JAI #157 : JUST ADD ...... GREEN

In honour of St Patrick's Day, falling this Sunday, Mae has set a challenge at Just Add Ink to Just Add ... Green to your papercraft project.

Although I am proud of my Irish heritage, I have no need for a St Patrick's Day card .... often I'll make an effort to wear something green on March 17th, but in Australia we don't give cards to celebrate the occasion.  So, I've made a card with LOTS of green on it instead.

It wasn't until I'd finished the card that I realised I'd used retired Designer Series Paper.  I do try to use current product on the projects I share, but the starry paper is so darn cute that I've decided not to change it!  Here's my green creation:

Stamps: Perfectly Preserved, Curly Cute

Card: Gumball Green, Whisper White, Basic Black

DSP: Snow Festival Designer Series Paper

Ink: Gumball Green and Lucky Limeade stampin' pads, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: Cannery Set framelits, In Color Printed Designer brads, White Tea Lace doily, Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon, Basic Black scallop dots ribbon, Whisper White 1/8" taffeta ribbon, stampin' dimensionals, glue dots, paper-piercing tool

 

 

The Just Add Ink Design Team have come up with some great "green" projects, as a nod to St Patrick's Day.  You can check them out here.

JAI #128: INSPIRATIONAL PHOTO

This week at Just Add Ink, Jodene has come up with a gorgeous inspiration pic to set our creative juices flowing!

The elements that stood out to me, when I first saw this photo, were the pink and orange flowers - Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink and Pumpkin Pie, in "Stampin' Up! speak"!  So, I have a rather  PINK creation to show you today. 

I have used one of the die-cut doily paper sheets from Stampin' Up!'s Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper, and adhered it to a panel of Pretty in Pink doily paper from the same selection.  A few punched-out flowers, bright buttons and little leaves finish off my card.

Stamps: Curly Cute

Card: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade

DSP: Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Pretty in Pink stampin' pads

Other: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, Melon Mambo dotted scallop ribbon, Brights buttons, White baker's twine, Sweetest Stem embosslits, Scallop Edge border punch, sponge dauber, mini glue dots, Tombow liquid glue, 3/4" Circle punch, Anywhere glue stick

We'd love to have you play along with us.  You might take inspiration from the flowers, or the colours, or any element in the photo.  Check out the rest of the Design Team's gorgeous creations, for even more inspiration!

STAMPIN' UP!'S AUTUMN-WINTER MINI FLOWER CARDS

There is only one week until Stampin' Up!'s Autumn-Winter Mini catalogue finishes.  This Mini contains some fabulous new products, that have become "go-to" items in my stash.  I'd like to share with you a card we made in my classes this month, that focussed on products from the Mini catalogue.  The card design is very simple, but I think showcases beautifully how well Stampin' Up! do the "matchy-matchy" thing! 

We white-embossed one of the flower stamps from Mixed Bunch, onto In Color cardstock.  The Blossom punch perfectly punched out the shape, and the flower centre is decorated with a cute Jelly Bean brad.  Check out how the ruffled ribbon and baker's twine match the cardstock and brad - cute, don't you think?!  The card also features a scalloped edge cut using the new Adorning Accents Edgelits dies (love them!).  We had a play with the new Diagonal Plate for the Simply Scored scoring tool, too, to add a bit of texture to the card.

Here's the card my class attendees made, using Calypso Coral:

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Curly Cute

Card: Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Whisper White

Ink Versamark inkpad, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: Blossom punch, Jelly Bean brad, Mat Pack & Paper Piercing Tool, Simply Scored Tool and Diagonal Plate, Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon, Calypso Coral Baker's Twine, Adorning Accents Edgelits die, stampin' dimensionals, Tombow liquid glue, mini glue dot



I made similar cards in the other three In Colors that feature in the Jelly Bean brad designs.  Here is the same layout in Pool Party:

......   and Wisteria Wonder:

.... and, finally, Lucky Limeade:

I varied my diagonal scoring a bit, so you can see what a difference a little change can make.  I love these cards, and think they'd make a nice little gift set - don't you?

STAMPIN' UP!'S BABY BUNDLE ... IN BLUE, AND PINK

I wanted to make some baby cards, but was a bit short on ideas, so thought I'd Google images using the stamp set I'd chosen.  I had a bit of a giggle when a few of the cards that came up were mine - it hadn't even occurred to me to look over cards I'd made, for inspiration! 

I really liked the way Janine Rawlins used the Baby Bundle stamp set on this card, so that was my starting point.  I stamped the cute little images on watercolour paper using Jet Black Staz-On ink.  The 'boy' card was coloured using Stampin' Up!'s Watercolour Wonder crayons, and the 'girl' card was coloured with inkpads and an aquapainter.

Stamps: Baby Bundle, Curly Cute

Card: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, watercolour paper

Ink: Jet Black Staz-on inkpad, Bashful Blue stampin' pad, Crumb Cake stampin' pad

Other: Pinking Hearts border punch, Bashful Blue satin ribbon, sponge dauber, Watercolour Wonder Crayons (Brights Collection), aquapainter, blender pen, mini glue dots

Stamps: Baby Bundle, Short & Sweet

Card: Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, watercolour paper

Ink: Jet Black Staz-on inkpad, Whisper White craft stampin' pad, Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Daffodil Delight stampin' pads

Other: Pretty in Pink scallop dots ribbon, Twitterpated buttons, aquapainter, mini glue dots, tab die (not SU!)

I had a lot of fun making these sweet cards (colouring is so therapeutic, isn't it?). 



FM59 & SUO#45: STAMPIN' UP!'S SIMPLY SENT EVERYDAY ELEGANCE

I'm joining in with The Friday Mashup challenge for the first time.  This week's challenge is to make a card with a decorative edge, and/or ribbon.  I made a happy discovery, of a Simply Sent kit from Stampin' Up!, that I'd forgotten I had!  (Does anyone else know that feeling, of owning so many craft supplies that it's like Christmas when you discover a long-since purchased item that you'd forgotten about?!)

The Simply Sent kit contains really pretty, ready-made, card bases with laser-cut edges - PERFECT for this week's Mashup!  All I've done is add a little stamping (including a sentiment stamped onto one of the labels from the kit), a flower, bow and punched border - and voila, a gorgeous card.  (My handmade flower is thanks to the wonderful tutorial from Joanne Leddy.)

I'm also entering this card in this week's SU Only Challenge, to add a 3-dimensional flower.  It's been way too long since I've played along at SUO!

Stamps: Curly Cute, Kindness Matters

Card: Simply Sent Everyday Elegance card, Cherry Cobbler cardstock

Ink: Baja Breeze and Cherry Cobbler stampin' pads

Other: Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Dotted Scallop ribbon border punch, Subtles glimmer brad, Fancy Flower punch, 5-Petal flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch, mini glue dots, sticky strip

JAI #100 : JUST ADD CROWNS

This week my favourite challenge site, Just Add Ink, is celebrating a huge milestone - it's their 100th challenge!  To commemorate this auspicious occasion, since a letter from the Queen isn't forthcoming, we're being encouraged to submit a card or other papercraft project with one or more crowns on it.  My friend Helen ran with the "or more" suggestion (love her card - check it out here).  I, on the other hand, have kept mine very simple.

What first sprang to mind, when I mulled over how I could incorporate a crown on a card, were rich, regal colours.  I chose to use Concord Crush with Brushed Gold, and Shimmery White cardstock for my embossed images.  I wanted my card to have a clean, formal look about it (and I think the end result somewhat resembles a tuxedo - what do you think???!!).

Stamps: Parlor Prints, Established Elegance, Curly Cute

Card: Concord Crush, Brushed Gold, Shimmery White

Ink: Versamark inkpad

Other: Gold embossing powder, XL Tag punch, In Color Glimmer brad, Itty Bitty shapes circle punch, Whisper White satin ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

BUTTON BUDDIES FOR LYNDA

I used my new Button Buddies stamp set (in the new catalogue, out 1st September), from Stampin' Up!, to make a birthday card for my sis, who rather likes 'cute'.  The pig stamp in this set definitely qualifies as cute!

My trusty Color Coach suggested the colour combo of Pink Pirouette, Early Espresso and Baja Breeze.  Gorgeous.  Forgive the rather blown-out colours in the photo, but I got all excited about a rare burst of sunshine and photographed it outside before giving the card to the birthday girl.  I stamped both the base card, and the white panel across the middle, with tiny hearts in Pink Pirouette.  After stamping and crimping the sentiment, I spritzed it with Pink Pirouette as well.

Here's the card I came up with, for Lynda:

Stamps: Button Buddies (available 1st September), Curly Cute, Confetti

Card: Pink Pirouette textured, Whisper White

DSP: Baja Breeze and Early Espresso Patterns Designer Series Papers

Ink: Pink Pirouette stampin' pad and marker, Early Espresso stampin' pad, Baja Breeze stampin' pad

Other: Crimper, Basic Rhinestones, 1/16" hole punch, spone dauber, stampin' dimensionals, pink button from stash, embroidery thread, Color Spritzer tool