Becoming Indie

 

Last week at Freshly Made Sketches I was made a Princess again for my rocket card.  YAY!  I love being a princess, thanks for extending my reign by a week ladies.

This week at FMS they have yet another fantastic sketch that I just couldn’t resist.

 

It’s a square card sketch and I just love square cards!  I turned the sketch so that it would work with the cute Penny Black stamp I wanted to use.

 

 

I made this cat grey and white because he reminds me of our cat Indie.

I had coloured the image and I was happy with it, all I  had to do was stick it to the card. I had it sitting on my craft table and then I realised Indie had actually jumped up and was sitting right on top of it (of course).  I quickly picked him up and there were all these scratches all over my work!   AAARRGGHH!  I tried to pretend that you couldn’t really notice them much.  But I knew you really could :(  I had to start all over again!

Because I’m a copics newbie it took me a lot of attempts until I was happy with that balloon again.  I won’t embarrass myself by saying just how many tries it took!

Perhaps he was jealous that I was spending more time with this cat than with him?

Here is a photo my daughter took of the culprit looking all innocent like.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : Penny Black How Becoming, SU Extreme elements

Card : black, basic grey, white, turquoise

Ink : memento black, pacific point, white, grey

Other : copics, brights brads, big shot, tasteful trim

 

For the side panel I stamped the dots from extreme elements with pacific point and again with white.  I really liked the effect this gave, I’ll have to remember to use it again.

 

Kathy

Sea Happy

 

This week at Just Add Ink the challenge is to case ME.

So you can copy a card layout or technique I’ve done or perhaps make a card using my “style”.

I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

When I applied for the design team position at JAI, one of the questions I had to answer was “What’s your style?”  And I had no idea.  I don’t think I have any style at all and others would probably agree. Ha Ha.  In terms of card making though, I’m not sure I have a style really because I go from cute kids cards and clean and simple ones to more “shabby, distressed” looks. 

Perhaps this challenge will show me what you think my style of card making is?

 

Here are the two cards I cased.

 

 

It is one of my favourite layouts and this will be the 3rd card I have made using it now. This time though, I challenged myself to make it a “manly” card.

 

 

I thought I would use my new Open Sea set as there are a lot of great images in it.  I was one short though so I raided my stamps in the hope of finding something else and I found the shell in my Nature’s Nest set.  It worked perfectly with the others.

I thought I might try something a little different this time and I used the mother of pearl technique on the squares.  I stamped the images onto glossy white with Cherry, scrunched up some clingwrap and after dipping it in white shimmer paint, dabbed it over the top.  I then sponged suede on to each square and around the sides but tried to keep the centre of the image “clean”. It’s a bit hard to photograph but you can see the pearl effect more on the shell square.

Then I punched them out.  I have had a few questions each time I’ve done this layout asking me which square punch I use.  It’s the largest square punch.  Sorry for not mentioning that before.

I tried to “grunge up” the Happy Birthday banner with some distressing, folding and sponging and I was happy with how it turned out.  I love that Perfectly Penned set!

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : The open sea, Nature’s nest, Perfectly penned

Card : vanilla, suede, glossy white

Ink : cherry, suede, stazon

Other : big shot, framed tulips, square punch, vintage trinkets, white shimmer paint

 

I hope you’ll take a look at my blog and find something you’d like to case.

I’d love to see what you create!

 

Kathy

Pumpkin Field

 

This is the last of my Field Flowers cards using this weeks Just Add Ink sketch.

I loved how this one turned out as well.

 

 

I did something a little different to this one.  I stamped the flower in pumpkin and then black but then I decided to colour the centre of the flower in a saffron marker.  After that I made dots on top of the saffron using a white gel pen.

I brayered on celery then olive at the bottom and saffron, mustard and cajun at the top.  The outside of the circle was then sponged with cajun.

I just popped the centre flower up with dimensionals on this card.  Each one I did differently to see which way I like best.  The first card had no dimensionals, the second had 2 and this one 1.  And I still can’t decide which one looked best!  I guess that means it doesn’t matter either way. :)

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : field flowers, kindness matters

Card : black, pumpkin, white, daffodil, neutrals dsp stack

Ink : pumpkin, stazon, celery, olive, saffron, mustard, cajun, saffron marker

Other : big shot, square scallop die, nesties, brayer, white pen

 

It’s wonderful when you find a great sketch isn’t it?  I’m sure I’ll be making more of these cards and using this sketch again.

I’d love to know which card was your favourite?

 

Kathy

Sale-a-bration

 

Yesterday was the start of the Stampin Up Sale-a-bration sale.

I guess in all my excitement to get my own order in I forgot to mention it on my blog.

I ended up getting 3 things for free.  Yay!

It’s a great time to buy something new for yourself to play with or just stock up on some supplies.  Every $100 you spend earns you something free from the sale-a-bration catalogue.  I have a link to it in my sidebar if you’d like to take a look.

It’s a wonderful time to host a party (demonstration or class) too, as Hostesses can earn even more benefits.

Please email me if you’d like to order or host an event :)

 

Kathy

Wisteria Love

 

Here is another version of the Field Flower card I made for the sketch challenge at JAI this week.

 

I really liked this colour combo too.

The flowers are first stamped with Wisteria and then with Eggplant.

Then I brayered Pool Party and NQN at the top and Pretty in Pink at the bottom.  I sponged around the edge with NQN and stamped the sentiment with stazon.

I stamped the stems with artichoke and cut out the flowers and popped them up on dimensionals.

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : Field Flowers

Card : wisteria, white, neutral dsp stack

Ink : stazon, wisteria, eggplant, pip, NQN, pool party, artichoke

Other : big shot, square scallop, nesties, brayer

 

I think this sketch just works perfectly with the Field Flowers set.

 

Kathy

Happy Rocket

 

 

Did you know I became a Princess last week?

My cat card was chosen as a winner at Freshly Made Sketches!  It was an honour to be chosen, thanks ladies :)

My youngest daughter had a birthday party to go to this week and so I looked to Freshly Made Sketches again for some inspiration.

Here is this weeks sketch.  Another great one!

 

I went searching through my stamps trying to get inspiration for a boys card and decided to go with the rocket from Pun Fun again.  I just love that set!

 

I stamped the stars from extreme elements in NQN onto NQN and then stamped the “splash” in white over the top.  Of course I was going for a “jet effect” not actually a splash in this instance. I stamped the stars in white onto crumb cake for the main panel too.

For the “flame greeting” I just printed it on the computer, cut the shape and then stamped the splash again along the edge with daffodil and real red.

William was very impressed with his card.  He looked at it for a while and even showed his Mum. I took that as very high praise indeed from a 7 yr old boy at a birthday party!!!  It’s usually just all about the presents.

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : Pun Fun, extreme elements

Card : black, red, NQN, white, crumb cake

Ink : white, NQN, memento black, daffodil, red

Other : big shot, timeless type alpha, mat pack, white pen, square punch, copics

 

Kathy

Love Field

At Just Add Ink this week we have a really fantastic sketch from Bronwyn.


I decided to try using my “new” Field Flowers set again to see whether I could come up with something.  When the main Stampin Up catalogue came out in September, Field Flowers and Perfectly Penned were my first two picks.  I thought they were so beautiful, but I have tried using these flowers a couple of times and I just haven’t been happy with anything until I tried them with this sketch.



Yay!   I actually made a card with them and I am so happy with how it turned out.  Aren’t those flowers gorgeous?
It was so much fun experimenting with different colours for the flowers and then also brayering different colour combos to compliment them.
I made 3 different cards using the same sketch and I could have kept going and come up with other colours too I’m sure.  I will have the other two cards on my blog over the next week.  I couldn’t even pick a favourite, I liked how they all turned out.  I will have to try making some more.

Ingredients :
Stamps : Field Flowers
Card : white, cajun craze, saffron, neutrals dsp stack
Ink : daffodil, cherry, celery olive, mustard, crumb cake, olive, stazon
Other : big shot, scallop square, nesties, brayer, mat pack, white pen

Field Flowers is a two-step set.  First I stamped with daffodil and then with cherry and cut them out.
I brayered celery and then olive on the bottom of the circle.  Daffodil, mustard and cherry at the top.  I then sponged around the outside of the circle with cherry.  I stamped the stem with olive and used stazon to stamp “with love”.
Please take a look at what the rest of the design team came up with this week.  It really is a wonderful sketch!  Give it a try and please show us what you create :)

Kathy

Copic Cats

 

Guess what I got for Christmas?

Yes, some Copics!

We have just spent a week away at Dolphin Sands. It’s so beautiful there, but the weather in Tassie is always unpredictable so whenever we go on holidays I take some stamps for the girls and I to colour in.

This year I took some very, very, very old stamps that I haven’t used for years and my new copics.  This is my first ever copic attempt.  Well actually I should clarify that by saying that there were lots and lots of attempts, but this is my first card using them.

When we got back home I saw that my friend Rita had come up with a great sketch for Freshly Made Sketches this week and I knew I just had to use it for my cat card.

 

I have only just managed to get this card made and in before the deadline.

There is always so much washing and cleaning to do when you get back from holidays isn’t there :(

 

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : Penny Black bibliophile, teeny tiny sentiments

Card : black, x-press it blending card, neutrals dsp stack

Ink : memento black, stazon, copics

Other : decorative label punch

 

Make sure you check out all the great cards using this sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.

 

Kathy

Happy Princess

 

Hi.  Yes it’s been a while but I have actually created something to show you!

Just Add Ink has had a little break too but we are back this week with a blog hop to celebrate our 100th challenge.

We are also giving away two prizes this week. One is for the winner of the challenge and there is also a prize for a lucky someone who leaves a comment on each JAI member’s blog.

Our 100th Challenge is to Just Add a Crown.

 

I bought this Little Princess set for my youngest daughter for Christmas and we spent a lovely crafty day last week stamping together.  It is a very cute set and was lots of fun for both of us to colour.

I used lots of dsp and lots of different subtle colours on this card, which is unusual for me, but it did turn out cute and my daughter loves it. I stamped the princess and frog on watercolour paper, coloured them with watercolour crayons and cut them out.  They also have dazzling diamonds on their crowns and the wand, but it’s a bit hard to see that in the photo. 

 

Ingredients :

Stamps : Little Princess

Card : pip, pink pirouette, white, baja, marina mist, subtles stack, watercolour paper

Ink : stazon, crumbcake

Other : big shot, scallop square die, square punch, subtle button, mat pack, white gel pen, circle punch, decorative trim die, watercolour crayons, dazzling diamonds

 

I hope you’ll play along with our challenge this week.

You may have just come from visiting Jodene’s gorgeous blog. Please leave a comment before you leave mine (for a chance to win a prize) and then click on the link below which will take you to see one of Kim Badelt’s wonderful creations.

Kathy

2011 Favourites

 

Being New Years Day, I thought I might take a look back and choose my favourite cards from the past year.

I have made some good and some not so good ones and some you never get to see because I throw them in the bin :)

I was very fortunate last year to win some awards for my cards and to be asked to join two design teams.  One was the Splitcoast Creative Crew and one was Just Add Ink. I have loved being on these teams and participating in challenges from other sites.  I have learned a lot and  have been stretched  to try new things plus I’ve also met so many wonderful people because of them.

I thought I might choose my favourite card from each month.  But I found that way too hard.  Some months I just couldn’t choose between a few (they were obviously my creative months) and some months I was not really “wowed” by anything much.  So I’ve just chosen some of my favourites.

 

 

 

January: I won awards with these 3 cards. I also made my first tutorial for the blue butterfly card. A good month!

 

 

 

 

February: The start of my obsession with ribbon flowers.  I still love them! Also a cute ant card that I like a lot.

 

March: Looks as though I was in “brights” mode.

 

 

April: And I can narrow it down to one.  But I do love this one!

 

 

May: More flowers and I love how both of these turned out.

 

June: Square cards were in.

 

July: I was very happy with this attempt at a rowing card.

 

August: A card and brooch for my daughter.

 

 

September: Two great sketch challenges helped me create these cards.

 

 

October: Saw the start of my Christmas card making.  I love this one, but not a good one to mass produce :)

 

November: I actually looked at the card I loved that I made back in April and I decided to CASE myself and create a Christmas version.

 

December: I’d have to say I was a little tired and stressed with so much to do and so many cards to get made.  Not a very creative month really and I’m still struggling creatively unfortunately.

 

Hopefully my crafting mojo will return very soon and I’ll have some new things to show you.

Thanks to all of you who have joined my blog and/or have left lovely comments over the past year.  It is very much appreciated!

Kathy