Just Add Ink #66: Just Add Flowers

Hi!

I'm a little sad with this post, as it is my last as a Guest Designer for Just Add Ink.  I've had a great time designing for the blog though, and want to thank the team for having me!

So.  The last challenge for April is with Mother's Day in mind: Just Add Flowers.  Here's the card I came up with:

My mum is a sewer, and taught me how to sew, so I immediately thought of the Sew Suite stamp set and Sweet Stitches DSP.  The card is a larger size than I would normally make, but I didn't want to lose any of the stitching detail on the DSP so I had to go a bit bigger.  The finished card is 5 1/4" square.

I stamped the dressmaking form in Stazon ink on a scrap of Window Sheet to give more of a 'true' wire framed look.  Then I just clustered the rest of the embellishments on top of the large flower.  The smaller flower was coloured using my Melon Mambo marker.  I love the way it all turned out.

Stamps: Sew Suite, Trendy Trees
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Stazon.
DSP/Cardstock: Sweet Stitches DSP, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, So Saffron
Other: Big Shot, Sweet Buttons Embosslit, Paper Daisies, Basic Rhinestones, Window Sheet Medium, Word Window L Punch, Modern Label XL Punch, Slot Punch (retired), Paper Snips.

Catch you later,

Tina

Strength & Hope for Mother's Day

Hi!

Today's card was a bit of an experiment for me.  I wanted to make a tag which I could then use on the front of a card.  I thought I'd make is soft and feminine to give to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  Here's the card I came up with.

To make the tag I cut some watercolour paper to the size I wanted and then used my Aqua Painter to give it a light wash of Blushing Bride ink and a sponge dauber to ink the edges.  I then stamped the text stamp from Strength & Hope over the tag in Blushing Bride ink, and finally stamped the Hope image and some butterflies in Sahara Sand ink.  I then stamped 2 more butterflies in Blushing Bride ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and painted selected bits with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  I also painted the H with the shimmer paint.  I used Dimensionals to adhere the butterflies to the tag.

The base of the card was stamped with the flourish and small flower from Baroque Motifs.  I also painted the small flowers with the shimmer paint.

Stamps: Strength & Hope, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla
Other: Watercolour paper, Aqua Painter, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Very Vanilla 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Crop-A-Dile, Sponge Dauber

Catch you later,

Tina

Just Add Ink #65: Just Add Mateship

Hi!

This week the girls at Just Add Ink are honouring Anzac Day by challenging us to Just Add Mateship/Friendship.  I thought about it for a while and then decided that I'd make a male card.  Many men bond over a motor, so I decided to ink up my brand new Motorcycle stamp.

The Motorcycle image is stamped on Vellum with Basic Black ink.  I cut a section out of both the Basic Black base cardstock and the Brushed Copper cardstock and then adhered the vellum behind the cut out.  It gives the stamped image a softer look.

The rest of the embellishments are Rub Ons from a retired set called 'Anchored'.  I won them recently, so I can't tell you which SU catalogue they are from.

I like this Rub On.  My husband Rob reckons it looks like a motorcycle tyre, so it fits nicely both with the theme of the challenge and with the stamped image.

I can't wait to see what you come up with this week!

Stamps: Motorcycle
Ink: Basic Black
Cardstock: Basic Black, Brushed Copper, Vellum
Other: Anchored Rub Ons (retired), 1 1/4" L Circle Punch, 1" M Circle Punch, Dimensionals.

Catch you later,

Tina

Jac Inks Challenge Card

Hi!

Today's card was made for a new challenge blog: Jac Inks.  The challenges on the blog are run fortnightly and the newest one is a sketch challenge.  I haven't entered one of their challenges before as I've only just found their blog.  This week's sketch was quite lovely and provided me with an opportunity to try something new.

I hadn't ever made one of the pleated medallions before.  They are so easy!  I just cut a strip of 12" cardstock 1 1/2" wide, scored it every 1/4" and pleated it.  Then I joined the ends, pushed it flat and adhered it to a circle punchie with Crystal Effects.

The birdie was sprayed with a mix of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and Isocol for a lovely subtle glitter.

Stamps: Cute by The Inch
Ink: Riding Hood Red
DSP/Cardstock: Love Letter DSP, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Other: 2 Step Bird XL Punch, 1 1/4" Circle M Punch, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Crystal Effects

Catch you later,

Tina

Baby Girl Slice of Life

Hi!

One of Rob's workmates had a baby girl recently so Rob asked me to make a card for the new parents.  I have just received the Slice Of Life stamp set, so I was eager to get it inky.

It's a little difficult to see in the photo, but I stamped the image in the frame created by the negative of the Decorative Label punch.  I then stamped it again on a scrap of cardstock, cut it out and popped it on Dimensionals on top of the first image.

Stamps: Slice of Life, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel, A Word For You
Ink: Pretty In Pink
Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Whisper White
Other: Decorative Label Punch, 2" x 1 3/8" Oval XL Punch, Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Catch you later,

Tina

Strength & Hope

Hi!

Today's card uses a new stamp set from the Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue: Strength & Hope.  Stampin' Up! are donating $2 to breast cancer research for every one of these sets sold.  It's a fabulous cause, so I was happy to support them by purchasing the set.

There are 4 stamps in the set: the text stamp which I have stamped repeatedly down the left hand side, the flourish which I have stamped on the small panel, the Hope stamp which is in the bottom circle, and the butterfly.  I used the rock 'n' roll technique on the butterfly using So Saffron and Marina Mist inks.

Isn't it a beautiful set!  I'm hoping to have a bit more of a play with this in the next few weeks.

Stamps: Strength & Hope

Ink: So Saffron, Marina Mist, Basic Grey

Cardstock: So Saffron, Marina Mist, Basic Grey, Whisper White

Other: Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals, 1 1/4" L Circle Punch, 1 3/4" XL Circle Punch, Stamp Positioner

Catch you later,

Tina

Just Add Ink #64: Just Add Colour!

Hi!

Once again the girls on the Just Add Ink have come up with a fabulous challenge for you to take part in.  With Easter just around the corner, the challenge is a colour combination with a twist - you get to choose the colours!  This week Just Add Ink challenges you to create a project using the colours from your favourite chocolate.

Now, thanks to a certain episode of Bones, I don't eat chocolate anymore.  Then my husband reminded me that I still drink chocolate.  After the kids have gone to bed we often settle down for the evening with a cup of hot chocolate.  It's one of my favourite times of day - the house is quiet and my housework is finished, I can relax and get some papercrafting done!  So for this week's challenge I have used the tin of hot chocolate as the basis for my colour combo.

I buy these 2kg tins from Officeworks.  Much cheaper and in my opinion, the best hot chocolate ever.  Because it was an Easter inspired challenge I stayed with the chocolate theme and scrapped some photos of Hudson enjoying a chocolate mud cupcake.

Rob had been to a food information evening for parents of kids with sensory issues.  Rob was told to allow Hudson to play with his food as a lot of kids with vision impairments have trouble with food textures and therefore have issues with eating.  Not Hudson! He thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate cake! 

I used the Cute By The Inch stamp to create the little embellishments.  They are simply stamped on Riding Hood Red  and Whisper White cardstock and paper pieced, then popped up on Dimensionals.

I hope you enjoy the challenge this week - I certainly did!

Stamps: Cute By The Inch
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Dimensionals, Circle Punches, Paper Snips, Circle Cutter.

Catch you later,

Tina

Stamp A Memory: is it really? Part 2

Hi!

My latest layout is over at Stamp A Memory today.  I'd love you to head on over and take a look!  Before you do, here's a sneak peek:

Gotta love that picture of Rob with Andrew Gaze!

Catch you later,

Tina

JAI #63 - Inspiration Photo

Hi!

This week at Just Add Ink the girls have chosen a bright and cheerful photo to inspire your creativity.

Doesn't it make you just want to get up and dance?  The girls at the front look like they are having so much fun!

I looked a bit closer at the photo and noticed that the men dancing behind the girls all have their hands painted green.  I decided to use this as the main inspiration behind my project for the challenge.  So I painted Alex, Ada and Hudson's hands green and stamped them onto some cardstock.

The rest of the colours came from the picture.  I added Marina Mist ribbon to represent the sash around the women's waists and the handprint panel is matted on Daffodil Delight cardstock.

I did a quick search of the internet for one of those handprint poems to use as my journalling.  Most were a bit too babyish, or were only suitable for one child's handprint.  I ended up modifying a poem I found:

Here's three special handprints

Just so you can say

This is how our fingers looked

When we placed them here today

I used the Circle Circus stamps behind the journalling as they reminded me of the headpieces the ladies are wearing.  Wow, I managed to find a lot of inspiration from the photo.  I hope you can too - I'd love to see what you come up with for the challenge!

Stamps: Circle Circus

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist Marker

DSP/Cardstock: Celebrations DSP, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Whisper White

Other: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Timeless Type Alpha Die, Marina Mist Satin Ribbon, Green Paint

Catch you later,

Tina

Stamp A Memory February Challenge: is it really?

Hi!

Today I'm here with the Stamp A Memory challenge for April.  The challenge this month is to scrap a photo that is more than 10 years old.  Given that for most of us, more than 10 years ago was pre-digital photos, this certainly was a challenge!  It was a lovely trip down nostalgia lane looking through my older photos, but in the back of my head I had a little voice saying: "your photos should be more organised" and "you should get your negatives scanned to CD".  I must admit that I am very glad to be a scrapper in the digital photography age!

Anyway, on to the layout.  I chose a photo from 1999 that was taken when my husband Rob (then boyfriend!), sister Amanda and I went to see the Madame Tussaud's Wax Works Exhibition in Sydney.

I used the title 'is it really?' because the wax figures were so life-like that it was spooky.  They even had a wax figure of a room attendant, just to trick the unsuspecting!

I decided to chop up the cardboard folder the photo has been stored in and use the Madame Tussaud's logo on the layout.  It completes the visual triangle of embellishments: the buttons, the logo and the flower brad on the journalling box.

I also completed a second page to this layout because we took a heap of photos. You'll have to come back another day to see that because for now it's "Hasta la Vista, Baby".  Yes, I know - very lame!

Ink: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze
DSP/Cardstock: Elegant Soiree DSP, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alphabet Die, Decorative Label Punch, 1 1/4" Circle L Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Crumb Cake Flower Brad, Crumb Cake Designer Buttons, Sponge Daubers

Catch you later,

Tina