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 28 - Just add a man card

Hi again,

welcome to my Just Add Ink DT post. The challenge this week is to just add masculine. But wait there's more - you also need to use a set colour combo, here it is.


My featured DT card was actually the second one I made for this challenge, my first one (which you can scroll down and see below) was a more sort of traditional male card kind of more targeted for my Dad. But then I started thinking I wanted to make something that reflected how my DH plays with the kids. They love attention, as any kids do and playing with Dad is definitely a highlight for them. So that was one starting point. The second inspiration point was a card posted by Dawn McVey way back in Dec 2009, however I can't link you to it as it has been removed from her blog for publication but perhaps you can take that as a sign that I do have good taste ;) Ok in Dawn's card she used horizontal strips of little repeated images to build the card and it looked really cute. Now I know I am rambling on and that is because I am a bit insecure about my end result but all of my lovely JAI colleagues assured me that it was good so I'm stomping on those insecurities and here is the card.


I started with a Baja Breeze base, cut A frame, stamped that with Polka Dots in Chocolate Chip. Then I cut three strips of cardstock, stamping a different repeating image on each. Since DH likes to play ball games with the kids I used the ones I found in Family Favourites - I would have liked to add a kite stamp though. Oh and one very important point I tailored the football to look like an Aussie Rules footy using a marker to ink up the stamp. You definiteIy don't want to get the wrong football on your hubbys fathers day card! I did have a little fun with the stamping trying to add some movement. The images were simply finished off with a little bit of colouring and some crystal effects on the cricket balls. The final touch is to add the D is for dad medallion. I used my Sizzex Timeless Type alphabet die (sooo love these) to cut a large D for Dad and then did some fiddly inking up of the b is for birthday stamp from Party Hearty to get my end result. The Kraft circle base was a 1 3/4 circle punch and I cut the choc chip mat using my Circle Scissors Plus. The inside I also finished off simply to match the front.

Now onto my orignal DT submission.

OK so here I started off again with a A frame Baja Breeze base. Then I added a mat of Chocolate Chip which was stamped with Sanded. This was layered with some Kraft DSP (from Urban Oasis). The edges of these two mats were distressed and also sponged with choc chip around the edges. I also added some piercing detail to the top and bottom of the Kraft DSP. Now for the image panel I started with Baja again, stamped that with Sanded, distressed and sponged the edges. I stamped and embossed the sentiment at the bottom, above that added a few loops of linen thread and above that the image. I inked up my tree stamp in Versamark, then in Chocolate Chip, and stamped on Kraft, then embossed with clear embossing powder. I distressed and sponged the edges of this, added a vintage brad to each corner and then mounted the image up on dimensionals above the Baja layer. The inside was finished off very simply to match.



Thanks so much for visiting, and please play along this week and link your manly creation back to Just Add Ink!



Kim


D is for Dad
Recipe: All SU!
Stamps: Party Hearty, Polka Dot, Family Favourites
Cardstocks: Baja Breeze, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Timeless Type alphabet dies, Circle Scissors Plus, 1 3/4 circle punch, Small Heart punch, Crystal effects, Aquapainter, Double sided tape, Dimensionals

Father's Day
Recipe: All SU!
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Sanded, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Rustic Ivory
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Versamark
Accessories: Urban Oasis DSP, Linen Thread, Vintage brads, Mat pack and piercing tool, Clear embossing powder, SNAIL adhesive, Double sided tape, Dimensionals

Rustic Daisy

Hi all,

well I'm back to post my challenge card this week. I was able to combine two great challenges again this week. The inspiration challenge set by Makeesha Byl and a sketch challenge from the Just Add Ink team.

Well the picture certainly set me on a path of thinking about brown tones, contrasted with some lighter details. After some pondering I decided on using Upsy Daisy and the emboss resist technique. Here's the result. (Weirdly the Choc Chip actually looks purple in this first shot).

Unfortunately in the first shot you can't see the embossing so here is a second shot to show you that.

And of course the inside, nice and simple I just stamped off Upsy Daisy laterally.

I started with a Very Vanilla base, I inked up Sanded with Soft Suede, stamped off once, and it was still quite dark on the Vanilla but I was happy with how it looked. It toned down the brightness of the base. For the main panel I started with a Soft Suede base. I wanted larger softer scallops (in contrast to the scallop border punch along the base of this so I used my corner rounder punch. Then for the feature panel I started by spritzing the Very Vanilla cardstock with Choc Chip and Close to Cocoa to get some speckle detail. Then inking up my Upsy Daisy stamp in Versamark I stamp it over the speckles. Then clear embossed it. Next I sponged Soft Suede alonge the bottom edge, lighter as I got further in. Next I used Choc Chip at the very top of the panel, lightening that the further I went down and layering it with Close to Cocoa. Once I was done with all the sponging, I capefully wiped any ink off the daisies. The embellishing detail for the main panel is a string of buttons, that are all tied and knotted together with the same embroidery thread, then Tombowed in place. The main image panel was mounted up on dimensionals. Lastly the sentiment was stamped (in Suede) on the base Very Vanilla layer, in a word window shaped ink free space (made by stamping the background over a temporarily adhered word window punched shape).

Hope you like it more than my beloved Miss 5 who said it wasn't "pretty" and that I had used "yucky" colours! Luckily enough I have a somewhat different opinion of the end result :)

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Trendy Trees, Sanded
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Ink: Soft Suede, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Versamark
Accessories: Colour spritzer tool, Corner rounder punch, buttons (local craft shop), vanilla embroidery thread. Tombow, sponges, Clear embossing powder, Heat Gun, Dimensionals, Double sided tape, SNAIL adhesive.

Incy Wincy Spider

Hi all,

I tried to find the time this week to squeeze in writing up another post. This time for one of the cards I made for a recent workshop. The hostess asked for cards for tween boys – I figured that meant from about 10 to 14 years old may’be. Ironically this is the latest of the cards I’ve made with sweet treats but the first one I’ve managed to post! Here’s the card.

I used Pumpkin Pie as the base cut A frame, then layered it with Basic Black, then Whisper White, stamped with Sanded in Pumpkin Pie. I figured the scratchy distressed look wasn’t a bad match for spiderweb. The sweet treat cup of course is the spiders body. Punching the centred, 1 ¾ circle as far up into the bottom of the white and black layers left just enough room to add in spidey’s head. Made using a circle and oval punches (for his mouth), and of course the goggly eyes. His legs we done in a flash using the photo corner punch, borrowed from my lovely friend and upline Sam – thanks Sam. To make the web he is dangling from I used the scallop border punch – it is a bit fiddly but as long as your starting strip of cardstock is thin enough (I used 5/8 of an inch) and you offset the second side you end up with ric rac.

To access the goodies inside, I made a little trap door accessable from the inside of the card – all in Pumpkin Pie so it blends in. The inside was decorated with another spider using punches again.

He was lots of fun to make and all the ladies loved him and the choc orange lollies inside – not sure how many of those would have made to a “tween” though ;).

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU

Stamps: Sanded, A Little Birthday Cheer

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

Accessories: Sweet Treat cup, circle punches (1 3/4, 1, 3/4, 1/8 inches), 2 inch cut with circle scissor plus for trapdoor, word window punch as the latch, scallop border punch, large and small oval punches, photo corners punch, goggly eyes, SNAIL adhesive, Tombow, dimensionals.

Beach Time

Hi there,

Well its that time of the week – I’m posting my entry for Makeesha’s challenge. This week it was a sketch.


It’s a great sketch and I couldn’t resist using one of my newest stamp sets and doing something a little fun with it.

I decided to make the big circle element the sun, well the sun setting over a sea scene with the happy holiday makers on their way home. The base of the card is Soft Sky (from my retired stash) that I stamped with Sanded (stamped off once). I used my small oval punch to make the waves on the Baja and Pacific Point layers and also for the suns rays. Both wave strips were stamped with Sanded stamped off once, in the appropriate ink colour. Then I paper pierced just below the edges of the “waves” and the suns rays. For the beach and the sea bottom I used strips of Sahara and rolled my Sandy Shells wheel over then tore the upper edges. I stamped the car twice, once direct onto the central circle element and then again. Once this second one was coloured I paper toiled it out and mounted it on dimensionals above the first image. To colour the car and the fish I used my aquapainter and ink from the lids of the ink pads. The last touch was a little beach flag for the bottom corner. Oh and then I used coated the surfboard, car windows and wheels and all the fish eyes with crystal effects. The most appropriate sentiment I could think of for the scene was Holiday Happiness.

Wishing you all a good day and some stamping

Recipe: (All SU unless other wise noted)
Stamps: Just Beachy, Sanded, Sandy Shells, So Many Sayings
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Summer Sun, Tangerine Tango
Ink: Sahara Sand, Summer Sun, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Soft Sky, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Circle nestabilities, Piercing tool, Small oval punch, Crystal effects, Striped pumpkin pie ribbon, dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive

Party Time Part Two

Hi all,

Well in this post I want to show you the second make and take card from my first workshop. Since I showcased Pink Pirouette and Riding Hood Red and the eyelet punch in the first card, for my second I decided to go with Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze and the scallop edge punch.

As you can see I made two colour variations again, the Riding Hood Red/ Kiwi Kiss was my original concept but since I wanted to use different in colour I went with the Kiwi/Baja version. Using the scallop edge punch to make “frame” was an idea I first saw on Ngaire Anderson's blog, but rather than making it a complete frame I left one end open so I could tie the bottom of the card in to the top. I could never find again the blog where I first saw Bloom Away stamped in a monochrome format but not long after Marelle Taylor also posted some monochrome stamped images on here blog here.

So details, well the base card is stamped with Sanded, it provides a great backdrop to Bloom Away. Then I’ve placed a layer of white between the Kiwi and Baja to accentuate the frame and divide the colours. The Bloom Away waratah was stamped in Kiwi (twice but one is for the inside) then cut out. That is mounted on dimensionals on a Kiwi panel with rounded corners. A knotted Kiwi striped grosgrain ribbon separates the image and sentiment. The sentiment is framed and mounted on another strip of Kiwi cardstock, the ends of which have been round off using the 3/4" circle punch. Finishing touches include piercing the scallops and the bottom edge of the Baja layer and adding silver brads to the two upper corners.

Recipe (Card one)
Stamps: Sanded, Bloom Away, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Whisper White
Ink: Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Scallop edge punch, Corner rounder punch, Word window and 3/4" circle punch, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon, silver brads, mat pack and piercing tool, dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.

Recipe (Card two)
Stamps: Sanded, Bloom Away, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red and Whisper White
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Scallop edge punch, Corner rounder punch, Word window and 3/4" circle punch, Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon, silver brads, mat pack and piercing tool, dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.

The Starry Sea and Message in a Bottle

Hi there,
well when I first saw the sketch for this weeks challenge from Makeesha - I broke out in a sweat - I kid you not. What was I going to do with this! Here's the sketch so you can see what I mean.

It was seriously challenging, yes I know that is the point! Tag, luggage tags, windows all flashed before my eyes and then for some strange reason I thought "hey the central element could be a bottle". Next step from there was what goes in bottle - ships and messages of course!! Now I really did not mean to do two cards this week, but I just had to follow the two ideas up, and well this month I am really just concentrating on Keesh's challenges. So my "official" card is the one below but keep going if you want to see my second idea for the sketch.

Well the family friend who was expecting a baby had a boy, so I needed another baby card so I decided to use my ship in a bottle idea for this one. The Baja base is double layered, so the two silver brads don't show through to the inside, the top Baja layer was clear embossed with the Classic Stars wheel, and I also embossed stamping first with white craft ink and then using white embossing powder, the star, ship and sentiment from Nursery Necessities. The star and ship are raised up on dimensionals and so is the DSP sail. I created the waves by using the small oval punch on an angle, once that was SNAILed on to the Baja layer I paper pierced the wave pattern. The create the thread at the top of the bottle, I used my bone folder and the track on my cutter, then used a gel pen to highlight the thread, wiping most of it back with a slightly damp cloth. Some ribbon finishes it off. Now, here is card two.

Ok, well card two is my version of a message in a bottle. Once again the base layer (Sahara) is double layered so that the brass brads won't show through to the inside). I stamped that with Sanded in Sahara, the message is En Francais stamped in Not Quite Navy onto Confetti White, then scrunched up a bit and the top corner rolled over and stuck down with glue dots. Behind the bottle I white embossed (most of) the Something Fishy wheel onto Not Quite Navy, used the small oval punch again to create waves, paper pierced just below the waves and then layered that onto a Confetti layer. A white embossed sentiment (I figured if you're stuck on an island and putting a message in a bottle you are certainly thinking of someone!), a Sahara "cork" and some hemp twine finish it off. Hope you liked them :)

To finish once again big thanks go to Sam, who I borrowed more stuff from. Ta!!
I also want to say a special hello to Keesh who has sent me over an award - thanks lovely lady:)

To check out the other design team creations click on the links below.
Karen
Cindy
Renee
Kirsty
Amy

Recipe: (All SU unless otherwise noted)
"Starry Seas"
Stamps:Nursery Necessities, Classic Stars
Card Stock: Baja Breeze,Basic Grey, Whisper White
Ink: White Craft, Versamark, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Urban Garden DSP, Silver hodgepodge, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, white and clear embossing powder, white gel pen, Corner Rounder punch, Small Oval punch and small Star punch, Piercing tool and mat pack, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, double sided tape.

"Message in a Bottle"
Stamps: En Francais, Sanded, Something Fishy
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Confetti White, Not Quite Navy
Ink: White Craft, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: White embossing powder, Brass Bo Bunny brads, Corner Rounder punch, Small Oval punch, Piercing tool and mat pack, hemp twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, double sided tape.

Mellow Pink Banksia

Hi there,

well things have been quiet lately, on my blog, not at home. Home has resounded with the coughing of my little Miss 4 every night, several times a night, and now me, plus I have viral conjunctavitis - oh joy - NOT. But despite the odds I have managed to make one card this week and its a Mother's day card for my MIL. I decided to use the latest Mojo Monday sketch and combine it with a pink dominated colour scheme. My MIL is very fond of pink. Here's the sketch.

So having settled on a Regal Rose, Mellow Moss and Pretty in Pink combo. I set to work. I decided to use another of the Aussie native flowers in the new Bloom Away set - the Banksia, and I wanted to frame it in something subtle but lush - so I tried stamping my (new) Floral background stamp and it was perfect for the effect I was looking for. Immediately behind the stamped Banksia I wanted something much more sparse and restrained so it wouldn't draw attention away from the flower - so I used Sanded. The flower itself I coloured using markers and then I used my aquapainter to smooth and blur the colours. Some distressing, pierced borders and punch work finish it off.

(Edited to add - card is 12 x 12 cm).

The next ordeal was to photograph it, it is blowing a freezing gale here today, so the card got blown down into the garden beds quite a few times as I tried to set up shots. I strongly advise anyone coming along to the Aussie convention here in Canberra next weekend to bring LOTS of warm clothes. Anyway here is the card.

Recipe: (All SU unless noted otherwise)
Stamps: Bloom Away, Floral, Sanded, unbranded Mothers Day sentiment
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, Going Gray, Always Artichoke, Rose Red
Accessories: Scallop edge punch, Word Window punch, Corner Rounder, narrow Mellow Moss grosgrain ribbon, Pink Bo Bunny brads, large Filigree brad, small Fire rhinestone, mat pack and piercing tool, aquapainter, Cutter kit, sponge, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive

Mothers day Waratah

Hi there,

well this has ended up being my first set inked up from my new catty order - and I have been enjoying it. I knew I wanted to use one of the flowers (the set is in the new Australian catalogue) for my Mum's mother's day card. But was feeling a bit lost as to how to go about the layout - I was thinking circles but I didn't have my circle nesties yet (that was just remedied today - yippee - how pleased was I to received that package - thanks to Bizzy Bec for that).

Anyway back to the card - luckily enough the new Mojo Monday sketch was perfect. So here's the sketch.

I wanted to go with colours that came from our Aussie environment (earthy) but at the same time were brightish. So settled on Ruby Red and Old Olive as the main two. I first coloured my Waratah flower in with markers, - Cameo Coral, Ruby Red and added dark lights with Bravo Burgundy. Then the leaves, first with Old Olive then added accents of Always Artichoke. It was then blended and water coloured using my aquapainter. I actually did this twice - once on the base image, outlining it with Going Gray and then again for the paper toiled Waratah that is sitting up on dimensionals. In lieu of a ribbon at the bottom I crimped a strip of Ruby Red and added a large filigree brad (which I love!!) and finally stamped Mum in Basic Black straight onto the Old Olive layer. A couple of extra details - silver brads and a scalloped bottom edge and its all done. So here it is finally...

The inside was simply finished off with a strip of DSP layered over a scalloped Old Olive strip.

Recipe: (All SU unless specified)
Stamps:Bloom Away, Whimsical Alphabet Lower, Sanded
Card Stock: Ruby Red, Old Olive and water colour paper
Ink: Old Olive, Basic Black, (Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Going Gray markers)
Accessories: Crimper, Aquapainter, large Filigree brad, silver brads, Ginger Blossom DSP, Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, sticky strip