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 seasonal theme challenge for us to work with:

It's clean and simple week and Ann has asked us to feature a spring flower on our card. here's a quick reminder of what we mean by 'clean and simple at The Paper Players:

• Has minimal layers and embellishments
• Has plenty of open space, aka "white" space
• Is simple and uncluttered

After much deliberation, I decided to use my 'Flowering Tulips' stamp set as I haven't yet inked it up this spring. I chose the lovely bright colours palette over at Just Add Ink and created this really simple card - take a look:

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

I stamped a couple of tulips in the same colour as the cardstock, stamping off one of the layers to get a depth of colour and cut them out using the Tulips Dies and heat embossed the stamens in black for a little extra shine. I added my tulips to a matt layer onto which I'd stamped my sentiment and used one of the dies in the set to cut a pattern to reveal colour from the card base below:

I added a simple diecut silhouette border to the inside of my card to complete my design: 

Super simple and so bright and cheery, tulips, alongside daffodils, are one of my most favourite spring flowers.

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:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FLOWERING TULIPS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	TULIPS DIES (33.00)	GORGEOUS GRAPE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)
GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	MANGO MELODY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. There are 5 Tuesdays in May so we are ending the month with the double: one of our previous sketches and a retired colour combination. For Shannon's final challenge as hostess she chose the following:  

For my card today I grabbed a punch bundle that is perfect for a quick and simple thank you card that will really make the most of these retro colours - take a look:

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

I used my Basic Borders Dies for a simple angled layered border with a simple dotted detail, and used my Flowers of Friendship stamp set to heat emboss a sentiment on my Island Indigo card base and stamp a trio of flowers in Island Indigo onto the other two colours and punched them out with the flowers and Leaves punch and finished them with some retired Island Indigo enamel dot centres:  

Super simple and could be easily recreated in colours that are currently available.

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. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! colour names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project and news of a great new promotion too. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BASIC BORDERS DIES (£27.00)

FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)

FLOWERS & LEAVES PUNCH (£18.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)

Happy Saturday everyone - hurrah for the weekend! Today I'm sharing a card that uses the current sketch layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday that was inspired by the fabulous photo over at The Card Concept:

With St Patrick's Day coming up next Thursday, it's easy to see where the team at The Card Concept are coming from with their 'Wearing O' The Green' theme this week. I took a ton of inspiration from the cushion in their photo to create my clean and layered card - take a look:

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

Lucky You - First up - all those shamrocks definitely needed a 'lucky' sentiment! I chose to use the watercolour effect stamp with the words 'lucky to know you' from the 'Lucky You' stamp set and stamped it onto a label cut using the Painted labels Dies (and trimmed slightly to it). I love the subtle watercolour effect of the sentiment stamps in this set and they are great when you want to make a feature of the words themselves.  

Flowers of Friendship - I'm sure I have the perfect clover/shamrock in my retired stamp sets, but when I came to make this card I couldn't find one anywhere so I had to get creative! I wanted to include some shamrocks - or in my case my lucky four-leaf clover substitute! - so turned to the punch I used on this card to make my stencil yesterday, this time to stamp and punch a row of leaves in So Saffron and Granny Apple Green. The colours on my card today were also influenced by the inspiration photo - I like the mix of pale yellow and vanilla in with the greens, I think they really lift and elevate the card. I added Just Jade enamel dots to the centres of the leaves to tie them in with my card base.

A Carpet of Clover - I originally left my card base blank, but my clean and simple heart still felt it was a little plain, so instead I created a carpet of clover by stamping little leaves all over to give a tone-on-tone effect. This stamp is actually a border stamp from the 'Flowers of Friendship' set - you can see it here stamped on the inside of my card:

To achieve the random effect on my cardfront I simply inked only the end two leaves each time I stamped, rather that the whole row.

How often do you find yourself getting properly creative with the items in your craft collection when you can't find the exact thing you're looking for? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear how you've repurposed stamps or tools to create something different. 

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. 

Both of the James Juniors are out on the hockey pitch today: one playing a single match, but miles away and the other with a full day of 3 back-to-back matches with both playing an dumpiring commitments. Last week's injury in our house to add to the tally was bruised hand, complete with ball dimple pattern - and a medical emergency involving another parent that had nothing to do with the play and which thankfully was dealt with swiftly by a trip to A&E. I'm hoping tomorrow will be less eventful! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project where I am hosting this week's new challenge over at the Paper Players and I have a fresh colour challenge for you. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£33.25)	LUCKY YOU CLING STAMP SET (£19.00)	PAINTED LABELS DIES (£33.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	JUST JADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	JUST JADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

Today I'm sharing a clean and simple card inspired by a couple of challenges:

AAA Cards are looking for designs 'along the edge' with an optional twist of dry embossing and over at The Alphabet Challenge they are on 'I is for Insect'. I embraced all three to come up with a super simple card - take a look:

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

I embossed my panel of thick Basic White with the Greenery embossing folder; it goes off the edge on both sides, but here I just ran it through along one edge. I added a get-well soon sentiment in Night of Navy and to finish could resist a golden bumble bee trinket for my insect:

And that's it - super simple but I hope you'll agree quite effective nonetheless.

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:

GREENERY EMBOSSING FOLDERS (£7.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

BUMBLEBEE TRINKETS (£7.00)

FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP CLING STAMP SET (£20.00)

NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Shannon has asked that we add three similar shapes to a panel across the centre of our card. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I decided to go pastel with pale blue and yellow which is the current colour challenge over at Less Is More and I created a pretty row of punched flowers backed with gingham - take a look:

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

The flowers on today's card are courtesy of the new 'Flowers of Friendship' stamp set. I stamped them in Basic Grey onto So Saffron cardstock and added a little extra tone-on-tone shading with my So Saffron Blends. I punched the two different-sized flowers with the co-ordinating Flowers & Leaves Punch and layered a row of three against a simple stitched rectangle of Balmy Blue gingham, finishing the centre of each with pale blue pearls. I added a sentiment from the same set to complete my card.

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. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£33.25)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)
STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	PASTEL PEARLS (£6.00)