Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a festive 'fill in the blank' challenge:

Today we are all about Christmas in July. I do like to get a start on Christmas cards at this time of year, but when it come to my favourite Christmas in July creation it has to be home decor and table favours; these always take longer to make than you think they will and in the busy run up to Christmas there is rarely time to devote large chunks of time to crafting, so I like to get a good headstart on these kinds of projects - it makes me feel organised! I have two projects for you today - a piece of home decor and a co-ordinating table favour. Both use the Tree Lot Dies, available free with a £90 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion - and I took the inspiration for my festive caravan and 'trees for sale' scene from the top right photo over at Hand Stamped Sentiments - what a great inspo board! First up - here's my home decoration piece:

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

I used a dome that I had in my office that I bought last year that was just waiting to be made into something, and built my little scene onto the base, having first covered the base with snowy white velvet paper (cut with a retired layering circles die). The string of lights, embellished with the pretty Festive Pearls, the trees and the 'trees for sale' sign are all one dimensional and stand with the aid of small supports behind them. The caravan is made by diecutting two of the diecut caravan pieces and adding a base (described in more detail with the table favour below) and a second curved piece of cardstock for the roof (the roof piece measures 3 1/2" x 1 1/2", scored at 1/2" on each side and 1/4" on each side respectively). I added some red ribbon to the top of my dome and red glimmer to the base of my dome for extra festive feel. Here's a close up of my little scene, with the dome removed so that you can see the detail more easily:

My finished dome measures 11cm wide by 19cm tall and that's not all - it lights up too! 

A little tricky to see since I photographed it in daylight, but a nice feature to give a cosy night time glow. In addition to my decoration, which could be used as a table centrepiece, I also created the first of a set of table favours made from the caravan die. These are quite easy to make: just cut two caravan sides, then take a piece of cardstock measuring 4 1/8" x 1 1/2", scored at 1" on each side and 1/4/" on each side respectively, to create the open box shape. They are just big enough to hold two Lindor chocolates or similar:

How cute is that?! Both of today's projects are quite easy to make, but I won't lie - there is a time-consuming element, since all of the little pieces need to be cut and glued in place. Worth it though I think - and if you start now, you will have them finished and ready to go when Christmas rolls around!

The key products used on today's project are included in the table below - no visual today. 

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 Fill in the Blank challenge, complete the sentence in the Challenge Banner with the phrase that is true for you and create your project using the words you used. Tell us what you said in your blog or on your site.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

TREE LOT DIES (£0.00)	TREES FOR SALE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	SNOWY WHITE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) VELVET SHEETS (£4.75)	REAL RED & WHITE 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (£4.75)	FESTIVE PEARLS (£6.75)	REAL RED & GARDEN GREEN 3/8" (1 CM) RIBBON COMBO PACK (£7.00)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (£9.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made at the weekend still with a 'Christmas In July' theme going on (desperately trying to get into Christmas crafting!) that is for a few current challenges:

The lovely team at Less Is More are doing a one layer card Christmas in July theme and I chose one of my retired stamps, 'Dove Of Peace', which I thought would make a lovely image for Time Out's challenge to be 'Peaceful'. It also gave me an opportunity to get out my Stampin' Blends for a spot of colouring which is what the ladies over at SUO Challenges are all about this week:

I coloured the detail on my dove with a combination of Bermuda Bay, (retired) Coastal Cabana and Pool Party Blends. I then took a dry aquapainter (the new fine one is perfect for this) and painted the remainder of the body of the dove in white shimmer paint. This was quite time consuming, but so worth it; the photo really doesn't do it justice - it has such a soft shimmer in real life. I think I'll make a few more of these in alternative colourways - they will be great for sending to my overseas friends. 

This is one of my favourite retired Christmas stamps and great for one layer cards; do you have a favourite stamp for one layer creations? Do leave me a comment and let me know - I'd love to hear about your favourite Christmas sets, old or new.

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

Today I'm nice and early with my post as I am out with the James Juniors for a day of watersports with a view to keeping cool in the heatwave we are experiencing here in the UK, which is a good thing as it means I just have time to squeeze in my entry for the challenge at Just Add Ink this week, where I just couldn't resist that photo inspiration, that also works for the Christmas in July theme over at TGIF Challenges:

I went with a clean, white base so that my glittery baubles and sentiment could really shine - take a look:

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

I'm afraid I have used some retired bits and pieces on my card today (Pretty Pines Thinlits, Detailed Baubles Thinlits, Red Glimmer Paper, black and white DSP) because there was no other way to capture the elements of inspiration from those lovely festive lanterns, but the fabulous Merry Christmas Dies carried over to the annual catalogue and so will be seeing lots of action this season too and are available if you would like to get your hands on a set.

I am trying to use up a little of my retired stash to create some cards for my box and it feels good to mix in a little old with the new every now and again. Have any of you started Christmas crafting in earnest yet? Do leave me a comment below or even feel free to share your creations here on my Facebook page - I would love to see them!

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:

Merry Christmas Dies (£26.00)

Merry Christmas To All Photopolymer Stamp Set (£25.00)

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)

Gold Glimmer Paper (£4.75)

Silver Glimmer Paper (£4.75)

Have you ever thought about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and having your own business? As my regular readers will know, we have a great joining offer on this month at Stampin' Up! and with a little under a week to go, I thought this would be a good opportunity to remind you of my top 3 reasons why it's the perfect time to start a Stampin' Up! business:

Free Essentials Gift Pack To Get Your Business Off To A Flying Start - This month's recruiting offer is perfect for anyone wanting to build a business. Between 1 and 31 July, every new recruit gets an Essentials Gift Pack (worth £47/63,50€) plus the Carols of Christmas Stamp Set (worth £18/24€) from the upcoming autumn/winter catalogue added to your starter kit for free! This means that you will get products and business supplies worth a whopping £195/262,50€ for just £99/129€ with free shipping!

Benefit From The Seasonal Catalogue Pre-Order And Get Organised - As a new Stampin' Up! Demonstrator signing up in July, you will be able to take advantage of the pre-order period for the new Autumn-Winter Seasonal Catalogue that starts on August 1st and order seasonal and Christmas Stampin' Up! products before anyone else - and a whole month before customers. This will give you lots of opportunities to plan for any parties, classes or events that you may like to host or arrange in the run up to the Christmas period.

A Full 6 Months To Make Your First Sales Minimum - Your first quarterly minimum isn't due until the end of December - so you have a whole 6 months to build a profitable Stampin' Up! business and start reaping the rewards of programmes such as Quick Start, designed specifically to incentivise those who make regular, consistent sales. Alternatively it's six months to simply take advantage of your demonstrator discount and purchase Stampin' Up! supplies at a reduced price and increase your own own stash of craft supplies; either way, it's a win-win!

All this and so much more besides: the opportunity to work with me and other equally motivated and high-performing individuals on my team and be part of the wider Stampin' Up! demonstrator community who live by Stampin' Up!'s Statement of The Heart every day - why not join us at Stampin' Up!, voted Papercraft brand and Retailer of the Year, and love what you do and share what you love and make a difference to your life and the lives of others today? Contact me if you would like to discuss further or alternatively if your mind is made up, sign up by clicking here and filling in your details.