Hurrah for the weekend and what's more, the start of the half term holiday for the James juniors! They each have at least a week off (one has two!) so we are looking forward to a rest from our full-on daily routine. I managed to get some time this afternoon to make a card for this week's sketch challenge over at The Global Design Project:

I decided to add another Christmas card to my stash - here's my card:

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

Presents and Pinecones - For my background I used a piece of the Presents and Pinecones Designer Series Papers, another of the packs that is available with the 'Buy 3, get 1 free' offer this month - you can read all about it here. This is a great sketch to really make a feature of a piece of designer series paper; check out the Global Design Team's creations for some inspiring examples of this.

It's That Time of Year - I used the large sentiment from 'Time of Year', one of the sets exclusively available to hostesses from the annual catalogue, for my focal point, stamped using the Emerald Envy ombre ink pad to co-ordinate with the lovely greens of the DSP. I also stamped the holly from this set on a piece of Whisper White and fussy cut it before adding to the edge of the rectangle to balance my sentiment and banner. This is such a great set with options to create a number of sentiment combinations for different occasions and great if you want your sentiment to make a statement on a card.

All That Glitters -  I decided to use a piece of red glimmer paper for the panel behind the sentiment to add a little sparkle to my project. I then cut a few different banners, but was struggling with the fact that they were masking out too much of the lower portion of my main sentiment. I decided to stamp onto acetate to allow for some transparency to the sentiment below and decide to use some red glitter embossing powder for a final glittery pizzazz - job done!

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. 

That's all from me; I'll be back tomorrow with this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Presents & Pinecones Designer Series Paper	Emerald Envy Ombre Stampin' Pad	Time Of Year Photopolymer Stamp Set	Red Glimmer Paper	Real Red Glitter Stampin' Emboss Powder
Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Window Sheets	Bunch Of Banners Framelits Dies	Emerald Envy A4 Cardstock
Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

It's Tuesday and today I have a Christmas card for you using this week's sketch over at Pals Paper Arts:

This is such a great sketch with so many options; I decided today to make a Christmas card that is all about baubles - take a look:

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

Warmth and Cheer - My strips of festive paper come from this season's 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper stack, Warmth and Cheer. A mix of warm reds, greens and yellows, with everything from sweater patterns to plaids, baubles, pine trees and stars, these papers will take your projects from autumn through to winter and the festive season with ease.

Merry Tags Bauble - I took my inspiration from my DSP strips and diecut a bauble in Real Red using the Merry Tags Framelits for the circular element of my card. I stamped my sentiment from the Merriest Wishes stamp set and heat embossed it in black for added shine. I added a Garden Green bow cut using the Perfect Pines Framelits and finished with a metallic enamel shape.

Decorative Stripes - They are very subtle, however if you look closely at my bauble you will see I sponged some diagonal stripes in Real Red ink using one of the Seasonal Decorative Masks onto my bauble before I embossed my sentiment, to echo the stripe of the baubles on the DSP and just add a little extra interest without stamping.

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 have another busy day today that will start with the children attending their Speech and Drama exams - wish them luck! I hope your day is a good one too. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack	Merry Tags Framelits Dies	Merriest Wishes Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock	Real Red A4 Cardstock
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Garden Green A4 Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool (Uk)
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Seasonal Decorative Masks

Today it's time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a sketch for you:

I decided to use this sketch for one of the cards that I made in my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack class earlier this week - take a look:

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

Something Old - I decided to feature a die cut 'merry' sentiment using my Christmas Greetings Thinlits and finish with some stamped words from the co-ordinating 'Holly Jolly Greetings' set. Last season I used these thinlits more times than I can count and in all the excitement of the Autumn-Winter catalogue I forgot that they had moved into the annual catalogue until I was browsing its Christmas section. For me they are a keeper and it felt like renewing acquaintance with an old friend to get them out and use them on my card today.

Something New - I paired my sentiment with a fun Santa from the Cookie Cutter Christmas set, punched out with the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch and some of the new Candy Cane Lane DSP; I recommend you stock up on this during the current 'buy 3, get 1 free' offer on Designer Series Paper this month - I know I will be! My cute Father Christmas was coloured in with my Stampin' Write markers for a bold finish, with a  liberal dose of clear Wink of Stella to accent his fur trim. 

