Just Judy Designs

Clearly Different

Hi there

Today I have a bright, summery card that is a little bit different.  I purchased the Stampin' Up! Windows Sheets (medium weight acetate) a while ago and they have languished in my stash untouched.  So I have 2 firsts today; inking up the lovely 'Fabulous Florets' stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalogue and using a Windows Sheet.

The images in the Fabulous Florets stamps set are perfect for the half or one sheet wonder as you can quickly stamp up a piece of cardstock and cut it into sections for multiple cards.  The solid flower stamps so crisply every time. The colours I've used are Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Wild Wasabi.  As these are bold colours, the clear frame of the Window Sheet keeps the focus on the centre panel. I have embossed the stamped panel with my favourite Square Lattice embossing folder, so there is a lot of different textures.

The Pacific Point background has been attached on the inside of the front with the Melon Mambo mat and floral panel attached on the outside of the front so that you don't see any adhesive (hope that makes sense). Just make sure that the adhesive doesn't wander onto the Pacific Point border that will be visible as it doesn't look the best.  If by chance you do get some adhesive on the Window Sheet from your hands or desk, use a drop of Eucalyptus oil on a tissue and it works a treat. Here is the front view:

For the inside of the card, the Pacific Point background is attached to the outside of the Window Sheet and the other pieces to the inside.  This what the inside looks like:

Project Details
Stamps	Fabulous Florets, Petite Pairs
Card stock & Papers	Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Window Sheet
Ink	Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi
Accessories	2mm Rhinestones (not SU), 1/4" Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Glass Glitter
Tools	Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot, 1" Circle punch, 1 1/8" Circle punch (not SU), Dimensionals, Crystal Effects (to attach glass glitter)

 See you soon.

New Baby

Hello

I'm sure you have heard the excuse 'the dog ate my homework'?  Well, my excuse is that we got an Apple TV for Christmas and as a result, the 'gremlins' ate all of our peak Internet quota for the rest of the month.  I've been relegated to basic text emails and getting up at 6am to download my mail for the last 20 days and it has been agony!  How did we ever do without broadband Internet? Needless to say, the new quota starts today and there is lots to catch up on.

A lovely lady I know (who is my Podiatrist) is having a baby in the next 2 weeks, so I thought I would get organised and make a card for her. I found Jackie Topa's cute Side Step Dresser card.  Not knowing the sex of the baby, I wanted a unisex card and this is what I came up with.

I love Bazzill for these types of projects as it is very sturdy and I love the linen texture.  The main colour is Pool Party and pale lemon (Copic) with a touch of Island Indigo.  It has taken me a while to get into the new In Colours, but now I'm in love with Pool Party. Here are the rest of the details.

Project Details
Stamps	Easy Events, Button Buddies, A Slice of Life (Retired Hostess set)
Card stock & Papers	Bazzill White Linen, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, XPress-IT Blending cardstock
Ink	Memento Black, Pool Party, Island Indigo
Accessories	Basic Pearls, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Spotted Brads
Tools	Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Big Shot, Modern Label punch, Curly Label punch, Carl corner punch, Dimensionals, Sponge dauber, Stampin' Write markers, Copic markers

Surprisingly, my husband thought it was cute, but definitely for a boy. Back to the drawing board to make one for a girl and what better excuse (as if I need one!) to go with one of my favourite colour combos - pink and brown.  This is what I came up with.

I 'fluffed' around for way too long with the bear, but I'm quite happy with it in the end, although I'm concerned it is a little bit dark.  I recut the oval punch outs for the arms and legs to get the slimmer proportions. The sparkly knobs on the drawers are silver Glimmer brads, coloured with a Copic marker as are the tiny rhinestones on the bear's shirt.  I love that you can colour a lot of things to match with Copics. Here are the rest of the details.

Project Details
Stamps	Petite Pairs, A Slice of Life (Retired Hostess Set)
Card stock & Papers	Bazzill White Linen, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Pink Piroette, Sweet Always DSP (Retired), Basic Black
Ink	Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink
Accessories	Rhinestones, 1/8" Regal Rose Ribbon, Glimmer Basics Brads, Scrap of lace (from stash)
Tools	Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Big Shot, Modern Label punch, Curly Label punch, Oval punches,  Circle punches, Small Heart punch,  Dimensionals, Sponge daubers, Stampin' Write markers, Copic markers, Fine black marker, White Gel pen

 Have a good week and thanks for stopping by.

Freshly Made

Hi there

Happy New Year to all my blog readers!  I hope you have had a fabulous holiday season and are raring to go for a another year.  I took a bit of a break over Christmas after a busy 6 months at work and hectic preparations for Christmas.  It also gave me the opportunity to do a big clean up of my craft space as things got a bit out of control during a busy creating period.  It always helps me to feel in control when I'm organised.

I have recently found the Freshly Made Sketches blog and I think I'm going to enjoy doing these sketches. Their philosophy is 'clean lined creations but encourage lots of detail and embellishments', which is very aligned to my favoured style.  The card I have today uses their Sketch #15, shown below. 

I have inked up the 'Field Flowers' stamp set for the first time and matched the colours with the gorgeous new 'Everyday Enchantment' Designer Series Paper that is one of the fabulous Sale-a-bration options this year. This is the first time we have had the option of DSP and embellishments and you are going to LOVE them.  The promotion starts on 24 January 2012, so look out for the new brochure.  This is what I came up with.

Because of the size of the centre panel, I have turned it into a square card.  'Field Flower' is a 2-Step stamp set and I have used Calyspo Coral and Poppy Parade for the colours. Not my usual colours, but I am happy with the outcome. All the details are below.

Project Details
Stamps	Field Flowers, En Francais, Petite Pairs
Card stock & Papers	Pool Party, Soft Suede (Textured), Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Ink	Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Accessories	Basic Pearls, Aqua Seam Binding ribbon (not SU)
Tools	1", 1 1/8", 1 1/4" Circle punches, Sponge dauber, Dimensionals, Stampamajig

 Thanks for stopping by.

Bauble in a Box

Hi there

In between the scramble to get organised for Christmas, I was able to get together on Sunday with some stamping friends for afternoon High Tea. What a fabulous indulgence to be in lovely surroundings with special friends and an unlimited supply of yummy treats! We overstayed our time until we were given the hint that it was time to go. The time always goes too quickly when we get together.

Today I want show you what I made for them, which is a Christmas bauble in a handmade box. Here is a photo of the 3 boxes made with the current In Colours of Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party and Calypso Coral and their matching ribbons and brads.  I have used textured white for the contrast for a crisp, clean look. These are very non-traditional Christmas colours, but chosen with a view to the box being reusable for another purpose, if desired.

Here is a close up of the Pool Party box

and one of the embellishment on the top.  It is difficult to see in the photo, but I have sprayed some of the layers with champagne shimmer mist for sparkle.

And this is what is inside - an 80 mm glass bauble filled with lengths of jewel coloured seam binding ribbons, which can be removed through the top. The pink and teal ribbons are perfect matches for Melon Mambo and Island Indigo.

Project Details
Stamps	None
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Textured White, Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Island Indigo
Ink	None
Accessories	Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Island Indigo spotted brads and ruffle edge ribbon, 1/8" taffeta ribbon (handle), Silver Eyelets
Tools	Fun Flowers Die, Blossom Party Die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, Eyelet border punch, Dimensionals, Cropadile, (lots of) Sticky strip, Acetate (not SU)

 Thanks for stopping by.

Quick Christmas Tags

Hi there

I've been busy today wrapping gifts to send to friends and relatives interstate.  I like to choose a colour scheme for each group of people and I needed to whip up some gift tags to match my colour scheme of red, white and silver.

I've used the long tag from the fabulous Two Tags die and images from the 'Winter Post' and 'Snow Swirled' stamp sets  to create my tags.  Here they are as a group:

Here are some close ups. The first one uses the large snowflake from Snow Swirled. Although not designed for it, I've punched it out with the scallop circle punch and then popped it up and finished it with rhinestone. Very quick and easy.

The next one uses my favourite reindeer from 'WinterPost', silver embossed and then matted on Red or Silver Glimmer Paper.

The last one is my favourite, with lots of bling from the gorgeous Red and Silver Glimmer Paper from the Summer Mini Catalogue.  The image is the star from 'Snow Swirled', stamped and embossed.

Project Details
Stamps	Winter Post, Snow Swirled
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Textured White, Real Red (Smooth & Textured), Red & Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink	Versamark, Real Red, Mememto Tuxedo Black
Accessories	Basic Rhinestones
Tools	Two Tags Die, Big Shot, 1/2", 1 1/4", 1 3/8", 1 1/2" Circle punches, Scallop Circle punch, Dimensionals, Cropadile, Silver Embossing powder, Red Embossing powder, Heat gun

 I hope you are progressing well with your Christmas preparations.

 



OCC Sketch Challenge

Hello

Today I have some more Christmas inspiration for you with a card based on a sketch from Our Creative Corner.  This is a great sketch that can be dressed up or kept clean and simple.  I love the fabulous inpiration their DT comes up with each week.

I have kept my card clean and simple with the lovely image from the 'Beautiful Season' stamp set coloured with Copic markers and popped onto a scallop circle cut from the lovely Red Glimmer paper.  I have matched it with my least used SU colour Garden Green, but the striped DSP tones it down a bit.  

Project Details
Stamps	Beautiful Season, Four the Holidays
Card stock & Papers	Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Garden Green DSP, Red Glimmer Paper, X-Press IT Blending Paper
Ink	Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories	White Organza Ribbon
Tools	Petals a Plenty Embossing folder, Nestabilities Circles, Big Shot, MS Doily Lace punch, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Copic markers

Thanks for stopping by.

5 Petal Poinsettia

Hi there

I love the gorgeous splash of colour that a Poinsettia adds to the house at this time of year and I generally purchase a plant each Christmas.  Amazingly, however, I've managed to keep the plant I purchased last Christmas alive for the whole year and it is busy producing lovely bracts of red petals.  

Poinsettias also seem to be in favour this Christmas season for crafters, so I thought I would look at the options for creating some embellishments with existing SU tools.   The 5-Petal punch has been around quite a while now and I used it to create the poinsettia-like embellishment for this card, which as been inspired by the  Mojo Monday 215 sketch. 
On the focus panel I have used a traditional Christmas image from the lovely 'Come to Bethlehem' stamp set, which unfortunately didn't make it to this year's SU Catalogue in Australia.

Here is a close-up of the Poinsettia embellishment, which I have sprayed with homemade Champagne shimmer mist to add some sparkle.

To create a more realistic looking poinsettia from the 5-Petal Flower punch,  I punched out a very small circle (1/4" or even smaller if you can), and glued it to the centre of the 5 Petal flower. This provides stability and a guide for you to cut the petals into a more Poinsettia-like shape. The next step is to cut through the join of the petals down to the circle, curving in at the bottom and leaving a small 1/8" stem.  This is what it looks like after you have done this:

The first time, I tried marking the cutting line with a pencil, but I found it easier to just cut by eye and it is really quick and easy. The petals were then scored through the centre with the narrow end of my embossing tool to give it some dimension. You need to be a little bit gentle with your flower at this stage, as the petals are held by narrow 'stems' to the centre.

Project Details
Stamps	Come to Bethlehem (Not Available in Australia), Snow Swirled
Card stock & Papers	Early Espresso (Textured & Smooth), Baja Breeze, Real Red, Very Vanilla, Old Olive, More Mustard, Holiday Treasures DSP (Retired)
Ink	Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Old Olive
Accessories	Basic Rhinestones
Tools	Square Lattice Embossing folder, Big Shot, Sizzix Leaves & Branches Die, 5 Petal Flower punch, 1/4" Circle punch, Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers, Champagne Shimmer Paint,

 I hope you enjoy making your own Poinsettias.

November Blog Hop - It's Christmas!

Hi there

Welcome  crafters, to our last Blog Hop for the year! With Christmas barely a month away, we will be giving you some last minute inspiration for your cards and festive trimmings. I'm way behind in my preparations, so I'm looking for all the inspiration I can get!

You may have come from the blog of  the lovely Di Dunk but if not, you can join the Blog Hop from here using the link to the next blog at the end of the post.  This month we have 9 Stampin' Up! demonstrators sharing their projects and the full list of contributors is at the end of the post.

The first project I have for you is a Christmas card with lots of bling.  I've used one of the new products from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalogue (starts on 1 December)  - the red and silver Glimmer Paper.  This is fabulous to use as the glitter is gorgeous and it doesn't come off, even when using punches.  This is a simple card that can be made with many alternative colour schemes and you could replace some of the circles with photos for a different look. I've popped up some of the circles at different heights for interest . Next time I would make the tree slightly smaller, but overall I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Project Details
Stamps	Heard from the Heart, Pennant Parade
Card stock & Papers	Cherry Cobbler, Textured White, Baja Breeze (Smooth & Textured), Red & Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink	Versamark, Basic Black
Accessories	Basic Rhinestones
Tools	Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder, Heat gun, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, 1", 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8" Circle punches, XL Owl Punch (heart), Small Star punch (retired), Dimensionals, Foam pads of different heights (not SU)

The second project is a treat bag topper using my favourite Two Tags die. With the end of the school year coming up, these would make great gifts for the kid's teachers or their friends. They are a card and gift in one and can be filled with any manner of sweet treats.  I have a couple of different options to show you. The tag sits on a base that is cut to the same size as the tag with the corners rounded. You can attach the tag either way up, depending on your preference. I like the the rounded end facing down, so you open up the tag from the bottom. Here is the first one.

