JAI#637 - Just Add a Sketch

At Just Add Ink this week we have a sketch to challenge you.

When you've gone to the effort to hand make a card for someone, it's often nice to stamp a little on the envelope as well. But you can take that a step further and make the envelope an integral part of the art you create. Did you know mail/envelope art is a thing? (Give it a Pinterest search, you'll be amazed.) So when this sketch immediately made me think of the back of an envelope, I couldn't get the idea of envelope art out of my head - and you know what happens then, lol. It lingers and pesters and won't go away until I sit down at my craft desk to see if my idea will actually work...

Here's the back of my envelope (made from watercolour paper).

I continued the design to the inside section too (well, only the bit that shows, lol).

And here's the front.

I used stamps for the trees on the back but a die for the front, as I did the sun/moon higher up and the die is a bit taller. The whole thing has been sprayed with fixative so nothing can happen to smudge the inks. I added an area for the addressee's details so I wouldn't have to use a special marker (to write over the fixative) but now I think I need to brush up on my calligraphy skills so the name and address will look as good as the rest!

Materials used:

• stamps - Treeline (Tim Holtz), Birds (Lavinia Stamps)
• card - watercolour, basic black
• distress oxide inks - scattered straw, dried marigold, ripe persimmon
• other - corner rounder punch, Stamparatus, blending brushes, distress micro glaze, moon mask (TH), black soot archival ink, Treeline die (TH), workable fixative spray

Do head on over to the JAI blog to see what my fellow team mates did with this sketch, and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #608 - Just Add a Colour Combo

We've a colour challenge at Just Add Ink this week, something to really sink your teeth into.

I had so many ideas for this challenge it was difficult to make a final decision, lol. In the end I went with some stamping and masking.

I haven't tried two-tone clouds before but love how they turned out and must thank Michelle Zindorf for the inspiration.

Materials used:

• stamps - Treeline (Tim Holtz)
• card - very vanilla, basic grey
• other - mini cloud stencil (MFT), blending brushes, 1 1/4" circle punch, craft foam, hickory smoke distress oxide ink, hickory smoke embossing glaze, heat tool, basic grey marker, post it note, MISTI

 

There's plenty more samples to get your creative juices flowing over on the Just Add Ink blog and as always, we'd love you to join our challenge.

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers

Kerry

Serenity

I made a card for this week's Color Throwdown challenge of kraft, cream and green.

I find this combo to be very peaceful, almost serene, and that's what I've tried to convey with my card.

Well, this is definitely my first Christmas card for the year, lol! Never too early to start on those, am I right? 

Materials used:

• stamps - Treeline, Christmastime 2 (Tim Holtz)
• card - very vanilla, crumb cake (SU)
• distress oxide inks - mowed lawn, rustic wilderness
• other - bundled sage distress ink, crumb cake ink, craft foam, blending brush, MISTI, sponge dauber, Sahara sand marker, Darling Deer dies (TH), Sidekick

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kerry

JAI #594 - Just Add Masking

Welcome! Are you ready for another challenge? At Just Add Ink this week we're asking you to

There are so many ways to use this versatile technique and we can't wait to see what you come up with. 

My project is one of those where you get the germ of an idea and it stays in your mind, persistent and inexorable, until finally, for the sake of your sanity, you just have to sit down and try it, lol. I'm sure I'm not alone in this, right? Right?

Here's my monochromatic landscape.

I used bought stencils/masks for the hills and moon but made my own for the trees by cutting a die from some stencil film.

Materials used:

• stamps - Tiny Text (Tim Holtz)
• card - very vanilla
• distress oxide ink - frayed burlap
• stencils/masks - drifts & hills stencils (regular and slimline) by MFT; moon mask by Tim Holtz
• other - blending tool, Treeline die (Tim Holtz), stencil film, picket fence distress paint, paintbrush, stitched rectangle die, Big Shot Switch, masking tape, craft foam

I do hope you'll visit the Just Add Ink blog to check out the samples my fellow team mates have made for you, and hopefully be inspired to have a go yourself. 

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry

Snowy Treeline

This week I challenged my ladies to make a Christmas card using non-traditional colours, which pretty much means avoiding red and green! So today I sat down to have a play with inks - cos who doesn't love that? - and came up with this wintery scene.

I stamped and embossed the trees first then sprayed the background with distress spray stains. After drying and a bit of smooshing with oxide ink, I stencilled some icicle texture paste over the sky, hoping it would look like icy snow falling. It didn't turn out quite as I was hoping but never mind, it's all practise and experience! 

Materials used:

• stamps - Tiny Text Christmas, Treeline (Tim Holtz)
• card - basic white, basic black, watercolour
• distress spray stains - salvaged patina, prize ribbon
• distress oxide ink - salvaged patina
• other - white embossing powder, heat tool, water spritzer, Icicle texture paste (TH), Speckles stencil (TH), Dimensionals

I've always wanted to experience a white Christmas, it's on my bucket list!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kerry