Sending Hugs for JAI #364

Hello everyone and welcome :-) A big thank you to you all for your lovely wishes for Sally the Lab! Am happy to report she is now doing very well and almost back to her happy self. And a stamping order sneaked itself in so a little BBB will be arriving soon so things are looking good :-)

Also looking very good is the new challenge at Just Add Ink this week! Kelly has suggested this gorgeous photo to inspire our projects this week. You can take whatever inspires you from the image and it was obvious the design team really enjoyed working with it this week and have created amazing cards! So I hope you can take a moment to pop on over and take a look and join us :-)

When I first saw this picture, it was the daisies and the fabulous copper jug that dazzled me. But when I sat down to create I found myself taken by the details in the wall behind. I don't as yet have the famous Embossing Paste (don't worry, it's now coming :-)) so I turned to the brick embossing Folder and the "wood" image from Timeless Textures to recreate some of the details and texture.

You may be able to see better in this photo the inky grey details as well as some copper. Of course the lovely daisy is embossed in Copper too as is the sentiment. The hugs was die cut in both copper and white card stock and offset a little so that the white details show. And I couldn't resist adding a little of the pretty new Copper Trim ribbon too :-)

Card stock: Whisper White (thick), Basic Grey, Smoky Slate, Copper Foil
Inks: Basic Grey, Versamark, Garden Green, Tranquil Tide
Stamps: Daisy Delight, Lovely Inside and Out, Timeless Textures
Accessories: Big Shot, Brick Wall EF, Lovely Word Thinlits, Stiiched Shapes Framelits, Daisy Punch, Copper EP, Gold Faceted Gems, Metallic Sequins Assortment

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop on over to Just Add Ink and see what our lovely design team have made to inspire you and I look forward to seeing what you will create with this gorgeous image too!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Thank You JAI #359

Happy Friday and welcome! The days are getting shorter and definitely cooler but the beautiful colours of Autumn are on show. The leaves have turned to beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow and there is a often a carpet of them on the streets - which remind me of my childhood and walking to school kicking and dancing through them:-)

This week at Just Add Ink we have this gorgeous floral bloom photo for you suggested by Kim. The design team have all made stunning creations to inspire you so I hope you can take a moment to pop on over and join us :-)

The layers and orientation of the flower in the photo reminded me of this lovely birthday image so that was my starting point.  I white embossed it onto water colour card stock and then used an Aqua Painter with ink pads. To get the depth of colour, I first applied a light wash taking ink from the lids and then took ink direct from the ink pads to add the shading.

The white embossing makes it easy to stay within the lines and also gives a rather vintage effect which I decided to embrace and added layers of ribbon to represent the layers of petals in the photo. Whilst I'd love some white Wink of Stella some embossed dots from Timeless Textures give some subtle shine to the background :-)

I coloured a second flower just in case there was an accident with the fussy cutting but as all went well I decided to use it on second card.

This time I layered the coloured panel on a base of the same colour but I might change that to the same as the one above. And the greeting is a sneak peek of a new set available June 2 called Happy Birthday Gorgeous - it is indeed gorgeous and will get plenty of use am sure :-)

Card stock: Dapper Denim, Soft Sky
Ink: Melon Mambo, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, Versamark
Stamps: Birthday Blooms, Thankful Thoughts, Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Timeless Textures
Accessories: White EP, Burlap Ribbon, White Organza Ribbon, Gold Metallic Ribbon (Sab), Metallic Sequin Assortment

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop on over to Just Add Ink and see the fabulous inspiration from the design team and I look forward to seeing what you will create for this beautiful inspiration challenge too!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Pink Wings for Jai #321

Hello and a very happy Friday to you! Here in Melbourne it is a Public Holiday as we have the Grand Final of the footy on Saturday and there will be a parade today. It basically will be a Melbourne vs Sydney kind of thing the way it's worked out - and the local team, the Western Bulldogs haven't made a Final match in 62 years so even though I don't follow the game...Like most locals, I'm hoping the "Dogs" get over the line as would be a once in a lifetime event for their fans :-) EDIT: Am pleased to be able to say they DID win - woo hoo :-)

So just in time for the long weekend is our new challenge at Just Add Ink this week. Nikki has suggested a fabulous and fun theme for us all to use - to Just Add WINGS!! Now there are all sorts of different wings - fixed, floating and coloured and colourful. Our wonderful team have all created a beautiful and wide variety of Winged ideas to inspire you so I hope you can take a moment and fly on over and take a look and join us :-)

For my wings, I went with a mix of stamped and water coloured ones I haven't played with butterflies in a while and decided to aim for a soft and pink and girly look for the layers. The base layer is stamped in Melon Mambo - stamped off x5 for the lightest shade and then one less each time for the rest. The next butterfly is water coloured and die cut from water colour paper. And the top layer is of course some shiny gold foil for a bit of bling :-)

