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

Our Finest Gifts

Today's card is for the Christmas Crafts All Year Round challenge. We're to create a project inspired by the song, The Little Drummer Boy. 

I used the line 'Our finest gifts we bring' as inspiration for my card.

The little elf is three layers of kraft heavystock - there are some very delicate areas on the die where I felt extra strength and support was essential. The gift boxes are all two layers; paper over card. I used the woodgrain paper, kraft and muted colours to give a rustic kind of feel, appropos of a visit to a stable. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Elegant Christmas 2 (Waffle Flower)
• dies - Santa's Helper (Tim Holtz), circle
• papers - Christmas Blessings and Add-On paper pack (Mintay)
• other - Big Shot, blending brush, Dimensionals, foam tape, vellum, brushed corduroy distress ink, clear dots

By the way, did you know The Little Drummer Boy (originally known as the Carol of the Drum) was first recorded by the Trapp Family Singers in 1951? Sound of Music, anyone? 

Thanks for calling 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

Christmas Wreath - The Card Concept Challenge #212

It's time for a new challenge with The Card Concept and this month the moodboard features a stunning Christmas wreath to inspire you. 

I chose to go vintage collage for my card which incorporates both wreath and tartan from the pic. 

I added ink to the background pieces to provide cohesion as well as enhance the vintage vibe. My wreath was cut from card coloured with various inks as well as some mica, so it has a lovely sheen and glow when it catches the light. For the bow I attached plaid washi tape to card and die cut from that. The stars were thick chipboard but I removed a couple of layers as I didn't want that much bulk; the chipboard sentiment strip I left as is, as it provides a nice base for the gentleman to stand on. 

Materials used:

• dies - Vault Collection Christmas 2021 (Tim Holtz)
• papers - Christmas backdrops (Tim Holtz)
• ephemera - Christmas ephemera pack, Baseboards & Transparencies Christmas 2023 (TH)
• other - antique linen and vintage photo distress inks, sponge dauber, blending brush, Big Shot, Christmas design tape (TH), distress inks and mica stains, Dimensionals

I hope the moodboard gives you inspiration for your own cards and that you'll share them with us over on The Card Concept blog. Do check out the samples from my fellow design team members. 

This card is also being entered in the current Christmas Kickstart challenge. 

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

The Silence of the Night

I don't usually delve into the darker side of Halloween, but I'd been playing with moon backgrounds the other day and had one which reacted quite differently to what I was expecting and ended up being a little on the spooky side. Then two things converged: one, I was thinking there was just a little time left for one last Halloween craft project, and two, I saw this week's theme of stencilling at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. My mind put those things together and I decided there was no harm in playing with that spooky background to see what I could make.

Here's the result:

I stencilled fractured cracks over the moon and decayed over the gravestones, then added trees, ghosties and a couple of sentiment stickers. 

Materials used (mostly Tim Holtz):

• dies - Vault Fright Night
• stencils - Fractured mini, Decayed
• other - moon mask, distress oxide sprays and inks, Curiosities sticker book, water spritzer
• not TH - blending brushes, Big Shot, heat tool

I hope you enjoy your Halloween, whether it's spooky or cutesy or anything in between! Thanks for stopping 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

Getting an Early Start

Over the past few years I've come to love orange and hot pink together, so when I saw the Just Us Girls challenge had this combo, I was highly motivated to play along. 

For some reason my first thought was Halloween and although I tried thinking of other themes, that thought persisted - so of course, eventually I gave in, lol. Here's what I ended up with.

Materials used:

• stamps - Unraveled (Tim Holtz), Gorgeous Grunge (Stampin' Up)
• dies - Trick or Treat colorize, Mischevious (both Tim Holtz)
• distress and distress oxide inks - spiced marmalade, picked raspberry, carved pumpkin
• other - Sidekick, MISTI, Dimensionals, blending brushes

I know it's early for Halloween craft but I am sooooooo in the mood for it this year! This is also being entered in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge, which is Anything Goes.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Travel - Just Add Ink Challenge #708

It's a choose two option this week with Just Add Ink! Here's what we've got for you:

I chose blending and embossing, though I did end up - as so often happens with a choose two - using some of the third element as well, lol. 

My turquoise background piece is a blending of two inks, then I lightly applied some embossing ink through a stencil and added embossing glaze in a matching tone. The glazes are transparent, which was ideal when I was after more of a 'hint' of colour, rather than a full-on immersion. My globe was cut from card in my stash that had ink blending already and I added more blending around the edges of the continents to mimic the look of an atlas (for those of us old enough to remember what they are, lol). There are multiple layers to my airplane for extra depth and sturdiness. I chose a lowercase alphabet for 'travel' to contrast with the uppercase stamped sentiments.

Materials used:

• stamps - Tiny Text (Tim Holtz)
• dies - Vault World Travel (TH), Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower (TH), stitched rectangle (Paper Rose)
• distress inks - salvaged patina, peacock feathers, wild honey, twisted citron
• other - compass stencil (Stamperia), salvaged patina distress glaze (TH), distress embossing dabber (TH), craft foam, MISTI, Dimensionals, Big Shot, blending brushes, heat tool

There are more samples to inspire you on the Just Add Ink blog and as always, we'd love to see your creations in our gallery.

Thanks for stopping 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

The Card Concept #207 - Red, White and Blue

This month at The Card Concept we're challenging you to draw inspiration from our red, white and blue mood board:

I was inspired by the bold primary colours of red and blue to create a card for a young child, also incorporating the stars and stripes.

Materials used:

• card - basic white, basic black, real red, starry sky, pink (Stampin' Up), striped paper (Etsy)
• dies - Dancin' Birthday Panda & Dancin' Birthday Dragon, Smart Glasses (Spellbinders), Celebrate (Tim Holtz), Large Numbers (Stampin' Up)
• other - Sidekick, Dimensionals, stars stencil, volume paste, palette knife, computer & printer

If you create anything inspired by our challenge we'd love to see it in our gallery. Visit the Card Concept blog to do so and to see more samples from my fellow design team members.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Just Add Ink #700 - Just Add Shimmer or Shine

It's time to add some sparkle to your crafty creations - if you even need an incentive, that is! Welcome to another Just Add Ink challenge - and not just any challenge, but our 700th!

Sooooooooo many possibilities for this one and I had so much fun playing with shimmery things that I ended up with two cards! Here's my first offering:

For my leafy parts I used mica stains which give shimmer and the stems are cut from shiny metallic card. I added more metallic accents with gold thread and a gold embossed sentiment.

Here's a pic to show the shimmer and shine a bit better:

Materials used:

• stamps - Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew)
• card - black, gold metallic
• dies - Artsy Leaves (Tim Holtz), stitched rectangle
• other - distress mica stains, Dimensionals, Sidekick, splat box, gold thread, gold embossing powder, heat tool, craft foam

My second card also has plenty of shimmery goodness:

After ink blending the background I sprayed liberally with shimmer mist. The fish and corals were coloured using mica stains. Here's an angle shot to really show the shimmer:

Materials used:

• stamps - Picture It Ocean (Clearly Besotted)
• card - distress watercolour
• dies - Coastal Escape View (Spellbinders), Nesting Splat (Paper Rose)
• other - distress mica stains, white shimmer mist, blending brushes, Sidekick, splat box, Dimensionals, mounting foam tape, MISTI

Have fun creating some shimmery, shiny goodness and of course we'd love you to share them with us over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Practically Perfect

This week's Inspired by...challenge caught my eye. 

Umbrellas immediately made me think of Mary Poppins. Anyone else or is it just me? 😉 No? Ok then, lol. Showing my age I guess. Well anyway, once I had the thought, of course it wouldn't leave me alone, so eventually I sat at my craft desk and made a card.

The sentiment was done on the computer (if you know of a stamp set that says this, please let me know!) and I tried to match the font styles from the movie as well as I could, lol. I cut a number of Mary Poppins' in different colour card and cut and layered them, setting them on a simple inky background. The little red bow tie is one of the kite ribbons in the die set and I used markers to colour her hair and flower. And of course I couldn't leave out the iconic parrot head on the umbrella, so I printed a teeny one of those too. 

Materials used:

• card - white, black, blush, blue, red
• dies - The Park (Tim Holtz), stitched rectangle (Paper Rose)
• other - blending brush, Dimensionals, craft foam, Big Shot, markers, blue ink

Hope your day is practically perfect! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

The Card Concept #204 - Winter Warmth

We've a brand new monthly challenge and inspiration pic for you at The Card Concept, this one entitled Winter Warmth.

There's certainly plenty of warmth going on around here, as February is the hottest month of summer for us. This week we've had more than one day of 37degC (98.6degF) temps so I am most definitely looking forward to the cooler days of autumn not far away (hopefully!).

The animal, trees and colours on the rug gave me an outdoorsy/nature vibe, which became the inspiration for my mixed media card. 

Curvy Girl was stamped on my background piece of watercolour card first then I sponged the clouds, sky and ground around her, and stamped her again on another piece of card. She was watercoloured using distress inks and after some fussy cutting attached to the background.

Materials used:

• stamps - Curvy Girl Loves to Hike (Stamping Bella), Spectacular Adventures (Altenew)
• card - pecan pie (Stampin' Up), watercolour, Happy Camper plaid paper (Etsy)
• distress inks - bundled sage, peeled paint, forest moss, stormy sky, spiced marmalade, wild honey, tea dye, rusty hinge, brushed corduroy, pumice stone, vintage photo
• dies - alphanumeric tiny type lower (Tim Holtz)
• other - water brush, mini cloud stencil (My Favorite Things), blending brushes, Sidekick, MISTI, vintage photo embossing glaze, heat tool, black archival ink

Hopefully some aspect of the inspiration picture and/or colour palette will make you want to create. If so, do share it with us on The Card Concept blog and don't forget to check out all the cards made by my fellow design team members.

Thanks for hiking by.

Cheers

Kerry

Greetings from Santa

I thought I might be finished with Christmas craft for the year but a cute little project I saw made me get out my bits and create! It's another little ornament for my grandson, made with Tim Holtz's Santa Greetings colorize dies - so adorable! I gave Santa a change of outfit colour though, lol.

You get the whole alphabet to play with in this die set, as well as numbers, so can make pretty much anything that will fit across the string. I put a plain white base on the back so I could write a message and glued some gold cord in between the layers for hanging.

Materials used:

• card - white, black, gold foil, turquoise, grey, pink
• dies - Santa Greetings colorize (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
• inks - peacock feathers distress ink
• other - Big Shot, pink marker, tweezers, gold cord

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #681 - Just Add Inspiration

We've a bright and cheerful image to spark your creativity this week at Just Add Ink.

I've been seeing quite a bit of pink and turquoise around on Christmas cards already this year, so I added the lime green and used those as inspiration for my own card.

I coloured my background piece first then added water splatters. While that dried I cut my greenery and coloured them using oxide inks, adding glossy accents and clear rock candy glitter to the berries. The sentiment was stamped using two inks and blended, then I used heat and stick powder to add glitter to that as well. You know how much I love white splatters, so they were the final touch - not meant to represent snow, just because they give that extra something, a bit of a zhuzh, lol. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Bold Tidings Mini (Tim Holtz)
• card - woodgrain (Tim Holtz), basic white, lemon lime twist
• distress oxide inks - spun sugar, kitsch flamingo, picked raspberry, twisted citron, mowed lawn, salvaged patina, peacock feathers, evergreen bough, uncharted mariner
• other - Big Shot, MISTI, craft foam, Dimensionals, blending brushes, Versmark ink, heat and stick powder, distress clear rock candy glitter, heat tool, paint brushes, white gesso, stitched frame die, Glossy Accents, Festive Gatherings thinlits (Tim Holtz)

What aspect of the image inspires you? We'd love to see your creation in our gallery and as always there's more inspiration for you over on the Just Add Ink blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

The Card Concept Challenge #201

It's time for another inspiration challenge with The Card Concept. Here's this month's board, Fall Leaves:

The challenge is to create a card inspired by any aspect of this photo, whether it's the theme, the colours, one or more of the items in the picture - just any idea that comes to mind. Plus of course we'd love it if you shared your card in our gallery. 

I took the leaves as inspiration but replaced the autumn/fall colours with Christmas greenery. 

The holly branches were cut from white card and coloured with distress inks, then I added some glossy accents and rock candy glitter to the berries. The "bells" are actually a coffee cup layer die upside down and for the clappers I glued two small circles together then shaped them for dimension. The 3D embossing folder gives me pine leaves/branches in my background.

Materials used:

• stamps - Christmas Classics (Stampin' Up)
• card - basic black, basic white gold glitter 
• dies - Festive Gatherings, Papercut Cafe (Tim Holtz), stitched frame (stash)
• distress inks - twisted citron, mowed lawn, candied apple, picket fence
• other - craft foam, Big Shot, Dimensionals, blending brushes, 1/4" circle punch, Glossy Accents, clear rock candy glitter, gold cord, gold embossing powder, heat tool. Pine Branches 3D embossing folder (Tim Holtz), shaping mat and tool

Do head on over to the challenge blog to check out more samples to inspire you and thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Keeping You In Sus-Spencer

I honestly thought I was done with Halloween craft, but the perfect storm of new-to-me digi papers, a couple of dies I hadn't used and a spooky challenge conspired to lure me ... last one, I promise! (I think! 😉)

The theme is SPOOKY over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog and here's my entry:

Spencer was cut from watercolour card and coloured with oxide inks before assembling. The big EEK! has a purple cardstock layer under the batty purple paper for depth, and I trimmed the shadow die down between the letters as I wanted the background paper to show through. I went crazy with my sewing machine attaching the bones (might have gotten a bit carried away here) and making a border, leaving the threads for added creepy ambience (pretend they're spider web threads). A couple of stickers, moss and some bats added the perfect final touches.

Materials used:

• card - granny apple green, gorgeous grape, basic black (Stampin' Up), Hocus Pocus Worn papers (Etsy), watercolour
• dies - Spencer colorize, Big Frights (Tim Holtz)
• distress oxide inks - frayed burlap, antique linen, pumice stone, hickory smoke, lost shadow
• other - Curiosities sticker book (Tim Holtz), sewing machine and thread, blending brushes, Dimensionals, craft foam, distressing tool, moss, hickory smoke archival ink, sponge dauber, craft blade, steel ruler

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Hey Boo

When I saw this week's challenge theme at AAA Cards I was immediately keen to play along. 

Halloween is a perfect opportunity for some playfulness and fun and that's what I was after with my card.

The cobweb was embossed in white then I went over it with a glue pen and sprinkled liberally with clear rock candy glitter. Even the anti-static wipe can't keep some of those minuscule specks from sticking where they shouldn't, lol, but them's the breaks. Gotta love the shimmer though!

Materials used:

• stamps - Unravelled, Tiny Frights (both Tim Holtz)
• card - melon mambo, basic black (Stampin' Up), watercolour
• distress inks - dried marigold, carved pumpkin, worn lipstick, picked raspberry, picket fence
• other - white embossing powder, heat tool, MISTI, blending brushes, white gel pen, Edison colorize dies (Tim Holtz), craft foam, Dimensionals, banner punch (retired SU), Quickie glue pen, clear rock candy glitter (Tim Holtz)

When this die set was released, one of Tim Holtz's makers, Debi Adams, used the orange and pink combo and I fell in love with it, wanting to try it out ever since, so I'm happy now! 

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #673 - Just Choose Two

In the mood for crafting? At Just Add Ink this week we've our Choose Two option to inspire you.

I chose doors and windows for another decor piece. This project was very time intensive to make but extremely satisfying once completed.

The whole house was made from heavyweight black cardstock. Once I'd die-cut all the pieces, I spread grit paste randomly over the walls, allowed it to dry then dry-brushed with various distress paints. The marks on the window panes were made with a white gel pen to mimic cracks and cobwebs and there's semi-transparent plastic on the insides for glass. 

The grass is crypt paste coloured with reinker and all the leaves were adhered to the house using glossy accents and spread over the lawn while the paste was still wet. The thin threads are the string from a hot glue gun (how perfect are they?) and I grunged up the tiny jack o'lantern with some distress crayon. The same heavyweight card was used for the fence and for the sides of the box I created a kind of gothic wallpaper vibe by stamping a damask pattern and embossing in black. 

But the most fun part? It lights up!

As Tim Holtz would say, "tiny lights for the win!" lol.

This is not a large piece - the box measures just 12cm x 12cm and the mansion is about the same height. Fine-tip glue and squeezers (reverse tweezers) were definitely my friends, lol. 

Materials used:

• stamps - Damask (Tim Holtz)
• card - black mixed media heavyweight
• dies - Village Collection, Graveyard colorize (both Tim Holtz)
• distress paints - black soot, pumice stone, hickory smoke
• other - Big Shot, hot glue gun, distress grit paste opaque, distress grit paste crypt, rustic wilderness oxide reinker, spatula, white gel pen, artificial leaves and jack o'lantern (Temu), square vignette box (Tim Holtz), glossy accents, tiny lights clear (Tim Holtz), black embossing powder, heat tool, Sidekick, collage medium opaque

Check out what my team mates made using their two choices over on the Just Add Ink blog and, as always, we'd love you to join us by adding your creation to our gallery. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Making Me Smile

The Inspired by challenge board really caught my eye and it didn't take long before I decided to try out an idea.

I do love using neutrals occasionally, especially the combo of white and kraft used here. Those two colours were inspiration for my card and I think the leaves also echo the triangular shape of the bookshelves. 

I cut all the leaves and veins from both heavyweight watercolour and kraft heavystock - I love the extra heft for small pieces, plus they take really well to dry embossing. I stamped the 'make me smile' part of the sentiment a little darker as I wanted to emphasise those words.

Materials used:

• stamps - Sentiment Strips 2 (Altenew)
• card - watercolour (Cansen), kraft heavystock (Tim Holtz), basic white (SU)
• inks - crumb cake (SU), vintage photo archival (TH)
• other - craft foam, Dimensionals, blending brush, water spritzer, Big Shot, MISTI, regular and 3D embossing folders, Artsy Leaves dies (TH)

Hope you have some crafting in your day today. Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kerry

Edited to add: Thanks so much to the design team for the pick as winner for this challenge.