Lush Berries - Just Add Ink Challenge #766

Hi all and welcome. It's Friday, which means a new Just Add Ink challenge and this time around we're asking you to...

Here's my one layer Christmas card:

I dry embossed first, changing the orientation of the embossing folder so it would work for one layer, then stencilled before stamping my sentiment. Next I inked very lightly around the outer edges of the card - this helps draw the eye in and made it look less like a branch floating in the middle of nowhere, lol. All those speckles on the background are gold ink splatters. I used ink for this rather than paint as I wanted them to be very subtle; they give a lovely sparkle when they catch the light but are pretty impossible to catch on camera (of course!). Of course the debossing shows on the inside front, but I don't think the recipient will mind too much, do you?

Materials used:

• stamps - Christmastime 3 (Tim Holtz)
• stencils and embossing folder - Lush Berry Branch (Altenew)
• distress inks - bundled sage, peeled paint, candied apple, lumberjack plaid, brushed corduroy
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, MISTI, sticky mat, golden glitz ink (Delicata), fan brush

I hope you'll have a go at making a one layer card and share it with us in the Just Add Ink gallery.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

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

Thinking of You - Just Add Ink Challenge #763

Hello and welcome! It's time for another Just Add Ink challenge and this week we've a sketch for you to play with.

Sketches are the type of challenge I usually find the most ... well, challenging, lol, and this one certainly gave me a few (more) grey hairs until I came up with an idea I liked. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Wild Poppies (MFT), Postage Collage Beach Days, Winter View (Waffle Flower)
• dies - tree (stash)
• distress inks - saltwater taffy, villainous potion
• SU inks - flirty flamingo, calypso coral, highland heather
• other - blending brushes, circle mask, MISTI, Sidekick, white embossing powder, heat tool

What does your creative mind think of when you see the sketch? We'd love to see your projects over on our Linky list, and check out some more samples to inspire you from my team mates.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Perk Up! - Just Add Ink Challenge #762

Welcome! I couldn't resist playing along with the gorgeous inspiraton picture at Just Add Ink this week.

A warm blanket, hot drink and something pumpkin-y - muffins or soup, yuuuuuummmm! (You all know how much I love pumpkin!) Add to those a book or movie and you have the perfect way to snuggle up on these cold and dreary winter days - and we sure are getting plenty of cold and dreary at the moment, lol. 

My background is a quilt die and stencil combo which I am loving. On the coffee cup I masked with leaf die-cuts and inked over, then used some of the leaves as accents. For the pumpkins I inked over die-cuts and used some swirly vines I had left over from a previous card. Both parts of the sentiment come from a stamp set that retired years ago - just proving that when you keep things 'in case you need it some day', it can pan out! 😂😂

Materials used:

• stamps - Merry Cafe (Stampin' Up)
• die & stencil set - Tiny Square (Waffle Flower)
• other dies - Coffee Cup framelits (SU), Door Decor (Concord & 9th)
• distress inks - antique linen, wild honey, ripe persimmon, vintage photo, rusty hinge, spiced marmalade, dried marigold
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, MISTI, craft foam, Dimensionals, mini library clip, banner punch, vintage photo archival ink

I must admit, for me the drink would be a chai latte, though I'd imagine the spices are similar to a pumpkin spice latte. Got me a craving for some pumpkin muffins now though...

See more creations inspired by our picture over on the Just Add Ink blog and if you make something yourself, we'd love you to share. 

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow! - Just Add Ink Challenge #761

It's time for a brand new challenge at Just Add Ink and this week it's a chance to drag your Christmas supplies out of storage and make with the ho-ho-ho!

I love making Christmas cards when it's actually winter here and I can add snow elements without it looking weird - or maybe it's just because I have the perfect excuse to go to town with the splatters! And I certainly took advantage of that on my card 😁, as you can see...

It's a veritable blizzard! 😂 I really wanted to emphasise the winter aspect, lol. 

For my background I inked the inside of the embossing folder before running it through. I used puffy embossing powder for the snow on the ground - love the texture. The baubles on the tree (what do you mean, you don't bring your tree home fully decorated?) were cut from glitter card then coloured with Copics. All the other pieces - apart from the obvious white bits - were cut from coloured card and inked for shading. As usual, I cut two layers of the sentiment die and applied some white pan pastel top and bottom for a wintery look. The whole thing got a spritz of shimmer mist so has a lovely subtle sparkle to it when it catches what little sun we have at the moment. 

Getting the tree is one of my favourite Christmas memories from when my girls were younger. We'd go to the same tree farm every year and take ages choosing just the right one before chopping it down and fitting it in the boot of the car. On the way home we always stopped and bought tons of fresh fruit - strawberries, cherries, grapes, apricots, watermelon. The cherries were usually almost gone by the time we got home, lol. 

Materials used:

• dies - Beach Bound, Beach Bound Holiday Add-Ons (HoneyBee), Merry Christmas print (Waffle Flower)
• other - snowflake embossing folder (Couture Creations), Big Shot, blending brushes, Copic markers, white pan pastel, puffy embossing powder, heat tool, craft foam, picket fence distress paint, fan brush

It was a very chilly day when I made this, which seemed appropriate, but it did make me laugh that it followed on the heels of the tropical/summery theme I used for my last challenge cards, lol. Talk about polar opposites!

We hope you'll join us in creating for this theme and share them over on the Just Add Ink blog, where there are more samples to inspire you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Aloha - Just Add Ink Challenge #759

Welcome to another Just Add Ink challenge, this week a Choose Two combo that gives a ton of possibilities:

I had so much fun making my card that I ended up making a second, both using all three options with a tropical twist. 

The backgrounds are done as a whole piece then I used the blocks stencil to help place the stamps. I cut three layers of the blocks dies for some lovely frame dimension. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage Tropical Sunset, Postage Collage Beach Days (Waffle Flower)
• die & stencil - Postage Collage mini slimline blocks, Postage Collage blocks (Waffle Flower)
• other dies - Smart Glasses (Spellbinders), Vault World Travel (Tim Holtz)
• distress oxide inks - squeezed lemonade, saltwater taffy, salvaged patina, peacock feathers
• other - blending brushes, MISTI, T10 Copic marker, Big Shot, white gel pen, craft foam, Dimensionals

Head to the Just Add Ink blog to see which options my team mates used on their creations.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

No Place Like Home - Just Add Ink Challenge #757

For this week's new challenge at Just Add Ink we have a gorgeous picture to inspire you:

As at the moment I seem to be surrounded by people acquiring new homes, I've made a shaped card to that theme. 

Loving the Mediterranean feel of the picture, I carried the blue and white colour scheme through to the inside, as well as patterned tiles and vines.

Materials used:

• stamps - Timeless Tiles (Stampin' Up), Paint-a-flower Carnations (Altenew)
• dies - Door Decor (Concord & 9th), Grapevine (SU)
• distress inks - prize ribbon, rusty hinge, bundled sage, peeled paint
• other - Big Shot, MISTI, frosted acetate, Dimensionals, blending brushes, Cajun craze ink (SU)

What does the picture bring to mind for you? We'd love to see your interpretation on our blog. You can also check out more samples from my fellow team mates here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Letters to You - Just Add Ink Challenge #755

Welcome back to my blog and another Just Add Ink challenge. This week it's a colour combo suggested by yours truly.

Here's my postage themed 'Hello' card using these colours.

The background is misty moonlight blended on white card then stencilled over with grit paste. The various envelopes come from two die sets and are edged and "addressed" in smoky slate. Each of the faux wax seals has three layers of clear embossing powder over the outer circle for a shiny, 'waxy' look. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage, Postage Collage Winter View (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Postage Collage miniature, Envelopes, Postage Collage Mini Seals (all Waffle Flower), Hello (stash)
• stencils - Post Card (Stamperia), Postage Collage miniature (Waffle Flower)
• other - blending brushes, craft foam, Distress grit paste opaque (Tim Holtz), clear embossing powder, heat tool 

Visit the Just Add Ink blog to check out more samples to inspire from my team mates and if you do create, we'd love you to share it with us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

May The Force Be With You - Just Add Ink Challenge #753

It's time for another creative challenge at Just Add Ink and this week Tristan gives us the following sketch to play with:

Here's my interpretation:

A very straightforward card; I stamped the images and coloured with Copics then inked lightly around the edges of each square before mounting them on black. For the background I stamped and embossed the sentiment first, then covered it while I splattered liberally with white paint, more around the outsides and lighter in the centre. What Star Wars enthusiast wouldn't love this? (Coincidentally, I made it on May 4th! 😂😂😂)

Materials used:

• stamps - Kawaii Force (C.C. Designs)
• other - Copic markers, MISTI, blending brush, fan brush, picket fence distress paint, white embossing powder, heat tool, craft foam

We'd love to see what you do with this sketch. Be sure to check out more samples on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Shake It Up on your Birthday! - Just Add Ink Challenge #751

Welcome! This week the challenge at Just Add Ink is to...

