JAI 787: Just Choose Two

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the new Just Add Ink challenge. This week Tristan has suggested a Choose Two Or More challenge.

Hmm, which ones of patterned paper, animals, people, twine or shadows will you choose? I've been reading a lot of library books lately, and one of them had the paper that I've used in it. A previous reader must have been using it as a bookmark and left it in the book. It's very pretty, so I decided to put it to use on my card.

The daisy-like flowers are very delicate and pretty, don't you think? So, one element down, now for another.

Hehe, I decided to stretch the meaning of 'shadow' to include a shadowed sentiment. The blue layer under the birthday die cut is a shadow! I wanted it anchor it on the card with a Stitched Shaped Oval die cut, but cardstock ones were just too much for the card. Vellum to the rescue!

I used an offcut strip of the paper from the front to finish off the inside. I'd usually add a strip to the bottom, but as the paper was long and thin, I thought I'd add the strip to the side for something different. The sentiment is from Uniquely Creative's Sweet Sentiments stamp set, which coordinates with the Sweet Sentiments dies that I used on the front.

We'd love to see which two - or more - you choose for your card. You can see the rest of the Design Team cards over on the Just Add Ink blog, where you can also add your card to our challenge gallery.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 669: Just Add Colour

 Hi!

Welcome to another Just Add Ink challenge. This week it's a Colour Challenge, suggested to us by Annie.

While I'm not usually a fan of Mossy Meadow, I really love it in this combination with Misty Moonlight and Crumb Cake. A very earthy combo that called to me to play along. I hope it calls to you, too!

I started with the background DSP, which is from the retired Sale-A-Bration Sunshine & Rainbows pack. It's a lovely print with a textured look, a step or two up from just plain cardstock.

I recently purchased the Nested Essentials Dies, so I put them to work on this card. I used the smallest banner to crop two pieces of Whisper White card to act as the strip under the elongated hexies. With the banner pieces turned in to be under the rest, you still get the benefit of the fancy edge on your card. The white layer between the two elongated hexies was just hand cut to act as a matt.

My sentiments on both the front and inside of the card were stamped and die cut using the Uniquely Creative Sweet Sentiment stamps and dies. They are such a fabulous bundle for mixing and matching.

We'd love for you to play along with our colour combo this week. Pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of this week's Design Team cards. Then add your card to our challenge using the Linky at the end of the post. I can't wait to see what you make.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 660: Just Add A Die Cut Inlay

 Hi!

It's time for the new Just Add Ink Challenge, and this week Kerry has suggested that we add a Die Cut Inlay to our projects.

What is a die cut inlay? To me, it's when you use a die to cut away part of a piece of DSP or cardstock and then drop a different piece of DSP or cardstock cropped using the same die into the space left behind. You could also just pop back the same piece that you cut for a subtle effect.

I went bright and bold with mine! I used the circle dies from my Stylish Shapes Dies and scraps of cardstock from my Brights colours to create a bright, bubbly background. My initial thought was to reach for my white cardstock as a background, but changed my mind at the last minute to use black. It really makes the bright colours pop!

I cropped a circle from the background and then dropped in place a circle of the same size, but different colour. I used adhesive tape on the back to keep it in place, and then cropped another circle, making sure to overlap the previous circle. I kept going until I had a background that I was happy with. The sentiment over the top is from Uniquely Creative, called Sweet Sentiment Builder stamps and dies.

I didn't do an inside yet, as I ran out of time, but I will get one done soon. I'm trying to think of a way to use the discarded pieces from the front of the card. Thinking cap on!

I hope that your thinking cap is on too. We'd love to see what you make for our challenge. Pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of this week's Design Team cards. You can also link up your card when you're ready.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 608: Just Add Colour

 Hi!

Thanks for joining me for the new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we have a colour combo for you, with the colours selected by Rochelle. 

To me, it's a very retro vibe! Having said that, I decided to make a floral card even though this colour combo wouldn't usually evoke thoughts of flowers.

I recently rediscovered my retired Beautiful Friendship stamp set. I stamped the big roses in Pumpkin Pie, with Basic Gray centres. The leaves were also stamped in Basic Gray, but this time stamped off first. I'm hoping that they look like the silvery leaves that you sometimes get on plants!

The flowers were fussy cut and popped up over my background. I stamped the Rays Of Light stamp in stamped-off Crushed Curry ink. It was still too dark for my purposes, so I covered it with a layer of vellum to tone it down.

The sentiments, both stamped and die cut, are from the Sweet Sentiment Builder stamps and Dies from Uniquely Creative. It's a great set that allows you to mix and match words and phrases to suit a variety of occasions.

That's all from me for tonight, but your job is just starting! Please jump on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of this week's Design Team cards. You'll also find our Linky, where you can add your card to our challenge gallery.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 560: Just Add Colour

 Hi!

Brrr! Is it cold where you are? We had a severe weather warning here today for wind and rain - the perfect day to be rugged up inside crafting for the new Just Add Ink challenge! This week Jo has put together a gorgeous colour combo for us to play with.

The day I made my card I just received the new Tailor Made Tags Dies from Stampin' Up!. I couldn't resist playing with them straight away.

I started by cropping my cardstock using the second smallest tag die. I also cropped the little do-dad at the top from Silver Foil, to match the Silver Foil card base. I can't think of what that bit is called - a reinforcer, maybe? Some black BAker's Twine was threaded through the holes and trimmed off.

It's tricky to see, but the Whisper White Stitched Rectangle layer is also embossed using the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder. It's a new purchase, too, and I quite like it - it dulls the pain of losing Subtle just a little. LOL! The sentiment is a mix of dies and stamps from Uniquely Creative, called Sweet Sentiments.

 

I used the same stamps on the inside of my card. I wasn't sure how to incorporate the tags into the inside, so I didn't even try!

That's all from me for now, but please do pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you can find the rest of this week's Design team cards. You can also add you card to our link for this challenge. What will you do with the colours?

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI 558: Just Add A Sketch

 Hi!

I feel like I say this every week, but hooray for Friday! It's been another super-busy week and I am looking forward to the long weekend. My two youngest kids have pupil-free days (of course not on the same day!), so it's an extra long weekend for them.

How awesome is this sketch that Kim designed for our challenge this week? All those delicious layers! I decided to have a lot of fun with the layers, by making my background DSP carry across all of the layers on the card.

The DSP is from WaffleFlower, and is called JJ's Rainbows. It's so happy and cheerful! I held my breath and carefully cropped the paper using a Stitched Rectangles Die and a Layering Circles Die. I had to be so careful to cut the rectangle straight - I was so nervous! Each layer is matted in Basic Black and popped up using Dimensionals, aligning the stripes with the layer below.

The sentiment is from Uniquely Creative, using their coordinating Sweet Sentiments stamps and dies. I found some old Pool Party embossing powder in my stash, and was pleasantly surprised when it still worked. I had planned to use white, but thought I'd give this a go when I found it while reaching for my white powder.

The inside uses more of the Sweet Sentiments stamps. It's a 'builder' set, so you can mix and match the stamps to create your own sentiment. I thought the 'magical' bit suited the rainbow on the front. They are a little magical, after all!

That's all from me for now, it's rather cold here, so I'm off to snuggle up somewhere with a good book and a cuppa! Please do pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find the rest of this week's Design team cards. You can also link up your card for our challenge. I can't wait to see what you make!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #525: Just Add Thank You

 Hi!

Thank you for joining me for the new Just Add Ink challenge - with 'Thank You' being key words! You see, this week we are challenging you to add Thank You to your cards. We all need thank you cards on occasion - right?

Even though a thank you often goes hand in hand with a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates, I decided to go in a masculine direction for my card.

I have had these Tim Holtz Gearhead dies for quite a while, but haven't used them much. I thought that this would be a grea opportunity. I love how the die makes a corner piece from the cogs. I cut the two pieces from some Brushed Metallic Cardstock and then layered it over some retired Golden Honey SDSP.

The layered 'thanks' dies are from a Uniquely Creative set called Sweet Sentiments. The top layer was cut from some more of the metallic card, with a Basic Black layer underneath.

A third cogs die cut finished off the inside, with a sentiment from the Sweet Sentiments Builder stamp set, designed to coordinate with the thanks die on the front. All in all, it's a fairly simple card - it took me longer to pop out the pieces from the die cuts than it did to put the card together - but sometimes simple works best!

Please head on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll see the rest of this week's gorgeous Design team cards. You can also enter your card in our challenge. Who do you need to say 'thank you' to?

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.

JAI #488: Celebrating 10 Years!

Hi!

Welcome back to a new year of Just Add Ink challenges! This year is our 10th Birthday year, and so in our annual first challenge of the year Blog Hop, the theme is Celebrate! I have been a part of the team for nearly 8 years - February 4th marks my 8th Anniversary. I started on the Scrapbooking Team, but played along with the main Design Team when I could, and then just the Design Team when we stopped the scrapping challenges. It's such a fun Design Team, the years have flown by!

My family and I spent New Year's Eve at a friends house. It was a lovely evening of just food and chatting - a BBQ and gathering around the table while the kids played pool and swam. Perfect! I wanted to make the hosts a card to say thanks for having us celebrate the new year with them.

This card was take two on my attempts to use hot foiling techniques on a card. I found an image of some fireworks online and printed it onto Night Of Navy cardstock using my laser printer. I then sat a layer of gold foil over the top and ran it through my laminator in a paper sleeve. It worked a bit better than last time, but still not perfect. I'll just have to keep trying!

The buildings are a Mama Elephant die called Cityscape. I cut three each of Basic Grey and Smoky Slate. I used the left over foil from the fireworks to back the windows on one of each colour die cut, and then stacked them with the other two die cuts. They were then popped up on Dimensionals.  The 'Thanks' is a Uniquely Creative die that I cut from Gold Foil card.

I used the same die to finish the inside. The sentiment comes from an Ink Road Stamps set called Pitch, Please.

Now for some good news: we want to celebrate with you! We are doing this by giving away some gifts. The Top Pick and Honourable Mentions will each receive a gift, but so will some of our other entrants! To qualify for one of the random gifts you must live in either Australia or New Zealand, enter the challenge (duh!), but you must also comment on all 14 blogs in the Blog Hop. Too easy!

That's it from me, now you're off to see what the fabulous Denita has created. Don't forget to comment to be in the running for a gift!

Bye for now,

Tina

Here's a list of blogs in case a link is broken or missing:

Denita
Kim
Jan
Rachael
Di
Narelle
Patrice
Chantell
Nikki
Joanne
Jackie
Kelly
Lou

JAI #479: Just Add Colour

Hi!

Hooray, it's Friday, so it's time for the newJust Add Ink challenge. This week Jackie has given us an unusual colour combination to work with.

I say unusual, because I wouldn't usually pair those shades of blue and green. I'm happy to say though, that they work together nicely!

I decided to focus mostly on Coastal Cabana, with just a few Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White highlights. I started by heat embossing the sprays from Bloom and Grow using Copper Embossing Powder. I bent the stamp a little before I stamped so that it would fit around the oval better. It's very hard to see, but there is a vellum oval, dry embossed with the Pinewood Planks folder under the flowers and sentiment! The flowers were then watercoloured. I started with the middle flower, and worked my way out, diluting the ink more for each flower.

The sentiment is from Uniquely Creative, and it's called Sweet Sentiments Builder. I love that some of the words in the set have matching dies - it makes my life a little easier! I layered everything onto a base of Coastal Cabana DSP from the Follow Your Art pack. I wanted something with a bit of variation in the colour, not just a flat piece of blue.

The inside was stamped and coloured the same way as the front. I often use Shimmery White cardstock when I am watercolouring, as it's more cost effective than watercolour paper and it handles the water very well.

That's it for me - why not pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog, where you can see the rest of the Design Team cards and link up your own for the challenge. I think you'll like this colour combo!

Bye for now,

Tina