It's the beginning of May and there's lots happening this month so we are starting the month with some announcements! Firstly: we are excited to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day! Starting tomorrow (11pm tonight UK time), for 2 days only (2–3 May) we’re offering DOUBLE Stampin' Rewards on all purchases! What better way to celebrate one of our favourite crafting holidays? And the best part? This offer applies to ALL products, not just scrapbooking items! 

What are Stampin' Rewards and how do you earn them? In summary:

• For every order over £20, you will earn 10% of your entire order in Stampin' Rewards.
• Stampin' Rewards are added to your reward balance and can be spent on a future order (rewards are valid for 12 months). You can treat yourself with your next order, or save up your rewards for something special - you choose
• Log in to your Stampin’ Up! account (at www.stampinup.uk or set one up if you’re new).
• Opt in to the rewards programme.
• Shop and enjoy watching your rewards grow!
  There is also a great video walking you through the steps HERE
• If you don't want to place your own orders, I can generate an order for you and email a link for you to add the payment information. The goods will be delivered direct to you and you will need an account and to have opted in to receive the Stampin’ Rewards.
• You can still ask me to place your order on your behalf and I can have the goods sent to me or you but you will not earn Stampin’ Rewards on these purchases.
• You can select me as your demonstrator so that each time you log in, it will default to shopping with me.  To do this, log in and click ON YOUR NAME on the top right of your account and a drop down menu will appear.  Click on DEMONSTRATOR and search for Joanne James, click in the circle next to my name and I will be selected as your preferred demonstrator.

If you've any further questions about rewards, do give me a call or drop me a line.

Rewards aside, we are officially counting down now - there are only 6 days to go until the new 2025-26 Annual Stampin' Up! catalogue launches!

I have sent out copies to everyone on my catalogue mailing list who has purchased from me in the last 6 months - if you're not on this list but would like to receive a catalogue, then do give me a call on 07773 421446 or drop me an email and I will pop one in the post to you today.

This also means the following: 

You have only a few more days that you can order from the 2024-25 Stampin' Up! catalogue - this includes any of the 'Bundle and Save 10%' bundles. Even though some of the products they contain are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, they will not be available as a discounted bundle. 

You only have a few more days to order from the 2025 January-April Mini Stampin' Up! Catalogue too - a number of the products are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, however we will be saying goodbye to many items and again they will not be available as a discounted bundle. There are still a number of stamp sets and accessories available at a discount on the Last Chance pages - this is the perfect opportunity to grab a bargain!  

That's all from me - back tomorrow with this week's creative post for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy last-chance shopping!

I'm here with a quick post to let you know that the Last Chance Products section of the online store has updated today. There are hundreds of new and discounted products from the mini and annual catalogues and online exclusives. You can check them all out HERE; go take a look, there are some great bargains to be had.

There are also three new kits available in the online store today:

The Paper Bouquet Kit: 

 The Essential Occasions Kit:

The Loveliest Wishes Kit:

You can find out more information on any of these kits by visiting the Kits Collection section of the online store.

Happy shopping! 

It's the last day in April so it's public service announcements galore today!

Counting down now - only 1 day to go until the new 2024-25 Annual Stampin' Up! catalogue launches!

I have sent out copies to everyone on my catalogue mailing list who has purchased from me in the last 6 months - if you're not on this list but would like to receive one, then do give me a call on 07773 421446 or drop me an email and I will pop one in the post to you today.

This also means the following: 

Today is the last day that you can order from the 2023-24 Stampin' Up! catalogue - this includes any of the 'Bundle and Save 10%' bundles. Even though some of the products they contain are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, they will not be available as a discounted bundle. 

Today is also the last day that you can order from the 2024 January-April Mini Stampin' Up! Catalogue - a number of the products are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, however we will be saying goodbye to many items and again they will not be available as a discounted bundle. There are still a number of stamp sets and accessories available at a discount on the Retiring List here - today is your last chance to grab a bargain!  

There are still lots of bargains to be had following last week's Clearance Rack Refresh, so if you are placing an order online you should definitely check this out too.

If you are placing an order online, remember to use this month's online hostess code VDKNV7BH to receive a little thank you from me. 

That's all from me - back tomorrow with the new annual catalogue and news of a fabulous joining offer for the month of May, so do be sure to come back then to hear all about it! Until then, happy last-chance shopping!

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Rachel has asked that we use a trio of balanced shapes. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card and remember the shapes you choose don't have to be squares. 

I paired Rachel's fun sketch with the bright colour combo over at Just Us Girls this week that was perfect for what I had in mind - take a look:

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

Those retiring lists I mentioned in yesterday's post are now well and truly live and so for today's card I just had to highlight one of my favourite retiring sets: Hey Chuck. As a previous chicken owner, I knew I'd never be able to resist these comical feathered friends! They are great for colouring, especially if you're a beginner as there is only a small area to focus on at a time. In addition to the chickens themselves, the dies contain a bunch of 'extras' in addition to those that cut out the chickens; on today's card I used the semi-circle sunshine to make a stencil so that I could stencil in my morning sun (this is something I've done previously here too) and the weather vane - so great for creating fun scenes, the possibilities are endless! The dies are also discounted as part of the retiring sale - so if you buy the stamps and the dies, you get a better deal if you purchase them separately than if you purchase them as a bundle. Here's my colourful poultry in close up:

A trio of sparkly Gorgeous Grape enamel dots complete my fun card (I've provided a link to one that is similar below). 

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. 

This will be the perfect card to send to my daughter on her return to university - students in general are not known for being early risers so I suspect this will make her smile!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HEY CHUCK DIES (21.00)	HEY CHUCK CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	HEY CHUCK BUNDLE (48.50)	BLACKBERRY BLISS STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
PUMPKIN PIE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GLOSSY DOTS ASSORTMENT (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

Click here to go right to the the online store to shop your favourite retiring items now - please note the discounted prices are only available from tomorrow, Tuesday April 9th.

Click here to see the retired items list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Click here to see the retired items list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Please remember this is also your last opportunity to stock up on 2022-24 in colour products: we will be saying goodbye for good to Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis at the end of the month.

Finally, whilst we all dislike price rises, sometimes they are necessary in order to remain competitive. As such, I want to give you a heads up that the following items will all increase in price when the next Annual Catalogue launches in May, so if you would like to get a jump on those price rises, here's your opportunity to get your order in beforehand:

I'll be placing an order first thing tomorrow, so if you'd like to take advantage of the bargains on the retiring list, then do get in touch with your order by 8pm this evening.

Some products have discounts of up to 60% so there are some great bargains to be had; since these lists are whilst supplies last, there are products that have already gone in some markets prior to discounts beginning, so don't delay in placing your order if there's something you 'must have'. I'll be back to share some of my favourites later in the week but meanwhile, time to review those wishlists!

Let me know if you have any questions. Back tomorrow with another post; until then, happy shopping!

Today I'm sharing my final card for my Guest Designer spot over at Just Us Girls. I will be so sad to leave - I've had such a great month crafting alongside these lovely ladies, but I'm sure they have someone wonderful lined up to take over next month. For my final card we have a super fun challenge - CASE a design Team Member:

Now I could have created absolutely anything for my final card this week - but I thought it would be fun if I CASEd one of the Just Us Girls Design Team Members! And it just so happened that I saw this card by the lovely Carol McFarland a week or so ago and actually commented on her socials that I wanted to CASE this card, so I thought today that I would! This is my version - take a look:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Whilst I love to colour, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I love exploring alternative ways to add colour to line art images. I took an alternative approach to colouring this rose the last time I used it - you can see that card here. This card gave me another final opportunity to use the Cottage Rose stamp before it retires and also to have some fun with the new 2023-25 In Colours too. I stamped the main rose image around the edge of a piece of Whisper White, then masked off two 'stripes' in turn and blended some Moody Mauve ink first from one edge, then the other. I added a sentiment from the same set and two addition uncoloured diecut roses on dimensionals:

A trio of In Color Dots and black enamel dots complete my card front. I added a little extra detail to the inside of my card too:

I like this card so much, I think I'm going to make 4 more versions in each of the other new in-colours too. CASEing someone else's card can be so much fun - whether you are inspired by the images, colours, layout or technique, there is so much to choose from! I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone is inspired by the JUGS Design Team cards this week and thank you to Carol for inspiring mine! A final thank you too to all the lovely JUGS ladies for their cameraderie this month - you will undoubtedly see me back in the gallery soon!

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'm off to the hockey pitch this afternoon and looking forward to a long Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, even if that means it will probably rain!! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

COTTAGE ROSE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.20)

COTTAGE FLOWERS DIES (22.40)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)

BLENDING BRUSHES (11.75)

MATTE BLACK DOTS (4.05)

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card that I made for a few current challenges:

I'm using Cecile's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and the colour combination over at Colour Inkspirational (I chose my retiring in-colour as Polished Pink - love this pink!) and am also linking up over at Inkspirational where the theme is clean and simple. I'm also using a retiring stamp set - for the first time! Take a look:

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

When I saw Cecile's sketch, I was initially tempted to go with the 'clean and layered' look, however I decided I'd challenge myself to embrace my 'inner Cecile' and create something altogether more clean and simple. I already had the 'Cottage Rose' stamp set out on my desk as I wanted to give it at least one use before it goes away, so I decided I would use that for my focal point, masking and stamping in an extra set of leaves too, in black onto Very Vanilla cardstock.

If you too are a fan of Cecile's work, you will know she is the queen of clean and simple cards and lots to add colour to line stamped designs using a paintbrush and watercolours - her current Design Team cards both at FMS and at CAS Colours & Sketches are good examples of this. I wasn't sure I could pull this off though, so instead I decide to go for a more bokeh effect and using both a blending brush and sponge dauber to achieve different depths of colour, I added Polished Pink and (retired) Encore Gold ink using stencils made with a variety of circle punches and some leftover window sheet to the main flower. A simple gold-on-black heat embossed sentiment completes my card:

I added the same floral detail both inside the card and on the front and flap of my coordinating envelope to complete the look. I resisted the urge to add some enamel dots and just allowed the flower to take centre stage. What do you think? Have you ever tried this kind of technique before? Do leave me a comment below - I would love to hear your thoughts. I don't mind saying I just love this card!! A mix of traditional floral and modern, abstract colouring - so fun! Thank you Cecile for a fabulous sketch and design inspiration 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 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

COTTAGE ROSE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.20)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	POLISHED PINK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (6.00)	SPONGE DAUBERS (4.75)	BLENDING BRUSHES (11.75)
VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and I am the featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went across the bottom with floral, embossing and stitching and took the opportunity to work with the current Color Hues palette of peach and kraft and decided to try out a fun technique that I saw on Instagram recently - take a look:

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

Graffiti Art - I saw a reel on Instagram recently by the New Zealand demonstrator, Jacque Williams, where she created a fun graffiti art-style card and I really wanted to give it a go! It's actually not that tricky to do: you choose your background wall colour (I used Crumb Cake) then ink one side of your Bricks and Mortar embossing folder before inserting your card and running it through your Big Shot machine. This gives you your inked 'cement' lines and the base onto which you then stamp the rest of your design. Simple! This embossing folder is great for this technique and makes a great background too. I can't believe it's retiring - if you don't have one, I'd seriously consider adding to your collection whilst you still can!

Floral Art Gallery - I chose to add some bold florals for my wall art, using the large bloom from the Art Gallery stamp set, with a Pale Papaya base and top layer of Calypso Coral for some pretty peachy florals, and I stamped the stems in a neutral brown. I also added some splatters in Crumb Cake randomly across my wall to add to the artsy feel.

Art Gallery is another stamp set I haven't used in ages but is leaving us with the current outgoing annual catalogue. I'll be keeping mine though - these florals are a no-brainer and the simple block sentiments are so useful with all kinds of cards, not to mention the large diecut sentiment in the set too. Pale Papaya is leaving too - so get yours now whilst you still can!

Tailormade Tag - I finished my card with some Crumb Cake baker's twine and a tiny tailor made tag with a simple thank you sentiment. I am sending this card to a dear customer of mine who loves a messy card - mixed media and grunge are totally her thing, so I know she will appreciate my attempt at getting even close to her signature style!!

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. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. You should definitely check out the design team's cards this week too - they are amazing!

Enjoy your day; I'm hoping to get a few cards made today in between errands and laundry. I'm hopeful to be able to use the washing line today, as right now it's a lovely bright and breezy day. Not sure I'll be still in luck by the time the washing machine cycle has finished - we are experiencing proper April showers here in the UK at the moment. The constant to and fro the washing line is definitely keeping me fit though! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BRICK & MORTAR 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (9.50)	ART GALLERY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (8.40)	TAILOR MADE TAGS DIES (21.00)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)	PALE PAPAYA A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	PALE PAPAYA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (6.75)	CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)