I made a birthday cocktail shaker.

The cocktail glass is made up of 6 layers, 4 of them for height as the die was too thin to use dimensional tape. For the background I already had an embossed piece on hand, so I sprayed it with oxides then once dry, ran a white pigment ink pad over random areas and distressed the edges. 

Materials used:

• dies - Olive Martinis, Christmas Cocktails (Spellbinders)
• Betterpress plate and die set - Cheers Sentiments (Spellbinders)
• distress inks - salvaged patina, peacock feathers
• distress oxide sprays - salvaged patina, kitsch flamingo, saltwater taffy
• other - Big Shot, sea level Sparkletz (Buttons Galore & More), glacier jewels (Pinkfresh), craft foam, acetate transparency, distressed tile 3D embossing folder (Stampin' Up), distressing tool

Check out more shaker cards over on the Just Add Ink blog and share your own creations in our gallery.

I'm entering this in the current Festive Friday challenge, with my picks being something shiny (silver foil card used for the glass and mat plus some gems), acetate window (for the shaker part), glass, drink themed sentiment. 

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

You're Not Old - Just Add Ink Challenge #750

I thought the colour combo of this week's Just Add Ink challenge were perfect to use with a fairly new-to-me die set.

My immediate thought was 'retro' and as I do love me a cheeky or punny card, a sentiment that pokes light fun at aging seemed perfect. Here's how it turned out:

All the TV pieces were cut from summer splash then I added shading to some with the matching ink. The pink and peach pieces just needed a bit of sponging around edges, then it was simply a matter of attaching everything. 

Materials used:

• dies - Vault Atomic Retro (Tim Holtz)
• other - Sidekick, sponge dauber, craft foam, Dimensionals, corner rounder punch

I was thinking of sending it to my brother, whose birthday is today, but as he's younger than me I decided it was probably safer not to make fun of his age! Lol. There's more samples to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

Let's Get Together - Just Add Ink Challenge #749

It's time for a choose two challenge with Just Add Ink and I just love our options this week!

I ended up with all three on my card.

I began with a piece of watercolour card which I sprayed with oxides, then stamped the coffee beans and stencilled splodges and coffee cup rings before adding some ink splatter. Next was more stencilling on opposite corners, this time with volume paste, and once that was dry I added my focal feature. The mini coffee 'posters' were distressed and inked around the edges. A few white splatters and sentiment were the finishing touches. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Coffee Cafe (Stampin' Up)
• stencil, cup, cake, posters - Coffee & Chocolate collection (Stamperia)
• distress products - oxide sprays in antique linen and saltwater taffy, distress ink gathered twigs, mini stencil splatters, picket fence paint
• other - blending brush, Dimensionals, craft foam, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, volume paste (Stamperia), heat tool, distressing tool, sponge dauber, paint brush
• layout inspired by a Vicky Papaioannou art journal page

I do hope you'll be inspired to create and join us in our gallery. Thanks for dropping by. 

Cheers

Kerry

Easter Blessings - Just Add Ink Challenge #747

Are you ready for another creative challenge with Just Add Ink? This week we have an inspiration pic for you.

It's been a long while since I used any of my Tilda stamps but I simply couldn't resist colouring this little sweetie with her (Easter) bunny, inspired by the adorable grey rabbit above.

I ink blended my background but the die-cut flowers and stamped image were coloured with Copics. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Tilda with her bunny (Magnolia Stamps), Itty Bitty Greetings (Stampin' Up)
• dies - Curio Spring Findings (The Greetery), Essential Arches (Spellbinders)
• other - Copic markers, craft foam, Dimensionals, blending brushes, distress inks, gingham designer paper (Stampin' Up)

What ideas does the inspiration pic give you? We'd love you to create and share with us over on the Just Add Ink blog, where you'll find more samples from the design team.

This card is also my entry in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, which is to use some patterned paper, and Time Out Challenges pick 2 challenge (I chose floral and arch).

Thanks for calling 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

Congrats - Just Add Ink Challenge #744

This week at Just Add Ink it's a Choose Two challenge and the options are

It occurred to me I could combine two options - rainbows and flowers - in one fell swoop by using some very old but new-to-me things a friend sent, and that's how this card was born.

As I wanted the rainbow floral panel to be the focal feature, I kept everything else very plain and picked a versatile greeting that can be used for many occasions.

Materials used:

• other - congrats die (stash), floral 3D embossing folder (Stampin' Up), Big Shot, Scratch-Art card, nail buffer, craft foam

Check out more samples to inspire you over on the challenge blog and if you feel like creating, we'd love to see it. Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

How Eggciting! - Just Add Ink Challenge #743

Welcome to another Friday and a new challenge with Just Add Ink. We have a lovely sketch to inspire you this week.

So many ideas went through my head for this one but eventually I decided on a cute Easter themed card which combines two of my favourite techniques - an inky background and watercolouring.

I loved this stamp set when it first came out last year but somehow managed to resist buying it - obviously I'm weaker willed this year, lol! I did some masking to put the bunnies and eggs inside the transportation and rather than stamp the joiners, cut a thin strip of card and attached it on the back. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Carrot 'Bout You (Lawn Fawn)
• dies - stitched rectangle
• distress sprays/oxide sprays - salvaged patina, twisted citron, mustard seed
• other - Big Shot, craft foam, Dimensionals, white gesso, splat brush, waterbrush, post-it notes, distress micro glaze, Zig Clean Color brush markers, Frozen Delights inks (Altenew), stapler, MISTI

There's plenty more samples to see over on the Just Add Ink blog and we'd love you to join us and share what you make of this sketch.

Thanks for driving on by.

Cheers

Kerry 

Tropical Friend - Just Add Ink Challenge #742

From the first time I saw this week's Just Add Ink inspiration pic - and every time since - I was/am instantly transported back to the outdoor seating area of my parents' home in Brisbane where they retired to from New Zealand. They've both been gone a lot of years but it was lovely to have those happy memories resurface, so even though it's not my rostered week, I couldn't resist playing along.

I just love layered bird dies - and colouring them - and this one is a particular favourite. The background foliage was cut from watercolour card I had sprayed with a mix of spray stains and oxide sprays. Everything else was cut from white card and ink blended. I heat embossed the sentiment on vellum. 

Materials used:

• stamp & die - Overlapping Hugs Additions (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Feathered Friends 9 (Papertrey Ink), all others from stash
• distress oxide sprays/spray stains - twisted citron, mowed lawn, salvaged patina
• distress inks - mustard seed, ripe persimmon, picked raspberry, seedless preserves, vintage photo
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, heat tool, Dimensionals, craft foam, black rhinestone, sponge dauber, white embossing powder

If you're inspired to create as well, we'd love you to share on the Just Add Ink blog. Check it out for more samples from the team too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Simple and Elegant - Just Add Ink Challenge #741

It's Friday, which means it's time for another challenge with Just Add Ink and our brief for you this week is to:

I made a soft-toned sympathy card - something we unfortunately often need to have on hand, especially as we get older. 

For my focal feature I used a stamp/die/stencils set from PinkFresh Studios. A few pearls were all the embellishments needed.

Materials used:

• stamp, die, stencil set - Butterflies in Bloom (PinkFresh Studios)
• sentiment stamp - Country Flowers (Stampin' Up)
• distress inks - antique linen, dried marigold, saltwater taffy, shabby shutters
• Altenew inks - alpine aster, soft lilac, lavender fields, deep iris
• other - blending brushes, pearls, MISTI, grip mat, Big Shot, craft foam, Dimensionals

Do visit the Just Add Ink blog for more samples of simple and elegant to inspire you and if you create, we'd love you to share in our gallery.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Sending Love - Just Add Ink Challenge #739

This week at Just Add Ink it's our choose two challenge and our options are:

For my simple card I picked colouring and a variation on thinking of you.

Materials used:

• stamp & die combo - Overlapping Hugs Additions (Waffle Flower)
• stencils - Postage Collage Roses (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Postage Collage (Waffle Flower), large love (stash)
• other - dye inks, blending brushes, Big Shot, mini pearls, Dimensionals

There's more samples to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog and if you do create, please share it with us in our gallery.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Floating By - Just Add Ink Challenge # 735

Welcome to Friday and a new challenge with Just Add Ink. This week it's a colour combo suggested by Rochelle.

With summer splash in there I immediately thought 'water', so created a fun pool/beach scene.

Materials used:

• stamps - Bubbles (Tim Holtz), You Autumn Know (Lawn Fawn)
• dies - Poolside (Concord & 9th)
• other - Big Shot, white embossing powder, heat tool, Dimensionals, MISTI, vintage gold wax (Art Alchemy), sponge dauber, craft foam

Check out more samples over on the Just Add Ink blog. We'd love to inspire you to create and join us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry