JAI #503: Just Choose Two

Hi!

Welcome to a new week of Just Add Ink challenges. This week Nikki is asking us to Choose Two.

To make it simple, you just need to make a card that uses two of either Stencils, Pencils or Patterned Paper. Easy! I went with Stencils and Pencils this week, mostly because I liked that it rhymes!

I started with a piece of Shimmery White cardstock and a stencil from Kindred Stamps called Dragon Scales. I used my Sponge Brayers with Mint Macaron ink to roll on the ink so that it's a little darker at the bottom of the card. This was attached to a Basic Grey card base. The card really shimmers, but I couldn't quite catch that in my photos, but I thought it was perfect for the dragon scale effect.

The wizard was stamped in Memento ink On Whisper White card. He's from another Kindred Stamps set, called Size Doesn't Matter. I coloured him using my Watercolour Pencils, in Basic Black, Basic Grey, Calypso Coral and Early Espresso. As always, the colour is blended with my Wink Of Stella pen. The sentiment was heat embossed with White Embossing Powder on a piece of Basic Grey, stuck flat to the card, and then the wizard was popped up over the top. A few sequins finished the front.

I made this card to give to my husband, Rob, as we celebrated our 18th Wedding Anniversary earlier this month. I couldn't resist adding this character to the inside, as it fits so well with the sentiment! Rob loved the card, thankfully.

That's all from me this week! We are still staying safe at home, and South Australia just recorded 8 days in a row with no COVID-19 cases. That's pretty exciting news! In more exciting news, you can pop over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of this weeks cards, and the link to add your card in to the challenge. Which two will you choose?

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #268: CASE The Colours of the Ornate Garden DSP

Hi!

Thanks for joining me once again for the new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. We've been running our challenges for a fortnight lately, but to start the new Catalogue challenges at the right time, we are running challenge #268 for one week. So what is the challenge?

The colours of the Ornate Garden Suite! Such. fun, fresh palette of colour. You can use a few, or the whole lot, what ever suits you! I actually managed to use the lot, except the new In Colour, Bumblebee. We don't have that yet, so I switched out for Mango Melody.

I started by sponging a piece of Whisper White with Old Olive, Mint Macaron and Terracotta Tile ink. I wasn't really happy with it, but here's a hint for you - whack it behind a piece of laser cut paper and it looks so much better! In this case I used one of the Bird Ballad Laser Cut cards, which are sadly retiring. I chopped the card in half and just used the front of the card. I mounted it on a base of Early Espresso.

I cut a Gold Foil Stitched Circle, and layered it under a label from the Stitched So Sweetly dies. The bird, from Free As A Bird, was stamped in Early Espresso and coloured with my Mint Macaron, Mango Melody and Soft Suede Blends.

I stamped and coloured him the same way for the inside. I used the other half of the Bird Ballad Laser  Cut Card for the inside, as it was the perfect size for the card base.

Don't forget that you only have one week for this colour challenge. Once you've made your card, simply add it to the Facebook group. It's that easy!

First though, please do finish our Blog Hop! There's lots of inspiration, and ways to use the colours. You've love Rebecca's fab cards!

JAI #502: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

It's Friday again, which means it's nearly the weekend, but first it's time for the new Just Add Ink challenge. This time it's a sketch designed by me!

I must have designed it a while ago, as I didn't remember it at all! I really like it though, there's lots of fun stuff you could do with it. I actually flipped the sketch and then pushed the layers off-center, as it suited my plan better.

My oldest child, Alex, turned 17 this month. He had a quiet birthday while sheltering at home, but I made up for it by ordering him an Oreo cake from the Cheesecake Shop. We also toasted some marshmallows around our fire pit, so overall he enjoyed his birthday.

Today's card is an attempt to replicate one of his favourite games, Minecraft. To make the background, I just cut a heap of 1/2 inch squares from brown, grey and green cardstock. I then arranged them on a piece of Smokey Slate cardstock using Tombow glue. The stamps are from an Ink Road Stamps set called Game On. I stamped them in Call Me Clover, to match the vibrant green of Minecraft.

I had some left over squares, so they were perfect for the inside of the card. According to Alex, the sentiment on the inside belongs to a sneaky character called a Creeper, that sneaks up on you and explodes! They are hard to see, so all you usually get as warning is the sssss before the boom! Have you learnt something - I certainly did!

That's it from me today - I'm off to practice the Last Post so that I can play it on my driveway tomorrow morning for Anzac Day. Hopefully I don't mess it up too badly! While I'm practicing, why don't you pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you can see the rest of this week's Design team cards? You can also link up your own for the challenge. I can't wait to see what you do with my sketch.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #267 Week 2: Flowers Of The Ornate Garden Suite

Hi!

