Spotlighted Christmas for JAI #675

 

Happy Friday everyone and welcome back! I hope you've had a good week? This time of year is so busy and in the midst of it all there is a lot going on in the world. I hope that you and your loved ones are safe wherever they may be.

This week at Just Add Ink, lovely Lou has suggested we Just Add the Spotlight Technique.

As always, our fabulous design team have created a number of different cards to inspire you, so we'd love for you to join us.

I created two similar cards for this challenge using a reverse Spotlight Technique. This was very fun to do.

For both cards, I started by embossing an image that was of an outline - I chose a Christmas Tree. One was embossed in white, the other in silver.

Next, the image was stamped on masking paper and cut out and applied over the image.

After this, the page was covered with ink - all except what was under the mask which remained white and clean.

When the mask was removed, the white of the inside of the image is spotlighted against all the colour of the background.

Finally, a sentiment was stamped and embossed on a strip of card stock that also was sponged with colour. The embossed sentiments resisted the colour and remain white, like the insides of the image.

Silver twine, glimmer paper and sequins complete both cards.

Thanks for stopping by this week and I hope that you can pop on over to Just Add Ink and join in the challenge. I always look forward to seeing your projects!

Card stock: Watercolor Paper, Basic White, Bedazzled Specialty Paper

Stamps: Santa's Sleigh (retired)

Ink: Versamark

Accessories: White EP, Silver EP, Silver Twine, Metallic Sequin Assortments

Non SU: Distress Inks: Salty Ocean, Twisted Citron, Bluepoint Sketch

'Til Next Time,

Jan

 

Twisted Easel Birthday for JAI #671

Happy Friday and welcome! It has been quite a lovely beginning to Spring so far where the weather is warming up and the blossoms and flowers are beginning to show. It's so lovely to see the daffodils and veggies starting to bloom and grow.

This week at Just Add Ink we have this fabulous collage of photos for our Inspiration Challenge from Kerry. The different scenes in the photos are all so beautiful and the design team have created a wide variety of cards to inspire you. I hope that you can take a moment to pop on over and we'd love you to join us.

I decided to make a special card for a special brother celebrating a big birthday soon. 

He loves to ride cross country and I've been looking for an opportunity to use the Greatest Journey dies and coordinating DSP.  It was the green images and sentiment that helped me decide it was time.

A Twisted Easel card is easy to make. Create a Landscape card base and then score diagonally across the front of the card. This will then enable it to fold over and be able to stand up using the inside of the card as a base. In this case, the 50 keeps the card upright.

And the card closes as normal for mailing which is really helpful!

I hope that he likes this card that was inspired by his recent 50km weekend cycling challenge! 

And there was one photo from a recent pet photoshoot by Kerry Martin of Puppy Tales Photos of my beautiful Sally that came to mind as soon as I saw the inspiration photo.... 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a wonderful week and are able to join us for the challenge at Just Add Ink.  I so look forward to seeing what you create each week.

Card stock: Jade, Basic White, Silver Foil

DSP: Enjoy the Journey.

Ink: Jade, 

Stamps: Biggest Wish
Accessories: Die Cutting machine, Greatest Journey Dies, Well Written Dies, 

'Til next time,

Jan

 

Hi Sweet Friend JAI #669

 

Happy Friday and welcome! Spring has finally Sprung here in Melbourne and today was a beautiful 22 degrees when we went for a walk and then all of a sudden it was 16 and a thunder storm! Typical for this time of year here and we were grateful that our roof coped after it endured major repairs over the last two days. Just in time!! Hope that you are enjoying the change in Seasons wherever you are in the world.

This week at Just Add Ink, we have an earthy Colour Challenge for you suggested by Annie. Here in Australia, we've just had Father's Day so it's a great combo for guys but also can be used for many other themes too. I hope that you can pop on over to the JAI blog and be inspired by what the team have created for you this week.

I'm not sure if it was the lighting but this card does look a whole lot better in real life than in the photo....but moving right along... This card was obviously created for a puppy loving friend. 

The image is from By My Side, one of my favourite sets in the main SU Catalogue. All except the grass..that I must admit I challenged myself and hand drew as I don't yet own a grass die. That is still on my Wish List for next time.

The images are coloured with Copics and Blends and then fussy cut before being added to the card layers. Kept this one super clean and simple and the girl's dress looks a lot softer in real life too. 

Another card in the mail and hope this one brings a smile to the recipient.

Card stock: Misty Moonlight, Crumb Cake, Basic White

Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Blends

Stamps: By My Side

Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Metallic Sequins Assortment

Non SU: Stitched Squares Framelits (SSS),Copics

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope that you have a wonderful week ahead and I look forward to seeing what cards you create with this earthy Colour Challenge at Just Add Ink!

'Til next time,

Jan

By My Side Birthday for JAI #667

 

Hello, happy Friday and welcome back! It's the last week of Winter and I don't know about you but we are definitely looking forward to Spring in our household. The days are slowly but surely getting longer and slightly warmer and the garden is starting to bloom too which is fabulous!

Also fabulous is this week's challenge at Just Add Ink! We have this fun Sketch challenge for you from Di to inspire your projects. A sketch is great as you still get to choose the images and colours but the major design elements are there for you. Our lovely design team have created cards to inspire you so I hope that you can pop on over to the blog and we'd love you to join us.

My card for this week combines a number of fun elements. The images are from By My Side and Welcome Home and coloured with Copics.

Simple colouring combinations and matching background circles hopefully allow the images to shine.

A little bling of sparkly bling in the way of glimmer paper and sequins also help!

The girl with the butterfly is one of the super cute images in the By My Side set. The arm holding out the  flowers are from the fun retiring set, Welcome Home.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you can pop by Just Add Ink and see all the other cards from the rest of the design team and I look forward to seeing what you will create with this fun sketch this week too!

Card stock: Fresh Freesia, Basic White, Coloured glimmer, Be Dazzling Specialty paper
Stamps: By My Side, Welcome Home, Charming Sentiments
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black 

Accessories: die cutting machine, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Sentiment Silhouette dies, Iridescent Sequins Assortment, Wink of Stella

"Til next time,

Jan

Westie Birthday for JAI #665

 

Happy Friday and welcome! It's been a busy week in our household, the horse riding is going well and we received the digital files of a photoshoot that I had with Sally the Lab in June which were quite amazing! The mornings and afternoons are getting longer and so the veggie garden is starting to produce again. It is so lovely to see the signs that Spring is slowly coming!

And one more thing...my reading glasses are currently in for replacement lenses...so hopefully there are not too many spelling mistakes in my post this week! 

This week at Just Add Ink Fiona suggested that we all add Clean & Simple for our projects this week. Clean & Simple can mean different things to some people. But often the clean refers to lots of white space and the Simple is few layers and embellishments. Basically less is more. I encourage you to pop on over to the JAI blog to see all the beautiful inspiration from the design team.

My puppy card was made for a good friend's birthday. Since Covid, we have been picking up and taking her cute little Westie for a walk in the park most weekdays. Sally and Gracie are great friends and it is so heart warming to see them play and sniff together.  Gracie is definitely the boss of her bigger friend too!😂

I was so excited to see the theme for this challenge as it is a favourite style for me. My natural is probably clean and layered....so this was a fun challenge to just pair that back a little.

Several stamp sets were used to create this card. The little "Westie" is from the Christmas Scottie set and is stamped and then embossed with White Shimmery EP and then punched using the coordinating punch. The butterflies and balloon from retired sets and the sentiment is from my stash.

I had my first try of the blending brushes to create the blue highlights and yes, I think they are lovely! The white paper is a water colour  as I find that helps gives the ink enough time to sit up and blend nicely. I am more used to using felt pads for blending which I love but these brushes are so soft. And if you wash them straight after, the ink washes out so the brush can be used for any colour when it's all dry again. Bonus!!

Thanks for popping by to see my card this week! I hope this helps inspire you to join in with our challenge at Just Add Ink this week. I look forward to see what you create for this challenge!

Card stock: Basic White, Fresh Freesia, Elegant Eggplant, Be Dazzling Specialty paper

Ink: Versamark, Tahitian Tide

Stamps: Christmas Scottie, Pampered Pets, Hey Girl 

Accessories: Die Cutting machine, Sleigh ride Edgelits, Scottie Punch, blending brushes, Shimmery White EP, Scissors

Non SU: Tim Holtz distress water color paper, Dog Sayings stamp set by Stampendous

'Til next time,

Jan

Happiness Abounds Birthday for JAI #663

 

Hello, happy Friday to you and welcome! It is almost the end of July and now the days are noticeably longer. Yes, it has been cold but hopefully the warmer days are coming soon. It is perfect weather to spend a little time in the craft room so hopefully you enjoy this challenge we have, it's JAI 665.

This week at Just Add Ink we have a fun Choose Two Challenge for you suggested by Tina. You can choose between Flowers, Gingham or splatter. As always our lovely design team have all created a beautiful array of cards over on the JAI blog for inspiration.    We'd love you to join us!

So you can see that I chose Flowers and Gingham for my Two items. 

The flowers were fussy cut from DSP and the gingham I stencilled using ink and the Artistic Mix masks. 

I had intended to colour the lovely images from the Happiness Abounds set myself but these flowers are coloured so beautifully that they cried out to be used. I love how the shading is added and so it really is a case of deciding how to arrange and display these.

Granny Apple Green is sponged through the mask to create the gingham effect. It is not a colour that I'm used to using but it is in the leaves in the DSP and it is good to use challenges to try new things whether that be colours or techniques - whatever that may be.

Thank you for stoping by.  I hope that you might be inspired to join us for this challenge and I look forward to seeing what you choose for your Two items and what you will create for this challenge!

Card stock: Granny Apple Green, Basic White, Basic Black, Gold Foil

Ink: Granny Apple Green, Versamark

Stamps: Well Said

Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Well Written Dies, Artistic Masks, White EP,  Gold Faceted Gems, Metallic Sequins Assortment.

'Til next time,

Jan

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            you.

HeartfeltSympathy for JAI #661

 

Hello and happy first week back after School Holidays for those families here in Victoria! It is noticeable how much quieter the shopping centres are despite there still being the odd Sale on. I hope you and your family had a happy break whether you stayed home or managed to get away for a bit.

This week at Just Add Ink  we have an Inspiration Photo for you from Nikki. Inspiration Photo challenges are great as you can take whatever appeals to you from them and sparks your creativity. It may be the Christmas theme, the wreath, the colours or even a combination of all of these. I hope that you can pop on over to the Challenge blog and we'd love to have you join us.

I hope you can see what parts of the Inspiration that I used? The circle shape and yes, whilst there are no roses in the wreath, it does have an "arrangement" of natural elements.
The image I was very grateful to receive from one of my JAI DT friends, Tristan.

Sadly, beloved Gemma, a wonderful RDA horse that I have been privileged to ride during my Equine therapy classes this year passed away after a short and sudden illness during the holidays. Gem was loved by so many - including me. I was surprised by how closely we bonded in such a short time. She seemed to know I was unwell and took such good care of me. I was so grateful and brought her favourite treats - carrots and a little Licorice too. Her illness was so unexpected as she had been perfectly well. So it was heartbreaking to need to make this card for the staff and volunteers.

I coloured Gem first -I've never coloured a horse before so I was very grateful for an older Copic colouring video from Sandy Allnock. Many would know Sandy from Online Card Classes. One of her helpful tips for brown and bay horses - add a touch of an orange glow. So my base colour is YR23 - which is a light orange! And then I added the browns as shading and in layers - quite a few- to be as realistic as I could.

Then I coloured the rose and fussy cut both images before layering them back on top of each other in the same way the image created them. A layer of Wink of Stella helps make the colours shine.

Card stock: Pretty Peacock, Coastal Cabana, Pink Pirouette, Gold Foil

Inks: Versamark, Copics, Blends

Stamps:  Horse Thanks Tristan 😍, Well Worded,

Accessories: Die Cutting Machine, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Layering Circle Dies (Retired),Leaves EF, Metallic Sequin Assortment, Wink of Stella

Of course, I have few photos to help me with her likeness. This one is after some carrots earlier in the year. It didn't take long for Gem to know my voice and she'd often turn fully around in her stall to suggest I might like to bring her some more. I will miss her so much and am so grateful for all she taught me. Now I am very thankful to be able to continue on a new horse and with the help of the fabulous staff and volunteers will begin again to build trust and a strong bond again.

"Til next time,

Jan