Magical Chapters

It's the first Friday of the month, which means a new challenge from All About Papercraft. This month it's...

I chose the occasion we probably celebrate the most often - someone's birthday - for my card. 

As a voracious reader, I'd happily receive this one myself, lol.

Materials used:

• stamps & dies - Twilight Tales (Pinkfresh Studios)
• die & stencils - Nature's Narrative (Pinkfresh Studios)
• other - blending brushes, MISTI, Big Shot, foam squares and strips

I hope you'll join us in creating a celebration project. Check out more inspiration from my fellow design team mates over on the All About blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Turning One

Welcome to a new challenge with Just Add Ink. It's our stencils and/or dies challenge and we've added a theme sure to appeal to many of you.

My offering is the card I made for my daughter to give her niece, who recently celebrated her first birthday. 

Pooh and Piglet were cut from thick watercolour card for a bit of texture, while all the accoutrements were cut from white. There are three layers to the number one and I added bling for that something extra.

Materials used:

• dies - Essential Arches, Classic Pooh Birthday Accessories, Pooh & Piglet (all Spellbinders), Large Numbers (Stampin' Up), Santa's Helper (Tim Holtz)
• other - Classic Pooh Birthday Numbers embossing folder (Spellbinders), blending brushes, Big Shot, rhinestones, foam tape/squares
• inspired by a Meghann Andrew card

So adorable!

I hope you'll get out your kid-friendly dies/stencils and play along. Don't forget to check out other samples for inspiration over on the challenge blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Bold is Beautiful

Today I'm playing along with the current Just Us Girls challenge.

For my card I used bold colours and a bold stamp for the sentiment. 

I die-cut the balloon border first, along with extras of the heart and small round balloons, and chose a palette of bold colours fresh enough to brighten anyone's day. That's mounted with foam onto my base and then it all received a liberal spritz with shimmer mist, so there's a lovely shine everywhere. My sentiment was stamped and cut before adding and the final touch was some glitter card stars. A very simple card that gives a bold wow!

Materials used:

• stamps - Your Day sentiments combo (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Balloon Frame (Waffle Flower)
• distress inks - picked raspberry, carved pumpkin, mustard seed, peacock feathers, wilted violet
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, shimmer mist, MISTI, white gel pen, foam squares

Have a good day and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Birthday Under Construction

Welcome to a new Tic Tac Toe challenge! Here's the grid with options for this time around:

My picks were birthday, fun fold and free on the left vertical row to make a card for my adorable grandson who had a birthday recently. Under advisement from his mama I bought him some construction vehicle toys (one of his current loves) then decided to see what I could use to fit that theme for his card. As luck would have it, I found some dies, so set to making diggers and such, then paired these with co-ordinating clipart. It ended up being quite the loooooong card!

I started with cutting a bunch of pieces from various coloured card, adding shading and detail with ink or markers before assembling vehicles, wheelbarrow and barrier. Once I realised how big the largest vehicle was, that determined the size and style of my card. The clipart I found compliments them perfectly and I left one segment relatively clear for me to add my birthday greeting. I even decorated an envelope to match and then, of course, the wrapping paper had to match too... (And yes, I'm aware I have a matchy-matchy obsession and no, I don't need a 12-step program, lol). 

A true labour of love and he did like it, though of course the toys themselves were the star of the day! 😂

We hope you'll pick three elements in a row to create and join us. Check out what my fellow team mates made to inspire you over on the challenge blog.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Make a Wish

This week I'm honoured to be the Surprise Party Guest at Seize the Birthday challenges. Here's the challenge brief:

My mixed media card uses both mediums.

I began by adhering a transparent layer (acetate sheet) over an oxide spray background then cut four frames from coral card, glueing them together and inking the edges. The bird is another acetate layer. On my background I embossed some vellum with a 3D woodgrain texture and attached it with the rough side up. Everything was given some white gouache splatters before the sentiment was added.

Materials used:

• acetate - Transparent Layers, Transparent Things 2 (both Tim Holtz)
• frame dies - Nesting Piercing Ticket Frames (Waffle Flower)
• oxide sprays - salvaged patina, saltwater taffy, scattered straw
• embossing folder - Lumber Large 3D Texture Fades (Tim Holtz)
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, Pixie spray adhesive, foam tape, white gouache, fan brush, Metallic Sticker Book (Tim Holtz)

I hope you'll check out the lovely projects the STB design team made and be inspired to play along with the challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Out of This World

I was recently commissioned by my daughter to make some birthday cards for my grandson's friends. Although they're not due just yet, the new challenge at AAA Birthday prompted me to get this one made early.

