JAI #236: Just Add Inspiration

Hi!

Woo hoo, it's time for another Just Add Ink Challenge!  We are doing an inspiration challenge this week, selected by the lovely Nikki.  I have been itching to do this challenge ever since I knew it was coming up - it's so pretty!

Isn't it a fabulous inspiration photo?  There are so many possibilities, and the Design Team have come up with some majorly stunning samples to inspire you.

I decided to attempt a stylised peacock tail, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I used the retired Scribbles Swirls Sizzlit to cut a heap of shapes and arranged them on my card to replicate the tail feathers.

It was such a fiddly card to make, but I was really pleased with how it turned out, so I didn't mind the fiddliness so much!  I thought the sequins were a nice finishing touch too.

I used some of the offcut pieces to finish the inside.  I had thought I was finished with them when I completed the front, so I had to rescue them from my bin to do the inside!

What do you see in the inspiration photos?  Why don't you join in the fun over at Just Add Ink?

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #200: Just Add Inspiration

Hi!

How are you all on this lovely Friday?  Have your children survived the first week back at school? Have you survived your children's first week back at school?  It can be a bit of a shock to the system after the lazy days of summer holidays!  How about trying the new Just Add Ink challenge to give you back your sanity?

Nikki found these gorgeous images to inspire our card making this week.  Wouldn't you just love to sit at that table and enjoy a cup of tea?

I saw this gift box and tutorial by Connie Collins a long time ago and have been meaning to try out the flower ever since.  This challenge seemed the perfect time.  Isn't it a beautiful flower?  It's not difficult to make at all, but it does take a while as you need to wait for it to dry.

This isn't a card you would want to post as the flower sits out quite a way from the card. Sending it in the post would squash that beautiful flower. Luckily I have plenty of friends I can hand deliver this card to.

I was a bit stumped as to what to do on the inside. I don;t have any daisy stamps, so I ended up stamping a leaf from Peaceful Petals and lightly coloured it with a blender pen.

Stamps: Field Flowers, Sassy Salutations, Peaceful Petals
Ink: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron
Cardstock: Pistachio Pudding, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Floral Frames Collection Framelits, Decorative Dots TIEF (SAB), Scribbles Swirls Sizzlit (retired), White Baker's Twine, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Blender Pen

I hope you can join in this week at Just Add Ink, we'd love to see what you create.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI Scrapbooking Challenge #8: Just Add Buttons and Bows

Hi!

Yay!  It's the first Sunday of the month, and that means it's time for the newest Just Add Ink Scrapbooking Challenge.  This time Ruthy has challenged us to add buttons and/or bows to your layout.  I loved this challenge so much I added both!

I have always loved these photos of my daughter Ada.  They were taken to record her first ponytail, but you can't actually see the ponytail unless you look really carefully. She was just 8 months old in these photos - she's 7 now! I just love how her t-shirt says it all.

I used Baker's Twine to make cute little bows in each of the Perfect Plum buttons I used.  And what better title for a layout featuring buttons?

The above photo is of the journalling box.  If you look at the title photo you can see a die cut Labels Framelit poking out from the bottom of the photo.  If you pull down on it you reveal the hidden journalling.

Do you love the scroll work on the layout?  It took me a long time and many cranks of the Big Shot handle, but the effect is certainly worth it.  If you like the look and want to replicate it but don't have the die, you'd better get in quick - the Scribbles Swirls die is on the Retirement List :(

Stamps: Creative Elements, Apothecary Art
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Basic Black, GArden Green
Cardstock: Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alpha Dies (retiring), Scribbles Swirls Die (retiring), Labels Collection Framelits, Perfect Plum Designer Buttons, White Baker's Twine, Glue Dots, Blender Pen

I hope you can play along this month at Just Add Ink, can't wait to see your layouts!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI Scrapbooking Challenge #5: Just Add Heritage

Hi!

