Just add your favourite animal

 The Just Add Ink challenge is to add my favourite animal. Well that’s a hard task for someone who’s an animal lover like me. 

I love fancy fold cards and found the Triple Floating Diamond card tutorials on YouTube. I made a prototype out of plain paper first but it’s not a hard card to make so I really didn’t have to. 

I grew up on a small farm and every spring we had plenty of baby animals but by far my favourite were the lambs. 

So sheep it is!  I used a Sale a Bration set from SU Counting Sheep. 

These sheep make me smile.  I also used this fancy fold  with the Flowing Flowers set.  I used our little bird Tinsel as my inspiration with her many colours.

Tinsel

While I’m on the subject of animals. My friend recently lost both her elderly cats so I made her a sympathy card. 

She then asked me to make a thank you card for her vet. 

A sketch of inspiration

 This week I wanted to make a card for someone I’ve never met and was lacking inspiration. So I turned to trusty Just Add Ink. This weeks JAI challenge #573 is Just Add a sketch. 

I decided to turn the sketch around because I thought it suited the card better.

This donkey looks so happy. 

Just Add Colour….

This weeks  Just Add Ink  challenge is add colour. Polished Pink, Pale Papaya and Basic Black. I don’t have those colours but that has never stoped me when a card idea comes along. Using this colour combo as inspiration I decided to make a sunset card for someone in love.  Not a conventional wedding card, but perfect for someone who loves flamingos.

I used Mellon Mumbo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black.

Shake it up baby now!

I absolutely love shaker cards so when I saw this weeks  JAI challenge # 561 Just Add Shaker I couldn’t resist Normally I do a shaker card with a large area for the shaker area but this time I decided to do something a little different. I used Stampin Up’s Hey chick stamp set. These chickens seem so cheeky and make me smile whenever I make a card with them.

I thought it would be fun to look into their tummies to see the bird food they’re pecking at.

Sketch! JAI challenge # 558

 

I’m just about to finish my holiday  (Staycation), so I’m getting in some more carding. 

I’ve enjoyed another Just Add Ink challenge. This time it’s a sketch change. I love the Pretty Perennials stamp set from Stampin Up, So I combined the two. 

Just Add Inspiration. JAI Challenge #557

 I’m on holiday this week so to the craft table I go!  

I wanted to make a house warming card for a friend and started to play around with the Stampin Up,  Forever Fern stamp set. 

This weeks Just Add Ink challenge is perfect “Inspiration” for this card. 

Here’s what I came up with.

I pinched a gold ring from gold card.  I’ve just been given the gold leaf so had a little fun with that.  I ended up covered in it, I had so much fun!  I couldn’t believe when I went into my friends house and my card matched her colour scheme.

Steampunk .... Steam what??

 This weeks Just Add Ink challenge #546 is Just Add Steampunk.

I have to be honest I had no idea what steampunk was and had to Google it!  At first I was thinking Oh no way,  then I decided well it is a challenge and challenges are meant to take you out of your comfort zone now and again.  I'm still not sure if my card is Steampunk but here it is anyway.  I really like how it turned out.

I added Champagne coloured gemstones in the centre of each flower

I Didn't have anything much cog related so I found some images and used my Brother Scan and Cut machine (which I'm still working out how to use) to make the cogs I added.

Just Add Ink Challenge #543 Sketch

 This weeks JAI Challenge is a sketch challenge.  I'd been playing around with squares of card with opposite corners rounded so thought I would do something similar for this Challenge.

So here is my card

I ended up with a lot of little bits of paper and card all over the floor. I had also made this card.  I wanted to use a stamp that I hadn't used much.  I embossed using an old SU stamp Hello Doily.

The pitter patter of little paws.

 Recently my friend Jill's lovely whippet Harley passed away.  Understandably we were all very upset so it came as a huge surprise and great excitement when Jill told us she had been offered a new puppy!  Not only from the same breeder but Harleys great nephew.  Jill's other dog Jetta loved having a brother so we hope Darcey will help her get over the loss and they will soon be firm friends.  

I wanted to make a special card to welcome little Darcey (yep Mr Darcey) into the fold. So I made this wee card for Jill and Jetta.

I often use the Just add Ink blog for inspirations but hadn't submitted a card into there challenge or blogged since 2015!  So I thought this was the perfect opportunity to do both.

This #541 challenge is to use a blended background.

I sponged the background and stamped the Toitoi (plants).  The silhouette images I found on the internet and cut them out with black card stock.  Sorry I can't remember where I got them from.

Cuddles with his new mum.

Just Add Ink challenge # 280 - Just add glimmer!

I'm rearranging my craft room so it is in a bit of a mess right now, but when I saw the JAI challenge this week I had to clear a space and get out the glitter paper. Now finding that paper was a bit of a mission in itself!

I just loved Wonder Woman as a kid and have been trying on outfits for a fancy dress party, one of which was a Wonder woman costume, so that's where the inspiration for this card came from.  I only used die cuts for the stars the rest I drew free hand and cut out.  

Weddings - JAI Challenge #263

You might notice I have not posted for quite some time.  I've had a busy 6 months and didn't hardly sit at the table in my craft room.  Now I have a bit of time to card so thought I wonder what this weeks JAI challenge is.. Just Add.....Weddings!  

Yeh I love weddings.  A good friend and colleague  of ours was married a few months ago.  I had been asked to make a big card for us all to sign.  I was very pleased with it but alas I didn't take a photograph so can't show it to you.  I've made this similar one in normal card size for the JAI challenge.

I embossed with white on the dress and shirt for detail.  I sorry I don't know where I got the template for this card from 

I thought I might as well use this opportunity to show you the table runners Martine and Omid asked me to make for their wedding.  These are flowers made from coffee filter flowers.  They are so easy and fun  to make.  I got the idea from here.  I glued them on with my glue gun.

 

The runners and flowers hung over the edge of each table.

This is the front of the bridal table.

And of course the back that the bride and groom see have to look good too.  

Here they all are with over 100 flowers.

Just Add Texture

I'm on holiday so I get to spend some quality time with my craft room.  We haven't seen each other for a while so I've been enjoying being a little creative again.

This week I can also join in the JAI Challenge, Just Add Texture.  I must admit I had so many ideas for this challenge but in the end I decided to go with a clean and simple look while using a media out of the pantry.

I Decided to add texture by using cup cake paper cups.

 I used mini cup cake papers with punches.  It's a bit fiddly getting the thin papers into the punch so I used a post it note to help slide them through.

I also added texture to the background by embossing the card.  

Wedding boxes

My lovely friend Linda Married her man Mack a few weeks ago.  

 I love hearing about peoples wedding plans and was excited when Linda asked me to help her with her table settings.


We came up with these little boxes.  Then we had to decided what to fill them with.  After many tasting sessions we came up with a yummy fudge.

Here are some of the 64 boxes of fudge I made.

Congratulations Mack and Linda!

Girls weekend away.

I Had a fantastic weekend away with the lovely ladies I work with.  It's great to get away from the city and laugh till your stomach hurts.  

Tigger ready for bed.

We ate so much! Many hands make yummy food!

With wild weather outside were warm and cozy inside.

Don't you just love a warm fire place.

Sunday the weather cleared long enough for some fresh air and a walk on the beach.  

The cold air refreshing after being stuck inside.

Emmanuelle enjoys the view.

I can't help but be a little silly.  Maybe it's the wind.

The them for dinner was Mid winter christmas.  I couldn't help myself and had to make some christmas boxes.  I printed the score for silent night on vanilla card and used a medium oval with circle cut outs for the holly.

Thanks lovely ladies I am truly blessed to call you friends.  Love you guys.

Happy Birthday Lions

Recently my mum's Lions club had a birthday.  They were having a dinner to celebrate so I made some sweet boxes for all the ladies.

The Lions club has done many wonderful things for the community so it was nice to give a little back to the people who give their time for others.

Happy Birthday Rob

It was my partner Rob's birthday last week.  He is my biggest critic when it comes to my cards so I always want to make him something special.  For those of you who know the movie Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy you will understand the significance of turning 42 or at least the number 42.  

 While making the card I found myself humming "Good bye and thanks for all the fish".

 This is one of the characters Marvin who always makes us laugh.  I made a black silhouette then overlaid it with white pieces of card I had sponged to make the shadow and dimension.

If your in the mood for a completely senseless movie Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is fun.

My sister Chantell made this lovely card for Rob.  I just love the colours she has used.

Patting a Lion in Paradise!

This week Mum and I had a wonderful day at Paradise Valley Springs Wildlife Park.

The park is a beautifully presented New Zealand trout, bird and wild life park, along with a pride of African lions.  While walking through the beautiful forrest you can feed the trout, take a tree top walk a pick out the native plants.  You can get up close to Kea for a little chat (but watch your hand bag around these clever parrots) and pat a possum.  

The animals are all very friendly, especially if you have something yummy for them to eat.

Mum feeding the trout. 

Then came the very exciting experience of going into the cage with a lion cub.  Thankfully they both had full tummies so it was nap time shortly after we arrived.

Starting to drop off to sleep this 6 month old boy still gets to feed from his mummy (thank goodness she was in another area).

These great big paws are surprisingly soft.

Mum and I spent quite a bit of time talking to the keeper.

Unlike the babies these adult lions were much more imposing.  It was hot so they were all just having a rest until the keeper arrived with lunch.