The Purple Emperor - Just Add Ink Challenge #765

It's colour time at Just Add Ink! Here are this week's challenge colours:

Did you know there's an Australian species of mushroom that's bright purple? I've never seen one but I love that they're out there! They were the inspiration for my card:

I cut the 'shrooms, leaves and grass from watercolour card and coloured with inks. My background piece was ink smooshed before being embossed and I think this combination is a very mushroomy sort of colour, don't you? Of course there simply had to be some splatter involved, lol, but water this time, not paint. The rough twine and sentiment strip were the finishing touches. 

Cortinarius archeri, commonly known as the "purple emperor".

Materials used:

• dies - slimline grass edges, mushrooms (stash), Funky Florals 3 (Tim Holtz)
• distress inks/oxides - antique linen, pumice stone, frayed burlap
• Stampin' Up inks - highland heather, gorgeous grape, lost lagoon
• other - mushroom embossing folder, Big Shot, blending brushes, water spritzer, twine, Dimensionals, sentiment sheet

These are much prettier than the common-or-garden toadies I get in my lawn after a long damp patch of weather, lol. I'd be quite happy if purple emperors popped up in my yard! 

There's plenty more inspiration for these colours from my team mates over on the Just Add Ink blog, so be sure to check those out, and of course if you decide to create we'd love you to share it with us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Wishing You Luck

Can you believe March is here already? Yikes!

On the plus side, the March challenge over at Simply Clean & Simple to make a CAS card with an optional additional theme of 'Green' did spark an idea ... 

Plenty of ink smooshing to keep me happy here, lol, for both the background and die-cut lettering, which is three layers for depth. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Bitty Buzzwords: Seasons (Honey Bee Stamps)
• card - kraft, watercolour
• dies - Bold Text 2, Tailored (Tim Holtz), Curio: Spring findings (The Greetery), stitched rectangle (Paper Rose)
• distress oxide inks - mowed lawn, rustic wilderness, spiced marmalade, ripe persimmon
• other - Big Shot, MISTI, crackling campfire archival ink, water spritzer, heat tool, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, clear sequins, mini glue dots

Hope you get some crafting in your day! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI#669 - Just Add a Colour Combo

It's time for another Just Add Ink challenge and this week we have a colour combo for you to play with using three of Stampin' Up's neutral colour family. If you don't have SU inks, just use whatever you have that is a close match.

Sympathy cards are never nice to need but helpful to have on hand, so I made what I hope is a quiet and peaceful card.

I began with the sky area using misty moonlight. I decided I didn't want just a plain ink blend, though I did begin with that as my first step. Then I added a little watercolour brushing followed by ink smooshing, drying in between each application of colour, until I felt it was a little misty and mysterious. One of those skies you can gaze at for ages finding shapes and oddities, you know? Next came stamping the forest and it's all done with just one tree stamp. I began with first generation stamping using mossy meadow ink, then moved on to second generation stamping. I gave it a little water to get a bit of a softer, watercolour effect and dried it before adding more green trees, then stamping in black along the front. Using darker tones at the front, medium tones in the middle and lighter tones at the back gives great depth. Once I was happy with that I stamped the birds, masking off some of the stamp as I didn't want some larger birds that were on it. A coat of distress glaze went over everything to protect it before it was matted and mounted and my last step was to add the sentiment strip. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Fir tree 1, Birds (both Lavinia), Itty Bitty Greetings (Stampin' Up)
• card - crumb cake, basic black, watercolour
• other - masking paper, 1 1/4" circle punch, blending brush, water spritzer, heat tool, MISTI, Dimensionals, craft foam, sponge dauber, paintbrush, white embossing powder

I do hope you'll visit the Just Add Ink blog to see how my fellow team mates used these colours, and even be inspired to create and join us. Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #664 - Colour Combo

Hidden deep in my Pinterest boards is a beautiful card by Daria Ermolaeva that gave me inspiration for this week's Just Add Ink colour combo.

Such soft, pretty colours - you can see why I couldn't resist playing along.

I did a little ink smooshing on my watercolour card using pool party, then some partial script stamping in the same colour. My leaves were stamped with lost lagoon and clear embossed before being coloured with both teals, then die cut and given some script stamping too. The butterfly was stamped in grey and coloured with lagoon and freesia inks but wasn't quite vibrant enough, so I applied some micro glaze to seal the inks, then went over the freesia with the matching alcohol marker. My finishing touches were some light stamping in a woodgrain pattern for my card base and white paint splatters. I didn't add a sentiment as I like to have cards on hand that are suitable for multiple occasions - this one ended up being a get well card.

Materials used:

• stamps - Butterfly Brilliance, Hardwood (SU), Leaf Canopy (Altenew), Create Happiness - Elements (Stamperia)
• card - pool party, watercolour
• other - water spritzer, MISTI, waterbrush, picket fence distress paint, paintbrush, Leaf Canopy die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, craft foam, sponge dauber, light fresh freesia Blends marker

Do head over to the JAI blog to see more of this gorgeous colour combo, and thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Mixed Media Case-ing Heaven

I fell instantly in love the second I saw a card recently made by Tiffany Solorio and wanted to try recreating it. Luckily for me Tiffany put a tutorial on YouTube, so after watching it a couple of times I went to my craft room and got to work. 

I've made some changes from the original and of course when it comes to ink smooshing backgrounds, you can NEVER make exactly the same as someone else - or even yourself, roflol - so there are definite differences. But I had sooooooo much fun making it and am very happy with the outcome, and that's what matters.

Materials used:

• stamps - Entomology (Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)
• card - basic white, heavy watercolour, vellum
• distress spray stains - antique linen, speckled egg, iced spruce, rusty hinge, crackling campfire
• distress oxide ink - speckled egg, antique linen
• distress paint - picket fence
• dies - Specimen, Brushstroke Butterflies (both Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
• other Tim Holtz products - mummy cloth, hardware heads, brickwork 3D embossing folder, mini cobblestone 3D embossing folder, ground espresso archival ink, water spritzer, Small Talk sticker
• fan paintbrush, heat tool, Big Shot, Dimensionals, sponge dauber, basic grey marker (SU), distressing tool, white embossing powder, Versamark ink

If you're interested, here's the link to Tiffany's tutorial.

I'm so grateful to makers who post videos or blog entries so I can learn from their experiences and try out new (to me) things, especially as I delve more into mixed media. I'm definitely doing as the sentiment says and going where my heart takes me. 

Do you like to learn that way? Would you prefer it if I gave detailed explanations of how my projects are made? I'd like to hear what you want to get from your visits here so please let me know in a comment. You're so quiet out there, lol!

Thanks for calling in. Have a crafty day!

Cheers

Kerry

It's Not Happening

Was in the mood for a play today and as Tim Holtz's Silhouette Birds dies had recently arrived in my letterbox, they were the tool du jour. Also tried out one of SU's new in-colours, sweet sorbet, pairing it with daffodil delight for a sunrise kind of feel to my smooshed background.

The birds are cut from card which has a kraft core, so I sanded them back a bit for this lovely rustic effect. And as I was in a somewhat frivolous mood, I picked my sentiment stickers from Tim's Snarky pack. I am absolutely sure that every woman out there can relate to this one, especially after the last couple of years. In fact, if not for the plumber checking my gas and hot water connections while this was being made, I probably would have been sans pants and bra! Lol.

Materials used:

• stamps - Entomology (Tim Holtz)
• card - watercolour, Distress Kraft-Stock Neutrals, daffodil (Kaisercard)
• dies - Silhouette Birds (TH), Bundle of Baby Clothes (MFT), stitched rectangle 
• SU inks - sweet sorbet, daffodil delight
• other - sanding block, Dimensionals, Big Shot, craft foam, Small Talk Snarky stickers (TH), black soot archival ink, sponge dauber

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #598 - Colour Combo

Hi, hi! It's time for another challenge with Just Add Ink and this week we've got a colour combo for you to play with:

Cherry cobbler is (as any frequent visitor will know) my all-time favourite SU colour and I love it paired with pretty much any other shades. This combo made me think 'bloke'; consequently, I've made a blokey card.

I made an ink smooshed background using misty moonlight and Sahara sand, adding in some neutral oxide inks for layering (you can't layer dye inks) and gold embossing the gorgeous cogs stamp from the set once it was all dry. More touches of gold in the 'button' on his collar and the star feature top left, while the banner punched adornment and his collar are cherry cobbler. The cogs stamp is repeated on the background piece of Sahara sand card. I think the sentiment sticker I picked suits this gent perfectly, don't you? He seems to have attitude in spades, lol. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Observations (Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)
• card - basic black, watercolour, Sahara sand, cherry cobbler
• other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, aquapainter, gold embossing powder, heat tool, gold pearl, water spritzer, Small Talk sticker (Tim Holtz), Idea-ology star adornments (Tim Holtz), frayed burlap and antique linen distress oxide inks, Dimensionals, sponge daubers, antique gold gilding wax, small pennant punch

There's plenty more inspiration for you over on the Just Add Ink blog so do be sure to wander over and take a peek. As always, we'd love to see your own creation in our gallery.

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

The Card Concept Challenge - Easter Blessings

This week at The Card Concept we have an Easter challenge for you. Here's the inspiration pic:

I took inspiration from the bunnies, pastel shaded eggs and check pattern for my shabby layered card.

Materials used:

• stamps - Perfect Plaids (Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)
• card - basic white, Sahara sand, watercolour
• distress oxide inks and sprays - saltwater taffy, victorian velvet, fossilized amber, speckled egg, cracked pistachio
• SU inks - Sahara sand, crumb cake
• dies - Bunny Games Colorize (Tim Holtz/Sizzix), stitched ovals, stitched rectangles
• other - aquapainter, blending brushes, Big Shot, black marker, Stamparatus, Dimensionals, craft foam

I do hope you'll head over to The Card Concept blog to see what my fellow team mates have created and  be inspired to join our challenge.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Color Hues #37 - Guest Designer

Hi all. As my card was lucky enough to be picked for Color Hues challenge #35, I get to be Guest Designer for their new challenge.

