It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the super-talented Sandy to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge, for you to work with:

Now I have a slight confession: I have been working hard to put the finishing touches to my weekend craft retreat that is being held next weekend, so I have been working a little more in advance than usual and sketching out my cards without always having my laptop to hand. I instantly knew what I wanted to do with Sandy's sketch and set to work colouring my central panel; it was only after I glued everything together I realised I hadn't re-checked the sketch and so my background layers are regular rectangles, rather than the longer, narrower central panel. I did not have time to remake my card so I'm sharing with you as is. I know that the lovely Sandy will forgive me though - besides, i'm hoping she will be so impressed with my colouring in she might not even notice ;-) 

Anyway - my card contains one of my most favourite spring blooms so is also perfect for the challenge over at Stamp Ink Paper this week. As someone who hails from the rolling hills of Wales I could not pass up this set from the seasonal catalogue, it really was love at first sight! Here's my card - take a look:

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

Daffodil Delights - I have longed for a daffodil stamp for ages so am delighted to have 'You're Inspired' to add to my stamp collection. With sentiments for Easter, Mother's Day, Birthday and a couple more besides, along with two beautiful line-drawn daffodil images, this is a great set for Spring and beyond. There are so many ways this image can be coloured and I will be sharing lots of cards that demonstrate the versatility of this set in coming weeks. For today's card I went for straight forward colouring with my Stampin' Blends Daffodil Delight and Old Olive markers on Whsiper White cardstock. 

Coffee Break Stripes - I paired my daffodil image with a background of white and old olive stripes from the Coffee Break Designer Series Paper pack. It has enough pattern to add interest but not so much to detract form the main image of those beautiful blooms. I added a Crushed Curry horizontal banner and finished it with some Old Olive ribbon to tie the elements of my design together.

Down Dales And Up Hills - ... rows and rows of daffodils! This is the first line of a poem I learned in primary school to recite on St David's Day some 40 years ago and I can still remember it all these years on. I was reminded of it when I saw the stamp featuring a row of daffodils; I decided to repeat this image and create a border of daffodils for the inside of my card, take a look:

I know I am going to get so much use out of this stamp set and it will definitely be a keeper for me. I can't wait to make lots more with it!

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:

I can't wait to see what you create with this week's sketch and look forward to visiting your blogs this week! Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

You’Re Inspiring Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack	Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Whisper White A4 Cardstock
Coffee Break Designer Series Paper	Old Olive A4 Cardstock	Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Old Olive 3/8" Mini Chevron Ribbon

Today I'm sharing a card using the sketch over at Fab Friday that also fits the theme over at Fusion:

I decided to break away from the heart shape on the sketch (and turned it through 180 degrees) and decided to give my Coffee Cafe set some love and feature a coffee cup instead, which led me to my second attempt at the current Fusion challenge - take a look:

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

Satisfy Your Coffee Craving - Coffee shops are so big right now; even in this nation of tea drinkers, coffee shops are continuing to take the nation by storm. So if you are a fan of the bean, the Coffee Cafe Suite is the perfect way to indulge and satisfy your coffee craving. There is a stamp set with co-ordinating framelits that are available as a bundle and some of the framelits fit the images on the Coffee Break co-ordinating designer series paper. You can also create your own textured coffee collar, as the framelit for this embosses too. The designer series paper has some great themed patterns and some good neutral patterns, such as spots and leaves that work well with other types of product too.  

Thanks A Latte - Always a sucker for a punny sentiment, and partial to a skinny grande latte, this sentiment is perfect for me! I also think it works really well for a gift card holder with a Starbucks gift card inside - and who wouldn't want a coffee and muffin as a treat once in a while? Just sayin' :-) The Coffee Cafe stamp set also has two other sentiments that are perfect to send to a coffee-loving friend.

It's In The Details - The Coffee Cafe Suite also includes some fun corrugated elements - I used one behind my sentiment - that are great for adding a little texture to your projects. My card also features some of the lovely Crumb Cake woven ribbon - no bow on this card though, as I think it will be heading to one or other of the James Juniors teachers, who are both male, so I didn't want it to look too feminine.

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:

Coffee Café Photopolymer Stamp Set	Coffee Cups Framelits Dies	Coffee Break Designer Series Paper	Corrugated Elements	Crumb Cake 3/8" Classic Weave Ribbon
Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Early Espresso A4 Cardstock	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Soft Suede A4 Cardstock	Garden Green A4 Cardstock
Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad

Today I'm popping by with a quick post and a card for this week's challenge over at CASology where they have a fun cue word:

Many of the designers over at CASology this week were inspired to use cacti or hedgehogs on their cards. Me? I have Christmas on the brain this week and I immediately thought 'holly' - take a look:

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

I use the holly berry sprig from the 'Holly Berry Happiness' stamp set, on carryover from last year and now available all year round in the annual catalogue, to create a holly wreath that I coloured in with my Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers. I used the same layout that I used for my recent quilted Christmas card, stamping my wreath off the page and adding a strip of Coffee Break DSP and a sentiment banner accented with a piece of punched holly, courtesy of the Holly Berry Builder Punch, to finish. I stamped this lovely verse onto the inside too:

It was fun to get this set out again and always worth remembering that the annual catalogue has some great Christmas sets - you don't have to wait until the release of the new Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue if you want to start festive crafting in earnest.

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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Holly Berry Happiness Photopolymer Stamp Set	Holly Berry Builder Punch	Coffee Break Designer Series Paper
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Many Marvelous Markers	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock