JAI 552: Just Add Inspiration

 Hi!

It's time for the new Just Add Ink challenge. Yay! This week Nikki has found a really sweet Inspiration Photo to guide our creativity.

How much would it lift your mood, going in and out of that yellow door every day? It took a little bit of thinking to work out how I was going to translate the Inspiration Photo into a card, but I was pleased with my result in the end.

Anyone else have 'Hey, hey, hey, hey' going through their heads right now? LOL! Such an iconic song and movie from the mid 80's, reinvented for a new generation in the early 2010's. Do you remember the movie of the kids managing to have fun in a library while doing a weekend detention?

I started the card by masking off an area and using my Blending Brush to create an ombre panel, with Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody ink. I flicked with a little bit of water, and after it was dry I used my Stamparatus to stamp the main image in Memento ink. I'm glad I thought to do this, as it took 4 goes to get a solid black image. The stamps are from an Ink Road Stamps set, called Pretty Bizarre. 

I repeated the ombre section on the inside. I had to use a sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays, but I paired it with another image from Pretty Bizarre. It's such a fun stamp set!

What do you see in the Inspiration Photo? Is it the door, the flowers, the colours? So many possibilities! Please jump 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 card to enter the challenge. Can't wait to see what you make!

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC 315: CASE A Kit

 Hi!

Welcome back to my blog for the latest CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. I hope you're full of energy - I'm a tad tired after getting up early to play in my band at our local dawn service for ANZAC Day. I don't mind this tired though, as it comes from remembrance. 

This week for our challenge, we are asking you to CASE a Kit from either catalogue. Do you have a favourite kit? I often like to buy them and admire the pretty box and contents, but never get around to putting them together!

The pretty box from the Looking Up kit was definitely one that caught my eye, so that's what I chose to CASE this week. The geometric design really appeals to my logical, ordered brain.

That same brain was a little lacking in power this week, so instead of attempting the 60° angles on the box, I went for the far easier 90°. I cut a heap of 1cm wide Gold Foil strips and glued three down before changing angles and gluing another three down. I used a spare strip as a spacer. It's a bit fiddly to do, but I have fun doing this kind of stuff!

After I'd completed the front panel, I got a bit stuck. I wasn't sure how to incorporate it into a card, so it sat on my craft desk for a few days. I finally decided that adding a pop of colour was the way to go, so I chose Bermuda Bay, as it's one of the kit colours. The balloons, while they are not hot air balloons, were still in keeping with the kit, I think!

As always, I made the front panel wider than it needed to be so that I could chop off a section to using on the inside. It's much easier than trying to make two separate pieces. Another balloon completes the card.

That's all from me for tonight - I'm off to bed now, so I will do my hopping tomorrow. Yay for a Long Weekend! Do you have a LWE? Perfect for crafting time! You can make a card for our challenge and post it in the Facebook Group.

But first, please do continue on with our Blog Hop. My fellow South Aussie, Michelle is up next. Hmm, I wonder which kit was her favourite?

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 550: Just Add Colour

 Hi!

Hello, and welcome to the new Just Add Ink challenge. This week Jo has put together a really pretty colour combination for us to use.

My first thought was a Christmas card, but I was too lazy to pull my Christmas stuff out of hibernation, so I had to go with something else. My new Butterfly Brilliance stamp set caught my eye!

I started by stamping the butterflies in Petal Pink ink onto Petal Pink cardstock. I then cropped it with a Stitched Rectangle Die and layered it over a second rectangle, cropped from Poppy Parade. These were popped up on my Whisper White card base.

I had hoped to find some Shaded Spruce ribbon in my ribbon drawer to layer under the sentiment, but I came up empty-handed. I had to make do with a piece of cardstock instead. The Shaded Spruce butterfly was adorned with a few Red Rhinestones to finish off the front.

The inside of my card makes use of the outside frame left over from the stamped butterfly panel. I just layered it underneath a smaller piece of Whisper White. I probably should have stamped a few extra butterflies around the edge, but it's too late now. Next time!

Speaking of time, t'snow time for you to pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you can see the rest of this week's Design team cards. We've had a lot of fun with these colours. You can also find the Linky, where you can enter our challenge. What will you do with the colours?

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC 313: Favourite Retiring Stamp Set

 Hi!

Hello, and welcome to the new CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop. Our challenges around this time of year are always a little sad, as we CASE products that are retiring from the Stampin' Up! lineup. Some products you're happy to wave goodbye to, as they've been around a while, but others you are left wishing for a little longer with them.

This week our focus is on retiring stamp sets. I'm losing about half of my collection this year. Some will shift shelves to my permanent collection, others will find a new home with someone else. The stamp set I've chosen today, Beautiful Friendship, is definitely a favourite of mine that may just find it's way into my permanent collection.

I selected this sample, from page 115, to CASE as I really liked the layering down the left hand side of the card. However, I rotated the design to flow down the right hand side of my card.

I started with a Thick Whisper White base, and stamped the Garden Green leaves down the right side of the front, making sure that they overlapped each other. I then fussy cut along the edge. I repeated this process for the Rococo Rose roses, on a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock.

I used a Blending Brush to apply some Pacific point ink to the right side of the inside of the card, and the left side of the front of the card. I love how this gives the illusion that the blue is on one piece of card. The roses were then popped up over the top and the sentiment added.

I'm not sure that I like the inside - it looks a bit unfinished. I'll probably go back and change it before I send the card.

What is your favourite retiring stamp set? It's soooo hard to choose! I hope that you can decide so that you can play along with us this week. Pop on over to our Facebook Group to check out all the action.

Before you go, though, please do finish our Blog Hop! Next up is my lovely friend, Rachel. I was lucky enough to spend some time with her when she visited SA recently.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC 310: CASE A Layout

 Hi!

Oh, goodness, this weekend has gone so quickly! Sunday evening really snuck up on me! I had a really lovely night last night at the Adelaide Fringe Festival with some school mums, which meant that today was a bit slower of a day. Luckily I already had my card made, I just needed to do the photography and blogging.

Anyway, on with the show! This week at CASEing The Catty we are challenging you to CASE the layout of the card with the three bow ties - isn't it a fun card? Here's a sketch to help you see the different elements.

I liked the three repeated elements, but I decided to go for blocks rather than shapes. I won a sample pack of the Fine Art Floral DSP a while back and hadn't used any yet, so this was a great opportunity to finally crack it open.

I used my Stitched Rectangles Dies to crop the DSP into three panels, and layered them on some Old Olive card. The three panels were then layered over a piece of Petal Pink card, which I'd embossed with the Subtle 3DEF.

The sentiments are from Pretty Perennials. The 'birthday' part is stamped on a strip that was cropped using one of the All Dressed Up Dies. It's meant to be the handbag strap, but I use it a lot for adding sentiments!

I used the same die to crop a long, thin strip of the DSP to decorate the inside of my card. It's a great way to give a scrap a pretty edge to jazz up the inside of your card.

That's all from me tonight, but this is where is just begins for you! We'd love to see what you do with this sketch, so please pop on over to our Facebook Group, where all you need to do it add a photo of your creation to enter our challenge. 

Before you go, please do finish our hop! Next up is the wonderful Julia - I adore her card, especially as it features my favourite colour!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #540: Just Add Colour

 Hi!

Woo Hoo! It's Friday again, which means that it's not only the weekend, it's also time for the new Just Add Ink Challenge!

How good is this colour combo that Rochelle has put together for us to use? The blue/green tones with a pop of pink is stunning! I decided to use the colour combo to create a scene - the pink with the blues reminded me of an evening sky.

I started by stamping the mountains from Waterfront in stamped-off Misty Moonlight. There are some grey tones in the deep blue, and stamping off helps to bring them out. I then stamped the lake in Seaside Spray and the trees, which are from Snow Front, in Just Jade. I then used a Blending Brush to add some Blushing Bride ink to the sky, just above the mountains, with a little bit of Seaside Spray above that. I was very pleased with how it turned out.

I finished the front by running the panel though my Big Shot with the Subtle 3DEF. I love the way it makes the cardstock look like canvas, and a bit more like a watercolour painting.

I repeated elements of the scene again on the inside of the card. It's so easy to do when you already have the stamps out and inky!

That's all from me for this week, you can find the rest of the Design Team's cards over on the Just Add Ink Blog. You will also find the Linky, so that you can join in the fun. What will you create with this gorgeous colour combo?

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Pacific Point

 Hi!

Welcome back to the new Colour Creations Creative Showcase. This week we are up to Pacific Point, a lovely bright mid-blue from the Brights colour family. I was scrolling through google images this week, looking for inspiration for my card, and I noticed a few cards that had used floral images to create a sort of china-like pattern. Delft, I think it's called? Hopefully you know what I'm talking about - the blue and white designs on crockery.

I didn't have any suitable floral images, so I settled on this scroll image from Ornate Style. I used my Stamparatus to stamp the image repeatedly on a piece of Whisper White cardstock. I made the cardstock slightly longer and wider than I wanted to that I could trim it down. This allowed me to get the piece nice and symmetrical.

I used my new Pretty Perennials stamp set for the sentiment. The rhinestones aren't Pacific Point, they are retired Blueberry Bushell rhinestones, as they were the closest match that I had.

The bonus to making your DIY DSP a little bigger that you need is that you have left over pieces that you can use to decorate the inside! Just a simple strip was all I needed, matted on a scrap of Pacific Point cardstock.

Don't forget to head on over to Catherine's blog now, where you'll find the rest of this week's Pacific Point cards.

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC #299: Step Up An Annual Catalogue Project

 Hi!

Welcome back to CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenges for 2021! This year we are kicking off by asking you to CASE any project from the current Annual Catalogue. Hmmm, which one to pick?

As always, I started at the back and only got as far as the Punch Bundles section before I found this beauty.

I loved the simple stamped grass and flowers, and the sweet dragonflies in the background. I don't have this bundle, but the Friend Like You bundle is a very good alternative, especially as I needed to Step Up the card.

I stepped up the stamping by using a die cut instead. This die from the Friendly Silhouettes Dies was perfect! I cropped some Watercolour Paper and then used my ink pads and a Water Brush to colour the diecut. I realised after I'd glued it down that I should have flipped it and coloured the other side so that I didn't have to flip the layout of the whole card, but I think that this layout works too.

I continued to Step Up the card by adding a few layers, heat embossing in Silver rather than White, adding some Silver Foil paper and a few Rhinestones.

I watercoloured another little section of the die to use the inside. It finishes off the card nicely, don't you think? I couldn't resist adding a few more dragonflies too!

Our challenge is run through our Facebook group, so once you've joined the group all you need to do is add a photo of your card to the group before the challenge deadline on Sunday evening. Easy!

Before you dash off to get creating, please do finish our Blog Hop! Next up is my fellow South Aussie, the wonderful Michelle. Hmm, I wonder which card she chose to CASE?

Bye for now,

Tina