 The colour combo for challenge #37 is

For my card I kept it very simple, construction-wise. All the work is in the smooshed background and watercolouring of the butterfly. And speaking of, how gorgeous is this butterfly in yellows? I'm lovin' it!

I used SU's coastal cabana for my pale teal. Originally I tried pool party but it came out too green, so I switched. The base layer is quite watered down to make it paler, then the deeper shades are with no water added. I tossed some (neutral) tea dye distress ink in there too for a bit of variety and to tie in with the card base. Little splats of yellow ink over the background give a connection to the butterfly. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Specimen, Entomology (both Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)
• card - crumb cake, watercolour
• inks - coastal cabana (SU); tea dye, squeezed lemonade, mustard seed (all TH distress)
• other - stitched rectangle die, MISTI, craft foam, Dimensionals, aquapainter, water spritzer, heat tool, Idea-ology Label Stickers (TH), black embossing powder, black marker, Big Shot

There are plenty of gorgeous samples to look at from the Color Hues design team so be sure to follow the link to the Color Hues blog to view them. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Color Throwdown Featured Stamper

My card was lucky enough to be picked in challenge #661 at The Color Throwdown (this card), which means I was offered the opportunity to be Guest Star Stamper for today's new challenge. Now, you all know how much I love a colour challenge, so ...

I spent a joyous afternoon smooshing, sponging and die cutting - ending up with very inky fingers, lol. And even though it's spring here, I fully embraced the fall/autumn vibes for some speckly orange, brown and grey goodness. 

I began with some smoky slate card, cutting it into strips and sponging the edges before gluing them to another piece of card and running them through the embossing folder. After die cutting all the leaves and acorns and sponging the edges, I arranged them with my sentiment, adding the stringy bow made with bits pulled from burlap ribbon as a final touch. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Autumn Leaves (Poppystamps)
• card - early espresso, smoky slate, watercolour, very vanilla
• distress inks/sprays/oxides - carved pumpkin, frayed burlap, gathered twigs, rusty hinge, crackling campfire, vintage photo, dried marigold, pumice stone
• distress archival inks - vintage photo, ground espresso
• dies - Funky Foliage, Fall Foliage (both Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
• other - Ornate Frames thinlits (SU), Big Shot, sponge daubers, Dimensionals, craft foam, water spritzer, heat tool, burlap ribbon, Pinewood Planks embossing folder (SU), Stamparatus, mini glue dots

And there's still plenty of speckly goodness left for another day and another card! 

A big thank you to the folks at Color Throwdown for the opportunity to be Guest Star Stamper. I do hope you'll pop over to their blog to see the design team's beautiful samples and be inspired to join in.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Oh Humbug

This week I've challenged my ladies to feature Something Beginning With S on their cards and, inspired by the JAI sketch but changing it up a little, I made this card featuring Snarky Cat wearing a Santa hat and Scarf on a Smooshed background - so many S's, lol.  

The brightness of the sun when I took the photo has bleached out the gold a bit, but there's gold ink in the outlines around the HO HO HO, on the jingle bells on Snarky's tail and splattered in the background. You can see them better in this pic:

He does look rather supremely unimpressed, doesn't he? Poor Snarky! 

Materials used:

• stamps - Snarky Cats Stamptember 2020 (Tim Holtz)
• card - mossy meadow, watercolour
• distress inks - a whole bunch but I didn't write them down! (sorry Rob 😇)
• dies - stitched rectangle (Paper Rose), Varsity Alphabet (Tim Holtz)
• other - aqua painter, paint brush, Delicata golden glitz ink, heat tool, water spritzer, craft foam, Dimensionals, white gel pen

I hope your day is going better than this and that, unlike Snarky, you're looking forward to the holiday. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Beauty

This week I gave my ladies a colour challenge so today I sat down to make my own card for it. Originally I had something completely different planned, but an urge to try out the smooshing technique with SU's inks made me change my mind. Here are the colours:

And here's my card:

I smooshed my background using daffodil delight and calypso coral then added a few splatters of soft suede and some partial stamping in the same colour. My flowers were cut from watercolour card and I scribbled them with SU's markers then gave them a good spritz with water, which achieved that gorgeous watercolour effect I am loving! The thing that took the longest was deciding which colour card to use for my base - I tried a few different ones before being happy with Sahara sand, lol.

Materials used:

• stamps - Entomology (Tim Holtz)
• card - blackberry bliss, watercolour, Sahara sand
• SU inks and markers in the colours shown above
• dies - Wildflower Stems 2 (Tim Holtz), stitched rectangle (Paper Rose)
• other - water spritzer, heat tool, craft foam, mini Dimensionals, paint brush, Small Talk sticker (TH)

Pretty sure I'll be doing some more of these techniques again soon!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry