JAI #309 Inspiration Background

Happy Friday to you and welcome! This week seems to have really flown and we've had the best Autumn weather - sunny and warm days and coolish nights. It is a beautiful time with colours of the tree's leaves all changing....and falling... walking through them is always such fun :-)

Also beautiful this week is our new challenge at Just Add Ink. Jodene has found a wonderful Inspiration photo for us all to use. You can take whatever inspires you from the photo - the chevrons, the colours or textures - to create your project. Our lovely team have all created such beautiful cards to inspire you so I hope you can take a moment to pop on over and take a look!

Here is the Photo:

And here is my card:

What first jumped out at me from the photo was the lovely chevrons and the softness of the wool. So I decided to try and capture that softness with a watercolour / stamped background. 

Starting with a sheet of water colour paper, I used an Aquapainter to thoroughly wet it. Next, stamped the chevrons quickly and used the water brush to blend and push the ink outwards before it had time to dry. If you wanted a bolder look you could easily add more colour with the brush at this point as the colours will always look lighter when dry.

After using a heat gun to dry the paper, I added some gold embossed Grunge. The top layer of the butterfly is cut from a second watercolored sample. It's a simple way of bringing the background to the front.

To twine or not to twine - I wasn't sure about the little bow...but it looks rather unexpected, so I kept it :-)

Card stock: Pool Party, Basic Black, Calypso Coral, Whisper White (thick), Water colour paper

Ink: Pool Party, Blushing Bride, Momento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Stamps: Work of Art, Gorgeous Grunge

Accessories: Bold Butterfly Framelits, Butterfly Thinlits, Gold EP, Metallic Sequins Assortment, Bakers Twine Combo Pack ( Mint Macaron - but it also works well with the Pool Party)

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop over to Just Add Ink and see the wonderful creations our team have made to inspire you and I look forward to seeing what you will create using this lovely photo too!

Happy stamping until next time :-)

Jan

Thank You

Hello and a happy ANZAC Day to you - for those not familiar with ANZAC Day it commemorates primarily the landing at Gallipoli of Australian and New Zealand troops now 101 years ago and how since then the two nations have stood side by side in many battles and we are thankful for all of the people who served then and are today as well. There are dawn services in both countries and also Gallipoli and a few other places including France. It's a solemn morning and then in the afternoon there is always a game of footy to cheer for!

Continuing the thankful theme - I have a card today that was made recently for a lovely friend. This is a Case of a card by Amy K. I changed a couple of things and added a few more details - aiming to put my own stamp on it - yes a terrible pun if I do say so myself :-)

The main pink flower is made using two of the blooms - both stamped off first in Melon Mambo and then full strength for the details.

And a liberal dose of  Wink of Stella is applied both to the large flowers and the butterfly for a bit of after dark sparkle.

Card stock: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Garden Green, Mometo Tuxedo Black
Stamps: Garden in Bloom, Suite Sayings
Accessories: Triple Banner Punch, Basic rhinestones, Silver Metallic thread, Wink of Stella

Thanks for stopping by today :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

JAI #308....add M

Hello and happy Friday to you! The rain is falling gently, the leaves are changing colour and falling from the trees, the sun is setting earlier - there is a definite Autumn feel in the air. We have had such a warm and dry Summer that the season's change has crept up on us slowly but it definitely is here now. That means we only have one season to go and it is Spring again :-)

Talking of all things new...we have a fun new challenge for you at Just Add Ink. This week Tina has suggested that we "Just Add....M" So what do we mean by M? Anything that starts with the letter M - you could make a Mother's Day card, or choose M named products or a theme or technique... Our lovely Team have all made stunning and varied creations to inspire you so I do hope you can pop on over and take a look!

For my project I went with a Multi Media frame and used some Melon Mambo and Mint Macaron inks with Metallic touches too :-) This was also made for Miss 4 to accompany her card that you can see here. For the purposes of photography only, the glass has been removed from the frame :-)

The top layer is Thick White Card stock and underneath are water coloured stripes using ink pads and an Aqua painter. To work out where to colour, I cut the white layer first, and then traced the inside of the shapes onto the water colour paper. Then it was simply a process of working out the colour order and placing the layers once dry.

The left hand panel has stamping using the same colours and the border stamp from Enjoy the Little things. Because it is photo polymer, it is so easy to line them up as you can see right through them :-) A few metallic details and a button and it looks a bit like the central third of Australia. Lol - not at all intended especially as it's now in New Zealand and my sister is likely to rib me for it :-) The Aus vs NZ rivalry is somewhat similar to USA vs Canada for those unaware...friendly except where sport is concerned :-)

Card stock: Whisper White (thick), Water colour paper, Mint Macaron, Melon Mambo
Inks: Island Indigo, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Mint Macaron, Tangerine Tango
Stamps: Enjoy the Little Things (retiring)
Accessories: Big Shot, Butterflies Thinlits, Bold Butterfly Framelits, Itty Bitty Punch Pack (Retiring), Triple Banner Punch, Iced Rhinestones (retiring), Metallic Sequins Assortment, Gold Metallic Thread, Sweet Dreams Designer buttons (retired)

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop over to Just Add Ink and see what the rest of our fabulous team have made to inspire you and I look forward to seeing what you will create with the letter M this week!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

You've Got This

Today I have a special card to share with you. Design, wise it is a Case of the card I shared yesterday  for Just Add Ink's colour challenge - you can see the original post here. Or just scroll down as it is the next one :-)
This card was made to surprise a special Uncle who is currently battling a serious medical condition and I was aiming for a mix of encouragement with a touch of humour. What do you think - was I successful?

The main changes...the colours - I swapped out the Delightful Dijon...for some Tangerine Tango and Tempting Turquoise. Still masculine and bright and cheery.
I also dropped the balloon numbers to 3 and changed the sentiment...the writing is on the wall. This so reminds me of a Pink Floyd song - I'm sure you can guess which one :-)

and the inside - keeping it simple.

Card stock: Basic Grey, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White

Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Soft Sky, Tempting Turquoise, Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, Tangerine Tango

Stamps: You've Got This, Balloon Celebrations

Accessories: Big shot, Brick Wall EF, Balloon Bouquet Punch, Basic rhinestones, Silver cording trim

Non -SU: Stacking Animals stamp set with matching Dies (Simon Says Stamps), Copics

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope that you can take encouragement from seeing that with a few simple changes,  you can create a card with a whole new look :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Feel Better JAI #307

Happy Friday to you friends! Today, I have some great news - Sally (the Lab) was due to have a big operation this week to again try and fix her dislocating knee (third attempt). But after review, and noting just how much she has improved over the last couple of months it has been put on hold! It is so encouraging that it is not needed - hopefully ever - as its not easy watching our fur babies suffer - they can't understand of course that the surgeons that hurt them are really doing their best to help them in the long run...

So talking of feeling better....we have a great new challenge at Just Add Ink this week! Nikki has suggested a fabulous colour combo for us all to use. It has a mixture of bold and neutrals and the design team have used it to create stunning creations this week so I hope you can take a moment to pop on over and take a look.

Here are the colours:

And here is my card:

Yes, it's a bit different isn't it ?! I must admit, I did find this one a little tricky - the Dijon is not a colour I've used before but that is what makes it a challenge and they all help us stretch and grow as card makers.

The balloons are of course from the Balloons Celebrations set - the Dijon are stamped off once for the background and the grey uses a Smoky Slate and Basic Grey Combo. The cute animals are from a Simon Says Stamp set called Stacking Animals and are coloured with Copics.

Card stock: Basic Grey, Delightful Dijon, Whisper White

Ink: Delightful Dijon, Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, Momento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: Balloon Celebrations, Sassy Salutations

Accessories: Big Shot, Brick Wall EF, Balloon Bouquet Punch, Silver Cording Trim (retired), Basic Rhinestones

Non SU: Stacking Animals and matching Dies (SSS)

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop on over to Just Add Ink and see all the lovely cards our team have made to inspire you and I look forward to seeing what you will make with these bold colours too!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

With Sympathy JAI # 306

Today saw a welcome return to sunshine after a day of heavy rain. We really need the rain but one day is enough at a time for me :-) The winter chills and ills are here already too - hopefully they won't last long.

We have a brand new challenge for you at Just Add Ink and it is a theme challenge that I have suggested. To Just Add... Sympathy. Sympathy cards are of course needed from time to time and often hard to make in the moment so is something good to have on hand we thought. Our wonderful team have created beautiful cards as always to inspire you so I do hope you can take a moment to pop on over and take a look.
Also, this week sadly, we are saying goodbye to one of our long - time Design Team members, Jodene - so please pop on over to say how much you will miss her - I know I will too! She is a beautiful person, an amazing colourist and card maker and very generous in sharing her talents and time to help others.

I stamped the image from Birthday Blooms in Versamark ink on Water colour paper and embossed it in gold before colouring it using ink pads and an Aquapainter. After allowing it to dry, I fussy cut it and attached it to the Thick White card stock (love this!) that is added on some dimensionals. The gold sparkle strip is actually the Gold Metallic Glitter Tape that was available during Saleabration. It is so easy to use and really sparkly too :-) 

For the colouring I was inspired by my favourite rose in the garden - unfortunately I've forgotten it's name as it's stunning! The buds are yellow with pink edges and you can see the yellow is vibrant when they open but fades to white over the next few days leaving the pink edges to shine :-)

Ok so I went pink with yellow touches :-) A few additional gold embellies - and this card is complete. The sentiment seems made for this image - although they are from different sets - it fits perfectly in the gap between the leaves. And Mossy Meadow ink...so will miss this colour when in retires soon too. 

Card stock: Whisper White (thick), Water colour paper,

Designer Series Paper: Birthday Bouquet

Inks: Versamark, Mossy Meadow, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry,

Stamps: Birthday Blooms, Rose Wonder

Accessories: Gold EP, Gold Metallic Glitter Tape, Metallic Sequins Assortment, Metallic Gold Thread

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop on over to Just Add Ink and see all he wonderful cards the Team have made to inspire you and say a goodbye to the lovely Jodene. And I look forward to seeing what you will create this week using this sad but often needed theme.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Pink Birthday Blooms

This last week has really seemed to fly - the clocks went back an hour as Daylight Savings came to an end and I never would have have thought that one hour can make such a difference but it really does!

Today's card is for a special friend's birthday - it is a real joy as a card maker to be able to make a card to give a friend that is just for them and this is one of those moments:-)

Pink was definitely the order of the day - and CAS. So the flowers are all shades of pink, the leaves have a little variation and I couldn't resist using the leaf edgelit along the side for a unique  effect :-)

And a little Wink of Stella is added to the Blackberry Bliss flower centres and Pirouette flowers for some sparkle too!

For the inside - the Lost Lagoon coloured DSP features a little softly falling rain -always much needed for a garden to help it grow. But in all honesty, it was chosen more for it's colour :-) The greeting is from the Birthday Blooms - and the script matches the wording on the front - love how that pulls it all together.

Card stock: Whisper White (Thick), Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, Pear Pizzaz

Designer Series Paper: Wildflower Fields (Salabration)

Inks: Blackberry Bliss, Pear Pizzaz, Mossy Meadow, Pink Pirouette 

Stamps: Botanical Blooms, Suite Sayings, Birthday Blooms

Accessories: Big Shot, Botanical builder Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Wink of Stella

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you are enjoying creating and the changes of the seasons.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Peek A Boo JAI #305

Welcome and a very happy Friday and April 1st to you! I hope you've managed to dodge any April fools tricks today:-) I have a small one planned for our music group practice tonight ...will just see how that one goes - it's always good to have a bit of a laugh isn't it and this one will seem to be at my expense so should be fun!

And we have a fun new challenge at Just Add Ink this week that we are sure you will enjoy! Tina has suggested a great sketch for us all to use. It has classic lines and lends itself to much interpretation as you can see from the fabulous cards that the design team have made to inspire you so I hope you can take a moment and pop on over and have a look.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I've had this cute stamp set since winning it at On Stage Local in November and this is it's  first inking. The leaf images are stamped on card stock and then punched using the Festive Flower punch - then a little fussy cutting to reveal the little fellow hiding underneath :-) The sentiment is white embossed and I've used some of the silver cord trim and rhinestones to add a touch of bling.

Card stock: Lost Lagoon, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Sweet Dreams (Retired)

Ink: Pear Pizzaz, Lost Lagoon, Versamark

Stamps: Friends and Flowers, Suite Sayings

Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Dots EF, Festive Flower Builder Punch, Blender Pens, White EP, Silver Cording Trim, Basic Rhinestones

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment and pop over to Just Add Ink and see all the fabulous cards the design team have made to inspire you this week and I look forward to seeing what you will create with this fun sketch too!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan