JAI #78 - COLOUR CHALLENGE

The team At JUST ADD INK have another colour challenge for you this week.  This is another card that simply came together when I saw the colours we had to play with!  Such gorgeous EARTHY colours!!

I love it when I have a clear idea of what I want to do - it doesn't happen all that often!!  So going with the Earthy theme.................

I decided to do a Telescope card for my Dad's Birthday.  Both the colours in the challenge and the sentiment I chose dictated the card..........

Although I don't know what possessed me to hand cut all the continents!!  It took me hours to make this card.  But my Dad is worth it.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD ♥

I hope you will join me and the rest of the Just Add Ink Design Team this week with this gorgeous challenge.  I can't wait to see you entries!

PLASTERING IT OVER

I was driving home from work yesterday and an idea for a Get Well card just "popped" into my head.  I had to get it down on paper before I forgot it!!  Not quite what I had imagined., things have a life of there own once you begin work on them!  But I am still reasonably happy with it. 

My Piercing Tool and Mat Pack certainly got a workout though!  As did my sponges (of course!).  This card was made with someone special in mind and I can't wait to see what she thinks of it.  The very fact that it has bling on it should brighten her day, lol

HAVE I BEEN BUSY? YOU BET YA!!

Would you belive I have managed to spend the entire weekend (less housework!) in my Craft room.  What a great feeling that is!  Working madly to try and restock for my monthly craft fair.  Just wish I had enough daylight hours to photograph my projects for you to see!  But I do have these two photo's to share with you in the meantime.

These Post-it-Note holders are really popular and I only had two left after last months stall.

This first one has been sponged with Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke in a random pattern.  Using Early Espresso, I then stamped randomly over the top with a stamp from Autmn Days.  Always Artichoke on the sentiment, stamp on vellum, added a couple of eyelets - done!

This next note pad would have to be my favourite.  I want to try a nightime scene with this same view next!  Sponged my background and then spritzed it with water.  What a fabulous look!  Once dry, stamped in Choclate Chip with a stamp out of Just Believe.  Used the Chocolate Chip marker to fill in the solid "ground".  I didn't want to put a sentiment on this one, I really like the background too much and didn't want to lose it's effect.

These Note pads are so easy to create and make such a lovely "extra" in any gift.  Want to learn how to make these?  With Christmas coming up, they would be great stocking fillers.  Contact ME today to arrange a Workshop so I can show you how!

NEWSPRINT BIRTHDAY

While blog surfing yesterday, I visited Tui Nathans lovely blog site and saw THIS card.  I was WOWed by it and decided to CASE Tui (waving at you Tui!!).  Funny how you can start a CASE and it takes on a life of it's own, eh?  While mine doesn't look much like Tui's original card, hers was definitely the inspiration I needed to create this one:

Here is the list of Stampin' Up! products I used to create my card:
Cardstock:  Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Vellum
DSP:  Newsprint
Inks:  Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede
Stamps:  Just Believe, French Foliage, Bring on the Cake
Accessories:   Itty Bitty Punches, Neutral Brads, Sponges, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals

UNDERWATER BABY

Here's a baby card with a twist - an underwater one!!

I had an idea in my head that just wouldn't go away, so I started this card this morning before going to work, and have just finished it after walking in from work.  I love it when a plan comes together!!

This card is a follow on from the Just Add Ink design I did last week.  I forgot how much I enjoy using my sponges since discovering the Brayer.  Now I have pulled them all out again and I plan on making quite a few more cards using this fab technique.  Hope you like it!!

JAI #76

How does an Inspiration Photo strike you this week?  That is what you have to play with at JUST ADD INK!

I had a bit of trouble with this photo, to be honest.  I really couldn't come up with much!!  But then we had the most awful week of weather, just look at our poor town!!  That is hail NOT snow!!  It took about five hours to melt away!

When I came back to the inspiration photo, I thought of summer and how I wished I could be on a beach somewhere!  The colours in the photo were my inspiration.  Although, because of poor lighting (I think you can see why!), the Baja Breeze looks more like Marina Mist in the photo!

I have sponged this entire card, not a brayer in sight!  The colours I used were Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, and Baja Breeze.  I also passed my Sprinkles Wheel over the "sand" to give it a bit more texture, and added white gel pen to create the fizzy water's edge.  When I look at this now, I don't feel quite so cold!  Roll on Summer!!

I love how everyone takes different inspiration from photo's like these.  Why don't you pop on over to JUST ADD INK to see what the rest of the Design Team have come up with.  I promise you won't be disppointed!

BLACKBOARD NOTEBOOK

As some of my readers may know, I attend a Craft Market here in Upper Hutt on the first Saturday of every month.  I have been attending this market for nearly two years now and have met many of my wonderful customers there.  I like to keep a track of the things that appeal most to customers, and one of those products is this cute wee Post-it-Note holder.  These fly out the door.  Over the past couple of days, I have been working hard to replenish my stock!!  I will share some more with you at a later date, but I wanted to show you this one:

This little book showcases the Blackboard technique.  This is the first time I have tried this technique and I love it!!

If you would like to try this technique, I highly recommend it!  Read on to find out how...............

1.  Using a fairly solid stamp and white Craft Ink, stamp your image onto a dark coloured card stock.  Make sure the image is dry before continuing.  You can speed up the drying process by using a heat gun.
2.  Using the Stampin' Up! Stampin Pastels, colour over the white stamped image with a cotton bud.

3.  With the rubber that comes with the Stampin Pastels, remove any excess chalk around the image.

4.  You can leave your image as is, or add some white highlights with a white Gel Pen, as I have done.  It really makes the image "pop".
5.  Make sure you seal your work so it doesn't smudge.  You can purchase a Pastel sealer from most Craft shops, but you can also use hairspray.

I hope you enjoyed my mini tutorial and try this fabulous and eye catching technique yourself.

Happy crafting to you all ♥

JAI #75 - A COLOUR CHALLENGE

This week we have a colour challenge for you and I have to say - these are MY colours.  I just love them and hope you do too!

I decided to do something a little different to the usual card I normally favour.  I came across this gorgeous shoe template at Creations by AR and just had to buy it!  What's not to love?!  I knew exactly how I wanted it to look too, with this gorgeous colour combination.

I wanted a black sole, as most shoes have.  I wanted the body of the shoe to be Vanilla.  I have also stamped on the toe of the shoe using Champagne Shimmer paint and the Tree from Pendant Park.  I think the shimmer paint and simple design of the leaves adds an understated elegance.

I wanted the Soft Suede and Cherry Cobbler to carry on the elegant theme, so used a tiny version of Tania Gould's gorgeous rolled roses and tipped them all with Shimmer paint again.  If you would like to know how to make these roses, then pay Tania a visit HERE.

The JUST ADD INK Design Team have come up with gorgeous projects for you to view too, so be sure to pay us a visit!

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

I always have the need for Birthday cards, but don't always have the time to make them.  I actually had some time to craft the other day and came up with this simple little design.  I wanted to see what it would look like with different textures and colours, so now I have a stash of these little guys to call on when I need a card in a hurry.

All it takes is one stamp, one colour (in this case, Regal Rose) and one embossing folder (Petals Aplenty)!  It is that easy!!  Of course, I also added a faux bow and a gorgeous coordinating brad, just to finish them off.  I would love to show you how to make these little cuties - so why not consider Hosting a workshop and I will show you how!

Wild Wasabi and Lattice

Concord Crush and Polka Dots

Real Red and Vintage Wallpaper

Which one is your favourite?  I love them all.........................

FANCY FOLDS BLOG HOP - JAI #74

JAI FANCY FOLDS EASEL CARD

I hope you enjoyed viewing Kim Badelt's gorgeous Tri Shutter card and you're ready to check out another Fancy Fold.  I have made a Funky Fold Easel Card which is held open with rolled roses.

Cardstock you will need:

10cm x 20cm Basic Black, Card base

10cm x 10cm Basic Black, Card base topper

8.5cm x 8.5cm Poppy Parade (cut 2, 1 outer, 1 inner)

8cm x 8cm Whisper White (cut 2, 1 outer, 1 inner)

Poppy Parade Roses, buttons or brads

Accessories:

1/4" Black grosgrain ribbon, Basic Pearl, Mini Glue Dots, Sponge, Stamp-a-ma-jig

How to:

1.  Using Poppy Parade ink and a sponge, gently sponge both pieces of the Whisper White across the top only.  Lay one piece of Whisper White aside for the card inner later.

2.  Using your Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect placement,  Stamp the "love" sentiment from Occasional Quotes, in Basic Black, 2/3 of the way up the card front.

  3.  Along the bottom of the card front, stamp the flower from Silhouette Sentiments in Basic Black.

4.  Adhere your ribbon across the centre of your card.  Using Mini glue dots, adhere a separately tied bow and top with a pearl.

5.  Score the 20cm x 10 cm Basic Black card base in half at 10cm, then score again on one side only at 5cm.  Place tape or snail on the outside 5cm portion of the card stock as in the photo.

6.  Take the second 10cm x 10cm piece of Basic Black cardstock and lining the bottom up with the first 20cm piece, adhere where you have put the adhesive.  When you push this piece up, it should resemble and Easel - hence the name!
7.  Adhere both pieces of your Whisper White artwork to the 8.5cm square pieces of Poppy Parade mats.

8.  Adhere the front piece (with sentiment) to the front of your card base and the plain on to the inside of your card.
9.  Add buttons, brads or rolled roses placed on the lower third of the inside of your card.  This will enable the front of the card to slot behind, keeping the card open.

Thanks for stopping by, now it's time to move onto the fabulous, Mae Collin's Blog where she has another awesome Fancy Fold for you to try.