This is what the tag looks like inside.

Here is another option, using the spray from the 'Easy Events' stamp set. I coloured it with markers and added some ribbon for interest.  To provide more flexibility I cut the sentiment from the image, so it could be moved around. I can pop it back if I need to, which is really easy with clear mount stamps.

And the last one shows the alternative option, with the rounded side up. I've filled this one with some yummy bite size shortbread.

Project Details
Stamps	Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Easy Events, Winter Post, Confetti, Pennant Parade, Petite Pairs
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Kraft, Real Red, Early Espresso, Real Red & Lucky Limeade Patterns
Ink	Real Red, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Basic Black
Accessories	Basic Rhinestones, Silver Brads, Kraft Seam Binding ribbon, 1/8" Real Red Taffeta ribbon, Green Rhinestone brad, Basic Rhinestones, Linen thread
Tools	Square Lattice embossing folder, Two Tags die, Little Leaves Die, Big Shot, Large Oval punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Jewellry Tag punch, Stampin' Write markers, Itty Bitty Punch pack, Copics (to colour rhinestones), Sponge Daubers

I hope you have found something in these projects to inspire your Christmas crafting.

The next stop is Kathryn Mangelsdorf.  Below is a list of the contributors for this month's Blog Hop.

Tina Gillespie

Nikki Sadler

Sue Madex

Di Dunk

Kathryn Mangelsdorf

Alisha Watson

Christine Blain

Ros Davidson

Thanks for stopping by.

Nautical Birthday

Hi there

It is a wet and muggy day here in Melbourne after the heat of yesterday.  It will be a good afternoon to be in my craft room as it too wet for the usual Saturday chores (woohoo!). It is wonderful to be getting regular rain for the garden, though.  It is all so lush and green at the moment, but it won't be so good for my new roses that are already weighed down with flowers.  I have taken a few photos which I will share with you later.

A real change of pace now after the candy colours of my previous card.  I was chuffed to win the JAI challenge this week and thank you to everyone who left a lovely comment.  It is very uplifting! Today  I have a very textured and dimensional masculine card using the lovely 'Sail Away' a la carte stamp that is now retired, unfortunately. Red and blue are my automatic 'go to' colours for nautical projects, which I have teamed with Vanilla Vanilla and Sahara Sand. I've made the sails 3-D and sponged on some Sahara Sand for depth, distressed the edges and popped up both layers.  The striped Bakers Twine lifts the large panel of 'Night of Navy'.

Project Details
Stamps	Sail Away, Party This Way
Card stock & Papers	Night of Navy, Sahara Sand, Real Red, Very Vanilla
Ink	Night of Navy, Sahara Sand, Real Red
Accessories	Mini Silver brads, Brights & Regals brads, Red Bakers Twine (not SU)
Tools	Square Lattice Embossing folder, Big Shot, Modern Label punch, Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers, Carl Corner Punch, Distressing tool

 I will be back with some more Christmas inspiration soon.

Just Add Ink 93 - Colour Combo

Hello

In my previous post I mentioned that I wanted to do a Chistmas card in non-traditional colours and Just Add Ink have the perfect combo in their colour challenge this week.
I have also used the same sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping as in the previous card, but this time in a standard size.  For the centre embellishment I have stamped out 3 triangles (trees) from the 'Pennant Parade' stamp set and then glued the sides together and mounted it on the scalloped pennant to make a cute 3-D Christmas tree.  You can't really tell in the photo, but I used a Zig Glue pen to go over the garlands and edges and sprinkled them with Dazzling Diamonds glitter for a bit of sparkle.  It catches nicely in the light.  The great thing is that the tree folds flat for posting and then pops out again. I love Pool Party with Melon Mambo and Whisper White for a really fresh colour combo. 

Project Details
Stamps	Pennant Parade, Season of Joy
Card stock & Papers	Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Bazzill White, Pool Party Patterns DSP
Ink	Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery, Versamark
Accessories	Hot Pink Bakers Twine (not SU), Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter
Tools	White embossing powder, Heat gun, Sizzix Tags #3 Die, Big Shot, XL Pennant Builder punch, Scallop Ribbon border punch, Tombow glue, Zig Glue Pen, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Sponge dauber

 Thanks for stopping by.

ETA:  Thanks to the ladies at Just Add Ink for choosing my card as the winner this week!