Yay - it's Friday again! Boy did that come around quick! This week has been half term and having James Juniors at home for the week seems to make the week fly by! Anyway, the weather is supposed to improve this weekend so that will be good. I have a busy, busy day today with retiring lists, preorders, class preparations and more besides, so let's get to it! Today I'm sharing a card that I made for this week's challenge over at 'Less is More' where it's recipe week and we're asked to include a die cut on our card. I've also combined with the vibrant colour palette over at Colour Q this week:

I just loved the bold flowers on that shower curtain in the inspiration photo! I had to substitute a couple of the colours, as they have retired and I don't have them; I used Rich Razzleberry and Wild Wasabi in place of Orchid Opulence and Certainly Celery, so my purple is not quite so electric but my card is just as colourful - take a look: 

I actually used the same CAS(E) This Sketch layout, turned through 90 degrees, that I used for yesterday's butterfly card for today's background, although it looks totally different here. I used Simple Stems to stamp my flowers, along with the little flower from the Summer Silhouettes stamp set, then used Bermuda Bay for my card base, my die cut 'thankful' - the Expressions Thinlit Dies are currently available on the clearance rack, if you would like to pick up a set for the bargain price of £13.79, I love mine! - and stamped the 'for you' in Bermuda Bay using the Fabulous Phrases stamp set.

This is one of those cards that I finished and just love - the colours, layout, the diecut word, it's so me! Do you ever make a card and like it so much that you think you'll struggle to give it away? I think the recipient of this one will have to be someone special, so if it lands in your mailbox then you should consider yourself very lucky!!

Right - I'm off to peruse the retiring lists and write out my pre-order for goodies from the new catalogue too (and maybe do a little housework!). Back tomorrow with another card; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Simple Stems	Summer Silhouettes Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Fabulous Phrases - Clear-Mount Stamp	Expressions Thinlits Dies	Card Stock A4 Bermuda Bay
Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad	Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Magnetic Platform	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

Hello everyone - my second video in a week! I'm cheating slightly, as I actually shot this video weeks ago but haven't got around to editing it until now. I made a lovely concertina fold Mother's Day card a while ago using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch - you can see my original card here - which was based on a similar card made by Julie Kettlewell (you can see Julie's original card here). Having just gone to update my original post with the link to today's video, I realise I didn't mention her in my original post, which was very remiss of me and a complete oversight on my part, as I even mentioned her in today's video. Needless to say, I have now updated the original post!

I love this concertina fold card style - it's great if you need a card that's just a little different. I made another card based on my original one, this time adapting it to a birthday card for a friend of mine who always puts so much thought into cards for others, I thought she deserved something special for her birthday too; here's my latest scalloped tag topper punch concertina fold card:

The dimensions are exactly the same as my original card - there is still enough space to stamp 'happy' on one panel, with 'birthday' spelled out on the subsequent panels leaving the last panel blank for your message (I also stamped a little 'to you!' on this panel, just to complete my message). I also decorated one of the Stampin' Up! Kraft gift boxes with some co-ordinating Gingham Garden DSP to make some pretty packaging for my accompanying gift - finished with a tag made with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch - well, what else?! Here's a picture of both pieces together:

So, if you would like to make a Scalloped Tag Topper Concertina Fold Card - either for the forthcoming international Mother's Day or a birthday card, here's my video tutorial showing you everything you need to know:

If you would like to purchase any of the Stampin' Up! supplies featured in today's project, just contact me or click on the links in the table below to go straight to my online store.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper	Petite Petals Clear-Mount Bundle	Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die	Stippled Blossoms Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock
Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock	Punch Pack	Beautiful Wings Stampin' Up! Embosslits Die
Fabulous Phrases - Clear-Mount Stamp	Simply Celebrate

A quick post from me today using more of the Sale-A-Bration goodies that you can receive with each £45 spend. Today I've made a couple of cards featuring the Sweet Sorbet paper and highlighting some of the lovely items in the Sweet Sorbet accessory pack. The pack contains some handy self-adhesive cork embellishments and some super-chunky baker's twine - here's the first of my cards:

I used a simple panel of DSP on a square layered Pool Party base, with a semi-circle cut out around a cork flower, attached above three pieces of co-ordinating chunky baker's twine. I then simply stamped 'thanks' and outlined my DSP with my white gel pen. For my second card I used the same colourway on a rectangular base and cut a larger semi-circle out of the DSP to accommodate a larger flower which is actually pre-painted white, but as you can see from the photo can be coloured - I coloured mine in Crisp Cantaloupe and Calypso Coral using Stampin' Write markers and added a Pool Party Candy Dot:

These cork flowers are a fun embellishment for something a little different, with lots of creative possibilities especially if you colour them. I'm linking the first of today's cards up to this week's Retrosketches card challenge - I used this sketch as the inspiration for both of my cards.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Fabulous Phrases - Clear-Mount Stamp	Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack	Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper	Pool Party A4 Card Stock	1 Inch Circle Punch
1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	2013-2015 In Color Stampin' Write Markers	Subtles Candy Dots	Subtles Stampin' Write Markers

Today I'm sharing a gift I made for some of my most supportive stamping friends who I met up with at Convention. One of the great things about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the friendships you make along the way - I have friends that I would never have met if it wasn't for Stampin' Up! and they are some of the most supportive when it comes to sharing successes, failures and ideas. Here is one of the gifts I made:

I found these cute little keyring notebooks in a local stationery store and customised them with stamps, punches and ribbon. I added a keyring Sharpie pen to each one, then made a little box with my Envelope Punch Board and closed with a co-ordinating belly band.

These are perfect for keeping in your handbag to always ensure you have a pen and paper to hand for quick notes.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: