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

Man Zone

The new challenge with Just Add Ink is a sketch:

I used the slatted eclipse design technique with some amazing papers and simple sentiment for a Father's Day card.

I do hope you'll be inspired to play along. Thanks for calling in.

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

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

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

Well, Hello There! - Just Add Ink Challenge #768

This week's Just Add Ink challenge is a sketch - not one of my strengths, I admit, so I was surprised and enthused when I actually had an idea for a card. I rotated the sketch 90º and sat down to create.

The colour scheme I've used might be familiar - yes, it's the teal, red and white combo again, this time with some added black. So versatile! 

I began with constructing Mickey, then the circle feature which has an ink sponged piece behind it. Then it was simply a matter of more ink sponging on the background, attaching die-cut pieces, and adding the focal image. I used Distress black heavystock card for all the black pieces - not only is it strong, it's also a very dense black and has an almost velvety finish. Perfect for a famous mouse! 😉

Materials used:

• dies - Steamboat Willie Duo Etched dies (Spellbinders), Vault Picture Show (Tim Holtz)
• other - blending brush, Dimensionals, craft foam, Big Shot, R46 Copic marker

Check out more sketch inspiration over on the Just Add Ink blog and 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

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

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 

Oceans of Love

Which kind of challenges do you find the most ... well, challenging? For me it's often the sketches that stretch my crafting muscles more than others, so you may have noticed that I participate in sketch challenges much less often than, say, colour or inspiration ones. But this week the Freshly Made Sketches post caught my eye and sparked an idea ...

I flipped it 180 degrees and got busy getting inky, lol.

I began with embossing a piece of heavy watercolour card, then inked it and embossed again before giving it a water spritz. Love this new embossing folder from SU, those swirls are just gorgeous! Trust me, it looks even better in real life. The whale was just black and white card (obvs, lol) and the other die-cut pieces were coloured with distress inks. 

Materials used:

• dies - Whale in a Bottle (Spellbinders)
• distress inks - salvaged patina, peacock feathers, uncharted mariner, lucky clover, wilted violet, brushed corduroy, pumice stone, abandoned coral, hickory smoke
• other - Big Shot, Soft Waves embossing folder (Stampin' Up), water spritzer, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, clear acrylic dots

Hope you've had some crafting in your day and thanks for swimming by.

Cheers

Kerry

Happy Birthday Gullfriend - Just Add Ink Challenge #732

It's new challenge time at Just Add Ink and this week Tina gives us a sketch to play with.

For my card I turned the sketch to landscape orientation and got out a cute and whimsical seagull.

Materials used:

• stamps - Inquisitive Seagull (Waffle Flower)
• dies - stitched rectangle, wave, Inquisitive Seagull (Waffle Flower), Dancin' Birthday Dragon (Spellbinders)
• distress oxide inks - tumbled glass, uncharted mariner, squeezed lemonade, saltwater taffy
• other - Big Shot, craft foam, Copic markers YR04 and YR07, white gel pen, blending brushes, water spritzer, MISTI

Do check out the great samples my fellow team mates made to inspire you and we hope you'll share your own interpretation of our sketch if you create.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Winter Wonderland

Experiencing a white Christmas was on my bucket list for quite some time and it almost happened the year my daughter was living in Scotland ... until a little ol' global pandemic came along and then nobody was going anywhere - hardly leaving the house, let alone to the other side of the world. Ah well, such is life. Now I enjoy winter in December through card making instead, lol. 

Today's card is for three challenges which happen to dovetail together very nicely.

 

 

My Tic Tac Toe choice was the top row of ink blending, snow and tree.

I began with masking my paper for the snowy ground and blended the sunset sky (red sky at night, shepherd's delight 😉). Stamping came next, then small touches of puff embossing powder on the tree branches and at the feet of the deer before gesso splatters for falling snow. I die cut some snowflakes to tuck behind, cut my scene into three parts to mount, stamped a sentiment and called it done!

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage Winter View (Waffle Flower), Tiny Text Christmas (Tim Holtz)
• inks - blushing bride, lumberjack plaid, cherry cobbler, Versafine Clair nocturne
• other - snowflake dies, Sidekick, blending brushes, hills and drifts stencil (My Favorite Things), MISTI, craft foam, paint brushes, white puff embossing powder, heat tool, Versamark pen, white gesso

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Once in a Blue Moon

Once in a blue moon...I make a clean and simple Halloween card. 

