Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by quite a few challenges - I started with a couple in mind but my card just kind of snowballed:

Believe it or not my starting pint was the Just Add Ink challenge and that lovely yellow and pink colour combo, along with the tassels. I had already decided to make a lion birthday card inspired by the Hand Stamped Sentiments photo and I wondered whether I could make a bushy mane from tassels. I used the sketch layout courtesy of AAA cards (no optional twist - this lion doesn't fly!) but given that he is a lion, I am linking up Leo over at CASology where the keyword is 'zodiac' and entering over at Addicted to CAS too! So that's how I got to my card - now to tell you the story of the bushy mane! Firstly, here's my finished card:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Bonanza Buddies - I used my Bonanza Buddies stamp set for the lion with his balloons, and stamped them and my sentiment directly onto my card base. Then, instead of diecutting the head and mane using the stamp provided and popping it up, I stamped it but fussy cut the face and put my bushy mane behind - here's a close up of that detail:

The Mane Event - So how did I create my mane? I knew I had some tassels in my stash, but the closest I had to yellow was gold and it looked a little too 'bling', so I grabbed some retired Crushed Curry baker's twine and created my own by punching a small 1/2" circle of cardstock with a smaller hole in the centre to create a ring, then looped a bunch of 2" pieces of twine around it then trimmed it to fit. Here's a close-up photo so you can see what it looked like before I added it to my card:

I think glued this to my card and glued my lion's face, complete with party hat, to the middle.

Clean And Simple? - Having completed my card, I did have some doubts as to whether my card would pass the 'CAS' test; it does have a single focal point, lots of white space and minimal layers but whilst it only has one embellishment, it is rather a fancy one! I hope I haven't offended anyone in the AAA Cards, Addicted to CAS or CASology camps as I try and hone my CAS skills, but do leave me a comment if you think I've still more to learn on this front - I'm sure my sweet PP teamie and queen of CAS, the lovely Jaydee who is hosting at Addicted to CAS this week will put me right!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

As I trimmed my lion's mane, it reminded me of cutting both Mr James and the James Juniors' hair last week. We are all missing our regular trims during lockdown, and the boys in particular decided we should take matters into our own hands. Having purchased some clippers, I set to work and surprised myself at what a good job I did. So much so I bought a pair of hairdressing scissors and cut Rebecca's hair too! It appears I have found a new skill - it's just a shame I can't practise it on myself and I certainly don't trust anyone else if the James household to cut my hair, so the ladies that see me on my online classes at the moment will have to witness my increasingly unruly mop for a while longer yet!! So have you discovered any new skills you didn't know you had whilst you've been in lockdown? Do share - I would love to hear about them! 

I have lots to share with you today so will be back later with a couple more posts, so be sure to stay tuned or depending on when you are reading this scroll forwards to catch up on everything that 's happening! Enjoy your day and I'll be back later. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bonanza Buddies Photopolymer Stamp Set	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad
Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad	1/2" (1.3 Cm) Circle Punch	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Today I'm sharing a card using the current sketch over at CAS Colours and Sketches:

I thought I'd tackling the tilted panel on this card and use up another piece of old patterned paper (non SU) that I found in my recent clear out that I thought would work with my Free As A Bird stamp set - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

I did keep things simple for today's card. I paired my patterned paper with a Seaside Spray cardstock base and added an edging with some Seaside Spray ribbon, split lengthways, then added some linnen thread tied in a bow before placing my stamped panel on top. Again, I stamped my image in Seaside Spray onto Very Vanilla and added a little extra colour using my blender pen, but for the most part used the image 'as stamped'. A simple tone-on-tone sentiment onto my cardbase completes the look.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Today is officially the last day of the Easter holidays for the James Juniors and both are 'back to school', if only in the virtual sense, tomorrow. I chuckled when Ben's timetable arrived with the accompanying note to parents that went to great lengths to point out that we are 'distance learning' not 'home schooling' - if I'm not mistaken, there is more than a suggestion that the children should be getting on with it under their own steam. I'm not sure that Ben would even get to his desk for 9am under his own steam without the rush to join our daily commute, but I am encouraged that once I've managed to at least get him seated at his PC I might be able to crack on with some tasks of my own - maybe even a little crafting, so watch this space! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Free As A Bird Cling Stamp Set	Stitched Rectangle Dies	Seaside Spray A4 Cardstock	Seaside Spray Classic Stampin’ Pad	Seaside Spray 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon
Linen Thread	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock

Today I have an extra card for you in addition to my Paper Players Design Team card (you can see that card here) as I'm sharing a card I made yesterday afternoon for the current Global Design Project challenge where they are doing a 'CASE The Designer' with this pretty tulip card by Janneke de Jong:

I loved the layout on Janneke's card and wanted to use it as the basis for a CASE'd card - here's what I came up with:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

A Lesson in CASE - There are a number of different definitions in the crafting world for the term 'CASE' and the one that the GDP team uses is 'Copy and Selectively Edit'. So if you look at my card, it has a number of similarities to Janneke's card: yellow and white are the dominant colours, I used the same sketch layout along with a single floral stem and no sentiment. There are a number of differences though too - things I have changed to make this card my own. 

A Yellow Flourish - The first of these is my choice of florals. I went full-on yellow with my card and used the single stemmed floral from the Flourish Dies for my floral. I cut it twice from Daffodil Delight cardstock and glued them together to make a stronger floral as I was using it as my uppermost layer. I used the co-ordinating stampset, Flourishing Phrases, to decorate the envelope and inside of my card too; there are lots of great sentiments in this set so when I've decided what I am going to use this card for, I will add one to the inside if needs be. Here's a quick photo of the inside:

Ornate Florals - I kept the central Stitched Nested Label as per Janneke's original card and the yellow sponging around the edge on the layer beneath - this was probably my favourite thing about this card, I love the effect - and I embossed the white label too. I chose to use the new Ornate Floral 3D embossing folder for my detail - those little flowers compliment any kind of floral I think. Here's a closeup of the detail showing the layering and texture:

 I love yellow, especially on cards and flowers - this is the kind of card that makes me happy! 

 Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. I'm also linking this card up with the team over at SUO Challenges where embossing is the theme - this time with dry embossing as my focus. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Flourish Dies	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad	Stitched Nested Labels Dies
Ornate Floral 3D Embossing Folder	Rhinestone Basic Jewels	Flourishing Phrases Cling-Mount Stamp Set

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the wonderful Anne Marie to host this week and she has a sparkly clean and simple challenge for you to work with:

I decided to go back to one of my annual catalogue favourites, Modern Heart, for today's card - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

A Touch of Sparkle - So with the emphasis on sparkle for today's card, I started with a base of Shimmery white. Difficult to see in the photos, the whole of the cardfront has a subtle sparkle which is so pretty in real life. I paired this with my modern heart, heat embossed in gold, that I decorated with a trio of gilded gems and a tiny geometrical heart fussy cut from gold glimmer paper. 

Clean and Simple - Whilst this week is all about sparkle, it's also 'clean and simple' week. So does today's card meet the guidelines? Minimal layers and embellishments - check. Plenty of open space, aka "white" space - check. Simple and uncluttered - check. Remember to follow this check list if you are going to play along this week!

Hearts of Blue - I decided to use blues for my card colour today; every other time I've used this set it has been with female cards in mind, so I thought it would be nice to create something with a more masculine feel. The unfussy nature of this card suits a more masculine card too - check out the detail on the heart itself:

I added a little fussy cut detail to the sentiment too for an additional pop of navy blue. I'm linking today's card up over at SUO Challenges where they are featuring embossing - this time I'm going with heat embossing.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day; yesterday was wet and miserable here, so perfect for crafting; I'm hoping today will be brighter and therefore offer more chance to get outside, but either way I'm sure there will be fun to be had in one form or another! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Modern Heart Cling Stamp Set	Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock
Gilded Gems	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

Yay it's Friday! I feel more than ever the need to start my post with the day of the week just to remind myself - is it me or do they all seem to blur into one these days?! Today I'm sharing a card that I made using this week's Color Throwdown colours: 

I wanted to have a play with my new Ornate Border Dies having seen a lovely stencilled card that my friend LeAnne created with hers. When I saw these colours and the quilt in the photo though I thought they would be nice for a little inlaid diecutting - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Ornate Border Dies - The new Ornate Border Dies are part of the early release Ornate Garden Release. I knew I would love these dies as soon as I saw them! I did have a few erroneous cuts before I realised which side the die was cutting the outer edge on, but once I'd worked this out I was fine. I cut the die three times: once in Basic Black for my mat, then again in Smoky Slate and Real Red, and used these latter two to inlay the flowers and leaves into my black panel. 

Take Your Pick - You might think that inlaid diecutting is a tricky business and whilst it does take a little while, there is one tool that can make it really easy: the Take your Pick tool. That end with a little bob of blue tac is super useful for easily picking up tiny pieces and dropping them into the spaces in the die openings. I can highly recommend one - adding adhesive sheets to the back of your cardstock before diecutting helps from a gluing perspective too.

So Sentimental - For my panel I used a piece of retired gingham DSP from Sale-A-Bration last year and I finished my card with a thank you sentiment from the 'So Sentimental' set and cut it out with one of the co-ordinating Stitched So Sweetly Dies. I added a scrap of red ribbon and my card was done!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

We took part in a family online quiz yesterday, hosted (virtually, of course!) by some friends of ours with lots of other friends online which was great fun. Determined to continue in a similar vein and do something different again today, I joined an online 'pilates for runners' class, run by the physio that has been treating me for my frozen shoulder rehabilitation. I'm keen to get back to running but am nowhere near fit enough at the moment, plus it's more fun to cycle with the Juniors whilst they are at home. It was tough but I thoroughly enjoyed it - I'm sure my glutes will feel be feeling the effects tomorrow though! What are you doing to make each day a little different to the one that went before? Enjoy your evening and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Ornate Borders Dies	So Sentimental Bundle (English)	So Sentimental Cling Stamp Set (English)	Stitched So Sweetly Dies	Stitched Be Mine Dies
Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Smoky Slate A4 Cardstock	Real Red A4 Cardstock

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely Shannon is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went with the first vertical column, Tilted-Stitched-Blue, and I'm also linking up with the current challenge over at Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'animal' as today's card features a furry friend - take a look:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

Fable Friends - For some the squirrel is considered more foe than friend and certainly my chickens think that of the grey squirrels that frequent my garden, but today I decided to go with a cheery red squirrel from 'Fable Friends' for my card. This isn't a stamp I use often so thought I would dust it off and give it some love and stamped him in Memento black onto a stitched rectangle of Whisper White and coloured him with my Blends markers, using another colour I don't often use outside of autumn, Cajun Craze, for my red colour. I do think he looks quite sweet in his sailor's outfit, even if I say so myself! 

On The Tilt - I considered trying to get away with the fact that the squirrel was wearing his hat at a jaunty angle for the 'tilted' element of today's board, but instead decided to 'embrace the wonky' and used an old sketch I had as the basis for my overlaid tilted panels and tilted strip of punched flowers, just like the daisy the squirrel is holding. I'm not generally one for tilted panels, as I like things to be 'just so', but I think they work ok here - I'm not sure I'll make a habit of it though!

Sideways Sentiment - The sketch layout I used had two sentiments, one vertical and another horizontal beneath the stitched panel. I used the former and considered adding 'Hello Spring' from the same stamp set beneath the panel too, but decided against it as I have lots of friends with birthdays in the next couple of months so wanted to leave this card open with the option of adding a birthday sentiment to the inside. On reflection, I think the second sentiment might have been a nice touch, but since I embossed the cardbase with my Subtles embossing folder after stamping the first one, unless I make another identical card and add it first we will never know!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

Enjoy your day; the sun is shining so I'm hoping to get my chores out of the way this morning and then head outside to get some gardening for done this afternoon. That's one thing with that can be said for the current lockdown - our garden has never looked so good! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Fable Friends Cling Stamp Set	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder	Stitched Rectangle Dies	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Balmy Blue A4 Cardstock	Cajun Craze Combo Pack Stampin' Blends
Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack	Balmy Blue Light Stampin' Blends Marker	Daffodil Delight Light Stampin' Blends Marker	Granny Apple Green Light Stampin' Blends Marker	Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots

A quick post today and I'm sharing a card using the current sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch:

I didn't manage to play along last week (I managed a so-so card, but wasn't thrilled with it and decided not to share!). All change this week though - as soon as I saw the sketch I knew what I was going to do with it. Here's my clean and simple creation:

Here's the low-down on today's card:

I decided to go with a teacher thank you card. I know that schools here and all around the world are closed as we try and protect each other from this dreadful virus, however whether the Juniors go back to school or not next term, I figure there will still be the need for teacher thank you cards, so I'm getting organised!

I decided to add a trio of yellow pencils (this is from a retired Project Life stamp set) in the corner and over-stamped the bottom one with my thank you sentiment. I have a confession to make - as I came to write up my post I realise there were 4 stripes of ombre on the sketch, and I've only included 3 - oops! I genuinely hadn't noticed. I like to have odd numbers though, so I think my subconscious was probably responsible for the decision. I overlaid my pencils with a red apple from the 'Harvest Hellos' stamp set, coloured with Blends and punched out using my Apple Builder Punch and with a little tag and linen thread bow to finish.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

The warm weather has returned today so I made the most of it, getting some washing done and the children and I went on a nice bike ride this evening after dinner. I did sneak in a little crafting time too so have lots to share with you in coming days! Enjoy your evening and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Apple Builder Punch	Harvest Hellos Cling Stamp Set	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Linen Thread
Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack

The team over at Just Add Ink are celebrating their 500th challenge this week - way to go ladies! - so I had to sneak in with a quick card to celebrate! The challenge is to use a die cut word:

I was having a clear out of my craft room last week and found some old non-SU Christmas papers that I had kept because I loved the vintage santa. I decided he would be the perfect background for one of my favourite Christmas word die sets, Merry Christmas - take a look:

I went for a longer, narrower card and added a gold foil 'Christmas' diecut and stamped the rest of my sentiment around it and that was it - super quick and easy and another one for the pile!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Congratulations to the Just Add Ink team; I love to play along with your challenges and very much hope you last for another 500!

Enjoy your evening; I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Merry Christmas Dies	Merry Christmas To All Photopolymer Stamp Set	Gold Foil Sheets	Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad	Shaded Spruce A4 Cardstock
Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock