Witchy Business

It's time for a new challenge with Just Add Ink and this time around we're asked to ...

As I'm enjoying making Halloween crafts I thought it would be fun to try a bit of witchy paper piecing.

I used digital papers so I could reduce the size enough to get maximum pattern within the confines of the stamp. The rest of the image was coloured with Copics then fussy cut, while the spiderweb background was foiled.

Materials used:

• stamps - Miss Witch (CC Designs), If the Hat Fits (SSS)
• dies - essential stylish ovals (Spellbinders), spider web (Tim Holtz)
• other - Copic markers, MISTI, digital papers, foam squares, foil machine, silver foil, spiderweb press plate (Spellbinders), silver sequins, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Have you got stamps with nice open areas suitable for paper piecing? We'd love you to play along! Check out more inspiration on the challenge blog.

Entering in the following challenges:

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - W is for Witch

If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Halloween

Two Old Bats - Halloween

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

Ride Any Wave

It's sketch challenge time with Just Add Ink. 

I've made an undersea themed card featuring some happy turtles.

Everything was cut from white and coloured with inks. The circles received some spritz so they have a lovely soft shimmer IRL. The turtles and weed etc were splattered with water and blotted. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Turtley Amazing (Pink and Main)
• dies - Happy Turtles, Under the Sea, Postage Collage Coral Reef Silhouettes (all Waffle Flower), stitched circles
• embossing folders - seabed, soft waves (both Stampin' Up)
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, distress spritz and inks, foam squares, water sprayer
• inspired by a Karen Downs creation

Check out more samples on the Just Add Ink blog and if you're inspired to play along, we look forward to seeing what you create.

Thanks for swimming by.

Cheers

Kerry

Feel Better Soon

It's Choose Two challenge time with Just Add Ink and here's the options:

For my get well card I chose patterned paper and animals.

Materials used:

• stamps - Ruff. Ruff. Ruff. (Unity Stamp Co)
• patterned papers - Pet Puppy (Etsy)
• other - Big Shot, distressing tool, Dimensionals, water brush, linen thread, dog paws embossing folder, Bandaid dies, stitched rectangle dies, craft foam, sponge dauber

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Wool You Look At That!

The new challenge at Just Add Ink is a great one (and not just because it was my suggestion! 😉😂) which we hope you'll enjoy using as inspiration for your craft over the next two weeks.

I sure do love me some polka dots! All sizes of dots and especially paired with other patterns, which is just what I did for my card.

The first time I saw this stamp I fell in love with those adorable little fuzzy faces! Here they're looking a tad embarassed and sheepish (lol!) so goodness knows what they're looking at!!! I thought this punny sentiment could be used for someone just getting their drivers licence or passing an exam equally as well as for a birthday or anniversary. 

It's been a long time since I did any watercolouring, so this was a joy to put together.

Materials used:

• stamps - Shear Surprise (Unity Stamp Co)
• dies - speech bubbles (SU), stitched rectangle
• papers - boho watercolour patterns (Etsy)
• other - sponge dauber, distressing tool, water brush, craft foam, Dimensionals

I hope you'll find some polka dots to play with and join the challenge. Meanwhile, there's more samples to love over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Tea and Biscuits

Welcome to a new challenge with Just Add Ink. This week we have a sketch for you to interpret and play with. 

Ever since I saw a funny meme on Pinterest I've been wanting to make this particular card and I'm so glad I could make it using the sketch. 

I cut all my die pieces first from white card then coloured with inks and assembled. The 'flavours' of the biscuits were heavily influenced by a selection from my favourite macaron patisserie here in Melbourne, La Belle Miette.

For funsies I stencilled my background with a newspaper pattern, as if it's saying 'Stop the Presses!' or 'News Flash!', lol. I guess it's almost a thing of the past to sip your tea while you read the paper ...

Materials used:

• dies - Cafe Colorize (Tim Holtz), macarons (brand unknown)
• stencil - media stencil KSTD149 (Stamperia)
• Altenew inks - buttercream, warm sunshine, frayed leaf, forest glades, mountain mist, volcano lake, lagoon
• other inks - saltwater taffy (Distress), basic beige (SU), coral reef (Pinkfresh)
• other - blending brushes, grip mat, foam squares, computer & printer

Do head over to the Just Add Ink blog to see how my fellow team mates used this sketch, and if you decide to play along we'd love you to share.

Entering in the Double D challenge:

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Chicken You Out

It's time for a new challenge with Just Add Ink and it's our Choose Two or More theme, with the options being:

Unusually for me, I chose only two elements from the list, lol, using twine and a button on my punny country-shabby style card.

I sponged and distressed the top and bottom edge of each of the papers, adding a couple of rips and some folds. The chicken and fence image were stamped twice and on the second one I coloured and fussy-cut just the fence, adding it with dimension over the first. 

We'd love it if you choose two or more items to play with and join the fun with us! Head over to the Just Add Ink blog to see which elements my team mates picked for their offerings.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Possibilities

Howdy and welcome! Today is a new challenge with Just Add Ink and we are asked to...

I've made a mixed media card featuring autumn colours and a sweet fairy.

I began with my background, using watercolour card and distress spray stains to create the look I wanted. Once it was dry I die-cut the border then stamped over using archival ink. The little lad was fussy cut and raised on foam pads. I had some leftover card from the background so used that to die cut the leaves, adding some bolder colour inks to them before gluing them in place. The sentiment came from a sticker book and is mounted on black card for dimension. Lastly I sponged ink around the pile of leaves where the fairy is standing to create a 'ground' look, mounted the panel on craft foam and attached it to my card base.

Materials used:

• stamps - Exquisite (Tim Holtz)
• dies - Fall Foliage (Tim Holtz), stitched rectangle
• ephemera - Autumn Stories & Backgrounds (Maremi's Small Art)
• distress spray stains - dried marigold, speckled egg, weathered wood
• distress oxide inks - weathered wood, vintage photo, crackling campfire, frayed burlap, rusty hinge
• other - water spritzer, heat tool, frayed burlap archival ink, foam squares, craft foam, Big Shot, Small Talk sticker book (Tim Holtz), blending brushes

If you've got any kind of wings in your stash, we'd love you to play along! Check out more samples for inspiration over on the Just Add Ink blog.

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

Love You - Just Add Ink Challenge #779

It's time for a sketch challenge with Just Add Ink and Jan gave us a very simple one to play with.

I opted for a Valentines theme with a quintessential couple.

The heart is distress spray stain and oxide on watercolour and my background teal piece was looking a bit plain so I stencilled lightly with matching ink and gave it a black edge. Mickey is offering a paper rosebud to Minnie.

Materials used:

• stamps - Short & Sweet (Stampin' Up)
• dies - Steamboat Willie Duo (Spellbinders), True Love (Tim Holtz)
• other - distress sprays and oxides (kitsch flamingo and picked raspberry), heat tool, Big Shot, wired paper rosebud, Dimensionals, craft foam, Diamond Motif stencil (Pinkfresh), blending brush

Check out what my team mates created for you on the challenge blog, and do share with us when you play along! 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Warm Wishes - Just Add Ink Challenge #776

It's time once again to Choose Two or More items to create with for the new Just Add Ink challenge.

I actually managed to incorporate all six options on my wintery Christmas card!

It occurred to me that snowmen would not want to hang their stockings by a fire (for obvious reasons, lol), so I figured they'd put them on the tree instead. Here are Chilly and Freezy doing just that. 

All the snow aspects - the ground, snowmen and snow on the tree - were given a  liberal spray with shimmer mist and I also used sparkle texture paste for the falling snow. Here's a better look at that shimmer:

Materials used:

• dies - stitched circle, Chilly and Freezy (Tim Holtz), Snowcapped tree (Waffle Flower), Fireside (Tim Holtz)
• other - blending brushes, shimmer mist, MISTI, foam squares, sparkle texture paste (Tim Holtz), Copic markers, distress inks, black rhinestones, speckles stencil (Tim Holtz), Big Shot, thick white bakers twine, Subsentiments Snow diecut (Waffle Flower)

I hope you'll pick two or more things from the list to create with and join our challenge. Check out the Just Add Ink blog to see which options my team mates chose.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge of Anything Christmas/Holidays
• Christmas Kickstart challenge of Anything Christmassy
• Double D challenges of Santa and/or Snowman
• The Four Seasons challenge of Anything Goes Winter

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Christmas Celebration - Just Add Ink Challenge #775

Welcome back to another Just Add Ink challenge! This time around we're challenged to...

Can I interest anyone in an Elf Cocktail or Clausmopolitan?

Looks like a great way to celebrate! I don't think I can even remember the last time I had a cocktail of any kind, though I did have a mocktail when seeing Wicked: For Good recently, which was delicious. The green elf cocktail is witchy enough to pass for Elphaba, don't you think? (It is made from a Halloween set, after all, lol)

I did some white-on-white heat embossing on my background for added interest, coloured all the bits with distress inks and just layered everything up. Tons of fun!

Materials used:

• stamps - Christmas background (My Favorite Things), Overlapping Merry Additions (Waffle Flower)
• dies -  Olive Martinis, Christmas Cocktails, Boos Cocktails (all Spellbinders)
• distress inks - lumberjack plaid, aged mahogany, mowed lawn, rustic wilderness
• other - Dimensionals, MISTI, white embossing powder, heat tool, blending brushes, clear acrylic dots, craft foam

With so many kinds of celebration, we hope you'll have the chance to create and join our challenge. There's plenty more samples to see from my team mates over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Entering in the Christmas Kickstart challenge #105 and the Paper Players challenge #766 (left vertical row of white, Christmas and die cuts).

  

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Peaceful Poinsettia - Just Add Ink Challenge #774

It's time for a new challenge with Just Add Ink and this time anything goes as long as we ...

I made a simple Christmas card focused on dies.

This was very straightforward to create, the main work was in the colouring. I cut all the floral pieces from heavy watercolour card and used distress inks. Once I was happy with an arrangement, I began by adhering the poinsettia then tucked everything else behind or around it. The sentiment has multiple layers.

Materials used:

• dies - Festive Blooms (Concord & 9th), CZ Design Peace wafer die (Simon Says Stamp) 
• distress inks - worn lipstick, abandoned coral, scattered straw, antique linen, brushed corduroy, walnut stain, shabby shutters, peeled paint, twisted citron, mowed lawn, rustic wilderness
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, sticky mat, glue gun

I hope you'll have a chance to sit and create with dies and/or stencils over the next two weeks and join our challenge. Do be sure to check out more samples over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Miss You - Just Add Ink Challenge #773

Welcome/welcome back! We have a sketch challenge for you this week at Just Add Ink and we're looking forward to seeing how you interpret and create with it.

I've gone shabby/vintage for my card.

I cut three envelopes from white card and inked them up. The 'postage stamps' were stamped and die cut and the cancellation lines added once adhered. I joined them with some seam binding ribbon, added some dried flowers and secured them with the bow. The background was stamped and clear embossed then I blended ink over it and spritzed with water until it I had a soft, watercolour effect. That piece got some ink blending on the edges too. The sentiment has multiple layers, the top one swiped a few times with an ink pad to get just the right depth of colour I wanted, then attached to a vellum shadow. Once everything was assembled I added groups of pearls.

Materials used:

• stamps - Vintage Flora, Postmarked (Honey Bee)
• dies - envelope, stitched rectangle
• Altenew inks - sand dunes, rocky shore, mocha
• Catherine Pooler inks - serenade 
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, clear embossing powder, heat tool, MISTI, seam binding, dried flowers, adhesive pearls

Check out more samples from the design team to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Here for the Candy - Just Add Ink Challenge #772

Welcome to a new Just Add Ink challenge. This time around you can take the colours or the image or both as inspiration for your creation. If you choose only the colours, you must use at least three of those given.

The witches' hats and jack o'lanterns were the main inspirations for my Halloween card.

I started by creating the background, cutting from white and inking before stamping a number of iconic Halloween images. Next I constructed the cat using dense black card and a touch of sparkle for the witch hat. Cutting the postage collage die came next, then adhering the background segments and this was attached to my card base before I added the cat, jack o'lantern treat bag and sentiment. The confections were cut down through the middle with a craft knife to make them less bulky.

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage Spider Web and Postage Collage Spooktacular (Waffle Flower), Tree Branch, Slender Mushrooms Mini and Mini Meadow Mushrooms (Lavinia), Tiny Frights (Tim Holtz)
• dies - Bewitched and Woof-or-Treat (Spellbinders), A6 Postage Collage and Blocks dies (Waffle Flower), Postale (Tim Holtz)
• other - distress inks, Big Shot, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, white gel pen, MISTI, white embossing powder, heat tool, Confections Halloween ITim Holtz), Deco Sheets Halloween (Tim Holtz), craft knife

I hope the mood board inspires you to create - it certainly doesn't have to be Halloween themed, the colours allow pretty much anything! Just be sure to mention what your inspiration was. Whatever you choose, have fun making and do share with us using the Just Add Ink linky. There are lots more samples to inspire you on the blog too.

Entering into the Double D challenge of Halloween colours.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Hey Pumpkin - Just Add Ink Challenge #771

Howdy and welcome to the first challenge under our new format at Just Add Ink! We do hope you'll embrace the changes and have fun joining us in creating. For this fortnight's challenge we have upsized our classic Choose Two - now it's Choose Two or More and your options are:

I couldn't help noticing the alliteration going on in those choices, lol, and for my card I chose plaid, patterned paper and pets plus added a couple more 'p' words - purple and pumpkin. 

The pupkin is cut from watercolour card and coloured with distress inks. There are three layers to the frame and two for the sentiment.

Materials used:

• dies - Pupkin (Spellbinders), Nesting Piercing Ticket Frames and Hey Pumpkin (Waffle Flower)
• other - distress inks, blending brushes, Big Shot, black marker, Dimensionals, Hocus Pocus Worn patterned paper (Etsy)

Check out the rest of the design team's samples over on the Just Add Ink blog. I hope you'll choose two or more items from our list and have some creative fun of your own - and if you do, please share with us! Remember, you now have longer to create as the challenge doesn't close until Wednesday 22nd.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

You Rock! - Just Add Ink Challenge #770

Today's offering is for the new colour combo challenge at Just Add Ink. I saw a card on Pinterest that inspired me and couldn't resist playing along.

Not a combination I would normally use without some other colours in there as well, but it turns out they were just right for this idea.

I blended the three inks on watercolour card for my background and added some distress oxide splatters in what I hoped were similar shades (the purple oxide turned out bluer than I would have liked). Then lots of water splatters to give a very mottled look, before adding more water spritzed over a stencil and blotted, for the rays of light. The stamped figure is coloured with Copics and I gave her outfit - including boots - some shimmer.

Materials used:

• stamps - Uptown Girl Loves to Perform (Stamping Bella), Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew)
• SU inks - bubble bath, fresh freesian, highland heather
• other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, blending brushes, water spritzer, heat tool, clear Wink of Stella, Copic markers, fresh fressia Stampin' Blends, Dimensionals, Ray of Light stencil (MFT), craft foam, gems, banner punch

Do these colours immediately bring something to mind for you? We'd love to see your creations in our gallery.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Life is Beautiful - Just Add Ink Challenge #769

It's Choose Two time again at Just Add Ink with some very versatile options.

So many possibilities! I ended up choosing numbers and words for a postage collage card. 

I started off by using the blocks die to cut my segments, placing them back inside the frame on a sticky mat to do the ink blending. The stamping was done in three parts using my MISTI - the stamps are reasonably small so you can sit quite a few of them on and ink them all at once. The postage themed stamps were last, and they are tricky little devils! They're so small and fiddly and they keep sticking to my fingers when I try to position them, lol. So forgive me if there's a wee bit of crookedness going on! Then I added highlights with a white gel pen. Foam tape was used behind the blended panels to give dimension and the sentiment was embossed with white and raised also.

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage, Lake Sunset (Waffle Flower), Rest & Relaxation (Honey Bee)
• dies - Postage Collage, Postage Collage Blocks
• distress inks - spun sugar, worn lipstick, salvaged patina
• other - Big Shot, blending brushes, Bermuda bay ink (SU), MISTI, foam tape, white gel pen, masking corners stencil (Waffle Flower), white embossing powder, heat tool, Dimensionals

We look forward to seeing how the options inspire you!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

To A Classic - Just Add Ink Challenge #767

It's time for an inspiration challenge with Just Add Ink and here's this week's photo prompt:

I took the cars as inspiration and made a birthday card. 

Naturally the car is red - we all know red cars go faster, right? 😁

Materials used:

• stamps - Road Signs bold prints (Hero Arts), All About You (MFT)
• dies - Classic car (Spellbinders), Vault World Travel (Tim Holtz)
• other - Sidekick, MISTI, Dimensionals, craft foam, black embossing powder, heat tool

We hope you'll be inspired to join our challenge with your own creative projects. 

Thanks for driving by.

Cheers

Kerry