The sketch at AAA Cards Challenge caught my eye this week, so I sat at my craft desk and this is what transpired.

I knew I wanted to use this little ghostie, so began with stamping and colouring it and accessories. Then the idea of the blue moon came to mind, so that was blended next, then it was simply a matter of stamping the bats and sentiment. Too easy!

Materials used:

• stamps - Boo Crazy, Mini Bird Crazy & Things (Tim Holtz), Boo Sentiments, Postage Collage Spooktacular (Waffle Flower)
• other - blending brushes, blender pen, moon mask (Tim Holtz), circle punch, MISTI, Dimensionals, craft foam

I've been giving my Halloween cards to my daughter to give away but this one might get saved for my grandson - not that he's old enough to appreciate it, lol, but it's the thought that counts, right? He is definitely too cute to spook!

Thanks for floating on by.

Cheers

Kerry

Feathery Thanks - Just Add Ink Challenge #722

It's time for another Just Add Ink challenge and this week Lou has given us a sketch.

This was definitely a challenge for me as it's so far outside of my wheelhouse, as they say, so it was great to be pushed to create something I usually wouldn't. After looking at a few ideas, I settled on some beautiful glittery feathers for an elegantly simple thank you card.

Materials used:

• dies - Feathery (Tim Holtz), Thanks (stash), stitched rectangle
• card - basic black, gold glitter
• other - Dimensionals, Big Shot, craft foam

For the sentiment I cut two layers in black, then the gold on top, and it sits on a black feather. 

What will you do with this sketch? There's more inspiration from my team mates over on the Just Add Ink blog and of course we'd love you to share whatever you create in our gallery. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Trick or Treat - Just Add Ink challenge #717

 

Tina suggested this sketch for the new challenge over at Just Add Ink and while it's not unusual for me to play along on my non-rostered week, it is definitely unusual for me to do so when it's a sketch, lol. Sketches are often the most challenging themes for me but this one sparked an idea for a card, perhaps because I'd been using the die for other projects and had it on the table in front of me. 

I've been seeing a fair bit of pink for Halloween this year and love it as much as I love the more traditional Halloween colours. To me, it adds charm and whimsy.  

I blended three shades of pink oxide inks on my background, masking the moon after the first and lightest shade had gone on. As the regular distress inks are a bit more vivid than the oxides, I also sponged a little of that at the top to darken up my edges. Then I sponged grey and black for the ground using a stencil and stamped 'Happy Halloween' in repeat across the page. For a bit of shimmer and sparkle, I sprayed Distress Spritz over everything and cut two layers of the trick or treaters die. 

Materials used:

• dies - Halloween Night (Tim Holtz)
• distress oxide inks - spun sugar, kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry, hickory smoke, black soot
• other - moon mask (Tim Holtz), blending brushes, Sidekick, picked raspberry Distress Spritz, craft foam, Happy Halloween stamp, drifts and hills stencil (My Favorite Things), picked raspberry distress ink

Do check out what my team mates created with this sketch to inspire you by following this link to the Just Add Ink blog, and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Happy Birthday Gullfriend - Just Add Ink Challenge #712

Jo has given us a sketch for this week's Just Add Ink challenge. 

I've created a sunrise over the sea scene with a bit of a pun sentiment that appeals to my quirky sense of humour, lol. 

My background is stencilled on watercolour paper using distress oxide inks. All the die-cut pieces were cut from white cardstock and coloured using oxides also. I have used some creative licence in moving the focal shape down a bit from what's in the sketch - well, those posts would look silly floating in mid-air/mid-ocean!!! 

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage Beach Days (Waffle Flower)
• distress oxide inks - squeezed lemonade, saltwater taffy, dusty concord, villainous potion, uncharted mariner, black soot, brushed corduroy, vintage photo, spiced marmalade, lost shadow, walnut stain
• stencils - Uncharted Waters (Spellbinders)
• dies - Oh, Buoy! (Spellbinders)
• other - sticky grid mat, blending brushes, Sidekick, Dimensionals, craft foam, white embossing powder, MISTI, heat tool

What does our sketch make you think of? We'd love to see your creations in our gallery - just head off to the Just Add Ink blog and while you're there, check out what my fellow team mates have made to inspire you.

Entered in the Just Us Girls stencil challenge. 

Thanks for cruising by.

Cheers

Kerry

Just Add Ink #702 - Sketch

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

Curiosity killed the cat, they say, so the very curious felines I've used on my card are in grave danger! 

I cut two of each of the cat dies and layered them, then added googly eyes to make them even more curious and adorable. The hexagons were cut from scraps I had on hand which were made with inks and mica stains and they have a lovely sheen. The plaid die and clear enamel dots give the white background interest without drawing attention away from the focal point.

Did you notice how the tails look like question marks? 😂😂😂 Love that!

Materials used:

• card - black, white, watercolour, Capri (Kaisercard)
• Tim Holtz dies - Mischievious, Stacked Hexagons, Layered Plaid
• other - distress inks, distress mica stains, Dimensionals, craft foam, Big Shot, googly eyes, Label Stickers - Thoughts (TH), crystal clear enamel dots (Altenew)

Check out what my team mates have done with this sketch over on the Just Add Ink blog and if you're inspired to create, we'd love you to share it with us.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Just Add Ink #692 - Just Add a Sketch

Hey stampers, it's time for another Just Add Ink challenge and this week we have a great sketch:

I've used a movie theme for my card - my family are all avid movie watchers and elder DD and her partner especially are fabulous at movie trivia. As a new mum, she's also enjoying the Mums and Bubs sessions at her local cinema.

And on the inside I put a pocket just perfect for a movie gift card.

Materials used:

• card - basic white, basic black, real red, gold foil, starry sky (Stampin' Up), Silverscreen papers (Nitwit Collections)
• dies - Movie Icons (My Favorite Things), stars thinlits (Stampin' Up)
• other - Copic markers, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Gardenia Filmstrip Frames (49andMarket)

What would you make with this sketch? We'd love to see your creations in our gallery. You can check out more ideas to inspire you over on the Just Add Ink blog. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #677 - Just Add a Sketch

Welcome to another Just Add Ink challenge and this week we've a sketch for you:

Keep in mind the shapes you use don't have to be squares, nor do they have to be the same shape as each other - as long as you have two images, one larger than the other and set behind, you're golden! You can also rotate or flip the sketch if you wish. 

With Halloween over, I'm now firmly in Christmas crafting mode, lol, so my offering is a Christmas card  and I kept the sketch as is. 

I began with ink smooshing pieces of card in blue and greens. Once I'd decided which bird die to use I could choose a size for the arched piece behind, then had to make sure the sentiment stamp I wanted would fit with those parameters. Luckily it did, so I set about die cutting bird, arch and greenery, followed by stamping the greeting and colouring the bird. The finishing touch was splatters of white gesso which has become one of my favourite mixed media techniques and really brought this card to life.

Materials used:

• stamps - Christmas Classics (Stampin' Up)
• card - basic white (SU), kraft, watercolour
• dies - Layered Warbler (Simon Says Stamp), Holiday Greens mini (Tim Holtz), Essential Arches (Spellbinders), stitched rectangle (Poppystamps)
• distress oxide inks/sprays - speckled egg, vintage photo, gathered twigs, antique linen, barn door, candied apple, rustic wilderness, evergreen bough
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, MISTI, water spritzer, heat tool, fan brush, white gesso, Dimensionals, craft foam

I hope you'll check out more samples from my team mates over on the Just Add Ink blog and with any luck, be inspired to create and share.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Great to Sea You

I combined two challenges for today's card

  

and came up with this:

I started with some ink smooshing. The circles of light blue were punched out and I tried to make them sort of progressive - ie the upper circle is light with some white for being near the top of the ocean, concentrated light blue for the middle circle and then darker blues for the lower one to represent deeper water. The adorable seahorse has a rhinestone eye I coloured blue using a Copic marker. I stamped and clear embossed the sentiment on vellum which is adhered under the seahorse and wrapped around the edge of the card to be held on the back. I had to flip the sketch to get this to fit, lol, but I think it works ok. I was going to dry emboss the background but it detracted from the focal point so I stamped a few bubbles instead.

Materials used:

• stamps - Mermaid Kisses (Sugar Pea Designs)
• card - watercolour, soft sky, vellum
• distress oxide inks - tumbled glass, chipped sapphire, saltwater taffy, abandoned coral
• other - Big Shot, 1 3/4" circle punch, Picture Book Seahorse die (Simon Says Stamp), clear embossing powder, heat tool, water spritzer, blending brush, MISTI, rhinestone, B24 Copic marker, Dimensionals, craft foam, sponge dauber

Have a crafty day and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry