Just Add Ink Colour Challeng

Friday, the 28th of May was my little girl Maddy's 2nd birthday. I really can't believe how fast 2 years has flown but they have definitely been very exciting, fun and interesting years. While she has her fair share of toddler moments, she really is a fantastic little girl, daughter and big sister to 13 week old Grace. We are very lucky to be her family.

Well, for this week's colour challenge I thought it would be nice to create something I could use as decoration for some birthday cupcakes I made for her. So I decided on some toppers. The colours for this week's challenge worked very well with this. Here is the pretty colour combo.

And here are my decorated cupcakes:

Cute, aren't they? Anyone have a little girl's party coming up? These are quick and simple to make, as they are not very detailed, and the theme and colour scheme can be easily changed to suit any party theme (I'm thinking trains, zoo animals, flowers etc)!

Thanks for visiting,

Nicole

My Flutterfly and a Just Add Ink sketch challenge

I'm a little late posting this as I have had a busy week and doing lots of sewing for my upcoming market stall. I have made lots of cute baby/children's items, which you can see on my facebook business page My Flutterfly. Follow the link for some pics of my blankets, mobiles, necklaces, canvases and collages.

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is a sketch. It was a nice simple sketch which, for some reason, I struggled with. Sometimes I think the more simple a sketch is, the harder it is, while the more detailed sketches are easier. Well, this is take 3 of the challenge. I like theses colours together - Melon Mambo, Soft Suede and Vanilla. Also, the double embossing on the flower embellishment happened by accident when the versamark I stamped on the cardstock for the floral pattern had not dried properly before I stamped the floral outline and poured on the embossing powder. I like happy accidents like this!

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'd love to know what you think of my card and my My Flutterfly items. And, if you are recovering from Convention - I hope you had a wonderful time there!

Nicole

JAI Blog Hop - Emboss Resist

I have been lucky enough to part of the Design Team at Just Add Ink for the past few months. The work of the Design Team has been so inspirational each week. This week at Just Add Ink we are hosting our first ever Blog Hop! Before I get into my post, here are a few details about what's happening... There are 10 stops on our Blog Hop (Just Add Ink and each of our 9 Design Team members), but the hop is set up in a loop so it doesn't matter where you start. All you need to do to follow along is click the blog hop button at the end of each post and you'll be taken to the next stop! This week's Just Add Ink challenge incorporates ideas from the tutorials you will see along the way. So the challenge is for you to Just Add... A Technique From The Blog Hop. Easy! There are 9 fantastic techniques to choose from (with a tutorial to match); the hard part will be making the choice! Add your entry to the Just Add Ink blog as normal.

Thanks for joining in the Just Add Ink blog hop. I hope you are enjoying yourself so far. The technique I am showing today is Emboss Resist. This technique is so easy to do and you can achieve some fantastic results. It also gives you great mileage on your stamps, as you produce a totally different look to regular stamping and embossing. Here we go:

Materials you will need
*Plain cardstock or DSP
(I have used Whisper White)

*Stamps (I have used Always)

*Versamark pad

*Embossing powder (I have used clear)

*Your choice of ink pad colours

(I have used Real Red, Tangerine Tango and Chocolate Chip)

*Blender pens
*Heat tool

*Sponge daubers

*Tissue or soft cloth

Step 1

To do emboss resist you start as you would with regular heat embossing. Using your Versamark ink, stamp your image onto cardstock (if you have an embossing buddy you can give your cardstock a rub over before applying your Versamark).

Step 2

Pour embossing powder over your cardstock to cover your stamped image, then tap the excess powder off your card. For a neat result, ensure the powder covers only the stamped image. (*Note: My upline Alex gave me a wonderful tip for storing embossing powders in clear plastic containers. You can keep a plastic spoon inside your container for pouring the powder over the cardstock whilst you hold the cardstock over the container. The excess powder can then be tapped straight back into its container - no mess!!).

Step 3

Making sure your heat tool is hot, hold it in front of your cardstock, (approximately 10-15cm is good). Heat the embossing powder until you see it change from powdery to glossy all over the image. Be careful not to hold the heat tool there for too long or you will scorch your cardstock and your fingers!!
Step 4

Use a sponge dauber to apply ink over and around your embossed image. You can apply your ink by dabbing or swirling, depending on the effect you want. I have used swirling motions to blend the ink over the embossing. For my image I have added some Chocolate Chip highlights to some of the flowers using my blender pen. If you use clear embossing powder and a patterned paper, you will be able to see the pattern through the embossed image. To finish off your emboss resist neatly, use your tissue or cloth to polish the excess ink of the embossing. The result will be a bright, sharp emboss resist image.

Emboss resist images make beautiful focal points on your cards or as embellishments on scrapbook layouts. I'd love to see what you come up with when you try the emboss resist technique.
Here is the card and gift box I made with the emboss resist image from my tutorial, as well as some other examples:



































I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial and I'm looking forward to seeing your emboss resist projects. Next on the Just Add Ink blog hop you'll be visiting the very creative Tania Gould. Just click on the button below to head to Tania's blog.

Thanks again for participating in the Just Add Ink blog hop!

Nicole

Just Add Ink #16 - Colour challenge

Is it just me or are the weeks flying by! Grace is already 10 weeks old and in 3 weeks Maddy is turning 2!!! Where have those 2 years disappeared to? I am planning to have a little family party for her on the Sunday before her birthday as James is meant to be in hospital for her actual birthday (although it's looking like that may be pushed back a bit). We had a big party for her 1st birthday so this year I want to do something different, but fun. Any ideas?

I am back with another Just Add Ink challenge. This time it's a colour challenge.

These colours work beautifully together and, I think, are perfect for a Mother's Day Card. I have always loved Pocket Sillhouettes and recently bit the bullet and bought the set. I am not disappointed - I love it. My card will be sent to my Grandmother, who loves to garden, so I went with a garden theme. Here it is:

Happy Mother's Day to my lovely Mum and to all the mums out there. I hope you have a great day on Sunday.

Nicole

Just Add Ink #15 - a sketch challenge

I love sketches!! Out of all the challenges I do for Just Add Ink I probably enjoy doing sketches the most. Maybe it's because with a layout there are literally endless possibilties and when you are given a sketch it narrows the possibilities down, but still gives you the challenge of making the sketch your own with the finer details. This week I decided to give my Melon Mambo cardstock, ink and ribbon some use - the first time I've had it out since it arrived a few weeks ago! I really don't know why I haven't used it before this. It's a great colour. I decided to pair it with Basic Grey (yes, I know it looks like Chocolate Chip in the photo) for this challenge. I think these colours look great together. I used my Good Friend stamps to make a bold focal point. I think Melon Mambo suits a bold image. Well, I hope you like my card for this week. Here is the JAI sketch:

And here is my version of the sketch:

A quick question for you - what is your favourite colour/s to combine with Melon Mambo?

Thanks for dropping in.

Nicole

My Flutterfly - A new crafty venture (and a giveaway!!)

I have recently set up a little online store on madeit.com (visit my store here) to sell decor and accessories for children. I have been busy for the last week or so making some cute little fabric mobiles for children's bedrooms or playrooms. I have set up a facebook page for My Flutterfly and would love it if you could join and help me get the word out. As a thankyou for joining I will be doing a giveaway of a birdhouse mobile in the colour of your choice from the 4 mobiles you can see below (sorry, Australian residents only). All you need to do is join my facebook page then leave a comment for me on this post. As soon as I have 70 people 'liking' My Flutterfly on facebook I will choose a random winner (please remember to leave your email address with your comment).

I will be doing a market with my friend Kate in June to sell our goodies. I have a few projects on the go, such as children's applique canvases, fabric bead necklaces, bunting and frameable pictures to match the birdhouses. If you are interested in purchasing any of these please email me at myflutterfly@hotmail.com for more information.

Well, I hope you like my mobiles. I will post more about my other projects as soon as I get some pictures taken.

Nicole

Just Add Vintage

This week at Just Add Ink the challenge is to add vintage. Well, even though I really like vintage style, I almost never use it when I am creating something. So I wanted to make a scrapbook page for the challenge and I had this beautiful sepia photo of Grace that I thought would look perfect for a vintage style layout. I am fairly happy with how it turned out apt from my journalling (or lack thereof, lol). I have thought if doing an online journalling course before (can't remember where I saw it advertised though) as I just don't know where to start. Does anyone have any tips for me?

Well, that is all for this week's challenge. Check out my new venture above - fabric mobiles for kids' rooms as part of my new online madeit.com store 'My Flutterfly'.

Thanks for looking!

Nicole