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 a fun theme challenge for you to work with:

I had a few ideas for Ann Marie's 'woodsy' theme today and decided to really go all-out to incorporate as many wood-themed elements into my card as possible. I decided to continue with another Christmas card to add to my collection and ended up creating something a little different (for me!) - take a look:

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

Knock on Wood - My card has lots of elements that tie in to the wood theme: some woodland background dry embossing, a panel of retired Wood Textures DSP, the tree trunk stamp from Rooted in Nature (stamped in Crumb Cake and then sponged with Early Espresso around the edge), as well as some greenery and a couple of pine cones that could easily be spotted on a walk through the woods.

Texture, Texture - There are lots of layers and textural elements on today's card too: in addition to the dry embossing, I added shimmery white embossing paste to my greenery for  textured snow and the glimmer paper and twine bow also adds contrast. I originally started out using Jen's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches (you can see that sketch here), but ended up adding so many layers and bits and pieces I rather lost my usual 'clean' look. Whilst I love the finished result, I will need to go back to the drawing board if I'm to put in an FMS entry this week!

Woodland Sparkle - All that wood made for a rather neutral card, with only the greens adding colour to the mix of browns. I decided to add a silver glimmer 'merry' diecut for some festive sparkle, along with some frosted epoxy droplet 'berries' and a silver and linen twine bow. I really like the finished effect.

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. 

I'm also linking up today's card to the Festive Friday Challenge (my card features silver, wood, texture, circles and green from the inspo list) and the challenge over at Paper Craft Crew where I went across the middle of the board: embossing paste/rustic/gone wild and the top left-bottom right diagonal: found in the forest/rustic/sponging)

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 enjoying the last day of the half-term holiday before returning the school tomorrow. We have some hockey planned and a trip to the farm shop, along with preparations for my classes this week. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Woodland Embossing Folder (£8.00)	Merry Christmas Dies (£26.00)	Merry Christmas To All Photopolymer Stamp Set (£25.00)	Rooted In Nature Cling-Mount Stamp Set (£39.00)	Flourish Dies (£27.00)
Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets (£8.25)	Shimmery White Embossing Paste (£8.25)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Garden Green A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Beautiful Boughs Dies (£33.00)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Silver Glimmer Paper (£4.75)
Linen Thread (£4.75)	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)

Wednesday already?! Where does the time go! Firstly today I have a reminder for you: today is the last day you can take advantage of 25% off selected stamp sets as part of the Stitched From the Heart promotion - you can read full details, including the sets that are on offer, in my previous post here. For today I have another card that uses Sandy's sketch over at The Paper Players this week, but one that is quite different to my Design Team card from Sunday and that includes one of the stamps from the current offer sets:

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

Book A Party, Earn An Owl -  One of the hostess sets in the current seasonal catalogue is 'Cozy Critters', which includes a sweet fox along with this adorable owl, which co-ordinates with the Owl Builder Punch for easy assembly. This stamp set is exclusively available to customers who either host their own party or place a single order of £150 or more and has been incredibly popular. This set will only be available until the 3rd January and will not be available on the retired list or clearance rack; I don't have any slots left for pre-Christmas parties now, but if this set is on your wishlist you still have time to place a qualifying order and grab yours with your Stampin' Rewards. 

Woodland Trees - I used that panel for an embossed piece again - this time the Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Difficult to see in the photograph, but I brushed the debossed areas in between the trees with my clear Wink of Stella, along with the owl's oversized hat and co-ordinating scarf - this card is so, so sparkly!

Not Just For Tags - The sentiment and background snowflake are from the versatile Tin Of Tags stamp set. This stamp set co-ordinates with the Tin of Tags kit in the seasonal catalogue, however can be used for so much more besides and are perfect in a layered stitched circle on a card. This set is available for today only at a discounted 25% - £14.25 instead of £19. Why not buy one with a Tin of Tags kit (£20) and give someone a pre-Christmas gift that will not only provide some creative respite in the run up to the big day, but result in a set of beautiful handcrafted tags to add the finishing touch to their gift packaging:

I know I would appreciate a gift like this at this time of year!

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 also linking my card up with one of the other teams that the lovely Sandy designs for - Stamps, Ink, Paper - where the challenge is embossing, dry or heat. 

I'll be back tomorrow with news of another great set of pre-Christmas offers from Stampin' Up! which you won't want to miss; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Tin Of Tags Photopolymer Stamp Set	Cozy Critters Photopolymer Stamp Set	Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Layering Circle Framelits Dies
Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush	Soft Sky A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Owl Builder Punch
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock	Rhinestone Basic Jewels

It's Sunday and you know what that means: time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! This week it's the wonderful Laurie's to host and she has a great theme challenge for you:

I decided to go with trees and leaves for my fall-inspired scene and set to work with my Woodland embossing folder and some rich Regals colours. Here's my card:

I used Cajun Craze for my card base with a mat of Crushed Curry, then having embossed a piece of Very Vanilla with my Woodland embossing folder, I stamped it randomly with the leaf stamps from my 'Among The Branches' stamp set in Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Garden Green and Tangelo Twist. I stamped my sentiment stamp from the same set in Cajun Craze on Very Vanilla and punched out using my 2" circle punch and added it to my card with a couple of banners underneath punched using my Triple Banner Punch - one in garden green and one in kraft corrugated paper for a little texture. To finish, I added a little wooden leaf from the Into The Woods Embellishments pack. 

That's it - definitely a clean and simple fall scene card! I'm not generally a big fan of embossing folders (I own lots of them but rarely use them) however both the Woodland Embossing folder and the Gently Falling Embossing folder are firm favourites of mine already - so many creative possibilities, especially when paired with a co-ordinating stamp set as I have here. Furthermore, not only does the stamp set co-ordinate, but it is one of the many fantastic bundles available in the seasonal catalogue - if you by both the Woodland TIEF and the Among The Branches stamp set, you can save 15%, what a great deal! To take advantage of it, just click on the bundle in the supply list below and it will take you to my shop to purchase.

I have a busy day ahead; more housework and I'm still playing catch up having been away for a few days at the end of last week. At least the children have completed all their homework - one less thing to do today! 

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 fall scenes you create on your CAS cards this week.  

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Among The Branches Photopolymer Bundle	Into The Woods Elements	Kraft And White Corrugated Paper	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Banner Triple Punch
Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad	Cajun Craze A4 Cardstock	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad
Garden Green A4 Cardstock	Tangelo Twist Classic Stampin' Pad	2" Circle Punch

Today is Ben's 8th birthday and after my technique class this morning, we will be celebrating for the rest of the day. I will share Ben's birthday card with you tomorrow; I didn't have much time for crafting yesterday, but having received my seasonal pre-order goodies the urge to play with new toys was strong, so I did manage to squeeze in a quick card for this week's one layer challenge over at Less Is More where they have a fun theme of 'the eyes have it' - here's my card:

My 'white space' today is Crushed Curry yellow as I really wanted the negative space for the eyes on my 'spooky' Halloween stamp from the new 'Among The Branches' stamp set to look like something fearsome - did it work?! I stamped my image on the inside of the card in Memento Black ink, then used my circle framelits and Big Shot to cut a hole in the front of my card, which I also embossed with the new Woodland textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I just love this embossing folder - this is one of those versatile items that I'm going to get lots of use from. I resisted the urge to add some ribbon or twine - I know how those lovely LIM ladies like their space - less, is after all more!

My box of pre-order goodies is just fantastic and has so many fabulous sets, for Autumn, Halloween and Christmas - I can hardly wait to get creating so that I can share more with you! I will be packaging my catalogues to be sent out to my local and online customers before the end of the month; if you don't already have a demonstrator and would like me to send you a seasonal catalogue get in touch with your contact details and I will add you to my mailing list.

Back tomorrow with Ben's birthday card and a peek at his birthday cake; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

*Among The Branches - available September 1st

*Woodland TIEF - available September 1st

Big Shot

Circles Collection Framelits Dies

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock