JAI 111 - Just add Easter

Hello there,
well this week we have a fun and possibly quite tasty challenge for you at Just Add Ink because we want you to Just Add Easter. Can you think of a better excuse to go out and buy some of the Easter goodies that are threatening to trip you over as you wheel your trolley through the supermarket aisles ;) You need them for your art - not to eat!! Of course I had to make something for my two little munchkins and what better then a bunny box each.

I started by guesstimating how big I wanted the box to be. A bit of eyeballing decided me on 2 1/2" square and 3" high. Having made that decision I drew myself up a rough template on some scratch paper. Hopefully the template picture below will make the following steps clear.

In total you need a piece of cardstock 10 1/2"(26.2 cm) by 6" (15.2 cm).

1) Score along the long side at 0.5", 3", 5 1/2" and 8"

2) Score along the short side at 1 1/2" and 4 1/2"

3) Cut out and remove the two marked little flaps

4) Cut apart the flaps for the bottom and top of the box. See heavily marked lines in picture above. Do not assemble box yet!

5) Having cut and scored my boxes, I stamped them both with a gingham pattern

6) Now cut out a window in what will be your front panel. I used a rectangle die. (If you eliminate the closing flap directly above the front you could probably do this with a punch).

7) Then I cut an oval window, sized smaller than the rectangle, into a piece of cardstock matching the ear colours

8) After adhering the oval panel to the inside of the front I backed that with a piece of acetate

9) Now assemble the box (Sticky strip is a good idea for this) and add bunny face, paws and tail.

10) Fill with Easter eggs

In preparation for this I had Googled easter bunny punch art - and somewhere saw someone use the heart as the nose. Loved this idea but unfortunately can't tell you where I saw it.  The rest I worked out by myself. Briefly face base - 2 1/2" circle; Ear bases and paws -  extra large oval. For the feet trim about 1/3 off and then reinsert one end back into extra large oval punch. For the ear tips insert one end into bottom of Ornament punch; Ear colour - Large oval and small oval (retired); Cheeks - 1" circle; Mouth - cupcake builder punch top; Nose - small heart punch; Eyes - 3/4", 1/2" and 1/4" (retired).

I sponged all the edges of the Crumb Cake pieces with Crumb Cake ink, and then used a Chocolate Chip marker to add paw and cheek details. Then using linen thread and a needle stitched on three whiskers to each cheek. It was a bit fiddly but the end effect was worth it.

The kids were delighted and are looking forward to opening the boxes at Easter :)

Do check out the rest of the DT for some wonderful fun Easter ideas and have a go yourself at Just adding Easter!

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Background Basics Gingham (PaperTrey Inc)

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Old Olive, Marina Mist,Regal Rose,  Basic Black

Ink: Crumb Cake, Versamark, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Punches - 2 1/2", 1", 3/4" 1/2" and 1/4"(R) circles, Extra large oval, Large oval, small oval (R), Cupcake builder, Small heart, Ornament; Rectangle and classic oval nestabilites (Spellbinder), Linen thread, Acetate, Tombow multi, Sticky strip, Dimensionals 

JAI 110 Just add a sketch

Hello there,

welcome back for a new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we have a sketch for you.  To be honest this sketch really did my head in. I really struggled with how to work with this layout. In the end I had to toss my first go and thankfully I was much happier with my second. It was well and truly a challenge! So are you intrigued? Want to see the sketch? Here it is. Just add a border around it, not sure why its dropped out of my graphic.

I found it easiest to deal with by rotating the sketch so the three box elements were at the bottom. Here's the outcome - second time around.

I'm definitely going through a bit of butterfly phase at the momment and this card was no exception! I started  by stamping a background pattern of butterflies. Overlaid that with vellum cardstock to mute the pattern, so that the central coloured panel would pop more. To secure it I stitched a border around with my sewing machine. Then I coloured the butterflies in the top panel with ink from the ink pad lids and a blender pen.  To add a sentiment I used a double ended banner with the sentiment over the top of the coloured panel.  The three box elements of the sketch become butterflies. I reckon my butterfly embosslit is worth its weight in gold! The inside was finished off with a few extra little coloured butterflies.

Thanks for visiting, and do give the sketch a try! And check out the rest of the DT there is some great inspiration on offer.

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Kindness Matters, Curly Cute

Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Perfect Plum

Ink: Basic Black, Perfect Plum, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive

Accessories: Vellum cardstock, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Double Ended banner die (PaperTrey Inc), Silver brads, Blender pen, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press) 

JAI 109 - Just add beach

Hello there,
well we have a fun challenge for you this week at Just Add Ink - its Just add...beach. So think back to holidays by the seaside, or may'be you are lucky enough to be living right there and can go for a walk along the sand to find inspiration. Set your imagination loose.... I did and couldn't resist the call of pirates!! (Since not only to they get shipwrecked on beaches but they bury their treasure chest in the sand). 

Ok in all honestly the inspiration may have come from having a fun pirate stamp in my collection waiting to be inked up - and its always handy to have a boys birthday card in the stash - my pirate was certainly a hit with my Mr 4!

Ok it was all pretty straightforward, stamped the card base with Sanded then added some scrunched, stamped and distressed map DSP, layered over some Chocolate Chip.  The pirate I stamped and coloured with copics. Wouldn't count it as my best colouring ever - need more advice on how to deal with white and black areas! but I enjoyed doing it :). Once he and the chest were coloured, trimmed them out and added highlights - some gold pen to his braid detail and black glaze pen to the skull and cross bones. He was mounted on dimensionals above the DSP and then added the birthday banner and I couldn't resist adding an ARRR somewhere ;) The inside was finished off to match.

Thanks for visiting, hope you get the chance to join us this week.

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: A Little Birthday Cheer (R), Sanded (R), Straight Up alphabet and numbers (R), Captain Scurvy (Kraftin Kimmie)

Cardstock: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Accessories: Newsprint DSP, Double ended banner dies (PaperTrey Inc), Pinking shears, Copics (skin E00,E01,E11,hair E42,EE25, E27, E29, braid Y21, Y26, jacket R22, R24, R27, sword and lace C01, C1, C3, C7, eyes B91, hat 100, 0 and BG0000 for grounding), Gold leaf pen, Black gel pen, Silver brads, Doubled sided tape (X Press), Dimensionals

JAI 108 - Just add a colour combo

Hello there,

well this week at Just Add Ink we have a colour challenge for you. Its a lovely combo - but I must admit I struggled with it. But that probably has something to do with lack of sleep caused by my beloved children taking turns to throw up (in the middle of the night of course) off and on over the course of the last couple of weeks. Urghhh! I'll leave the level of detail there shall I! Ok here are the colours.

Nice huh!!

This all started with a flower - a flower that I liked but was just...too....darn...big...to work....on...a card!! (insert groan of frustration). After beating my forehead on my craft table (metaphorically) I gave up the idea of a card and decided to embrace the idea of topping a box with the flower. So whipped out some textured Early Expresso and my Petal Cone die and in the time it takes to say 1,2,3 had a nifty little take away lunch box sticky striped together, wrapped with ribbon and embellished with that BIG flower ;) But I was nagged by the thought that a gift box needs to have a little gift card to go with it. So came about the matching little card. In the end I was just glad I found a good use for the flower that started it all off ;) There are some fabulous ideas by the rest of the DT so do go check them out. I'm off to bed to catch up on some of that sleep I've been missing out on!!

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Pick a petal (R), Tiny Tags, Background Basics Polka Dot I (PaperTrey Inc), Grid (Kaiser)

Cardstock: Early Expresso (textured), Pool Party, Island Indigo, Confetti White

Ink: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Early Expresso

Accessories: Swirls and scribbles sizzlet, Petal Cone BigZL die, Beautiful Blooms die #3 (PaperTrey Inc), Ocean Tides vintage buttons (PTI), Early Expresso twine, Scalloped Ribbon border punch, Tombow multi, dimensionals, Sticky Strip, SNAIL adhesive, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI 107 - Just add Nikki Spencer

Hello there,
well this week at Just Add Ink we are Just Adding one of the team - this time round its the very talented Nikki Spencer.  So go and have a browse through Nikki's blog and pick out something that inspires you and join us! My starting point was this card by Nikki.

What really caught my attention was how she masked the center off and then created a pattern around it - and the other main element for me was the vellum sentiment strip. So here is my take on it.

My colour choice was to a very large degree dictated by the colours I know my MIL likes - since this was going to be headed her way as her birthday card. She's very keen on apricot/peachy tones - so I pulled out some retired Apricot Appeal, and initially paired it up with Peach Parfait but ditched that and went with Calypso Coral to bring the red tones out more.  OK so following Nikki's lead I masked off the centre and then stamped a floral pattern (flowers and stamped off text with sponging around the edges) all around, once I pulled the mask off it did look very nice. BUT - the masked circle was too small for the flower die cut I had decided to use as the central feature - oops! So in the end I had to cut a vanilla scalloped circle and use that under the die cut flower instead. I die cut and stamped my large flower and mounted that over the scalloped circle. Next I stamped the sentiment on the vellum, the ends of which were tucked under the top stamped layer. The stitching finishing the front also helped to secure the vellum. The last touch were some tiny pearls for the centre of the flower. The inside was finished off to match as well. I was surprised out how much I liked the colours I used today - just shows its good to pull out things you don't normally head for!

Hope you get the chance to join us - enjoy checking out Nikki's lovely work :)

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: French Foliage (SU!), Rosie Posie (PaperTrey Inc), Think Big Favorites # 12 (PTI), Background Basics Text Style (PTI)

Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Apricot Appeal, Very Vanilla

Ink: Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss, Stazon On Timber Brown

Accessories: Scallop Square BigZ die, Small scalloped nestabilities (Spellbinder), Vellum cardstock, Jewels - Pearls, Double sided tape, Dimensionals, Sponge