo, so i loaded them up: gingham heart, vintage buttons, a little bit of metal, and finally a bit of  lace and some machine stitching to give the feeling of fabric, even though i've used paper for 99% of my card!"

And in case you don't have anything in your stash that you think will work, here's a link to some awesome Good Jul tags you can incorporate into your design.

So keep that holiday card production going in 2013 and show us your inspired creations.  Be sure to link-up between now & 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, January 30th ... keyword for galleries & our flickr group is JB13-2.