More Than Chocolate

Today I'm playing along with some challenges that have a love/Valentines/heart theme.

 
I've had this die set for some time and only ever used the outline heart piece, so spent a very pleasant day yesterday making chocolates, lol. I admit I had to watch some YouTube videos a few times to understand how to assemble them, but once I had it sorted in my head, I was good to go! 

Here's the cover:

And the inside:

Materials used:

• dies - True Love colorize (Tim Holtz), Love You More Than (Stampin' Up)
• inks - kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry, candied apple (distress), mocha, espresso (Altenew), silvery shimmer (Delicata)
• other - Big Shot, Dimensionals, blending brushes, computer & printer

(From the Festive Friday list, I used pink, ink blending, die cuts, love sentiment and hearts. Items picked from the Time Out list are red, heart and pink. And for Just Us Girls, lots of heart die cuts!)

All layers of the chocolate box were cut from red card and inked for shading (apart from that one pink piece on the front). The chocolates, including wrappers, were cut from white card and coloured using the inks listed. 

I had a ton of fun making this - it took quite a while, but compartmental making helped, for sure. A real labour of love - pun intended!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Just Add Ink #695 - Just Add Chocolate

It may not be my week to create for Just Add Ink but there was no way in the known universe I would miss the opportunity to ...

I mean, come on! 😂😉 CHOC. O. LATE.!!! 

A number of years ago (we're talking more than 10 years, ohmygosh) Just Add Ink had a challenge to be inspired by the wrapper colours of our favourite chocolate bar (yep, they seriously expected us to pick just one, lol). I was lucky enough to win that challenge, so the bar is set high to best that mouthwatering winner, lol! As luck would have it, I not-so-long-ago scooped up a number of items from Stamperia's Coffee and Chocolate range - serendipitous, right? You betcha whipped ganache! Here's my card, which I feel is perfect for many occasions (and do try not to drool all over your keyboard!):

Mm mm mm m mmmmm... 

BTW, while much fun was had, sadly no chocolate was consumed in the making of this card. I know, I know - I really didn't plan that terribly well, lol. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew)
• card - basic white, early espresso
• Stamperia Coffee & Chocolate collection - stencil, paper and Collectibles
• distress oxide inks - Victorian velvet, vintage photo
• other - white gesso, distress opaque texture paste, craft foam, MISTI, Sidekick, blending brushes, sponge dauber, creamy caramel ink (retired), fan brush, water spritzer, Nothing's Better Than die (SU retired)

I started by applying some texture paste through the stencil, inking once it was dry. The 'chocolate' die cut word has three layers, darker behind for a bit of shadowing and lighter on top - I even dredged out a very old ink pad to try for a close colour match. The cupcake and chocs were fussy cut and sponged around the edges then raised at different levels for dimension. The splatters are watered down gesso and I couldn't resist using paper with just blocks and blocks of choccy over my base card.

Check out some more chocolatey creations on the Just Add Ink blog and if you're inspired to make, we'd love to see your work in our gallery.

I'm entering this card in this week's Color Throwdown challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Sweet Treats - CAS on Friday Challenge #205

Welcome to another clean and simple challenge.

Our theme for challenge #205 is FOOD; add something sweet to your card.

Here's my offering:

I did some very simple masking to get this pile of chocolate-coated yumminess, colouring them with alcohol markers. You may notice there are exactly seven strawberries - one for each day that ends in 'y'. 😉😋 I also shaped the image a little to curve the edges and give the fruit some roundness.

Materials used:

• stamps - Love and Chocolate (Newton's Nook Designs)
• card - whisper white
• Copic colours - R29, R37, R30, E15, E39, E29, C0, C2, C4
• SU Blendabilities - granny apple green light and dark
• other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, blending brushes, craft foam, post-it notes, Stamparatus, Dimensionals

We'd love you to check out the rest of the samples prepared to inspire you and, of course, to join in the challenge with us.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Adulting is Hard

SU's stamp set 'Nothing's Better Than' was one of those I instantly knew I'd buy when I first saw the 2020-2021 annual catalogue. Well, that's probably not a shock to you considering it features all the most fun things in life - which coincidentally all begin with 'C'. Case in point: chocolate, cocktails, coffee and cookies! I mean, seriously. Actually, for me, not so much the coffee - can't stand the stuff. Even refuse to kiss my family when they have 'coffee breath' lol. But I do appreciate me a nice chai latte!

Anyways, I had fun over the last few days playing with various colours and designs before these cards were born.

Materials used:

• stamps - Nothing's Better Than
• card - whisper white, magenta madness, that bee DSP (lol)
• other - stitched rectangle die; Love You More Than dies; Big Shot; Stampin' Blends - Bermuda bay, daffodil delight, pumpkin pie, granny apple green, lovely lipstick; Stampin' Write markers - Sahara sand, gorgeous grape, magenta madness, Bermuda bay; Dimensionals; craft foam.

You'll notice I did the cocktails and chocolate ones first, because...come on...priorities. 😉

Materials used:

• stamps - Nothing's Better Than
• card - whisper white, just jade, that bee DSP (lol)
• other - stitched rectangle die; Love You More Than dies; Big Shot; Dimensionals; craft foam, Copic markers E15 and E39, in colour markers

For this one I used my just jade marker to ink up 'ummm...' from part of one stamp and 'y' from another to give me 'yummm...'

And lastly my coffee version (haven't done a cookies one). I don't particularly like the coffee cup image in the set so I dug out a mini coffee cup die set I have in my stash and used that instead.

Materials used:

• stamps - Nothing's Better Than
• card - whisper white, misty moonlight, that bee DSP (lol)
• other - stitched rectangle die; coffee cup dies; Big Shot; Dimensionals; craft foam, in colour markers; Love You More Than dies

This week's challenge with my ladies is to use something new, so I've certainly got that covered with this set, lol! Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

Cheers

Kez

SUM - Wipe Your Drool ...

My good mate Robyn had her birthday recently but we only managed to catch up today, so I am now able to show you the card and gift I made for her.

Here's her card - I used the Modern Medley papers cos she loves black and vanilla.

Materials used:

• stamps - Chalk Talk
• card - basic black, very vanilla, Bermuda bay, Modern Medley dsp
• other - chalk talk framelits, Big Shot, dimensionals

And for her gift I made something that will appeal to her base instincts - ie chocolate craving. It's a star book with quotes about chocolate and it was such fun to put together!

No actual stamping in this - it was all digital. The chocolate graphics are so realistic that I am sure she will be wiping the drool away whenever she looks at it! LOL. 

Materials used:

• card - chocolate chip, creamy caramel, whisper white, regal rose
• other - chocolate chip satin ribbon, sticky strip, designer frames embossing folder, oval dies, Big Shot, window framelits, deco label framelit, apothecary accents die, chalk talk framelit
• non SU - Gina Jane chocolate craving kit digital graphics from Daisie Company, computer and printer, nestabilities dies

The chocolate quotes, in case you'd like them, are:

• Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it I wash my mouth out with chocolate.
• A chocolate in the mouth is worth two on the plate.
• Chocolate doesn't make the world go around ... but it sure makes the ride worthwhile!
• God sends no stress that prayer and chocolate cannot handle.
• The 12-step chocoholics program: never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate.
• I have this theory that chocolate slows down the ageing process ... It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?
• Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you will get one thing done.
• Stress wouldn't be so hard to take if it were chocolate coated.
• Chocolate is the food group they don't tell you about.
• I'd stop eating chocolate but I'm no quitter.
• In the cookies of life, friends are the chocolate chips.
• Eat a chocolate before each meal. It will take the edge off your appetite and you will eat less.
• I never met a chocolate I didn't like.
• Forget love! I'd rather be in chocolate.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez