It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Shannon is hosting this month and this week we have our second colour challenge of the month: 

I love Shannon's fresh colour palette of aquas with a touch of silver this week! These colours immediately made me think of the sea so for my card today I had to make another card using the Waves of Inspiration bundle - take a look: 

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

Waves of Inspiration - These beautiful sea greens were perfect to showcase another of those cresting waves from the Waves of Inspiration stamp set. Since this card is all about the clean and simple, I wanted to minimise the layers on my card and be sure to preserve my 'white space'. I masked off the centre of my card base so that only a portion of the wave would be visible, leaving me a wide unstamped border. The Stamparatus is a must for easily achieving this kind of stamping - masking paper would be easier, but this is how I did it using post-it notes:

To Shake Or Not To Shake? - I decided to create a simple shaker card, using a mix of sparkle & shine sequins for a touch of silver along with a few odd Coastal Cabana coloured sequins from my stash, and a simple window frame in white made using my Stitched Rectangle Dies:

I debated with myself whether a shaker card could be considered clean and simple, but having consulted with my lovely teamies we agreed it could: this card meets our 'clean and simple' criteria of 'uncluttered, with white or open space and minimal layers and embellishments' - so I hope you like it!

Silver Surfer - I decided to add a touch more silver and cut out one of the wave dies from some retired metallic silver glimmer paper and added it to the front of my shaker window for some extra sparkle. 

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. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! colour names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

I'm also linking today's card up over at Paper Craft Crew where their 'shiny celebration' inspiration challenge closes today.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

WAVES OF INSPIRATION BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	WINDOW SHEETS (£4.75)	SPARKLE & SHINE SEQUINS ASSORTMENT (£6.75)	FOAM ADHESIVE STRIPS (£7.50)	BERMUDA BAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
COASTAL CABANA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

Happy Bank Holiday Monday to my UK readers! Today I'm sharing a card that uses the colour palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments: 

I'm loving all of the blue colour palettes that are about at the moment, especially since I have been giving my Waves of The Ocean Suite a workout and the two pair perfectly! I thought the HSS colours were perfect for a little project that I've been wanting to have a go at for a while - an edge to edge pocket shaker card. My good blog friend and fellow Tic Tac Toe challenge team member Stef Perry over at Perry Papercrafts made this fabulous card a while ago and I have been wanting to have a go and thought that the Waves of Inspiration bundle would be just the thing to make my own version - take a look:

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

Waves Of The Ocean - Since this card is really all about the shaker, the stamping is fairly simple. I used all three ink colours to create my blended seascape background using my blending brushes and stamped a single wave in Versamark and heat embossed it in white; this forms the base of my shaker. 

A Pocket Shaker - creating the shaker itself is rally easy. You just need a flimsy acetate pocket - the wrapping that your new dies come in is perfect for this - then you attach it to the back of the panel on three sides to form a pocket, fill with the sequins on your choice (I used some retired ones from the Whale of a Time suite, minus the pink shells, along with some clear, white and silver ones) before taping the fourth side shut. You then mount this panel on your card front, and add any additional diecuts to the front of your card; I layered a Coastal Cabana foil and white cardstock pair of waves cut with the Waves Dies over my stamped image, and snipped a sentiment and added it to the opposing corner:

The sequins still move around the front of the card, although a little less freely than with a traditional shaker. On the upside there is less bulk though so this kind of card is great for posting. I just love this idea and am really happy with how this card turned out - thanks Stef for the inspiration, I knew I'd get around to making one eventually!

Going, Going, Gone - Today is your final reminder that lots of things are ending today - it is the last day that the following items will be available:

• Last Chance Products, stamps and accessories from the current 2020-21 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue
• All Together exclusive paper, stamps and dies (only the skin tone Blends are carrying over to the new annual catalogue)
• Waves of The Ocean Suite exclusive papers, foils and embellishments (only the stamp set and dies are carrying over to the new annual catalogue)

When tomorrow comes, it will be all about the new annual catalogue so if any of the above are still on your list, you best click the links below and hop over to the online store today! 

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 will be back later with one (maybe two!) posts as I have a few makes 'in progress' on my desk along with news of a great new joining offer that will be starting tomorrow to coincide with the new annual catalogue launch - exciting stuff! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

WAVES OF INSPIRATION BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	BLUE FOILS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (£9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.25)	PACIFIC POINT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
BERMUDA BAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	COASTAL CABANA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a shades of blue colour challenge chosen by the lovely LeAnne:

I have been busy preparing for my upcoming 'Waves of The Ocean' card class and this trio of blues is just perfect for waves, so I thought I'd share a variation of a card that I'll be making with my ladies next week, including a fun technique - take a look at my card:

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

Waves of Inspiration - This fabulous tidal wave is the real scene-stealer in the 'Waves of Inspiration' stamp set and can make a card all by itself (more on that later!) For this card, I used my Stamparatus to ink the whole wave in Balmy Blue, then I inked a second time, adding Pacific Point and Night of Navy to select areas of the stamp using a sponge dauber, to give me the variegated colour. The Stamparatus is most definitely your friend when using this stamp - it allows you to align the image and add layers of colour with ease. 

Foamy Waves - I decided I wanted to add some dimension and texture to my wave to give it a truly foamy feel; you can see it on the card above but I thought you would appreciate a closer look below:

In real life this texture looks so good! 

Want To Know More? - Creating the textured foam really is easier than it perhaps looks: all you need is some liquid glue, white embossing powder and a heat gun to make the magic happen. Here's a link to a short video I made some years ago where I used the same technique to create puffy clouds and snow that demonstrates it better than I can explain it:

In addition to the basic technique, to add a little extra sparkle to today's card I went back over some of the raised areas with my liquid glue and added some fine loose glitter, but you could forgo this step if glitter isn't your thing. 

In designing my classes I always try to use all of the stamps in a set, but also to introduce new ideas or ways of using stamps that my ladies perhaps haven't thought of or that I haven't seen used elsewhere in the creative blogosphere. I hope my ladies like this one!

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; we are taking it easy following a very late night in London yesterday. It was so worth it though - the ALW production of 'Cinderella' was AMAZING!  I'll be back tomorrow with another project and I have several more 'Waves of Inspiration' cards to share too, so stay tuned. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

WAVES OF INSPIRATION BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)	MULTIPURPOSE LIQUID GLUE (£4.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	LINEN THREAD (£4.75)

The start of March sees two great promotions that I can't wait to share with you! What are these exciting promotions I hear you cry?! Well wait no longer - they are:

• Waves of the Ocean Collection - another annual catalogue early release with exclusive accessories
• Savings Are In Bloom Promotion - a discount on the Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine and select co-ordinating bundles

So first up:

Waves of the Ocean Collection

Discover the depths of the ocean—and your artistic abilities—with the Waves of the Ocean Collection! This coastal collection includes an inspiring set of stamps and detailed dies, both early-release products from the upcoming 2022–2023 Annual Catalogue. Plus, a pack of paper made from images of hand-poured paint, blue-hued foil sheets for a sea of shine, and radiant rhinestones for a splash of sparkle—each an exclusive product you can only purchase during the promotion period!

Here's a look at everything that's included in the Waves of The Ocean Collection:

Here's the detail on each product - the items can be purchase individually or as a collection:

Next up:

Savings Are In Bloom Promotion

Meet your mini crafting companion: the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine! This mini—but mighty—machine is durable, portable, and easy to use. It’s the perfect pick if you’re a budding beginner who wants to branch out, a paper-crafting pro who wants to craft on the go, or someone who’s short on storage space! Make precise cuts and embossed designs for any paper project with one pass. Originally £56.00, it can be yours for only £44.75 between 1 and 31 March! The Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine is compatible with a large selection of Stampin’ Up! embossing folders and dies. Kickstart your collection and combine your Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine with any (or all!) of the following stamp-and-die bundles—they’re also 20% off during the month of March!

So two great promotions for March! There are a some great bundle offers here, so if you've been holding off any of these, now would be a great time to pop them in your shopping basket! Direct links to the online store for all of the products above are below - happy shopping!

WAVES OF THE OCEAN SUITE COLLECTION (ENGLISH) (£75.00)	WAVES OF INSPIRATION BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£48.50)	WAVES OF INSPIRATION CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	WAVES DIES (£32.00)
WAVES OF THE OCEAN 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	BLUE FOILS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (£9.50)	RHINESTONE WAVES BASIC JEWELS (£6.25)

MINI STAMPIN' CUT & EMBOSS MACHINE (£44.75)	ALL SQUARED AWAY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£36.75)	ART GALLERY BUNDLE (£41.50)	BEAUTY OF FRIENDSHIP BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£42.25)
CELEBRATE SUNFLOWERS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£42.25)	GARDEN WISHES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£42.25)	HYDRANGEA HAVEN BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£43.00)	PANSY PATCH BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£42.25)
QUIET MEADOW BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£44.00)	SEASCAPE BUNDLE (£38.25)	SWEET AS A PEACH BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£30.25)	WELCOMING WINDOW BUNDLE (£41.50)
WHAT'S COOKIN' BUNDLE (£37.50)	WILD CATS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£32.00)