Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenges over at As You See It and Just Add Ink:

I also decided to combine it with this month's #SimpleStamping challenge set by Stampin' Up!, which was to create a birthday card with nothing more than stamps, ink, paper and a piece of DSP. So first up, here's my #SimpleStamping card: 

This really took just a minute to make - I even made a video to show you how I did it, and I haven't made one of those in ages! Here you go:

Beautiful You is a great set if you're starting out: 3 main images and a good variety of sentiments that work for birthdays, congratulations, a pick-me-up and more besides, this is a set that offers lots of creative possibilities. The images can be inked or coloured using Blends or watercolour pencils, or you can make your choice of DSP go further by paper-piecing the dress and accessories on each of the images.

My card for for As You See It and Just Add Ink was where I started out, pairing back to make my #SimpleStamping card, but I'm showing it as the second card in my post because it's a great example of how once you've mastered the art of a basic card, a few simple accessories and a little fussy cutting can easily step things up if you want to get more adventurous:

The addition of some striped ribbon and a few irridescent sequins, along with fussy cutting the main image and popping it up on dimensionals, adds a further layer of sophistication to this otherwise clean and simple birthday card. To really get the most from my supplies, I also stamped and coloured my envelope and the inside of my card:

Not a naked piece of paper in sight! By keeping things simple and using a basic monochromatic colour scheme, this is a card that can be easily mass-produced with limited supplies and would work well in pretty much any colour. 

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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Beautiful You Clear-Mount Stamp Set (£26.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Ivory Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Stampin' Blends Color Lifter (£4.25)
Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.25)	Poppy Parade 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Mini Striped Ribbon (£7.50)	Metallics Sequin Assortment (£4.75)

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the talented Sandy to host this week and she has a fun colour challenge for us to work with:

I haven't been getting as much time to get in my office and craft as much as I'd like lately, so decided that today I was going to make a card using a set that was at the top of my wish list as soon as I set eyes on the Spring-Summer catalogue, along with the Fusion sketch for my layout - take a look:

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

Beautiful You - I loved this set the moment I saw it! Sketched outlines of the female form and some great sentiments in fonts that combine script and print; now who wouldn't want to receive a card with the sentiment 'Happy birthday, Gorgeous'? That's guaranteed to raise a smile. Here I stamped the elegant lady in the hat in Archival Black in watercolour paper and coloured her in with Melon Mambo ink and my aquapainter. This set has so many creative possibilities, I'm really looking forward to using it in lots of other ways too.

A Pop of Pink - Having chosen pink as my 'colour', I spent some time experimenting with different layouts and pattern combinations and decided on a plain Melon Mambo central panel with a piece of Pop of Pink Specialty Designer Series Paper beneath it.

Stitched Framelits are back! - I chose to cut out my elegant lady with my Layered Oval Framelits and frame it with a simple stitched oval in mat black. Why am I teasing you with something you can't get hold of, I hear you cry? Well, fear not - as of tomorrow, 16th January, Stitched Framelits are back in stock and available to order - woohoo! These are the perfect way to add the finishing touch to a border or frame. Order yours tomorrow!

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. 

I'm also linking my card up with the challenge over at Stamp, Ink Paper where this week the challenge is also black, white and one colour; what are the odds?!

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

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's colour palette. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; we are off to watch the National League basketball finals today - the tickets were one of Ben's Christmas presents. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Beautiful You Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Layering Ovals Framelits Dies	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Pop Of Pink Specialty Designer Series Paper	Aqua Painters
Melon Mambo A4 Cardstock	White Perfect Accents	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Watercolor Paper