Just Add Ink #293 - Just add a Gift Card - photo heavy

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Wow ~ one week until Christmas!  This year really has whizzed by.  I'm looking forward to a little downtime over the Christmas/New Year break.  It will be nice for us all to be home together, relaxing, playing and enjoying some quality time.  I'm also looking forward to finally reading the latest Michael Connelly novel, The Crossing.

We have a timely challenge for you over at Just Add Ink kicking off today, and going for two weeks. Kim has us creating Gift Cards.  So if you've got a few last minute gifts to prepare why don't you pop over and join the challenge?  The design team has a bunch of inspiration to get you started.

I needed four gift card holders and matching cards which seemed a lot of work when time is in very short supply at the moment,  What to do?  Combine them of course.  I used a fabulous tutorial by Diane Barnes of Colour Me Happy for a 'no cut patterned paper folder'.  Sooooo simple, sturdy and fabulous!

Be warned - I'm a huge fan of non traditional Christmas colours.  I should also add that these all look waaaaay better in real life - blame the lousy photographer :o)

Coastal Cabana & the little elf from Christmas Cuties, coloured with copics

A masculine gift gift card holder using long retired designer paper & silver accents

Island Indigo and Peaceful Pines for a teenage boy

Strawberry Slush with a beautiful big glimmer poinsettia - it caught the light and it's hard to see the two different glimmer papers, and the plain silver foil leaves

This is what the inside looks like - a place for your gift card on the left (I've popped a piece of c/s there for photographic purposes) and on the right there is plenty of space to write your message

This is what the back looks like - I've adhered the ribbon closure with a little blingy brad

If you pop over to Di's blog to check out her no cut patterned paper folders you'll see just how much inspiration I drew from her.  Thank you, Di, for always sharing your talents and tutes with us.

Righto, it's too early to wish you all a Merry Christmas yet, so I will be back next week with another little Christmas treat share.

The Just Add Ink design team ladies will return with a brand new, fun challenge for you on Friday, 15 January 2016! Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Just Add Ink #292 - Just Add Inspiration

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Good morning ~

What a gorgeous sunny day AND it's almost the weekend!  Nikki has given us a beautiful inspiration pic to work with for the new challenge over at Just Add Ink this week.  I'll add the pic a bit further down for you.

Being the silly season and all that, I've been short on time recently - like everyone else I'm sure.  I let the DSP do the work for me this week - and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.  Once again my trusty Mini Treat Bag thinlits came to the rescue and I've created a little gift card holder.

Here is the inspiration pic if you'd like to join the challenge fun - I just love the touch of class that Silver gives.  Pop over to JAI and check out the gorgeous line up of projects the design team has created.

We had Gorgeous Kid's award presentation night earlier this week, today he's off at Big Splash water park celebrating end of school year and early next week he gets to check out the new Wet 
'n' Wild park in Sydney.  I tell you it's definitely a kids life!  We have the twins day care Christmas party tomorrow and a bunch of other events over the next week.  Phew, I haven't wrapped any of my Christmas shopping yet and I'm still furiously working on my handmade pressies.

I hope your Christmas preparations are coming along smoothly.  Thanks for stopping by today :o)

Just Add Ink #291 - Just Add anything with C

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Happy Friday friends ~

I'm starting to make headway with my Christmas cards - probably won't have nearly enough to send out but I'm feeling better that I have a stash growing at least.  Lol.

We have a fun new challenge over at Just Add Ink kicking off today, suggested by Tina.  If adding anything with C is as popular as adding anything with W was a few weeks back, I can't wait to see what you all come up with.

I've used my Christmas Cuties stamp, to make a Christmas card, and I coloured it with Copics. Lots of C's here. So.... my colouring isn't fantastic, but I enjoyed doing it and that's the main thing! Believe it or not I did colour the white areas, you just can't see the subtlety in the photograph.  Was a bright day when I took the pic.  My die cut 'merry' is layered over the lovely SU red foil and popped up on dimensionals.

We'd love to see what you come up with this week.  Pop over to JAI and check out the design team inspiration - there are lots of lovely ideas.  Your creation can be anything that includes something with C - theme, technique, papers....whatever you like.  I'm looking forward to visiting your blogs so be sure to link up.

I'm still furiously working on my felt projects most evenings and hope to show you a few pics in the coming weeks. I've also found a new love....Jamberry.  OMGoodness, such cute cute designs and lots of fun to play with.  Have you found Jamberry nail wraps yet?

Just Add Ink #289 - Just Add Music

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Happy Friday friends ~

Phew it's been a hot week here in Canberra!  Beautiful if you can stay indoors and enjoy the air conditioning.  Not so much fun for all the school kids getting to and from school on their bikes.

The new challenge over at Just Add Ink this week is to add Music.  I pulled out some papers I've had in my drawer for years - I think they're Echo Park - and used my new Festive Flower Builder Punch to create this gorgeous big bloom.  I've added a couple of dimensionals within the layers of my petals for a more full flower.  Lots of fun.  Does my layout look familiar?  Hehe I made this card whilst making my card for last week's sketch challenge and liked it so much I continued along the same vein.  So easy.

Christmas card number two done!  Eeeeek I need to get busy on a whole lot more yet.  Instead I've been playing with felt this week, doing a bit of beading and working on some little Christmas gifts for the lovely ladies that work so hard at the Childcare Centre the twins attend.

Hope you find some time to join the challenge fun this week.  Pop over to JAI and check out the design team inspiration and link your creation up.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Enjoy your weekend!

Just Add Ink #288 - Just Add a Sketch

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Whoop whoop it's Friday ~

Welcome to a brand new sketch challenge over at Just Add Ink today.  Narelle is our sketch whiz and I love what she's given us to work with this week.  I've had a little crafting hiatus recently and so when I pulled out some paper and ink I was pleasantly surprised to come up with my very first Christmas creation of the season in no time. Yay me!

I mixed up my purple hues a little, using Blackberry Bliss c/s and ink and Rich Razzleberry dsp. They totally look the same on this card irl.  I've added some silver c/s, twine and little Glimmer stars to bling things up a bit.  Simple but sweet!

If you'd like to join the challenge with us, pop over to JAI and check out the design team inspiration. We love visiting your blogs and seeing all your creations.  Here is the sketch for you:

We had a little family outing to the Queanbeyan Show last weekend.  It was on a much smaller scale to the Royal Canberra Show, however, they still had all the same rides, animals, sideshow alley and food! Bonus was that the cost was half!  We got the kids faces painted for free, and they were able to hold baby chicks and guinea pigs etc. It was a lot less stressful than the hectic pace of the larger Shows we've been to.  Will definitely go again!

Just Add Ink #286 - Just Add anything with W

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Happy Friday ~

Tina has suggested something a little different for our new challenge over on the Just Add Ink blog today.  Use anything starting with W on your project, technique, theme, whatever you like!  Here I've used Water Colouring (on Whisper White c/s lol).

I heat embossed my Doodle Bloom flowers (love them) on water colour paper, added some water with a paint brush, using the same brush quite wet I added some ink (Lilac Posies from Memento) and moved it around with yet more water.  The card uses Soft Suede striped paper from the Neutral Designer Pack, with a strip of the matching c/s underneath.  It has quite a gold look don't you think? I have added some clear Wink of Stella to my flowers, it has a really subtle shimmer which doesn't show up so well in photos unfortunately.

A little over exposed, I just can't get my pics right lately.  It took me forever to take halfway decent pics in our last house, and now that we're in the new house I'm having trouble again.  Despite all the lovely large north facing windows that I thought would be wonderful in helping me get good photos, there is just too much sun.  In time I'm sure I'll find the perfect spot.  My light tent hasn't been too helpful either :o(.  Certainly this card is really pretty, and vibrant irl.

I've been baking this past fortnight.  Lots.  Chocolate chip biscuits, Caramel slice, Chocolate coconut slice - several times because it's a favourite and just so easy to do.  I'm hosting a little gathering on Sunday so I'm going to make some scones - nothing nicer than a batch of fresh warm scones with delicious raspberry jam and whipped cream.  Now if this was a food blog, and I was a decent photographer I might share pics of all these yummies....lol.

Hope your weekend is shaping up to be a good one.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Just Add Ink #285 - Just Add a Colour Combo

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Happy Friday morning ~

Running behind again.....Nikki has given us a lovely colour combo as our new challenge over at Just Add Ink today. We're using Mint Macaron, Smoky Slate, Blushing Bride and Night of Navy.

Please excuse the poor photo quality, combined with being a busy mum this week we've had really overcast and wet weather here in Canberra.  I was hoping to take another but time got away on me....

I've stamped my leaves in MM ink on the same coloured cardstock, and heat embossing my flowers with white ep on BB.  The sentiment is called Swoosh from PTI.

If you'd like to join the challenge fun pop over to JAI and check out the inspiration the design team has provided for you.  We love to see your creations.

Sorry so short and sweet.  Have a great weekend.

Just Add Ink #284 - Just Add a Fancy Fold & GDP#006

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Happy Friday lovely friends ~

We have a really fun challenge kicking off today over at Just Add Ink.  Di wants us all to make a card with a fancy fold.  I must admit I don't do special folds as often as I'd like.  Usually because I'm running low on time and it's just quicker to go with the basics.  I'm sure many of you are exactly the same!

So this week I've made a Concertina (tag top) card.  There is a fabulous tutorial by Linda Higgens here.  Linda gives a better view from the top too.  They really are such fun to make.  I encourage you to give it a whirl.

I've used the funky little stamp set Doodle Blooms from Altenew.  I white heat embossed the flowers, then using a dauber applied a combination of Watermelon Wonder, Pumpkin Pie and Crushed Curry inks. The leaves are Mint Macaron.

With hindsight I wish I'd made my front/back panel just a little higher to meet the inside (I used a different punch to Linda and didn't take into account the height difference) - can you see my little mess up?  Of course I didn't notice it until I'd completely finished the card, and I didn't fancy pulling it apart again :(

I've left plenty of space inside to write my birthday message.  My base uses Watermelon Wonder, Smoky Slate and Whisper White c/s.

The design team have created some stunning fancy fold cards for your inspiration this week.  Pop over to JAI and check them out.  I'm looking forward to lots of shared ideas this week so be sure to join our challenge and link up.

I'm going to add this card to the recently formed Global Design Project #GDP006 challenge blog.  I was really taken with Brian King's card this week and that formed the orientation of my flowers. Head over and take a look, there's lots of eye candy.  Waving hi to a couple of my lovely friends on the design team.

Enjoy your weekend, whatever you're up to.  I'm hoping for a reasonably quiet one - after fitting a bunch of new blinds to the downstairs rooms!  Now the weather is a lot brighter we need the day/night blinds that have been sitting in their original packaging for quite some while!

Thanks for stopping by :o)

Just Add Ink #283 - Just Add a Sketch

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Good morning friends ~

I'm happy it's Friday.  It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks here, with a quick trip home to New Zealand for the very sad funeral of one of my closest friends.  I spent eight days away, and got to catch up with loved ones, which was nice.  But....why is it that funerals tend to bring people together after long periods apart?  We really should live in the moment more.  I'm learning that the hard way, for sure.

I'm a little late posting my Just Add Ink challenge card today....still chasing my tail and playing catch up after my unexpected absence.  Narelle gave us a sketch to work with this week.  I'll add it to the bottom of my post.

I've used Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake and Whisper White on this card, and a little sparkle to add an extra girly touch.  Love those sweet little shoes from the Baby, We've Grown stamp set.

If you'd like to play along with us head over to the JAI blog, check out the design team inspiration, and link your creation up.  Here is the sketch:

Have a wonderful \weekend, whatever your plans.  I'm hoping to get to Floriade!

Just Add Ink #281 - Just Add a Colour Combo

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Hello and happy Friday ~

Before I get to my card I want to wish my beautiful BFF, Trish a super wonderful happy birthday today! I hope you and your gorgeous little guy have some fun plans today.  Thinking of you and missing you loads!  Totally wish I was there.

There's a new challenge over at Just Add Ink!   Di wants us to choose our favourite three colours. Fun huh!  I went with Rose Red, Pink Pirouette and Smoky Slate because they are my faves for this week. Lol, I know you all understand - favourites change all the time!

I used the PTI Linen Impression Plate on my mat layer here, and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted and heat embossed with Smoky Slate e/p (retired).  There is lots of shimmer on this card irl but the photo hasn't picked it up :(

Yet again I've been very short on time for one reason or another.  I even missed blogging my 'glimmer' card last week.  Shame on me.  Suffice to say it was pretty, pink and perfect for BFF's birthday!  I arrived home earlier this week from five fun days in Queensland with said BFF and her beautiful family.  The weather was kind and not too hot.  We did a bit of shopping, visited the Eat Street Markets - AWESOME - stopped in at a real life craft store (of which we don't really have in Canberra nowadays) and did lots of lazing around chatting (and eating).  The highlight of course was her baby boy's Baptism.  I am now officially his Godmother.  So. Very. Proud!

Please make sure you head over to JAI and see what the lovely ladies have created for your inspiration this week. Hope you find time to join this fun challenge with us.  Enjoy your weekend! I'm planning on catching up around here, making a few cards and sharing some of the pics I've been promising for weeks now.

Just Add Ink #279 - Just Add a Sketch

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Whooooops ~

Who forgot to write a blog post for the early hours of this morning!  I don't think I've ever done that before.  Sooooo here it is.....

We have a great sketch for you this week over at Just Add Ink.  Narelle designed this one for us.  I made a card a couple of months ago before we moved house - then realised I'd got the sketch slightly back to front, so made another (the twins had their very first official birthday party to attend and the sail boat card was for the birthday boy). Here are my two cards.

I've been super short on time recently, and as such haven't worked out a new spot to take my photos yet.  Slightly dodgy light and shadows happening here.  If you're interested in any of the details on either card please leave a comment or shoot me an email and I'll be happy to share :)

Pop over to JAI and check out the design team inspiration, and join us!  We always love to visit your blogs and see how many different interpretations you come up with.  Here's the sketch for you.

The weather is warming up beautifully and my new garden is starting to spring to life.  I so love this time of year. This time next week I'll be up in Brisbane visiting BFF and her beautiful baby boy for his Baptism.  Guess who's going to be Godmother!!!!  So very honoured to be trusted with this role and I can't think of a more special family to be a part of.  To say I'm happy is an understatement.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, thanks so much for stopping by today.

Just Add Ink #278 - Just Add Inspiration

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I do love a Friday morning ~

We have a brand new inspiration challenge over at Just Add Ink for you today.  Nikki chose this one for us, and it's perfectly timed with Spring starting this week.  I love Spring.

I'm a bit rusty as it's been a good six weeks since I played in my craft room (packing and moving house and all that).  What I had in my head didn't really come out on paper the same way.

I white heat embossed a bunch of PTI flowers and coloured them with my Zig Clean Colour Real Brush Markers. The colours were really vibrant and bright whilst wet.  Unfortunately once dry they had toned down quite a bit. Still pretty but not as bright as I'd planned.  A little sponging, some spritzing and a few sequins and blingy bits....

It's been pouring rain here again the past couple of days, not complaining as I put a few tomato plants in the garden yesterday.  I'm thinking it's going to be a good day to play with some of my new goodies from the Holiday Catalogue. Have you seen it yet?  If you go to the right hand sidebar you'll find a link.

If you'd like to join the JAI challenge this week, here is the inspiration pic for you.  Need a little direction?  Pop over to look at the design team inspiration and let your imagination run wild.

We're off to a mad hatter/steam punk themed 40th birthday party tomorrow night.  Good grief!  Yep I had to google the latter...obviously I don't get out much because steam punk seems to be quite popular, and I really had no clue. More on the party next post :)

Have a great weekend!

Just Add Ink #277 - Just Add a Colour Combo

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Good Friday morning ~

It's been a wet and wild week in Canberra but the spring flowers are popping up everywhere and I can't wait for the warmer weather.

We have a new challenge starting over at Just Add Ink today.  Kim has given us a lovely colour combo to play with - Mint Macaron, So Saffron, Calypso Coral and Very Vanilla.

I went with a fun shaker card - do these ever get old?  I've used various circle punches to make my confetti and added a couple of sequins and some cute little candy dots just to mix things up a bit.  A little tip for shaker cards - I always like to adhere just a couple of them in the die cut/window area so that when all the confetti pieces drop to the bottom there is still a little colour 'floating' about.

If you'd like to join our fun challenge this week, head over to JAI and check all the gorgeous inspiration from the lovely design team ladies.  They never disappoint.  I love these ladies so much.

I'm off to the hairdresser today, woop woop.  It's always a good day when it's spent this way, don't you agree?  Hope you've got a great weekend lined up.

Just Add Ink #276 - Just Add Cards for Males

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Woohoo it's Friday ~

We've been a sick house all week (and half of last).  We've all shared the love and I'm so hoping the germs are behind us now...It's been a particularly bad winter for colds and flus in Canberra.

Jan has given us a well timed challenge with Father's Day coming up.  This week at Just Add Ink we're adding cards for Males.  I think most of us agree that masculine cards are probably the most difficult to create - well I certainly find it challenging.  No pretty flowers, ribbon and tizzy embellishments to fall back on.

I've heat embossed the vintage car from the awesome masculine stamp set Guy Greetings and layered my image on some Go Wild designer paper, adding a few of the White Perfect Accents to finish.  I stamped a Father's Day greeting on the inside.  Voila, all done.  Not so difficult after all.

If you're in need of masculine cards head over to JAI and check out the design team inspiration then join the challenge fun this week.  I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

Super happy birthday wishes to my big boy today.  Gorgeous Kid is 15 years old!  I can hardly believe it myself.  He now rests his chin on the top of my head, lol.  I'll come back and share his card in a few days.

Just Add Ink #275 - Just Add a Sketch

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Hello, and happy Friday ~

Well I think I finally have my head out of boxes, and the new house organised.  Yippee!  My craft room isn't completely as I want it but I'll be sure to share some pics when it's done.  It's been a long and busy few weeks and we're all looking forward to normal life resuming.

Over at Just Add Ink this week, Kim has given us a fun sketch to work with.  I pulled out my cute little sail boat dies from Paper Smooches.  I even made a sailor's knot - it's a little fuzzy in my pic, apologies.  I found a really easy tute over on Barbera Anders blog.  In keeping with the nautical theme I've used the Maritime designer paper from Stampin' Up!

Short and sweet from me today.  Here is the sketch so you can play along with us - don't forget to pop over to JAI and check out the design team inspiration.

Hope to be back again soon.  Have a fabulous weekend - Canberra is due some lovely warm, sunny days so I'm looking forward to spending a bit of time outdoors.

Just Add Ink #274 - Just Add Inspiration

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Helloooooo ~

It's been a long time, and so much has happened in the fortnight I haven't been online.  We settled on the new house!  We auctioned our other house - with results that exceeded our expectations.  We even made it to the Canberra Times newspaper - for achieving a street record price!  Since then, life has been all go.  I'm still emptying boxes and finding new homes for everything.  But - loving our new home for sure!

My craft room is a work in progress, however, once it's back in use (soon I hope) I'll post a few pics for you.  I'm itching to get my stamps, inks and pretty papers out again....alas too many other things to do before that happens! Yes my design team cards were made weeks ago, knowing everything would be in boxes for some time.

Trish has given us an inspiration pic over at Just Add Ink this week.  Once you see the pic (I'll add it at the bottom of my post) you'll notice I changed things up a bit.  Normally I stick fairly close to the sketch, or inspiration but this time I felt the need for a pop of colour.

Once again I've used the awesome new Thick Whisper White c/s as my base.  I've used Smoky Slate for the inlaid chevrons, and cut/trimmed some Pear Pizzazz leaves and added a handmade Watermelon Wonder flower and a couple of little raindrop embellishments that match perfectly in colour.  You'll see I did incorporate the main colours of the pic, the chevrons, and a touch of black....but couldn't resist brightening things up.

Why don't you pop over to JAI, check out the challenge and join us this week?  We'd love to see your take on the inspiration Trish has given us.  Here is the inspiration pic for you.

Special birthday wishes today to one of my favourite people, Christine Blain.  Hope you have a truly wonderful, fantabulous birthday beautiful!

Just Add Ink #272 - Just Add Butterflies

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Happy Friday lovelies ~

I'm very happy to say my big boy (aka Gorgeous Kid) arrived safely home from Borneo last week. He was dirty and smelly, extremely tired and pretty happy to see his old mum.  I didn't let him out of my sight all weekend!  More on that another day.  Today I'm stopping in super quickly because I have next to no time at the moment :(

We have a new challenge over at Just Add Ink today, and this week Di has asked us to add butterflies.  I think this one is going to be very popular.  Who doesn't love butterflies?

I've used the lovely new Thick Whisper White c/s - loving it!  So sturdy.  I used the Butterflies Thinlits to cut a piece out of my mat layer, then added an ombre watercolour wash (on w/c paper) in pink tones - darkest at top going lighter all the way down - under the mat.  You can't really see it well in the photo.  I then added my die cut butterfly, along with a second butterfly cut out of vellum and popped up on dimensionals to give 'flight'.  It's kinda pretty irl. The sentiment is heat embossed using the now retired Smoky Slate ep.

It's settlement day on our new house!  Woohoo!!!  And Auction day on the current house tomorrow!  Eeek.  A very busy time ahead for us.  Hope to be back again soon, however, our internet service provider may have other ideas. Hope it's all up and working in no time. Can. Not. Live. Without. Internet. Sad as that is!

If you find some time to get inky this weekend, please do join the challenge fun.  Pop over to JAI and check out all the gorgeous butterfly inspiration.