Merry Monday July - Blue banners

Hello there,

well finally I've managed to squeeze a Christmas card out of July to add to Merry Mondays July challenge. I actually made this one nearly two weeks ago but between school holidays, being away because of school holidays, and then dealing with sick kids - again! that was as far as I got. It's a simple one but hope it has a touch of elegance too. The design was influenced by this Merry Monday sketch.

I pulled out a retired SU blue for this one - Blue Brocade and then ransacked my DSP collection for some patterns to match. A bit of satin ribbon and subtle embossing on the front panel once I'd stamped the sentiment finished it off.

If a miracle happens I might just pull one more Christmas card for July off - but don't hold your breath!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: More Merry Messages, Vintage Labels (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Blue Brocade, Very Vanilla
Ink: Blue Brocade(R)
Accessories: Linen/Canvas impression plate (PTI), Fishtail Flag and Fishtail Layers Stax (My Favorite things), Bella Bleu DSP (R), Very Vanilla satin ribbon (R), Jewels - pearls, Double sided tape (X Press), SNAIL adhesive

JAI 175 Just add a sketch

Hello there,
well its back to our normal routines this week which is a relief. Although the kids and I really enjoyed the week we had up in Sydney. We even went to the beach - yes in mid winter! - ostensibly to build a sandcastle but of course getting wet turned out to be part of the experience.

Now onto this weeks Just Add Ink challenge - this week we have a great sketch for you. I loved this one and found it really easy to work with!

And here is what I came up with.

Ooh look another tag/banner ;) - but this time the sketch made me do it - lol! I went into this knowing I wanted something soft, pastelly and sort of shabby chic - well my version of it anyway. I decided that a jar full of flowers is just what I need for a birthday card. I didn't want to take the focus from that so to represent the ribbon element of the sketch I used an embossed border.To ground the flowers and also to also create a soft background for them I stamped some text and added a few stamped off Pool Party splotches as well. I did scratch my head a bit about what to use for the little banner up in the top corner but then decided to link it back to the jar by cutting a banner from the same stamped polka dot pattern and then added a bit of faux stitching. 

Hope you can join us and try your hand at this great sketch. Do go check out the rest of the DT for some awesome ideas!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Gorgeous Grunge, Tiny Tags (R), Friendship Jar (PaperTrey Ink), Background Basics: Text Style (PTI)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Blushing Bride
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride, Basic Black
Accessories: Large scallop edgelit, Bitty banner framelits, Needlepoint border embossing folder, Jewelery Tag punch (R), Friendship Jar die (PTI), Calypso Coral Baker's twine, Piercing tool and mat, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI 174 Just add a colour combo

Hello there,

well I must admit I almost forgot to write up my post this week as my usual program of weekly events is all out of sync because of school holidays. But I'm really glad I did remember as this week at Just Add Ink we have a lovely, very new, colour challenge for you. Yes this week its time to Just add a colour combo. Here's the colours.

Now if you don't have these exact colours, you can substitute with close alternatives - say for example Crumb Cake and Pool Party in SU! terms.

A close up of my first Simply Pressed clay button, painted with a light sheen of crystal effects. I was delighted with how it turned out - and it was a lot of fun to make it too!

As you might guess I had fun playing with an embossing folder again. This time I used my brayer to apply Baked Brown Sugar to the raised side of the SU! Honeycomb embossing folder and then I pressed my card stock gently onto the folder. By shear chance I got a clear space on the bottom left at the front - so that predestined where my sentiment would go. I framed it with stamped and embossed flowers and some extra swirly bits - and a banner - I'm finding it hard not to add one to cards right now - lol!

I really enjoyed playing with this colour combo as its a really lovely one!  Hope you can join us and play with the colours too. Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless noted otherwise
Stamps: Creative Elements, Hearts a Flutter, Create a Cupcake, Hello Lovely
Cardstock: Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Very Vanilla
Ink: Baked brown Sugar, Costal Cabana, Versamark
Accessories: Honeycomb embossing folder, Hearts a Flutter framelit, White embossing powder, Simply Pressed Clay and mold, Linen Thread, Crystal effects, Blender pen, Tombow multi, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI 173 Just add water

Hello there,
we have another fun challenge for you this week at Just Add Ink. We'd like you to Just add Water! Now this week here in Canberra there were a few morning where it would have been more appropriate to say just add ice!! But the upside of the big freeze was that we did have some lovely sunny winter days! 
Now for the challenge you can use any technique that uses water like water colouring, for example, or water associated images. I did both :)

Is that the new SU! Chevron background stamp you see before you - ah no it's not! I had to make do with what I had and that was an embossing folder. So taking my ink pads in turn (working light to dark), I dabbed them onto the chevron pattern. From top to bottom the colour sequence was Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Soft Skye, Island Indigo. Then I spritzed the inked folder with water and gently pressed my paper onto the ink. After peeling it off I used my aqua painter to pull some of the ink around to make the colour transitions more blurry. (As an aside from experience if you get a weird dotty pattern try inking the other side of the embossing folder). After it had dried I splashed some splotches over the top (including some shimmery ones) then punched out a big circle. That fun fishy was stamped and coloured on the base white layer so you could see him peeping through the circle window. A couple of banners and a button finished off the front. I was really chuffed that this actually worked - and it was a lot of fun as well :)

Why don't you try just adding water this week! Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT for fabulous watery ideas.

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Hearts a Flutter, Itty Bitty Banners, Fishy Friends (R)
Cardstock: Bermuda Blue, Whisper White, X Press blending white
Ink: Bermuda Blue, Pool Party, Soft Sky, Island Indigo
Accessories: Hearts a Flutter framelits, Bitty Banner framelits, 2 1/2" circle punch, Chevron embossing folder, Copic markers (BG), Mr Huey Calico Shine mist, Aqua Painter, Naturals Designer button, Island Indigo bakers twine, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI 172 Just add Inspiration

Hello there, 
well with the beginning of the new Stampin Up! year here in the South Pacific we (Just Add Ink) thought it would make a great challenge to kick it off using the new catalogue front cover as an inspiration challenge. 

So this week we want you to Just Add Inspiration - it might be the colours, the banners, the flowers, the frame or even the shoes. You can take it where you want - that's the fun of an inspiration challenge!

And this was the outcome.

I couldn't resist the frame - and I just love this ornate one I pulled out to use to frame the birthday cake - well cupcake - which I glittered up - of course ;) The inspiration pic also inspired the bunting. I love the stripy banner I used, but to change it up a little I used a different framelit to cut it and it worked perfectly! Blushing Bride was the perfect pink to use for this and I must admit it is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine! 

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to check out the rest of the DT for fabulous inspiration ideas and welcome Louise and Susan for their first DT pieces too.

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Create a Cupcake, Papaya Collage, En Francais, Hearts a Flutter
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Rose Red
Ink: Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Rose Red, Versamark
Accessories: Cupcake builder punch, Hearts a Flutter framelits, Bitty Banner framelits, Boho Blossom punch, Itty Bitty shapes punch, Blushing Bride DSP (R), White embossing powder, Multipurpose adhesive sheet, Dazzling Diamonds, Jewels - rhinestones, Brights button, White Baker's twine, 1/8" circle punch, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)