Today I have exciting news! Following my win over at Time Out with this card a few challenges ago, I am delighted to be joining the team today as a guest designer:

Their new challenge 314 is an 'Inspired By' challenge where they are asking us include a favourite beverage on our projects:

The sponsor for this new challenge is one of the Time Out Design Team members who is donating an adorable hand made bottle bag as the prize for the challenge winner, as chosen by the Design Team.  The winner also gets an invitation to Guest Design with the Time Out team for a future challenge.

When considering my beverage of choice, I initially thought about maybe a nice glass of wine or refreshing gin & tonic, but my true favourite beverage will always be - a cup of tea! I love a good strong cup of English Breakfast tea at any time of day and drink more tea than any other beverage and often consume 6 or more cups a day, I decided to pair an old favourite stamp set with some beautiful new paper and have another play with some of the new In Colours - take a look at what I came up with:

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

Yes it's the third outing for this layout - this time using the rectangle to feature a piece of the pretty Bloom Boutique specialty designer series paper. This paper pack is oh so pretty with its dainty florals and features all of the new in-colours within the pack. My chosen pattern today features Barely Blush and Crisp Cantaloupe flowers, with Peaceful Pine foliage and gold accents. 

I carried the florals and colours into my flower-filled teacup, stamped and diecut using the retired A Cup Of Tea stamp set and co-ordinating dies, with gold foil accents and detailing and a teeny-tiny tea bag tag for my sentiment: 

What's your favourite beverage? Do leave me a comment below and please join the team over at Time Out and play along too! I'm also linking my card up with m friends over at Colour Inkspiration today where their new challenge is to feature two or more of the new in colours.

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:

BLOOM BOUTIQUE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£16.00)

2026–2028 IN COLOR™ A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

2026–2028 IN COLOR™ CLASSIC STAMPIN' PADS (£63.00)

GOLD FOIL SHEETS (£4.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

Today I have a quick card to share  that I made using Jen B's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week:

I love this layout - especially the way Verena used the die I used on yesterday's card on her DT card - but I didn't want to copy and as I was making yesterday's card, I realised that I still had some of the scenes in the retired Cute As A Bug paper pack that I hadn't used, so chose one for the central panel and used the reverse pattern to frame it   - take a look:

I actually had two of the same scene, so fussy cut the saxaphone-playing butterfly and the grasshopper harpist and added them with dimensionals for added lift and interest:

I did take a couple of liberties with the sketch: I rotated it through 90 degrees and altered the position of the sentiment slightly so that it didn't obscure my musical creature but the layout is still there to see. This card is a little larger than usual, A5 instead of A6 as I didn't want to cut down the central scene. I'm also linking today's card up for a second outing over at Time Out since my bug orchestra is definitely making music of sorts!

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; I have to scoot to get this linked up over at FMS before the close; I went to the gym first thing then spent an hour or so paddleboarding along the river this morning, and despite my best intentions the heat properly overwhelmed me this afternoon and I fell asleep! I now need to make up for lost time and catch up on a few of the other things I was hoping to do today - at 35 degrees plus it's a record-breaking Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK temperature wise, but I'm definitely not complaining! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous LeAnne to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge, for us to work with:

I really like this sketch - the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed I used this layout for the speed stamping card I made on Friday (you can see that card here if you missed it)  and I have another card later this week that uses it too. On each of these cards, I've tried to use the panels in different ways. For today's card, I'm using some cute retired Cute As A Bug designer paper and one of my favourite dies for that rectangular panel - take a look:

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

I decided to add a piece of DSP featuring tiny flowers to the front of my card (this is one of the Cute As A Bug patterns); this allowed me to make a feature of the rectangular panel with the circles panel diecut from the Lovely Arrangements bundle. I added a stitched circle as the base for my fussy-cut insect carrying her flower and paired her with a sentiment from the Lovel Arrangements bundle too:

A heart and a couple of enamel flowers from my stash were the finishing touches for this otherwise quite simple card. I was enjoying fussy cutting whilst I had this pack of paper out on my desk, so took the opportunity to make a second card using it too - I'll share that one with you tomorrow. This really is a great sketch - I can't wait to see what you all make with is this week!

