I'm here today with a quick post to let you know about a new co-ordination product release that launches today and runs until the 31st March whilst stocks last. There is a collection of exclusive products that co-ordinate with Sale-A-Bration and the January-June mini catalogue items. Check them out:

One other thing to note is that Stampin' Up! has confirmed that the Nature's Thoughts Dies that co-ordinate with the Positive Thoughts stamp set and the Special Day Dies that co-ordinate with the Special Someone stamp set will both be carrying over into the new annual catalogue so will be available again to purchase from 4th June. 

There is no limit on how many items you can order, however they are only available for a limited time and whilst supplies last. Last year's co-ordination products sold out really quickly with some popular dies selling out within days, so don't leave it too long to get your hands on yours!

 My personal favourites are the Ladybugs Dies and the Happy Birrthday Dies, along with the Pleased as Punch paper - I can't resist a nice paper, especially one where you can punch out all the patterns!

You can find links to these items and the products they co-ordinate with in the online store are below - any questions, do get in touch. Happy shopping!

Nature's Thoughts Dies (£27.00)	Positive Thoughts Cling Stamp Set (£20.00)
Special Day Dies (£27.00)	Special Someone Photopolymer Stamp Set (£16.00)
Ladybugs Dies (£27.00)	Little Ladybug Host Cling Stamp Set (English) (£0.00)
Sending Flowers Dies (£25.00)	Sending You Thoughts Cling Stamp Set (English) (£0.00)
Birthday Dies (£25.00)	Happy Birthday To You Cling Stamp Set (English) (£0.00)

Pleased As Punch Designer Series Paper (£10.75)

Small Bloom Punch (£0.00)

Heart Punch Pack (£32.00)

Umbrella Builder Punch (£17.00)

Tulip Builder Punch (£17.00)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of my sweet friend Claire to host this week and she has a timely theme challenge for you to work with:

It's the first Sunday in February and the month of Valentine's so love is definitely in the air! I combined our challenge this week with the colour palette over at Global Design Project and Julee's Mojo Monday sketch and am linking up with Just Us Girls where they are looking for bows. All of these elements came together for my love-filled card - take a look:

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

From My Heart - My card today features three of the patterns in the From The Heart specialty designer series paper. With playful patterns featuring red and pink foil accents on some designs, these papers are perfect for Valentine's Day cards and packaging. I used a pink and red random heart design for my largest panel and layered two of the foiled heart designs for the uppermost layer and focal point of my card. Check out the foil effect - so pretty:

Two Hearts Are Better Than One - I loved the layering of Julee's sketch and decided it would be a great way to showcase my favourite foiled heart pattern in the paper pack. I layered it on a pink heart from another of the designs, both of which I punched out using the punches in the Heart Punch pack: one has straight edges and the other scalloped and they nest together beautifully. I love it when you can punch shapes out of paper this easily - it makes card making a breeze! 

Add A Bow - I finished my card with a fancy glossy red satin ribbon bow. The foil detailing and the faceted gems make this card something special and a luxurious bow seemed like the perfect way 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 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 will be crafting and getting ready for my technique class tomorrow and might even sneak in a movie this afternoon. To my fellow PP teamies and anyone else stateside who is watching the Super Bowl and hosting or attending a Super Bowl party - enjoy!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

From My Heart Specialty Designer Series Paper (£13.00)	Heartfelt Bundle (English) (£43.00)	Real Red 3/8" (1 Cm) Double-Stitched Satin Ribbon (£7.00)	From My Heart Faceted Gems (£5.50)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Real Red A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Flirty Flamingo A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

I hope you are all enjoying your weekends. So far mine has been spent doing laundry, assisting the James Juniors with their homework (Ted Hughes poetry and an art project today!) and preparing for my technique classes next week. I did find time to finish a card that I started yesterday though: another Valentine's card, using this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the top line of the tic-tac-toe board over at Stamps, Ink, Paper and fitting with the 'love' theme over at Paper Craft Crew too.

In order to fit in my large sentiment, I went with an unusual 8 1/4" x 5 1/2" sized card - take a look:

I stamped the 'l v e' from the 'Larger Than Life Alphabet and Numbers' stamp set in Versamark and heat embossed them in black, then substituted the 'o' from my 'love' sentiment with the heart from the 'First Sight' set, which I stamped in Real Red on Real Red cardstock, then overstamped again in Versamark and heat embossed with clear embossing powder for additional shine. I used a piece of Everyday Chic designer series paper for my border panel and finished off my sentiment inside the card with one of the 'Hello You' thinlits and an outline stamped red heart:

I even created a custom envelope with some Real Red envelope paper and the help of my trusty Envelope Expert tool, which I also decorated with a stamped red heart.

