Love Is Kindness

Hi!

One of the first stamps that caught my eye in the new Occasions Catalogue was the single stamp Love Is Kindness. I thought it was really pretty and would make a feature on a stamp without much else on the card. Having said that, the first card I made with it used quite a lot of new product!

Isn't it great?  I carried over the newspaper theme to the background, by using the Dictionary Background stamp.

I coloured the tulip image using some of the new Blendabilities - Pink Pirouette and Wild Wasabi.  I also used the Smoky Slate set to create some highlights on the newspaper.  I'm loving the new, softer colours in the Blendabilities.

As I made this card I thought that it would make a great Mother's Day card too.  I wanted to test out the theory, so I made a second card.

I used the retired For My Family stamp set for the sentiment on the second card.  What do you think? Is it better as a birthday card or a Mother's Day card?

Bye for now,

Tina

Perfect Peacock In Blendabilities

Hi!

It's a bit of an upside down day for me today - Hudson is home sick and so my usual routine is out the window!  He's got a cold, so there's a bit of grumpiness and a very snotty nose.  Best not to share those germs!

I have wanted this stamp ever since I first saw it.  Shelli Gardiner demonstrated a few projects at Convention back in May that used this stamp and I think I, and around 700 other Demonstrators, fell in love with it on the spot!  It's such a beautiful stamp, and it was lots of fun to colour with my Blendabilities Markers.

I recently had a niece turn 21 and I thought that such a special occasion warranted an extra special card.  I stamped the sentiment on Vellum so that I didn't obscure the peacock too much.  I cut the 21 numbers using the number dies in the File Tabs Edgelits, and then finished off the card with some scattered Sequins.

The inside of the card looked much prettier in real life.  I had to play with the colours a bit so you could see the peacock I stamped on the inside, which makes the sentiment colour look hideous.  You'll have to trust me that it was very pretty!

Bye for now,

Tina

I Like You In Wisteria Wonder

Hi!

The hostess stamp set I Like You was made for the Blendabilities I think!  It's a fabulous set for colouring, especially when you are just starting out.  The smaller areas are a little easier to blend with great effect.

This card was made as a sample for a Blendabilities colouring class.  The simple white on white design of the card really lets the gorgeous flower take centre stage on the card.

You can see that I popped the smaller flower up to give a little more dimension.

This little flower on the inside is also popped up.  The main reason for this is that when you colour with Blendabilites the colour shows through on the back of the cardstock.  I didn't want the very back of my card to have colour on it, so this was a nice solution.

If you'd like to learn how to colour with Blendabilites please get in touch with me.  I can offer small group classes at a time that suits you.  It's lots of fun!

Bye for now,

Tina

Some More Stamped Candles

Hi!

A little while ago I showed you some stamped candles I'd made as a gift on commission.  Well, when the recipient's friend saw them she loved them, and so I was asked to make another set for her birthday. Because they were for the friend of the first recipient I had to make them differently.

This time I used the floral stem from Thoughts And Prayers as well as a small butterfly from Papillion Potpourri.  My brief was flowers and butterflies so I thought these two in combination worked well.

The DSP on this card was from the retired Modern Medley DSP that I brayered over with Melon Mambo ink to match the pink in the stamping.

I used my markers on the floral stem stamp to give the two colour effect.  It's a great trick!

Here is the candle and the card together.  I actually made 4 candles and boxed them up in a set.  Silly me forgot (again!) to take a photo of the gift box.

Bye for now,

Tina

Wildflower Meadow Candles

Hi!

I have been doing a little bit of stamping on candles lately.  They have been on commission - my client wanted a set of 4 candles with a card to match.

The brief was pink and floral, so I thought that Wildflower Meadow in Melon Mambo and Old Olive fitted perfectly.

I used my Stampin' Write markers to colour the rubber to get the mulitcoloured image.  I also added some Rhinestones to the centres of the flowers.

I like using the sweet little flower stem on the inside - such a perfect little touch for the card, and easy to achieve using the markers to selectively colour the image.

I also used the markers to create the image for the candles, as well as rhinestones to finish off the flowers.

My client loved the gift set, and the recipient does too. Great result!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #218: Just Add Colour

Hi!

This month we say goodbye to retiring products from the current Annual Catalogue, so at Just Add Ink we though we'd challenge you to use some of your retiring colours.  Your creation should use three of the retiring In Colours.  Kim is the brains behind this fabulous challenge!

I decided to go with Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals and Midnight Muse on my card.

I was really pleased with how the background turned out on this card.  After I made it though I was a bit stumped as to what to put over the top of it.  Hubby suggested I go with a curved shape to offset all of the angles of the hexagons.  I think he was right!

The larger butterfly is from the retiring Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, which I will miss a lot.

I think the two pinks look very pretty layered together on the butterflies - what do you think?

I hope you can play along with us this week.  Which are your favourite colours from the retiring In Colours?  See you over at Just Add Ink.

Bye for now,

Tina

My Convention Swap

Hi!

I thought I'd sow you the card I made as a swap at Convention.  I didn't end up making many of them as there were quite involved and heavy on the layers.  I was really pleased with how they turned out though.

I tried to stick to products that were carrying over into the next Annual Catalogue as I wanted to be able to use the card as a display card in the future.

I really loved the touch of drama that the black matts add to the card.

As usual I decorated the inside too - which is unusual in a swap, but I wanted to do it anyway.  A card doesn't feel finished anymore unless I decorate the inside too.

Stamps: World Map, Dictionary, Gorgeous Grunge, Memorable Moments, Sassy Salutations
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Pacific Point, Garden Green, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Watercolour Paper
Other: Big Shot, Circles Framelits, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Banner Punch, Cotton Ribbon, Aqua Painter, Silver Mini Brads, Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals

Bye for now,

Tina

Sweet Sorbet Card Box

Hi!

As I mentioned on Monday, I found 2 Sale-A-Bration projects that I hadn't blogged yet, so I decided to blog them this week.  Are you missing the Sweet Sorbet DSP as much as I am?  I have stashed away a few packs for a future project!

This box was my monthly class project in March.  The ladies got to construct the box using the Envelope Punch Board and then made some cards to go inside.

It was a fabulous project.  I ended up making a few more cards (it easily fit 5) and gave it as a gift to my mum.  Now she has a small stash of cards to use for a variety of occasions.

Here are the two cards we made in class.  I used some more of the Sweet Sorbet DSP on them, as well as the Papillion Potpourri stamp set.

I deliberately kept the cards nice and flat with no embellishments to stick out so that they slide in and out of the box easily.

Bye for now,

Tina

Melon Mambo Birthday Card

Hi!

Are you ready for some more Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Catalogues sneak peeks?

Hmm, what new things can you see? There are 2 new products used on the front of this birthday card that I made for my niece.

Here's a closer look at one of them! It's so cute - I just love it.

Here's the inside.  No sneak peeks here, just a blast from the past in Happiest Birthday Wishes.  I pretty much keep this set just for that one stamp, as I am often late getting birthday cards sent.

See you on Friday for the first JAI challenge of the year and some more sneak peeks!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #187: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

Friday again!

 

This week at Just Add Ink Paula has designed a fabulous sketch for us to use. It's a great sketch, and I'd imagine there are a heap of different ways to interpret it.

I immediately saw a butterfly in the gap where the sentiment should be.

The butterfly was made by layering punchies from the two butterfly punches and then tying some linen thread around the bodies to create antennae.  The whole thing was the popped up on a Dimensional.

The little sentiment from Express Yourself fit perfectly in the bottom panel, a very happy coincidence.  I tend to cut first and think about these things after!

I punched some extra butterflies for the inside of the card.  This time I split the Linen Thread into 3 sections, just to look a bit more delicate.

When I finished the card I spritzed the whole thing with some Isocol/Shimmer Paint mix.  The recipient loves her bling, and I thought it was a lovely way to give the card a little glitz.

Stamps: Express Yourself (hostess), Memorable Moments
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Primrose Petals
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Primrose Petals, Pink Pirouette
Other: Big Shot, Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (retired)

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

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #156: Just Add A Colour Combination

Hi!

It's challenge time at Just Add Ink again!

 

This week Christine has challenged us to make a card using the following colour combination.  Isn't it gorgeous?

I loved the richness of the Early Espresso and Raspberry Ripple as a contrast to the softer Bashful Blue. The card I made was for my niece who turned 18.

It had been a while since I'd had a play with any of the newer In Colours so it was fun to get one out again.

Isn't the Raspberry Ripple Satin Ribbon lovely?

Some stamping and pearls finish off the inside.

Stamps: Bloomin' Marvelous (SAB), Memorable Moments
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Bashful Blue
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Finishing Touches Edgelit, Lots Of Tags Sizzlit, Extra Large Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Basic Jewel Pearls, Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

I hope you can play along at Just Add Ink this week.

Bye for now,

Tina

Just Add Ink #155: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

Challenge time at Just Add Ink again! This week Mae has designed a cute little sketch to inspire your papercrafting.

I decided to use the sketch to make a card for my parents-in-law who are celebrating their 39th Wedding Anniversary this week. That's a pretty big milestone!

As much as I love all of the new goodies from the catalogues, I decided to dust off some older favourites to use on the card. I needed the relaxation that I get from water colouring, so out came Pleasant Poppies.

I also used the gorgeous En Francais stamp for the background.  Can't remember the last time I used it, so it was well overdue!

I used a leftover piece of the water colouring for the inside - I didn't want to waste a scrap of it!

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Field Flowers, En Francais, Memorable Moments
Ink: Black Stazon, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Water Colour Paper, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Other: Basic Jewels Pearls, Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Blender Pen

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

Bye for now,

Tina