Small and few and Spring

What a challenge over at AAA cards. I think subconsciously I have over the years been buying bigger and bigger stamps as it is easier to make an effective card easier when it's large and bold but I really liked the designers inspirational cards and a challenge should be challenging so have been churning ideas over in my head for awhile for it, when a distant memory came back about a teeny weeny stinkingly cute butterfly set from Pretty Pink Posh I used to own. Finding the wee stamp set was the biggest challenge. It is tiny 2" x 3" but it was found in my drawer with wee Gorguss gal stamps.

In hindsight I have the small and few (tick) and Spring colours (tick) BUT I didn't really get the CAS right as I ended up making a slim notecard as I felt that was more balanced but I really like the card so sharing it anyhow. The tiniest butterfly and matching die is so stinking cute. It's a shame the 3rd butterfly in the stamp set from PPP didn't face the other direction so I had to use another old set that hasn't seen ink for a long time from Lawn Fawn with it's wee bird. Anyhow it's great to have a play with some stuff I haven't inked up in over 5 years.

My top panel is 3 x 6" and I made a mask with Gina K masking magic to do my blending. I made a stencil with a really old die I have from Simon Says Stamp called Tri Square. I used Copics to colour in my wee butterflies and bird as that was the quickest.

Recipe:
Stamps and matching dies: Blissful Butterflies (Pretty Pink Posh), Gleeful Gardens (Lawn Fawn)
Black inks: Memento Black, Versafine Onyx Black
Distress inks: Dried Marigold, Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron
Paper: Strathmore Bristol Smooth, X-press It blending card stock, Mango Melody (SU!)
Copics: 

Bluebird B00/02/05 and Y35/38

Red butterfly R81/83/85 and E35/99

Mauve butterfly RV23/25/29; YR20/61/02, and YR 21/23
Other: White Signo gel pen, dimensionals, Gina K Masking Magic, blending brushes, Tri Square die (Simon Says Stamp)

✿ Karen ✿

Getting ready for Mother's Day

I've been meaning to ink up the "Miss Your Smile" stencil from Pinkfresh Studio for ever and it's mother's day in NZ next week so no time like the present.

 I love how my card turned out but shocked I don't have any Happy Mother's Day sayings. I've been too brutal in decluttering up my craft space now we are settled in our new home but the lovely sentiment from Waffle Flowers I think is just perfect. 

The stencil is a 4-step stencil, 2 for the flowers and 2 for the leaves. I've done the biggest stencil with the lightest ink and then the contrast with the darkest ink, I've also tried to blend darker in the centre of the flowers as I think the tips are lighter. 

Just some snaps whilst stenciling so you can see the "process"

It's also my first go at making a slimline card! I know some of us are slow of the blocks but truly I feel since Oct 2020 when we started getting my place ready to sale my crafting life has been on hold.

Looking online, a slimline card is a tall card that fits into a business size envelope. Cut your 8.5 x 11″ cardstock to 7 x 8.5″ and fold it in half the long way. The finished slimline card size is 3.5 x 8.5″

I had a piece of white card stock from a Simon Says Stamp monthly card kit in my stash which I believe is Neenah Solar White that everyone in America uses and its a real heavy weight and I was interested to see how my inks blended on it. I normally use SU! shimmery white but its not a true white. I was really happy how the inks blended, seemed easy and smooth.

Supply List:
Stamps: Essential Sentiments (Waffle Flowers)
Ink: So Saffron, Mango Melody, Pale Papaya, Grapefruit Grove, Granny Apple Green, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!), Versamark.
Paper: Neenah White, So Saffron (SU!), Vellum Card (SU!)

Dies: Slim Card Basics (Mama Elephant - rectangle and scalloped rectangle), Essential Sentiments (Waffle Flowers)
Other: mixed Jewels from Taylored Expressions which are clear but look pinky orange as you move them in the light, blending brushes, dimensionals, Rose Gold Crisp EP (Altenew)

Well I am a week early for Mother's Day but was wanting to enter the challenge at Time Out Challenges which is "Spring" and I knew I wanted to use this stencil as so easy to make pretty spring-like cards and it would be perfect as a Mother's Day card too.

✿ Karen ✿

Autumn Inspiration

Just Add Ink's Current Challenge is no. 600 and to celebrate this milestone they have  a gorgeous autumn picture to use as our inspiration!

I loved the shades but deviated a bit as I was inspired by a leaf in a card I had made at Stamp Camp taught to me by Alicia Yap, you can see Alicia's card HERE on her FB page. I was originally going to use Cajun Craze, Coastal Cabana and Soft Suede looking at the picture but ended up using Mint Macaroon, Pumpkin Pie and Soft Suede.

The die cut has been cut out of a piece of Very Vanilla which has had 2 inks; Mint Macaroon and Soft Suede ink added with a blending brush. The die cut leaf tips were then rolled in my Versamark pad and then copper embossed. This technique was used on the card I made at Stamp Camp. I probably haven't die cut enough of the Soft Suede blend but it certainly makes for a more realistic colour.

 I also inked up  The Ton Stamps' Easy Expressions Sympathy stamp set and matching dies. So it's a 2 step stamping set and I've copper embossed the larger fancy script words and used Soft Suede for the normal type and then it die cuts out 5 different sayings:

• You are in my thoughts
• Our thoughts are with you
• Sending condolences
• With heartfelt sympathy
• So very sorry

So I now have 4 other strips to use on other cards, what an awesome idea!

Close up of the card so you can see the copper.

Supply List (Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Gorgeous Leaves
Ink: Mint Macaroon, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede

Paper: Very Vanilla (I have used the thick version for the base), Mint Macaroon
Dies: Intricate Leaves
Other: Copper embossing powder, dimensionals, copper thread, Tasteful Texture 3D embossing folder

Non-SU! supplies:
Easy Expressions Sympathy stamp set and matching dies (The Ton), Sparkling Crystals mix (Studio Katia)

Well Autumn has arrived in NZ so this was a great challenge and congrats Just Add Ink on your 600th Challenge and for all the inspiration 600 challenges have given us all, that is an awesome feat!

EDITED 28/4: My card was an "honourable mention."
✿ Karen ✿

Masculine birthday card

Yes the dreaded word "masculine". It's our son-in-law's birthday today and he's a keen crazy golfer so I bought the Clubhouse stamp set and matching dies at 2021's retirement sale from SU! 

When I went off to find the matching DSP I discovered in my stash the also retired Well Suited DSP from SU! and went ohhh, the Pacific Point was pretty similar in colour to the tees in a pair of socks I'd garbbed to go with Jake's voucher.

 So I changed my mind how the card was looking and went with the Double Fancy Fold card I blogged about HERE

The cutting measurements are all the same as the first blog post but I added a Cajun Craze mat which is the size of the smaller white mat and obviously the white mat inside it is now ¼" smaller.

Cutting and scoring dimensions are:

Pacific Point Card stock: One piece 4¼" x 9½" (score at 5½", 6½", 8" and 9"). One piece 3½" x 5¾" (scored at 4¼" and 5¼").
DSP mats: One piece 5¼" x 4", one piece 4" x 1¼", 2 pieces 4" x ¾" and one piece 3¼" x ¾"
Basic White mats : Back mat 4" x 5¼", front mat 3¾" x 3"
Cajun Craze mat: 4" x 3¼"

I used Hero Arts mid-tone Charcoal ink for stamping out the golf images as I don't own a dark gray ink in my SU! stash. I also used a Zig real color water brush (Persian Blue) as I actually thought that was a closer match to the Pacific Point than my stampin' write marker but  I used Granny Apple Green marker for the grass. I also paper pierced the trousers for the image on the back mat which has a got of room for writing on but I should have snapped it before we wrote on it!

Looking at my original blog post I can see I've added the smaller "rectangle" in the wrong spot and it doesn't fold very well for an envelope but it stands nicely and looks fine in the gift bag with the birthday goodies. 

 
✿ Karen ✿

Butterfly Wishes

Life threw me a curveball over the long Easter weekend with my dearly loved but extremely old cat having a wee seizure and having to be put down. This was something we knew was coming but it's never easy and he's sorely missed after being a big part of my life since November 2003. 

I had planned to make this card for Just Add Ink's latest challenge which was "favourite animal" and yes a cat is mine but I have to be honest I don't actually own any cat stamps that are cute (this will need to be remedied!) so the "animal" I love adding to cards are butterflies, my mum Noleen loved butterflies so I have too many butterfly stamps and even though she has been gone for now over 10 years I still buy too many butterfly stamps. 

Taylored Expressions had a fab monthly card kit called Butterfly Wishes in April 2021 and it was a fab buy and it is so fun to play with and its very uncomplicated easy stenciling. Today I thought I would try a rainbow card but ended up cutting out the indigo/violet butterflies but you may see a peek of violet on the bottom edge.

 It is quite a simple stencil and stamp combo where you stamp on the butterfly bodies with a red rubber stamp (I gold embossed mine today to be a wee bit fancy) and then there are 2 stencils to do the wings. This was my first stamp and matching stencil set and it is just perfect for having a go at using stencils to colour. The stamp set and stencil are still available to buy in the Taylored Expressions store.

I used Distress Oxide inks and Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock for my blending and I have the original blending brushes I bought from Picket Fence which have some smaller brushes in the set which makes it easy to colour in each wing individually.

Stencil one colours in the bottom wings and I used the lighter colour here: Spun Sugar, Dried Marigold, Scattered Straw. Stencil two does the top wing and the colours used were: Saltwater Taffy, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade.

I used SU! Flirty Flamingo card stock and ink for the small butterfly. The saying and the small butterfly came with the TE Kit and is from a set called Small Sentiments.

Well I am a day too late for the challenge but it was nice to have a wee play with this set which needs more love from me.
✿ Karen ✿

Kit and Clowder colouring classes

It's been awhile since I've shared some of my class efforts at Kit and Clowder with my Copic markers. 

I have to admit I haven't been the best colourist lately and I've been doing the bonus class which we receive monthly as an easier project but I thought I would share these efforts all of which I love but especially the hydrangea.

I can't believe how pretty they are from pale violets to the blues but all 3 projects are fabulous but I maybe biased.  

 The Kit and Clowder website which you can find HERE has a lot of free tutorials to get anyone started using alcohol markers or coloured pencils to colour. We also have a very supportive Facebook Group which often has free giveaways or competitions to win and there is even a monthly book club. It's a great place to share your colouring too.

#kitandclowder

✿ Karen ✿

Birthday Mail 2022

I've just had a recent birthday and very thankful this year we could go out for dinner and I didn't have to cook (unlike the last 2 years when we were in lockdown).

I was really happy to receive 2 awesome cards in my mailbox from Sarah Roche and Rhonda Fawcett, they're quite different but I went WOW for different reasons.

Firstly Sarah's used  Flowering Rainbow Boots from SU! I just love the bright cheerful colours she has used (my best guess is Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade and Granny Apple Green) it's such a pretty card and looks spring-like unlike the weather in NZ at the moment which is grey, windy and showery.

The next card was from my former SU! upline Rhonda Fawcett and I'm not sure what the stamp set is but she's done the floating strip technique which  I have never seen before and it's really effective in real life so I must give it a go. The dies are the Majestic Mountain and the EF is Evergreen Forest 3D.

The strips are "floating" on a piece of clear acetate and raised with dimensionals.

So feeling very blessed to have received such lovely cards.

So thanks Sarah and Rhonda you made my day when I received them
 
✿ Karen ✿

More stencilling ....

I have used my stencil the more traditional way this time to make a background. I thought I would play along with the challenges at Just Add Ink and CAS on Friday.
 

I must admit the colour combo of Misty Moonlight, Cherry Cobbler and Sahara Sand all I could think of was countries national flags as I didn't read the words of the colours I just saw "white" with the red and blue. CAS on Friday is an easy one this week, it's just use a stencil and make a CAS card. I just hope I have enough "white space" on my card.

Supply List (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: To a Wild Rose (and it's matching dies)
Ink: Misty Moonlight, Cherry Cobbler, Sahara Sand

Paper: Shimmery White, Whisper White, Misty Moonlight, Sahara Sand
Other: Butterflies & Flowers layering decorative mask, blending brush, dimesionals, clear embossing powder, Iridescent rhinestone jewels

I used clear EP on the word hello and heat set it and cut out by hand. I used Shimmery White card stock for my blending as it is very smooth and it's also shimmery when finished. 

Well I actually think this is a great colour combo so I am really happy I had a go at it as I was a bit stumped with the colour combo if I'm honest. Check out the DT at Just Add Ink, they had some great examples which didn't make it any easier.

✿ Karen ✿

I'm in love with stenciling to colour

I was really lucky to get the first Craft Your Life kit from Altenew (Seasonal Blooms) which was released way back in  July 2021. It sold out in the States I think overnight but luckily for me they re-released it and Meetu from Krafters Cart got me a set. As my craft room was in a box for the majority of last year with moving I finally found some time to have a play with the set in the last month.

It's a great concept as it comes with layering stencils (3 in total) so you can colour in the stamped image or just use the stencil to colour. You may have to use post it notes to cover up some of the flowers or leaves but it is still so much faster than colouring in using other mediums and looks fab. The set also came with dies and a co-ordinating embossing folder but it upsets me that the EF is not really identical to the large stamped image and it could have been as it's damn close but still adds some more dimension. 

The first time I played I used the following Stampin' Up! inks and a blending brush
Yellows: Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody
Purples: Gorgeous Grape and Highland Heather
Greens: Granny Apple Green and Old Olive
Browns: Soft Suede and Early Espresso

The large image has been die cut out, embossed and actually snipped in half to make a 5 x 5" square card

The next time I played with it all was a few weeks later and everything that could go wrong did go wrong but it still turned out amazingly and both cards have been sent away to happy recipients.

