JAI #293 Just add a gift tag

Hello there,
how is everyone coping with the crazy time of year? I will have to admit to feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the moment. I know eventually everything will get done - but I'm a way off from that point yet.

This week at Just Add Ink I set the challenge - to Just Add a Gift Card. I deliberately timed this challenge at the point when I knew I would be needing to get gift card holders ready for some of the older kids in my family. Since they just get a gift card I always try to make the packaging something special and different each year. It worked perfectly and they are in the post!

Hope the challenge proves to be as useful to you as it was to me!

Here's what I came up with this year.

A close up of the gold versions.

And the silver versions.

So where's the gift card? Turn it over and it's all revealed.

Opened up to reveal the gift card.

I have to admit I love the combination of the Softly Falling embossing folder and the Sleigh Ride Edgelits (my first pick from the SU! Christmas catalogue -sadly retiring :( ). A little glitter edging adds the Christmas glitz and the bell adds a fun interactive touch (the gold ones were salvaged from the neck ribbons from Lindt Easter bunnies - I knew they'd come in handy one day - lol!). The little star tag was added so I could right in the kid's names.

We'll be running this challenge for two weeks to take us across the Christmas period (closing date Dec 30) so you'll have time to join us and show us your great gift card ideas. Do check out the rest of the DT for some inspiring gift card ideas.

Thanks for visiting and a very Merry Christmas to you all - may it be happy, safe and fun!
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: None !!!
Cardstock: Garden Green, Night of Navy, Real Red, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Ink: None !!!
Accessories: Gift Card Envelope and Trims thinlets, Sleigh Ride Edgelits, Softly Falling embossing folder, Tiny Tags die (Papertrey Ink), Gold and Silver glitter, 1/4" score tape, Tombow multipurpose glue, Silver cord (R), Gold cording trim, Mini brads (R)

JAI #292 Just add inspiration

Hello there,

well you can probably guess Christmas crafting is in full throttle here (when I can squeeze some in!) I will have to admit to not sending any Christmas card yet - eeek. But the good news is that I have another one to add to the stash courtesy of this weeks Just Add Ink challenge. This week Nikki has a great Christmas inspiration challenge for us. Here's the pic.

And here's what I made.

It's pretty clear what I pulled from the inspiration picture, the aqua/ silver colour scheme and I loved those diagonal stripes, but you needn't be as literal as me. It was fun though, taking the inspiration picture and putting it back together in my own way.

Hope you can join us this week. Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's inspired creations.

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Tree Trimming Trio (PaperTrey Ink), Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Cardstock: Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, Shimmery White

Ink: Versamark

Accessories: Bitty Banner framelits, Banner framelits, Softly Falling embossing folder, Christmas tree die (PaperTrey Ink), Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, Pool Party and Silver embossing powder, Silver cord (R), 8mm Silver sequins (Beads Neez Hobbysew), Sewing machine, Fine Tip Glue pen, Doubled sided tape (X Press), Dimensionals

JAI #291 Just add C

Hello there,
well we have just squeaked over into December this week and the kids are raring to decorate the house for Christmas. I'm rather looking forward to it myself - I'm a Christmas fan :) So that is on our schedule for this weekend. (I'm also hoping to squeeze in a visit to the new IKEA that only just opened a few weeks ago here in Canberra - we might just pick up a few extra Christmas decorations there too ;). With all this talk of Christmas it's rather fitting that the challenge this week at Just Add Ink (from Tina) is Just Add C. What do we mean? Well that means you can add any colour, material, technique, concept as long as it begins with C and it's the main focus of your project. Just a few ideas include Christmas (of course), cat, Cucumber Crush, cookies, candles, cake, car and chalkboard technique!

I decided to add Christmas (twice!!)

Version  1: Mint Macaron and Tip Top Taupe

Version 2: Pistachio Pudding and Sahara Sand

Why twice? Well when I first thought of this design the colours that popped into my head were Pistachio Pudding and Sahara Sand, and then I thought since Pistachio Pudding was retired how would I do this using current SU cardstock - so the Mint Macaron and Tip Top Taupe version was born.

As you can see the design, and even the colouring of my two deers are the same, I just changed up the finishing ribbon treatments. One point to note is that while I coloured my wreath on the coloured base cardstock I stamped and coloured my deers on white cardstock and then fussy cut them out and adhered them over the stamped base images.

Aside from that these are simple but I think but sweet cards (and another two to add to my Christmas stash!).

Do check out the rest of the team for inspiration for adding 'C' to your project they have some fabulous ideas! Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Hardwood, Tremendous Treats: Christmas (PaperTrey Ink), Santa's Sleigh (PTI)
Cardstock: Pistachio Pudding, Sahara Sand, Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Whisper White
Ink: Sahara Sand, Tip Top Taupe, Versamark
Accessories: Copic markers, Bitty Banner framelits, 2 1/2" circle punch, Circles framelits, Red glimmer paper, Bird Builder punch, Linen thread, Early Espresso baker's twine, Dimensionals, Tombow multi, Doubled sided tape

JAI #290 Just add a colour combo

Hello there,
it's been a while but this week for Just Add Ink we want you to Just Add a Colour Combo. Jan put together the combo for us this week. I was a bit uncertain at first where to go with it and then I decided a butterfly would be a nice change from Christmas card making. Here's the combo.

Note: The colour balance is really off in my photos and the Watermelon Wonder has a really orangey tinge but I really did use WW!

This is one of my rare clean and simple card  - yes CAS - well for me. The patterns are strong and I didn't want to overwhelm them with too much fussiness. I also couldn't bear to unbalance the symmetry so this is one of the few times I haven't added a sentiment to the front. To complement the strong patterns I've added some bling - assorted glimmer paper and a smattering of gold splatter oh and sequins too ;)

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT projects for some colourful inspiration. Hope you can join us this week!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Watercolor Wings
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Watermelon Wonder, Whisper White, Garden Green
Ink: Watermelon Wonder, Crushed Curry, Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Ovals Collection framelits, Bold butterfly framelits, Bitty Banner framelits, Chevron embossing folder, Dazzling Diamonds and Gold glimmer paper, Crushed Curry baker's twine, Gold smooch (R), Moonshine sequins (Simon Says Stamp), Double sided tape (X Press), Fine tip glue pen

JAI #289 Just add music

Hello everyone,
oh my I had a lovely time spending time with friends at the SU! OnStage event in Melbourne last weekend. However, I brought a nasty head cold home with me (actually I think I took it with me as I've had alternate kids home this week with icky colds too). Just one of those weeks I guess and really weird when we've been having mid 30's temps (in the 90's for US viewers)!

Anyway, in stark contrast to our weather I have a cool wintery card for you. This week the challenge is Just Add Ink is Just Add Music from Patrice and this is what I came up with. 

All in all super simple this week, a whole bunch of sponging on DSP (masking the moon first), one die cut and some blingy bits to finish off but they all work together very effectively if I say so myself ;)

Hope you can join us. But first don't forget to visit the rest of the DT to see some fabulous projects.

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless noted
Stamps: Jingle all the Way
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Night of Navy, Island Indigo, Perfect Plum, Melon Mambo, Pool Party
Accessories: Sleigh Ride Edgelits dies, Home for Christmas DSP, Silver Foil, 1 3/8" circle punch, Double sided tape (X Press), Silver Glitter, Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Dimensionals, Silver Smooch (R), Fine Tip Glue pen 

JAI #288 Just add a sketch

Hello there,
I have a fun crafty weekend lined up (big smile) as I am joining some of the Just Add Ink team in Melbourne for the first SU! OnStage event. I'm looking forward to a huge day of crafty inspiration and fun on Saturday and can't wait to catch up with some great friends!

But before I head off let me tell you about the fun challenge we have for you at Just Add Ink this week. This week we want you to Just Add a Sketch - another great one from Narelle. 

I had every intention of using stars on this card but at the last moment was diverted by snowflakes!

The inside - it's darker in IRL but somehow it came out very pale after editing! 

I mixed some of my favourite things here - watercolour, stitching and some bling. The only other point to note is that I used Typeset DSP but brayered over it with Night of Navy ink so it was coloured to match.

Hope you can join us this week. Don't forget to check out all the fabulous projects from the DT.

Thanks for visiting, 
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Flurry of Wishes
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Night of Navy, Pool Party, Versamark
Accessories: Bitty Banner framelits, Damask snowflakes die collection (PaperTrey Ink), Snow flurry punch, Sewing machine, Silver glimmer paper, Vellum cardstock, Typeset DSP, Water colour paper (non SU!), White embossing powder, Jewels - rhinestones, Subtle candy dot, Candy dot brad base, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI #287 Just add inspiration

Hello there,

on our side of the world we are speeding our way through spring (I just wish I could spend more time outside to enjoy it!) but of course on the other side of the globe Autumn is settling in. So this week at Just Add Ink Jodene has given us a very seasonally inspired inspiration photo. You can use the images, the colours, patterns or whatever else inspires you for your project this week.

I needed a masculine feeling project a few weeks back so this challenge was a perfect fit.

There's something special inside!

I forgot my FIL's birthday this year :0 so I thought I had better make him something special for Father's Day. For the guys in my family something special = something interactive. This is such a fun and easy pop up fold. It's called a diagonal fold and I found instructions for it here on Julie Davison's blog. Being a guy card I brought lots of texture in with embossing, corrugated cardstock, and the crinkled water coloured leaves (I love how vibrant they turned out). As a backdrop I created a blue sky filled with clouds (simply done with a punched scalloped circle and a sponge).

Don't forget to drop past the rest of the DT for some inspiration! Hope you can join us this week. Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Hardwood, Guy Greetings
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Pool Party, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red
Accessories: Autumn Accents BigZ die, Hexagon punch, Scallop circle punch, Corrugated cardstock, Clear embossing powder, Designer Naturals button (R), Linen thread, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI #286 Just add W

Hello there,
we have a fun new challenge for you at Just Add Ink. This week Tina suggested we Just Add W. What on earth do we mean? Well that means you can add any colour, material, technique, concept as long as it begins with W and it's the main focus of your project. Just a few ideas include Water, Watercolour, Winter, Wolf, Wild Wasabi! Put your thinking cap on and have some fun!

I'm still on my Christmas card drive so the first thing that popped into my head was 'Winter'. So I set out to make a wintery card - and nothing says cold like a polar bear! So here is what I came up with.

In a recent SU! Artisan blog hop Susan Wong tickled my funny bone by simply white embossing the bear from Thankful Forest Friends and turning him into a polar bear! I just loved how that colour change changed the bear so profoundly. This challenge proved the perfect time to stamp my own polar bear. First I chose some cool colours then added some sparkly stars and snow and finished it all off with pops of red. For a fun finishing touch I found the perfect sized santa's hat for my polar bear :)

Hope you can join us for this fun challenge. Don't forget to go see what W's the rest of the team used to inspire their projects.

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Thankful Forest Friends, Festival of Trees, Winter Snow Globe (PaperTrey Ink), Cool Yule (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Versamark
Accessories: Bitty Banner framelits, Tree punch, Scene it: Basic Backer die (PaperTrey Ink), Scene it: Skyscapes die collection (PTI), Copic markers, Silver glimmer cardstock, White and Silver embossing powder, Softly Falling embossing folder, Winter Frost DSP (R), Silver thread, Real Red striped grosgrain ribbon (R), Dazzling Diamonds, Fine Tip glue pen, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI #285 Just add a colour combo

Hello there,
DH and I had to plan out the big summer school holidays this week. What I realised in the process was that those holidays are only nine weeks away which means Christmas is ten weeks away -eeekkk! I know the time is going to rush past so you'll be seeing a few more Christmas cards from me. Speaking of which the new challenge at Just Add Ink - to Just Add a Colour Combo from Nikki was I thought just perfect for pulling out my favourite angel. Here's the combo.

And here is what I came up with.

First I worked out which colours were going where on my angel. Then I got to add lots of lovely foliage to frame her.  At the last minute I decided to die cut a window out of my Slate woodgrain mat and inset the angel layer rather than layering it on top. Of course I had to add some glimmer (what's an angel without some shimmer!).

So can you see yourself making something with these lovely colours? Do join us this week and share it with us. Don't forget to check out what the rest of the DT did with the colours this week too!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Love Lives Here: Holiday (PaperTrey Ink), Bells and Boughs (PTI)
Cardstock: Mint Macaron, Smokey Slate, Whisper White
Ink: Blushing Bride, Mint Macaron, Night of Navy, Smokey Slate
Accessories: Lots of Labels framelits, Woodgrain embossing folder, Love Lives Here: Holiday dies (PaperTrey Ink), Bells and Boughs die, Doubled ended banner die (PTI), Silver glimmer paper, Blushing Bride embossing powder (R), Winter Frost DSP (R), Jewels - rhinestones, Dimensionals, Tombow multi,  Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI #284 Just add a fancy fold

Hello there,

well I've survived another school holidays. We did manage to get out for a town for a few days to enjoy some time down the coast. Adventures there included watching whales as the sun rose, which was pretty special and an encounter, fortunately at a safe distance, with a red bellied black snake!!

Following on with my animal theme I made a card recently that was perfect for this week's Just Add Ink challenge - to Just Add a Fancy Fold.

A view looking down shows you how simple this fancy fold really is.

And you can flatten it out for posting!

I first came across this fancy fold - a shadow box - on Kelly Kent's blog here. She includes some great instructions for Australian sizing there as well as a link to a video tutorial. I thought it was perfect to make something fun for my husband for father's day. So I pulled out some monkey's to colour and made a little scene for them to hang around in. The kids loved the idea that they each had a monkey to represent them.

We'd love to see what fancy fold you create this week. Please do join us and don't forget to check out the amazing fancy folds the DT has made this week!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Tremendous Treats: Birthday (PaperTrey Ink), Tiny Treats: Birthday (PTI), Heart 2 Heart #6 (PTI)
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Early Expresso
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Tuxedo Black (Memento), Whisper White
Accessories: Ovals Collection framelits, Mighty Oak die collection (PTI), Tremendous Treats: Birthday die collection (PTI), Heart 2 Heart die collection (PTI), Sweet Dreams DSP (R), Owl builder punch, Bitty Banner framelits, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack (R), Copic markers, Fringe scissors, Crystal Effects, Glue dots, Dimensionals, Double sided tape (X Press)

JAI #283 Just add a sketch

Hello there,
this week at Just Add Ink we have a sketch for you from Narelle. It's got some classic lines that I thought would be perfect for my parent's wedding anniversary. This year they are reaching 49 years! The nice thing is that our family is always together for this event each year as it's right before Christmas (yes I'm doing a bit of planning ahead here :).
Here's the sketch.

And here is what I made of it.

Dad often gives Mum red roses so I decided to go with that theme this year. Using red and mixing it with earthy kraft and some softening vellum. As you can see I did make one small change to the sketch pulling the horizontal element from the back to the front of the layers. To add some mobile pops of colour I tucked some red sequins in under the vellum, stitching them in. The inside was finished off with another little red rose.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's fabulous projects. Hope you will join us for the sketch this week.

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless noted
Stamps: Botanical Blocks (PaperTrey Ink), Year of Flowers Collection (PTI), Round and Round (PTI)
Cardstock: Real Red, Kraft, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Cherry Cobler, Old Olive, Garden Green, Versamark, Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Brights DSP stack (R), Copics, Sheer Basic Patterned Paper Vellum (PTI), Double ended banner  die (PTI), White embossing powder, Moonshine sequins (Simon Says Stamp), Fine Tip glue pen, Double sided tape (X press)

JAI #282 Just add inspiration

Hello there,
well I have survived (barely) the first week of the school holidays. Keeping the munchkins entertained meant not a lot of stamping time. So it's just as well that I was able to prepare for this weeks Just Add Ink challenge early!! This week we have a gorgeous Just Add Inspiration challenge from Narelle.

I thought this was perfect for a couple of little girl cards I had to make.

I couldn't resist making a blue version too.

For my initial card I wanted to capture the silver/grey tones, pink of course and all the circle and swirly elements. For my backgrounds I stamped rows of dots (Smokey slate stamped off) and then I stamped again in Versamark (offsetting the dots slightly and embossed them with Iridescent Ice powder. My two fairy girls I coloured with Copics, then mounted over the top of swirly cut silver glimmer paper, grounding them with the sentiment. The cards were finished off with a scattering of color coordinated sequins. They both turned out super sparkly, super cute and super fun!

Hope you can join us. We'd love to see where inspiration takes you! Don't forget to visit the rest of the DT for some wonderful projects.

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless noted
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics (PaperTrey Ink), Express Yourself (SU!) (R), Agnes Ketto (Stamping Bella) (R)
Accessories: Copic markers, Bitty Banner framelits, Circle Scribbles die (PaperTrey Ink), Silver glimmer paper, White and Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Double sided tape (X press), Bermuda Bay sequins, Miscellaneous sequins (Simon Says Stamp), Fine Tip glue pen, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella pen
Pink card
Cardstock: Watermelon Wonder, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Smokey Slate, Versamark
Blue card
Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Smokey Slate, Versamark