And many thanks to Di Barnes for creating this lovely new watermark too :-)

Card stock: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White, Gold Foil, Water color Paper

Designer Series Paper: Pop of Pink

Inks: Versamark, Melon Mambo, Smoky Slate

Stamps: Watercolor Wings, Timeless Textures, Sunshine Sayings

Accessories: Big Shot, Bold Butterfly Framelits, Butterflies Thinlits, Swirly Scribbles Thinlits, Gold EP,  Metallic Enamel Shapes, Black Metallic Thread

It's all go for us at the moment too as we have now found our new home - less than 5mins drive away and there is much to do and organise in the next 3 weeks.  I am really blessed by the many offers of help already - from neighbours to old and new friends it really is awesome!! 

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a moment to pop on over to Just Add Ink and see the rest of our lovely team's amazing cards and I look forward to seeing what you create with this fun theme this week too.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Pieced Rose for JAI #321

Hello and welcome! This past week we have been treated to some unseasonably warm weather - there even were a couple of days without rain! It has been really lovely and has confused the garden somewhat - the daffodils have even started to sprout :-) But Winter is set to return with a vengeance this weekend so will be a great excuse to spend a little time at the craft table.

And just in time for your weekend we have a new challenge at Just Add Ink. This week Patrice has suggested a fabulous technique for us all to use - to Just Add.............Paper Piecing.
The design team have showcased brilliantly different variations of this fun technique so I hope you can pop on over and take a look and be inspired to join us!

This was such a fun challenge as I'd been wanting to try paper piecing the smaller rose in the Rose Garden Thinlits. When I look at the roses I see when walking the streets with Sally the Lab, they are often darker in the centres and lighter toward the outer petals so that was my inspiration for the colours. The base card and rose frame is actually Night of Navy although sadly it almost looks black in the photo.
To give the petals something to rest on, I traced the outline onto some Whisper White card stock and cut it out and placed the frame over the top. Then I simply die cut the rose from the different card colours and kept the pieces - the trick is to pick the card up afterwards, holding the die and peel away the excess card. Then use your paper piercer to gently poke out the frame and your rose should come out intact making it easier to see which piece goes where :-)

For the background I started with a soft water colour wash and as it was drying, stamped some images from Timeless Textures. The slightly wet paper causes the ink to run a little - in some places more than others :-) 

Card stock: Night of Navy, Soft Sky, Tempting Turquoise

Ink: Versamark, Soft Sky, Tempting Turquoise, Night of Navy

Stamps: Sunshine Sayings, Timeless Textures

Accessories: Big Shot, Rose Garden Thinlits, Triple Banner Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Aqua Painter, Large Polka Dots EF
Non SU: Watercolour paper pad- 300gsm Eraldo di Paolo from Riot Art 

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you can take a moment to pop on over to Just Add Ink and see the fabulous cards our team have made to inspire you and I look forward to seeing what you will make with this fun technique too.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan 

Layered Butterfly Birthday

Happy Tuesday to you! I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and maybe even got some extra time for crafting? I was blessed to have catch ups with two of my favourite friends popping in - and we even got to stamp as we chatted - after we had a good look over some of the new toys of course :-)

However, today's card features some favourites that have been around since the start of the year at least :-) It was made for a lovely friend's recent birthday and she likes her gold and layers of texture so I hope she likes this.
There are 3 layers of butterflies - with the white having a liberal dose of Wink of Stella for some pretty sparkle! The stamped swirls and grunge effects are gold embossed using the Timeless Textures stamp and there is Pool Party twine added behind the butterflies too for both it's colour and textural effect :-)

Card stock: Whisper White (thick and standard), Gold Foil, Melon Mambo
Designer Series Paper: Neutrals and Subtles Stacks
Inks: Melon Mambo, Versamark
Stamps: Rose Wonder, Timeless Textures
Accessories: Big Shot, Bold Butterfly Framelits, Butterflies Thinlits, Triple Banner Punch, Gold EP, Iced Rhinestones (Retired, sadly), Pool Party Twine, Basic Rhinestones

I also made a larger version of this card to frame and use in my hallway. I previously had a stamped and coloured Swallowtail themed frame that was well due for an update :-)

Here the gold butterfly has gone to the back of the image - and a larger one used that was too big for the card version. This was inspired by a frame featured in a Stampin Up magazine early in the year  featuring butterflies in a frame and it was an idea that I really wanted to try. Then, to take that inspiration and turn it into a card as well was really fun to do and I hope that you too might be encouraged to try it too.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan