Beach Vibes Only

It's been a while since I made a very clean and simple card but an idea popped into my head for a couple of CAS challenges so I went with it.

As I've been making lots of beach themed stuff lately (you'll see those in upcoming weeks), that was what came to mind.

I stamped the frame of the sunnies first then added the beach background, colouring it with Copics. My card background is a little bit of stencilled waves to add to the water theme, then some acrylic dots (clear and shimmery to look like air bubbles) and a sentiment rounded it off.

Materials used:

• stamp & die combo - Spectacular Adventures (Altenew)
• other - Copic markers, salvaged patina distress ink, blending brush, MISTI, Big Shot, Subsentiments Coastal (Waffle Flower), Dimensionals, opal rounds (SU), white gel pen, waves stencil

Thanks for stopping by.

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

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

Beachy Delight - Just Add Ink Annual Blog Hop

With a whole new year of crafting to look forward to, at Just Add Ink we begin with an all-team Blog Hop to celebrate. We do hope you'll join us in creating and sharing, and our theme to inspire you is

Santa very kindly brought me a wonderful scrapbooking page kit so I've made a layout featuring my adorable grandson having a blast at the beach:

I used elements from the page kit but changed them up a little, adding some stamping and chipboard pieces.

Materials used:

• stamps - Gorgeous Grunge (SU retired)
• papers, chipboard pieces, die cuts - Summer Porch collection (49&Market)
• other - Dimensionals, sponge dauber, basic beige ink

The link below will take you to the next blog on our hop, which is Jan. Do please leave everyone some comment love as you browse through the hop. If you get stuck at any point, the list and links of all participants is on the Just Add Ink blog here. 

Thanks for calling in!

Cheers

Kerry

And the Summer Hits Just Keep on Comin'

Today's card is for another couple of challenges with - yep, you guessed it - Summer Fun as the theme, this time over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge and also the Paper Players.

After having to really restrain myself with my last card being CAS, I had so much fun getting inky and layering with this mixed media number.

Everything other than the card base itself were made using white cardstock and coloured with distress oxide inks. There are three layers to the tree trunk because I wanted dimension but didn't want to fiddle with really narrow pieces of mounting tape! 

Materials used:

• dies - Surf Shack (Cottage Cutz), Guiding Light (Spellbinders)
• distress oxide inks - salvaged patina, peacock feathers, brushed corduroy, vintage photo, walnut stain, twisted citron, mowed lawn, pine needles, mustard seed, abandoned coral, picked raspberry, lost shadow
• other - blending brushes, white gel pen, titanium white pan pastel, water spritzer, Sidekick, craft foam, Dimensionals, distress tool

If you're in my part of the hemisphere, I hope it's not too cold and miserable and this helps you look ahead to some summer fun. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Summer Fun

It seems like almost every challenge blog based in the northern hemisphere has Summer has their theme at the moment. Certainly it's no hardship to be thinking of warmer days and outdoor fun instead of the rain and cold, lol. A couple of clean and simple challenges caught my eye and when an idea popped into mind ... well, you know how that goes ...

And here's my offering:

This was most definitely a challenge for me, I kept wanting to add things, lol. Even now my fingers are itching ...

Materials used:

• stamps - Postage Collage, Postage Collage Beach Days (Waffle Flower)
• stencils - Postage Collage Beach Days (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Postage Collage (Waffle Flower)
• inks - crumb cake (Stampin' Up), salvaged patina, peacock feathers, candied apple, carved pumpkin (distress), hickory smoke (distress archival), black
• other - blending brushes, Big Shot, MISTI, mounting tape

Still a ways to go before we can say goodbye to winter, but thoughts of sunshine and beaches are always welcome!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

CTD Guest Star Stamper

I'm very happy to be the Guest Star Stamper over at The Color Throwdown, after my card was chosen for challenge #723. Here are the challenge colours this time around:

As red is my favourite colour I initially had berries in mind, especially as I'm really enjoying all our summer fruit at the moment. But looking through my files I found this image I've had for ages that just screams summer fun and beach parties, so I changed my focus to green, lol. I can easily imagine her posing there and saying, "come on beaches, let's get this party started!", can't you? 😂

I put a touch of sparkle on the flower centres because she looks like she'd love some bling. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Tiny Words Birthday (SSS), digital stamp (source unknown)
• card - basic white, soft suede, parakeet party, Sweet Treats polka dot
• Copic markers - YG01,YG13,YG23, R22,R27,R29,E23,E25,E41,B000
• other - mini banner punch (SU retired), in colour faceted dots (SU), craft foam, Dimensionals, clear Wink of Stella, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, sweet sorbet ink pad (SU)

Thanks for calling in. Do head over to the Color Throwdown blog to see what their design team came up with to inspire you.

Cheers

Kerry

The Card Concept - Holiday Gatherings

For the first Card Concept challenge of the year we're using the theme Holiday Gatherings and here's our inspiration picture for you:

Right now in Australia it's the long summer school holidays, hot and humid. Recently I managed to catch up with an old friend and we reminisced about all the times we'd gathered together for a BBQ meal and swim in the pool, either at our place or hers, to celebrate the new year, a birthday or just friendship. It's these lovely memories that inspired my summer/pool themed clean and layered card.

Materials used:

• stamps - Gloria at the pool (Mo Manning), Bitty Buzzwords: Seasons (Honey Bee Stamps)
• card - basic white, flirty flamingo, daffodil delight
• other - Bitty Buzzwords: Seasons dies, Sidekick, blending brush, Copic markers, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, craft foam, MISTI, sun ray stencil (MFT), clear sequins

Do check out what holiday gathering creations my fellow team mates have made to help inspire you, over on The Card Concept blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #586 - Just Add a Blog Hop!

♬  Summertime and the living is easy... ♪♫

Hello and welcome to the Just Add Ink blog hop for 2022 where our theme is SUMMER. You may have just arrived from Annie's blog but if not you can start here and carry on around the hop.

The bucket and beachballs in the inspiration pic immediately made me think of trips to the beach, both as a child and as a parent, so that's what gave me my original inspiration. Then, while I was browsing ideas, I discovered that my new home town of Melbourne has 82 bathing boxes or beach huts. I've only ever seen these in the UK and Europe, so I was charmed to learn there are locals and decided my make would be an homage to these delightful constructions. And so my framed piece was born.

A weathered old anchor rests in the corner.

And the sea sparkles in the background.

I had an almost illegal amount of fun putting this together! Lol. It will be put on display in my brand new craft room and stimulate so many happy memories. 

Materials used:

• card - distress watercolour, basic white, crumb cake, Cool Collab paper pad (MFT)
• distress oxide inks - antique linen, frayed burlap, walnut stain, peacock feathers, tumbled glass, cracked pistachio
• dies - Village Collection (Tim Holtz/Sizzix), Birds in Flight (Poppystamps), Under the Sea (SU)
• other - translucent grit paste, collage medium, Art Stones (Prima), mounting strips, blending brushes, antique linen distress paint, slimline cloud edges stencil (MFT), 8"x8" dimensional frame (Nicola Spring), barn door and black distress archival inks, celestial copper ink (Delicata), chipboard anchor (Kaisercraft), twine, shells (Island Living Australia), white gel pen, clear Wink of Stella, black marker

Next up is Narelle, then you can keep hopping around until you've seen the whole team's offerings (there are 16 altogether). And, of course, it's always very much appreciated if you leave everyone some comment love. If you feel inspired to create your very own summer themed project, we'd love to see it in the JAI gallery on the blog HERE. 

Thanks so much for calling in!

Cheers

Kerry

Summer Lovin' - CAS on Friday Challenge #185

Hi and welcome! It's time for another CAS on Friday challenge.

This is challenge #185 and the theme is SUMMER.

Though I had quite a few ideas for this theme, in the end I had to go with a stamp set that just made me giggle. Take a look:

See what I mean? Who doesn't have memories from their childhood (or even grownup-hood) of ants appearing uninvited at your summer picnic? And of sinking your teeth into watermelon when the juice would run down your chin and fingers? My very adult daughters still can't wait for that first melon of the season, cutting it up into slices and gorging on its summery goodness. Mm mmm.

Materials used:

• stamps - Happy Summer (Lawn Fawn)
• card - whisper white, watermelon wonder
• Copic markers - R20, R22, R24, G00, G05, G09
• other - Dimensionals, craft foam

We'd love to have you visit the CAS on Friday blog and see the wonderful creations my fellow design team members have made for you. And, of course, we'd love it even more if you give it a go and join our summer challenge!

Thanks for calling in and stay safe.

Cheers

Kez

Summer Lovin'

What a whirlwind of weather patterns we've had over the past few months! From scorching high temperatures and the hottest summer on record, to torrential rain and now yesterday was the coldest March day in twelve years. Mother Nature must be going through the change, I think! Lol. In light of the cooler temperatures it seems weird to be posting a tropical summer-themed card, but there you go.

I love this cute flip-flops (jandals/thongs) die set and how perfectly it matches with the papers from SU's mini catalogue. 

Materials used:

• stamps - none
• card - whisper white, garden green, real red, daffodil delight, Tropical Oasis DSP
• other - stitched rectangle die, Big Shot, flip flops dies (Paper Smooches), Dimensionals, blending brush, computer and printer, craft foam

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Edited to add: Managed to get a sunnier day, so retook the photo - now shows the colours much better! 

Bright and Breezy

I was having a play day with my BFF yesterday and whenever we get together we do a 'show and tell' of the cards we've been making. Upon seeing one of mine she pronounced, "This one hasn't been on your blog," and after I admitted it hadn't, she ordered "Well put it up there!". So this is me following instructions (enjoy it while you can, Rob) and showing you my tropical-flavoured, bright and breezy card.

Materials used:

• stamps - Tropical Chic, Itty Bitty Greetings
• card - pineapple punch, coastal cabana, whisper white
• ink colours - Bermuda Bay, gorgeous grape, lemon lime twist, coastal cabana, pineapple punch, lovely lipstick, granny apple green, watermelon wonder
• other - tropical dies, Big Shot, sequins, mini glue dots, Dimensionals, clear Wink of Stella, Bermuda bay marker, ruler

The flowers have a touch of shimmer and look gorgeous when they catch the light. 

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez