Friday, March 15, 2024

Just Add Ink #693 - Just Choose Two

Welcome to another Just Add Ink challenge. This week it's a choose two option, with your choices between

Here in the southern hemisphere March heralds the beginning of my favourite season of the year, autumn. Recently I noticed that one of my nearby neighbours had a crop of beautiful yellow sunflowers in their front yard and the cheerful, happy 'faces' not only made me smile but also inspired my card featuring autumn colours and sunflowers, with my 'choose two' options being squares and circles. 

For my background I did some ink blending with oxides and after dry embossing, inked over the raised areas with another oxide. To preserve the vividacity of the colours I smooshed some distress micro glaze over everything. My window frame got some distressing treatment and ink, then I added the sunflowers (which were already made up in my stash) and attached them all to my background. I made some little bunches of sisal threads and added those, splattered with vanilla and gold paints and lastly added a sentiment. 


Materials used:
  • card - blackberry bliss, very vanilla, basic white (Stampin' Up)
  • distress oxide inks - fossilized amber, ripe persimmon, candied apple, seedless preserves
  • other Tim Holtz products - baseboard window frame, ground espresso archival ink, metallic sticker, blending tool, micro glaze
  • other - floating foliage 3D embossing folder (Altenew), sunflower dies (Simon Says Stamp), Big Shot, fan brush, Dimensionals, craft foam, sisal thread, distressing tool, sanding block, sponge dauber, blending brushes, stitched rectangle die

There are more cards to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog. I do hope you'll join us and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The Card Concept #205 - Spring Has Sprung


While we look forward to cooler temps here in Australia, the northern hemisphere is warming up and loving all the beauty nature brings with it in Spring. Spring Has Sprung is the theme for this month's inspiration challenge at The Card Concept and what a beautifully sweet mood board we have for you.

The birds, florals and colours all inspired my shaped layered card.


There are three layers of the 'hello' die for depth and I cut the little bird from the reverse side of the DSP to perch there. It's the perfect size and isn't it adorable? This card is 14cm tall and just 10.5cm at its widest point, so fits in a regular C6 envelope. 

I repeated some of the papers on the inside and left space for a handwritten message.


Materials used:
  • card - boho blue, basic white, Flight & Airy DSP (all Stampin' Up)
  • dies - hello script (stash), Bird House A2 cardbase (Honey Bee Stamps), Essential Arches (Spellbinder)
  • other - Big Shot, blending brushes, Dimensionals, sponge dauber

Check out what my fellow team members have created to inspire you over on The Card Concept blog, and thanks so much for stopping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Friday, March 8, 2024

Just Add Ink #692 - Just Add a Sketch

Hey stampers, it's time for another Just Add Ink challenge and this week we have a great sketch:


I've used a movie theme for my card - my family are all avid movie watchers and elder DD and her partner especially are fabulous at movie trivia. As a new mum, she's also enjoying the Mums and Bubs sessions at her local cinema.



And on the inside I put a pocket just perfect for a movie gift card.


Materials used:
  • card - basic white, basic black, real red, gold foil, starry sky (Stampin' Up), Silverscreen papers (Nitwit Collections)
  • dies - Movie Icons (My Favorite Things), stars thinlits (Stampin' Up)
  • other - Copic markers, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Gardenia Filmstrip Frames (49andMarket)

What would you make with this sketch? We'd love to see your creations in our gallery. You can check out more ideas to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kerry


Saturday, March 2, 2024

Wishing You Luck

Can you believe March is here already? Yikes!

On the plus side, the March challenge over at Simply Clean & Simple to make a CAS card with an optional additional theme of 'Green' did spark an idea ... 


Plenty of ink smooshing to keep me happy here, lol, for both the background and die-cut lettering, which is three layers for depth. 

Materials used:
  • stamps - Bitty Buzzwords: Seasons (Honey Bee Stamps)
  • card - kraft, watercolour
  • dies - Bold Text 2, Tailored (Tim Holtz), Curio: Spring findings (The Greetery), stitched rectangle (Paper Rose)
  • distress oxide inks - mowed lawn, rustic wilderness, spiced marmalade, ripe persimmon
  • other - Big Shot, MISTI, crackling campfire archival ink, water spritzer, heat tool, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, clear sequins, mini glue dots

Hope you get some crafting in your day! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Best Birthday


I was lucky enough to be picked as Featured Artist for the Color Throwdown challenge #780 (see my entry in this post), so this week I'm Guest Star Stamper and just take a look at this gorgeous combo!


As soon as I saw the palette I couldn't wait to sit and play - here's how my card ended up:


It gave me the opportunity to play with this new-to-me die set and I sure did have a lot of fun colouring and assembling. The largest rose has 8 layers (eight!) but they all come together very easily. I cut two layers of a fine border to add to the arch and love the subtle flourishes on the paper I used behind it. 

Materials used:
  • stamps - Tiny Words Birthday (Simon Says Stamp)
  • card - merry merlot, basic white, retired SDSP (Stampin' Up)
  • Copic markers - R81, R83, R85, T1, T2, T4, YG63, YG67
  • dies - Lovely Layers: Sweetheart Roses (Honey Bee Stamps), Essential Arches (Spellbinders)
  • other - Big Shot, MISTI, Versmark ink, white embossing powder, heat tool, Dimensionals, gems

I hope you'll get the chance to play along. Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kerry

Friday, February 23, 2024

Just Add Ink #690 - Just Add a Fancy Fold

It's time to shake up your regular cards a little with this week's Just Add Ink challenge to ...

My choice is a centre-step card with an Easter theme. I spent about three hours die cutting, colouring and assembling this card and I am so happy with the result. (And speaking of Easter, some supermarkets had hot cross buns on their shelves on new year's day! Not that I mind, I could eat those all year long, lol, but what the heck!) 


Materials used:

  • card - green, white, beige, vellum
  • dies - Bunny Games Colorize and Potted 2 (Tim Holtz), Nesting Eggs (Waffle Flower), Happy Easter (stash), Center Step and Center Step Layers (Our Daily Bread Designs), clouds (retired Stampin' Up)
  • distress oxide inks - squeezed lemonade, saltwater taffy, shaded lilac, speckled egg, bundled sage, antique linen, brushed corduroy
  • other - Big Shot, blending brushes, basket weave embossing folder (We R Memory Keepers), R20, Y13 and T10 Copic markers, sponge dauber, crumb cake ink (SU), mounting tape, water spritzer
  • eggy hot air balloon idea inspired by Debi Adams

I began with the bunnies, cutting them from crumb cake card with the smaller pieces cut from white and coloured with markers. Once they were assembled I worked on the basket, cutting a tall pot from the Potted 2 die and trimming it down. After colouring it, I embossed with basket weave - so pleased how that turned out - and sponged a little more colour over the raised areas. Next I worked on the egg "balloons", cutting everything from white card then colouring some with a soft rainbow of oxide inks. Getting the "ropes" attached was a daunting task and I'm sure there's realistic inaccuracies, but I'm pleading artistic licence on that! The tall "balloon" at the back has a piece of thick window sheet behind it to help with structural integrity and give me more to adhere it with. The centres of the daisies were also coloured with markers while the sentiment was coloured with ink to match the bunting. The vellum clouds were my final touch, which give those side panels a purpose, lol. 

Do pop over to the Just Add Ink blog to check out more fancy fold cards to inspire you, and I hope to see your own creations in our gallery.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Friday, February 16, 2024

Best Friends

I was chatting with my bestie earlier today, telling her I had tidying to do in my craft room. Her response was to tell me to remind myself, 'it's tidy time, not play time'. A couple of hours later ... a die I was "tidying" caught my eye and gave me an idea for a card for the Color Throwdown challenge this week. 


I might have sat down to play...


You can see why I was distracted, can't you? Red challenge, red cardinals - well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! She will still give me grief for it though, lol. 

I cut two layers for the branch and darkened it a little with ink so it would stand out from the background. I also cut two of each bird so I could cut the wing separate and give it dimension. The birds were edged with ink and I used markers to colour the faces and beaks with a dot of white gel pen for the eyes. 

Materials used:
  • card - distress kraft heavystock (Ranger), real red, basic white (Stampin' Up)
  • dies - Cardinals and Birdhouse (Cottage Cutz)
  • other - picket fence distress ink, Dimensionals, craft foam, white gel pen, alcohol markers, blending tool, Wordies sentiment sheets - Friendship (Creative Expressions)

Thanks for dropping by!

Cheers
Kerry

Just Add Ink #689 - Colour Combo

Are you ready for another card challenge? It's not my week at Just Add Ink but it's a gorgeous colour combo and you know how difficult I find those to resist, lol. Here's the swatch:

I've added touches of gold to the palette for my card.

As usual, I've done multiple layers of the sentiment die for depth. I love how the white pops against that gorgeous swirling background of rich colour.

Materials used:
  • card - basic white, gold metallic, glossy photo paper
  • dies - layered hummingbird (Simon Says Stamp), hello (stash)
  • other - Big Shot, computer and printer, Dimensionals, gold pearl, craft foam, metallic sticker (Tim Holtz), alcohol ink background (Etsy)

There's lots more to inspire on the Just Add Ink blog, so head on over and take a look. We'd love to see your own creation in our gallery this week.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Thursday, February 15, 2024

The Card Concept #204 - Winter Warmth

We've a brand new monthly challenge and inspiration pic for you at The Card Concept, this one entitled Winter Warmth.


There's certainly plenty of warmth going on around here, as February is the hottest month of summer for us. This week we've had more than one day of 37degC (98.6degF) temps so I am most definitely looking forward to the cooler days of autumn not far away (hopefully!).

The animal, trees and colours on the rug gave me an outdoorsy/nature vibe, which became the inspiration for my mixed media card. 


Curvy Girl was stamped on my background piece of watercolour card first then I sponged the clouds, sky and ground around her, and stamped her again on another piece of card. She was watercoloured using distress inks and after some fussy cutting attached to the background.

Materials used:
  • stamps - Curvy Girl Loves to Hike (Stamping Bella), Spectacular Adventures (Altenew)
  • card - pecan pie (Stampin' Up), watercolour, Happy Camper plaid paper (Etsy)
  • distress inks - bundled sage, peeled paint, forest moss, stormy sky, spiced marmalade, wild honey, tea dye, rusty hinge, brushed corduroy, pumice stone, vintage photo
  • dies - alphanumeric tiny type lower (Tim Holtz)
  • other - water brush, mini cloud stencil (My Favorite Things), blending brushes, Sidekick, MISTI, vintage photo embossing glaze, heat tool, black archival ink

Hopefully some aspect of the inspiration picture and/or colour palette will make you want to create. If so, do share it with us on The Card Concept blog and don't forget to check out all the cards made by my fellow design team members.

Thanks for hiking by.

Cheers
Kerry

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Nature's Bounty

The theme over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge to TIE IT UP (ie use twine/ribbon/etc) inspired me to create this morning and as I was in a mixed media mood, I made a layered collage-style card with a nature theme.

I used papers and elements from 49andMarket's Curator's Meadow collection for my background, sponging edges with oxide ink. I replaced the white string on the tags with a twine that fit better and layered them up. The 'stamps' are washi tape from the collection, adhered to white, while the leafy branch is die-cut and coloured with more oxides. My nest is a cheap craft one cut down as it was too large and I painted some tiny eggs, hot gluing them all to my card. The last step, as always - cos this is me and mixed media, after all (lol) - was paint splatters.

Materials used:
  • papers, tags, washi tape, ephemera - Curator's Meadow collection (49andMarket)
  • card - crumb cake, basic white (Stampin' Up), watercolour
  • distress oxide inks - walnut stain, peeled paint, forest moss
  • distress paint - antique linen, walnut stain
  • other - Dimensionals, blending brushes, sponge dauber, craft foam, tiny eggs (Tim Holtz Idea-ology), Easter mini nest (Anko), hot glue gun, Big Shot, twine, splat box, fanbrush, magnolia leaf branch die (Memory Box)

Hope you're getting some creative time too! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Friday, February 9, 2024

Just Add Ink #688 - Just Choose Two

Time for another challenge with Just Add Ink and this week we've a Choose Two option. The choices are


Sequins made me think shaker cards and as I don't recall making one before, thought it was past time I gave it a go - everyone loves a shakety-shake card, don't they? 


I die-cut the polaroid frame first, cutting two because I thought those narrow sides needed a bit more strength, and I sandwiched my piece of transparency between them. I cut a piece of white card to match for my background, using oxide inks and a stencil to create the underwater scene. Next I stamped a number of turtles, seaweed and starfish and coloured them using Copics. Originally I'd planned for the sentiment to be stamped on the frame but it didn't fit, lol, so I had to adapt which turtles I used and where I put them. Just as I had everything ready to assemble, I dropped my frame on a black ink pad! So yeah, I cut a third and stuck it over the top - it's nice and strong now, lol. I've used a mix of clear and aqua sequins and bits for the shakety-shake. Love 'em!

Materials used:
  • stamps - Turtley Amazing (Pink and Main)
  • card - basic white, Bermuda bay (Stampin' Up), transparency/acetate
  • dies - On Film framelits (SU retired)
  • other - Seabed 3D embossing folder (SU), Big Shot, blending brushes, Ray of Light stencil (My Favorite Things), Copic markers, MISTI, thick white baker's twine, mounting strips, craft foam, Big Shot, clear sequins, Sea Level Sparkletz (Buttons Galore & More), Dimensionals, salvaged patina and peacock feathers distress oxide inks, water spritzer

Tip: After fussy-cutting the turtles and seaweed, I edged them with an aqua marker so there'd be no white edges showing up against the background. 

Check out which "two" my fellow team mates chose over on the Just Add Ink blog and as always, we'd love it if you joined the challenge.

Thanks for swimming by!

Cheers
Kerry

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

It's a Blackout!

For something just a wee bit different, today's card features a new-to-me technique called Blackout Embossing.  

I did encounter a problem straight away though - and that is most of my 3D embossing folders are texture patterns like brick, timber, weaving, etc, rather than a focal image. So I settled on Tim Holtz's gorgeous poinsettia and decided to use some non-Christmassy colours to hopefully make it look like just any old flower, lol. 


The technique is you emboss, then ink inside the debossed portion of the image (in this instance, flowers and leaves). Once that's done, use direct-to-paper with a dark coloured ink pad, in my case black. You have to be fairly lighthanded so it doesn't get in too much of the debossed areas but I must admit to also using a sponge applicator when my direct-to-paper didn't give me quite as much coverage as I wanted. I absolutely love that I ended up with this slightly patchy effect - it has so much more texture and character than an all-over smooth finish would have. I paired it with a gold foil die-cut sentiment and some gilded gems.

The end result is what I term a bit 'arty-farty' lol, but I rather like it. It's not grungy nor is it clean - kind of an in-between - and makes me think of a burned wood etching for some reason. I'd love to hear what you think.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Friday, February 2, 2024

Easter Cutie

I have a sweet Easter card for you today - I know, you're thinking, "What! It's too early for Easter stuff!" but as my local supermarket had hot cross buns in store on New Year's Day (I kid you not!) it put me in the mood, what can I say? 😁 Also, when I looked at my Easter themed dies, it was pretty hard to resist this newly-hatched cutie, lol. 


The die cuts were coloured with Copic markers, while I sponged some ink around the edges of the tag and sewed a border on the gingham backing paper after distressing the edges a little. 

Materials used:
  • stamps - Itty Bitty Greetings (Stampin' Up)
  • card - pool party, basic white, retired gingham DSP
  • dies - Chick with Egg (A Pocket Full of Happiness), Bunny Games (Tim Holtz)
  • other - Copic markers, Big Shot, Dimensionals, mounting tape, sewing machine and thread, blending brush, pool party ink, MISTI, clear sequins, mini glue dots

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kerry

Friday, January 26, 2024

Just Add Ink #686 - Just Add Inspiration


It's time to get this party started with an inspiration challenge from Just Add Ink! Here's our image:


The first thing I thought of when I saw this was the 'Put the lime in the coconut' scene from the movie Practical Magic - anyone else's mind go there? Such a fun way to enjoy a margarita, lol.

I took the blue sky and palm leaves, as well as the general tropical vibe, as inspiration for my Hello, Sunshine card.


I cut plenty of flowers and leaves then coloured with inks and played with an arrangement until I was happy with it. The sentiment is three layers, the top one inked to match the frangipanis. On my background I embossed with leaves and sponged some matching ink around the edges, as well as around the edges of the die-cut piece the sentiment sits on. The flowers and monstera leaves were shaped before being attached.

Materials used:
  • card - basic white, starry sky (Stampin' Up)
  • dies - Hello, Sunshine (CZ Designs), Countryside Corners (SU), Tropical (Tim Holtz)
  • distress inks - twisted citron, mowed lawn, picked raspberry, candied apple, mustard seed, saltwater taffy, peacock feathers, wilted violet
  • other - starry sky ink (SU), floating foliage 3D embossing folder (Altenew), Big Shot, Dimensionals, shaping mat and tools, blending brushes, mounting tape

What comes to mind when you look at our inspiration pic? See what my team mates thought of over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for dropping by.

Aloha!
Kerry

Friday, January 19, 2024

Just Add Ink #685 - Blog Hop


Welcome to the 2024 Just Add Ink Blog Hop! We always begin our crafting year with a blog hop to inspire you and this year the chosen theme is FLOWERS. Here's my offering:


I wanted vibrant summer flowers for my card, so watercoloured using markers then attached them to a black background to really make them pop. The background was distressed and embossed, then I ran my finger over random areas with a light touch of gold wax to highlight the pattern and accentuate the distressed effect. A heat-embossed sentiment and some clear sequins were my finishing touches.

Materials used:

  • stamps - Celebrate Sunflowers (Stampin' Up)
  • card - watercolour, black
  • dies - Into the Blooms: Iris (Papertrey Ink) 
  • other - Dimensionals, Big Shot, water brush, Zig Clean Color brush markers, distressed tile embossing folder (SU), gold embossing powder, heat tool, MISTI, vintage gold metallique wax (Art Alchemy), craft foam, clear sequins

Happy flower gathering! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kerry

The link below will take you to the next blog on our hop, which is Kim. Be sure to leave everyone some comment love as you browse through the hop - there are 13 stops altogether. If you get stuck at any point, the list and links of all participants is on the Just Add Ink blog here.