I love the layers of this card and the letters shine beautifully; I think this may be one of my favourite Valentine's cards that I've ever made. Today's blog title comes from the combination of one of the stamp sets I've used today and the sentiment and it got me thinking - I remember meeting my now husband for the first time and thinking even then he would be the man I would one day marry; I do believe there is such a thing as love at first sight - do you? Do leave me a comment below today's post - I would love to know what you think.  

That's all from me today; back tomorrow with a new card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

First Sight Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Sweetheart Punch	Larger Than Life Alphabet & Numbers Photopolymer Stamp Set	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Real Red A4 Cardstock	Everyday Chic Designer Series Paper	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad
Heat Tool (Uk)	Black Stampin' Emboss Powder

It's Monday and I am filled with the enthusiasm of a new week! I managed to get some quality crafting time yesterday afternoon, so I'm hoping to tick off a few 'back burner' jobs this week. Today I'm sharing a card using this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, where Jen Timko has this sketch for us (and a great interpretation of it - you should really check out both her card and those of the other FMS designers):

I stuck with the circle for my shape and decided to go with a pink and pretty card today using the fab 'Sheltering Tree' stamp set from the new Spring-Summer catalogue. Here is my card:

I used Crumb Cake for my base and adhered a layer of Crumb Cake DSP with polka dots from the Neutrals DSP stack to the front. I stamped my tree on Whisper White in Crumb Cake, and the leaves twice, once in Pink Pirouette and once in Blushing Bride, then added some tiny pink hearts punched with my Confetti Heart Border Punch. The swing and sentiment are stamped in Chocolate chip for a little contrast and I embossed the top layer with the large polka dot embossing folder before adhering to my card with dimensionals. A small punched heart and tiny pearl complete the look. This stamp set offers so many possibilities; it was one of those sets that I bought 'for me' as I know I will get lots of use out if it. It's also photopolymer, so aligning the images is a doddle - no stamp-a-ma-jig required.

I am also linking today's card up with SUO Challenges where the current theme is dots; mine are subtle, but they are definitely there! This card would make a lovely Valentine's card or even a birthday or other occasion for a special little girl - I know my daughter would love it, although her fascination with the little bicycle that comes with this stamp set may require me to change out the swing with a two-wheeler!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, stay warm (it's cold in the UK today!) and happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Sheltering Tree Photopolymer Stamp Set	Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Confetti Hearts Border Punch	Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad	Pink Pirouette A4 Card Stock	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad
Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock	Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack	Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Basic Pearls Jewel Accents

Today I'm sharing my Design team card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players. This week LeAnne is hosting and she has a clean and simple challenge to create a child's birthday card this week:

Those of you who follow LeAnne's blog, Wee Inklings, regularly will know that today young Miss Cassidy is celebrating her fourth birthday - hooray! having seen the other Design Team members cards this week, I can vouch for the fact that mine looks quite different to everyone else's! My cards today are not made with four year old girls in mind (nowhere near enough pink for that!) however as the mother of two young children, I make lots of children's cards. Whilst they are sometimes stamped, I am often asked to make something that reflects the current favourite game/toy/theme of the moment. Those of you who follow my blog will know I am partial to Lego and have created some great Lego punch art in the past (see my most recent one here), although this can be time-consuming and not all that clean and simple. Today though I am sharing two of my tried and tested punch art cards for young boys.

First I am sharing another of Ben's birthday cards from last week; this time, the one I made for him from his big sister. Now as is true for most young boys of his age, Minecraft is a game that provides hours of endless entertainment for him. I've made a few creeper cards that I haven't shared previously (creepers are the monsters that come out at night and take your life, so I'm told) - they really are so easy to make! - but I thought I'd share this one, as after a browse on Pinterest I saw this card and decided I wanted to make a creeper card with a difference. Here's the outside of my card:

A simple creeper face made from 1" punched squares, along with 2 pieces of 1" x 1 1/2", one cut in half lengthways, on a background of now retired Gumball Green (I think this is the best creeper colour, but you could substitute with Garden Green if you don't have any), then when you open the card, he really comes to life:

A simple pop-up - how fun is that?! This must be a record in terms of supplies, given that you can make one of these cards with some basic cardstock and not much else; it's also another 'no stamping' card - that's two in a week! Now I have to admit, as cards go it's not really my cup of tea, but then I'm not the target audience. The verdict? Rebecca thought it was awesome and Ben loved it, so if it ticks the box of the now seven year old, it's good enough for me!

