JAI 85 - just add baby

Hello there,

well as you may have guessed from the title of today's post this week at Just Add Ink its all about adding "baby". Now I actually gave you all a sneak peek of this card back in July, when JAI had our fancy fold blog hop. My card fold for the blog hop was a Trifold card and luckily enough I made two. Lucky cause things are real busy at home (sick cat, sick Mr 3, incipient sore throat - me :( and there's more but that will do so) at the momment anything that can save me time is just a life saver!! If you want to find my "tutorial" for the Trifold card click here to go back to my Fancy Fold blog post. So first up here is the card closed.

Card fully unfolded

Close up of the front

Close up of the inside

So very quickly I started with a Rose Red base, layered that with Regal Rose mats and then used Sweet Stitches DSP to top off all the panels. I also stamped the bear on the front on the DSP. Adding a couple of buttons and a felt flower to finish it all off. Other additional details include paper piercing lots of the borders another felt flower on the inside and some seam binding tied in a knot. It seemed a rather usual mix of colours and DSP for a baby card but I quite liked it how it turned out. Right I'm taking this sore throat off to bed now!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Well Scripted (R), Nursery Necessities (R), Baby Button Bits
Cardstock: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Very Vanilla
Ink: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Classic and scalloped oval nestabilities (Spellbinder), Sweet Stitches DSP, Mat pack and piercing tool, Harvest Gold felt and buttons (PaperTrey Inc), Vintage Cream felt (PTI), Hibiscus Burst button (PTI), Vanilla seam binding, Double sided tape, Tombow multi

JAI 56 - Just add a sketch

Hello there :)

well its time again for a new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we have a great sketch for you. Here it is.


This is actually the second card I made for my Dad, after he had an operation recently. I was aiming for something cheery but still blokey - hopefully this will hit the spot.



I started with a Choc Chip base, then layered on some retired Good Morning Sunshine DSP. Down the bottom I just used Whisper White and stamped the sentiment. Next I added a scalloped lattice embossed border across the card, with some satin Daffodil Delight ribbon layered over the top. Then it was time for the main panel. For this I started by stamping some Kiwi Kiss flower stems, and then matching flowers in Daffodil Delight, the bottom one is popped up on dimensionals. Each flower was embellished with a different button. I decided to add a bit of whimsical touch and so added a bee to fly across the top of the flowers - another button, some cardstock and vellum. Lastly I mounted that all on a Kiwi base and added a small lattice embossed scalloped strip down the side. The inside was finished off with some more flowers.

So this one will be on its way to my dear Dad soon and hopefully it will bring some sunshine with it!

Thanks for visiting (again) its been busy round here lately ;)

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Blooming Buttons Bits, Baby Button Bits (PaperTrey Inc)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Vellum
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Kiwi Kiss (R), Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Lattice embossing folder, Scalloped border punch, Daffodil Delight, Early Expresso button, Kiwi Kiss corduroy brad (R), Daffodil Delight satin ribbon. small heart punch, 1/2" circle punch, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Double sided tape, Tombow adhesive

JAI 49 - just add summer

Hi all,

hope you all had a lovely Christmas filled with lots of fun, relaxing, good food and family! Despite the weather being a bit so-so we did manage to make it to the beach at least once over Christmas which the kids loved (and pick up a little bit of sunburn - ouch - but only a little). The beach to me really is the essence of summer and that is what the challenge from Just Add Ink is about this week - Just Add Summer! Despite all this talk about the beach my card was inspired by something else - more butterflies than I can ever remember - swirling around the garden and once when we went for a walk through the National Botanical gardens literally a whole swirling whirly mass - it was just like walking through a butterfly aviary!! The ones in our garden are a striking black and orange so that is the colour combo I went with.



I started by stamping the gorgeous little graphic butterfly (All a Flutter) repeatedly in black across Whisper White. Once I filled up the panel, I added a die cut Pumpkin Pie butterfly,which I also embossed, then I layered over some striped Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon, then added another All a Flutter butterfly but this one I coloured using my aquapainter. The final touch was to add a black flower button tied with some linen thread. The image panel was then layered onto a Basic Black mat and then the Pumpkin Pie base. The inside was finished off with another coloured butterfly swirling its way across.

Most unusually for me I didn't add a sentiment but I liked the way that it looked and figured adding one would spoil it! So have you had any butterflies swirling past you yet this summer?? My gorgeous Miss 5 can keep herself occupied for an hour racing around the garden trying to catch one! So if you have time this week why don't you add some summer too (whatever hemisphere you are in) and link your creation back to Just Add Ink.

Thanks for visiting and Happy New Year to you all too :)
Kim


Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: All a Flutter, Baby Buttons Bits (PaperTrey Inc)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Beautiful Butterflies BigZ die, Vintage wallpaper embossing floder, Pumpkin Pie 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Linen Thread, Neutral button, Aqua Painter, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, Double sided tape (non SU!)

Inkspirations 35 - Its a girl

Hi there,

welcome back - it's another week and time for another Inkspirations challenge. This week Keesh posted a truly lovely colour combo and I was really looking to have a play with it. Here's the colour pick.


Having looked forward to working with these colours would you believe I struggled! I changed the layout, I looked at every scrap of light pink DSP I had a hundred times (only a slight exaggeration), fiddled and changed my mind. In the end I decided it was incorporating the chocolate chip that I was struggling with. Finally I found a way and I also settled on a layout - flipping this weeks Sweet Sunday sketch.


Here's the result.


OK the final version ;) started with a Rich Razzleberry base, layered that with Whisper White to lighten the colours, then layered that with some Choc Chip DSP. Having worked out where my butterfly was going to be I could stamp my flourish flight trail. I inked up my leafy flourish in versamark and then choc chip and stamped it then embossed with clear embossing powder. Next having picked some Pretty in Pink dotty DSP I layered the two panels onto Razzleberry. Rounded a few corners and stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the long panel. The final piece is the butterfly feature - I stamped some Razzleberry dots onto Pretty in Pink, then punched out a butterfly. To fancy it up I added a wire body and big curly antennaes (I got this idea from a lovely card a special friend of mine made me for my birthday last year - you can see it here), and lastly added a rhinestone brad to bling it up a bit. The butterfly was mounted on dimensionals above a mat of white and Razzleberry circles. The inside was finished off simply to match.

It's not my favourite card of all time but I think it turned out quite nice in the end - and one I hope is suitable for greeting a baby girl to the world which is good as my beautiful little niece arrived this morning:)Welcome to the family baby girl!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, Turning a New Leaf, Baby Button Bits
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Versamark
Accessories: Loves Me DSP (R), Berry Bliss DSP (R), Butterfly punch, Circle nestabilities, Rhinestone brad, Jewelery wire (local craft shop), Clear embossing powder, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, Double sided tape, SNAIL adhesive.

Baby Bear

Hi everyone,

well this week I'm back with a card to welcome a baby girl to the world. The starting point was to use Makeesha Byl's weekly challenge - this weeks it's a sketch, with a circle element - love those! And since I love to use DSP (patterned paper) I couldn't pass up the Just Add Ink challenge this week too. First up here's the sketch.

And here's the card


The challenge is hosted by one Keesh's DT this week, Cindy Major and Cindy added the extra element that you must use something you've been hoarding. Not hard in my case ;) I knew I wanted to put my button bellied teddy bear in the middle of the circle. Next I hunted for some DSP that would fit the pastelly brown/ pink theme I wanted to use. Having selected the DSP I then stamped my bear on and trimmed it out, then mounted him up on dimensionals above a contrasting DSP pattern. Then added a pink chocolate threaded button to his belly with Tombow. In retrospect I think the button is actually a bit too big. The bear is framed by a Close to Cocoa layer then a large Pink Pirouette scalloped circle. Down the bottom I added my most hoarded element a Build a Brad, had them for over a year and never cracked the tin. I used the Brad (backed by another hoarded element a Felt Fusion flower) to anchor the sentiment banner. To balance that all out I added a couple Felt Fusion Too flowers (letting all the stops out on hoarding now!) layered with a threaded button to the upper left of the scalloped circle. I couldn't go past using a new EK success punch I picked up this week to give a lovely border to the vertical sketch strip and it nicely echos the scalloped cirlce - I hope! I added two ribbons over the top of the Close to Cocoa strip. I tried something new for me, dyeing ribbon. I used a sponge dauber and my Pink Pirouette ink pad to dye some white taffeta - since I wanted to keep the pink/cocoa theme. Finally to finish off the front I stitched around the edge of the top layer using some pale pink thread. The inside is finished off simply to match the front. Overall I'm mostly happy with the end result - one other reservation, beside how big the bears belly button is (try saying that when you've had a couple of glasses of wine!!) is that the front is over cluttered. But you can't get it right 100% of the time and I do like it!

Thanks for visiting,
Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Short and Sweet, Baby Button Bits (PaperTrey Ink)
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Candy Lane DSP, Circle nestabilities, EK Success border punch, Felt Fusion Too, Build a Brad, Pretty in Pink narrow grosgrain ribbon, White Taffeta, 3/4" circle punch, Cropodile, Sweet Blush and Chocolate buttons (PaperTrey Inc), Sticky Strip, Tombow, Dimensionals, Double sided tape

Little sweet pea - Inkspirations # 25

Hi everyone,

well finally today marks the return of regular programming!! I had a wonderful time at convention met so many people (still have so many to meet) but more about that in another post. Hopefully I will also be able to post my swaps this week so I'll give you a run down then. The end result was I came home, happy and tired and have spent all week playing catch up (well I guess that's what happens when Mum goes off to play for the weekend!).

Anyway I was really delighted to get back into creating (since for the previous few weeks I had been flat out just putting together my swaps. Some friends are expecting a baby boy imminently so I wanted to make a baby card for them, and luckily for me Keesh's Inkspiration challenge this week was a lovely sketch that was just perfect for what I had in mind. Here's the sketch.

And here is my card.

A side view to show the embossing

And the inside


As the Dad to be's profession is as a horticulturist I wanted to use something that referenced that - I had just the perfect stamp in mind for it. I started by stamping my pea pod image in Old Olive on Whisper White twice, one I cut out with the circle scissor plus, then cut mats for it in Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. The second pea pod I trimmed out, so I could mount it above the first, after I had added three blue buttons to be the "peas". The circle mats were adhered to a card base, that started first with Bashful Blue, then Certainly Celery and then retired Spring Break DSP. I stamped (Versamark and Old Olive) and embossed some lovely leafy sprigs on the DSP so they would pop out from beneath the circle mats. To finish off the card I added some Basful blue ribbon and the sentiment, white embossed on Certainly Celery. The final touch some blue buttons thread with Old Olive cardstock, which had the ends curled.

As usual I finished off the inside simply to match the front.
I was quite pleased with how it came out - so what do you think? Is it a good baby card?

Thanks for visiting I'll be back back again soon I hope!

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Baby Button Bits (PaperTrey Inc), Turning a New Leaf (PTI), Studio Style (PTI)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Versamark
Accessories: Circle Scissors Plus, Word Window punch, Clear and White Embossing powder, Spring Break DSP (R), Spring Rain buttons (PTI), Bashful Blue stitched grosgrain ribbon, Tombow, Dimensionals, double sided tape.

Cupcake anyone?

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the lack of post last week – I wish I could say I had been laying in the sun relaxing – which I wasn’t and I would only have gotten sunburnt if I had –so it’s just as well;) Since Makeesha Byl extended her last challenge deadline I decided to concentrate on the cards I was making for an upcoming workshop. The hostess, an old friend from my Miss 5’s playgroup asked for cards for tween boys, which I have interpreted as about 10ish to 14 may’be? I finally got some designs worked out but not before a comment on my first effort from my DH along the lines of “for a boy? – you’ve got to be joking!”

Today’s card is not for a tween boy! Since I’m still pressed for time I decided to try and combine two Aussie based challenges. First a sketch challenge from Makeesha Byl and a colour challenge from the Just Add Ink ladies. Details for both are below.

The bold colours weren’t too scary as I have been using a lot of Pink Passion plus Turquoise or Green Galore for my daughters age group already – although adding the Saffron in took some thought. The inclusion of Pink Passion in the colour palette definitely meant I was heading for a girl card. To get some inspiration I flicked through my stamp folder (I photocopy the labels sheets for all my stamps before I mount them and put them in a little ring binder – a fantastic idea I picked up a few years ago from Tracy Harp) and found the perfect stamp – and here’s the result.

I started with a Pink Passion base, layered that with Tempting Turquoise and then Whisper White that I had stamped with Polka Dots in Pink Passion. (I wanted to balance all the strong colours with lots of white). The central panel features a paper pieced cupcake, with a So Saffron button and hot pink rhinestone as its finishing touch – oh and glitter of course on all the little dots on the pink cupcake top. Some hot pink taffeta ribbon tied in a knot and the sentiment stamped in Turquoise finish off the panel. Like the base it was matted on Turquoise and Pink Passion. Some more texture and bling are added to the card with a horizontal border of Turquoise layered with scalloped and crimped Green Galore and then a lovely band of glitter. Up in the top right are two punched Saffron flowers finished off with large pink rhinestones.

The inside was just finished off simply to match.

Hope you like it – thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU unless otherwise noted
Stamps: A Little Bit of Birthday Cheer, Polka Dots, Baby Button Bits (PaperTrey Inc)
Cardstock: Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Green Galore
Ink: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion
Accessories: DSP – Kaleidoscope, Petals and Paisley (R), from Petal Party scrap kit, Button Latte, Spring Bouquet (R) and Scallop Edge punches, pink rhinestones (Kaiser), pink taffeta ribbon from local craft shop, crimper, Tombow multi, Stickey Strip, Two way Glue Pen, Double sided tape, SNAIL adhesive, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds.