JAI 784: Just Add A Sketch

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we have a sketch for you, designed by Tristan. The smaller circles made me think of bubbles, but I ended up going in a different direction with my card.

Would you believe that I used five different lots of dies on my card? I was a little surprised when I looked at my stack of supplies! I'd be very impressed if you can name them all.

I started by using Stitched Greenery to create the background of the card. I love the subtle texture it provides. Stitched Leaves was used to crop the leaves, and Pierced Blooms for the flowers. Stylish Shapes was used for the circle, and Textured Notes for the sentiment banner. Phew - did you know all of those?

I used most of the same supplies to finish off the inside of the card. I had a tiny offcut of the Stitched Greenery background, which I layered under another bloom and leaf. The sentiments that I used on my card, both front and inside, are from Simply Said. It felt a bit strange to only use one stamp set after all those sets of dies.but you have to draw the line somewhere!

We'd love to see what you do with this fortnight's sketch. You can see what the rest of the design team created over on the Just Add Ink blog. You'll also find our Linky there, where you an add your card to our challenge gallery.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 678: Just Choose Two

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we are doing a Choose Two challenge, suggested to us by Nikki.

Nikki is asking us to Choose Two of Brights, Foliage or Friend to add to our cards. On the Design Team, we are given the list of challenges well in advance (thanks, Kim!), so it was very coincidental that one of this week's choices was Friend, after the recent shock death of Matthew Perry. Friends was a show I watched and loved as a young adult, so I just had to include a Friend on my card.

The stamps that I've used are all from Ink Road Stamps, starting with The One With All The Stamps Icons Vol 2. I used this stamp for the minimalist hair. It's funny how, with so little detail, you know that it's Chandler/Matthew.

The sentiment is from The One With All The Stamps. What more needs to be said? To incorporate the second of my Choose Two elements, I used my Stitched Greenery Die on the Soft Sea Foam background. Nice and subtle!

I thought that this sentiment, from The One Where It's Your Birthday, worked well from the inside. The original quote was when Rachel moved out of Monica's apartment to make room for Chandler, I though that is was more than suitable for this card. I also could't resist adding Chick and Duck, from The One With All The Stamps Icons. I have no idea who will get this card, but it was therapeutic to make it!

We'd love to see which Two you will choose from the three options in this week's challenge. To see what the other Design Team members have chosen, just pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog. You will also find our Linky when you're ready to enter your card in the challenge.

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Shaded Spruce

 Hi!

Welcome back to my blog for the new Colour Creations Blog Hop. This week we are featuring Shaded Spruce, a relative new-comer to the SU colour range. Hopefully it survives the upcoming colour refresh, as it's a green that I like.

I thought that this colour combo from Brian King was a little unusual, it's certainly not colours that I would think to put together. It screamed 'floral' to me, so that's what I did.

It's been a while since I've played with Hand-Penned Petals, so it was a good choice for my card. I layered the stamped and die cut image over a large Stylish Shapes circle.

The Whisper White background was run through my Big Shot with my Stitched Greenery die. I think it works perfectly with the flowers. The sentiment is from Simply Fabulous, cropped with another Stylish Shapes die. I finished off the front with a few retired Iridescent Sequins.

I repeated a lot of the front elements on the inside of my card. It's just as easy to stamp two flowers as it is to stamp one, and it makes such a difference to the insides of cards.

Thanks again for joining me, but please continue your way around our blog hop tonight. The next stop in the hop is my lovely friend, Michele Taylor. I can't wait to see what she's made.

The extra-lovely Catherine Proctor is our wonderful host tonight, so if you run into any issues with links, just jump on over to her blog where she'll have a list of all of tonight's participants to help get you back on track.

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Pear Pizzazz

 Hi!

Welcome to my blog for the new Colour Creations blog hop. This week it's Pear Pizzazz's turn to get some time in the spotlight. It's a lighter green from the Subtles colour family.

This week I went for a softer colour combo from Brain King as my inspiration. Evening Evergreen is a lovely, rich colour to match with Pear Pizzazz and Pale Papaya. I'd been recently sorting out eat kits that I had, and the combo made me think of the chameleon in the Let's Party Treat Packaging Kit stamp set.