It's the first Sunday of the month, which means it's time for a new scrapbooking challenge at Just Add Ink. This month we are challenging you to use a heritage photo in your layout.  I selected a photo that my grandfather took in 1926.

This photo has always stuck in my memory, so this challenge provided to perfect opportunity to scrap it.  Can you see in the photo - everyone is sitting on the beach in their Sunday best?  I also love that the people in the photo are so relaxed, not the usual stiffly posed photo of the era.

I used some more of the gorgeous Joanne Leddy flowers on my layout, they are such a statement but in an understated way!

I kept my layout fairly monochromatic in keeping with the Heritage theme of the challenge.  How are you going to interpret this challenge this month?  I can't wait to see your layout over at Just Add Ink.

Ink: Wisteria Wonder
DSP/Cardstock: In Colour Patterns DSP, First Edition Specialty DSP, Concord Crush Textured 12x12 Cardstock, Basic Black, Wisteria Wonder, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Simple Numbers Bigz Dies, Swirls Scribbles Sizzlits Die, Top Note Bigz Die, Fancy Flower Punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Vintage Brads, Paper Snips

Bye for now,

Tina

Big Shot Blog Hop

Hi!

Welcome to another little blog hop.  Today the ladies that are participating all have projects they made using the Big Shot.  The blog before mine was Ros Davidson's, but it's all a big loop so it doesn't matter where you start.  Just keep hopping 'til you get to where you started!

I have a layout for you today that uses several accessories for the Big Shot.

You can see I used the Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, the Scribbles Swirls die and the Tasteful Trims Die.  Did you notice the scalloped border around the layout?  I'll show you how to make the border in one piece a bit further down, but first a few more closer shots of the layout.

The "she's a mini" part of the title was printed onto Whisper White cardstock and trimmed.  I used RGB codes to change the colour of the font to Wild Wasabi to match the rest of the layout.

I used some Glimmer brads in the title and also as the centre of the flowers.

The flowers were brayered with Perfect Plum ink and then spritzed with Frost White Shimmer paint.

OK, so now on to how I made the border piece.  Firstly I cut a 1" wide border.  To do this you line your cardstock up at the 1" mark, put your blade at 1" and cut down to 11".  Turn your cardstock 90 degrees and repeat for all 4 sides.  You end up with a shape like this:

Now you need to fold the frame in half diagonally to get this shape:

After each fold burnish with a bone folder.  The flatter the folds the easier it is to line up the piece on the die.  You need to fold your frame diagonally again to end up with a shape like this:

Now you need to place the cardstock on the die.  You shouldn't have any troubles cutting through all layers at once.  It's very hard to see in the photo, but I lined the top edge up with the top cutting edge of the die and then centered the piece on the scallops at the bottom.  You can see the shape of the corner pieces in the first photo.  It's a bit of a flattened scallop.  I haven't tried it yet, but I THINK if you want a more rounded scallop at the corners you would have to arrange your cardstock the other way.  That is, line up the bottom edge of the cardstock on the scalloped edge so that the points of your cardstock extend the full length of the scallops.  Your frame would end up a little narrower than mine.  It's all just a matter of playing around with it to see what you like!

When you have cut it and unfolded it, this is what you end up with:

A continuous, scalloped frame!  You will probably need to smooth out the folds at the corners with your bone folder.  I reckon you could make almost any sized frames using my method, you'd just have to play with the measurements of the frame you cut.  The rest of the steps would be the same.  If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Ink: Perfect Plum

Cardstock: 12 x 12 Textured Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White

Big Shot: Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Tasteful Trims Die, Scribbles Swirls Die

Other: Silver Foil Smooch, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Paper Daisies, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, Brayer, Glimmer Brads, Dimensionals, Letter Gothic Standard Font

Thanks for looking at my layout.  You're off to Nikki Sadler's blog now, where I'm sure you're in for a real treat!

Catch you later,

Tina

Blogs in the hop:

Ros Davidson

http://www.rosdavidson.typepad.com/

Nikki Sadler
http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Sue Madex
http://www.madexcreations.com/

Kathryn Ruddick
http://www.katlodesigns.com/

Judy May
http://www.judymay.typepad.com/

More Swirls Scribbles Die

Hi!

Did you believe me when I told you I loved this die and was using it on EVERYTHING???  I have one more post (for now!) to convince the last of the doubters!  This is another simple card that uses the die cuts as an embellishment.

The die comes with little tear drop shaped sections that are great to use as little fillers between the swirls.  Here's a closer look.

After I coloured the flower it was misted with a Champagne Mist Shimmer paint/Isocol mix to give a nice little shimmer.  A few Rhinestones around a Rhinestone Brad completed the flower.

Stamps: Clearly For You
Ink: Basic Black, Wisteria Wonder
DSP/Cardstock: First Edition Specialty DSP, Brushed Silver, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Swirls Scribbles Sizzlit, Paper Daisy, Rhinestone Brad, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Word Window Punch, Silver Foil Smooch Spritz, Sponge Dauber, Brayer

Catch you later,

Tina

Scribbles Swirls Sizzlit Die

Hi!

A couple of days ago I promised I would show you how to use the Scribbles Swirls die to create Rhinestone swirls in your projects.  You can see the swirl in this post.  Here's a card I made using the technique.

Here's a closer look at the Rhinestone swirl.

When you run the die through the Big Shot you end up with two pieces of cardstock - the swirly bits that you use on your projects and the piece you would normally throw away.  Don't throw it away! This is the template you use for your swirls.

I place the template on the card where I want the swirl to be and then start filling it with Rhinestones.  I use a medium sized Rhinestone in the blobby bit at the end of the swirl and the smallest Rhinestones in the rest of the swirl.

In the above example I have used the individual Rhinestones and spaced them a little as I went.  In the swirl here I have used the Rhinestone strips for a more decadent look. 

Here's the inside of the card.  I love that cute little ladybug stamp!

Stamps: Clearly For You, Well Scripted (retired)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black
Cardstock: Brushed Silver, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Scribbles Swirls Sizzlit, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Silver Foil Smooch Spritz, Blender Pen, Circle Punch, Black Paper flower (non SU)

I have a layout for you on Saturday that also uses the Scribbles Swirls Sizzlit.  I am using this die on EVERYTHING right now!  I hope you can come back for a look.

Catch you later,

Tina

Stamp A Memory October Challenge: My Fears

Hi!

Can you believe it's October already?  Where does the time go? Sigh...

Today's layout is my sample for the latest Stamp A Memory Challenge.  This month we are challenging you to scrap about your fears.  Here's my layout.  It's a CASE of one I saw in Australian Scrapbooking Memories Vol 13 No 11 page 64 by Karen Shady.

I've used the gorgeous new Beau Chateau DSP for the layout.  I wasn;t that keen on the papers to start with but once I saw them I was rather taken with them.  Here are some closer pictures of the top panels of the layout.

The rhinestone swirl was created using Stampin' Up!'s rhinestones and Swirls Scribbles Sizzlit.  I'll post some instructions in a couple of days.

I got my sewing machine out for this layout.  I stitched around the Vanilla Panel and I also stitched the lace pieces down.

I also sewed the Vanilla seam binding to the layout in gorgeous ruffles.

Lots of sponged edges on this layout too!

I hope you can find the time to enter the challenge at Stamp A Memory this month, it's a great one to get you thinking!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue

Ink: Marina Mist, Soft Suede

DSP/Cardstock: Beau Chateau DSP, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla

Other: Big Shot, Simple Letters Alphabet Dies, Timeless Type Alphabet Dies, Scribble Swirls Sizzlit, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Decorative Label Punch, Paper Daisies, Basic Jewel Rhinestones, Glimmer Brad, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Victoria Crochet Trim, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, Brayer, Sewing Machine

Catch you later,

Tina