Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Ann to host this week and she has a fun colour challenge for you to work with:

Ann's colours this week are perfect for Valentine's however armed with the 'blank slate' over at InspireCreate this week I decided to use a little of something old with a little of something new to create my card today - take a look:

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

Power of Hope - So first to my something new! The pagoda and sentiment on today's card are from one of the free Sale-A-Bration stamp sets, called 'Power of Hope'. This set has some lovely oriental images, including a chinese lantern and geisha girl. I used the pagoda and one of the uplifting sentiments in the set.

Embossed Stone - The Power of Hope stamp set is combined with the Stone 3D embossing folder as one of the bundles of items that you can receive free with a £90 (as opposed to £45) Sale-A-Bration purchase. I used it emboss my card base and create a textured frame for my stamped area although I think it will prove useful on other projects too.

Seasonal Layers - For my 'something old', I used my perennial favourite, the Seasonal Layers Thinlits to add a diecut cherry blossom branch to the front of my card. I added colour to the centres of the flowers using my Stampin' Blends markers and the co-ordinating Colourful Seasons stamp set, which I also used to add a touch of decoration to the inside of my card:

Whilst I haven't used them for a while, this stamp set and dies are one of the most used bundles in my collection. They really are so useful on so many projects, whatever the season. As for the Japan-influenced Power of Hope bundle, whilst I wouldn't ordinarily choose this style of stamp set, it's different to anything else I own and will I'm sure have its uses. Bottom line is it was free, so I'm most certainly not complaining! 

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:

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; one of the James Juniors is off to a paintballing party today (rather him than me!). The rest of us will be battoning down the hatches and staying indoors away from the stormy winds that are expected in the UK today. I'll be back tomorrow with another project (or two!). Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Power Of Hope Bundle (£0.00)	Seasonal Layers Dies (£31.00)	Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Stamp Set (£25.00)	Real Red A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Real Red Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)

I have had a busier than usual schedule this week which has necessitated a few blog-free days - I hope you will all bear with me, whilst I like to think I'm organised clearly I'm not organised enough! So much to share and so little time really is my motto at the moment.

Anyway, today I am back with it and I have something a little different for you - this week the team over at Global Design Project have a family theme and CAS-ual Fridays are challenging us to make anything but a card - so I thought I would share one of my recent scrapbooking layouts:

Here is my layout featuring the Color Theory Memories and More card pack:

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

A Traditional Layout - Whilst I don't often share my layouts with you here on my blog, I'm a real fan of the pocket-style memory keeping that we introduced with the Project Life range and subsequently with Memories and More. The pocket cards make it so easy to put pages together quickly and I love that I can organise my pages with minimal supplies and 'pretty' them up as I go or add extra detail later. Here I've used the Memories and More cards in a traditional 12" x 12" scrapbook layout as I wanted to show how these cards can be used in a variety of different ways. The pre-printed sentiment cards mean that whatever type of layout you use, Memories and More cards make it easy to create a colourful layout with no stamping required.

Color Theory For All Seasons - This layout is one of four that I created using the Color Theory Memories and More card pack, as I created one for each season. I will share the other layouts in a future blog post; as you can see this page is my Winter layout featuring the rest of the James family on our annual ice skating trip. This is something we love to do every year and make a point of doing together, just the four of us - it has become a tradition and is generally accompanied by different novelty hats each year - in the photo above Rebecca is sporting a Christmas tree whilst Ben's has elf ears! In addition to the Memories and More cards, I used some coloured embossing paste with my Pattern Party Decorative Masks to add some texture and interest to my background, along with some diecut snowflakes courtesy of the Seasonal Layers Thinlits, a little glimmer paper and some glitter enamel dots to add some festive sparkle. I added stickers from the Color theory card pack for additional sentiments and accents.

Hidden Thoughts - My layout features space for journaling on the card above my photograph, but it also features a 'hidden journaling' card concealed beneath the photograph and revealed by pulling the tab on the left hand side attached to the card that says 'Details'. The circle tab punch is great for adding tabs to your journaling cards in this way.

I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Color Theory Card Pack	Whisper White 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock	Embossing Paste	Pattern Party Decorative Masks	Palette Knives
Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Circle Tab Punch	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock	Glitter Enamel Dots	Marina Mist A4 Cardstock
Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper	Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies	Silver 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Ribbon

The Bank Holiday is over and we are back to normality. I'm sharing another card from my recent technique class featuring the Colorful Seasons stamp set using the baby wipe technique, this time with a winter theme - take a look:

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

Triple Stamping Technique - Today's card uses the same babywipe reinker technique that I shared with you yesterday, this time using the snowflake outline images and also incorporates another fun technique: triple stamping. This is where you stamp over several layers to create a dimensional image, or alternatively stamp over a single layer then cut your sheet into a central piece with two surrounding frames using your trimmer. Each stamped section is then layered with a solid coloured mat in between to add dimension to the image.

Seasonal Layers Snowflake - The co-ordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits have a number of fun dies and today's card features one of the snowflakes, so incredibly detailed - check it out in the close up at the start of today's post. It makes a great focal point, this time with a glitter enamel dot as its centrepiece.

A Frosty Colour Combo - Today's colour combination is all about frosty, cold wintry days - here it is for you if you'd like to save it to use on your winter and Christmas projects:

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 from my class that also uses the baby wipe reinker technique. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Bundle	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Glitter Enamel Dots	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad
Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set

Today it's a Bank Holiday Monday here in the weekend and for once it looks as if the sun is going to shine - woohoo! I'm sharing a card from my recent technique class featuring the Colorful Seasons stamp set using a fun technique - take a look:

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

Baby Wipe Technique - The Colorful Seasons stamp set has a great selection of solid and outline stamp images that work well with the babywipe reinker technique. This is where you create your own multi-coloured ink pad by adding a selection of colours to a baby wipe and then use this as your ink pad to create a variegated look. I used the technique with the small solid leaf stamp for my autumnal card - it reminds me of falling autumn leaves, which are often a mix of colours. 

Seasonal Layers Skeletal Leaf  - The co-ordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits have a number of fun dies that include this gorgeous leaf, so incredibly detailed. It makes a great focal point, tied with a little linen thread and a decorative wooden heart (this one is retired but I've included the link below for the current version).

An Autumnal Colour Combo - This colour combination sums up the season for me - here it is for you if you'd like to save it to use on your autumn and fall projects:

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 from my class that also uses the baby wipe reinker technique. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Bundle	Pumpkin Pie A4 Cardstock	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso A4 Cardstock
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Linen Thread	Hearts & Stars Elements	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

Today I'm sharing a card for this week's sketch over at CAS Colours & Sketches:  

Today's card turned out to be one of the easiest ever cards for you to recreate - and is perfect for the sentiment of the day! Check it out:

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

Just Breathe - This beautifully scripted oversize sentiment is from a set that will be new in the forthcoming annual catalogue called 'Colorful Seasons': a selection of images and words that co-ordinate with a number of other products that form part of the new Colour Theory Suite. This will be a great set for memory keeping and traditional scrapbooking, as well as card making - it's incredibly versatile and I can't wait to share more of it with you. 

Serene Scenery - The art of mindfulness, that is focusing our attention on the present moment, has become very popular of late. It is a proven stress reliever and can be very effective in helping us to clear our mind, become more objective and therefore more able to move forward in a positive and constructive manner. Using mindfulness techniques for even 10 minutes a day can have beneficial effects; I was recently introduced to the Headspace mobile phone app by a friend of mine and can see why she is so evangelical about it - you can find out more here. When I want to relax my mind and 'just breathe' I am a blue sky thinker - literally. So this photographic image from the retiring Serene Scenery DSP stack made the perfect accompanying image. I wanted my card to deliberately have no other obvious focus other than the sentiment - sometimes when life gets too much we all have times where we need to be reminded to 'just breathe' and this card will be heading to a friend to say just that. 

Neutrals - I went with a largely neutral palette for my card today, using Island Indigo for my sentiment to pick up on the bold blue of the image. If you like this colour combination, feel free to save it for future use:

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. 

This has to be one of the quickest cards ever; the funny thing is, I wasn't short on time when I made it. I guess a simple card for a simple sketch - sometimes words are enough. Of course if you disagree feel free to comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Stamp Set

Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack

Island Indigo A4 Cardstock

Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad

Sahara Sand A4 Cardstock

Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock