Yay it's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players - and this week I'm the hostess! With Father's Day approaching, I thought that masculine cards would make a great theme this week and it would at least encourage me to be organised!

I have lots of photos to share with you today, as I made not just one but two projects: a fun card using the mini treat bag thinlits and a matching gift bag using my new Gift Bag Punch Board - oh how I love this!

So first to my card: I've seen a few of these fun cards on Pinterest using the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Die to create a fancy shirt with a sliding insert (one of my favourites is this one by Julie Kettlewell) and have been wanting to have a go at creating my own version for a while. Here it is: 

I have used the now retired Adventure Bound DSP for my card - this paper is just so fabulous for masculine cards and I hope you all stocked up before it retired! The Mini Treat Bag Thinlits are great for making simple slider cards as well as treat bags; I added silver buttons, a pocket punched with my hexagon punch and with a snippet of Island Indigo chevron ribbon in for a handkerchief. For my insert, I cut it taller than my pocket, then snipped in a third of the way each side to create my turned down collar and added my bow tie. The picture below shows the insert with my stamped sentiment from the 'Guy Greetings' stamp set and a pair of shoes to finish off this dapper outfit:

Pleased as I was with this cute little card, I couldn't stop there; I had to create a matching gift bag using my new Gift Bag Punch Board. I think this is going to be one of my new favourite tools - it is so easy to use and offers so many creative possibilities that go beyond the constraints of the board. Here is my bag:

I made my bag using the 'L' measurements on the board and used a sheet of Whisper White cardstock measuring 9 1/2" x 12". Once I'd punched the bottom according to the board instructions, I flipped it around and did the same on the other end, cutting away all except the long flap on the back of the bag, which I then also punched in the middle to create my collar. I then used the collar as the close mechanism for my bag, by tucking it underneath the bow tie - the photo below of the open bag illustrates that more clearly:

I then added two pieces of DSP with co-ordinating lapels and a large silver button threaded with a piece of white jute ribbon trim to finish my bag. Here are both items together:

I'm really pleased with this project duo; the gift bag is large enough for a couple of pairs of socks, some toiletries, a sweet treat (or two!) - pretty much anything that might be on a Dad's wish list. I hope you like them too and they inspire you to create some fun masculine projects this week! Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week, including our three new guest designers:

I look forward to seeing your masculine creations in the gallery this week. I'm off to finish preparations for this week's technique classes and tackle my mountain of ironing. How does the saying go - no rest for the wicked?!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gift Bag Punch Board	Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies	Guy Greetings Photopolymer Stamp Set	Bow Builder Punch	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
Island Indigo A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Whisper White 12" X 12" Cardstock	Big Shot	Magnetic Platform
Silver Basic Metal Buttons	White 1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Jute Ribbon

It's Sunday - my favourite day of the blogging week! It's time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players and this week the lovely Jaydee has a fun theme for us:

Use any die cut on your project - boy did I deliberate over this! I use die cuts all the time and my Big Shot is my crafting best friend, but what to share? I made several cards, all trying to showcase different aspects of dies and diecuts, but none of them were working for me; I think I was trying too hard! After much deliberating I decided to share a 3D project instead and since it's Easter Sunday today what better than an Easter basket made with the Berry Basket Bigz Die, along with some cute little tags all ready for today's Easter egg hunt:

The basket itself is really easy to make using the die: I made mine out of So Saffron cardstock with a Pink Pirouette trim and handle, and having stamped some eggs on the basket using my Subtles Stampin' Write markers, I finished my completed basket with a couple of pink bows punched from the Bow Builder punch and a stamped tag tied on with some Marina Mist chevron ribbon. I then used my Big Shot, Handpicked framelit dies and my Alphabet rotary stamp to make a whole bunch of tags ready to place around the garden for our Easter egg hunt today - here are just a selection:

I made them out of coaster board, so that they would be extra-strong and added coloured punched out arrows to some of them to add to the fun.

There are some great projects from the Design Team this week - do pop by their blogs and take a look:

I hope you like today's project - there are so many different dies to choose from, I can't wait to see what you come up with for your cards and projects in our gallery this week. I'm off to play Easter bunny and follow the James juniors around the garden collecting eggs, then attempt to persuade them to not eat them all before lunch! Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Handpicked Framelits Dies	Berry Basket Bigz L Die	For Peeps' Sake Clear Stamp Set	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Bow Builder Punch
What's Up Punch	Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Candy Dots Brad Bases	Subtles Candy Dots	Marina Mist 3/4" Chevron Ribbon
Vanilla Coaster Board	Alphabet Rotary Stamp	Pink Pirouette A4 Card Stock	So Saffron A4 Card Stock	Subtles Stampin' Write Markers
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Subtles A4 Card Stock

Happy Monday everyone! No card today - I'm sharing a little 3D project for a change. Last week I was booked to craft with a local Brownie pack to help them make gifts for Mother's Day. I know a few of the Brownies - and mums! - so couldn't share our little project until today, for fear of letting their secret out of the bag. Now we all know that with a special gift it's as much about the packaging as what's inside, so this is what our gifts looked like from the outside:

Each girl had one of the Tiny Treat Boxes to decorate with papers from the All Aboom DSP stack - so pretty for spring - and one covered, each box was finished with a colour-co-ordinated bow made using the Bow Builder punch. We had great fun making these - and used hundreds of glue dots in the process!! Inside the box, it opened to reveal:

Each of them made a delicate silver necklace using one of the Simply Borrowed Embellishments for decoration, beautifully presented on a co-ordinated cardstock insert. How pretty is that? The girls were so pleased with their handiwork and all smuggled them home to keep them as a surprise until yesterday. I had lots of messages from mums today who were thrilled with their gifts, so I think we can safely say it was a job well done!

I love crafting with children, whether my own, when running children's birthday parties or in larger groups such as this. If you live in or around Northampton and would like more information about children's parties or running a Crafty Owl activity for a larger group such as a Brownie or Girl Guide group, then do get in touch - I would love to discuss options with you.

That's all from me today; back tomorrow with a card for you. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bow Builder Punch	All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack	Tiny Treat Boxes	Something Borrowed Embellishments	Mini Glue Dots
Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	So Saffron A4 Card Stock

Back again with another quick card for this week's challenge over at As You See It, where we are playing along with this sketch for inspiration:

I was lucky enough to be chosen as the ASYI Featured Artist for my entry last week - thank you ladies! You can see that card here. For this week's entry I couldn't resist using that little Bow Builder punch again - take a look:

I went with a really simple layout with a couple of banners, one of which features some of the gorgeous 'Best Day Ever' Sale-A-Bration DSP and instead of adding my sentiment to the banner, I chose to allow it to take centre stage with a two-tone chalkboard sentiment in aquamarine and yellow citrus, finished with a Crushed Curry punched bow. Wouldn't that make a nice thank you card for someone?

Back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Chalkboard Paper	Aquamarine Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Yellow Citrus Colorbox Chalk Ink Pad	Big On You Photopolymer Stamp Set
Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper	Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Bow Builder Punch

Given that today is all about the start of Sale-A-Bration and the launch of the new Spring-Summer catalogue, today's card had to celebrate that! You can read the full scoop on my previous post here, but right now I'm sharing a card made with 2 of the 3 co-ordinating products that can be yours free with each £45 purchase and a new punch from the Spring-Summer catalogue that is sure to be a hit! I used the sketch layout over at As You See It for my card today:

Here is my rather 3-dimensional card today - check out those bows:

A simple card base of Sahara Sand, stamped with the 'Best Day Ever' stamp from the stamp set of the same name (the hearts are also from the same set) and decorated with some ribbons from the 'Best Year Ever' accessories pack. Instead of tying bows with this lovely silky ribbon, I decided to finish this otherwise simple card with some overstated punched bows, made using the new Bow Builder punch - how cute are they?! These are just perfect for decorating little treat boxes and gifts and are made in a jiffy - check out this video from Stampin' Up! that shows you just how easy they are to make:

How clever and easy is that?! I can see us all getting through a whole bunch of glue dots with these - don't forget to add those to your order!!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Best Day Ever Photopolymer Stamp Set	Best Year Ever Accessory Pack	Bow Builder Punch	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana	Calypso Coral A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Sahara Sand A4 Card Stock
Mini Glue Dots