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

I do love a good sketch and this week I really went to town! I have been making lots of cards with the 'Tulip Fields' bundle as it was the feature bundle for my online class last week and I decided that the layout of Anne Marie's sketch was perfect for a diecut windmill for the central focal point and the beginnings of what turned out to be a rather special card - take a look:

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

Many Layers - This is a card of many layers - which means I'm also playing along with the ladies at Just Add Ink this week where I chose 'layers' and patterned paper as my two things. More on patterned paper in a moment, but firstly those layers! I can count 13 on the front of my card alone (not including the band of ribbon!) - and there are even more inside! I used a (retired) stitched oval diecut as a base for my windmill cut using the Windmill dies and added a sentiment combining stamped words taken from 'Art Gallery' and a layered 'amazing' cut using the Amazing Thanks Dies. I attached these to a horizontal band as the focal point for the front of my card.You can see the layered loveliness in more detail below:

A Belly Band Surprise - The layered windmill is in fact attached to a belly band decorated with a strip of DSP, which when removed reveals the beautiful red, pink and white tulips of the Flowering Fields DSP in all it's glory, along with a sentiment made from a combination of some partial stamping from a stamp in the 'Flowering Tulips' stamp set and the word 'Mother's' cut using the Word Wishes Dies:

With Mother's Day here in the UK only a few weeks away, this was a great opportunity to get ahead and make my Mother's Day card. I love that the layered circle greeting sits below the windmill oval of the belly band and is only revealed when the belly band is removed. 

Mother's Day Details - The surprises don't end there though. My card has an additional flap, so when it's opened you see this panel, also decorated with another piece of Flowering Fields DSP and a trio of tulips cut with the Tulips Dies:

 These Tulips Dies are amazing - they create the most amazing dimensional tulips! I cut mine from another pattern in the Flowering Fields DSP pack; it is actually a Petal Pink sky with white and red clouds, but I like the mottled effect that it gives the tulips and they compliment the pattern on the front of the card:

The sentiment, along with the one on the inside of the card is from the retired stamp set 'Strong and Beautiful'. This set is a keeper - the words in this set are so perfect for special female cards. when you open the next flap, the inside panel is revealed. I bordered the edge of the bottom panel with a trio of tulip border dies (I might add another diecut windmill behind these tulips - now that I am looking at it again this panel is a little light on decoration compared to the others):

 And here's a close-up of the innermost panel, decorated with some layered tulips stamped with the 'flowering Tulips' stamp set:

As you can imagine, all those layers make for a bulkier than usual card, so I will be making a custom box-envelope to enclose it in. That's a job for another day though! This kind of card does take a long time to make, but it is worth it - I love the end result and know my Mum will appreciate it 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 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; we are hoping for another restful Sunday, mainly centred around cooking and eating - we are cooking a Turkish recipe for dinner today for the first time, so that should be fun! I'm also hoping to squeeze in another movie this afternoon - last week's 'Encanto' proved a big hit so this week we might go for 'Sing 2' - hope it's as good as the first one!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FLOWERING TULIPS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£49.50)	WINDMILL FIELDS DIES (£31.00)	FLOWERING FIELDS 12” X 12” (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	AMAZING THANKS DIES (ENGLISH) (£25.00)	LAYERING CIRCLES DIES (£33.00)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	OLD OLIVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	POPPY PARADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SOFT SUEDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	WORD WISHES DIES (EN) (£33.00)	ART GALLERY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As You See It where it's time for a sweet colour challenge:

Don't those macarons look delicious? I love those sugary colours and thought they would look perfect combined with the photo inspiration over at Fusion this week! I don't have a mum & baby giraffe pair in my stash, but I do have...kangaroos! So I set to work and this is what I came up with:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Kangaroo and Company - You've seen me use this set before for Valentine's, but it is perfect for cute cards for a range of occasions. There is a baby joey that fits in the mummy's pouch, but today I went in favour of the younger freestanding kangaroo who has just delivered his mum a beautiful big bunch of flowers, coloured in our challenge colours. 

Strong and Beautiful - Mother's Day has been and gone here in the UK, but I decided to choose a sentiment from the retiring 'Strong and Beautiful' stamp set (now available for the bargain price of £9.20!) that works for mums, or any special person, that you want to give a special thank you to. I love the sentiments in this set - they really are wonderful for celebrating special women in the broadest sense. I sat my young kangaroo on my sentiment strip so that he didn't look like he was floating in mid air, and I like that this makes him more central to the design than he would otherwise have been at floor level. 

A Hidden Message - Whilst my main sentiment is the one I talked about above, I couldn't resist adding another to the fun 'reveal' when you pull out the flowers from the pouch:

I know this feature has more appeal on cards for youngsters, but I think my Mum will find it fun too! It's so easy to do, as the Kangaroo Dies cut the slit in the pouch perfectly - no added effort required. I'm also linking today's card up with the ladies over at SUO Challenges where the theme is 'Animal Kingdom' and they are asking us to feature animals big and small on our cards.

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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
• In a colour challenge, black or other neutral can be used in outlines and sentiments but no other colours should be included. Stampin’ Up colours are used for reference but colours that are a close match are welcome.

Enjoy your day; my Fridays are always busy, so I'll keep this short and see you again tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

KANGAROO & COMPANY BUNDLE (£34.00)	STRONG & BEAUTIFUL CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£9.20)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	MINT MACARON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
MINT MACARON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMNGO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SOFT SUEDE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BRONZE & IVORY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	SNAIL MAIL TWINE COMBO PACK (£6.50)

I have been super busy this week preparing for the launch of the new Stampin' Up! annual catalogue next week so blogging has had to take something of a back seat, although I did want to squeak in a quick post today with a card I made at the weekend for the current challenge over at Less Is More:

One layer diamonds - now that was a challenge! I employed an old die and a sentiment from the retiring 'Strong and Beautiful' stamp set to come up with this super simple card:

I used the diamond die from the retired Eclectic Layers Thinlits die set to emboss the outline of the diamond onto my card front, then infilled the facets with Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds glitter powder. I added my sentiment in Night of Navy to complete my card. Love that sentiment!!

So what do you think? It's one of those cards that meets the brief and the sparkle makes it very pretty in real life, but I feel it maybe needs a little something more? Or maybe not - you decide!

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

Delighted that this card along with my other entry earned me LIM Monthly winner for April - yay!

Today I'm sharing a card that is based on the current Fab Friday Challenge sketch, which I love:

I decided it would be the perfect layout for a card I needed to make for the newest member of my Stampin' Up! team who recently achieved a 'rising star' milestone for consistent sales during her first quarter; an achievement to be celebrated! Here's my card:

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

Shoot For The Stars - I thought the starry flourish from the Stitched Stars Dies was perfect for the flourish in the sketch and totally fitting with my congratulatory theme, so I cut it out of copper foil for a swirl of shiny stars.

Brightly Gleaming - I picked up on the starry theme with a piece of Brightly Gleaming designer paper and used the Night of Navy/copper colour combo as the basis for the rest of my card. I also added a narrow copper scalloped border and a trio of copper star embellishments to my card. I love this paper - great for all kinds of occasions, not just Christmas.

Strong & Beautiful - The 'Strong and Beautiful' stamp set has some wonderful empowering sentiments and I chose to feature two on today's card; one on the front of this card and another on the inside:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

STITCHED STARS DIES (£35.00)	STRONG & BEAUTIFUL CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)	BRIGHTLY GLEAMING SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)	STAR DESIGNER ELEMENTS (£8.25)	COPPER FOIL SHEETS (£4.75)
RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)

Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by the current Fusion Challenge that also meets the watercolour brief over at TGIF Challenges this week:

I went all-in with the Fusion sketch and photo inspiration and even created a watercolour background for my piece of Delightfully Detailed laser-cut paper -  take a look:

I generally avoid watercolour backgrounds like this as they always seem to end up a sludgy mess, but I was quite pleased to have created this one on my second attempt. I paired it with a sentiment from the 'Strong and Beautiful' stamp set which works for the Fusion theme of 'You are Enough' and split the sentiment into two parts, heat embossing the first part in white on the front of my card. This is the only thing I wish I'd done differently, as it's quite difficult to see on the photo against the pale pink background. This photo shows it a little clearer: 

I added a sprinkling of sequins and then finished my sentiment inside my card, adding another offcut of lasercut paper:

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. 

We have the last of CE exams part one today with History first thing, followed by an online unboxing of my pre-order with my online class ladies late morning - I'm not sure who is looking forward to that more, them or me! I then have a rather boring afternoon of housework lined up - I can put it off no more! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

STRONG & BEAUTIFUL CLING STAMP SET (£23.00)	DELIGHTFULLY DETAILED LASER-CUT SPECIALTY PAPER (£5.20)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	FLUID 100 WATERCOLOR PAPER (£8.25)
BLUSHING BRIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' INK REFILL (£3.50)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' INK REFILL (£3.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' INK REFILL (£3.50)	WOVEN THREADS SEQUIN ASSORTMENT (£4.75)	EMBOSSING BUDDY (£5.50)
VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)

Today I'm sharing a card inspired by both the photo and the sketch over at Inspired By and the colours over at Hand Stamped Sentiments, which compliment the Inspired By photo perfectly:

As soon as I saw the Inspired By photo, I thought of the 'Grace's Garden' stamp set which is all about country garden florals. Here's the low-down on today's card:

This card was fairly quick for me to create as I had a selection of flowers stamped and diecut in my snippets box that were leftover from a recent class, so I simply got them out and coloured them with my Stampin' Blends, and added them to my Subtles-embossed card base. I heat embossed my sentiment in white, from the 'Strong and Beautiful' stamp set, such a great set for female-related sentiments. This one is a lovely way to let that special friend know how much they mean to you - I think I will pair this one with a surprise treat for one of my besties who I haven't seen in ages just to let her know I'm thinking of her. On that note I'm also linking today's card up with the ladies over at SUO Challenges too where they are 'Celebrating Women' - something that is always worthwhile as far as I'm concerned.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

GRACE'S GARDEN BUNDLE (EN) (£45.00)	SUBTLE 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£9.25)	MINT MACARON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	EMBOSSING BUDDY (£5.50)
VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	DARK MINT MACARON STAMPIN' BLENDS MARKER (£4.25)	STAMPIN’ BLENDS SEASIDE SPRAY COMBO PACK (£8.50)
STAMPIN’ BLENDS ROCOCO ROSE COMBO PACK (£8.50)	STRONG & BEAUTIFUL CLING STAMP SET (£23.00)