JAI #100 - Just Add Crowns

Well, hello there.  Just Add Ink is celebrating its 100th Challenge this week and as a part of our celebrations we are having a Blog Hop.  If you're following along the hop, you should have arrived here from Delys' blog.

As it is our 100th Challenge, we decided that the theme would be Just Add Crowns, as a salute to the Queen and the birthday messages that she sends out to those turning 100, LOL!  We are also offering a prize, to be drawn randomly, selected from all of those that comment on ALL of the Design Team's posts.

Anyway, this is what I came up with.  Surprisingly, I found that I had quite a few crown images, not so surprising was that fact that I'd never used any of them.  I also decided to finally put to use my Simply Adorned pendant I got during our pre-order (and which is now available to purchase in the Summer Mini)

(I found it hard to photograph, i.e. I had nothing to hang it on, so cheated a little and put it back in the box)

I've used the Clearly for You set, with the main background stamped in Soft Suede, but stamped off once.  The crown is stamped in full strength Soft Suede and then I ran my Quickie Glue Pen over the top and added some gold glitter from the Fine Galaxy glitter set.  The No. 5 is stamped in Peach Parfait.

This is what the back looks like

Same colour scheme as the front, the sentiment is from the Tiny Tags set.  I really like how it turned out and it was quite a bit of fun to make and it's super easy to change it up so you can coordinate it with any outfit (which, of course, we all know is super important)

The next stop on the hop is the very talented Jodene's blog, just click on the button below:
  

 Don't forget to leave a comment on each of the Design Team's posts to be in the running for the prize on offer. 

Supplies Used:  All Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise
Stamps:  Clearly for You, Tiny Tags
Ink:  Soft Suede, Peach Parfait
Cardstock:  Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Fine Galaxy glitter, Simply Adorned Chain, Simply Adorned Pendant, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura)

JAI #97 - Just Add Inspiration

Good Morning

This week at Just Add Ink the challenge is to use this photo I found in a Vogue, or maybe it was Harper's Bazzar I was flicking through whilst I was the hairdressers as inspiration for your creation.  (It will also explain the average photo as it was taken with my phone.)

Here it is

Of course, I fell in love with it, because, after all, it is an advert for Tiffany & Co, but I thought these little purses in such vibrant colours were just to die for.  Santa, if you're reading this, I would not be sad to see the pink one, or the blue one under our Christmas tree *wink*

I thought the colours in the photo looked very much along the lines of Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade, so they are the colours, along with a bit of silver that I have chosen to work with. 

And this is what I came up with

I cannot tell you how many versions of this I went through to eventually end up using this 'test' piece.  I tried it using my treasured textured Whisper White, with the Melon Mambo stamped off once, with it at full strength,with the Poppy Parade being brushed on using a marker, with the Poppy Parade being rock'n'rolled, with it being stamped on watercolour paper, with it being spritzed with water on watercolour paper, with 3 spritzes not being enough and 4 being too many - OMG it just went on & on & on.  In the end, I chose this one that was on plain Whisper White, with the Melon Mambo being stamped off once and the Poppy Parade being rock'n'rolled on.  The sentiment is from the same set and was stamped in Encore Silver and embossed with Silver embossing powder.  This should have taken 15 - 20 mins max, instead of the nearly 1-1/2 hours it actually did.

I hope you enjoy this inspiration photo and look forward to seeing your creations.  Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team have come up with too.  As usual, lots of beautiful creations to inspire you.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend

Supplies Used:  Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Stamps:  Botanical Silhouettes (PTI Anniversary set)
Ink:  Melon Mambo, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Encore Silver (retired by SU! but probably still available elsewhere)
Cardstock:  Whisper White,. Pool Party
Accessories:  Silver embossing powder, Heat Tool, dimensionals

JAI #93 - Colour Challenge

This week at Just Add Ink we have a colour challenge, check out these gorgeous colours that Kim picked out for us

I must admit though, I did struggle a little with them, especially the Melon Mambo, which is a tad bright compared to the others.  It took me 5 goes to come up with this

I've found myself in a bit of a 'packaging' mode and decided to give my unused Pillow Box die, which by coincidence, is part of the Stampin' Up! promotion this month, a whirl.

I cut it out of Whisper White and stamped it in alternating bands of colour.  The sentiment is stamped in Pool Party and punched out using the Modern Label Punch.  I used a couple of rhinestones to accent the tag, and tied it all up using the Organza Ribbon, which is one of my absolute favourite ribbons.

I'm off the the Stampin' Up! Regionals in Melbourne this weekend and I'm looking forward to catching up with all my stamping friends, many of whom I only see at this event. 

Make sure you check out the rest of the Design Team's creations - lots of pretty inspiration for you.  Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Supplies Used:  All Stampin' Up! unless specified otherwise
Stamps:  Faux Ribbon (PTI)
Cardstock:  Whisper White
Ink:  Pool Party, Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo
Accessories:  Big Shot, Pillow Box die, Modern Label Punch, Rhinestones, Organza Ribbon

A Sale to 'Die' For!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm posting this, it's been forever since I've posted a SU! promotion on my blog, but here you go!

During the month of November 2011, Stampin' Up! are offering 10% off selected Big Shot dies & embossing folders and a Big Shot bundle (if you don't already have a Big Shot).  The full details are listed below:

 And if you don't have a Big Shot?  Get 10% off the exclusive Big Shot Bundle!  The Big Shot Bundle includes the following:

 If you would like to take advantage of this great offer or wish to order any other Stampin' Up! products, please feel free to contact me, I can take orders from all over Australia and have them shipped directly to you.

Thanks for visiting and hope you are having a great day!  (It's a holiday here for the Melbourne Cup!)

JAI #91 - Colour Challenge

Wow, it feels like it's been ages since I've posted on here, well it probably has been.  Last Friday I had my first workshop in a very long time.  Oh my, I was so rusty, so many things had changed, hope I didn't mess up to bad.

Anyway, on to the challenge this week at Just Add Ink, we have a colour challenge - Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler and a Neutral of Choice

I was just thinking to myself I probably took the easy way out using Whisper White as my third colour, turns out it's what I should have been using anyway.  OMG, I really need to READ what the challenge is.  It wouldn't be the first time I have made a mistake because I didn't read the challenge properly.

This is what I made

and this is what is inside

This is the Sizzix Box #2, which holds these 2 pieces of fudge just perfectly.  I found the fudge at Aldi when doing the shopping, it was very reasonably priced and I thought they would be great for gifts for the staff at my son's Kinder.

For this one, I have stamped the polka dot image in Versamark and embossed using Cherry Cobbler embossing powder.  Can I just tell you how much I love the fact that SU! are offering coloured embossing powder.  I LOVE heat embossing - it's one of my favourite techniques.  I must admit I probably wouldn't emboss for more than one of these cause it was a little time consuming, but it adds that little bit 'extra' for the challenge.

The tag is from the Tags till Christmas set, which I was lucky enough to win during Prize Patrol at Convention this year.  It has also been embossed with Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and punched out using the Decorative Label Punch.  It was all tied up using White Organza ribbon.

The box is super easy to put together and depending upon how you decorated them, you could whip lots of them up in no time at all.

Well, that's all from me today.  Be sure to check out the rest of the gorgeous creations the Design Team has come up with - lots of wonderful inspiration, as usual.

Thanks for visiting and hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Supplies Used:  All Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Stamps:  Tags Til Christmas, Polka Dot Basics 2 (PTI)
Ink:  Versamark
Cardstock:  Blushing Bride, Whisper White
Accessories:  Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Big Shot, Sizzix Box #2 die, Sticky Strip, White Organza Ribbon, Decorative Label Punch, pretty silver cord.
Fudge from Aldi

JAI #89 - Just Add Inspiration

Happy Friday to you

This week Delys has provided us with a beautiful inspiration photo to work with.  Look, isn't it beautiful

I took a very literal inspiration from this photo, using the colours and the silhouette, and this is what I came up with

I decided to try for an old style, polaroid/border photo look, so I masked off some glossy white cardstock and sponged some Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango and Wisteria Wonder inks over the image and sentiment that I had stamped in Versamark and embossed with Black embossing powder.  That panel is then mounted on a Basic Black card base using dimensionals.

Well, that's it from me.  Hope you have a wonderful day and weekend.

Thanks for visiting


Supplies Used:  All Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Stamps:  Trendy Trees, Love & Sympathy  (not available in Australia)
Ink:  Versamark, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango and Wisteria Wonder
Cardstock:  Glossy White, Basic Black
Accessories:  Black Embossing Powder, Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Dimensionals

JAI #87 Colour Challenge

This week at Just Add Ink, we have a colour challenge using a couple of the new In Colours - here they are

I must admit, the last few weeks I've been suffering from a lack of inspiration and this week was no exception.   I really had no idea of what I was going to do with these pretty colours until I came across some sketches I downloaded from PaperCrafts Magazine - I think they were the basis for their Card Ideas for Paper Crafters edition, but I can't find the link for where I downloaded and printed them out from now, sorry.

Anyway, this is what I came up with

It's a little embarrassing to admit it took me 4 goes to get this right.  First of all, I couldn't decide on the layout of the stripes, then once I decided on the layout, I couldn't remember what lines I was using to get the spacing right and then I put a great big finger print on one.  Anywhoo, this one turned out OK, so I quickly mounted it onto the card base before my son could cut it up - he was 'helping' in the studio and chopping everything he could find into teeny, tiny pieces.

I cut the banner using my Petal Cone die, I like how it is overhanging the edges of the card, I've seen it done before but never tried it myself.

Well, that's it from me today.  Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team have come up with - there a lots of absolutely gorgeous creations to spark your creativity.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your weekend.  Hope your team wins!

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Faux Ribbon, Birthday Basics (PTI Ink)

Ink:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake (SU!)

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake (SU!)

Accessories:  Petal Cone die, Big Shot , Linen Thread, dimensionals (SU!), Buttons (PTI)