JAI #106: STAMPIN' UP! SPICE CAKE AND FUN FLOWERS

This week at Just Add Ink, we have a sketch challenge, with a great sketch 'cooked up' by Bron before she stepped down from the design team. 

I wanted to have a play with the beautiful Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, that is in Stampin' Up!'s Summer Mini catalogue.  These papers give me heart palpitations, they're that beautiful!   I have let the papers do most of the talking on my card, and have used accents in complementary colours.  Some sponging, faux stitching, and a shabby little seam binding bow add the finishing touches.

Stamps: Language of Friendship, Fresh Vintage

Card: Naturals Ivory, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Pear Pizzazz and Pool Party

DSP: Spice Cake Designer Series Paper

Ink: Soft Suede stampin' pad and marker, Early Espresso, More Mustard and Pool Party stampin' pads

Other: Fun Flowers Bigz die, Modern Label punch,  Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, 1/2" circle punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch,  sponge daubers, Pear Pizzazz seam binding, Regals brads, Mat Pack and paper piercing tool, edge distressing tool, mini glue dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Make sure you check out the rest of the Design Team's creations this week; you are sure to be inspired.  We'd love you to play along, by linking your creation over at the Just Add Ink site!

JUST ADD INK #105

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink, brought to us by Kim, is to use these gorgeous colours together:

I have a personal challenge that I've laid down for myself - to USE some of my stamp sets that don't see a lot of ink.  I needed to make a card for my mother-in-law's upcoming birthday, and chose to use the beautiful My Friend stamp set.  I'm playing along at JAI 'just for fun' this week; I need to reclaim some of the mojo that seems to have deserted me since Christmas.

It's a little hard to see in my shady (in more than one sense of the word!) photo, but I stamped the card base with the circular snowburst image; I also stamped the same pattern on the right-hand side of the main panel, before spritzing with markers over the top.  The floral stamp was inked up with markers, and I used a blender pen to pick up more colour from inkpads, to add a bit of depth to the colours of the flowers.

Stamps: My Friend, For My Family

Card: Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron, Pool Party

Ink: Certainly Celery stampin' pad and marker, Wisteria Wonder stampin' pad and marker, So Saffron stampin' pad and marker, Jet Black Staz-On inkpad

Other: Lace Ribbon border punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Basic Rhinestones, Color Spritzer tool, blender pen, sponge daubers, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon, edge distressing tool, mini glue dots

STAMPIN' UP!'S "MY FRIEND" IN RAZZLEBERRY

I've had a little play time in my craft room today,  stamping up a storm after being inspired by this gorgeous card made by the fabulous Kirsty Brown.

Although I LOVE Stampin' Up!'s Spice Cake Designer Series Papers, I decided to go with a different colour scheme.  It has been a while since I've used Rich Razzleberry, so that was my starting point.  Yesterday I dyed a crocheted flower, from Stampin' Up!'s Fleurettes II, using Rich Razzleberry ink diluted a little in water.  Love how rich the end result was.  It was a bit insipid the first time, but I upped the amount of ink, and left it soaking while I enjoyed lunch with a girlfriend for Valentine's Day :)

Tiny butterflies from the Beautiful Wings embosslits die, are perfect to fill any 'unwanted' space (and I had a bit of it, since I opted for a smaller sentiment than on Kirsty's card).  Here's what I came up with:

Stamps: Spiced Paisley, My Friend

Card: Rich Razzleberry, Naturals Ivory, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze

DSP: Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin' kit

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Baja Breeze stampin' pad and marker, Rich Razzleberry stampin' pad and marker, Soft Suede stampin' pad and marker

Other: Stampin' sponge, sponge dauber, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Fleurettes II, Fancy Flower punch, Corner rounder punch, Chantilly crochet trim, 5/16" Jumbo brad (Very Vanilla), sticky strip, mini glue dots, Multipurpose liquid glue

SALE-A-BRATION SAMPLES: FRESH VINTAGE & EVERYDAY ENCHANTMENT

Aren't you just loving the gorgeous options Stampin' Up! has provided this year, for Sale-a-Bration freebies??  In case you're not "au fait" with what Sale-a-Bration is, it's one of THE most exciting events on the Stampin' Up! calendar, and runs from late January until the end of March.  For every $100 spent, you can earn a stamp set, or other pretty items, for FREE!!

I was sooooo happy to find out yesterday, on Dawn Olchefske's blog, that the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch is the PERFECT tool to use with the flowery medallion stamp in the Fresh Vintage stamp set!!  I had a little play last night with some scraps of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, to make a couple of tiny 'thank you' cards.

On these cards you'll see the paper, and brads, that are freebies this year in the Sale-a-Bration period.  Absolutely beautiful.  I am in love with the brads that match the patterns on the paper (look closely).

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), Short & Sweet

Card: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

DSP: Everyday Enchantment (SAB)

Ink: Pool Party, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede stampin' pads

Other: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, Word Window punch, sponge dauber, Everyday Enchantment brads (SAB), Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Stampin' Dimensionals 

Stamps: Fresh Vintage (SAB), Tiny Tags

Card: Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade, Soft Suede

DSP: Everyday Enchantment (SAB)

Ink: Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede stampin' pads

Other: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, sponge dauber, Everyday Enchantment brads (SAB), Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

...... and here are the two little cards together.  Cute, don't you think?!

JAI # 104 : BACK TO SCHOOL

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is to make a papercraft project with a "back to school" theme.  Here in Australia (and in New Zealand), the summer holidays are over, and a new school year has just begun.  Speaking of new beginnings, this is my very first submission as part of the Design Team at Just Add Ink!

My eldest son is commencing his VCE this year.  It's the last two years of his secondary schooling, and both Years 11 and 12 count towards the final assessment that determines entry to university/tertiary studies.  I wanted to encourage Jack to do the best he can do (I always tell him that, but I reckon he thinks I'm nagging!), so came up with this card for him, as he enters this important stage of his schooling.

I created the large star, on which the sentiment is mounted, by punching out five 'pennants' with my Petite Pennants Builder punch.  I sponged the edges of each pennant, and adhered them to the reverse side of the Riding Hood Red circle.

Stamps: Extreme Elements; For My Family; Up, Up & Away

Card: Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

DSP: Well Worn

Ink: Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red, Not Quite Navy stampin' pads

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Blue Denim ribbon, Linen Thread, Subtles Glimmer brad, 1 3/4" circle punch, Circles #2 die, Petite Pennants Builder punch, sponge daubers, MFT Die-Namics star die

Be sure to check out the other Design Team members' samples .... there are some fabulous ideas, to inspire you with your own papercraft projects.  Have fun!

JAI #103 : STAMPIN' UP! SCALLOPED HEART OF HEART EMBOSSLITS

Even though I've joined the Just Add Ink Design Team, I don't 'officially' start until next week's challenge.  So, this week I am playing along for fun, as I love to do (and will probably continue to do when it's my "off" week with the Design Team).

This week, Mae's challenge is to "Just Add Red and White", keeping in mind that Valentine's Day is upon us.  I don't subscribe much to the lovey-dovey Valentine stuff, but do like to make cards for friends who mean a lot to me (to give year round).  As I lay in bed last night, I envisaged exactly what I wanted to make, so it came together very quickly this afternoon.

I'd bought Stampin' Up!'s Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslits die, but hadn't yet used it.  It was PERFECT for the card I had in mind.

I had a hard time photographing my card, because we have really high winds in Melbourne this afternoon.  It's hot, humid, and there are reports of lots of little scrub fires around the suburbs.  Thankfully, no fires around here, but the wind is extreme.  I ducked outside, quickly snapped a photo of my card (in not-great light), and came back in to the airconditioned comfort of the house!

My card is simple, but I love it.  I think it beautifully showcases all the 'bits and pieces' that Stampin' Up! has in one colour (in this case, Real Red).

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts

Card: Whisper White, Real Red smooth & textured

Ink: Real Red stampin' pad

Other: Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslits, Stripes embossing folder, Full Heart punch, Itty Bitty shapes punches, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Real Red corduroy button (retired), Brights button, Basic Rhinestones, Itty Bitty Buttons, Heart to Heart punch, Brights glimmer brad, White bakers twine, mini glue dots, Tombow liquid glue

SOME VERY HAPPY NEWS!

I am thrilled to share with you, that I have been chosen to join the amazing Design Team at Just Add Ink, my favourite challenge site!!

I've been a huge fan of Just Add Ink since the site's inception, and regular followers of my blog will already know that I take part in the challenges just about every week.  The friendships I've developed with the other members of the Design Team have added so much to my life already, so I am beyond excited to now be an 'official' member of the team! 

Hopefully soon I'll have some creations to share with you (the boys are back to school, and life can almost return to 'normal' after the looooooooong summer holidays!).  In the meantime, here's the official announcement on the JAI site!

Thanks to the Design Team, for the honour of joining you all, and for making me so welcome!