Welcome back for this week's CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. We are up to Week 2 of our current challenge, which is to make a card that is inspired by the flowers of the Ornate Garden Suite.

Last week I did a heap fo fussy cutting with the Peaceful Poppies DSP. This week I decided to go more literal and use one of the stamp sets from the suite, Ornate Style.

I started by stamping the frame from Swirly Frames on a piece of Whisper White cardstock. I also stamped it on a piece of copy paper and trimmed away the piece on the inside of the frame. I then used the copy paper as a mask and stamped the flowers through it.

I then coloured the image with my Stampin' Blends. I used Rococo Rose, Daffodil Delight, Purple Posy and Granny Apple Green. I coloured the outer areas with Light Pool Party. A sentiment from Label Me Bold finished off the front of the card.

For the inside, I stamped the same flowers as the front, I just turned the stamp on it's side. They are coloured the same was as the front of the card. The sentiment is from Peaceful Moments.

That's all from me this week. We are at the halfway point for our challenge, so you still have a week to make a card and post it to the Facebook Group. What inspires you from the flowers of the suite?

Before you dash off to get creating, don't forget to finish the Blog Hop! Next up is the lovely Bec!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #501: Just Add Inspiration

Hi!

Hello, and welcome back to the latest Just Add Ink challenge. This week Jackie has found this fabulous picture to inspire our creativity. I'd love one of these set ups in the backyard right now! Actually, maybe the side yard, as we back onto a golf course and a little privacy while lounging would be better!

The look and colours makes me think of India and the Middle East - what about you? They also remind my of some DSP that we used to have, probably 7-8 years ago, that was Pumpkin Pie and Melon Mambo. I decided to use colours inspired by the photo - Mango Melody, Melon Mambo, Early Espresso, Call Me Clover and Whisper White.

They are bold colours, so I just used a touch of each on my card. The Mango, Espresso and Mambo strips were popped up over my Whisper White card base.

The stamps and dies are a bundle from Uniquely Creative, called Sweet Sentiments. I cut the larger 'birthday' die cut in Clover and layered it under the smaller Whisper White die cut. I tried the combo the other way around to show the Clover more, but it didn't pop against the background. Oops, I just noticed I've lost the dot on my 'i'!

I used the stamps again on the inside for my sentiment. I think we all need a year full of laughs right now!

What do you see in the Inspiration Photo? There's a great stamp set in the current Mini Catalogue that would work for the pavilion. So many ideas! When you've made your card, you can link it up for the Challenge over on the Just Add Ink blog. You can also see the rest of this week's Design team cards.

AWH April Creative Showcase: Mother's Day

Hi!

Welcome to the Art With Heart Stampin’ Up! Team Monthly Creative Showcase. The theme for this month’s showcase is Mother’s Day. Under the current conditions Mother’s Day this year is going to be completely different to any other Mother’s Day celebrations.

I'm not sure yet how we will celebrate! My mum lives in a different state and my MIL lives in a little town nearly an hour away from us. I see several FaceTime calls on the horizon for Mother's Day! I guess a mother's job is to keep her family safe and healthy, so we will do that by staying in our little household bubble.

The Art With Heart Team are hoping to share a little Mother’s Day love and inspiration with you tonight.

My Mother-In-Law loves her cruising - although that might change! When I thought of what card I could make for. her, I decide to go with a tropical theme to fit with the cruises she's taken recently. I started by stamping a heap of images from Timeless Tropical in Memento ink. I then coloured them using my Watercolour Pencils, blending with my old favourite, Wink Of Stella. The piece they are layered on comes from the temporarily retired Nature's Thoughts Dies. I sponged the top half with Pool Party ink, and the bottom half with So Saffron, hoping it would look like sand and sky.

I googled frangipanis to see what colours to use, and I found a gorgeous variety called Darwin Monsoon. They are tricolour, so I used Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight to colour the blooms. I layered a couple of ribbons under the sentiment, which is a shortened image from the Beautiful Day stamp set. I didn't have any Rich Razzleberry ribbon, so I coloured a length of Whisper White Seam Binding with my Dark Rich Razzleberry Blend.

I used the same DSP from the front on the inside. Both pieces of Tropical Oasis DSP have been dry embossed with the Subtle Embossing Folder. The inside sentiment is from Timeless Tulips. I hope my MIL likes her tropical Mother's Day card, even though she won't be going on any tropical cruises for a very ling time!

That's all from me tonight, now you're off to see the wonderful creations of the lovely Rebecca Jacovou.

Bye for now,

Tina

If you have a broken link or have come to this blog hop midway, you can view all the participants below:

Rebecca Jacovou

Vicki Boucher

Rachel Woollard

Sharon Davern

Catherine Proctor

Kate Morgan

Andrea Sargent

Kathryn Mangelsdorf

Rachel Palmieri

Caroline Manwaring

Michele Taylor

Tina Gillespie

CTC #267 Week 1: Flowers Of The Ornate Garden Suite

Hi!

Hello! Happy Easter! I hope you had a lovely day. I actually got a nice little sleep in, as the teenagers weren't up at the crack of dawn to see what the Easter Bunny brought them. I spent the rest of the day sewing a quilt top for my oldest son, Alex. He's 17 tomorrow, so I'm on a deadline. I might just make it!

Anyway, you're probably here for the CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. This week we are taking our inspiration from the flowers in the new, early release suit, Ornate Garden. There are stamped flowers, die cut flowers, or flowers in the DSP. I decided that I would make a card that uses a different DSP, but a technique that you could use with the Ornate Garden DSP.

I haven't played much with the Peaceful Poppies DSP for a while. I chose the sheet that had a heap of poppies, berries and leaves that were perfect for fussy cutting. I cut a bunch for the front of my card. When looking for a vase to put them in, I couldn't go past the milk jug from Country Home. I stamped it on a scrap of Whisper White and then coloured it with my Smokey Slate Stampin' Blends.

I popped up the jug on another piece of Whisper White that I'd cropped with the largest Stitched So Sweetly Die. I then arranged the flowers and foliage, adhering some flat and popping some up.

I also fussy cut some extra bits and pieces to use on the inside of my card. I like the way that the leaves and berries curve in both directions, so cutting them for an arrangement like this was easy.

I hope my card inspires you to fussy cut some flowers from the Ornate Garden DSP and see what you can make with them. When you're done, you can upload your card into our Facebook group. I'd love to see what you do!

For now though, it's time to continue on your way around the Blog Hop. Next up is the fabulous Siobhan, with her gorgeous floral card.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #500: Just Add A Die Cut Word

Hi!

Wow!! Just Add Ink is celebrating it's 500th Challenge with a massive Blog Hop! Thanks for joining us for the Hop, and hopefully the challenge. Are you starting here, or have you come from the lovely Kelly's blog? Her card is so beautiful! This week Jan has set the challenge, and it's an easy one!

Yes, Just Add A Die Cut Word to your card. The hard part will be choosing which word to add!

I decided to use this free digi stamp by Three Room Studio, called All In This Together, on my card. I printed the image and then coloured it with my Copics. I didn't do any blending with the markers, it was all just straight colouring. I chose some darker colours at the top and the bottom of the card, for the sky and the road/grass/front of the houses. I chose a lot of lighter colours for the rest of the card, hopefully this kept all the speech bubbles as the focus of the card.

I used a scrap of Whisper White to create the speech bubble for the die cut words. It's really just a rectangle with a triangle at the bottom and rounded corners. I adhered the die cuts from the Well Written Dies  and popped the whole lot up on Dimensinals. The Die set doesn't actually have a letter I, so I just used the top of the exclamation mark for my I.

When I printed the digi stamp, the first attempt was a bit of a failure, as I forgot to alter one of the settings on my printer, and it was much too large. Oops! I was about to chuck out the mistake, but I noticed the three word bubbles and thought that they would work nicely for an inside sentiment. As a bonus, they match the front perfectly!

Our challenge is the same as it is every week, just make your die cut word card and add your link to the Just Add Ink blog. Before you go start making your card, don't forget to finish the rest of the Blog Hop! Next up is the fabulous Nikki, with her adorable card.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #266 Week 2: Easter Cards

Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the second week of our CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. I don't know about where you are, but it was a wet, miserable weekend in Adelaide - perfect for crafting!

Once again, we are making Easter cards based on the sketch below.

I went way more literal this week than last week!

I started by making the daisy, and everything else flowed from that. I cut three daisies of each size from Whisper White cardstock and then glued the three layers together. I used my sponge dauber and some Rococo Rose ink to lightly sponge around the edges of the petals before adhering the small daisy to the larger one. The centre of the flower is just a 1/2" circle, sponged as well.

The leaves are actually from the Poppy Moments Dies. I don't know if they are accurate daisy leaves, but they are good enough for me! I cut them in Soft Sea Foam, to match the card base.

I used a left over strip of Rococo Rose gingham DSP on the inside, alongside the sentiment from Peaceful Moments.

I hope you are staying home and staying safe. I certainly am! The kids are on school holidays now, which should mean more crafting time for me. If it means more crafting time for you too, why not join in our challenge? You just need to join our Facebook group.

That's it from me, so now you're off to see the sweet Easter cards that my lovely friend, Rachel has made.

Bye for now,

Tina