Just Add Ink Challenge #66

Wow, it feels like it's been awhile since I have updated this poor neglected blog!!! I ended up checking in with the Just Add Ink blog and have decided to enter the challenge this week, which is Just Add a Flower - I can definitely enter this one :)

I have been really busy doing market bits, so busy in fact I haven't even managed to get around to photographing my creative bits. This is high up on my "must do today list".

Anyway here is the card that I am entering for the Just Add Ink Challenge:-

Now I can say that I cannot take full credit for this card as I was inspired by this one from Deb Fearns. I did however change the colour scheme by going with Crumb Cake, Concord Crush, Old Olive and Very Vanilla. I absolutey love this Cottage Garden set, it is so pretty!!!

Now I'm off to enter the challenge and then get my camera out so hopefully over the next few weeks I will be able to update my blog more regularly.

Happy stamping,

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #64

Back again, this time to share with you a card I made for the latest Inkspiration Challenge which I ended up turning into another Mother's Day Card. Hopefully I will end up with a nice little stash soon. Anyway here are the colours that were chosen this week:- I struggled a bit with these colours but in the end I settled on a stamp set and just went with it. I also was inspired by a layout of a card in the latest Stampin' Up! catalogue which made it a little bit easier. Here is my entry card:- I seem to grab the "In Full Bloom" stamp set when I see colours that are "autumnish", don't know why!!! Anyway, it's pretty straight forward - I have gone with the Cajun Craze for the base of the card followed by a polka dotted piece of More Mustard. I have stamped the leaves in More Mustard and the flowers in Poppy Parade. They say we are still in for more rain which, although is very annoying after having it for more than a week, it does make for good card making!!! I have been on such a stamping journey at the moment so hopefully I can keep it going. Happy stamping, (P.S. The blogger "gremlins" are back again!!!)

Just Add Ink Challenge #62

After seeing the new challenge at Just Add Ink (Just Add a Box or a Bag) I knew exactly what I was going to submit. I have been making a few little bits and pieces for a market stall I am going to attend in May before Mother's Day so have been busy making Mother's Day related things. Now I can say that I have had a template for a "Watering Can" for some time but have never made it up until now. So here is my entry:- I have used Crumb Cake and have stamped the vine from Vintage Vogue around the bottom in Chocolate Chip. The flowers have been stamped with Rich Razzleberry and Blushing Bride. I have also stamped the small flower with Blusing Bride on the tag and have stamped "happy mother's day" over the top. This is such a cute little box and I think it would look lovely with a nice packet or two of Mum's favourite plant seeds. Also I have to give a big wave to my stamping friend, Tammy, as I have managed to update my blog so now she will have something to look at. Happy stamping, (P.S. Blogger is not playing nice today so my post is not spaced out the way I would like it and it has also mucked up my signature!!)

Inkspirations Challenge #63

Well, I did say I would be back and I have been on a such a cardmaking roll over the last few days. I even managed to make one that is hot off the press for the latest Inkspirations Challenge. This one was a sketch challenge and you can find their blog here:-

I found this sketch really easy to work with and didn't have too many dramas. I think the only thing I had to think about was what butterfly I wanted to use!!!

So here is my card:-

The base is made using Crumb Cake followed by Baja Breeze and papers from the very gorgeous Elegant Soiree DSP. I decided to add the flowers after I had stamped the butterfly because I felt that it needed something else apart from just the butterfly. As you can see I have also turned this into another Mother's Day card. Nothing like getting in early to have a nice little stash :)

Anyway, it is still raining here so a good excuse to get settled down at my crafting desk and make some more cards seeing as I have been on such a roll of late.

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink Challenge #61

Woohoo, don't fall over in surprise but I can say that I actually made a card or two today!!! It feels like it has been so long since I have actually made a card and it also feels like a long time since I joined in a Just Add Ink Challenge.

After seeing this challenge I must admit that I couldn't resist. The challenge this week was to Just Add Stamps and nothing else. You can find this challenge here.

So onto my entry card:-
This card was inspired by a blog I came across belonging to Patty and you can find her inspiration card here. I loved the simplicity of Patty's card and new it would be perfect for this challenge.

I have used Very Vanilla as the base of my card followed by a piece of Crumb Cake which has been versamarked with the image from the Bliss set and have torn the top. I have also added a little stamping onto the small strip of Concord Crush. The main image has been stamped off with Close to Cocoa to give it a more softer look and the butterfly is stamped in Concord Crush. It is all nicely finished off with a "happy mother's day" stamp and ready to put into my stash for this next upcoming occasion.

So there we have it (finally!!), a lovely quick and easy card. It is so nice sometimes to just get back to the basics.

Now you will have to stay tuned for the next card. At the moment it is literally bucketing down rain so any chance of getting good pics is definitely out of the question. I am so over this rain - I just want to be able to walk in my yard without sinking in the mud.

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink Challenge #55

This week's Just Add Ink Challenge is "Just Add Love", so something made for Valentine's Day is the go.

Now for my entry this week:-A cute little "Goody Bag" filled with some very yummy choccies. I made this little bag to cover a small cellophane bag. The bag is made with my all time favourite colour, Cherry Cobbler, and I also used papers from the Jolly Holiday range.

Now this bag had a very sad demise I'm afraid to say!!! It was "hiding" in my fridge until some little person (aged 3) decided that the chocolates were too tempting. It was later discovered all ripped open and only the empty choccie wrappers left!!! The funny thing was the whole box of chocolates had been "hidden" in the fridge without anyone noticing them at all. At least I got to have a couple before the rest of them got demolished.

Anyway, I am off to do some housework and then hopefully some creating today, yay!!!

Happy stamping,

Mojo Monday #177

Wow, two posts in one day!!! As the title suggests I think my mojo is making a comeback (no pun intended!!). It has been quite some time since I entered the Mojo Monday sketch challenge so after seeing this sketch I decided to give it a go:-Now here is my challenge card:-

Not my usual colours as I am not a huge fan of anything orange but I do so love Pear Pizzazz which works beautifully with Pumpkin Pie and the gorgeous Greenhouse Gala DSP. I have polka dotted the white background which is layered onto Pear Pizzazz. I have also incorporated Real Red into this card which brings out the red on the flowers. I have stamped the Circle of Friendship saying in both Real Red and Pear Pizzazz and punched out the little circle in the middle, layering it on top.

Now don't get too excited when you see the little stitches - I am not a big fan of sewing so have just done some faux stitching to keep in line with the sketch. So there we have it another challenge done and dusted!!!

Happy stamping,

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #56

I was determined to make some cards today and so far have made just one!!! This card I have made is for the following Inkspirations Challenge:-

When I first saw this colour combo I had no idea what I was going to do let alone what stamp set to choose. After sitting at my desk for a while something finally came to me (maybe my missing mojo!!!). So here we have my challenge card:-

Not sure if I am totally happy with it in the end but hey at least I stamped something!!! I have gone with the Baja Breeze as the base of my card followed by Cherry Cobbler. I ended up settling on the lovely Vintage Vogue stamp set (one of my favourites). To incorporate the Basic Black I have inserted black brads into the flowers and have stamped my sentiment in black as well.

Now off to enter this challenge and hopefully make a couple of more cards while I am in the mood.

Happy stamping,

Inkspirations Sketch Challenge #55

Well I did manage to make a card for the latest Inkspiration Challenge, this time being a sketch which is as follows:-
Now it's been awhile since I have made a card with this kind of orientation so I can say it was a bit of a challenge for me so it made me get out of my comfort zone.

Here is my entry:-
The size of my card is 14cm square starting with a base of my favourite colour "Cherry Cobbler". This is then followed by a square of vanilla and squares of papers from the Jolly Holiday and Love Letter ranges.

I have cut out five scallop circles which have been stamped with the "because" saying from Life Definitions in both Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black. I then crumpled them up to make my flower look "fluffy".

Now I am off to do some major cyclone preparations for the "monster cyclone" that is heading our way. I am really not looking forward to this one, some of our lower lying areas have been asked to evacuate today due to storm surges. Luckily for us we are quite high but not sure how the winds are going to effect us. Time will tell!!!

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink Challenge #53

The lovely ladies at Just Add Ink have come up with a new challenge this week - an inspiration challenge. Now I will admit that I usually shy away from inspiration pictures and very rarely participate in them until, that is, when I saw this gorgeous picture:-

Now the challenge card could contain the colours, or flowers, or just something that makes you happy. After looking at this photo I have decided to go with the actual photo inspiration and here is my card:-As soon as I saw it I just knew the Pick a Petal was coming out of retirement (I haven't used this set for sooo long!!). I have used the very lovely Daffodil Delight as the base followed by a piece of Pear Pizzazz. Now for the main image I decided to blow all the cobwebs of my heat gun and do some embossing (something I also haven't done for sooo long!!).

When my flower image was all stamped and embossed I then decided to run it through the Polka Dot embossing folder. Now here is where I am going to make a confession - I did the silly thing and embossed it back to front and thought oh no how am I going to fix this boo boo and luckily enough I was able to put it back in the folder again and ever so carefully line all the little dots up and hey presto, problem fixed :)

Now my card was definitely inspired by the picture itself and tried to replicate the sunflower. I also added a little bit of greenery with the leaves and also the bow represents the blue of the background.

I'm now off to enter the challenge, get off the computer and start stamping 55 rose buds with stems for wedding invitations for a friend. I said I would do it but only if my friend cut them all out, teehee!! - guess I could help with the cutting (might be tempted with chocolate!!!).

Happy stamping,

Clean & Simple FTL#124

After umming and aahing for a while I decided that I would give the latest Clean & Simple FTL#124 sketch challenge a go. Here is the challenge layout which you can also find here:-

When I saw this sketch I struggled to find an image that I would be happy with and in the end I settled on this:-Now this is a set that I haven't inked up in quite a while and for some reason I always seem to go for this kind of colour scheme with it. I have gone with Cajun Craze for the base followed by a piece of More Mustard, which I have stamped with the Canvas background. My flower image is coloured using blender pens and ink pads.

While I was not 100% happy with this card to start with it has kind of grown on me. It is very "clean & simple" so exactly what I had set out to achieve.

Now I'm off to make a coffee and put my feet up for a bit. The younger boys and I went for a long walk along the beach this afternoon, something very Australian for the day.

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink Challenge #52

I have been on a roll, two posts in one day (scroll down to see my previous challenge card)!!! Now this card is for the Just Add Ink Challenge which this week is this sketch:-

So following this sketch here is my entry card for this challenge:-Now because I went with the Top Note die this card is just a little over 4in x 4in. A nice size for a note. The colours I have chosen were Whisper White for the base of the card followed by the Top Note piece which is Cajun Craze. The gorgeous flower paper is from the Greenhouse Gala DSP. All finished off with the sentiment stamped with Pear Pizzazz onto a piece of Pear Pizzazz and tied with a bow of Certainly Celery ribbon.

As promised in a previous post I will be showcasing some of my Valentine's Day cards (which is not too far away!!).

Happy stamping,

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #54

This time the team at Inskpirations Challenges have set a gorgeous colour challenge the colours being:
Aren't they just lovely!!! For some reason I looked at these colours and thought of the Share a Cup set (not sure why!!!) so I went with it and here is my card:-

I have used the Pear Pizzazz as the base colour and then followed by a piece of Vanilla (sorry non-SU here - I seem to have depleted my stock of Very Vanilla). The envelope is made with Blushing Bride and polka dotted to give it that extra touch. I then tied a lovely piece of pink stripey ribbon around it and used the little tea cup as the tag.

Now I have placed a tea bag inside the envelope but I forgot to take a pic of that but you get the idea. The label is made from the Big Shot "Lots of Tags" die layered over an Early Espresso curly label punch. Also, I don't know if you can tell but I have stamped the little cloud from the "Good Neighbours" set so that it looks like a little froth on top of the cup.

Now off to enter the challenge.

Happy Stamping,

Just Add Ink Challenge #49

Well as it has been quite some time since I joined in a Just Add Ink Challenge I thought I would give this one a go. The challenge is "Just Add Summer" so after going through my stamp sets I decided the one I am using was just perfect.

So here is my "Just Add Summer" card:-

So what do you think - Summery enough!! I chose More Mustard as the base for this card followed by a lovely piece of the Sweet Slumber DSP and a small strip of Pacific Point. It's hard to tell from the pic but I have stamped "sun fun" onto the DSP. It also looks from this pic that it is not straight but I swear to you that it is!!!

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink Challenge #39

Wow, it seems like it has been awhile since I participated in a Just Add Ink Challenge so this time I was determined to join in.

