JAI 295 sketch challenge - grateful for dear friends

It's sketch challenge time at Just Add Ink & Tina has created this fab & flexible sketch.

 We could use any shape to represent the stars so I chose... flowers! You're shocked right ;-)

I thought it'd be fun to make try making clusters of flowers to fit the sketch using our new Grateful Bunch bundle, as it includes 4 different flower sizes... & a matching punch (yippee). What do you think - did I pull it off the sketch?

I stamped the flowers in early espresso ink onto shimmery white cardstock, punched the smaller trio & fussy cut the larger one, then coloured them with Stampin' Write markers (calypso coral, so saffron, soft sky, pool party & crumb cake) - so quick. The beautiful shadow lines of the images meant very little shading was needed. I just added an extra layer of marker in the shadow areas for a bit more depth. The shimmer of the card comes through the colour too, although hard to see in the pic.

To finish the card I mounted the flowers onto vellum with dimensionals, added a sentiment banner (Birthday Blooms) & adhered the vellum to the Wildflower Fields dsp (earn it free during Sale-a-bration). The vellum is only attached under the flowers & banner sentiment, plus a tiny bit under a tiny bud on the bottom of the right side.
Here's a closer pic to show the flowers & vellum-paper background.

I really loved how this one turned out & am very keen to make more to send too.

Tutorial - Tips for easy perfectly punched flowers

The trio of flowers in Grateful Bunch is designed to team perfectly with the matching punch, so I've put together a quick picture tutorial to show you how to make this quicker & easier using a template & simple stamping tips to position your stamp so it lines up quickly & easily. Then, you'll be making tons of flower cards too.

 

I think the pics should be self-explanatory but I'll review again in the morning & add some more info if needed. Running rapidly out of time tonight. Leave me a comment if you have any questions or need more info.

Thanks for visiting. Leave a comment to let me know whether you liked my card & whether the tutorial is helpful to you & pin it for later too.

Remember to pop over to the Just Add Ink blog to see all the fun & clever ways the team used the sketch & we'd love you to try it too.

Inky wishes, Di

Supplies

Print Recipe

To see & order any items used in today's project, just click on the items below to see them in my Online Store. You can order from me if you live anywhere in Australia. I would love to be your Demonstrator if you don't already have one.
Please allow "Demonstrator contact" in your preferences so I can thank you properly when you place your order.
Note - Stamp sets & bundles noted below may be available in other mount options (eg wood, cling rubber or photopolymer). I have listed the option that I used, then alternative separate options at the bottom.. Please check the online store if your preference is different.

Grateful Bunch Photopolymer Bundle	Birthday Blooms Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Wildflower Fields Designer Series Paper	Old Olive A4 Card Stock	Shimmery White A4 Card Stock
White Vellum A4 Card Stock	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Calypso Coral Stampin' Write Marker	Soft Sky Stampin' Write Marker	Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker
Subtles Stampin' Write Markers	Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers	Pearl Basic Jewels Embellishments	Banner Triple Punch	Grateful Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set
Blossom Bunch Punch

JAI294 - Just add something new - blog hop

Hi & welcome to the Just Add Ink new year blog hop & our first challenge for 2016.

At Just Add Ink we always like to start the year off with a blog hop to showcase the first challenge of the year. Rochelle has suggested we all Just Add Something New. 
That won't be hard for the Stampin' Up! demonstrators out there as the new Occasions catalogue and Sale-A-Bration promotions have started. If you don't have anything new from SU! please join us using whatever new product you have and be sure to let us know what it is. To make the blog hop extra special, the design team have donated new SU! Sale-A-Bration items as prizes to the winner and two honorable mentions participants.

So let's get started with my something new.

 

I shared my love of the Rose Wonder bundle in my 2016 Occasions Catalogue top 3 picks post so it's probably no surprise I've use it for this very girly watercoloured card.
I must have been subconsiously thinking of my fave Sonia roses in mind when making it as the watermelon wonder ink I used looks so similar here. Anyway, I digress.

I cut the rose & leaves with the Rose Garden thinlit die & thick whisper white card (backed with a double sided adhesive sheet), carefully separated all the inside pieces, watercoloured them (with aquapainter, watermelon wonder, mint macaron ink pads), then pieced them back together onto some Love Blossoms DSP. I added a finishing touch of glitter with my obsession, clear wink of stella glitter pen. You can see the sparkle better in this close-up. Sooooo pretty. You can see all supplies I used at the bottom of this post too.

Follow the hop & try our Challenge 
We look forward to kicking the year off with a celebration of new crafty goodness and inspiration and hope you will join the challenge with us.

You can begin the blog hop here on my blog or at any of the other design team members blog posts. Just follow the hop by clicking on the previous or next buttons at the bottom of all the design team posts. Or you can start Here at Just Add Ink.

Please note, to be eligible to receive our prize, you must...
- create a "NEW" project using "SOMETHING NEW TO YOU", and
- leave a comment on all the design team blogs, and
- be or become a JAI blog follower, and
- blog your project exclusively linked to Just Add Ink. Any entrants that link to additional challenges will be disqualified.
(The prizes are open to both international and AUS/NZ participants).

 

Click Previous to go back to Narelle's gorgeous card
Click Next to see Jan's fun & fab card

Supplies
To see & order any items used in today's project, just click on the items below to see them in my Online Store. You can order from me if you live anywhere in Australia. I would love to be your Demonstrator if you don't already have one.
Please allow "Demonstrator contact" in your preferences so I can thank you properly when you place your order.
Note - Stamp sets & bundles noted below may be available in other mount options (eg wood, cling rubber or photopolymer). I have listed the option that I used, then alternative separate options at the bottom.. Please check the online store if your preference is different.

Print Recipe

Rose Wonder Photopolymer Bundle	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Card Stock A4 Blushing Bride	Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush
Aqua Painters	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad
Big Shot	Precision Base Plate	Rose Garden Thinlits Dies	Rose Wonder Photopolymer Stamp Set

New year - new Occasions & possibilities

This very blustery day in Sydney is a perfect opportunity to cosy up with a warm cuppa & yummies to check out all the new stamp & papery goodness in our brand new 2016 Occasions & Sale-A-Bration catalogues, which both begin today. Inside, you'll find awesome new ideas for cards, gifts, your photos & more, to celebrate all your important people & occasions during 2016.

All my regular customers should have (or shortly have) paper catalogues to snuggle with. If you're in Aus & don't have a demonstrator looking after you, e-mail me & I'll happily send you free copies. 

I'll share projects & ideas regularly here & on my facebook page so keep checking in with me. Read on below for all you need to know to get started, plus some of my fave picks so far. 

See the catalogues
Gals on the go will want to download copies to see on computers & mobile devices so click on the pics or links to see & download pdfs.

  

 See & download 2016 Sale-A-Bration catalogue
 See & download 2016 Occasions catalogue

See & order all Occasions Catalogue products in my store

2016 Occasions Catalogue

We all want to be remembered on our special day, so it's no surprise that birthdays are a huge occasion for giving cards & gifts (only pipped by Christmas). We've got ideas for everyone you love, & the gorgeous ideas on our cover (wow!) are just the start. Which cover project would you most like to receive?

Occasions must haves - first choices
Each catalogue always has items that scream must-have immediately & others that sneak up on me gradually. However I could pretty much list most of this catalogue on my must-have list so it was VERY difficult to narrow down a list of immediate wants.
After much thought I've chosen 3 bundles I totally love that really fill a need in my collection (yes I have gaps) & are so versatile for lots of different projects, people & techniques. This makes them a total must-have in my book. Click on the bundle name to see & order them in my store.

1. Balloon Celebration Bundle
A balloon punch has been on my wishlist for ages & SU have bundled an awesome 2 balloon punch with a fantastic watercolour look balloon stamp set (& there's another fun coordinating set too)

 

2. Rose Wonder Bundle
Oh be still my heart - gorgeous coordinating rose dies & stamps with beautiful sentiments - what more could a girl ask for? Perfect for birthdays, weddings, thank yous, sympathy & just because cards.

 

You'll also want to add our new Big Shot die brush to make removing all the little die pieces a breeze to remove (awesome for our butterfly & ornament dies plus stunning new Bloomin' Heart die).

 3. Number of Years / Large Numbers bundle
I may have squealed when I saw this bundle - large numbers in a fabulous font choice that can be stamped, cut out or both, PLUS coordinating sentiments & banners (faints). AND they'll work beautifully with both the Balloon Celebration & Rose Wonder too - totally brilliant!
Want more proof?- my darling man walked past while the catalogue was open at this bundle & he said "those would be so useful to have" so need I say more? MUST HAVE!

So, are you impressed I managed to narrow my choices down to 3bundles? Me too. You can be assured there's much more in my order & wishlist :-)  I'm really looking forward to sharing more with these & lots more Occasions goodies in the weeks & months ahead.


Ordering Occasions Catalogue Items
See & order all Occasions Catalogue products in my store
Use my hostess code - PZEW6S97 - if you order online & receive a little extra thank you from me.  Important: Please don't use the hostess code if your order totals $250 or more as you'll earn your own Stampin' Rewards of at least $25 in freebies on your order.

Welcome to Sale-A-Bration 2016

5 Jan - 31 March 2016

Yes, Sale-A-Bration (SAB for short) starts today. It's everyones favourite Stampin' Up! promotion so I know you're all as excited as I am. There are lots of ways to Sale-A-Brate so let's go.

3 ways to Sale-A-Brate

Every $90 you spend (excl shipping) earns you 1 FREE item from the SAB catalogue. Simple! There are 11 items to choose from, including stamps, papers & Project Life in many styles.
Note: The 3 items on p16-19 are only available to earn until 15 Feb, so check them out first. SU will release more new SAB items on Feb 15 too - exciting!

Use my hostess code - PZEW6S97- if you order online & receive a little extra thank you from me.  Important: Please don't use the hostess code if your order totals $250 or more as you'll earn your own Stampin' Rewards of at least $25 in freebies on your order.

Sale-A- Bration Sampler
These cards show off 2 of my fave SAB items - Botanicals for You stamp set & Botanical Gardens vellum stack. See page 4 of the SAB catalogue.

 

In true SU style these 2 items coordinate with the Botanical Blooms bundle from the Occasions catalogue. This includes the Botanical Blooms stamp set, Botanical Builder framelits dies AND Botanical Gardens DSP shown here:

Did you know? Purchase the Botanical Blooms bundle, plus one of the other Botanical Gardens Suite accessories & you'll earn a SAB item free. Which one will you choose?

Placing or collecting $400 or more in individual orders or party sales (online or in person) during SAB gives you $40 extra stampin' rewards than usual - you'll earn a minimum of $80 of freebies of your choice. This rewards table shows how much you could choose free.

Parties can be online or in person & - it's your choice. Contact me for more info on how to get your freebies.

Join the SU family & my team during SAB & choose your own $235 starter kit PLUS $60 more in products free from any current catalogue. That's an amazing $295 of goodies for just $169.
I joined SU almost 9 years ago & it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Do you...
* have a huge wishlist (who doesn't?)
* want a great discount on everything you buy - even when they're on sale?
* want great quality items with awesome service & support?
* like to be first to see & get new goodies?
* like to create just for you
* like getting together with others to craft & create?
* want to be part of an awesome, sharing, creative community
* want to earn some extra cash or benefits to support your hobby or earn some extra money.

If any of these sound like you  I'd love to chat & give you more info about how SU could work for you too... with no pressure.
Ready to get started? - our quick sign up is here

Good to know
* It's totally up to you whether SU is just for your purchases, to share friends & family, or make it your own part or full-time business. Everyone is welcome.
*Join during SAB & you'll have until 30 June to decide whether being a SU Demonstrator suits you.
If not, there's nothing extra to pay for or return. You have so much to gain for a very small cost.
* To continue as a Demonstrator past June 2016, you'll need to submit $440 in orders by 30 June (for you &/or others), then each each quarter after to remain active.
There are lots of extra benefits available

Want even more? Extra SAB perks for demonstrators 
Once you join, you can earn even more freebies & extra benefits during SAB from your orders, sales & team building. This is in addition to the incentives available to new demonstrators all year round.

Wow, what an exciting day. Thanks for hanging in with me. I hope you're as excited as me about our new catalogues. Leave a comment to let me know what your top 3 Occasions & SAB items are, what you're most excited to try or to ask any questions.

Back soon with some new projects and more.
Inky wishes, Di

See & order all Occasions Catalogue products in my store & earn SAB freebies
Use my hostess code - PZEW6S97- if you order online & receive a little extra thank you from me.  Important: Please don't use the hostess code if your order totals $250 or more as you'll earn your own Stampin' Rewards of at least $25 in freebies on your order.