Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and as it's the fifth Sunday of the month I have a tic-tac-toe challenge for us to work with:

I made a board filled with the things I love to craft with, so there are plenty of creative combinations to choose from! I chose the middle column of flowers/free/word die and decided to make a colourful rainbow slimline card - take a look:

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

Floral Impressions - Whilst I've used both the stamps and dies from the Online Exclusives Impressions Abloom on previous projects, I had not yet been brave enough to cut into my Floral Impressions paper. As a DSP lover I had considered it several times, but it was just too pretty! In the end, I decided too pretty not to use so chose my favourite sheet, showcasing a rainbow of flowers, and got my paper trimmer ready! I may or may not have already purchased a second pack of this paper this month, as it's one of the ones that has 15% off during this month's in-color sale. Today is the last day when you are able to take advantage of the in-color sale promotion, so if you need a second pack of this paper too, or any of the other in-color products included in the promotion, here's your reminder to click on the link below and place your order!

CASE The Catalogue - The eagle-eyed amongst you might feel like there's something familiar about today's card - and you may well be right. Today's card is a CASE of one on page 41 of the current Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue. To CASE - Copy And Share Everything - is a great way to take a project and use it to inspire something completely different, but where you can still see the source of the inspiration. An unwritten rule is that you should change at least 3 things for your card to be considered original and distinct from the project you are CASEing. So in my CASE, I retained the slimline layout, but I changed out my strips for a rainbow of flowers in a different paper pattern. I changed the stamped banner sentiment for one based around the Sweet Blooms 'Bloom' layered diecut (one of my favourites and the perfect encouraging sentiment to play over at Time Out this week) and whilst I retained the cluster of accent flowers, I incorporated more texture and detail (more on that below). If you compare the projects side by side, it's easy to see how the first card inspired the second one, even though my card today is my original work. 

Try Something New - In CASEing the card in the catalogue, it did cause me to try something new on today's card. The flower accent on the sample consisted of a mix of diecut florals and a flower fussy cut from the Florals In Bloom designer paper. Whilst I ordinarily wouldn't mix in this way, I decided to give it a go and in the end made an accent from a variety of diecuts and florals cut from another of the papers in the Floral Impressions pack, but also added in some large golden yellow enamel dots and a fuzzy flower middle from my stash that I thought worked well, having first coloured the edges of it with my Early Espresso marker pen to tone in with the diecut florals. It's difficult to pick up the detail in the main photograph, especially as the background strips are so busy - the close up below shows a little more of the detail:

This adds more texture and dimension and whilst this is something of a departure for me, I really like the effect - and I wouldn't have tried it if the catalogue sample hadn't inspired me to give it a go. What do you think? Do you ever CASE projects in this way? Leave me a comment below - I'd love to know where you find your inspiration.

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 sunshine here to round off this weekend's second cricket game, but I'm note sure we will be in luck. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FLORAL IMPRESSIONS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.99)

SWEET BLOOMS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)

IMPRESSIONS ABLOOM DIES (£32.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)

EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

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 my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

The split in the base panel of Jaydee's sketch immediately had me thinking of fancy folds. Now I don't often make fancy folds, they aren't really my thing (especially not complicated ones!) but I had a couple of designs that worked with this sketch and in the end since I made both, I decided to share both with you today as I used the same basic supplies for each - so you get two for the price of one today! Both cards feature the Florals In Bloom Suite and specifically the designer series paper and both the Pretty Florals and Bloom Where You're Planted bundles. Here's a look at both cards:

And here's the second one:

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

Joy Fold - The first card is called a joy fold card. It's in a landscape orientation with the fold on the left, and all you do is cut away half of the card front and cover both this half-panel and the inside back panel in designer paper. You then create another, smaller, card but with both front and back full panels and with the fold on the right hand side. This is then adhered to the inside of the back panel of the larger card, so that the front flaps overlap and when it opens it looks like this:

I used the same pattern on both of my panels and stamped a couple of the flowers that are in the design to decorate the front of my card. I added a little extra colour to the bottom of the blooms with my Stampin' Blends and decorated both with tiny pearls for a little extra detail: 

Perfect for a second entry over at The Flower Challenge too. So pretty, right? This card features one of my favourite patterns in the Florals in Bloom paper pack too.

Accordion Fold - My second card is an accordion fold card. This one required half a sheet of designer paper measuring 6" x 12" and scored at 2", 5" and 8" on the long side and folded (valley, mountain, valley) to create a concertina effect. Panels are then attached to each section and decorated as desired. When closed, you get to see the reverse side of the paper - this is where the main front panel is attached. When opened, there's another panel for a message/greeting:

Then when you fold this over (a little like turning the pages of a book) there's another panel attached to the inside of the back section:

You can decorate however you like - again, I used the designer paper as my inspiration and stamped and diecut a selection of flowers in the same colours to decorate the front of my card, along with a trio of flat pearls:

Whilst this technically has three panels or parts of panels visible, it still works for the sketch because the contrasting papers are what gives the definition for the split. This one is the same proportions as the sketch too, unlike the one above, which I elongated to fit my fold.  I actually prefer the first card (this was the one I actually made second) which is a bit more 'me', but what do you think? Do leave me a comment blow - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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 baking a cheesecake and we are having family lunch, then the hubs and I are off to the river to paddleboard this afternoon - it's officially my new hobby too and I need to practice not falling in! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PRETTY FLORALS bundle (£47.50)	SWEET BLOOMS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	FLORALS IN BLOOM 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.99)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)	SHY SHAMROCK A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	SHY SHAMROCK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)
PETUNIA POP CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	PETUNIA POP STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£10.25)	SECRET SEA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.23)	SECRET SEA STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.71)	IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (£7.00)	2025–2027 IN COLOR™ FLAT PEARLS (£6.80)
PEACH PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	PEACH PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	DARLING DUCKLING CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.23)	POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	POPPY PARADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

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

I knew if we were featuring 'critters' on our clean and simple cards this week I would be reaching for those Turtle-y Cute papers again, so I grabbed them and Verena's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and set to work - take a look:

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

It has been all about the celebrations here in the James household this week: following the youngest James Junior's birthday at the start of the week, we had A Level Results Day on Thursday (a university place is dependent on success, so these are important exams). I am delighted to share that Ben's hard work paid off and he got the grades he needed to confirm his place at his first choice university, so we are all thrilled.

I thought this cute trumpeting turtle would be perfect for another congratulations card and I dug into my retired stamp collection again for the perfect sentiment to go with it. I was intrigued by Verena's FMS sketch this week and found the perfect sentiment stamp in the 'Here's To Cheers' stamp set. I stamped the sentiment in Garden Green, then stamped it again in Darling Ducking and fussy cut the word 'celebrate' so that it extended beyond the circle, as in the sketch. I added my sentiment circle in front of my turtle with dimensionals, having glued him directly to my cardbase, along with a few stamped music notes and sparkly enamel dots:

And that's it! Lots of white space, minimal layers and embellishments - clean and simple, done! This is a less-than-conventional take on the FMS sketch for me, putting the turtle behind the circle, but I think it works - what do you think? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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 out and about today; Ben is off to watch the cricket at Edgbaston and Jason is heading out to the water to go paddleboarding - I think I'm tagging along as official photographer! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TURTLE-Y CUTE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.99)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	LOW PROFILE SPARKLE DOTS (£7.65)	GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	DARLING DUCKLING CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.23)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£7.50)

Today it's Monday and I'm a day late with my card for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! I'll come on to the reason for this later, but for now it's the turn of the fabulous Claire to host this week and she has an interesting colour challenge for us to work with:

I thought these colours were quite autumnal so I went with a nature-inspired theme using the sketch over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday for my layout - take a look:

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

Using the round Elements of Text stamp for the background, I added a selection of mushrooms of various designs from the 'Terrific Toadstools' stamp set in each of the challenge colours:

A little extra stamping inside my card completes 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:

So the reason for my delay with this week's card? The youngest of the James Juniors is celebrating his 18th birthday today and I had somethign of a cake emergency that had to be dealt with. It was a close call, but eventually it was resolved and I managed to save the day. Here's a photo of his finished cake - which was delicious, even if I say so myself!

I'll be back later in the week with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ELEMENTS OF TEXT CLING STAMP SET (£22.50)	TERRIFIC TOADSTOOLS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£18.00)	BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	OLD OLIVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)
CRUMB CAKE 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 Stef to host this week and she has a fun theme challenge for us to work with:

I haven't had any craft time this past week as I've been decorating (creativity of a different kind!) but had plenty of time to ponder what I was going to feature on my card today. I was initially thinking of rivers and lakes, but then I remembered the scene backgrounds in the Turtle-y Cute designer series paper pack and that one of them featured a beach scene - and today's card was born. I decided to use Linda's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches for my card (albeit I made it in a horizonal rather than portrait orientation as I couldn't bear to lose too much of the background) as it is perfect for this kind of design - take a look:

I added the background to my card then built my scene using images from other sheets in the DSP pack. I added an appropriate sentiment from the retired 'Friends Are Like Seashells' stamp set along with a red enamel heart to complete the outside of my card:

I cut my solid red borders straight so as not to detract from my scene. I also added a little additional decoration to the inside, continuing the beach theme:

That's all there is to it - lots of fussy cutting, many dimensionals and a cute card for someone special, where the paper really does do the heavy lifting. Today's card reminds me that my recent beach holiday already seems like too long ago; time to start browsing the holiday brochures and planning another vacation, I think!

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 soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TURTLE-Y CUTE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£7.50)

POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

STAMPIN’ DIMENSIONALS (£4.00)

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

I loved the layering on Jan's sketch today and couldn't resist the opportunity to go big with colour and patterns this week. - take a look:

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

Florals In Bloom - I decided to use one of the bold floral patterns from the Florals In Bloom papers for my cardbase today and that then laid the foundations for everything that followed. I chose one featuring large soft pink and lilac flowers and used it to cover the whole of my cardbase - so pretty! I layered a patterned panel that is one of the reverse papers in this set on top of that; ordinarily I am more likely to use these patterns as a base or backing panel, but with the large florals as the base I needed something with less pattern that was more solid to give something for the other elements to sit that made them more visible as I didn't ant them to be lost against the base pattern.

Pretty Florals - I used a diecut flower from the Pretty Florals dies that echoes the shape of the flowers featured on the card base for my 'any shape' element, picking up the colours of the paper:

Sweet Blooms - For the remaining elements I decided to use a stamp and diecut sentiment from the Sweet Blooms bundle - I just love those word diecuts! A trio of pink sparkly enamel dots complete my card. 

I feel like the bold patterns makes this card slightly busier than my usual style, but I am not unhappy with the the result. It's nice to use a bold pattern once in a while!

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; unusually for a Sunday today is a sport-filled one: one of us is paddleboarding, another is playing cricket and I suspect we will all end the day watching to see if the Lionesses are successful in defending their title in the final of the European Cup this evening. I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PRETTY FLORALS bundle (£47.50)	SWEET BLOOMS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	FLORALS IN BLOOM 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.75)	STRAWBERRY SLUSH & PRETTY IN PINK GEMS (£8.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)
PRETTY IN PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	PRETTY IN PINK STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£10.25)	STRAWBERRY SLUSH A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	PETUNIA POP A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	PETUNIA POP CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

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

Circles! I originally chose this theme (Stef and I swapped weeks to accommodate each others vacation time) because I feature circles on so many of my cards and I think they are so versatile. Use them on their own, or as a base for flowers or other images - there really is no limit to their uses. The aim of this week's challenge is to really make circles a feature of your card, so I went all out to do just that - take a look:

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

2025-27 In Colours - I decided to make another card featuring all 5 of this year's new in colours - in fact, I didn't feature any white cardstock at all, which is very unusual and a contrast to the other card featuring these colours that I shared last week. If I remember, I'll also link this one up over at SUO Challenges for a second entry where they are all about the in colours this week!

Stylish Shapes Dies - I used my favourite Stylish Shapes Dies circles to diecut a trio of circles in three of the in colours, then cut them in half and layered them either side of my sentiment strip to cover the join.

Circles Everywhere - In keeping with the theme, I added some embossed circles with the (retired) Large Polka Dot embossing folder to my background, whilst also adding a couple of other subtle circles too - a flat in colour pearl and the round full stop of my sentiment - not chosen by accident:

That's it! Super simple, all 5 in colours and a design that could be used with any colours or sentiment 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; I'll be back Tuesday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)

2025–2027 IN COLOR™ A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)

SAYING HEY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£6.40)

SECRET SEA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

2025–2027 IN COLOR™ FLAT PEARLS (£8.00)

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 as it's the fifth Sunday of the month she has a fun tic-tac-toe board challenge for us to work with:

I went down the first column with CAS, florals and postal element (although I realised afterwards if fits the first row too as my card is square and has a trio of butterflies too!) and grabbed the new colour palette over at Colour Inkspiration to create an almost monochromatic, mosaic-style card - take a look:

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

The style of my card today was somewhat inspired by this earlier card and a desire to see those rectangles filled in! In my never-ending quest to use the 'Layers of Beauty' stamp set in new and exciting ways, I decided that I would create a mosaic-style card by stamping the image then cutting it up using a square Perennial Postage die. I was originally intending to create a monochromatic card using a subtle pastel, but when I saw the palette over at Colour Inkspiration, wondered if something bolder with Cajun Craze and two neutrals was in order. 

I stamped my image in Cajun Craze onto Basic Beige and then used Crumb Cake for my sentiment tag, to keep in with the postage feel. A simple twine bow and a trio of brass butterflies complete my card.

I like the way you can still see the image across the panels even though it's been cut into 9 pieces and whilst instinctively these colours make me think vintage, with lots of texture and background stamping, my card is anything but. The Crumb Cake tag is a great way to incorporate this colour and help the sentiment stand out from the floral design. Whilst this is not at all what I envisaged, I really like how this card turned out.

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; today we are taking things easy as our second heatwave here continues, coupled with which the James Junior is recovering from a night of partying and excesses as yesterday was Senior School Prom. A BBQ lunch and some time in the shade possibly with an afternoon nap for some, might be in order! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PERENNIAL POSTAGE DIES (£31.00)	LAYERS OF BEAUTY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£19.00)	CAJUN CRAZE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	CAJUN CRAZE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)	BASIC BEIGE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)
LINEN THREAD (£4.75)

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

Yes this week it's a sketch challenge with a difference - no specific layout; instead the challenge is to make a one layer card design. I knew exactly where I was going with this, although it did take me a while to get there (more on that to follow!) For now, here's my card - take a look:

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

One Layer Definition - For the avoidance of doubt, we are using the following as our definition of a one layer card:

"A one-layer card is a simple card made from a single piece of cardstock or paper, with no additional layers or embellishments. The design is directly printed, stamped, or drawn onto the surface of the card base”.

In other words, if you need glue - it isn't one layer! 

Peaceful View - A background stamp such as 'Peaceful View' is great for a one layer card, in as much as the entire scene is laid out in one go. Ideally, you need a card base that is smaller than the main image, so that the image goes off the edge, however I decided I'd try something a little more complicated and stamp the image leaving a border around the edge, to give the illusion of another layer. I also wanted to heat emboss the main image (perfect for my entry into 'E is for Embossing' over at The Alphabet Challenge) to add more depth. I'm not going to lie, both of these things complicate a one layer card and it did take me a couple of attempts to achieve the end result. In case you want to give it a go, this is how I did it, step by step:

• Use a stamping platform - essential for even stamp coverage with a large stamp with solid blocks of colour like this
• Mask a border around your cardfront using masking tape
• Use an embossing buddy liberally over the cardfront before you stamp to reduce static
• Ink the image with Versamark and use a Versamrk pen to touch up the edges where the stamp borders the masking tape to ensure good coverage and clean, straight edges
• Emboss the image with black embossing powder
• Ink with a blending brush/es to colour as desired
• Wipe with a tissue or soft cloth to remove any excess ink on the embossed areas
• Remove the masking tape to reveal the border

The touching up of the edges before embossing is key to achieving a clean finish - skip this step and you will lose the effect.

Summer Sunset - There are lots of ways that you could colour the finish image; I decided to go with a summer sunset (perfect for the 'Summer' challenge over at CAS on Friday) and I was actually inspired by a sunset I saw in a movie a couple of weeks ago ('Sicario' by Taylor Sheridan if you were wondering - not up to Yellowstone standards in my view, but the sunset was amazing!) and it just so happened that the team at Color Hues were using the exact same two colours I decided to use: peach and cobalt. I used Peach Pie and (retired) Starry Sky respectively (although you could use Blueberry Bushel for a close match if you don't have Starry Sky) and I used my blending brushes to create a gradient of colour, with just two inks:

I left my card sentiment-free; I could have placed one on that area of open sky between the bird on the fence and the tree, but I really didn't want to detract from the beauty of the scene itself. I didn't add a single embellishment or other detail to my card - and I can honestly say, I love the finished result! What a great challenge - I can't wait to see what you do with it 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 James Junior and I are 'home alone' this week as the hubby is in China on business, but since A-Levels are now officially over and the youngest of the James Juniors is 'unemployed' until he hopefully starts university in September, we have lots of fun planned. Today we are off to the home of British Formula 1 racing, Silverstone, for an advanced driving skills day with our local police force (unfortunately I don't get to drive - just spectate), followed by a pub meal on the way home - so looking forward to that! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PEACEFUL VIEW CLING STAMP SET (£19.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (£9.00)	BASICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (£20.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£14.00)	PEACH PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)
BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£8.50)

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 fun clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

Fresh and fruity - but in a clean and simple style! I  - couldn't resist another Celebratory Sips creation, with a focus on citrus fruits for today's card - take a look:

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

There's really not much to this one: a clean white card base, stamped in Cloud Cover with a retired sentiment from the 'Sweet Citrus' stamp set, and three glasses, one orange, one lemon and one lime adorned with fruit slices, fussy cut from the designer paper and popped up on dimensionals and a selection of sequins and enamel dots in coordinating colours from my collection to finish:

Doesn't that look so refreshing?! So what fresh and fruity creations do you have up your sleeve? We'd love you to share them with us, just remember to keep them clean and simple, which we define as:

• Lots of clean 'white' space (it doesn't have to be white in colour - just free of pattern)
• Minimal layers
• Minimal embellishments

This should be the overriding focus of your card - the fruity theme runs secondary to this.

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 Father's Day here in the UK today, so we will be celebrating one of the best here in the James household. I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

CELEBRATORY SIPS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)

CLOUD COVER CLASSIC STAMPIN' INK REFILL (£5.25)