Hello Friend - Just Add Ink Challenge #714

Welcome to a new challenge with Just Add Ink and this week we've a colour combo for you to play with:

These gorgeous rich colours would be perfect for an autumn theme, but for today's offering I decided to use birds instead and pulled out my Songbirds on Branches suite. 

I stamped, stencilled and die-cut the images before arranging them on my peacock background, which I'd inked darker around the edges to draw the eye into the centre. They're attached with dimension and a little excess trimmed off the edges. Once the sentiment was on, I covered it and the birds then splattered liberally with gold paint.

Materials used:

• stamp/stencils/die - Songbirds on Branches (Pinkfresh Studio)
• card - pretty peacock, basic white (Stampin' Up)
• other - blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, MISTI, sticky mat, Big Shot, Wordies Sentiment Sheets - Friendship (Creative Expressions), tarnished brass distress paint, fan brush, VersaFine Clair nocturne ink

I hope you'll check out what my fellow team-mates created and decide to join us using these beautiful colours.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #675 - Just Add the Spotlight Technique

It's technique time at Just Add Ink this week.

In case you're not familiar, this is a colouring technique used to bring attention to a focal point on your card. There are a few ways of doing it, the most common being highlighting a portion of a stamped image, especially by die-cutting a shape to isolate the area. I looked around for other methods and found two I really liked - Gina K used stencils (see here) and Jennifer McGuire used windows (see here). They inspired me to try something a little different.

I stamped and stencilled in grey, adding a pop of colour only to the birds. Once die-cut I moved the separate pieces around to give me a nice grouping for a slimline card, added a plaid die to the background for interest and texture, and embossed my sentiment. After everything was mounted the final touch was a few dew drops here and there. 

By keeping everything other than the birds in tones of grey and white, it really makes them pop visually, drawing your eye directly to them. 

Materials used:

• stamp/stencils/die combo - Songbirds on Branches (Pinkfresh Studio)
• other stamps - Itty Bitty Greetings (Stampin' Up)
• card - basic white, smoky slate 
• inks - lost shadow distress ink, hickory smoke archival ink, salvaged patina and twisted citron oxide inks
• other dies - plaid slimline die (Pink and Main)
• other - Big Shot, MISTI, blending brushes, craft foam, Dimensionals, white embossing powder, heat tool, adhesive dew drops (Craft Consortium)

There are more samples to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog. I do hope you'll join us and add your creation to our gallery.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Congrats Songbirds

Over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge their theme this week is Stencil Fun, plus they're showcasing PinkFresh Studios. As luck would have it, I have some PinkFresh stencils I haven't used in a while, although it's not mandatory to use their products. 

I pulled out the beautiful Songbirds on Branches collection - stamp, stencils and die - and was in the mood for some autumn colours. Yes, I know it's actually spring here, but seriously, with the weather we're having this week it might as well be autumn again! 

I stamped in copper ink and clear embossed before using oxide inks with my stencils. Once dry and die-cut, it was a matter of moving the bits around until I was happy with the arrangement. I did some dry embossing on the background for a bit of added interest and die-cut a sentiment in copper foil and vellum. 

Materials used:

• stamp/stencil/die - Songbirds on Branches (PinkFresh Studios)
• card - copper clay, very vanilla, copper foil, vellum (Stampin' Up), watercolour
• distress oxide inks - fired brick, spiced marmalade, aged mahogany, dried marigold, fossilized amber, rusty hinge
• other - Scripty embossing folder (SU), Big Shot, MISTI, blending brushes, Dimensionals, foam strips, double stitched rectangle die, Congrats shadow die

Layering stencils are so fun to work with and take a lot of effort out of colouring images, lol. What's not to like? 

This is my second post today so scroll down for another challenge card and thanks for dropping in. 

Cheers

Kerry

The Card Concept - How Does Your Garden Grow

This week's theme for The Card Concept is How Does Your Garden Grow and we have a truly gorgeous inspiration pic for you for challenge #174:

As much as I love flowers in a garden (although sadly, my current abode doesn't have any), what I have always enjoyed more is watching and listening to the birds that come to visit. They're a delight to see and hear as they flit among the trees or scour the front lawn after a spot of rain. So birds in the garden were the inspiration for my mixed media card.

I gave my card a subtle floral background with some stencilling and texture paste.

Materials used:

• stamps - Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew)
• stamp/die/stencils - Songbirds on Branches (Pinkfresh Studios)
• card - basic white, smoky slate, Bermuda bay
• Altenew inks - frayed leaf, forest glades, evergreen (leaves); citrus burst, fresh lemon, volcano lake, lagoon (birds)
• other - double stitched circle die (Poppycraft), craft foam, Dimensionals, textture paste (Ranger), Florals stencil (Tim Holtz), spatula, Big Shot, Stamparatus, hickory smoke archival ink

As always, there's plenty more inspiration for you over on The Card Concept blog. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Challenge Duo

Today's card is for two challenges: my old friends at CAS on Friday are challenging us to use stencils and the good folks at Color Throwdown have another lovely combo to try.

 

Lime green, aqua and gold

Now, you know I'm a sucker for a good colour combo plus how could I resist the chance to use stencils? As an added bonus, it gave me an excuse to play with two of Stampin' Up's new in colours. Here's my clean and simple card:

I firstly stamped in gold ink then used layering stencils to colour the stamped image, brushing lightly for the first layer then putting more concentrated ink on for the second layer. I cut out the image using the matching die, found a sentiment and added a few gold pearls and voila! card done! 

Materials used:

• stamps - Itty Bitty Greetings (SU)
• stamp/die/stencils - Songbirds on Branches (PinkFresh Studios)
• inks - Tahitian tide, parakeet party (SU), Golden Glitz (Delicata), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
• other - clear embossing powder, heat tool, gold pearls, Stamparatus, Big Shot, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, stitched rectangle die, black marker

I hope you get the opportunity to be crafty today. Thanks for stopping by. 

Cheers

Kerry

Thoughts of You

I thoroughly spoiled myself yesterday with a crafting day (it was my birthday), even getting to play with new stuff! You know how fun that is. Here's one of the cards I made:

I'm entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which this week has an Easter/Spring theme.

Materials used:

• stamps - Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew), Songbirds on Branches (Pinkfresh Studios)
• card - basic white, pool party
• Altenew inks - frayed leaf, forest glades (leaves); mountain mist (sky); citrus burst, buttercream, lavender fields, deep iris (bird); coral berry, ruby red (flower/buds)
• stencils - Songbirds on Branches (Pinkfresh), slimline cloud (MFT)
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, Songbirds on Branches die (Pinkfresh), mounting strips, craft foam, MISTI, pearlescent gems

Love the Altenew inks for using with layering stencils or stamps, they do gradients of colour so well. Pretty sure it won't be long before I'm playing with these again.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry