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

True Colours - CAS on Friday challenge

I just love colour challenges, probably because I love playing with colours in inks and paints etc.

Hi all and welcome to another CAS on Friday challenge! This is challenge #174 and as you may have already guessed, we have some colours for you this time around.

My first instinct when I saw coastal cabana, crushed curry and Bermuda bay together was for an ocean sunrise/sunset scene but I must admit, it floored me at first about how I would incorporate granny apple green. Thankfully, after a few days my brain kicked in to remind me that the sea can be a greeny-blue!

I made simple masks from post-it notes, sponging the sky area first with crushed curry, then Bermuda bay and granny apple green for the water. My only coastal cabana is the card base itself. All-in-all, this card took less than 10 minutes to make!

Materials used:

• stamps - Thoughtful Branches (SU)
• card - whisper white, coastal cabana
• other - blending brushes, post-it notes, 1" circle punch, Stamparatus, clear Wink of Stella, craft foam

Please visit the CASOF blog and my fellow DT members to see what wonderful things they've done with these colours - and don't forget to leave us all some comment love!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

In Which I Am Full Of Handy Hints!

Hatches, Matches and Dispatches is the theme for this month's cards. Having a baby card, wedding card and sympathy card in your stash can come in very handy.

My "Hatches" card uses the gorgeous Two by Two single stamp and I chose pool party as a gender-neutral colour for the background. Some faux stitching on the mat piece and lacy embossing with satin ribbon enhance the baby feel.

 Materials used:

• stamps - Two by Two
• card - pool party, whisper white, watercolour, in colour patterns dsp
• other - windows framelits, Big Shot, pool party ribbon (SAB), delicate designs E/F, large scallop edgelits, aquapainter, sponge dauber, dimensionals, white brads (non SU), pool party embossing powder, heat tool, square punch, piercing mat, piercing tool, white gel pen, festive paper piercing pack

Hint: you can make your own colour matching brads. Here's how: using a pair of craft pliers, hold the feet of the brad securely and press the head firmly onto a Versamark ink pad. Now dip the head into the coloured embossing powder, shake off the excess and heat in the usual way. Repeat this process so you have two coats of embossing powder, then allow to cool. 

For the "Matches" card I went with classic black and white, always elegant for a wedding. My sentiment panel is made completely on MDS using three different stamp brush sets. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Meant To Be, All Holidays, Delightful Dozen - all MDS
• card - whisper white, basic black, garden green
• other - itty bitty punches, embossing stylus, pearls, liquid glue, Big Shot, lacy brocade E/F (retired)
• non SU - Spellbinders flower dies, Nellie Snellen leaf punch and E/F, shaping mat, Nestabilities die, white linen card

Our "Dispatches" card has been kept simple and classy. The Stippled Blossoms set is a new addition to my craft room - I've been resisting it for some time but have seen so many gorgeous cards using it that I finally gave in. I'm so glad I did, it is just divine; here it is in pink pirouette and regal rose.

The chocolate chip layer on the leaves was stamped off beforehand to tone down the intensity of colour a little. After stamping the second step of the flowers (regal rose) I went back and re-stamped it using Versamark ink, then clear embossed it. It gives a subtle, shiny finish to the flower.

Materials used:

• stamps - Love and Sympathy, Stippled Blossoms
• card - Sahara sand, chocolate chip, whisper white
• inks - pink pirouette, regal rose, Sahara sand, chocolate chip, Versamark
• other - dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Hint: buy two-step stamp sets in wood mount and that way you can create a permanent placement sheet on acetate to use with your stamp-a-ma-jig, without the hassle of making a new one each time if using acrylic blocks.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

The Hardest Kind of Card

Sadly, one of my ladies recently lost her canine companion of ten years or more and as the animal lovers among you will know, it is just like losing a family member. Sympathy cards are the hardest kind to make and send, I find, and I tend to keep them simple and uncluttered.

Materials used:

• stamps - So Sorry, Blooming with Kindness
• card - primrose petals, whisper white, basic grey patterns paper
• other - primrose petals ribbon, labels collection framelits die, dimensionals, finishing touches edgelits die, Big Shot

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Lost Angel

When I arrived at work yesterday it was to the sad news that one of my students who was in her 35th-36th week of pregnancy had lost her baby. I can't begin to imagine how devastating that must be for her and her family and, as always in a time of loss, you feel so helpless.

I want to send a card so she will know I am thinking of her and sharing in her grief but I need your help - I am really not sure if the card I have made is appropriate. I'm worried that it looks too much like a baby card and not enough like a sympathy card, so I would REALLY appreciate your feedback on this one. I did use "baby" colours on purpose, but is it too ... too ... I don't even know what word I'm trying to say! Please let me know what you think ... feel free to make any suggestions for improvement ...

Materials used:

• stamps - Thoughts & Prayers
• card - white linen (non SU), pool party
• other - Big Shot, beautiful wings embosslit die, designer frames EF, in stitches (non SU) EF, white organza ribbon, sponge dauber

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments.

Cheers

Kez

Dispatches

Sympathy cards are by their very nature the most difficult to make I think. We all have trouble knowing what to say to someone who has lost a loved one. From my experience, it's not the actual words that are said that helps, but the knowledge that someone cares.

I don't like anything too gushy, so keep the sentiments on my cards simple and hope the recipient knows they come from the heart. For design you can't go wrong with nature, whether your card is for a man or woman.

(cased from Christine Z)

Materials used:

• Stamps - Elements of Style, Thoughts and Prayers
• Card - Baja breeze, whisper white, basic black
• Other - non SU embossing folder, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig

For this one I stamped the leaves on watercolour paper using the different coloured inks, then "smooshed" over them with a clean, wet aquapainter to add that little touch of watercoloured look to them. First time I've tried it and I like how it turned out, so I'll be sure to give that another go sometime.

Materials used:

• stamps - French Foliage, Thoughts and Prayers
• card - cajun craze, more mustard, early espresso, watercolour
• inks - more mustard, cajun craze, cherry cobbler, tangerine tango, early espresso
• other - dimensionals, aquapainter

Hope my Hatches, Matches and Dispatches have inspired you. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Vintage Sympathy

A challenge card for you today; this week over at Just Add Ink they want us to Just Add a Flower. I bought a whole bunch of paper roses in a sale a few weeks back and hadn't gotten around to using any of them, so that suited me just fine!

I decided to make a card using muted tones and gave my brayer a little workout with some two-toned embossing. Some new rubber arrived in the mail yesterday and I was dying to try them out! Here's the result:

Materials used:

• stamps - Our Daily Bread and Stampin' Up!
• card - crumb cake, very vanilla, soft suede and Baja breeze (all SU)
• other - Beautiful Wings embosslit die, vintage wallpaper embossing folder, brayer, dimensionals, Baja breeze seam binding (all SU); leaf punch (Carl), labels die (Nestabilities), paper flowers (Kaiser),

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers
Kez