Goodbye Artistic for JAI #702

 

Happy Friday and welcome to you! I hope that you've had a great week and are ready for a weekend at hopefully a slightly slower pace and perhaps some crafting too. I know that I am definitely ready for a bit of a rest and have a couple of crafting projects on my "urgent" list yet. 

This week at Just Add Ink we have this cute and fabulous sketch by the lovely Lou Kitzelman to spark your creativity. Sketches are great as you can add images following the sketch layout and it's one less design choice to have to make. Our design team had fun with this which you will see if you can pop on over to the JAI blog and I hope that you will join us for this challenge!

For my card, I chose to use a retiring favourite stamp bundle - Artistically Inked. The DSP that came with this set when originally launched was very special too as had an alcohol ink appearance. The main floral image fits the sketch here though and so I chose to use it to say goodbye to this set. At least for now.

I added the die cut stitched squares directly to the DSP layer and then looped a length of Linen Thread around the outside to further link these squares together and only then added the stamped images.
This year it was a fabulous surprise to welcome back a long retired favourite colour - Pretty In Pink. It is so nice to have some soft pinks back on the colour list.

To create the stitched sentiment panel, I first stamped the sentiment in Versamark Ink and embossed it using White Embossing Powder. Then I used a rectangle die that is as wide as I wanted and cut close to one edge of the sentiment, and then ran this through the die cutting machine again, this time using the other side of the die to cut the same distance from the other side of the sentiment.

Card stock: Pretty in Pink, Basic White, Basic Black

Designer Series Paper: Expressions In Ink (retired)

Inks: Pretty In Pink, Lemon Lime Twist, Shaded Spruce, versamark

Stamps: Artistically Inked

Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Stitched Shapes Dies, Stitched Rectangle DiesArtistic Dies, Gold Faceted Gems, Metallic Sequins, Linen thread

Thanks for stopping by! I hope that you can pop on over to Just Add Ink and I look forward to what you might make for this challenge too!

'Til next time,

Jan

Graduation Card for Funky Folds Blog Hop

Welcome to the third Funky Fold Blog Hop!

We are a group of like-minded paper crafters who love to make cards with funky folds. Funky actually means "modern and stylish in an unconventional way"... so we are featuring cards that are not your usual rectangle / square portrait or landscape style. Think 'easel', 'pop up', 'gatefold', 'Z fold', shaped or 3 D cards etc. The list is endless.

You may have come from Rochelle Laird-Smith and her wonderful project or you may be starting here.
I hope that you are inspired by all of our creations to try a Funky Fold yourself!

My Funky Fold card is a little twist on the Diamond Point Card created by Sam Colcott of Mixed Up Craft. 
I really wanted to create a card that opened to reveal a surprise but I learned that you do have to be careful about the amount of weight that you add so as to enable the card to remain upright. 

 So the top of the cap lifts from the left to reveal a more colourful layer that is a little unexpected but also light on additions so that the card doesn't get to heavy to stand up.

As per the original tutorial, there is a piece of blank card inside on the back to write a personal message.

Here, you can also see the mechanism that enaables the basis of the card. 

The flap that allows the black cap top to open is attached in behind the card front and is hidden by the white card stock layer.

I hope that you enjoyed my sparkle filled Funky Fold! Thank you for popping by.

Up next is Elizabeth Gross with her fabulous project! 

If you love to make cards with creative folds and would like to join in with our monthly Funky Folds Blog Hop, you are welcome to head on over to our community group on Facebook to be part of the fun. https://www.facebook.com/groups/funkyfoldsbloghops

'Til next time,

Jan

 

 

Special Shimmer and Shine Diamond Easel for JAI #700

 

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to this special 700th Challenge for Just Add Ink! 

It is hard to believe that we have hit so many challenges! I started as an entrant back around Challenge #150...and then joined the team around Challenge #230 or so. It is so special each time that we pass another 100 and it is also lovely to reflect on all our design team members past and present, regular followers and what products we might love at the time.

So here it is: Just Add Ink Challenge #700 is Just Add Shimmer or Shine as suggested by the lovely Rochelle!  This is such a broad and open challenge where you can add anything that Shimmers or Shines - or perhaps both!

The design team has had a lot of fun with this one and there are lots of pretties amongst our creations this week. I hope that you can pop on over to the blog to take a peek and join us in this special challenge!

I needed a card for a friend that is a huge music lover and a concert promoter in her spare time.

So this set that is sadly retiring already seemed so totally appropriate. 

The Yellow guitar is in memory of a particualar Les Paul Gold guitar and is coloured using copics and a top coat of Wink of Stella for Shimmer. The Microphone is similarly coloured and thenWinked...the sentiment is stamped in Versamark ink and then topped with Black Shimmery Embossing Powder.

 And then there is that not so subtle, huge Pink guitar pick in the background cut from Foil - I just couldn't resist it!😀

The card design is based on a Diamond Point Card by Tami White - I didn't change the basic mechanism that Tami created. But I did add a gold record inside the diamond "album cover" because I'm quite sure my friend would like that. It is created using different circle dies. Back in the day, before illness and disability caught up with me, we would attend gigs and collect guitar picks together...so I had to add a little collection of them here too.

On the inside of the card, the white panel with a couple of drum sticks stamped on it is where a message can be written.

So is this enough shimmer or shine for you? Have you gained any ideas for what you might like to create for our Just Add Ink #700 Challenge? I hope so! I can't wait to see what you will make for this fun milestone challenge!

'Til next time,

Jan

Birthday Plants for JAI #698

 

It's Friday and schools are back from holidays here in Victoria. That doesn't effect me except that the Riding For the Disabled classes that I attend only happen during Term time. So it was a happy reunion with the lovely Harley (the horse) for me this week. I hope that you have had a lovely week are ready to craft too!

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink  is a fun one - Choose Two out of Leaves, Flowers or Pots and it was suggested by me so I hope that you enjoy it!!
 There are so many fun options of all three that most of us have in our crafty stash and I hope that you enjoy looking through your options to make something for this challenge. The design team had fun with this and I hope that you do too!

My cards are always created with a recipient in mind - especially these days as I am finding my fingers are much less responsive than they used to be and I can't make the volume of cards that I have done in the past. I still enjoy it, it just takes much more time and effort but is stil worth it for now.

So this card is made for a friend who loves her indoor plants - we have often chatted about care and propagation techniques and plants that we love... it makes for a change from when we chat puppies!😀

Sadly the Plentiful Plants stamp set has retired but I held onto it and the DSP,  for just such a friend and indeed, JAI Challenge! There is something else I must say about this card - this is the first time in over 15 years as a SU Demo that I have used Cajun Craze ink! In reality, it's not as bad as I thought and even suits this card quite well! Who knows, I might use it again in another 15 years or so!!😀

I do like that the leaves of these plants appear to have movement. It adds to the "real" look of the plants. As usual there is a liberal scattering of sequins which in real life, catch the light and add small touches of girly sparkle!

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope that you enjoyed my card for the Choose Two of Leaves, Flowers or and Pots.  And I hope that you can pop on over to Just Add Ink and choose your Two elements as I look forward to seeing what you create!

Card stock: Cajun Craze!!! (not something I usually use at all but it went with the pot colours). Basic White.

DSP:Bloom Where You are Planted

Stamps: Pretty Perennials 
Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Metallic Sequin Assortment

Here is Harley. He loves a snuggle and is licking my hand after I gave him his post-ride carrots and a small piece of his favourite treat, licorice. If anyone else would like SU to do more HORSE stamps then please let them know. Thank you!

'Til next time,

Jan

Lavender Sympathy for JAI #696

 

It's School Holidays here in Victoria - incredible that the first Term of 2024 is over already! 
And for those of us in the Eastern States of Australia, Daylight Savings is set to end this weekend too. That means a sleep in on Sunday morning but it sadly is also the last goodbye to warm, light evenings and a reminder that Winter is on it's way. It has been a lovely Summer, not too hot here in Melbourne but not a lot of rain either. 

This week at Just Add Ink we have this yummy Inspiration Photo Challenge, suggested by Kim, to spark your creativity. Inspiration Photos are great as you can take whatever inspires you from the photo. That may be the individual items - the cake or berries - and/or anything else! Our design team have a real variation of card styles and focal elements because of that. I hope that you will pop on over to the JAI blog and be inspired to join us!

My card is inspired by the colours - the two different purples, the white of the icing and the green of the cake stand. and also the patterns seen in the cake's icing.

These colours reminded me of the pretty Painted Lavender images and I am grateful to a lovely friend for stamping and die cutting these images especially for me to use for this challenge.

It's paired with the 3D  Lace Embossing Folder, matching ribbon, twine and a sprinkling of sequins.

 Lavender is something I have a lot of in the garden and its fragrance and oils are well known for their anti allergy, antiseptic and relaxing properties. So I am hoping that this card also brings comfort to it's recipient.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope that you can pop on over to Just Add Ink as we'd love to see what inspires you to create from this photo. And I look forward to seeing what you create!

Card stock: Gorgeous Grape, Lost Lagoon, Silver Foil, Basic White

Inks: Versamark, Gorgeous Grape, Fresh Freesia, Lost Lagoon

Stamps: Painted Lavender, Well Said

Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Painted Lavender Dies, 3D Lace EF, Stitched Rectangle Dies,White EP, Silver Twine, Metallic Sequins Assortment, Lost Lagoon Ribbon

'Til next time,

Jan

JAI #694 Colourful Birthday

 

Happy Friday everyone and welcome back! It's incredible to think that that Easter is almost here and with that, the first Term of 2024 is almost complete! But then when we look out the window in the early mornings and it is quite dark, then I guess we understand that Summer is sadly over.

This week at Just Add Ink, the lovely Nikki has suggested this fun Colour Combo for us all to create with. Our design team made a fabulous array of cards to help you get started and we hope that you might join us this week!

I'm not going to lie....I struggled with this one! Us designers are just humans too at the end of the day!

Fresh Freesia is easily one of my favourite colours of all of Stampin Up's colours past and present. And since signing up as a Demo back in 2009...some 15 years ago....well I still haven't opened a Cajun Craze inkpad. There, I've said it! 😂 I came pretty close this week...but found some long retired DSP that once upon a time was part of the Regals stack of DSP just in the nick of time! 😂😂 

For stamps, those with a keen eye will see the Pretty Perennials stamp set and the soon to be  retiring Artistic Etchings. Also used was a stencil to just give some soft background colour to contrast with the white background and otherwise quite bold colours.

Card stock: Pretty Peacock, BasicWhite, Watercolor paper

DSP: Regals Stack (long retired print)

Inks: Versamark, Pretty Peacock, Fresh Freesia

Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Artistically Inked

Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Perennials Petals Dies, Artistic Mix Decorative Masks, Metallic Sequins

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope that you can pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog and see all the different projects from our fab design team and I look forward to seeing what you will create with these fun  colours.

'Til next time,

Jan

JAI #692 Enjoy the Rhythm and Brusho

 

Happy Friyay everyone and welcome to...March and Autumn. And, if you're in Melbourne this coming weekend you will likely be looking for an escape from the heat so what better thing to do than hit the craft room and use our latest Just Add Ink challenge for inspiration!

This week at Just Add Ink challenges we have a very cook Sketch Challenge from the lovely Tina!

Sketch challenges are great as they provide the layout for your project and then you only need to find a stamp set and colours. Many of the design team also tweaked the sketch including by flipping it on it's side too. I hope you can pop over to the blog and be sinspired to join us!

For my card I was in need of a Teenage boy themed birthday so I started by clear embossing some musical notes (all part of the Enjoy The Rhythm set) onto some water colour paper. Then I sprinkled some Brusho on either side of it and gently sprayed with water. You have to be quite careful that the water doesn't move the crystals too much but they give such a bold intensity and you can always add more til you have the layers just right and achieve the texture that you want. I find having a paper towel on hand really helps too.

Then I added some layers across the centre: metallic silver, embossed musical notes and even some ribbon. 

The drumkit from the stamp set forms the focal image and then all that was needed was a rather Charming Sentiment. 😀

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope that you are able to pop on over to the Just Add Ink blog and that you'll join us in this challenge. I hope that you have as much fun as I did creating and I look forward to seeing your completed projects!

"Til next time,

Jan

Thank you Pop up Balcony Card for JAI #690

 

Happy Friday and welcome! It is incredible to think that February is almost over already and the mornings are starting to get darker - despite the very hot day here in Melbourne yesterday. It was a good excuse to stay inside out of the heat and do some crafting. 

This week's Just Add Ink Challenge is from Tristan and she has asked us to Just Add a Fancy Fold. The design team had a lot of fun with this one and you'll see that in all the fun cards that we created and we hope that you will be inspired to join us too.

For my card, I had a recipient and theme in mind - I was needing a thank you card for a dog trainer.
As they've trained a lot of Labradors, the Happy Tails set and co-ordinating punch was the obvious choice of stamp set. The Labs were all coloured with Copics and there are different versions of them all to represent both yellow and red labs as well as how they each have slightly different fur colour combinations.

For the design, I want to thank Lisa Curcio for her Balcony Pop Up card.  I did add another level to help fit in all the Lab's I'd coloured so my card's mechanism is quite thick. Because of this, I recommend gifting this card in person but if you're following the original design with only two pop up balconies, then you should be able to mail this just fine.

The above picture is just to show you that us design team members can have bloopers too!  

The top Lab (coloured with a pink collar to represent Sally of course) was obviously laughing too hard at a joke one of her friends told her as she started to fall off her perch.....oh the challenges of taking photos of a card with many elements! LOL! 

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope that you are able to pop on over to  Just Add Ink to see the challenge details and I hope that you might be inspired to join us and create a fun, Fancy Fold card.

"Til next time,

Jan