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; it's a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and for once the sun is shining and it's glorious! I will be spending my day in the garden, reading and soaking up the beautiful weather whilst it lasts! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

LOVELY ARRANGEMENTS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£45.75)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

MOSSY MEADOW A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

MOSSY MEADOW CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)

I have been busy trying to work ahead on a few projects in what little time I've had this week, but I did manage to find time to make a card for fun to play along with the current challenge over at Time Out where the theme is 'playing music':

I had been saving this piece of designer paper featuring a stage from my retired Turtley Cute pack and this challenge was just the prompt I needed to put it to good use - take a look:

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

The stage was the perfect setting for a band, so I grabbed my scissors and snipped three instrumentalists from another sheet of paper and placed them together to create my rock band. I say rock band, because it suited my sentiment (from the retired 'Music From The Heart' stamp set), but I'm not sure what kind of music a trumpet, accordion player and bass drum is likely to make together! They do all look like they're having fun though! I stamped some music notes onto the background paper and added some yellow sequins to give some sparkle to those bright stage lights too:

We are a houseful of musicians (three pianists, a trained soprano and a classical guitar player) so music cards are always appreciated. I made this one for my son who has quite a collection of cards that I've made with these turtles - he thinks they are so cute with their comical expressions - and even though he's a teenager now, he still appreciates a card that is colourful and fun (no browns or cards with fishing memorabilia for him!) so I'm linking this card up over at Inkspirational too where the theme is 'For The Guys'.

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; I am typing this whilst sat in the garden enjoying the sunshine. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

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 clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

Food, glorious food! I don't have anything current that fits the bill for this one, so I reached for an old favourite, Taco Fiesta, for my card today. I grabbed Verena's fab sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week (it's a keeper!) for my layout and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

The retired Festive Birthday designer series paper gave me the colour scheme for today's card. I don't think I've ever paired it with Taco Fiesta, yet the bright Mexican patterns make it a great fit. I chose one of the busier patterns, covered in maracas, pinatas, guitars, sombreros and tiny chillies for my main piece and a strip with coordinating stripes to border it. I stamped my sentiment in the central circle and framed it above and below with a collection of guacamole-related images from the stamp set that I stamped and coloured with my Stampin' Blends:

With a nod to our challenge badge this week, I gave my avocado and cactus cute faces - there's something about food with faces that makes me smile! I added a little extra decoration, including a smiling taco, to the inside of my card too: 

I really love the bright colours and fun feel of this birthday card, although I'm probably pushing my own boundaries in terms of clean and simple - but the paper was so fun and I couldn't resist creating the little foodie clusters! So take this as your reminder - if you're playing along this week, we are looking for clean and simple cards featuring food: minimal layers, uncluttered with minimal embellishments too and lots of 'white' space. We are looking forward to your food-themed creations!

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; a quiet day here in the James household today I think - nothing much planned. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

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

I love this bright colour combination! I know I've used it before, but mostly with florals. Today I thought it would be perfect to make something fun and summery with some new products (I'm using both stencils and dies for the challenge over at Just Add Ink) and that fab sketch from Sunday Stamps again - take a look:

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

Splash & Relax - I decided on a pool-themed card today, so stamped and diecut a rubber ring and a beach ball from the Splash & Relax bundle, available as part of the May Online Exclusives release. I found some Granny Apple Green glimmer paper in my stash, so used this to diecut a pair of sparkly sunglasses to complete my trio of things needed for a fun day at the pool:

Water Decorative Mask - I used Coastal Cabana for my swimming pool and created my stencilled watery panel using one of the 'hidden heroes' in the new annual catalogue: the Water & Dotted Lines Decorative Masks are buried in the tools section at the back of the catalogue, but this pair of stencils is going to be useful for so many things! They are large masks, measuring 12" x 12" so great for scrapbook pages too, but for the moment the water one pairs perfectly with the Splash & Relax stamps, so I'm using it most often. 

Finishing Touches - A sentiment from the same set, along with some retired sparkly enamel dots from my stash and some retired Gorgeous Grape paper to frame my central panel complete my card.

It's always fun to play with new products and I think the masks and this bundle are two of my new favourite things so be warned - you are likely to be seeing much more of them in the coming weeks!

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 am driving the James Junior back to uni for the week as opposed to him driving himself for a change and I'm actually looking forward to spending the day pretty much sitting down. Jason and I completed a 15km walk with some friends yesterday; the weather was glorious and we had a lovely day, but on top of a strenuous session at the gym on Friday my muscles were aching all over last night so a rest day is definitely needed today! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SPLASH & RELAX BUNDLE (£42.25)	WATER & DOTTED LINES 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DECORATIVE MASKS (£20.00)	GORGEOUS GRAPE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)	COASTAL CABANA A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)
COASTAL CABANA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£16.00)

Today I've a quick post to share a card that was inspired by the current CASE The Designer over at SUO Challenges:

I love the layout over Cindi's card which is a 'go to' if you are a lover of designer series paper like me! My only dilemma was which paper from my (extensive!) collection to use. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

I went to my Floral Charm papers because I knew it contained some great solid background patterns on one side of each sheet. I wasn't intending to use the navy pattern, until I realised that I hadn't yet cut into it and the florals on the reverse are some of the prettiest in the pack, so I thought I would put that right. I used the navy pattern for my base, added a sentiment strip similar to Cindi's card (my sentiment is from the retired 'Charming Day' stamp set) bordered with some Berry Burst to pick up the pink of my flower, and then I fussy cut a rose from the reverse side of the paper and layered it decoupage-style for extra detail:

A few co-ordinating Berry Burst gems complete my thank you card. This card is all about the paper - so pretty!

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; I'm off to the gym for a session with my personal trainer. I'll be back on Friday with another project for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FLORAL CHARM 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.75)

NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

PURPLE FINE SHIMMER GEMS (£4.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by those pretty floral clothes pegs and the the layout over at Inspired By this week:

I wanted to use up a few more of those Easter time Mix & Match Ephemera pieces, so chose some in similar colours to the florals on the pegs and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

I used my Lovely Arrangements circle panel die for the lines, by diecutting it into separate rows (I used retired Mint Macaron for this), then layered the ephemera on top and stamped my thank you sentiment between the rows directly onto my white card base:

A few co-ordinating twine bows and some gems complete my thank you card. I really love that Lovely Arrangements die that I used to create my rows - it really is so versatile.

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:

LOVELY ARRANGEMENTS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£45.75)

AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)

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

We are all about cards for the ladies this week! I toyed with going pink and delicate for my card, but instead decided to go with something bright and colourful using Jen M's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week - take a look:

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

I still had some of the Easter Time Mix & Match Ephemera left and wanted to use them up, so my starting point for today's card was the pretty watering can filled with flowers. For my layered panels, I used a piece of Daffodil Delight gingham from my stash and an Azure Afternoon panel cut with that Lovely Arrangements circle panel die (adjusted to make a bigger panel). I added a double twine bow and a simple sentiment from the same bundle:

A few enamel dots finish my super simple design. I love bright colours - not everything feminine has to be pink and delicate right? That said, I made two more cards whilst I was in my craft room making this one and they all have a floral, feminine theme so you have more inspiration on this theme to come this week!

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; the youngest of the James Junior is home from uni this weekend and is playing cricket today, so we are hoping that the dry weather continues and rain doesn't stop play! We might even manage another BBQ this evening - fingers crossed! I'll be back in a couple of days with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

LOVELY ARRANGEMENTS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£45.75)	RAINBOW ADHESIVE-BACKED DOTS (£5.10)	AZURE AFTERNOON A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)
BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (£10.25)

Happy Monday everyone - a new card for a new week! Today I'm sharing a card that uses Jen T's fabulous layout over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I do love a good sketch and as soon as I saw this one I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it! Take a look at what I came up with:

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

My eye was immediately drawn to the vertical rectangle in Jen's sketch and I thought it would be perfect for the main image in the Friendly Foliage bundle. Once that decision had been made, everything else flowed from there! I chose some light and summery retired Floral Delightpapers for the background (perfect for the uplifting sentiment) and picked out the colours for both my stamping and layers that make up the rest of my card. I did tweak the sketch slightly (I hope Jen doesn't mind) as I wanted the circle to be my sentiment, so in order to keep things balanced I stamped a decorative line where the sketch sentiment banner would have been - you can see it more closely below:

I also added a little additional stamped detail to the inside of my card to finish:

This is a great layout that can be used in lots of ways - a keeper for sure that I will undoubtedly use again.

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; I am off to my Pilates class and then home to tackle today's to-do list! I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

FRIENDLY FOLIAGE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£36.75)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	OLD OLIVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)
LEMON LOLLY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	RAINBOW ADHESIVE-BACKED DOTS (£5.10)