JAI #193: Just Add Inspiration

Hi!

Boy - where did that week go? Apologies for not posting on Wednesday as usual - the week really ran away on me!  But now it's Friday, and time for another Just Add Ink Challenge.

This week Kim has found this gorgeous picture to inspire us.  Lots and lots of stars for all kinds of Christmassy (or not!) inspiration.

I had resisted buying the Christmas Star stamp for a long time, but while it was on special last month I gave up resisting and purchased it.  So glad I did, as it's fantastic!

Sequins are very on trend right now in papercraft, so I decided to add some to give the card a bit more sparkle.  It was in fact the sequins that dictated the use of Tempting Turquoise on the card, as they matched perfectly.

I used a Candy Dot and brad combination at the centre of the star, just for a little more emphasis.

Can't forget the inside of the card either!

And because I'd also purchased the Envelope Punch Board, and the card was 5 inches square, I just had to make a matching envelope too.  Any excuse!  I used Sahara Sand cardstock to match with the card.

Well, that's it for me.  Are you inspired to create?  I hope to see you over at Just Add Ink.

Bye for now,

Tina

Simply Stars Christmas Card

Hi!

Just a quick post today, as I forgot to schedule it last night and I'm about to head off to the hospital with my eldest boy for day surgery.  Nothing major, just a small procedure.

This is a card I made with a few different groups a couple of months ago. It's a great card for showing that you don't need a Christmas specific stamp set to create a fabulous Christmas card.

I used the Simply Stars stamp set, with Teeny Tiny Sentiments on the outside and Sweet Essentials on the inside. The colours are Wild Wasabi, Real Red and Whisper White.

So quick and easy!  You could whip 10 of these a night and have your Christmas cards made in a few evenings.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #192: Just Add Colour

Hi!

Time for another Just Add Ink challenge!

This week we have been given this fab colour combination to use.

I straight away thought of a male card so I decided to make a shirt card.

The card was made for my husband's great uncle's birthday.  I thought the shirt card really suited him as he's a bit of a gentleman.

The card front was embossed using the Lattice Embossing Folder and the tie was embossed with the Argyle Folder.

The base card was weakened a little by the embossing so I lined it with an extra piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock to give it strength.

How will this colour combination inspire you this week?  See you over at Just Add Ink!

Bye for now,

Tina

Happy House Warming!

Hi!

A very close friend moved house recently, so I just had to make her a Happy House Warming card.

I wanted a bright, happy card and I think the paper from the I Am Me DSP pack was perfect.

To create the flower I folded together about 8 layers of our filter paper and punched it with a scallop circle punch.  It was easily able to punch through all layers at once.  I then punched a hole in the centre, added a brad and then scrunched the paper layer by layer until I was happy with the look.

I really love this flourish stamp from Happy Day - I really should use it more!

Bye for now,

Tina

Get Well Swing Card

Hi!

When I sat down at my craft desk to have a bit of a play I didn't really have a card in mind, other than I wanted to use my Circles Thinlits Card Die.  I then spied an image I'd made for another card but ended up not using.  It was already circular, so it fit with the Thinlits Card perfectly!

As the image I'd watercoloured was an ambulance I decided to go with a Get Well card.  The card base is Garden Green, despite it looking more like Wild Wasabi in the photo!

Some random stamping over the card base to jazz up the card.

So quick and easy to put this card together, and it was good to use up a leftover piece that had been floating around on my desk!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #191: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

Welcome to frustrated Friday! Why frustrated? My internet for the month has been sucked away by kids watching YouTube videos so I've been shaped back to ssssslllllooooowwwww internet.  Thankfully it's only 'til tomorrow. For now, I'll just post my Just Add Ink challenge card, I'll edit the post tomorrow with the full set of photos. My edits are in italics.

 

This week Delys has designed a super cute sketch for your inspiration.

Isn't it fabulous?  Lots of room for interpretation in this sketch.  Here's how I used it.

Crushed Curry is NOT a go-to colour for me.  In fact it's one of the colours I like least in the SU range.  However, I think it works really well with the Bermuda Bay on the rest of the card.  I took my colour scheme from the Eastern Elegance DSP pack.  I used a small strip of it on the card - a left over from another project that fit perfectly!

Really love the medallion stamp from Happy Day - such a pretty image.

I used it again on the inside, but I stamped it off once first to reduce the intensity of the colour and let the Crushed Curry sentiment stand out.

Thanks for understanding!

Bye for now,

Tina

Masking Tape Christmas Card

Hi!

Today I have another Christmas card for you that uses a technique I'd never tried before.



It's pretty easy to create this lovely background for your cards.  All I did was tear off some masking tape, apply it to my inkpad and then use the tape to transfer the ink to the cardstock.

Low tack tape like masking tape, or painter's tape, is essential for this technique so that the tape easily lifts off the inkpad and cardstock without tearing.

