Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous LeAnne to host this week and she has an interesting colour challenge for us to work with:

I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch and another of my favourite retiring stamp sets to create some less-than-traditional florals - take a look:

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

Beautiful Friendship - I chose to create a cluster of florals as the centrepiece for today's card using the 'Beautiful Friendship' stamp set. I thought those large, loose-petalled roses would be perfect in Merry Merlot, with some grape hyacinths in Misty Moonlight, along with some Crumb Cake leaves. This is not only my most favourite floral stamp set in the retiring annual catalogue, it is I think one of my favourite floral stamp sets of all time (and a keeper for sure!) 

Well Written - I decided to add a diecut sentiment using the retiring Well-Written framelits to the front of my card, cutting the word 'friend' twice and offsetting it to give a shadow - you can see the detail closer in the image below:

A ribbon bow tied with twine finished the front of my card.

And Finally - In addition to the stitched scallop rectangle that I used on the front of my card, I stamped the greeting from the stamp set on a stitched rectangle and added it to the centre of the inside of my card, along with a stamped corner floral detail:

I thought I would struggle with this colour combination, but I actually really liked LeAnne's colour choices this week. I'm also linking today's card up over at Just Add Ink - my card features petals and leaves as my chosen 'two'. 

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; it's been really cold here these past few days so I'm thinking today will be spent indoors with a little more Lego building and family fun. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£20.00)	STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES (£30.00)	BE MINE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	WELL WRITTEN DIES (EN) (£37.00)	2020–2022 IN COLOR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)
MISTY MOONLIGHT 2020–2022 IN COLOR RIBBON (£5.50)	LINEN THREAD (£4.75)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SOFT SUEDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MERRY MERLOT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
MERRY MERLOT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our first challenge of the new year over at As you See It. We have a fresh new look thanks to Heather and Amy and I am the hostess for this week, starting us off this year with a Speed Stamping challenge. I always find myself getting distracted by the process of tidying my craft room in the new year (well, I have to make room for all of the new things Santa brought me!) so I thought this would be a good opportunity to rummage through the scrap bin and use up some of those crafty leftovers and put them to good use:

So the idea of the speed challenge is that you create a card in under 10 minutes. Thankfully this doesn't include the time to plan out your ideas; the clock only begins the minute you start to construct. Now for today's challenge I am more thankful for free planning time than ever; why? This was my scrap box before I started this challenge:

Yes, out of control in epic proportions! I haven't been through it in some time!! So first things first: I sorted through the box, made piles of things that co-ordinated in terms of colour/style/theme and created a number of piles, so that I could take each in turn and create something with it:

I ended up making a whole bunch of cards and managed to time and photograph a few of them to share with you in today's post. So here's my first card, which uses some flowers from Beautiful Friendship and Fabulous Florals stamp sets, along with a sentiment from Free As A Bird, some diecuts and an offcut of Terracotta Tile scalloped linen ribbon:

Every single one of these pieces was already cut and stamped in my box, so all I needed to do was cut a card base, layer and arrange in place, which took a record 3 minutes 19 seconds:

This card was so quick, I also pulled together a few more from the other bundles of mostly retired bits and pieces. Here's one of my favourites in Very Vanilla and Rich Razzleberry/Blackberry Bliss, with touches of gold:

This one took a little longer at 8 minutes 10 seconds, but still within a 10 minute window. Here's another:

The brick-embossed cardbase was already in my box so this was a super quick make too, at just 2 minutes and 21 seconds. The quickest card was this one though, at just 2 minutes and 21 seconds:

This one uses a foil-striped diecut and a heat embossed sentiment that is easier to see at an angle:

And finally I made a gift tag with another pile of scraps:

I've since completed another 5 cards too with the other bits and pieces. My scrap box is much depeleted and I've gained additional space on my desk - bonus!

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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
• In a speed stamping challenge, please time yourself and say in your post how long your card took to complete. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (main card only):

BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£20.00)	FREE AS A BIRD CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)	ALL THINGS FABULOUS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£20.00)	BE MINE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	TERRACOTTA TILE 1/2" (1.3 CM) SCALLOPED LINEN RIBBON (£7.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	OLD OLIVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
MOSSY MEADOW CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Jaydee to host this week and she has a fun tic-tac-toe challenge for you to work with:

I decided to go across the top row with Flowers/Girly/Birthday and wanted to share with you a card I made using one of my most favourite stamp sets of all time, Beautiful Friendship - take a look:

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

I ADORE the 'Beautiful Friendship' stamp set and have made a ton of cards with it recently, having held an online class using this set. In between  my online classes, I have been running a whole host of online demonstration sessions either sharing different ideas using the class stamp set, revisiting previously learned techniques, or sometimes a combination of both. This card was a result of one of those sessions, where I held I refresher session showing how to use your Stamparatus to create wreaths. The single rose in the 'Beautiful Friendship' set is perfect to create a simple wreath, so armed with my favourite of the retiring in-colors, Lovely Lipstick, and ringing the changes with a 6" x 6" square card, this was what I came up with. 

Have you ever used your Stamparatus to create a floral wreath? Here's a short speeded-up clip of my demonstration (without sound) that shows how easy it is to do:

https://youtu.be/1LgZ-ttfvIE

I then added a heat-embossed fussy cut sentiment from the soon-to-be-retired 'Seriously The Best' stamp set and a simple twine bow to the front of my card and added a little decoration to the inside too:

Did you find the above speeded up video clip useful? If you would like to take part in one of my online classes or attend my online demonstration sessions, do check out my class schedule on the events section of my Facebook page or on the 'Classes' tab on my website, or just drop me a line for more information.

I'm linking today's card up over at SUO Challenges where the current theme is Designer's Choice - this one is definitely one of mine!

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; I'll be spending mine in and out of my 'By One Get One Free' party over on my Facebook page as I clear out my retiring stamps to make way for the new, whilst sitting in the garden enjoying the warm sunshine!nI'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£20.00)	SERIOUSLY THE BEST CLING STAMP SET (£7.20)	STAMPARATUS (£46.00)	2018–2020 IN COLOR 12\" X 12\" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) CARDSTOCK (£11.75)	WHISPER WHITE 12\" X 12\" (30,5 X 30,5 CM) CARDSTOCK (£7.25)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	WHISPER WHITE SOLID BAKER'S TWINE (£3.25)

It's Monday and I'm starting the week with some of my favourite bright colours as I share a card for the current challenges over at Color Throwdown and the Paper Craft Crew: 

I love those colourful florals on the CTD badge so thought it was high time I made another card using my current favourite floral stamp set - take a look:

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

Beautiful Blooms - I just love the 'Beautiful Friendship' stamp set - I can't believe I overlooked it on my first pass through the catalogue. I think it is actually up there as one of my most favourite floral stamp sets of all time. It's just so easy to use. I love yellow flowers, so decided to choose yellow blooms with a side of hot pink for the buddleia-type flowers, with some bright green leaves for good measure. 

And A Butterfly - I 'saved' my orange for my little butterfly, which I stamped in black then coloured with a blender pen and some Grapefruit Grove ink. I have to say I'm not sure about the butterfly having added it to my card - what do you think - better with or without? 

Birthday Wishes - I heat-embossed my sentiment in white on black for a little extra contrast, using one of my current go-to birthday sentiments from the 'Varied Vases' set. It's perfect for cards with a floral theme so is getting a lot of use at the moment. I bordered my sentiment with a thin sliver of Lovely Lipstick ribbon just to tie the whole thing in with my card a little better. 

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 have a day of getting ready to return to school this week! The first of the James Juniors is in tomorrow afternoon for pre-season rugby training - a sure fire way to see it start to rain!! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Beautiful Friendship Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Varied Vases Photopolymer Stamp Set (£24.00)	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Melon Mambo A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Grapefruit Grove Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)
Versamark Pad (£8.75)	White Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)	Whisper White Solid Baker's Twine (£3.25)	Lovely Lipstick 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Grosgrain Ribbon (£5.50)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Anne Marie to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for you to work with:

I love all the layers on Anne Marie’s sketch and thought that central panel would be perfect for me to break open a new stamp set and create with florals - take a look:

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

A Beautiful Friendship - I must confess the stamp set I used on my card today, ‘Beautiful Friendship’, is one I totally overlooked on my first pass of the catalogue. I always tell myself I don’t need any man re floral stamps, but for this one I just had to make an exception once I’d seen some of the lovely cards others had created with it - it has some great sentiments and a fab collection of florals that are so easy to use to create so many different floral arrangements and in so many different colours - I am officially hooked! 

#SimpleStamping Without The Stitched Rectangle - I stamped my florals (with a little bit of post-it note masking, because I wanted to fit a lot onto my panel) and cut out with a Stitched  Rectangle die as I didn’t want to add another mat to this central piece, however you could just as easily not and this would be perfect for this month’s Stampin’ Up! challenge to create a card using nothing more than stamps, inks, paper and DSP. ‘Beautiful Friendship’ is a great set for #SimpleStamping - it works on a multi-or single layered card and can be easily ‘dressed up’ or used alone to create some fabulous cards. 

Color Collection DSP - I decided on a fresh and summery blue and yellow colour combo for my card today, using a strip of yellow and a base of blue and white gingham for my framed layer. I used a piece of retired gingham paper from the Spring catalogue, but we are so lucky that we now have it in every colour in the in-Color and Color Collection - yay! I’ve linked to the Subtles Color Collection below if you need to stock up! I stamped my sentiment in Night of Navy directly onto my DSP frame, as I didn’t want to use a label. 

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; I am spending day 2 at the London Aquatic Centre and the 2012 Olympic pool for the second day of Rebecca’s swimming meet. Yesterday was a good day and not too hot (I am thankful we cut a break in the heatwave here in the UK because poolside would otherwise have been unbearable!). Enjoy the rest of your weekend; I'll be back later with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Beautiful Friendship Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Subtles 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Stitched Rectangle Dies (£33.00)	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)
Balmy Blue A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)