JAI 128 Just add inspiration

Hello there,
well I have to be honest I breathed a sigh of relief when school holidays ended here this last weekend. I've discovered I am much more of a creature of habit than I suspected as I found the disruption to my usual routines, and stamping time not the easiest to deal with. So now that regular programming has resumed ;) at home, I can stamp again - insert happy dance here ;)

Ok this week at Just Add Ink we have an inspiration challenge for you. Originally I found inspiration challenges some of the hardest to do - where do you start?? But I've found over time they've grown on me and I love the fact that they give you a starting point but you can take it where you want!! So here is the gorgeous vibrant picture we have for you this week.

And this is what I came up with.

I think the main thing that struck me about the photo was the bright colours, flowers, and the striped pattern on the vase, so those were the elements that I wanted to use somehow. For some reason my gut was telling me to go CAS which is not the path I usually take and using lots of white space is also very challenging (usually I run screaming in the opposite direction - lol). But after one rejected dud I came up with this and I still really like it a week later :) There is just enough texture in this to keep my detail craving heart happy and I liked how I took some of the CAS ideas I've seen out in the blog world and used them to create my flower and who doesn't enjoy playing with twine :)

No inside pic this week - basically because at the momment it's still all white, although I do have another "flower" to go inside, just haven't worked out exactly where.

So why don't you see where our inspiration picture can take you this week ;) Have fun!
Thanks for visiting,
Kim
Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Button Buddies, Curly Cute
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive
Accessories: Stripes embossing folder, Dotted scalloped ribbon border punch, Corner punch (R), Lucky Limeade twine, Double sided tape, Dimensionals

JAI 127 Just add a colour combo

Hello there,

well this week at Just Add Ink we have a challenge with a choice for you!  We want you to add Black and White and one other colour of your choice - sounds fun eh?

I seem to be turning a lot to black, red and white (or vanilla) as a favoured colour combination - but then it is one that's hard to go past, as it has such an elegant feel. In this particular instance my red was Riding Hood Red pulled from the Twitterpated DSP. So here is what I came up with - a new card fold for me - a bit fiddly but the end result is pretty special! Here it is.

Opening up

The inside

I saw this type of card demoed at our recent convention (by Pam Morgan, SU home office) and was intrigued by the idea of using my framelits in a different way. My initial investigations informed me that I was actually going to need three pieces, two with the edges shaped by the framelit and the last that forms the base. (I discovered even a 12" long piece of cardstock is not long enough to get a full length card base and then the overlap to close.) So having worked that all out I started cutting out layers, edges and framelit layers for the focal point. Next was to sponge around all the edges to add some vintagey depth and I also used markers to ink up the large blossom branch to stamp the inside. Then time to assemble it all. The only tricky bit here is to plan where you want the two fasteners to be. Then I made sure that the brad prongs and fastening twine were all secured between the DSP and cardstock mats so that the final finish is clean.

The outcome is pretty special, and very fun to open but tricky to photograph ;)

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Apothecary Art, Elements of Style
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Ink: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, just a smidge of Crumb Cake
Accessories: Labels Collection Framelits, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Twitterpated DSP, Vintage brads, Victoria lace, Cherry Cobler seam binding, Cherry Cobler twine, Double sided tape, SNAIL adhesive, Dimensionals

JAI 126 Just add a sketch

Hello there,

brrr - well I hope everyone enjoyed last week's Just Add Ink challenge, every morning here for the last two weeks has been white with frost so it certainly felt very appropriate to me :) Having said that the kids and I did have a fun time out at the park today and it actually wasn't too cold, and it was very nice to get out in the sunshine. So on to this week. This week at Just Add Ink we have a sketch for you - here it is.

My Dad asked me recently to make a birthday card for my Uncle, and since he was coming up to one of those milestone dates I decided to make that the feature.

Apologies for the dodgy lighting - I'm really struggling to get good light at the momment!

First I went through my stash to find some DSP that I thought would be appropriate. That helped me set the colours for the card. So off I went cutting, adhering DSP, then sewing it down. With guy cards I try to add as much texture as I can, so the stitching was definitely an important part of the design of this card, as is the textured Chocolate cardstock for the bottom central mat and numbers and the striped grosgrain ribbon. I also added some piercing detail and some hardware - well a guy card needs hardware ;) doesn't it! The inside was just finished off simply to match.

There I did promise you wouldn't get a Christmas card this week I hope you enjoyed the change :)
Thanks for visiting,
Kim
Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: A Little Birthday Cheer (R), Big Birthday Wishes (PaperTrey Inc)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White, Early Expresso textured
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Windsor Knot DSP (R), Dies (Mat Stack 4 layerz, Mat Stack 1, By the Numbers) (PaperTrey Ink), thin chipboard, Early Expresso 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Silver brads, sewing machine, Dimensionals, Doubled sided tape (X Press)

JAI 125 Just add winter

Hello there,
well we have a very seasonal challenge for you this week on Just Add Ink - it is Just Add Winter. The frosty mornings we have in my little corner of AUS made me feel that this cute little polar bear was just the perfect image for winter. I certainly go to work every morning with a scarf on at the momment!

I started with the concept of framing my bear in a scallop circle card and pulled the colours from probably my most favourite SU! christmas DSP - Ski Slope - if you look carefully you'll see a few little scraps on the card ;) So I coloured my bear and paperpieced his scarf, then die cut this out as the top mat. That was finished off with a few blinged snowflakes. Down the bottom I added some DSP, the sentiment banner and a snowflake embellishment. The inside echoes the front, with a red mat then white top layer, finished with a snowflake. So another special Christmas card to add to my pile! Next week though, I can promise you it won't be a Christmas card - lol!

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise specified

Stamps: Snow Flurries (R), Cool Yule, Presents for You (My Favorite Things)

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Real Red, Whisper White, X Press blending card

Ink: Baja Breeze, Real Red

Accessories: Ski Slope DSP (R), Scallop circle BigZ die, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Classic circle nestabilities (Spellbinder), Double ended banner die (PaperTrey Inc), Let it snow dienamic (My Favorite Things), Copics (YG, R22, R24, R27), Jewels - rhinestones, Dazzling diamonds, Double sided tape (X Press), SNAIL adhesive, 2 way glue pen, Dimensionals

JAI - July scrapbooking challenge

Hello there,

well this is a first for me - a scrapbooking post! Like many of us papercrafters my initial desire was to scrapbook but found the allure of the cards too great. Juggling house, kids and work  - it's alot easier to slot time in to make a card than a scrap page. I think perhaps because scrap pages really tell a story that is for keeps I always feel they have to be perfect and so they take alot of thinking and ALOT of time for me to put together! Last years total was 2011 = 1 page. So one resolution I started the year with was to do more in 2012. Now this is actually my 4th page for the year - woohoo - that's a 300% improvement over 2011 already :) However it is the first ever page about me!!!! which I thought was perfect for this months Just Add Ink's scrapbooking challenge :) -  Just add hidden journalling or memorabillia.  Well after all that chat - here's the page ;)

 Did you guess where the journalling was? Yes there they are pulled out of their hiding places tucked in pockets under the photographs. And no I didn't do a super photoshop job hiding the journalling I was just in a hurry to photograph the page as soon as I had finished it, and figured I could add the journalling later - lol.

And cause it's a scrap page a few close ups of some of the details :)

I started out using this sketch from Creative Scrappers (#207) I thought it would be perfect for capturing a fun, bright, busy, chaotic feel - which convention kind of is ;) I started with a mat of Chocolate chip, then added a slightly smaller mat of Pumpkin Pie DSP, scrunched and inked at the edges. Then I played around with some of the different patterns from the retired Sweet Stitches DSP. Once I had a basic layout worked out I started scrunching and inking all the edges. Then just snailed them down. The flowers were all die cut (base layer from DSP), then scrunched and inked and then finished off with buttons and twine. Before I could sew everything down I had to work out where all the tickets were going, and then I just zoomed around stitching down all the borders except, very importantly!! the ones I had to leave open on the RHS of the photos so I could slide the journalling tags under. I turned my convention title letters into stickers by adhering the cardstock to the Big Shot multipurpose adhesive sheets then die cutting the letters. I also couldn't resist adding some pom pom trim too :)

I'm so glad I've had the chance to scrap these photos and remember them! I had so much fun at Convention 2011, meeting many of my Just Add Ink team mates in the flesh for the first time - we had so much fun!!, catching up with other "old" friends. The picture of the lovely Di Barnes on the page is to remember those special momments and of course a picture of Shelli and I.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed this little peep into my convention 2011 experience.

Kim
Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Calendar alphabet, and numbers, Tiny Tags (SU!), Just the Ticket, Mini Scrapbook Series: Library Ledger, Library Ledger Year Additions, Flower Fusion #11 (PaperTrey Inc)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip,  Naturals Ivory, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Tempting Turquoise, Early Expresso textured
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Timeless Type alphabet sizzlet, Punches (Scallop circle, 1 3/4" circle, Jewelery Tag, small Heart) Two Tags BigZ die, Fun Flowers BigZ L die, Blossom party originals die, Just the Ticket border die (PTI), Large scallop border die (PTI), Sweet Stitches DSP (R), Pumpkin Pie DSP (R), Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango pom pom trim (R), Twine, Hawaiian Shores vintage button (PTI), Daffodil Delight button, Ice Cream Parlor button (R), mini Silver brads, Pinking shears, Sponge, Dimensionals, Big Shot multipurpose adhesive sheets, Double sided tape (X Press), SNAIL adhesive, sewing machine