Carpe Diem

I was really drawn to the graphic for the Colorful Options challenge this month.

So dramatic! I really wanted to create but didn't want to fall back on Halloween or autumn as a theme. As I love the suited image in the collage, I decided to try something along those lines. Here's how it turned out:

I made my background with distress spray stain and oxide spray on watercolour card, then stamped over it with archival ink. The gentleman is three layers and for fun I added the orange tie as a sort of reverse of the image in the collage. As the background stamping is about living life to the fullest, I thought the Carpe Diem sentiment die was a perfect fit.

Materials used:

• stamps - Do What You Love (Pinkfresh Studios)
• dies - Gentlemen, Tailored (both Tim Holtz), stitched rectangle, Carpe Diem (stash)
• other - crackling campfire distress spray stain and oxide spray, water spritzer, Big Shot, MISTI, hickory smoke archival ink

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Here for the Candy - Just Add Ink Challenge #772

Welcome to a new Just Add Ink challenge. This time around you can take the colours or the image or both as inspiration for your creation. If you choose only the colours, you must use at least three of those given.

The witches' hats and jack o'lanterns were the main inspirations for my Halloween card.

I started by creating the background, cutting from white and inking before stamping a number of iconic Halloween images. Next I constructed the cat using dense black card and a touch of sparkle for the witch hat. Cutting the postage collage die came next, then adhering the background segments and this was attached to my card base before I added the cat, jack o'lantern treat bag and sentiment. The confections were cut down through the middle with a craft knife to make them less bulky.

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage Spider Web and Postage Collage Spooktacular (Waffle Flower), Tree Branch, Slender Mushrooms Mini and Mini Meadow Mushrooms (Lavinia), Tiny Frights (Tim Holtz)
• dies - Bewitched and Woof-or-Treat (Spellbinders), A6 Postage Collage and Blocks dies (Waffle Flower), Postale (Tim Holtz)
• other - distress inks, Big Shot, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, white gel pen, MISTI, white embossing powder, heat tool, Confections Halloween ITim Holtz), Deco Sheets Halloween (Tim Holtz), craft knife

I hope the mood board inspires you to create - it certainly doesn't have to be Halloween themed, the colours allow pretty much anything! Just be sure to mention what your inspiration was. Whatever you choose, have fun making and do share with us using the Just Add Ink linky. There are lots more samples to inspire you on the blog too.

Entering into the Double D challenge of Halloween colours.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

From Our Patch to Yours

I had one of those moments that fellow crafters will recognise - I was going through my stash of dies looking for something, when I came across a set I picked up ages ago at a craft sale and have never used. It's autumn/fall themed and very cute - and you know how much I love autumn. As I was about to bypass it, sad that it's the wrong time of year for it, I reminded myself that it is autumn on the other side of the globe and surely there'd be an appropriate challenge around. I was right! (click on the icons to go to the challenge)

     

So I happily sat down and began to play...

For the background I used patchwork patterned paper dry-brushed with gesso to mute the tones a little and also enhance the rustic feel. Most of my die-cut pieces were cut from coloured card and inked for dimension, then raised on the card surface. I don't have a stamp with this sentiment so I printed it on the computer.

It doesn't feel like spring here today, it's very gloomy and raining and now I'm wishing I had some pumpkin to make soup! Lol. (Sorry about the photo - as I said, gloomy day.)

Materials used:

• dies - Pumpkin House (Papertrey Ink)
• other - Autumn patchwork paper (Etsy), craft foam, Dimensionals, distress inks, blending brushes, Big Shot, computer & printer, white gel pen, white gesso, paint brush

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Leaves For You

Today's card is me stepping waaaaaaay outside my comfort zone! Lol. It began as I was browsing the new challenge themes out there and saw a graphic which I initially dismissed as 'not my thing' but which continued to niggle at the back of my mind. A second look had me thinking of a particular die set, then two more challenges dovetailed in to solidify the design taking form in my head. Eventually I asked myself, 'What have you got to lose? It's only card, after all.' So here it is, a step outside the box for sure but I'm happy with it.

Subtle piercing in the background enhances the quatrefoil shaping.

Entering into the following challenges:

   

For Inspired by... I was inspired by the graphic vibe, leaf shapes and colours, and from the Tic Tac Toe grid I chose the middle horizontal row of any shape die, free and fall colours.

Materials used:

• stamp/die combo - Overlapping Hugs Additions (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Foliage Shaker (Pinkfresh Studios), Quatrefoil Panel, Quatrefoil Texture (both Waffle Flower)
• other - Big Shot, Dimensionals, MISTI, white embossing powder, heat tool

I hope you have some crafting in your day. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Wrapped in Fun

I think this is probably my last Halloween themed card for the year - my mind seems to be latching on to Christmas pretty firmly, lol, but I couldn't resist one more play with some spooky cuties for the Inkspirational seasonal challenge.

Colouring and cutting delightful mummies was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Materials used:

• stamps - Mummified (Mama Elephant), Unraveled (Tim Holtz)
• other - MISTI, blending brushes, grass edge dies, branch die, essential arches dies, Copic markers, craft foam, distress inks, moon mask

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

My Favourite Boo

I'm rushing in with a last-hour entry for the Inspired by... challenge! 

I was inspired by the use of soft colours for a Halloween card and the Boo, which fits my sentiment stamp so perfectly.

A very simple card; some stencilled clouds, stamped images which were fussy cut and raised on the background. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Boo Crazy (Tim Holtz), Boo Sentiments (Waffle Flower)
• other - cloud stencil (My Favorite Things), blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, MISTI

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Hey Pumpkin - Just Add Ink Challenge #771

Howdy and welcome to the first challenge under our new format at Just Add Ink! We do hope you'll embrace the changes and have fun joining us in creating. For this fortnight's challenge we have upsized our classic Choose Two - now it's Choose Two or More and your options are:

I couldn't help noticing the alliteration going on in those choices, lol, and for my card I chose plaid, patterned paper and pets plus added a couple more 'p' words - purple and pumpkin. 

The pupkin is cut from watercolour card and coloured with distress inks. There are three layers to the frame and two for the sentiment.

Materials used:

• dies - Pupkin (Spellbinders), Nesting Piercing Ticket Frames and Hey Pumpkin (Waffle Flower)
• other - distress inks, blending brushes, Big Shot, black marker, Dimensionals, Hocus Pocus Worn patterned paper (Etsy)

Check out the rest of the design team's samples over on the Just Add Ink blog. I hope you'll choose two or more items from our list and have some creative fun of your own - and if you do, please share with us! Remember, you now have longer to create as the challenge doesn't close until Wednesday 22nd.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

You Rock! - Just Add Ink Challenge #770

Today's offering is for the new colour combo challenge at Just Add Ink. I saw a card on Pinterest that inspired me and couldn't resist playing along.

Not a combination I would normally use without some other colours in there as well, but it turns out they were just right for this idea.

I blended the three inks on watercolour card for my background and added some distress oxide splatters in what I hoped were similar shades (the purple oxide turned out bluer than I would have liked). Then lots of water splatters to give a very mottled look, before adding more water spritzed over a stencil and blotted, for the rays of light. The stamped figure is coloured with Copics and I gave her outfit - including boots - some shimmer.

Materials used:

• stamps - Uptown Girl Loves to Perform (Stamping Bella), Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew)
• SU inks - bubble bath, fresh freesian, highland heather
• other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, blending brushes, water spritzer, heat tool, clear Wink of Stella, Copic markers, fresh fressia Stampin' Blends, Dimensionals, Ray of Light stencil (MFT), craft foam, gems, banner punch

Do these colours immediately bring something to mind for you? We'd love to see your creations in our gallery.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Something Wickedly Adorable This Way Comes

Two current challenges feature pumpkins on their mood boards.

  

For me at this time of year, as we're coming into spring and not autumn, pumpkins make me think Jack-o'-lanterns and Halloween. I love the fun, cutesy aspects of Halloween and that had a heavy influence on my card.

I combined some different die sets to dress up Mickey and Minnie and had such a blast putting them together. Apart from the black, everything else was cut from white card and coloured using Copics. I did have to really squeeze Mickey's head inside the opening of the pumpkin costume and Minnie's hat is not a perfect fit, lol, but they seem quite happy about it! 😉

Materials used:

• dies - Steamboat Willie, Bewitched, Pupkin, Woof-or-Treat (all Spellbinders)
• stamps - Ghostly Greetings Sentiments (Catherine Pooler)
• other - Copic markers, Sidekick, Dimensionals, MISTI

Hope you have some fun and cutesy in your day! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Life is Beautiful - Just Add Ink Challenge #769

It's Choose Two time again at Just Add Ink with some very versatile options.

So many possibilities! I ended up choosing numbers and words for a postage collage card. 

I started off by using the blocks die to cut my segments, placing them back inside the frame on a sticky mat to do the ink blending. The stamping was done in three parts using my MISTI - the stamps are reasonably small so you can sit quite a few of them on and ink them all at once. The postage themed stamps were last, and they are tricky little devils! They're so small and fiddly and they keep sticking to my fingers when I try to position them, lol. So forgive me if there's a wee bit of crookedness going on! Then I added highlights with a white gel pen. Foam tape was used behind the blended panels to give dimension and the sentiment was embossed with white and raised also.

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage, Lake Sunset (Waffle Flower), Rest & Relaxation (Honey Bee)
• dies - Postage Collage, Postage Collage Blocks
• distress inks - spun sugar, worn lipstick, salvaged patina
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, Bermuda bay ink (SU), MISTI, foam tape, white gel pen, masking corners stencil (Waffle Flower), white embossing powder, heat tool, Dimensionals

We look forward to seeing how the options inspire you!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Well, Hello There! - Just Add Ink Challenge #768

This week's Just Add Ink challenge is a sketch - not one of my strengths, I admit, so I was surprised and enthused when I actually had an idea for a card. I rotated the sketch 90º and sat down to create.

The colour scheme I've used might be familiar - yes, it's the teal, red and white combo again, this time with some added black. So versatile! 

I began with constructing Mickey, then the circle feature which has an ink sponged piece behind it. Then it was simply a matter of more ink sponging on the background, attaching die-cut pieces, and adding the focal image. I used Distress black heavystock card for all the black pieces - not only is it strong, it's also a very dense black and has an almost velvety finish. Perfect for a famous mouse! 😉

Materials used:

• dies - Steamboat Willie Duo Etched dies (Spellbinders), Vault Picture Show (Tim Holtz)
• other - blending brush, Dimensionals, craft foam, Big Shot, R46 Copic marker

Check out more sketch inspiration over on the Just Add Ink blog and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Our Finest Gifts

Today's card is for the Christmas Crafts All Year Round challenge. We're to create a project inspired by the song, The Little Drummer Boy. 

I used the line 'Our finest gifts we bring' as inspiration for my card.

The little elf is three layers of kraft heavystock - there are some very delicate areas on the die where I felt extra strength and support was essential. The gift boxes are all two layers; paper over card. I used the woodgrain paper, kraft and muted colours to give a rustic kind of feel, appropos of a visit to a stable. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Elegant Christmas 2 (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Santa's Helper (Tim Holtz), circle
• papers - Christmas Blessings and Add-On paper pack (Mintay)
• other - Big Shot, blending brush, Dimensionals, foam tape, vellum, brushed corduroy distress ink, clear dots

By the way, did you know The Little Drummer Boy (originally known as the Carol of the Drum) was first recorded by the Trapp Family Singers in 1951? Sound of Music, anyone? 

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

I Pick You

It's apples galore today with a card made for the Color Throwdown challenge.

  

The apples in the mood board look scrumptious so I decided they were the perfect pick (pardon the pun!) for my card:

I started by die cutting a bunch of apples and leaves from watercolour card then colouring with distress inks. Initially they were to sit in a wheelbarrow so that was cut, coloured and assembled next - then I discovered the proportions were out and the apples looked rather giant in the barrow, lol, so it was exchanged for the barrel. I put the barrel together and arranged the apples then glued them in place, added the extra leaves and blossom, then stamped and cut the sign. Some gingham paper gives it a real country feel as well as more yellow.

Materials used:

• stamps - Berry Special (Lawn Fawn)
• dies - Autumn Elements (Karen Burniston), Bushel Basket (The Greetery), Essential Arches (Spellbinders)
• distress inks - twisted citron, mowed lawn, abandoned coral, festive berries, lumberjack plaid, antique linen, brushed corduroy, vintage photo
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, Copic markers, Dimensionals, craft foam, acrylic dot, white gel pen, MISTI

I'm pretty sure colouring and assembling die cuts is my favourite crafty task, so you can be certain I had tons of fun putting this together!

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

To A Classic - Just Add Ink Challenge #767

It's time for an inspiration challenge with Just Add Ink and here's this week's photo prompt:

I took the cars as inspiration and made a birthday card. 

Naturally the car is red - we all know red cars go faster, right? 😁

Materials used:

• stamps - Road Signs bold prints (Hero Arts), All About You (MFT)
• dies - Classic car (Spellbinders), Vault World Travel (Tim Holtz)
• other - Sidekick, MISTI, Dimensionals, craft foam, black embossing powder, heat tool

We hope you'll be inspired to join our challenge with your own creative projects. 

Thanks for driving by.

Cheers

Kerry

Talk Like a Pirate

I didn't expect to be back so soon with another adorable pirate seagull, but it was unavoidable after discovering the Festive Friday challenge!

From the inspo list I've used black, white, twine, jewels and a nautical sentiment.

I began with die cutting the parchment, distressing the edges then giving them a good inking before stamping a few images I hope give it at least a passing resemblance to a treasure map, lol. My pirate was next and I added adhesive pearls to the necklace die piece and a gem for the unpatched eye. 

Materials used:

• dies - Inquisitive Seagull and Pirate Add-Ons (Waffle Flower), parchment (stash)
• stamps - Treasure Hunt Sentiments, Postage Collage Tropical Sunset (both Waffle Flower)
• other - distressing tool, Big Shot, twine, pearls, gems, white embossing powder, heat tool, small banner punch, Dimensionals, blending brush, Copic markers, white gel pen

So fun! Hope you're not getting sick of these guys!

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry