JAI #165 : JUST ADD WOODGRAIN

This week at Just Add Ink, we're challenging you to add WOODGRAIN to your card, or papercraft project.  Maybe you have a stamp, some patterned paper, or an embossing folder that fits the bill.  We'd love to see what you come up with!

I've used my Woodgrain background stamp, from Stampin' Up!, and have gone to town with Gumball Green!   I did stamp the Woodgrain on the patterned paper, but it didn't show up (you might just have to take my word for that one).

Stamps: Woodgrain, Aviary, That's the Ticket

Card: Gumball Green, Whisper White, Basic Black

DSP: Print Poetry Designer Series Paper stack

Ink: Gumball Green stampin' pad, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: 2 1/2" Circle punch, Ticket Duo punch, Neutrals brads, Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, In Color Dahlia, Stampin' Distress tool, sponge dauber, glue dots

 

 

I must give credit to my friend Leanne, for suggesting I use a black sentiment ticket in the centre - doesn't it look fabulous?  I just love how it stands out.

 

 

Make sure you check out the rest of the samples created by the Design Team; there are some VERY cool ideas to inspire you!

 

 



STAMPIN' UP! BABY GIRL CARD FOR DD #45 & US #203

This is my second post for today; I am starting to feel well enough, after a bit of a "blah" week, to head back into my craft room.

When I saw this week's Dynamic Duos challenge, I immediately knew what I wanted to make (which is super-rare!).  Take a look at these pretty colours:

 

 

I am also playing along for the first time with Unscripted Sketches.  Here's the sketch challenge they're running this week:

 

 

 

 

....... and here's my card, combining the two:

Stamps: Aviary, Itty Bitty Banners, Confetti

Card: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White

DSP: Regal Rose Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose stampin' pads

Other: Labels collection framelits, Bitty Banners framelits, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Cloudy Day embossing folder, paper snips, sponge dauber, Whisper White organza ribbon, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon (retired), stampin' dimensionals, Basics Rhinestones, Festive Paper Piercing pack, Stampin' Pierce Mat and Paper-Piercing tool, glue dots

 

 



JUST ADD INK #58 .... FAREWELL AMANDA & DANIELLE :(

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is to choose a project made by Amanda and/or Danielle, and use it as an inspiration for our own papercraft project.  Amanda and Danielle have handed over the reins of Just Add Ink, to Delys and Bronwyn .... two long-time Design Team members who I am sure will continue to run this fabulous site in a manner that will make the founders proud.

I have chosen this card of Amanda's as inspiration for my first card.  SUCH a cute card, don't you think?  I challenged myself to use Stampin' Up! only products.  Since I am sewing-impaired, I used a perforating tool to create wavy lines around the top panel; I then used a white gel pen to draw over the lines.  My circular panel is a smaller size than Amanda's, so I shifted the sentiment 'elsewhere' to try to balance out the elements.  Here's what I came up with, using the cutesy retired "Good Neighbors" stamp set:

Stamps: Good Neighbors, Short & Sweet

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Real Red textured

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad and marker, Real Red stampin' pad and marker, Old Olive marker

Other: Birds & Blooms sizzlits die, 1 3/4" Circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Old Olive taffeta ribbon, sponge daubers, Metallic brad, sticky strip, Modern Label punch, perforating tool, white gel pen, stampin' dimensionals, blender pen

The card I chose to "CASE" from Danielle is this one.  Now, I wouldn't even attempt to emulate Danielle's ability to tie divine bows ... so I've gone for more of a 'rosette' look!

Stamps: Aviary, Confetti, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

DSP: Love Letter Designer Series Paper

Ink: Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker, Riding Hood Red and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Crochet trim, Antique Brad, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge dauber, sticky strip, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, stampin' dimensionals

Despite feeling a bit daunted by this challenge, when I first saw it at Just Add Ink, I've had a lot of fun making these cards.  Thanks, girls, for always being a source of inspiration to me!

PURPLE "AVIARY" BIRTHDAY

A lovely friend celebrated her birthday recently, and (cardinal sin amongst cardmakers - or, do we just put too much pressure on ourselves??) I wasn't organised enough to have made her a card in time.  Sorry, Rach!  Hope you like the card now that you have it :)

I really loved a card made by Michelle Mummery; see the second one in her blog post here.  I've CASEd the design, putting my own spin on it.  Thanks for the inspiration, Michelle! I've gone for a slightly vintage-y look with this card, using Crumb Cake and Perfect Plum as the main colours, with Elegant Eggplant accents.  I don't know if it's clear in the photo, but I have stamped the vine image from the Vintage Vogue stamp set on the main Very Vanilla panel - I stamped it off first, to give a subtle impression.  LOVE these colours together; what do you think??

Stamps: Aviary, Vintage Vogue, On Your Birthday

Card: Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant

DSP: Perfect Plum Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake and Elegant Eggplant stampin' pads, Perfect Plum stampin' pad and marker

Other: Chantilly Crochet Trim, Word Window Punch, Birds and Blooms sizzlits die, Neutrals buttons, mini glue dot, Basic Pearls, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge dauber

BLOG HOP - STAMPIN' UP! SUMMER MINI

Yippee - I've stamped!  After a rather long hiatus, I've spent a little time in my craft room the past few days.  I returned from holidays with a chest infection and vertigo, so my creativity hasn't exactly come flooding back, but I do have a few cards to share with you!

Today I'm taking part in a blog hop, with 8 friends who are also Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  In our projects, we've used products from Stampin' Up!'s Summer Mini catalogue.  You can view the catalogue online by clicking on the cover in the right-hand sidebar of my blog.  There are lots of YUMMY things in this Mini; they are available only until the end of March.

You may have arrived here after seeing what the incredibly creative Amy Buchanan has made ... but, if not, no problem.  Just follow the links at the end of each blog post in today's "hop", and you'll get round all 9 blogs, and hopefully get lots of great ideas for using the new products.

The first card I have to show you is made with the gorgeous Aviary stamp set.  This is one that I'd coveted since seeing it on US blogs well before it arrived in Australia, so there was no question about me buying the stamps!  I've also used the adorable Itty Bitty Bits flower stamp, and co-ordinating Itty Bitty Shapes punch, to create some sweet embellishments.  The crochet trim's new too.  Take a look:

Stamps: Aviary, Itty Bitty Bits, Sincere Salutations, Daisy Dash jumbo stampin' around wheel

Card: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

DSP: Love Letter and Newsprint Designer Series Papers

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Itty Bitty Shapes punch, 1 1/4" square punch, scallop square punch, Basic Pearls, sponge dauber, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Victoria 5/8" crochet trim, mini glue dots

Next up is a simple, but I think rather sweet (can I say that about my own cards?!), card for a baby boy.  The new products I've used are the Baby Steps stamp (gorgeous little elephants, with the sentiment attached, and at only $13.95), Square Lattice embossing folder, Pinking Hearts border punch, and Itty Bitty Bits with the Itty Bitty Shapes punch (there are 3 tiny punches in a set, for $30.95 - great value!).  I just love all of these products - Stampin' Up! doesn't go far wrong in my eyes!

Stamps: Baby Steps, Itty Bitty Bits, Confetti

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Bashful Blue

DSP: Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake and Real Red stampin' pads, Versamark inkpad, Whisper White craft stampin' pad

Other: Square Lattice embossing folder, Pinking Hearts border punch, Mat Pack and paper piercing tool, Bashful Blue brads, mini glue dot, sponge daubers, Itty Bitty Shapes punch (3/8" circle)

Lastly, I have made a card using the Love Defined set.  It is a beautiful set of 8 stamps that are very versatile.  Don't you just love the 'grass' with hearts at the top?  I stamped the grass in Blushing Bride and Pink Pirouette inks, and (even though it doesn't show in the photo), stamped it off on the oval sentiment panel.  The sentiment is from a new set called Well Scripted; the font combinations are so beautiful - love them.

Stamps: Love Defined, Well Scripted

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette

DSP: Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo and Basic Black stampin' pads

Other: Basic Rhinestones, Square Lattice embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, sponge daubers, Wide Oval punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits die, Heart to Heart punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Well, that's it from me, so it's time to visit the blog of Alisha Watson - she never fails to amaze me with her out-of-the-box ideas.

Here's a list of all the participants in today's blog hop, so if you lose your way, just pop back here and you can click on anyone's link to visit their blog.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!



Ros Davidson
http://www.rosdavidson.typepad.com/

Di Dunk
http://www.stampartbydi.typepad.com/

Judy May
http://www.judymay.typepad.com/

Kathryn Mangelsdorf
http://klm55.blogspot.com/

Nikki Sadler
http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Tina Gillespie
http://scissorspapercard.blogspot.com/

Amy Buchanan
http://www.fashioninggreatimpressions.com/

Christine Blain (that's me!)
http://www.christineblain.blogspot.com/

Alisha Watson
http://www.ratherbstampin.typepad.com/