JAI 55 - just add love

Hi there,

well welcome back for a new Just Add Ink challenge. This week we would like you to Just Add Love. Now this could mean a valentines card or a wedding card - you get the idea :) I decided to go with a broad valentines interpretation, I have kind of gathered from US blogs that giving cards to friends for valentines is (quite?) common so I have made a present for a dear friend - Sam. It is for a rather special occaision as she just added a new baby to her family. (You can see Sam's post here). Now a new baby is definitely an occaision (of love) to celebrate but I figure, especially since this is the third in the family, that Mum deserves something special too. I wanted a mix of something edible but also something to last - and then something to package it all in. So this is what I made.




For the something to package it all in - a woven basket. You can find the tutorial here on Splitcoasters. I pulled out a sheet of Bella Rose DSP as it just the right colours. Following the instructions I cut my sheet up into different width stripes and started weaving - it was a little fiddly but really not too bad. In the end I think I finished my basket a couple of rows shorter than the tutorial recommended. I secured in the ribbon handles with brads and covered the rim over with a striped of textured Riding Hood Red, with a Scallop Trim border for the outside. I also tied on a little strawberry tag so I can write a little message.

The something edible was some yummy chocolates that I know Sam likes :)

Now the something to keep are some felt strawberries filled with lavender which you can pop into a draw or hang off a clothes hanger. Now had some lovely wool felt at home in red and green, so I had a look on the web for strawberry templates and found this link to a Martha Stewart tutorial on making a felt/material strawberry pin cushion. So I pinned my template to the felt and cut it out. I made two different green tops, one was using the provided template, for the other I punched a 5 petal flower out of paper and used that as a guide (cut with a generous border) for a different shaped top (I actually liked it better). OK next I had to google knot stitch - then I used white embroidery thread to add little knots over the red strawberries. I used my sewing machine to stitch up the side of the strawberries gathered the tops together then firmly filled with dried lavender and stitch almost closed. Then I stitched on the green felt tops using slip stitch (google again). The last thing was to add a loop of ribbon so the strawberries can be hung off a clothes hanger. They did take some time to make but I have got to say I enjoyed doing it :)

Thanks for visiting and perhaps you can Just Add some Love this week too!

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Tart and Tangy
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red (plain and textured), Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Bella Rose DSP (R), Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon (R), Certainly Celery and Old Olive 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Pure Poppy and Simply Chartreuse felt (PaperTrey Inc), 5 Petal flower punch, 1 3/4" , 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop circle punch, Silver cord (R), Tombow, Sticky Strip, dried Lavender

Just Add Ink 52 - Just add a sketch

Hello there,

Hope you all had a good week. I’m wrapping mine up with a half day today as we have some family coming to visit, my Mum and Dad, as you can imagine the kids are very excited about their grandparents visiting even though they only saw them about 3 weeks ago. (Smile – Don’t you just love how excited they get about everything - it makes living so joyful!).

Ok onto the new Just Add Ink challenge – this week we have a sketch for you. Here it is.

From the very beginning something about this sketch said “bag or pocket” to me. But I ignored it for quite a while only converting my card to a pocket card literally as I was sticking it all together! I also dug through my retired DSP stash and pulled out some lovely old bright springy type paper. So here it is.

With the insert pulled out (urk - sorry about the colour tones in this one)


I started by flipping the sketch upside down and then since I had settled on using some of the Petals and Paisleys DSP I started with a Pretty in Pink base (originally cut as a horizontal card – I just chopped off the back when I converted it to a pocket), layered that with some Tempting Turquoise. Layered some DSP at the top, and stamped matching flowers on the bottom. I used a Martha Stewart border punch to create the top of the pocket and used my Top Note die, to cut more DSP that was added to the bottom. To embellish that I added a die cut felt flower and some Pretty in Pink wide grosgrain ribbon. Having decided to make the card into a pocket I needed an insert for a message, so I cut some more DSP and Whisper White with the Top Note die, SNAILed them together and folded it in half. That slipped into the pocket and even echoes the border and bottom top note curves – magic!!

My Miss almost Six (we are on a countdown at the moment – every morning it’s how days till my birthday Mum!) thought this was pretty good (smile again) so it’s another card I can add to my birthday party stash!

Thanks for visiting,

Kim

Recipe: All SU! unless otherwise noted

Stamps: Polka Dot and Petals (R), Short and Sweet

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White

Ink: Regal Rose, Fresh Snow (PaperTrey Inc)

Accessories: Petals and Paisleys DSP, Top Note die, Border punch (Martha Stewart), Corner Rounder punch, Word Window punch, Felt, Ice Rhinestone, Filigree brad, Sticky Strip, Double sided tape (X Press), SNAIL adhesive