Just Add Ink #685 - Blog Hop

Welcome to the 2024 Just Add Ink Blog Hop! We always begin our crafting year with a blog hop to inspire you and this year the chosen theme is FLOWERS. Here's my offering:

I wanted vibrant summer flowers for my card, so watercoloured using markers then attached them to a black background to really make them pop. The background was distressed and embossed, then I ran my finger over random areas with a light touch of gold wax to highlight the pattern and accentuate the distressed effect. A heat-embossed sentiment and some clear sequins were my finishing touches.

Materials used:

• stamps - Celebrate Sunflowers (Stampin' Up)
• card - watercolour, black
• dies - Into the Blooms: Iris (Papertrey Ink) 
• other - Dimensionals, Big Shot, water brush, Zig Clean Color brush markers, distressed tile embossing folder (SU), gold embossing powder, heat tool, MISTI, vintage gold metallique wax (Art Alchemy), craft foam, clear sequins

Happy flower gathering! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

The link below will take you to the next blog on our hop, which is Kim. Be sure to leave everyone some comment love as you browse through the hop - there are 13 stops altogether. If you get stuck at any point, the list and links of all participants is on the Just Add Ink blog here.

Just Add Ink Blog Hop

At Just Add Ink challenges we're starting off the new year with a blog hop and the theme is 

If you've come from Rochelle's blog then you're in the right place. If you're starting here, you'll be able to keep following all the links to take you around the hop. 

My two favourites pasttimes are crafting (naturally) and reading - I'm rather a voracious reader and always have been and it's something I wanted to pass down to my girls. Elder Daughter seemed keen for a while  but her interest began to wane when she was in year one.

Then something happened that changed everything.

She came out of school one day chattering and excited about a book all her friends were talking about. Having never heard of it, I asked some of the other mothers, to be told it was a new phenomenon everywhere and that some of them had read it too. So I bought the book and we took turns reading it - and thus began her love for the fantasy genre and reading in general.  

The book? Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

So for my favourites project, I'd like to share an item that combines my two favourite pasttimes as well as being something I made for one of my two favourite people. 

There were lots of steps in making this, as you can imagine, but it was a labour of love. I began with making the 'book' base to support all the other bits - this is made from a wooden box (Tim Holtz vignette box) and I pretty much followed a tutorial by Tami Bastiaans here but changed a few things to suit, using a copy of the original bookcover, which is the edition we have. 

The suitcases were made using the SU retired matchbox die and some TH cracked leather cardstock. Luckily we live in a digital age, so I was able to find copies of the Hogwarts letter to Harry and his ticket for the Hogwarts Express. 

For the inside of the 'textbooks' I scanned pages from the actual book and cut them to size. The covers are TH ephemera. For the 'potions' inside the bottles I coloured glossy accents with alcohol ink, mixing them together with a toothpick. The bottles were grunged up a bit with collage medium and touches of distress crayon. I rolled up vellum for parchment (in the cauldron and down front with a quill die).

The owl was bought from a dollhouse miniatures place here in Melbourne. I did have to shave a bit off the tail to make it fit in the birdcage, lol.

As this represents Harry at the train station ready to head off to Hogwarts for the first time, I know that strictly speaking the broomstick shouldn't be there, but it was so adorable I just couldn't resist. Call it poetic licence, lol.

If you're a fellow Harry Potter fan, I hope you enjoyed that walk down memory lane! And I'm very happy to report that ED loves it.

Materials used:

• card - Coastal (Kaisercraft), basic white, vellum
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology - birdcage, cauldron, broomstick, potion bottles, vignette box, Memoir ephemera pack, 
• other TH products - collage medium matte, walnut stain and vintage photo distress crayons, vintage photo archival ink, antique linen distress paint, jump rings, alcohol inks,Regions Beyond die
• other - linen thread, computer and printer, Wee Creations miniatures, glossy accents

Thanks for calling in. I hope you find plenty to love along the hop and of course we'd love to see YOUR favourites on our challenge board this week.

Cheers

Kerry

Click on the icon below to hop to the next blog, which is Narelle.

Stampers Anonymous Blog Hop #17

Well, hi! Welcome to the Stampers Anonymous Blog Hop for April. I haven't played along for a couple of months but you know I find it hard to resist when there's a colour challenge going on...

As usual, we're allowed to use neutrals such as black, white, vanilla and crumb cake.

This combo certainly got me thinking and I ended up with three samples to show you, all quite different styles, but hopefully that just means at least one of them will be to your taste!

For my first card I went with an animal that's grey and used one of my favourite techniques (ink blending) to incorporate the other two colours. Here's how that one turned out:

Materials used:

• stamps - Animal Outing, Butterfly Gala
• card - smoky slate, shimmer white, whisper white
• other - stitched rectangle die, circle die, Big Shot, Stampin' Blends, Stamparatus, blending brushes, craft foam

My second offering is much more subdued, this time featuring two stamps from the Very Versailles set plus some epoxy dots coloured with Stampin' Blends for small bursts of colour. All the embossing was done first, then I over-stamped with smoky slate ink to give this tone-on-tone effect. I love how it gives great shadow and depth to the sentiment.

Materials used:

• stamps - Very Versailles
• card - whisper white, smoky slate
• other - white embossing powder, heat tool, Stampin' Blends, craft foam, epoxy dots, embossing buddy, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot

And lastly, a bit of fun with those adorable meerkats from the SAB catalogue. Here's the front...

Now open it up, and...

So cute! Who doesn't love meerkats, am I right? LOL.

Materials used:

• stamps - The Gang's All Meer
• card - whisper white, Bermuda bay
• other - cloud die, Big Shot, Sahara sand marker, black marker, Stampin' Blends, Stamparatus

To follow along the rest of the blog hop just click on the buttons below to move back or forward till the circuit is complete, and we'll be very happy if you leave each person some comment love for their efforts!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Friendship and Love

It's the 14th of the month, which means it's time for another team blog hop! So grab a cuppa, relax and take your time scrolling through the inspiration we have to offer you.

This time around we were given a sketch:

First up I made this little cutie. Now, most people I'm giving birthday cards to would need all these candles and more (lol), but they are definitely all awesome.

Isn't she a sweetie? I love how she's very 'matchy-matchy' with her outfit - that's my kinda gal!

Materials used:

• stamps - Itty Bitty Birthdays, Young at Heart
• card - crumb cake, whisper white, Bird Ballad DSP
• Stampin' Blends - calypso coral, pool party, so saffron, crumb cake, soft sea foam, smoky slate, ivory
• other - stitched rectangle die, stitched circle die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, calypso coral seam binding, Ornate Frames dies, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Next up is a sweet Valentine's card featuring products from the From My Heart suite in the upcoming mini catalogue. I switched sides for my feature and changed the circle to a heart.

Materials used:

• stamps - This Little Piggy
• card - flirty flamingo, real red, whisper white, From My Heart specialty DSP
• other - heart doilies, From My Heart faceted gems, Dimensionals, Stampin' Blends, word window punch, real red double stitched satin ribbon, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Also featuring new goodies from the mini catalogue is my last offering. This is the first card design I thought of when I first saw the sketch a couple of weeks ago, but I had to wait until the last minute to make it as AusPost managed to lose my pre-order goodies and they only just arrived in the nick of time!

Materials used:

• stamps - Grace's Garden, Itty Bitty Greetings
• card - whisper white, watercolour, Sahara sand, brights DSP
• other - Garden Gateway dies, Big Shot, stitched rectangle die, stitched circle die, aqua painter, Stampin' Blends, Dimensionals, Stampin' Write markers, sponge dauber, blending brush, mounting strips

Now move on to the next team member, Kristy Davy, to see what she has created for you. Thanks for calling in!

Cheers

Kez

 

Blog Hop #12

Welcome! It's time once again for our team blog hop and this month we were given some gorgeously vibrant colours to play with.

My first offer is a fun birthday card with some sponging. I made the striped edging piece myself using a ruler and the brush tip of the marker. You need a steady hand though, lol. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Itty Bitty Birthdays
• card - whisper white, night of navy
• other - balloon bouquet punch, white gel pen, sponge daubers, ruler, night of navy marker, clear epoxy droplets, ornate frames die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, white embossing powder, heat tool, embossing buddy
• inspired by Simonne Clay

I've always loved blue and green together and night of navy with granny apple green has to be one of my favourite combos. Here's a 'bloke' card that uses this pairing and is clean and simple. I purposefully left off any sentiment because I want it to be one of those cards you can pick up and use for almost any occasion - birthday, Father's Day, retirement, etc. There are three layers to the image, which give it depth and dimension in real life. 

Materials used:

• stamps - A Good Man
• card - granny apple green, night of navy, watercolour
• other - aqua painter, markers, craft scalpel

And now for something quite different - whereas the previous cards had a lot of light space, the next one is a touch more dramatic in the use of the colours. I've done more sponging, this time in a Bokeh background effect. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Perennial Birthday, Butterfly Gala
• card - granny apple green, lovely lipstick, whisper white, night of navy, acetate
• punches - 1/4" circle, 1/2" circle, 3/4" circle, 1" circle
• other - Dimensionals, Well Written thinlits, Big Shot, Stampin' Blends, Stamparatus, clear embossing powder, heat tool, Stitched Seasons thinlits, Butterfly Beauty thinlits, sponge dauber

That's it from me! Click on the links below to move around the hop until you've completed the circle, and I hope you have a lot of fun being inspired to play.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

Welcome to another Stampers Anonymous team blog hop! This month - our tenth hop - we are featuring products from the new Holiday catalogue.

There are many gorgeous things to choose from but I decided to feature products from the Let It Snow suite. I don't usually do much in the way of snowy cards, but this year half of the family will be on the other side of the world experiencing a winter Christmas, so I decided to let my playful side have fun with this adorable range. I just love the colour combination used in the papers plus the fab fun bits and pieces - so let's get started!

Here I've used the Let It Snow specialty designer series paper (p20) as my feature, cutting out a second layer and shaping it over the top. The felt beanie and scarf come from the Let It Snow embellishment kit (p19).

For this one I went a little crazy with embellishments, lol! The snowman (Snowman Season stamp set p20) was stamped on vellum and again on whisper white card. I used snowflake sequins (p43) plus underneath the snowman is some shimmery crystal effects (p41) to which I added ice stampin' glitter (p41) for extra, extra sparkle! It's chunky as well as glittery, which looks great in real life but doesn't photograph well. A combination of markers and Blends were used to colour.

Next I decorated a mini pizza box and added some snowfall accents puff paint (p19) for my snowman to stand in. I'll probably add a bag of 'snowman poop' here for a laugh.

Last but not least, a twist and pop card. Embellishments from the kit were used again, as was the puff paint. I stamped my snowman directly onto glitter card then cut him out using the snowman builder punch (p19). Doesn't he look cosy in his warm beanie?

Materials used for all projects:

• stamps - Snowman Season
• card - coastal cabana, real red, whisper white, vellum, white glitter, blue bushel, call me clover, Let It Snow specialty DSP
• other - Let It Snow embellishment kit, snowman builder punch, stitched rectangle dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, shimmery crystal effects, ice stampin' glitter, markers, Stampin' Blends, snowfall accents puff paint, Tombow glue, shaping mat and tool, scissors, tweezers, pretty label punch, Crop-o-dile, white bakers twine, mini pizza box

I had sooooo much fun making these and hope you've been inspired to get creative with your own supplies. Hit the buttons below to go forward or back on the blog hop until you complete the circle, and enjoy the projects my fellow team members have created.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers
Kez

Full list:

1. Nikki Stalker
2. Kerry Bunting (you are here)
3. Elizabeth Yager
4. Kristy Davy
5. Olivia Yiew
6. Melissa Gifford
7. Sharon Wilson
8. Marelle Taylor
9. Kylie Page

Waving Hello

It's time for another Stampers Anonymous team blog hop and this month we have a sketch to play with.

Here's my card:

For the background I drew some wavy lines on a sheet of acetate then cut them out to make a template, which I used with sponge daubers and pool party, coastal cabana and Bermuda bay inks. The first time I tried it I used regular sponges but wasn't happy with the result, so switched to daubers. The octopus was stamped in Pacific point then sponged randomly with gorgeous grape to add a bit of depth. Gorgeous grape was used again for the weeds on the vellum piece. The inside of the stitched frame piece is raised up with Dimensionals. The very subtle sentiment was stamped with Versamark and embossed in white. The glitter epoxy shapes which were the finishing touch are no longer sold (my bad) but they were so perfect for the card I couldn't resist using them.

Materials used:

• stamps - Sea of Textures, Itty Bitty Greetings
• card - whisper white, vellum
• inks - pool party, coastal cabana, Bermuda bay, Pacific point, gorgeous grape, Versamark
• other - acetate template, sponge daubers, white embossing powder, heat tool, washi tape, Dimensionals, mini dimensionals, Big Shot, stitched rectangle framelits, under the sea framelits, clear and glitter epoxy shapes, tweezers, Stamparatus

Now move on to see what delights the rest of the team have for you. Kristy is up next!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

 

PCS Blog Hop - Eiffel Tower of Love

Welcome!

Some of the Design Team members of Paper Crafters Sampler are holding a blog hop featuring the Eiffel Tower of Love, the featured template from the January 2015 Paper Crafters Sampler, 'Lovable You'.

The iconic structure of the Eiffel Tower has been chosen for this romantic themed sampler, just in time for Valentines Day. Paris is the epitome of love and romance, so join us in exploring just some of the ways the template can be interpreted for your romantic projects.

 Simple and sweet are the watchwords for my project!

The first thing I made was my card. I printed a larger than usual version of the Eiffel Tower from MDS on to whisper white, using a laser printer so the ink would be fixed. My heart shaped moon was made with a mask, then I brayered my romantic sunset and sponged a little at top and bottom also.

To the intricate detailing of the template I have simply added banners, hearts and rhinestones to glamourise the tower centrepiece for the occasion. The colours and shapes of my card are reflected in the embellishments on my tower.

Materials used:

• stamps - Artistic Etchings (MDS version)
• card - crisp cantaloupe, basic grey, whisper white, patterned paper - crisp cantaloupe and wisteria wonder, white glitter
• inks - crisp cantaloupe, wisteria wonder, basic grey
• other - Eiffel Tower template, rhinestones, pennant punch, whisper white bakers twine, dimensionals, triple heart punch, brayer, sponge dauber, full heart punch (MDS version), two-way glue pen
• non SU - computer and printer, e-Cutter

Now it's time to move on and see what Pam Dotts has in store for you. I'm sure you will love her creative ideas!

And if you've just joined here and would like to go back to the beginning of the hop, click HERE to pop back to Melanie's blog.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez