Sunset sailing scene - two ways

Hello & welcome. Today's project is the second from my Summer in Winter class - a sunset scene featuring masking and ink blending techniques using Blending Brushes, and images from the Let's Set Sail stamp and punch bundle. 

We've had lots of amazing sunrises and sunsets in Sydney over Winter, in between tons of rain so I thought it would be fun to recreate them with an idyllic Summer vibe.

I have two versions to show you - the original sample with a soft, dreamy sunset, and a post-class one with much deeper ink blending using the same colours. Here's the original...

JAI 615 inspiration challenge - serene grove neutral birthday

Hello and welcome! Today I have a bit of a different card to share, made for this week's Just Add Ink inspiration image challenge. This one definitely was a challenge as the image looked like something I'd be looking at as renovation ideas rather than to make a card. 

After quite a bit of thinking I was drawn to the frame and back of the cabana structure, timber and touches of greenery, which gave me the idea to make fun fold card, using the Grove dies and Inspired Thoughts stamp sets.

Hippest Hippos Summer Beach birthday card

Hello & welcome! Today I have another Sale-a-bration Hippest Hippos stamps & Hippos dies idea to share with you - a fun beach themed birthday card. The Hippos dies includes so many fun accessories to create lots of different different scenes for your hippos.

This card was part of the Summer in Winter class I ran earlier in July. It's the middle of a very wet Winter here in Sydney, Australia so I was craving sun and warmth, and what's more summery than the beach. I wanted to show how to build scenes, mixing quite a few products & techniques to create it.

JAI 613 colour challenge - dancing hippo birthday card

Hello & welcome! Today I'm sharing my card for Just Add Ink challenge no 613 - a colour challenge using Mint Macaron, Fresh Freesia, and Starry Sky.

I've made a card featuring the sweetest little dancing hippo in the Hippest Hippos free Sale-a-bration stamp set. I thought she'd look very pretty in the challenge colours and I'm so loving colouring theme hippos, so any opportunity to use them works for me.

JAI 611 sketch challenge - Sending thanks card

Hello & welcome! Today's project share is for this week's Just Add Ink challenge - a sketch challenge suggested by me. Its simplicity gives so many possibilities.

I used elements already on my desk from other creating, including the fabulous Hues of Happiness paper, Sending Smiles stamps and dies bundle and Amazing Year stamp set (both of which I used for last weekend's class too - projects coming soon). Here's how it turned out.

JAI 610 inspiration challenge - black and white blended floral birthday

Hello & welcome! I'm here to share my team project for this week's Just Add Ink 610 inspiration challenge. The challenge image is interesting and different on many levels - fun, multiple monochromatic photos, bold pops of colour and a grid layout. These all gave so many options to create my card.

For once I was quite decisive, choosing to focus on the black, white, pops of colour, and grid layout. I substituted balloons on strings for colourful stemmed flowers. The Perfectly Penciled paper pack, Sending Smiles stamp and die bundle and Stampin' Blends markers came together to create the final look.

JAI 609 Just add flowers - Hues of Happiness stack of cards

Hello and welcome! Today I have a bunch (11 to be exact) of quick, easy and very pretty floral cards to share with you. These are for Just Add Ink's newest challenge - probably the easiest ever - Just add Flowers! These cards are all thanks to 3 gorgeous paper prints from the Hues of Happiness pack. They began with a single card I made as a make and take project for an afternoon tea I organised for my lovely team, customers and crafty friends earlier in June.

Double Z fold F1 car for a special birthday

Hello & welcome to another project share. Something a little different today - a card I made for DD's 21st birthday in May. We can talk another time how my baby can actually be 21. She absolutely loves Formula 1 racing and her birthday pressie was a trip to the Melbourne Grand Prix, so her card had to include something related to F1.

Daniel Ricciardo is her favourite driver (& mine too) so the challenge was to create a card with Danny's McLaren car. An oversized double z fold card base is the support act. Here's how it turned out.

JAI 607 Choose two challenge - Cup of Tea card & treats

Hello & welcome. Today I'm sharing my Design Team project for this week's Just Add Ink Choose Two challenge suggested by... me!

I made a tea themed card for a friend using the Cup of Tea stamp set and bundle and new In Color Stampin Blends markers. I do love a cup of tea and of course time shared with friends is the best... and don't drink coffee (shocking I know to some of you). This card was inspired by some treat boxes I made for last weekend. Here's how the card turned out. See the projects that inspired it later in this post.

