It's Saturday and today I have a special post for you since I, along with the talented Kayla Macaulay, am a guest with the lovely ladies over on the Stampin' Creative Design Team Blog Hop:

You may have just arrived from the colourful Pip Todman over at Queen Pip Cards or alternatively this may be your first stop. Either way, welcome and be sure to continue to the next stop along the hop by clicking on the next name in the list below for more creative ideas. This month the theme is 'party central' and there are lots of ideas and inspiration for parties for many different occasions throughout the hop. 

When I started thinking about what I was going to create today, I immediately jumped to my collection of new catalogue products wondering which new set to use. But in actual fact, I ended up using one of the most long-standing staple items in my crafting arsenal for the majority of my makes today: my Layering Circles Framelits. The next party that I need to plan will be that of the youngest of the James Juniors and whilst we've had lots of debate about what form it will take, one thing is for sure - no party that centres around 11 year old boys is complete without some form of Nerf battle these days, so I decided to get ahead and take the opportunity to start making with this in mind. 

First up is a birthday card that I actually made for a friend of his who is celebrating his birthday today: I used the currently popular 'impossible card' fancy fold and along with some partial diecutting to create a Nerf target for the popped-up section. These cards are really not at all tricky to make, despite their name! You simply score across the horizontal and then make a single cut at the centre of one panel at right angles to this (I made mine at 3"), followed by two cuts wherever you like on the facing panel (mine are at (1 5/8" in from each edge) and then fold each half in opposite directions, leaving a gap front and back and creating the central pop-up. I kept the colour scheme really simple, using the new in-colours Blueberry Bushel and Grapefruit Grove, both of which are a perfect match for Nerf guns and foam bullets, and having layered my diecut target circles added a sight and a bullet popped up on dimensionals for a fun touch. Some in-colour Blueberry Bushel patterned paper and a sentiment courtesy of the Perennial Birthday stamp set finish my card.

This 'impossible card' fold is a fun way to add dimension and interest to a card whilst still enabling it to be folded flat for mailing. My card is an irregular size, since the size of the base was determined by the diameter of the outer target circle. The card measures 5 1/4" x 6" when flat, so requires a bespoke envelope which I created using my trusty Envelope Punch Board with the help of my Envelope Expert tool. 

 The other targets you can see in the forefront of my card are some cake toppers I made. I am currently in the middle of a kitchen renovation and have only a microwave and the BBQ for cooking, so there was no opportunity to bake any cakes to put them in but I'm sure you get the idea!

I also created a fun party favour using Stampin' Up!'s Mini Pizza Boxes. I'm so glad these made it into the annual catalogue, they really are so useful for dressing up for all kinds of things. I brayed my box with Bluberry Bushel ink then created a belly band with another target on top and a thank you tag. Can you guess what is inside?

Yes, more foam Nerf bullets! The Mini Pizza Boxes are the perfect size to house 14 bullets and since the children seem to use hundreds of these when they are playing in their Nerf battles, I figured a few more each wouldn't go amiss!

 Lastly for today I also created a set of freestanding spinning Nerf targets, based on this one I saw over at Frugal Fun 4 Boys. If you click on the link you can follow the instructions to make your own - I simply used a collection of layered circles, adding in some Whisper White and Granny Apple Green for more colour variety. This is great for indoor or outdoor use, so I'm sure will be added to the toybox supplies. This is my tester in action, declaring it to be too easy - I think he needs to move further away so that it's more of a challenge!

I hope you liked my collection of fun party ideas, that in fact require very little in the way of supplies to make. I have another Nerf-themed birthday card to share, which is the one I have made for Ben's birthday, but will save that for another time!

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. 

For now, why not continue the blog hop for more creative party ideas? Do check out them rest of the Stampin’ Creative team to see what celebrations they have been preparing for. To carry on with the hop click on the names in the list below:

Enjoy the rest of your day. Mine will be a busy one, with a Family Fun Day, birthday party and sleepover (thankfully not at my house!) and the final performance of The Sound of Music for my eldest singing superstar - can't wait. I'll be back tomorrow with this week's post over at The Paper Players where the celebrations continue as we are celebrating our 400th birthday! We have a very special challenge for you as a result with lots of prizes to give away too so do pop back then - you are not going to want to miss it. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Layering Circle Framelits Dies (£33.00)	1/2" (1.3 Cm) Circle Punch (£5.50)	Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Blueberry Bushel A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Grapefruit Grove A4 Cardstock (£8.00)
Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	In Color 2018–2020 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.25)	Mini Pizza Boxes (£5.50)	Happy Birthday Gorgeous Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)
Envelope Punch Board (£19.00)

I have a special post to start the week today: my dear friend LeAnne from Wee Inklings invited me to participate in a Creative Blog Hop! It’s just a little way for readers to get to know various crafters (not just stampers) here in blog land! LeAnne has been a friend of mine for some time and is one of the most creative, encouraging and supportive fellow bloggers I know! She is a fellow designer with my on The Paper Players design team and also designs for a number of other challenge blogs (Colour Q, Merry Monday to name but a few!). She writes a daily blog that is a delight to read, not only for the amazing stamped artwork she produces but also for her daily musings as the proud Grammy of Cassidy, her beautiful four year old grand-daughter. If you don't already follow her blog, you should definitely go and check out her work.

So the Hop asks four questions - here goes!

What am I working on now?

As always, I have a number of projects on the go at any one time! I am currently in the process of finishing the planning and samples for my card and project classes between now and the end of the year, featuring lots of Halloween and Christmas projects from the new Stampin' Up! seasonal catalogue and I am in the process of adding another regular card class to my monthly schedule. In addition, I have my current regular design commitments for The Paper Players and Colour Me...! and a couple of commissions I'm working on. This week, amongst other things, I also have a bunch of thank you cards to make for this month's customer orders and I need to start thinking about my Convention swaps - Stampin' Up! European Convention is only 7 weeks away!!

How does my work differ from others of my genre?

I guess if I had to define my style, 'clean and layered' probably describes it best. I like clean lines and graphic designs, and this would be the style I'm most at home with. That said, I like to try new techniques and the inspiration for a design my influence the style I use for my project and I'm a big fan of punch art, especially for children's cards. I have created some fun Lego-inspired punch art that I'm particularly proud of!

Why do I create what I do?

I have always been interested in art and design and enjoy a number of creative hobbies, such as calligraphy, cross stitch and biscuit decorating. I love papercraft though because it gives me the opportunity to create something new and unique every single day and through my blog I'm able to share that with the world. Blogging is my creative therapy - I think I'm really a frustrated journalist at heart - and I love to inspire, share my skills and teach others new things.

How does my creative process work?

I can be inspired by most anything - a sketch, a colour combination, a fashion catalogue, in-store home furnishings, a movie, children's toys - I see inspiration everywhere. And if I'm ever stuck for inspiration, there's always Pinterest! I carry a little book around with me that was a Christmas gift from my husband with the cover page entitled 'Evil Plans and Stuff' that I use to make notes and capture my ideas, whatever the time of day and night - it makes me smile! I am fortunate to have my own office at home that is choc full of my stamps, inks and papers and as it's south-facing it's a very bright workspace - this is where my plans and ideas take shape and become finished pieces. I always work with the radio playing in the background and I'm at my most creative when I take my morning shower - this is when I have my best ideas :-) (hope that wasn't too much information!) As a busy mum of two, I also like to use my time efficiently and save it for the important things; this has led me to create a number of time-saving tools, such as my popular Box Buster and Envelope Expert tools for the Envelope Punch Board and Product Table Builder, that benefit both customers, fellow papercrafters and other SU! demonstrators alike.

So that's a small insight into my creative world - I would now like to nominate another stamper whose work I admire:

Pauline Adamson - Pollycraft

Pauline is a fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator, member of my downline and Project Life addict! Her style is quite different to mine and that is why I find her work so inspiring - it encourages me to think outside of my 'creative box'.

"Hi, my name is Pauline and I live in Carnoustie, Scotland.  I first found my addiction to paper, ink and all things gluey only a few years ago, joining the best club ever very late in life.  I began as a way of helping my daughter who was being bullied in school discover art journalling, a month on she was fed up and I was hooked.   Initially I found Graphic 45 and all their amazing collections and started making photo albums.  To help fund my addiction I discovered Stampin' Up! becoming an independent demo earlier this year.  I am now proud to admit I am once again a complete addict for all things Stampin' Up! Come on over to my blog and follow the trail of 'The Creative Blog Hop'.  I hope you're not disappointed." 

Thanks Pauline - be sure to check out her blog next week to find out more - and thanks again to LeAnne for the nomination!

That's all from me today - back tomorrow with a new project! Until then, happy stampin'!