Goodbye, Tranquil Tulips

Hi!

I have another pair of cards for you today, both made using the Tranquil Tulips Hostess stamp set. I think that it's been one of my biggest sellers this year! It's such a gorgeous set, and it's so easy use.

This first card was my own design, and was made for a class during 2017. It's taken me a while to blog it! Looking at it now, I think just about everything I used on it is retiring! The DSP (Naturally Eclectic), sentiment (Milestone Moments), ribbon (Night Of Navy Crinkled Seam Binding) and dies (Lots of Labels Framelits) are all going alongside Tranquil Tulips. I can't recall what colour I stamped the tulips, but the stems and leaves are in Emerald Envy, and that's going too!

I particularly loved the Crinkled Seam binding, mostly because it's so soft and easy to use. If you tied a bow you weren't happy with it was easy to start again - what's a little more crinkle in an already crinkled ribbon?

I just loved how easy it was to make cards look great with the set. The trio of stems gave the perfect placement for the flowers, making them look awesome every time.

My second card was a more recent class card that was a CASE of this card by Wendy Aungst. Wendy's card was for Easter, but I liked it as a Sympathy card. I used the retiring Thoughts And Prayers for the sentiments. I thought that was a stamp set that would never retire!

I didn't change much else from Wendy's card. I used a different sheet of DSP from the retiring Delightful Daisy pack, and also a different ribbon. I used the Whisper White Organza from the Occasions Catalogue. It's another fabulous ribbon that I will miss! I may need to stock up before it retires.

Bye for now,

Tina

Goodbye Lovely Inside and Out

Hi!

I have two cards for you today, because essentially they are the same card with just a few tweaks. They both used the Lovely Inside and Out bundle, which is retiring and only available while stocks last.

This first card was a direct CASE of this card by Alison Okamitsu. I loved it so much that the only thing I changed was to use cardstock behind the opening rather than ribbon. I kept the cardstock the same colours and widths as the ribbon.

It's such a cute card, it really didn't need any changes!

I was on my own for the inside though, as Alison doesn't show the insides on her blog. I used a stamp from the also retiring Thoughts and Prayers for the sentiment, masking off the bits I didn't want.

Not long after I CASEd the card, I was planning on attending a stamping day with a group of other demonstrators. I wanted to make a little card to give to each of the ladies attending, so I decided to CASE my CASE of Alison's card.

You can clearly see the similarities and differences. I kept the layout the same, but changed the size of the card to be a 4 1/4" square.

I also decided to use DSP behind the opening, rather than ribbon or strips of cardstock. It's such a different look!

Aww, how nice is this sentiment? Perfect for a bunch of like-minded Stampin' Up! demonstrators! It's from the Bunch Of Blossoms set, which is carrying over.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #306: Just Add Sympathy

Hi!

Here we are again  - it's Friday, so time for another Just Add Ink challenge.

This week Jan has challenged us to Just Add Sympathy. I don't know about you, but I find these some of the most difficult to make, especially at the times they are needed. This was a good chance to get one made when I wasn't too sad and not feeling creative.

I went for a subdued colour scheme of Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Rose Red, Garden Green and Very Vanilla. I quite like that mix of colours.

The Hardwood background was stamped with Early Espresso ink on Sahara Sand cardstock. I love the old, weathered look it creates for the background.

I used my Thoughts And Prayers stamp set for the inside. It's an oldie, but a goodie, for sympathy cards.

As usual, the rest of the Design Team have come up with some fabulous creations for your inspiration. You can see them over at the Just Add Ink blog. I hope you can play along with us this week.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #241: Just Add A Sketch!

Hi!

Woo Hoo, it's Friday! Yes, it's been one of those weeks! Let me forget it all and jump into the new challenge at Just Add Ink.  This week we have a sketch for you.  It's one I designed for the challenge, and I hope it inspires you all.

 

I decided to stamp a whole panel of flowers, colour them with my Blendabilities and then chop it up to create the three vertical panels in the sketch.  I think chopping up the cardstock after colouring them was the hardest part of this card - it wasn't something I wanted to mess up after spending so long colouring!

It all turned out beautifully though! I used Wisteria Wonder, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight Blendabilities to colour the flowers and then coordinating ribbon and cardstock.

I couldn't get the horizontal panel working to my satisfaction as it was in the sketch, so I decided to abandon it and try something different.  The ribbon/die cut are a great substitute I think.

I really love these flowers from the I Like You Hostess stamp set - they are great for colouring!

I hope you can find time to play along with my sketch this week at Just Add Ink.  I'd love to see how you interpret it!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #239: Just Add Colour

Hi!

Today we have a new challenge for you at Just Add Ink.  It's a gorgeous colour combination out forward by Nikki.  I really love this combination, it's so classic and can be either masculine or feminine.

I had been asked to make a sympathy card, so I thought I'd use the challenge colours.

I used some DSP from the Trim The Tree Stack, which is in the current Holiday Catalogue as the base of my card.  I like that this DSP has a mix of Christmassy patterns and plainer patterns that could be used for a range of cards.

I like the combination of Flowering Flourishes and Petite Petals. The coordinating punch makes cropping the flowers so easy!

I hope you can play along with us at Just Add Ink this week.  The Design Team have made a gorgeous range of cards for your inspiration.

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

JAI 205: Just Add A Sunburst

Hi!

Before I get into it, apologies for the unscheduled blog break.  I've been in bed most of the week with a bug that the kids also came down with.  Thankfully Rob was able to stay home to look after us all.  Added to that I discovered last week that I have very low iron stores, which has left me absolutely exhausted.  I'm on the mend now, but it's going to take a while to get those iron stores up again so I really need to make sure I'm looking after myself.

Well, on to today's card, which should have been Friday's card, but better late than never.  This week it's my challenge over at Just Add Ink, and I have challenged you all to include a sunburst on your card.  As the Design Team cards have shown, there are a multitude of different ways this can be interpreted.

I mad this card with this layout of mine in mind.  Not long after I'd scrapped this layout I'd seen a similar one in a magazine, the difference being that the scrapper had cut out the spritzed section and popped it up on top of her base cardstock.. I'd loved the effect and wanted to give it a go.

I spritzed the sun and sunbeams using a spritzer that had Isocol and Daffodil Delight reinker in it.  I must have previously used some shimmer paint in the spritzer because the end result was sparkly.  One of those very happy accidents!  Once it was all dry I cut out the spritzed section, sponged the edges with Daffodil Delight ink and raised it all up on Dimensionals.  The cloud was made from the bubbly speech bubble from the Word Bubbles Framelits set.

I often forget that the inside sentiment doesn't need to be in the centre.  Just a habit to keep stamping it there I guess.  I decided to stamp it in the corner so that it didn't interrupt the flow of the message I wanted to write on the inside.

I hope you can join in with the fun over at Just Add Ink this week.

Bye for now,

Tina

With Sympathy

Hi

Firstly, apologies for the long blog absence.  And that's about where I stop knowing what to write.

Sadly, a day after writing my last post we got the shocking news that Rob's dad Neil had died suddenly while visiting family in the UK.  And so began the long and emotional task of bringing him home for burial. We were finally able to lay him to rest on Saturday in a beautiful, heart wrenching ceremony.

We miss him so much, and it's going to take a long time to recover and for life to feel normal again.  Part of that is getting back into my papercrafting and blogging again. One step at a time.

Ironically, I'd made this card in the weeks before Neil's passing. It was meant to be my Just Add Ink Design Team entry for the challenge after he died.  I hadn't made a Sympathy card for a very long time prior to this one.  Funny how the universe works sometimes.

Bye for now,

Tina

Thinking Of You With Flowering Flourishes

Hi!

Last week I was asked to make a card for my daughter's teacher.  Her husband had been very unwell and she had been off work for a long time looking after him.  The mums just wanted to let her know that we were thinking of her.

I wanted the card to be pretty and elegant, but most of all the Thinking Of You sentiment to stand out. I really love the Raspberry Ripple and Basic Black combination, and the splash of Old Olive helps give the sentiment panel a lift.

I incorporated some bling into the stamped Flowering Flourish image by adhering some Basic Jewels Rhinestones.

I continued the same theme on the inside of the card with more stamping and more bling. From all accounts she loved the card.

Stamps: Flowering Flourishes, Thoughts And Prayers
Ink: Raspberry Ripple
DSP/Cardstock: First Edition Specialty DSP, Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Paper Doily Sizzlit, Decorative Label Punch, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon (retired)

Bye for now,

Tina

More CAS Butterflies

Hi!

On Friday I blogged a CAS Birthday card that I had CASEd from Mary Fish.  You can see that card here. I also mentioned I'd made two in the one sitting.  Today's card is the second card I made, which was a get well soon card for a friend who was recovering from surgery on her arm.

 

The cards are identical, only the sentiments are different. It's a handy trick to make two cards at once, a great time saver, and a god way to boost your stash of 'just in case' cards.

 

 

Bye for now,

 

Tina

Making Evil Cards

Hi!

Yes, you did read the post title correctly - this post is about making evil cards!  Well, not really!  I recently headed back to McLaren Vale to deliver a bunch of fabulous Stampin' Up! goodies to a lovely group of ladies and stayed to show them how to make Easel cards using their new Labels Framelits.  One of the ladies misheard what I said and thought I was showing them how to make evil cards!  Oh boy, did we get a laugh out of that one!

Here's the evil card that I demonstrated for them:

Not so evil after all!  The ladies found the easel cards quite easy to make once they got the hang of it.  Lots of Framelits were cut in lots of lovely colour combinations.  Can't wait 'til I see the group again to see the cards they made using the technique.

Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla
Other: Big Shot, Labels Framelits, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon

Don't forget our male themed blog hop on Saturday! EDIT: I'm a week early!  The blog hop will be NEXT Saturday, 28th July!

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI # 106: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

Wow, aren't the weeks just flying by?  It's hard to believe it's almost the end of February already.  But it's Friday, which means it's time for the new Just Add Ink Challenge.  It's a cute sketch this week, which I had a lot of fun playing with.

Here's my take on the sketch.  I changed the shape to a square card - I'm a bit into square cards lately!

Here's a closer look at my embellishment cluster in the corner.  I had a few bits and pieces sitting on my desk that I hadn't put away from another project.  They worked beautifully on this card I think.  I had my sewing machine out altering some leggings for my daughter's ballet class, so I decided to add real stitching to the card while I had the chance.

Hmmmm, I think the tension needed adjusting on my machine!

A bit of stamping and another piece of DSP on the inside and I was done.  This card should be in the hands of a friend who had life altering surgery a couple of days ago.  I hope she loves it!

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Thoughts and Prayers
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pretty In Pink
DSP/Cardstock: Flirtatious Specialty DSP, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight
Other: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Petal Cone Die, Paper Daisy, Rhinestone Brad, White Brads, Chit Chat Rub Ons (retired)

I hope the sketch inspires you to play along with us at Just Add Ink this week.

Bye for now,

Tina

Just Believe in Island Indigo

Hi!

This week at Just Add Ink we were challenged to use a sketch to inspire our creations.  I needed to make a get well card so I decided to use the sketch.

The oval panel was brayered using Island Indigo, Pool Party and Lucky Limeade inks.  It was actually a leftover piece from another project but I thought it would work pretty well with the card I wanted to make.

The inside I made fairly simple.

And of course I didn't realise until AFTER I'd written on the card and sealed it that I hadn't stamped the greeting completely.  That fact got discovered in the editing process.  Oh well... it is hand stamped and unique I guess!

Stamps: Just Believe, Trendy Trees, Thoughts and Prayers

Ink: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Basic Black

DSP/Cardstock: 2011-2013 In Colour Patterns DSP, Basic Black, Island Indigo, Whisper White

Other: In Colour Ruffled Ribbon, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Brayer, Oval Cutter (non SU)

Catch you later,

Tina

Just Believe Sympathy

Hi!

I really don't like making sympathy cards.  Thankfully I don't often have to make them for myself, but on occasion I am commissioned to make one.  Today's card was one of the latter.  I really like using Just Believe for sympathy cards.  I think the large floral stamp has a very quiet, understated elegance, especially when stamped in Regal colours.

This is a favourite colour combination of mine: Very Vanilla, Garden Green and Concord Crush.  I coloured the stamp with my markers and stamped it on Newsprint DSP (now retired).  I then spritzed over the top with my Colour Spritzer and Crumb Cake marker.

A nice, simple inside to compliment the outside,

Stamps: Just Believe, Thoughts and Prayers
Ink: Concord Crush, Garden Green, Crumb Cake
DSP/Cardstock: Newsprint DSP (retired), Concord Crush, Garden Green, Very Vanilla
Other: Colour Spritzer, Stamp Positioner

Catch you later,

Tina