 

Masking tape gives a rather textured look while painter's tape gives a smoother look.  It was fun having a play and trying some new things!

Bye for now,

Tina

An Island Indigo Christmas Card

Hi!

Are you a traditional red/green Christmas card maker, or do you prefer more non-traditional colour schemes?  I'm pretty happy with either!  Upon reflection though, blues and silvers are becoming more common in Christmas cards so maybe they are the 'new traditional' colour scheme!

This design is a bit of a CASE of a card on page 38 of the Holiday Catalogue.  I've made this card lots for parties and classes lately and it's been quite popular.  I left off the stitching (too hard in a class!) and swapped the Baker's Twine for some of the lovely Silver Ribbon from the Holiday Catalogue.

One of the really appealing things about this card is that it only uses two narrow strips of DSP, but they really make a statement.  Even better is that you can use the offcut bits from the Winter Frost DSP Stack instead of wasting them.  I always end up with heaps of strips, so I will be making more of these cards for sure!

This is a fabulous card that you could easily mass produce to build up your Christmas Card stash.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #190: Just Add Masking

Hi!

Time for another Just Add Ink challenge.

This time it's my turn to set the challenge, and I chose masking.  For my card I chose reverse masking to achieve a 3 dimensional look.  You can find a tutorial on reverse masking here.

I chose three different shades of teal, from memory they were Pool Party, Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay.  I started with Pool Party and sponged from the edges into the centre, leaving a small section in the middle unsponged.  I followed this with a layer of Coastal Cabana that was thinner than the Pool Party layer, and finally Bermuda Bay around the very edge.

Hopefully it makes the bauble look a bit rounded!  I then stamped the star in Bermuda Bay while the mask was still in place.

I really love this card - it's going to be hard to part with it a Christmas time!

What will you create for this challenge at Just Add Ink?

Bye for now,

Tina

Some More Onesie Cards

Hi!

Did you see the baby boy onesie card I posted on Monday?  Today I'm back with some more.

These cards were made as samples for a card class.  We were trying the shaving foam technique.  You can find a tutorial here.  It's pretty easy really - definitely worth a try.

I made the bases Whisper White this time so that I didn't have to fiddle around to cut an insert for the middle of the card.  Easy!

Bye for now,

Tina

Baby Boy Onesie Card

Hi!

A couple of weeks ago I showed some baby boy cards that I'd made on commission. Today I have the final card that I made.

This was my first go at making a onesie card and I loved it!  They are so easy to make and look so fabulous.

I used my circle punches to cut the neck and leg holes, after trimming the card to the shape I needed.  I then added some crisp white accents to the arms, legs and neck.  The glimmer paper star is a cute little finishing touch.

The trickiest part of the whole card was cutting the insert for the inside!

Come back on Wednesday for some more Onesie cards.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI Scrap #23: Just Add Me

Hi!

Are you ready for another scrapbooking challenge from Just Add Ink?

This month it's my turn to set the challenge, and I have decided it's time we all stepped out from behind the camera and scrapped about ourselves.  Whether it's a self portrait, what you like/dislike or something else, the layout needs to be about YOU!

For me, one of my favourite things is my camera.  When we're out and about it's never far from my hands.  Rob took this photo of me on his iPhone. We were at the beach with the kids and spotted some dolphins.  While I was snapping the dolphins, Rob was snapping me!

The title was stamped using my ABC-123 Alphabet sets. I stamped in Basic Grey and Smoky Slate on the cardstock and Black Stazon on the photo.

The butterfly is cut from about 8 layers of Filter Paper using my Big Shot and the smallest butterfly on the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die.  I held it all together with a Candy Dot Brad Base, but used a Rhinestone instead of a Candy Dot in the center of the brad.  I finished it off by spritzing it with some Smooch Spritz.  I can't remember the name of it, but it's retired now.

To create the sunburst background I cut a template out of an old overhead projector sheet, laid it on my page and spritzed it with the Smooch Spritzer (still can't remember the name of it!).  I then removed the template and spritzed again with a mix of Isocol and Island Indigo reinker.  I really love how it turned out!  The doilies were spritzed with the same mix.

I hope you can play along with us this month at Just Add Ink.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #189: Just Add Colour

Hi!

Time for a new Just Add Ink challenge!

This week Kim has given us a colour combination to work with.  I must admit when I first sat down to work with it I was a bit stumped, but by the time I finished my card I was totally in love with the combination.

 I decided to use mostly the neutrals on the card and use the colours to add highlights.

I think it turned out pretty well!  I knew I wasn't going to be posting this card so I wasn't worried about the bulk that the Vintage Faceted Button adds to the card.

The card was for a special friend so I wanted to do something extra special on the inside too.

You can see it more clearly in the picture below.  I used Crystal Effects to add little highlights to the stamped wreath.

I love that scrollwork in the stamp from Daydream Medallions.

I hope you can play along with us at Just Add Ink this week using Kim's fabulous colour combination.

Bye for now,

Tina