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)

Today I've another post for you and I'm sharing not one but three cards - all variations on a theme for this week's challenge over at CAS Colours and Sketches:

Now normally I would run a mile at the thought of a colour and sketch combo. but I saw this one and immediately loved it! I no longer have those three retired Stampin' Up! ink colours, so I substituted with a current trio of similar colours:

I used my three colours to create the same card in three colourways - here's the basic design:

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

Detailed Baubles - The multiple bauble stamp in the 'Beautiful Baubles' stamp set was perfect to accompany my sentiment on the portrait feature panel on my card. I stamped it in the same colour as my card base, then used one of the other three colours to mat this layer and tie with a co-ordinating ribbon. I stamped the baubles again on a piece of spare cardstock and used my In-Colour Stampin' Write Markers to add selective colour to a few of my baubles, before cutting out with the Detailed Baubles Thinlits and popping some of the baubles up with mini-dimensionals to add interest. 

Tone on Tone Backgrounds - I initially left my base layer blank, but it seemed a little too plain. I tried stamping a tone-on-tone background all over with the large bauble stamp in this set and decided I quite like it - so repeated in the other colourways too. 

Mix and Match - This card was easy to replicate and achieve a different look simply by switching the colours of the bases and layers around. I ended up creating six cards in one go, two in each colourway. A nice dent on my Christmas card pile and with the focus on three in-colours too, it meant that I didn't need a ton of supplies either - bonus! Here's a picture showing all three colourways:

And I stamped the inside too:

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:

Beautiful Baubles Photopolymer Bundle (£40.50)	In Color 2018–2020 A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Lovely Lipstick Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Call Me Clover Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Lovely Lipstick 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Grosgrain Ribbon (£5.50)	Call Me Clover 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Grosgrain Ribbon (£5.50)	Blueberry Bushel 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Grosgrain Ribbon (£5.50)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	In Color 2018–2020 Stampin' Write Markers (£13.75)