I also wanted to share another clean and simple birthday card that I have made so many of, I can't quite believed I've never blogged before! All children seem to love shaped cards, and this cute Angry Bird is so easy to create using a few punches and a base made using the Circle Thinlits and the Big Shot:

A custom envelope from some co-ordinating Brights DSP made using the Envelope Punch Board and you are good to go. Two cards that are really clean and simple, quick and easy. Do pop over to The Paper Players to see what the other designers have come up with - I promise they will be quite different to mine!

It's Sunday and I'm off to town today to collect some frames for a private home décor class I'm teaching tomorrow along with a visit to the shoe shop for new trainers and school shoes for the children in readiness for the new school year. Still two more weeks to go, yet I'm sure it will fly by.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

1" Square Punch	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Garden Green A4 Card Stock	Magnetic Platform	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Sweetheart Punch	1 Inch Circle Punch	3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Chevron Border Punch
Real Red A4 Card Stock	Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen

A busy day today: key highlights were getting to the bottom of the ironing basket (always worth celebrating!), finding Ben's mislaid PE training shoes at school and completing my card for this week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge. This week it's a colour challenge to incorporate the following colours:

I decided to stick with the Valentine's theme and use the contrasting colours to work up a card design that I've been wanting to have a go at for a while - here's my card:

I'm not sure what the term is for this angular layered design (or even if there is one!) but it's the perfect simple layout to highlight both the Eiffel Tower and 'True Love' sentiment from the 'Follow Your Heart' stamp set; I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure perfect placement. Lastly, I added a small punched red heart with a rhinestone on a dimensional for added interest. I love the simplicity of this card and the statement that the bold red colour makes against the white and soft sky.

I hope you like my card - there's lots more inspiration from the Design Team over at Paper Pal Arts using this colour combination if you fancy having a go.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Follow My Heart Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Real Red A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Small Heart Punch	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

Today has been a fun day, with my first class of the year. A fun - if quiet! - time was had by all, with all my ladies being very accommodating of my continued voiceless state. I'll share more on our class makes later in the week, but today I'm sharing a card that I am entering for this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge, PPA186, which is to use the following colours:

With this in mind, I inked up my Flowerfull Heart stamp again but this time made a slider card - take a look:

I stamped the heart in Versamark and heat embossed with gold embossing powder, then layered the heart on another one made from gold foil. When the ribbon end is pulled, it reveals the message inside:

The inside of the slider card is stamped with my favourite stamp from the 'Follow My Heart' set on the lower inside panel, and the valentine stamp from the 'Delightful Dozen' on the extending top section (I replaced the stamped heart with a gold foil one). I think this would make a lovely masculine valentine's card; the gold foil and embossing adds a real luxurious feel.

I will be sharing a video tutorial on how to make this card as soon as my voice returns, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, check out the inspiration from the designers and participants over at Pals Paper Arts here.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Flowerfull Heart Wood-Mount Stamp	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform	Hearts Collection Framelits Dies	Follow My Heart Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Delightful Dozen - Clear-Mount Stamp	Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Gold Foil Sheets	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool - Uk Plug	Small Heart Punch

Good morning lovely readers - no blog post yesterday as I had some very important last-minute work to finish, but do not fear - today there will be (at least) two blog posts to make up for it!

So today we're having a short break from Christmas projects as it's the first of December and the launch of Stampin' Up's 'Whole Lot of Love' promotion - stamps and products designed with Valentine's Day in mind, but can be used for lots more besides. You may have noticed that Valentine's-themed projects didn't feature in the current seasonal catalogue, hence this special promotion to enable you to be prepared in good time for the big day. There are some great products in this set, ranging from cute (Monster Hugs - adorable! - available from 9th December) to practical (pre-cut card and envelope sets) and romantic (check out that Eiffel Tower!) to beautiful (the Flowerfull Heart - a keeper that would look just as beautiful on a birthday card for someone special). Here are the images for each set:

Aren't they great? I'll have some samples to share using a selection of these products in the not-too-distant future, but meanwhile in keeping with the theme I thought I would share this card with you that I made using the 'love' Thinlits die: 

If you're a fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator and you attended our recent European Convention in Manchester, you may well have seen this card already. It was one of the projects I entered for the Convention Design Competition and whilst it didn't win, it was on the display boards for everyone to enjoy. My other project was 3D, but I chose this card as my second project as it's very clean and simple and typical of my papercrafting style. I am in love with these thinlits and also like how they can be used not only with the word itself, but you can use the relief too - no need to throw away this piece, a real two for one! I created an ombre background in the relief - I love this technique and think it looks great when done in inks with a brayer or sponged, but also like the clean look it gives with this kind of project. A few extra pieces and a small diamante just finish it off.

One of the funniest things that happened at Convention was that I attended an early Friday evening workshop and left my two downline team members who were attending Convention with me to browse the display boards. When I met up with them later, they both said to me 'You should come and see this card on the board - we love it and think you will too.' And the card? Without them knowing it was mine, they led me to this card! What can I say? Great minds clearly think alike! It did give me a lovely warm feeling inside though - love you, my little Crafty Owls!

Check out the product links below if you would like to have a go at either recreating my card or purchase any of the lovely new Valentine's products.

Back tomorrow with another creative project; check out today's other post though if you're a Stampin' Up! demonstrator - your life is just about to get a whole lot easier ....

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (for love card):

Stampin' Up! Whole Lot of Love Products (Monster Hugs available from 9th December):

Love You More Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Love You More Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Follow My Heart Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Follow My Heart Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Flowerfull Heart Wood-Mount Stamp
Sweetheart Treat Bags	Sweet Sayings Cards And Envelopes

An earlier post than usual from me today, as I am out at school this evening to discuss 'wins and learns' from the weekend's bonfire and fireworks evening, which was a huge success. As promised, today's creative post is a very festive Christmas card created using the current Paper Craft Crew Challenge sketch as my inspiration. Here is the challenge sketch:

I haven't made a banner card for a while, so thought I would take the opportunity to create a festive one. Here's my card:

I chose Real Red, Whisper White and Gumball Green for my festive creation and whilst I followed the layered style of the sketch, I chose to change the shape of my card and create a long, slim card (for which I created a bespoke envelope with my new envelope punch board!). I also incorporated my sentiment into my banner, rather than across the bottom of my card - I haven't used the Occasions Alphabet before, but it seemed perfect for a flagged banner here. My Hearts a Flutter stamps and framelit set enabled this card to come together easily.

Hop on over to the PCC Challenge page here to see what the Design team and other participants did with the sketch - there are some great creative inspirations to enjoy.

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

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

Today I have a very special card to share with you. As my regular blog followers are aware, my soon-to-be six year old son and his friends are Angry Bird mad; I swear if we didn't ration access to all touch devices in our house he would turn into one of those little feathered creatures!! Anyway, a friend of his celebrates his birthday today and in addition to the card I made from us, which I will share with you another time, his Mum also asked me if I would make him a special birthday card. I saw a very simple Angry Bird pop up card by Julie Davidson a while ago which I loved (you can see Julie's card that was the inspiration for mine here), but I must confess I had something much more 'explosive' in mind. So this was the front of my card:

Lots of little pigs hiding amidst the wood and boulders, along with a box of TNT for good measure and a red Angry Bird ready for action. Open the card to reveal what happens once there's been a hit:

Birds, pigs and stars literally 'explode' out of the card. The decoration is all attached to a spiral pop-up, which is simply a large circle cut into a spiral with one end attached to each side of the card. Its really easy to do and if you made the spiral the same colour as the base card, it blends into the background and allows the birds to really 'fly'. Here's a close up of the pigs so that you can see what I mean:

I added a number 6 and some glimmer stars and used the new Simply Sketched alphabet stamps to add the 'Ready, Aim ... Fire!' and a personalised message for the recipient. It has to be said, this card was something of a 'labour of love' - creating all the birds and pigs takes an absolute age, but it was so worth it for the impact of the resulting card, which I am reliably informed was well received!

It sounds like our very own TNT explosion in the garden at the moment; the thunder and lightening is flashing and crashing as I write and whilst lawns and gardens everywhere are I'm sure benefiting from the downpour, I'm personally hoping it is just a brief interlude in the glorious weather we've been having of late.

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

Stampin' Up Supplies:

Stamps: ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet & Numbers, Woodgrain

Cardstock: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Grey, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise

Inks: Real Red, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey, Whisper White

Tools: 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Handheld Circle Punch (retired), Small Heart Punch, Full Heart Punch, Owl Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch (circle), Corner Punch, Merry Minis Punch (star), Sponge Dauber, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Finishing Touches: Silver Glimmer Paper