This week the challenge is set with the Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month which runs for the month of October. The challenge is to Just Add Blue and there was also an extra challenge to send the card you had made to someone "Just Because". I sat for awhile and thought about my card but I already knew exactly who I was going to send it to.

So here is my challenge entry:- I went with a set that I haven't inked up in awhile (only because I was too lazy and still sick to cut out all the flowers!!!). I have chosen Not Quite Navy for the base card followed by Baja Breeze then Very Vanilla. The flowers are stamped in Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze and Bashful Blue. The card is then finished off with a lovely ribbon that was from my stash, it's very soft.

Now to enter the challenge and send it to my "special someone".

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink - Challenge #35

The theme for the challenge at Just Add Ink this week is Sympathy. It just so happened that I was going through my stash of cards and really needed to make some more Sympathy and Get Well cards so that was on my to-do-list. I ended up making about 5 sympathy cards but just chose one to enter this challenge. You can find the Just Add Ink challenge here.

Here is my card:-
I have used Very Vanilla as the base of the card and also for the Top Note die as well. The stamped image is from Thoughts & Prayers which I have coloured with the markers. I haven't used this set for so long so it was good to get it out and get the dust off it!! I just love the simplicity of this card which I think is always good when making such cards like this.

The photo is again not so great. I made quite a few cards over the last couple of days and thought I would leave them all to photograph at a later date (today) but we have had constant rain since the early hours of this morning and it hasn't stopped since!!!

My husband bought me a new laptop last weekend but I am still waiting for him to install a couple of programs for me so that I can edit my pics and add the watermarks to my cards. At present I am using the "old dinosaur" to update my blog today.

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink - Challenge #34

Time for another Just Add Ink challenge and this time it is a gorgeous colour combo just perfect for spring. Here is the combo:-
Gorgeous aren't they? I don't have any Crumb Cake but substituted with Kraft which I think is close enough. As soon as I saw these colours I thought of butterflies and flowers so ended up going with a bit of a spring theme.

Here is my card:-
Again I must apologise for the bad pic. It is so windy outside today and I wanted to use some natural light so had to take it quickly before the wind took it away!!

I have started off with a Kraft base followed by a Certainly Celery top not die which I then embossed with the polka dot folder. It's hard to tell but the butterfly has been stamped in Pretty in Pink then layered onto a piece of Pretty in Pink underneath. I kind of folded the wings up a bit. Looking at my ribbon there it doesn't look quite straight but I swear it doesn't look like that in real life!!! I have also versa-marked the little leaves from the Sprinkles set on the Kraft card.

Happy stamping,

The Lollipop Ladies - Challenge #3

I told you my mojo is making a slow return!! I have often looked at these gorgeous Lollipop Ladies challenges but haven't got around to having a go until I saw this challenge which was to use cellophane or acetate on your project. I must admit I did sit and scratch my head for ages trying to think of something.

So here is my challenge card and I can tell you there were a couple of ideas that I cased so that this project came together.

Sorry about the pic, it doesn't look so great. We have had not such nice weather here at the moment so I have been taking my pics inside where the light isn't the best.

Anyway my inspiration came from this lovely card here on Lorri Heiling's blog. Aren't those icecreams just so delicious!!! My other inspiration for the lollipops came from my lovely friend Karen Thomas and you can find her card here.

I have chosen Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango and Kiwi Kiss for the lollipops. They are then wrapped in parts of a cello bag and all adhered with glue dots. It's hard to tell but I have stamped "sweet treats" on the bottom from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments set.

Now off to enter this gorgeous challenge.

Happy stamping,

Just Add Ink - Challenge #33

I think my mojo might be making a bit of a return!!! I decided that today was the day that I would tackle the latest Just Add Ink Challenge and surprised myself with a card that I think fits the bill.

Here is the sketch that the lovely ladies at Just Add Ink had for us this week:-

I loved this sketch and it was so easy to work with. So without further ado here is my entry card:-

I have used Chocolate Chip as the base card followed by a layer of Riding Hood Red then a layer of vanilla. I stamped the bottom of my card with a lovely stamp from Vintage Vogue in Chocolate Chip. The label is Lots of Tags from the Sizzlits range cut with the Big Shot.

I have then stamped up the large flower from Vintage Vogue in Chocolate Chip then the smaller flower in Riding Hood Red. I have also used a red rhinestone brad in the middle of the flowers. The ribbon is some that I have had in my stash.

Happy stamping,