I actually thought when I made this card I had lost a stencil as I thought there were 4 stencils but I had covered the tulips up with post it notes and I couldn't understand why I didn't have a stencil to colour in one set of the tulip petals, so I ended up colouring them in with Copics, luckily I had used Memento Black to stamp out my image and then I had to use my Copics to add more depth to the leaves and in the end I also used a B000 to outline as the white on the Grapefruit Grove card stock (SU!) looked wrong. I also used the now retired Subtle embossing folder (SU!) on  the Grapefruit Grove card stock.

The next boo boo was I thought I would lightly spray the image with some Shimmer Spray and oops Memento Black is not waterproof so had a few runs so placed the jewels strategically to hide the worst runs.

The card looked so happy and cheery in real life I had no problems posting it away to a friend who loved it!

Before I launched into the Altenew set I had a go at a much more simple stencil and matching stamp called Butterflies (#TEHN53) from Taylored Expressions, it was so easy and so effective it's why I had no hesitation in going we can do it with the Craft Your Life set. This set comes with just 2 stencils.

Again I have just used SU! inks to colour but I can't remember what colours and I've just used thick Whisper White to stencil/stamp on. 

I thoroughly love both these sets and I also squirreled away from SENZ last year 2 sets from PinkFresh Studios I haven't played with so hopefully I will colour them up real soon and share.

 ✿ Karen ✿

My INKredible Journey

Just a quick line to let you all know I am no longer a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and I've sent out my last newsletter as such, if anyone is interested in a good yarn and quite a few memories from me and where to from here you are welcome to read the Newsletter HERE. Stampin' Up! will continue to play a part in my KReative adventures but it won't be the predominant focus. I'll also start working on my "about me" tab above so keep an eye on that too.

Stampin' Up! had it's 15th anniversary in NZ this week and I have been a demo for approximately 10 years so it's been a BIG part of my INKRedible journey. I hope to blog every day this week as I have a lot to share at the moment, some SU! some Altenew and some Taylored Expressions so do stay tuned....

Inky hugs
✿ Karen ✿

Double Pop Up Fancy Fold

Hi everyone, daylight savings has ended in NZ and we have foggy mornings and it's hard to take nice pictures again, so hopefully I can do justice to this Rainbow of Happiness card as it sure makes me happy looking at it in real life. 

I often fall asleep watching videos on YouTube by creative crafters and I fell asleep the other night watching Susan Levasseur from WOW NOLA Creations, I nearly actually got out of bed to make it at the time as I love cards that are "simple" with a bit of WOW and this sure ticks that box. 

Like Susan, I also used Magenta Madness as my cardstock as it was an in-colour that never ticked any boxes for me and I was actually glad it is finally retiring in just under a month, but now after making this card I'm wishing I had more than 2 pieces of card stock left in my stash.

I had originally intended to use the Sweet as a Peach stamp set and its coordinating DSP which are also retiring but was thinking lets get rid of that Magenta Madness I hate.

 I love cards with card stock and matching DSP as in all honesty the rest is pretty easy after that.

 The cutting and scoring dimensions are:

Card stock: One piece 4¼" x 9½" (score at 5½", 6½", 8" and 9"). One piece 3½" x 5¾" (scored at 4¼" and 5¼").
DSP mats: One piece 5¼" x 4", one piece 4" x 1¼", 2 pieces 4" x ¾" and one piece 3¼" x ¾"
Basic White mats : Back mat 4" x 5¼", front mat 4" x 3¼"

This is a really sturdy card and I think this is an excellent design for a Christmas card as it shouldn't blow over and there really isn't too much cutting and scoring of bits, it also folds flat to fit in a standard envelope. It has a big mat on the back to write on and decorate. So Susan sure did a WOW-tastic job!

Supply List (all Stampin' Up! apart from cloud stencil):
Stamps: Rainbow of Happiness
Ink: Pool Party (clouds), Bermuda Bay, Mango Melody, Magenta Madness, Early Espresso
Paper: Magenta Madness, Basic White, Sunshine and Rainbows DSP (SAB)
Dies: Brilliant Rainbow (wee cloud), the rainbow is hand cut
Other: Dimesionals,  Wink of Stella (on clouds), left over self stick sequins from a Paper Pumpkin kit, small wee cloud stencil (Dutch Doobadoo)

 

PS the Rainbow of Happiness and matching dies are in SU! current January-June mini catalogue but they are NOT in the next Annual Catalogue coming May 2 2022, so they like Magenta Madness are also "retiring" so if you thought you might want to get it I would highly recommend it. I have some more cards that I have made with this set including a cool shaker card which I must share real soon!

I hope to blog more now I am officially retired and enter a few challenges to stretch me, one of my fav sites is Just Add Ink and their challenge this week is to Use Two (Flower, Paper, Pattern) so I will enter with my DSP and my rainbow pattern

Inky hugs until next time
✿ Karen ✿