JAI 605 inspiration challenge - wave sympathy card

Hello & welcome to today's project share - a soft and simple water themed sympathy card for this week's Just Add Ink inspiration challenge. How wonderful would it be to be on that beautiful beach.

The Waves of Inspiration stamp set and Waves dies bundle created the beautiful wave that's the focal point of the card, which will send love to family friends who just lost a loved one.

JAI 603 colour challenge - rainbows of happiness

Hello & welcome to another project share - my Just Add Ink design team project for this week's colour challenge suggested by Nikki. The challenge colours are Mint Macaron, Blushing Bride & Rich Razzleberry.

What to do what to do? For some reason stripes then a rainbow popped into my mind, even though the colours are defintely not your typical rainbow. So I grabbed the Rainbow of Happiness stamp & die bundle and some other supporting goodies. This is what I made.

New In Colors and Stampin' Blends Colour Chart Download

Hello & welcome! Today I'm excited to share our new In Color release for 2022 and a Colour Chart update for our Stampin' Blends alcohol markers.

New colour releases are probably the most anticipated element of a new catalogue launch. The 2022-23 Annual Catalogue includes 5 new In Colors - Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Orchid Oasis, and Starry Sky- and they'll stay in our collection until 2024. They're a bold & happy combination that look great together and will work well with our current colour collections. Take a closer look.

Poppy Moments wedding card

 

 

We were thrilled to recently celebrate the wedding of a dear family friend and his beautiful bride and so an extra special card was in order for this wonderful couple. After much thought I chose to make a pretty and elegant, and larger than normal sized card with the gorgeous Poppy Moments die set.

You'll spot some new catalogue purchases too and a couple or retired ones too. Soft Sea Foam, Smoky Slate and white are one of my favourite colour combinations for soft, elegant cards so that's where I started. Here's how it turned out.

 

Whales of the Ocean cards

Remember the whale card I shared a couple of weeks ago? I got a bit whale obsessed and made more cards - this time teamed with a paper print from the amazing Waves of the Ocean paper pack  to create some fun watery scenes. Sadly this is a last hurrah for the paper as it's only available until 2 May. Get it now if you love it. Take a closer look at the cards:

 

JAI 601 sketch challenge - Let's have a cup of tea

 

Hello & welcome. Today I'm sharing a sweet tea cup themed card using the new Cup of Tea stamp set and bundle. This is my Design Team project for this week's Just Add Ink challenge, which is a sketch with many, many possibilities. I hope you like how I used it.

Simply blended stitched leaves

Hello & welcome. As promised last post when I shared this leafy card, I have 2 more cards to share made with the Stitched Leaves dies. Both are very clean & simple and include blended ink panels, one with patterned paper and one with the Timber embossing folder. Let's take a look.

JAI 600 inspiration challenge - leafy thanks

Hello & welcome. Today I'm sharing a project for Just Add Ink's 600th challenge. A major milestone worth celebrating.

The inspiration image has lots of lovely details and texture but did challenge me, as the colours are not my fave choices. That said, the leaves reminded me of the beautiful Stitched Leaves dies so I've used these to create a card that fits the challenge in my style. I hope you like what I made.

JAI 599 Just add fave animal - Whale amazing thanks

Hello & welcome to a new project share for this week's Just Add Ink challenge suggested by Kerry - Just Add your favourite animal.

The trickiest part of this challenge was choosing my favourite animal. It's like choosing your favourite human or fur child. After much pondering I chose whales - and made a thank you card for a dear & amazing friend.

I mixed new and old goodies on my card - new Waves dies & Blue foils from the Waves of the Ocean collection (see & click image at end of post to see all items), current Amazing Thanks dies & Whale Punch, and papers from the Whale of a Time paper pack. (retired sadly in 2021 & one of our most beautifully illustrated packs ever - a big call I know). Take a look at how it turned out.

JAI 597 choose two challenge - Inspired by Ink floral birthday

Hello and welcome. How can it be April 1st already? Anyway today I'm sharing my team project for this week's Just Add Ink - Choose Two challenge - flower, paper or pattern.

I of course chose flowers and paper creating a pretty floral birthday card for a friend & SU teamie using the Artistically Inked stamp and Artistic die bundle teamed with the coordinating Expression in Ink patterned paper. Take a look.

JAI 595 inspiration challenge - butterfly wreath birthday

Hello & welcome. Today's share is my Design Team project for this week's Just Add Ink's inspiration challenge.

I took my inspiration from the pretty wreath and its shades of mainly green and white and chose to use create my own wreath. I used the pretty fern image in the Positive Thoughts stamp set and added a whimsical touch with butterflies instead of flowers. Here's how it turned out.

JAI 593 colour challenge - sunflower thanks

Hello & welcome!  It's Just Add Ink challenge time again. Tina chose a happy, sunshin-ey colour palette of Polished Pink, Coastal Cabana & Daffodil Delight.

I chose sunflowers as my daffodil yellow element, using the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp and die bundle. Polished Pink & Coastal Cabana ink blending added the two remaining challenge colours and I teamed it with a print from the All Together special release paper pack. Here's the finished card.

Paradise Palms sunset birthday

Hello & welcome.
Who doesn't love a good sunset or sunrise? Especially at a beautiful beach. Today I'm sharing a birthday card made for a friend using the Paradise Palms stamp set and die bundle which includes the Paradise Palms stamp set and Palms dies.

I think I was channeling memories of good times in Hawaii creating this one.

More Pop up window cards - Back on your Feet get well cards

Hello & welcome. Do you ever get on a roll when you're loving a card fold? Today's cards continue my love of the pop up window card after making this card. This time I've used it to make some more get well cards using the Back on your Feet stamp set.
Here's how they turned out.

JAI 591 sketch challenge - Butterfly thinking of you card

Hello & welcome to a new project share. Hands up who loves a sketch! This week's Just Add Ink challenge is a super simple sketch suggested by Narelle. I've used it to create a soft, pretty sympathy card for a dear friend using the Butterfly Brilliance bundle, which includes the Butterfly Brilliance stamp set, coordinating Brilliant Wings dies. Here's how it turned out.

Get well - Back on your Feet trio of tortoises

Hello & welcome! Today I'm sharing a get well card made for some family friends using the Back on your Feet stamp set.

We all love something that makes us smile, and when you're sick that's all the more welcome. The whimsical images in the Back on your Feet stamp set is perfect for these occasions. I just love the worried look on the poor tortoises face.

Here's how it turned out.

ESAD Blog hop - Birdhouse friend

Hello & welcome to another project share. This project is part of the ESAD blog hop, which celebrates the creative possibilities in our 2022 Mini Catalogue & Sale-a-bration promotion, together with some of the talented  Demonstrators from ESAD - the Extra Special Australian & NZ Stampin' Up! Demonstrators group on facebook.

Whether you've arrived on the hop from Monica Formosa's blog or another way, I'm very glad you're here.

 

I have two sweet bird house cards to share with you, both featuring the free Friendly Hello FREE Sale-a-bration stamp set and paper bundle, and the Beautiful Shapes dies from the 2022 Mini Catalogue. You'll spot some other new must have goodies plus Annual Catalogue loves too. Let's take a look at my cards.

JAI 589 Just add minimalist - circles and thanks

Hello hello! It's time for my Just Add Ink Design Team share for this week's new challenge - Just Add Minimalist and I have a card to share using the new Rainbow of Happiness stamp-die bundle and Amazing Thanks die. I really had fun making this one & love how it turned out so I hope you like it too.

So what is minimalist art? I used this description on study.com and learned it includes simple ideas, geometric shapes, colour and repetition, so I tried to reflect these elements in my card. Let's take a look at it.

Blossoms in Blooms - simple elegant birthday card

Hello again and welcome. Sorry for the delay in sharing the card I made from leftovers from the Blossoms in Bloom pop up window card I shared last time. Today's card is much simpler and easier to make, but I still love it. It's so pretty and has lots of lovely texture.

Take a look at the two cards together.

JAI 587 choose two challenge - Blossoms pop up window card

 

Hello & welcome. Today I'm sharing my team project for Just Add Ink's latest Choose Two challenge. This week is a Choose Two challenge and my two chosen elements are a fancy edge and a circle.  These came together with the pretty floral Blossoms in Bloom stamp set and die bundle to make this thinking of you pop up window card for a friend.

JAI 586 - Just Add Ink Summer blog hop - Awesome Otters

Hello and welcome to our first Just Add Ink challenge for 2022. We're celebrating Summer in Australia with a blog hop. You may have arrived from the lovely Denita's blog or some other way. In any case I'm glad you're here.

My Summer themed project is a card for my darling man & girlie, celebrating our first Summer in our new home - and pool - with three cute otters (Awesome Otters) representing us - a much cuter card than showing the three of us in the pool.