Friday, 10 November 2023

Merry Christmas Wreath for JAI #679

 



Happy Friday everyone and thanks for coming to see my creations! How amazing is it that Christmas is just 5 weeks away! I hope you are on your way to being as prepared as you need to be.


This week at Just Add Ink  we have a soft and pretty colour challenge for you that was chosen by Di! 
Our design team have created a lovely array of cards to show you how you could use these colours for many themes of cards. So I hope that you can take a moment to pop on over and take a peek as we'd love to see you join us.




I decided to use the colours to create a Christmas wreath. I had just received the lovely Christmas Classics and the Joy of Noel bundles. Usually when I order, I have a first card partially in mind and I knew that I wanted to create a wreath with it these. And I also love to create Christmas cards with non- traditional colours. 


And no, it's not very Clean and Simple but as I started to add layers of texture, I felt to keep going and soon the colours and layers just seemed to need each other as I went along. 


I hope that you might be inspired to join us at Just Add Ink  with this pretty Colour Challenge and I look forward to seeing what you might create this week. 

Card Stock: Basic White, Pool Party, Gold Foil
Stamps: Joy of Noel, Christmas Classics
Inks: Momento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Blends: Claypso Coral, and Copics
Accessories: Die cutting machine, Joy of Noel and Christmas Classics Dies, Linen Thread, Sequins Assortment.


'Til next time,
Jan







Friday, 3 November 2023

JAI #677 Festive Winter Sketch Fun

 



Happy Friday and welcome! It's still been a rather chilly week here in Melbourne despite it being the first week of November. Summer is just around the corner but it does feel like a little way off so far. I hope that it has been nicer in your part of the world. This coming Tuesday I would normally be riding a horse at Riding for the Disabled. But, its an annual Public Holiday for the Melbourne Cup, a horse race. My lovely riding coaches were rather funny - "there's no riding next week Jan unless you want to ride fast!" Not likely. 😂



We have a Sketch challenge for you at Just Add Ink this week. I hope that you like this Clean & Simple Sketch as it was designed by me lol! Sorry if you don't like it! It's pretty versatile though and that is what I like about it. The design team have created some really beautiful cards to inspire you this week so I do really hope that you can pop over to JAI and take a peek and join us.


I really wanted to create a card using this  cute rhino and his friends from the Festive Fun stamp set this week. So the coloured panel is one piece from that set and the tree dies and chopped up sentiment are arranged together to form the other sketch element. Can you see the sketch in my card ok??


The background DSP is from an old pack called Trimming the Town and was originally using the Tree Lot Stamp Set. I coloured the rhino's scarf and boots and the gifts etc on his sleigh to coordinate with this. 

The stamps set and coordinating dies are still available to purchase online which is great news for me as this was my favourite Christmas Bundle last year and now knowing it is still current, it will get used for this Christmas as well. Do you have a favourite stamp set that you were pleasantly surprised to later learn was still available? I'd love to hear your stories.


Thanks for stopping by today to see my card. I hope that you can pop over to Just Add Ink as I look forward to seeing your cards each week. You inspire me with your creations every week and I'm so grateful to be able to still be able create and share cards I've made for friends and family.

'Til next time,
Jan












Friday, 20 October 2023

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





 











Friday, 22 September 2023

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



















 

Friday, 8 September 2023

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

















Friday, 25 August 2023

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


















Friday, 11 August 2023

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