Happy Wednesday everyone! This is my second post today - click here if you would like to see this week's Weekly Deals post. For today's creative project, I have another Christmas card to share with you featuring another of the adorable characters from the Christmas Cuties stamp set and this week's sketch over at Retrosketches:

I also paired my Christmas Cuties with one of my under-used papers with the Home for Christmas designer series paper pack - take a look:

I stamped my image in Archival Black onto Extra Thick Whisper White and coloured it with my inks and aquapainter, then stamped the snow stamp around it in Pool Party. I mounted my stamped image panel onto a piece of Real Red that I had cut out with my scalloped circle framelit, the largest one in the Circles Framelits set. Behind this I used my piece of patterned paper, matted onto Mossy Meadow and a card base of Pool Party. I cut out my sentiment with my retired Word Bubble framelits and popped it up on dimensionals for a little lift.

This is one of those super cute cards that is very satisfying to produce - all that theraputic colouring! I'm happy to have found a layout that makes the most of that lovely background paper too. 

That's all from me today; back tomorrow with my card for this week's new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Christmas Cuties Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Big Shot	Aqua Painters
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad	Pool Party A4 Cardstock	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red A4 Cardstock	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijion Classic Stampin' Pad	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

I've had a lovely crafty morning earlier but am later with my blog post as I've been at a basket ball tournament this afternoon with the youngest James Junior (his school club team were tournament winners - woohoo!) and then since we have a rare swim-free Saturday, the children are sleeping over at Grannies and the DH and I treated ourselves to dinner and a movie - Pitch Perfect 2 (aka-awesome - every bit as good as the first one!) All in all a great day, but since what you're really here for is my card let's get to it! Today I used this week's Freshly Made Sketches sketch as my inspiration:

I needed a birthday card for a 10 year old girlfriend of Rebecca's and decided that this sketch would be perfect for what I had in mind - here's my card:

I started out with my Simply Created Hooray It's Your Day Card Kit and co-ordinating stamp set, and whilst I used the stamp set and embellishment and took my ideas from the kit, I really wanted something altogether more pink so chose a combination of Strawberry Slush and Pink Pirouette for my card and sponged onto a piece of Sale-A-Bration Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper for my background. I did interpret the sketch somewhat loosely, but you can see the main elements: the glimmer strip in the background, the speech bubbles (I am so going to miss these retiring framelits!) for the panel and the wooden 'hello' embellishment as my main focal point, although I did also add an Itty Bitty Accents punched flower and a glimmer butterfly to balance it out and add to the girly feel. I also added a Tip Top Taupe speech bubble to break up the pink a little - this colour goes so well with Pink Pirouette!

I hope you like today's birthday card; come back tomorrow to see what fun we have in store for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players - there will be more sneak peeks, so you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Hooray It's Your Day Card Kit	Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Pink Pirouette A4 Card Stock	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Silver Glimmer Paper

It's Wednesday so that means a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! This week's deals are included below - they will be available for one week only, before a new collection of deals is announced. 

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for April DBJFM4DG and be sure to make sure that you don't check the 'no contact' box if you'd like to be kept updated with the progress of you order and receive a little thank you in the post from me. 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

Blushing Bride 1/4" Cotton Ribbon	Extra-Large Gift Box	File Tabs Edgelits Die	Gift Box Punch Board
Hearts A Flutter Framelits Dies	Squares Collection Framelits Dies	Word Bubbles Framelits Dies

You may be disappointed that Sale-A-Bration has ended, but today's weeky deals have something of a silver lining for sure: framelit offers abound this week, along  with the gift box punch board and the fabulous extra large gift boxes and some Blushing Bride ribbon to tie them up in! This week's framelit offers include some of my most used framelits - come back later to see today's creative post, where I used the Square Framelits to create today's fun card.

Until then, happy shopping!

It's Wednesday so that means a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! This week's deals are included below - they will be available for one week only, before a new collection of deals is announced.

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for October/November (you can find this under the 'Shop Online' section on the right) and be sure to make sure that you don't check the 'no contact' box if you'd like to be kept updated with the progress of you order and receive a little thank you in the post from me. 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

Autumn Traditions Kit - Digital Download	Basic Black 3/4" Chevron Ribbon	Decorative Window Gift Box	Epic Day This And That Designer Washi Tape
Natural 7/8" Cotton Ribbon	Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powder	Word Bubbles Framelits Dies

Happy Monday everyone! It might be raining outside but I guarantee today's card will cheer you up! It's a Halloween card with a difference using this week's sketch over at The Paper Craft Crew:

This sketch is quite similar to the sketch from a couple of weeks ago (you can see my card for that sketch here - and this card earned me a Featured Artisan spot too, so thank you Paper Craft Crew!) and whilst I did choose to use the word bubbles literally, the layout of this sketch was perfect for something that I've been wanting to create for a while - a Halloween joke card! Take a look: 

Fun, eh?! Every time I've looked at using the witch and cat from 'Freaky Friends' together, the witch just looks to me like she is saying something to the cat - so I decided a suitably-themed joke was in order! I made my card 6" square and used a Whisper White card base, covering the entire front section with a piece of Motley Monsters DSP and matting my central Whisper White panel with a mat of Bermuda Bay.

I stamped the witch and cat in Memento Black ink and coloured in the open spaces with my Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand and Tangerine Tango Stampin' Write marker pens. My joke is computer-generated, which I printed out on Whisper White then inked the borders of the Just Sayin' stamps that co-ordinate with the Word Bubble framelits with my markers and stamped these over the top using my stamp-a-ma-jig for placement before rolling out with my Big Shot. I stamped the alphabet letters from the 'Tap Tap Tap' stamp in the background, colouring the individual letters with my markers, before positioning my word bubbles on top and adhering with dimensionals. To finish, I added a trio of candy dots in the corner.

I think this card is really fun; I made it to give to my 7 year old son, who is and always has been joke-mad. When he saw it he proclaimed it 'definitely funny', so I guess it passed the test. His first and favourite joke of all time is still this one:

Why did the banana go to the doctors?

Because he wasn't peeling very well!

This still sends him into fits of giggles every time he tells it!

Ok enough jokes from me today - before I go, just a reminder that today is the last day to take advantage of 'stamp, stock and save' - selected ink pads, paper, envelopes, and adhesive are available at a 15% discount! There are also a number of select stamps that are 20%! Full details of the products included in this offer can be found in the offer flyer here or you can go straight to my online store here to place your order - don't forget to include October's hostess code SFEXF44E.

That's all from me today - back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Freaky Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Motlley Monsters Designer Series Paper	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Big Shot Magnetic Platform	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
Just Sayin'	Word Bubbles Framelits Dies	Tap Tap Tap Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Many Marvelous Markers	Card Stock A4 Bermuda Bay
Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing my card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Craft Crew, for which I also used the current colour palette over at The Card Concept:

I thought the sketch layout with the word bubbles and the leafy inspiration photo would combine to create the perfect opportunity to showcase the sentiments in the 'Gratitude For Days' stamp set - a rather unsung hero from the current seasonal catalogue I think, but a set that I have used lots and lots. Here is my card:

I used a combination of Real Red, Crushed Curry and Wild Wasabi for my card and inked the outlines of the Just Sayin' stamped word bubbles using my markers then stamped the insides with various 'gratitude' stamps in contrasting colours. I used some little leaves cut with my Fall Fest framelits as the embellishment for the word bubbles, and gradually layered them over a Gorgeous Grunge background to achieve my finished design. I think this still qualifies as 'clean and layered' as far as The Card Concept is concerned (if you've ever wondered about the definitions of the various cardmaking styles, you should check out their site - it gives some great guidelines), maybe bordering on 'freestyle collage', although probably not random enough to truly be a collage!

Hope you like my card; I'll pop back later with another quick make today for this week's challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary, so stay posted. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Gratitude For Days Photopolymer Stamp Set	Fun Fall Framelits Dies	Just Sayin'	Word Bubbles Framelits Dies	Crushed Curry Baker's Twine
Gorgeous Grunge	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red A4 Card Stock
Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Many Marvelous Markers

It's Sunday so I'm here with my card for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players, where Jaydee has the following clean and simple challenge for us:

I also used the above sketch from Freshly Made Sketches again for my card this week and this week's card is a lot more 'clean' than last weeks - here is my card:

My card is really simple, with a piece of the numbered Typeset paper mounted on Basic Black as the central panel of my card, with a couple of strips of Flashback DSP behind to add some colour and the focal point word bubble 'You're How Old?' stamped in Real Red. I finished my card with the sentiment 'happy birthday Grandpa' (stamped with my vintage 'For My Family' stamp set - a keeper!) and a punched star.

Yesterday was my Dad's 70th birthday and I made this card for him from the children - they think 70 is positively ancient, so the word bubble was entirely appropriate! - however it occurred to me as I typed up my post that not only could you change out the sentiment to just say 'happy birthday' or include the role of any family member (dad, brother, uncle, etc.) this might also work as a fun tongue-in-cheek card with the sentiment as is. So beware any male that feels he's 'over the hill', because one of these cards could be heading your way Grandpa!

Do check out the other design team cards this week; as always, there is some great inspiration and I look forward to seeing your challenge entries in the gallery. Right, I'm off to prepare for Sunday lunch and hopefully enjoy a restful family day before the onset of a new week. Enjoy your weekends everyone!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Word Bubbles Framelits Dies	Just Sayin'	Flashback Designer Series Paper	Typeset Specialty Designer Series Paper	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock
Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Regals Candy Dots	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky
Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

Good morning lovely blog readers - so much to be excited about today: it's Friday (always cause for celebration!), I placed my pre-order for Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue products in the early hours of this morning (woohoo!) and today Stampin' Up! has announced a fantastic Big Shot bundle offer available for the month of August only!!

That's right - from 1st-31st August inclusive, if you purchase a Big Shot, you can receive one of five exclusive stamp set and framelit bundles ABSOLUTELY FREE - that's up to £55 worth of free products!! With the new seasonal catalogue just around the corner, which includes lots of Big Shot accessories, there's never been a better time to get your hands on one.

If you already own a Big Shot, don't worry there's a great offer for you too - you can purchase any of the exclusive bundles at a discount of 15% off. So now for the detail - these are the amazing one-time only bundles on offer:

Bundle	Stamp Set	Framelits	Discounted Price
Sumthin' With Bubbly Words Wood-Mount Bundle	Sumthin' Sumthin'	Word Bubbles	£28.50
Sumthin' With Bubbly Words Clear-Mount Bundle	Sumthin' Sumthin'	Word Bubbles	£26.95
Decorative Goodies Wood-Mount Bundle	Oh My Goodies	Deco Labels	£36.25
Decorative Goodies Clear-Mount Bundle	Oh My Goodies	Deco Labels	£31.25
Celebrating Chalk Talk Wood-Mount Bundle	Day Of Celebration	Chalk Talk	£37.25
Celebrating Chalk Talk Clear-Mount Bundle	Day of Celebration	Chalk Talk	£31.95
Flowery Daydream Wood-Mount Bundle	Daydream Medallions	Floral Collection	£47.50
Flowery Daydream Clear-Mount Bundle	Daydream Medallions	Floral Collection	£41.50
Bright & Beautiful Stars Wood-Mount Bundle	Bright and Beautiful	Star	£44.95
Bright & Beautiful Stars Clear-Mount Bundle	Bright and Beautiful	Star	£37.25

You will even notice that one of the stamp sets in the above bundles - Bright & Beautiful - is a 'sneak peek' set that will be appearing in the new Autumn-Winter Seasonal Catalogue due to go live on 28th August.

The Big Shot is an amazing multi-tasking tool that has so many uses: it can be used to dry emboss, cut cardstock using framelits, edgelits or Sizzlits and allows you to cut a range of additional materials - wood, metal, fabric - using our extensive range of dies. If you don't own a Big Shot and need convincing, you might find this short video from Stampin' Up! a useful introduction:

For everyone that purchases a Big Shot from me, I will follow up with a one-to-one session that ensures you understand exactly how your Big Shot works with the various accessories in order that you can get the most from your purchase. This is one tool you will wonder how you ever managed without!

There is no limit to the number of Big Shots or stamp/framelit bundles that you can purchase from the above list during the month of August; the only restriction is where a Big Shot is purchased using Hostess Credits or using a 50% item discount - for these purchases the above offer does not apply.

So what are you waiting for? If you have any additional questions, do give me a call - otherwise, get ready to make the most of this amazing offer!

Back tomorrow with a creative post; until then, happy shopping!

Yay it's Friday - what more is there to say?! Today I have another new catalogue sneak peek to share with you, this time a cute baby card that I made using this week's sketch layout over at The Papercraft Crew (I haven't managed to play along with these guys for a while and this week's sketch layout really appealed!) and I'm also linking up with The Card Concept, where the challenge is to create a baby-themed card (mine is in the 'clean and layered' style):

I wanted to use a set from the new catalogue called 'Something for Baby' - a lovely set with lots of baby motifs; not only that, it also has a set of matching framelits - perfect! My card is in fact stacked with new product - see if you can spot it all:

Did you get it all? My card base is Crisp Cantaloupe and I then matted two of the different patterns in one of the new DSP paper packs called 'Lullaby' onto a base of Baked Brown Sugar, and used a strip of the same colour to tie them together. I stamped the central strip with the heart stamp from the 'Something to Say' stamp set to echo the hearts on the bottom panel, although you can't really see them as they are obscured by the frame. I then created a frame using my Big Shot and square framelits and stamped the second half of my sentiment in the box. The first half I stamped in a contrasting colour onto a word bubble cut out with my framelits - I cut first and stamped second, which I don't usually do but I wanted my word bubble to 'hang' the opposite way (hope that makes sense!) - another sentiment from the 'Something To Say' set. I then embellished my card with a cute Crisp Cantaloupe babygro, complete with a Calypso Coral flower, and pair of booties, all popped up on dimensionals.

Hope you like my cute little baby girl card - lots of great sneak peeks there; only 5 more days to go until the new annual catalogue is here! And only 4 more days until my 2014-15 catalogue launch party: full details here and lots more to see so do come along!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

* Something for Baby stamp set and co-ordinating framelits - available 1st July

* Something to Say stamp set - available 1st July

* Lullaby Designer Series Paper - available 1st July

Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad	Baked Brown Sugar Classic Stampin' Pad	Crisp Cantaloupe 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim	Baked Brown Sugar 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
Magnetic Platform	Word Bubbles Framelits Dies	Squares Collection Framelits Dies

When I saw the colour combo over at Dynamic Duos this week, I just knew I was going to have to make a card for this challenge! Of all the colour collections, Brights is my most favourite and this pink and blue combination just rocks!

Here is my card: 

I decided to combine it with the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch this week too, where I decided to use the pattern literally and stamp my background with Gorgeous Grunge. For my sentiment I wanted something contemporary and in keeping with the grunge look, so I decided to go with a word bubble, stamped in Versamark onto vellum then heat embossed with Melon Mambo embossing powder - the photograph really doesn't do this justice, in real life it has a lovely raised sheen. The word bubble was adhered using rolled glue dots, hidden along the stamped outline; this gives just enough height but doesn't allow them to show through the vellum.

I think this would make a great card for a teenager, or just a general card to cheer someone up. I like this minimalist card so much, I might have to make a few more in alternative colour combinations!

Back tomorrow with another project and some important Stampin' Up! news that you won't want to miss; until then, happy stampin'! 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Just Sayin' Clear-Mount Bundle	Gorgeous Grunge	Tempting Turquoise A4 Card Stock	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad
Melon Mambo Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool - Uk Plug