It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of my good friend LeAnne to host this week and she has a great set of colours for you to work with:

I used the sketch over at TGIF Challenges for the layout of my card today. These colours screamed 'autumn' to me and I immediately reached for all my leaf sets! This is what I ended up with:  - take a look:

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

Thoughtful Branches - I decided to use the leaf from the Thoughtful Branches stamp set as the focal point for my card today, stamped in Crushed Curry and with a little Cajun Craze added with a sponge dauber to create the variegated effect. I cut these leaves out with the co-ordinating Beautiful Branches thinlits dies and also cut out a few of the double-leafed stem in Pear Pizzazz, and snipped off a single leaf from each to place behind my stamped one. I love the pop of colour this diecut leaf adds, along with the addition of texture. Each of my leaf duos was backed with a 1 3/8" punched circle. Don't forget the Thoughtful Branches bundle is still available while stocks last - snap up yours if you haven't already before it's too late!

Petals and Paisleys Houndtooth - The centre panel of my card features another of the Petals and Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Paper designs, this time a Cajun Craze and Very Vanilla houndstooth pattern. This paper exudes warmth and adds interest without detracting from the leaves as the focal point.

Sentiment-Free - Today's card is one of those few that is sentiment-free, on the outside at least. I debated whether or not to run a horizontal sentiment banner across the front of the leaves instead of adding the burlap ribbon behind, or stamping one onto the base frame of the card, but in the end decided against it. I didn't want to disturb the symmetry or form of my leaves so kept with a clean, uncluttered front. This also means that I can add a sentiment of my choice when I come to send my card.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's colours. I'm hoping for better weather today as I have some gardening jobs to see to - yesterday was so miserable, although it didn't dampen the spirits of Ben and his fellow classmates who played in their first rugby match of the season. They managed a 4-4 draw too, so were feeling rather chuffed as they strolled in to their post-match tea! Today also heralds the start of the hockey season an a return to basketball, so sporting weekends are once again about to become the James family norm!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Bundle	Petals & Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Paper	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon	Cajun Craze A4 Cardstock
Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock	1-3/8" (3.5 Cm) Circle Punch	Sponge Daubers

Today I've made another card featuring the Thoughtful Branches set -  when I originally wrote this post this exclusive limited time stamp set was going to be available for one more day only, however Stampin' Up! have today announced that there are still supplies in stock so it will be available beyond 31st August until they are exhausted, but it will then not return in a future catalogue or publication. Here's a reminder of the images and framelits in more detail:

Today's card features the sketch over at CAS Colours and Sketches, perfect for a clean and simple card featuring the large hydrangea bloom:

Here's my card:

Really not much to explain today: I used a Soft Sky card base, cut the flower head out of watercolour paper using the thinlit and used my aquapainter to give it an ombre colourwash in Perfect Plum. I added a stem in Pear Pizzazz and stamped the sentiment on the white panel in Perfect Plum too, then gave my flower head a liberal dose of clear Wink of Stella to add a subtle sparkle. Difficult to see on the photograph, but in real life it is just gorgeous!

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. 

Such an easy card to recreate, yet the ombre watercolouring really adds an eyecatching dimension to the card. You can see some of my other Thoughtful Branches projects below - this really is one set you do not want to miss out on - order yours today before it's too late!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Bundle	Watercolor Paper	Soft Sky A4 Cardstock	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock	Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pad
Aqua Painters	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

Today I'm excited to be sharing another card I've made using the new Thoughtful Branches bundle, an exclusive set that will be available for a limited time only 2-31 August. As I mentioned earlier in the week, having been on vacation for most of July I had to wait patiently to come home and play with my pre-order set. I have tons of ideas for this set (you can see my card and home decor frame that I made earlier in the week here and here if you missed them) and for me the apple tree alone is enough to sell it - this will be my new 'go to' set for teacher's cards for sure - however the card that I want to share today isn't one I designed - it is a CASE of the one that the super-talented Brian King submitted to our challenge over at The Paper Players a couple of weeks ago.

So what is a CASE? Well, it can mean a couple of things: 'Copy And Share Everything', where you literally make a copy of the card that you see, or 'Copy And Selectively Edit', where you take the things from the card that inspires you and create something that has some foundation in the original card but the end result can look quite different. My card today uses the first definition - I've changed the colours and stamp choice, but my card is virtually identical to Brian's. Here's the link to Brian's original blog post that gives the detail on how he made his card and here is a photograph of it, reproduced with kind permission from Brian:

I just love this card and so wanted to create my own version in an alternative colourway - here's my card:

So what is about Brian's card that I love so much? I guess if I had to choose just three things they would be:

Perfect Layering - Brian is the King (no pun intended!) of Layers and often uses them to great effect on his cards and this one is no exception. The smaller layered panel behind the large bloom adds a bold block of colour that further accentuates the detail of the diecut.

Interesting Details - Brian chose a number of different ways to add interest to his bloom, using texture, lift and shine. He could have just diecut the bloom and left it 'naked' - but he is far too considered for that! The details added are what takes this bloom from 'pretty' to 'pretty spectacular' in my book! I inked my bloom with the stamp from the set as opposed to the textured stamp that Brian used, but did use the additional diecuts for lift and a liberal dose of clear Wink of Stella for shine.

Vertical Sentiment - Whilst this wasn't Brian's original intention, I think the size and script of the font really lend themselves to a vertical orientation. Sometimes a 'happy accident' is all it takes to create design genius!

I chose to use Dapper Denim for my hydrangea, coupled with Mint Macaron, Very Vanilla and Tip Taupe Taupe, the same colour combination I used recently for this card here. Feel free to save this combination if it's one that appeals to you 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 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Thank you Brian for allowing me to share your card today and create my own CASE'd version - this was a worthy 'top pick' for sure and if Sandy hadn't got there before me it would most certainly have been mine!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Bundle	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock
Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

Happy Wednesday everyone! As promised, I have another project today using the limited time stamp set and thinlits bundle 'Thoughtful Branches' - a home decor frame that includes my family tree. As soon as I saw this set I knew it would be perfect for a family tree idea that I've had in mind for a while, so combined with my 'Letters For You' stamp set and co-ordinating Large Letters Framelits I set to work. Here is my finished project:

This is a rather large project - it has a finished frame size of 9" x 19 3/4" - so was something of a challenge to photograph - but I absolutely love it! 

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

Letters For You - I recently invested in this letters bundle - 'invested' being the key word here, as at £119.50 the bundle is the most expensive in the catalogue - but so worth it for projects like this one. The set has the whole alphabet along with useful punctuation and just like the Large Numbers Framelits and Number of Years stamp set, it is a set that can be used for so many projects and is timeless - a definite 'keeper'. I stamped my letters in Early Espresso and cut them out using my Big Shot and co-ordinating framelits, then substituted the 'I' in 'FAMILY' with my family tree.

Thoughtful Branches Tree - I stamped and cut out my tree trunk, then in order to create a tree big enough to comfortably accommodate my family members, I cut three treetops and layered them to create a fuller tree. Each one was backed with another base (so I cut 6 tree tops in all) for rigidity and I layered them together for added dimension. 

Family Touches - I stamped the names of each of my family members in black onto Whisper White cardstock using the modern Labeler Alphabet and cut them out by hand, then placed them in my tree in descending order of age and with a couple of birds to identify the parents and the apples identifying my children. Here's a close up of the tree so that you can see all of the elements in more detail:

This took longer to work out and put together than explain - but I am so pleased with the end result and am looking forward to hanging it on the wall. You are so going to want to get the Thoughtful Branches Bundle this month!

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. 

I'm linking today's project up with the team over at SUO Challenges where the theme this week is 'Delightful Dies' - the two I've used on this project are definitely firm favourites.

Enjoy your day; I'm off for a bike ride and some fresh air whilst the unpredictable British weather holds! I'll be back tomorrow with this week's new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Bundle	Letters For You Photopolymer Bundle	Labeler Alphabet Photopolymer Stamp Set	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi A4 Cardstock	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad

Today is the day of the release of the exclusive limited time stamp set Thoughtful Branches! Available now until 31 August, you have just one month to get your hands on this set and its co-ordinating framelits too! Here's a close up of the images and framelits in more detail:

I am playing catch up with this beautiful set; due to my recent vacation I pre-ordered late, but I've been making up for lost time! I couldn't leave today without sharing a quick project using this fabulous and versatile set:

This is a quick teacher thank you card, inspired by a recent one I saw by Erica Cerwin (you can see her original card here). I actually made this card with the pieces I had left over from the project that I'm going to share with you tomorrow - it is rather lovely even if I do say so myself so do come by then, as you won't want to miss it!

Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Bundle	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Writing Notes Clear-Mount Background Stamp	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine

This is my second post for today; you can see my earlier post with my card for this week's Connie and Mary challenge here. Today I have exciting news of a Stampin' Up! promotion that is due to run for the rest of July - Bonus Days! 

Did you get everything you want from the new annual catalogue yet? Since it came out only a month ago, you probably still have some items on your wish list, and I have some great news for you! For every £45.00 you spend between today, 7 July and 31 July (before delivery), you’ll get a £4.50 Bonus Days coupon that you can use between 2 and 31 August . Since our new annual catalogue has only been out a month ago, you will probably still have some items on your wish list and this is a great opportunity to shop from it, whether you buy your favourite products now or later in August with your coupons!

There are some details in terms of small print that you need to take note of, as follows: 

• Promotion period: 7–31 July 2016 
• Redemption period: 2–31 August 2016 
• An email address is required to participate in this promotion; Bonus Days coupon codes can only be delivered via email.
• It is strongly recommended that you both save emails containing their Bonus Days coupon codes AND write down the coupon codes in a safe place. Codes cannot be resent if the email is lost, and lost codes cannot be recovered.
• Bonus Days coupon codes can be redeemed for any product, excluding Starter Kits.
• There is no limit to the number of coupons you can receive per order or throughout the duration of the promotion.
• There is no limit on the number of coupons you can use on an order during redemption.

I'm so excited about this promotion - it really is the first of its kind, as Stampin' Up! has never offered money-off coupons before. Furthermore, there is also going to be a new exclusive bundle for sale from 2 August until 31 August called Thoughtful Branches, so you could get this limited-time product and use your coupons to get a great deal!

Don't forget if you are placing an order online to also include this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to receive a free thank you gift from me too!

Here is a sneak peak of the exclusive bundle available from 2nd August - you can choose to spend your coupon on this bundle or any other items of your choice!

That's all from me today; happy shopping, knowing that get a spending spree next month too!