 

This card is for Flynn, who apparently is keen on space and very interested in the recent Artemis II mission, so I made the astronaut's suit similar to theirs, even printing a tiny NASA patch lol. 

There's plenty of mica stain in the background which gives a lovely shine and sparkle that you can see better in this second pic.

The sentiment on the inside reads 'Hope your birthday is out of this world'.

Materials used:

• moon masks - Tim Holtz
• distress spray stains and mica stains
• astronaut dies - stash
• alphabet dies - Stampin' Up Playful Alphabet
• other - blending brushes, foam squares, star die, silver glitter card, water spritzer, heat tool

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Cute as a Cow

Over at the Seize the Birthday they've got a fun topping for challenge #326:

 

And here's my card, featuring an adorable Highland cow. If you haven't watched any YouTube videos of these cute creatures, go check some out!

Materials used:

• cow dies, farm papers from Etsy, triple heart punch (SU retired), stapler, vellum, blending brushes, Big Shot, white gel pen, red marker, foam squares, computer and printer, Copic marker, distressing tool

Thanks for stomping by. 

Cheers

Kerry

Level Up

If, like me, you love dies and stencils, you've come to the right place! It's time for a new Just Add Ink challenge and that's our brief. 

And here's my card featuring dies.

I carried the theme through to the inside as well with the mini version.

Dies - Game Controller (My Favorite Things), Playful Alphabet (Stampin' Up)

I do hope you'll get a chance to play with your own craft supplies and join the fun of our challenge. Head over to the Just Add Ink blog for lots more samples to inspire you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Birthday Hello

I'm honoured to be joining the team at Just Us Girls challenges as guest designer for the month of May. This week is Die Week with a theme of:

When it comes to sentiment dies one of my favourite types are large dies, especially those I can team up with a co-ordinating stamp, which is what I've done on today's shaker 'Birthday hello' card.

Those adorable pandas certainly know how to party! 🥳

I layered 5 cuts of the frame to allow room for the shaker after deciding the bands between segments were too narrow to use dimensional foam on. With the acetate layer and patterned paper at the back as well, that's a nice sturdy front cover, lol. 

Materials used:

• stamp&die combos - Little Agenda pandas (Mama Elephant), Overlapping Happy Additions (Waffle Flower)
• other dies - Comic Cover Wonky creative cuts (Mama Elephant), hello (stash)
• patterned paper - Rainbow Twirl (Paper Rose)
• other - acetate, Big Shot, clear sequins, MISTI, Copic markers, foam squares

I hope you'll grab some sentiment dies and join the challenge. Be sure to check out what the design team created to inspire you on the Just Us Girls blog!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Baked With Love

The Time Out challenge for this fortnight held great appeal so I couldn't resist having a play with dies, stencils and pastels. 

Here's my offering:

Other than the yellow postage frame, everything else was cut from white card and coloured with inks. As usual, there are multiple layers to my sentiment die-cut. 

Materials used:

• dies, stencils and subsentiment die-cut - Waffle Flower Baking Fun collection
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, foam squares, sheer ribbon, stitched rectangle die

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Sprinkled With Joy

Welcome to another Just Add Ink challenge and this time around we have a colour/inspiration pic combo for you to play with.

Those scrummy looking donuts were the inspiration for a sweet birthday card.

Everything (except the black pieces) was cut from white as usual and coloured with inks - well, except for the sprinkles, where I coloured the card first before die-cutting. I wasn't going to try to colour all those tiny fiddly bits, lol! As it was, my tired old peepers went cross-eyed putting the white dots in four pairs of eyes! 😜 And how adorable are those little panda slippers?! 

Materials used:

• dies - doughnut girl and ice cream cone (stash)
• distress inks - kitsch flamingo (dye and oxide), picked raspberry, mustard seed, speckled egg, abandoned coral, candied apple
• other - blending brushes, caramel toffee ink (Altenew), foam squares, computer & printer, white gel pen, fine black marker

I hope the picture or colours or both inspire you to create and join us. Check out more samples over on the Just Add Ink blog, and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers 🍩

Kerry

Best Era Yet

It's challenge time once again at All About Papercraft and this month it's ...

April is definitely all about birthdays in our clan; quite a few family members have or had birthdays this month. My own is tomorrow then just two days later is my elder daughter's, so my project is the card I made for her. She's a die-hard Swiftie and I bought this stamp with her in mind. 

I used Copic markers to colour the singer and holographic glitter for her shiny outfit, which I set with a spray sealant so it wouldn't brush off. The background was ink blended and given some water splatters before stencilling over with a baby wipe to remove ink. I love that it looks like a cool lighting effect. As one foot was raised, I thought it appropriate she would be standing on the sentiment, lol. Tiny rhinestones were the finishing touch and you really need to move this around to catch the light and see it's full glittery glory! 

Materials used:

• stamps - Uptown Girl Loves to Sing, Shake It Off Sentiments (both Stamping Bella)
• other - Copic markers, holographic glitter (Lavinia), foam squares, MISTI, Vortex stencil (Brutus Monroe), baby wipe, tiny rhinestones, subsentiment sticker (Waffle Flower)

We would love to see your birthday themed creations in our challenge linky this month! And do pop over to the All About Papercraft blog to see more samples from my team mates to inspire you.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Birthday Roses

The new challenge at Just Add Ink is one of my favourite regular themes:

Dies and stencils are so much fun to play with and for my card I've used both. 

I started by cutting and stencilling the roses. Some polka dot stencilling was added to the paler purple background behind the flowers as well as to my top darker layer. I used the flower pieces cut off from the inside to add on the outside. There's mounting foam between each layer to add even more dimension, and the sentiment strip and some clear dots were my finishing touches. 

I am really loving the orange/purple combo, which always reminds me of a scene from Four Weddings and a Funeral. Anyone else? lol

Materials used:

• die & stencil combo - Rose Bouquet (Waffle Flower)
• other die and stencil from stash
• distress inks - carved pumpkin, ripe persimmon
• SU inks - highland heather, gorgeous grape
• other - Subsentiment strip (Waffle Flower), Dimensionals, foam squares, Big Shot, blending brushes, clear dots

I hope you'll pull out some of your own dies and stencils and join the challenge.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

And B-I-N-G-O Was Her Name-O

We're celebrating the birthday of my adorable grandson shortly, which naturally necessitates a card handmade by nana. I had already made the focal feature - his favourite character from the Bluey world - but when I saw the pick two options at Time Out challenges they inspired an idea for the rest of the card...

My picks were rainbow and star.

The background segments were coloured using distress inks then given a spritz of mica stain matching the silver of the 'mylar' balloons. Tons of shine when they catch the light! A white frame was a bit wishy-washy but the darker colour makes everything pop. The gift box was cut from scraps of smooshed card to match the balloon colours. 

As this is for my grandson and features a dog, I'm also entering it in The Male Room challenge

Materials used:

• dies - Postage Collage Blocks (Waffle Flower), Seasonal Decor (Spellbinders), Bluey, balloons (stash)
• distress inks - candied apple, spiced marmalade, mustard seed, mowed lawn, blueprint sketch, wilted violet, peacock feathers, picked raspberry, dried marigold, antique linen
• other - frozen fog mica stain (Tim Holtz), Dimensionals, Big Shot, blending brushes, craft foam

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Ahoy! Arrr you ready?

It's cold and wet outside - in other words, perfect weather for staying in and making cards. I had an idea for my first play with an add-on set of stamps and dies I recently purchased to go with my inquisitive seagulls. Please say a loud Ahoy! to pirate seagulls!!!

Their little faces arrr just adorable, even with an eye patch or pirate hat, lol. I made them a little 'grubbier' than usual as I figured pirates wouldn't bathe too often 😉. It was soooooo much fun making this! 

As I haven't yet decided what occasion to use it for, I haven't put a sentiment inside - that can be done closer to use.

Materials used:

• stamps - Treasure Hunt Sentiments (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Inquisitive Seagulls, Inquisitive Pirate add-ons (Waffle Flower), belt and buckle (stash)
• distress inks - antique linen, pumice stone, brushed corduroy, scorched timber, spiced marmalade, salvaged patina
• other - blending brushes, distress inks, Dimensionals, Big Shot, MISTI

I hope if your weather is nasty too, you've got something equally fun to play with. Thanks for swashbuckling by!

Cheers

Kerry

The Thread That Binds Us

My younger daughter is celebrating a birthday today so I thought I'd show you the project I made for her. She's an enthusiastic sewer, often making garments entirely sewn by hand, so I've used a sewing theme for this decor piece.

The background was stencilled with the pattern repeated, the colours chosen to co-ordinate with her home. Although the sewing machine is a modern shape I wanted to give it an antique look, so die-cut in black and sponged the edges with white ink as well as highlighting the detailed decorative pattern with a white gel pen. 

I wanted the buttons to look wooden, so cut them from woodgrain card before colouring them. I used baker's twine on the cotton reels and threaded needle, gluing it in strategic places. The faux stitching around the border of the vellum - used to both mute the bright colours behind and to give a base for the focal elements - tied in perfectly. 

Materials used:

• dies - Sew Fun (Waffle Flower), Sewing Set (Our Daily Bread Designs), slimline stitched rectangle, Nothing's Better Than (retired SU)
• stencil - Patchwork (Waffle Flower)
• distress ink colours - wild honey, fossilized amber, lumberjack plaid, chipped sapphire, brushed corduroy, vintage photo
• other - Big Shot, white and black bakers twine, silver pearl, Dimensionals, wooden vignette tray (Tim Holtz), white pigment ink, sponge dauber, white gel pen

I'm happy with it and hope she will be too. Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

Gull-tastic Birthday - Just Add Ink Challenge #745

It's time for a colour challenge with Just Add Ink and this week's picks are

My whimsical offering was inspired by a card by Kathrin that I just love and I had fun incorporating the challenge colours in there. 

I don't have petunia pop so substituted with picked raspberry distress ink, and I used both the balmy blue and soft sea foam for the water to differentiate it from the blue sky. The grey was used on the gull and umbrella pole, while the sand was inked with neutral brown and overstamped for texture. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Inquisitive Seagulls, Postage Collage, Postage Collage Beach Days (all Waffle Flower), Friendly Seagulls (Stampin' Up)
• dies - Postage Collage, Inquisitive Seagulls (both Waffle Flower), Fair Winds (Spellbinders), Word Bubbles (Stampin' Up)
• other - blending brushes, grip mat, Big Shot, craft foam, MISTI, white gel pen

And speaking of birthdays, it's my birthday today! I'm now old enough to have my doctor visits bulk billed! 😂😂😂👵

If you head over to the Just Add Ink blog you'll find more samples to inspire you. We'd love you to create and share with us.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

For The Record

I think the folks at Festive Friday Challenges read my mind ... 

It's not long now until my SIL's birthday and I had decided to make him a music themed card as he not only plays multiple instruments, but also has an extensive vinyl record collection. Then I saw the current FF challenge ...

How perfect is that? I 'shopped my stash' for bits and pieces to create my card.

As you can see, from the inspo list I've used black, white, musical note, stripes, musical themed sentiment and vinyl record. 

Materials used:

• stamps/dies - Vinyl Style (Altenew)
• other dies - music notes and stave (stash)
• other - mini wheel stencil (Tim Holtz), blending brush, Dimensionals, Sidekick, craft foam

I hope he likes it! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Birthday Wishes and Cupcakes

Today's card is for two challenges, Inspired by... and Just Us Girls.

 

These challenges were the perfect excuse I really didn't need to bust out some goodies and play!

Materials used:

• dies - Postage Collage, Postage Collage blocks, Happy Birthday script word (all Waffle Flower)
• stencils - Postage Collage Cupcakes, Postage Collage Coloring, Confetti background (all Waffle Flower)
• inks - summer shower, seaside, coral reef, passion fruit (Pinkfresh), golden glitz (Delicata), twisted citron (Tim Holtz)
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, Dimensionals, craft foam, clear Wink of Stella

I chose colours that are festive but not too bold and added some sparkly touches on each panel for extra birthday zing. As usual there are two layers to the die-cut sentiment for strength and depth.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry 

Happy Birthday Gullfriend - Just Add Ink Challenge #732

It's new challenge time at Just Add Ink and this week Tina gives us a sketch to play with.

For my card I turned the sketch to landscape orientation and got out a cute and whimsical seagull.

Materials used:

• stamps - Inquisitive Seagull (Waffle Flower)
• dies - stitched rectangle, wave, Inquisitive Seagull (Waffle Flower), Dancin' Birthday Dragon (Spellbinders)
• distress oxide inks - tumbled glass, uncharted mariner, squeezed lemonade, saltwater taffy
• other - Big Shot, craft foam, Copic markers YR04 and YR07, white gel pen, blending brushes, water spritzer, MISTI

Do check out the great samples my fellow team mates made to inspire you and we hope you'll share your own interpretation of our sketch if you create.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry