JAI #271: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

Wow, three posts this week! Hopefully I can keep up the pace! Today's post is the new Just Add Ink Challenge, which is a fantastic sketch designed by Narelle.

I decided to break out my new Sprinkles of Life stamp set for this card.

I've teamed it with the new Cherry On Top DSP Stack.  The combination is fabulous for a cute kid's birthday card.

It's been a while since I used the Floral Frames Framelits, so I decided to dust them off for this card.  The whimsical shape is another great addition to a kid's card.

I love this sentiment for the inside, and it just calls for at least a double scoop on the cone.

What will you do with the sketch? I'll see you over at the Just Add Ink blog.

Bye for now,

Tina

AWH Blog Hop: Christmas In July

Hi!

Today some of the Art with Heart Stampin' Up! team girls are presenting some fabulous Christmas projects to inspire you. This year we already have new Christmas sets to play with in the 2015 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue, and some old favourites too. We also have a brand new 2015 Holiday catalogue coming soon. If you would like a copy of any of our catalogues, to attend a Stampin' Up! class or join a large fabulous group of crafty women by becoming part of the team (hobby demonstrators welcome), be sure to contact me.

So I decided to go with some old favourite stamp sets for this Blog Hop. I'm pairing them with the new Thick Whisper White cardstock.  I really love this new cardstock - it's perfect for making single layer white cards as it holds its weight well.I decided to make a pair of window cards, firstly with the Festival Of Trees stamp set and the matching Tree punch.

I started by punching the Tree shape in the front of the card.  I then masked off the bottom of the card using sticky notes that I trimmed to a curve. I then sponged over the top with Soft Sky ink and a sponge.  Finally I stamped a sentiment and the snowflakes using the spotty stamp in the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set.

I then stamped the tree through the window I'd created earlier.  It was a little tricky to line up, but the photopolymer stamps make the job a lot easier! When the card is closed you get the full effect of the window.

And that's how the inside looks.

Next I decided to use another old favourite, Wondrous Wreath, to make a second window card. This time I used the coordinating Wonderful Wreath Framelits to create my window.

I actually used a few of the Framelits on the front of this card!

I really struggled with what image to use on this inside that could be seen from the front.  The obvious answer is the flower stamp but I didn't think it would work, so in the end I just opted to stamp a sentiment that wouldn't be visible though the window unless you look at it from an angle, as it the photo.

That's it for me for this month's Blog Hop. Next you're off to Kayleen McLean's blog for lots more Christmas in July fabulousness.

If you find a broken link or have come to this blog hop from a different entry point, you can view the participants below:

1. Ros Davidson
2. Rachel Woollard
3. Tina Gillespie
4. Kayleen McLean
5. Claire Daly
6. Kathryn Ruddick
7. Judy May
8. Kathryn Mangelsdorf
9. Kate Morgan 

Bye for now,

Tina

MKPLSU Blog Hop: Happy Times

Hi!

It's been a little while since I've been able to participate in a Memory Keeping With Project Life by Stampin' Up! challenge, but I'm back for July.  This month we have decided to focus on the Happy Times Collection.  The thing that most drew me to this Collection was the cute little wood laser cut house.  I haven't used it today because I intend to use it on the front page of the album.

I've been planning to put together an album of the renovations we have made to our house, and the Happy Times Collection is perfect to use - lots of happy home type sayings in the pack!

For this layout I have only used the Happy Times Accessory Pack to create the journalling card.  It was as quick as using the four star stickers in the corners, connected by some doodled lines and topped with the banner sticker.

I chose to use one of the new Variety Pack 2 pages on the second page of this layout as it suited the mix of photos I had. It's not a full sized 12x12 page, but I love the versatility as you can use a selection of both portrait and landscape 6x4 inch photos on the page.  I can see myself using a lot of these pages!

As I said in the journalling, I can't wait for the paving to be finally completed so we can all start being able to use our outdoor space again.  One of the hardest parts of the job has been not being able to use my clotheslines!

You can see what the rest of the Design Team have done with the Happy Times at the following links:

Claire Daly, Australia
Julie Kettlewell, UK
Constanze Wirtz, Germany
Janet Morrow Wakeland, USA
Kim Holterman, Netherlands
Elizabeth Richards Peterson, USA
Kate Denyer, UK

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #268: Just Add A Sketch

Hi!

Are you ready for some fabulous Just Add Ink inspiraiton?  I am!  This week Narelle has designed an awesome sketch to guide our creativity.

Lots and lots of possibilities with this sketch.  I decided to make a colourful kids' card using the new Cherry On Top DSP Stack.

I didn't want the fabulous patterns competing with each other so I stuck to a fairly neutral pattern for the background and stepped it up on the next layer.

I used my Bermuda Bay Stampin' Write marker to only ink up the 'happy' bits of the stamp from Amazing Birthday.  The birthday on the flag came from Remembering Your Birthday.

I really love the fun colours in the Cherry On Top DSP stack. They are so perfect for kid's cards.

Why don't you pop on over to have a look at the rest of the Design Team at the Just Add Ink blog before you play along with us?

Bye for now,

Tina

AWH Blog Hop: New Annual Catalogue

Hi!

Today I bring you another AWHT blog hop with some of the awesome ladies in the Art With Heart Stampin’ Up! Team. Today our focus is on our New Annual Catalogue!

I would also like to highlight the joining special for the month of June. Our group is one of the largest teams in Melbourne and offer support, fun and friendship to anyone who would like to join us; from Hobby demonstrators to Business demonstrators to anyone in between. And for the month of June, there is a bonus special, you get to choose any two stamp sets of your choice for free along with your starter kit ($169). What are you waiting for, contact me today to find out more.

My card for this Blog Hop uses three new items: one of the new In Colours, Mint Macaron, a new stamp set called Endless Birthday Wishes, and the new Essentials Piercing Template.  I think Mint Macaron is about to become my favourite green - it's a really pretty, dusky green.

On a side note: do you pronounce it macaron or macaroon? I use the former, but everyone seems to have differing opinions!

I also used some old favourites - the confetti stamp from Dotty Angles and some Dazzling Details.  I used the Dazzling Details to highlight the icing trim on the cake and also some random dots in the confetti background.  It adds a lovely feature to the card without introducing a third colour.

Endless Birthday Wishes is a photopolymer stamp set, which means it's totally clear.  They cling brilliantly to the clear blocks, and lining up your images is a breeze!  There are a ton of words and phrases in both the printed and handwritten fonts that you can mix and match to make a custom sentiment.  Too easy!

Now you're off to see the work of the fabulous Judy May.

If you find a broken link or have come to this blog hop from a different entry point, you can view the participants below:

1. Kathryn Ruddick
2. Jenny Van Dijk
3. Kathryn Mangelsdorf
4. Nikki Sadler
5. Ros Davidson
6. Kate Morgan
7. Kayleen McLean
8. Genna Gifford
9. Tina Gillespie
10. Judy May

World Map and The Open Sea

Hi!

Is it just me, or are the World Map and The Open Sea stamp sets the perfect pairing?  I use them together lots.

This time around I've also paired them up with Gorgeous Grunge (splatters on the map) and Butterfly Basics (sentiments).

The colour combination of Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Real Red and Whisper White is fabulous for a male card.

Do you find making male cards easy or difficult? I must admit that if I have no set card to make I usually tend towards the feminine, but I do enjoy making masculine cards too.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #266: Just Add Colour

Hi!

Gee, these weeks are flying by!  Before I'm ready, it's another Friday and time for the new Just Add Ink challenge.  This week Nikki has set a colour challenge for us.

Pink Pirouette - tick.  Night of Navy - tick.  Gold - Argh!!! I am so not a Gold person, but I guess that's what challenges are all about - pushing you out of your comfort zone.

I made this card over the long weekend when I had a few new goodies from the new Annual Catalogue to play with,

The first thing that caught my eye about the You've Got This stamp set was the fabulous crosshatch type background stamp.  I can see myself using it heaps!

The huge flower is pretty awesome too.  On my card I've heat embossed it in Gold.  It's very hard to capture in a photograph, but it looks really pretty.  I coloured the flower using my Blendabilites, but you could just as easily use Stampin' Write Markers. In fact, in some places the Blendies pulled some colour out of the embossing and muddied the pink a little.

I wasn't sure what to put on the inside so in the end I just left out a sentiment and stamped the flower again in Pink Pirouette at the bottom left.  I hope you can see it, as it's quite pale and therefore hard to photograph.

What fun will you have with this colour combo? Are you a fan of Gold or not?  Doesn't matter, take the plunge and play along - I can't wait to see what you make on the Just Add Ink blog!

Bye for now,

Tina