I started by stamping him in Evening Evergreen and then colouring him with my Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker. The eyelid and the mosquito on top were coloured with my Pale Papaya Stampin' Blends. Now that I had hm coloured and fussy cut, I had to decide what to do with him!

Pale Papaya makes me think of a sunset, so I cropped a circle using a Stylish Shapes Die and inked half the circle with Papaya, and the other half with Evergreen. I popped it over a background of Stitched Greenery, with a few Forever Flourishing leaves peeking out from underneath. The banner sentiment finishes off the front nicely.

I chose to use one of the birds on the inside of my card. He's stamped and coloured the same way as the chameleon on the front.

Please keep on jumping around the blog hop tonight to see the rest of the Pear Pizzazz magic from the rest of the talented group hopping tonight. Just keep on hopping until you get back to where you started, with the lovely Kate Morgan up next.

If you run into any issues with links along the way, please head on over to Catherine Proctor's blog. She does a wonderful job of keeping us all organised each week.

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Pear Pizzazz

 Hi!

Hello, and welcome to Pear Pizzazz week of the Colour Creations blog hops. Pear Pizzazz is in the Subtle Family collection and is a bit of a so-so green. I don't love it, but I don't hate it, either. 

I decided to pull out my Plentiful Plants bundle to play with, and to use some of the plant stamps that hadn't seen ink yet. I paired it with Sweet Strawberry for the sentiments and the Stitched Greenery Die for the background.

I don't know what this plant is called in real life, but in my head it's become the Brian May plant. It reminds me so much of his hair, and that's all I can see now!

I actually created the inside of the card before I'd finished the front. In hindsight, I wish I'd stamped the Brian May plant again on the Whisper White base, as I did on the front, to extend the height of the plant. Next time!

Speaking of next, the next stop in our Blog Hop belongs to Michele Taylor. Jump on over to her blog to see what is sure to be a fabulous card.

And don't forget that Cathy Proctor is here to save the day if you run into any problems. She's got a list of all participants in case of an emergency 😉

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Mango Melody

 Hi!

It's time for the new Colour Creations Blog Hop! This week it's Mango Melody's turn to feature on our cards. It's a lovely orange tome from the Brights colour family. I don't use orange a lot, but Mango Melody is my go-to when I do.

I was a bit stumped for ideas this week, so I went for a fairly classic card layout. The four squares are a great way to feature either a small image or die cut, and I chose to use my Pierced Blooms Dies. It's been a while since I played with them!

I used my Stitched Greenery Die on the background, but I think it would look just as good with just a white background. You can't see it, but I have added a swim of Wink Of Stella to the white centres of the flowers. Each square was popped up using Dimensionals.

One final flower completes the inside of the card. The flowers are double layered, as I thought that the single layer wasn't quite enough.

Thanks for joining me again - I do hope that you continue your way around our Blog Hop tonight. The teams has been fabulous each week, full or inspiration for the feature colour. The next blog in the hop tonight is my lovely friend, Theresa Gerrard. I'm sure she's got a stunner for us, waiting over on her blog!

Jump on over to Catherine Proctor's blog if you run into a problem - she's our fabulous hostess, and has a full list of all tonight's hoppers on her blog.

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Grey Granite

 Hi!

Once again it is Wednesday evening, so it's time for the new Colour Creations Blog Hop. This week it's Grey Granite's turn to shine. It's a tricky colour to use as a feature colour, especially when I am trying to stick with a monochromatic theme for my cards for the CC Hops. Before we go on - let me address the name of the colour. I forget that the American spelling is used for it's name - Gray Granite - as I am so used to the Australian spelling that I refer to it as Grey Granite all the time. My apologies to the sticklers, but I am too old to change my ways now!

I decided to keep my card very clean and simple. The gorgeous Stitched Greenery Die does most of the hard with on this card, with a little boost from the White Glittered Organdy Ribbon. It is impossible to see in the photo, as I took it on a gloomy day, but each of the leaves in the background has been 'coloured' with my Wink Of Stella brush. It's beautifully shimmery in real life, but unfortunately unseen by the camera.

I finished the front of the card with a sentiment from Peaceful Moments, cropped with a Tasteful Labels die and popped up over the ribbon.

Another little strip of the Stitched Greenery Die, complete with shimmer, finished off the inside of the card. I always feel like this sentiment is more appropriate for a wedding card, but I prefer to use sentiments from the same stamp set where I can. This is the mosts suitable sentiment in the set for the inside, I think. It will have to do!

That's all from for tonight, but please do pop on over to the very lovely Caroline Manwaring's blog. Her cards are always a delight to see!

As always, the marvellous Catherine Proctor is keeping our group in order, so if you run into any issues, please jump on over to her blog, where you'll find the complete list of all participants.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 567: Just Add Inspiration

 Hi!

Welcome back to the new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we have an Inspiration Challenge for you, suggested to the team by Nikki.

Aren't the colours fabulous? Such a rich palette. I took my inspiration from both the colours and the rug on the floor for my card. I used Island Indigo, Very Vanilla, Cinnamon Cider, Calypso Coral, Mint Macaron and Basic Black.

I started with my Stitched Greenery Die on the Island Indigo cardstock. It's a great base on which to nestle the Calypso Coral Pierced Blooms flowers, don't you think?

The sentiment is a mix of Biggest Wish and Pretty Perennials. I finished off the front with a scattering of black sequins, and a swish of Wink Of Stella on the flower centres.

When I used my Stitched Greenery die on the front of the card, I cut the cardstock a little wider so that I could trim off the extra width to use on the inside. The sweet little flower was a good way to finish decorating the inside of the card.

That's all from me for tonight, but please do head on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of the Design Team's cards. You can also link up your card for the challenge. I can't wait to see what you make!

Bye for now,

Tina

CTC 329: CASE The Mini Cover

 Hi!

How can it be the end of the weekend already??? This weekend has just flown by, but all good things must come to an end, and the weekend ends on a high note with the CASEing The Catty Sunday Challenge Blog Hop.

This week we are asking you to CASE the cover of the new Mini Catalogue. I sort of CASEd the Kraft card in the middle, but also the cover itself.

The full image of the cover has a thin black line around the cards, so I replicated this with the thin black frame, cropped using two dies from the Stitched Rectangles set. I layered this over a background created using the Stitched Greenery Die, just for some extra interest!

The flower is cut using the Poinsettia Dies - it's really great how they cut and emboss, to give the extra detail in the leaves and petals. The 'merry' is from a long-retired set of SU dies, called Christmas Greetings.

I used the coordinating Poinsettia Petals Stamp set on the inside of my card, with a sentiment from Christmas To Remember.

That's all from me for tonight, but your part in our challenge is just beginning! Pop on over to our Facebook group, where you can upload your card that is inspired by the new Mini Catalogue cover.

Before you dash off, please do continue on with our Blog Hop. Next stop is the wonderful Peta, with her gorgeous Christmas card. Don't miss it!

Bye for now,

Tina

Colour Creations: Cajun Craze

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the new Colour Creations Blog Hop. This week we are making Cajun Craze the star of the show. It's a terracotta colour, which I don't use much. It's one of those colours that I don't reach for, but definitely has a space in the SU colour range. 

I was recently convinced that I *had* to have the Stitched Greenery die, and now that I've used it, I think it was a good decision! It really adds an oomph to my Very Vanilla background.

I used Forever Fern on my main panel - don't the leaves look great in Cajun Craze? The sentiment is from Sweet Strawberry, and I snuck in the retired Stitched Shapes dies as a matt for the panel.

I used the same two stamp sets to complete the inside of my card. I was quite pleased with how my card turned out, even though I find Cajun Craze a bit of a tricky colour.

Next up on our Cajun Craze Blog Hop is the AWH Team leader, Claire Daly.

If you find a broken link along the way, you can view the full list of participants on Catherine Proctor’s blog. Just remember which blog you need to visit next, and click their name on her full list.

Bye for now,

Tina