A Perennial Favourite - Last but not least, I embossed my top Whisper White layer in my favourite embossing folder of all time: the Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I'm not big into dry embossing, however I would make an exception for Softly Falling any day of the week, I just love the texture and interest that this falling snow gives a 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. 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's sketch; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Bundle	Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper	Christmas Greetings Thinlits Dies	Holly Jolly Greetings Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Real Red A4 Cardstock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Many Marvelous Markers	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

As promised on Sunday, I have another mouse card today using the same stamp set and layout that I used yesterday, based on my sketch this week over at The Paper Players but using an alternative colour scheme and feature paper:

You can see yesterday's card here. Now for today's card:

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

Merry Mouse - Once again I featured the carol-singing mouse from the 'Merry Mice' set on my panel. This time I stamped him on Extra thick Whisper White in Archival grey ink and coloured him with inks and my aquapainter. I added a liberal does of clear Wink of Stella and stamped my sentiment directly onto the panel just below.

Fancy Frost - For my background panel, I used a piece of the new Fancy Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper. Over the past several years, Stampin’ Up! has released several white-on-white specialty papers that come with a clear, heat-embossed pattern.  This paper is different – this paper is dry-embossed (the paper is pressed from one side to create a design you can easily run you finger over).  The patterns are quite beautiful and whether you add ink or leave it as-is as I've done on my card today, this paper is going to be a firm favourite; check out this zoom in on the detail of that gorgeous pattern:

Cool Colours - Unlike yesterday's bold colours, I chose to use cooler colours on my card today, with Whisper White for my card and base panel, along with some silver glimmer paper and some clear Wink of Stella with my Smoky Slate mouse. Feel free to save this colour combination if it 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. 

I must confess I prefer today's card to yesterday's; it was my original choice for the challenge, but I was struggling to photograph the detail of the Fancy Frost Specialty paper and without it the card looked rather plain, whereas in real life it has a real 'wow'. Which of the two cards when compared do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below and share your thoughts.

I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Merry Mice Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Fancy Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper	Aqua Painters	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush	Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad	Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad
Silver Glimmer Paper

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have a great sketch for you to work with:

This is one of my 'go to' layouts; I used it most recently on this card here. It works for so many designs. I decided today to use one of the cute little mice from the 'Merry Mice' set. Here's my card:

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

Merry Mouse - I featured the carol-singing mouse from the 'Merry Mice' set on my panel. I stamped him on Very Vanilla in Archival black ink and coloured him with inks and my aquapainter. I added a few pearl snowflakes and stamped my sentiment directly onto the panel just below.

Music This Christmas - For my background panel, I used the music paper from the This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper. This is one of the great reverse patterns in this pack, that works for Christmas but will also come in handy for other cards too. This is the perfect background to compliment my festive carol singer.

Primary Colours - I chose to use Pacific Point for my card and panel base today, along with some Real Red baker's twine and a little Emerald Envy green too with my Tip Top Taupe mouse. The blue is not a colour that I normally use on a Christmas card, but I think it works. Feel free to save this colour combination if it 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. 

This is one of those sweet little cards that you could stamp a whole bunch of then colour in at your leisure - produce a whole bunch of Christmas cards and get some relaxation therapy into the bargain! I actually created a second version of this card too which is quite different that I will share with you tomorrow.

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week - their cards are varied and awesome:

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's sketch. We are off to basketball today and have plans for an otherwise restful day before the busy week ahead. Enjoy your Sunday - I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Merry Mice Clear-Mount Stamp Set	This Christmas Designer Series Specialty Paper	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Pacific Point A4 Cardstock
Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine	Aqua Painters	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad
Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad	Pearl Basic Jewels

It's the weekend and I managed to squeeze in a little crafting time this afternoon to make a card for this week's challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches where Amy has given us a great sketch to work with:

So many possibilities! I decided on a little watercolouring and another Christmas card - here's my card:

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

Santa's Train - I stamped the train from 'Christmas Magic' in archival black onto watercolour paper and got to work with my inks and an aquapainter to colour it in with a traditional predominantly red and green colour scheme. I also created a mask for the train and added in some trees behind to add some perspective to my winter scene.

A Wink And A Sparkle -  Difficult to see on my photograph, I added a touch of gold Wink of Stella to the bell and brass elements on my train, some clear Wink of Stella on the trees and snowy ground and some retired red Dazzling Details to my holly wreath for a little sparkle. It's very subtle but it looks very pretty in real life, I assure you!

Greetings From Santa - The 'Christmas Magic' stamp set has some lovely greetings, but none of them worked for the sentiment strip as per the sketch. Instead I chose to use this one from the 'Greetings From Santa' set which has a better fit.

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'll be back tomorrow with a card for our new challenge over at The Paper Players and I'm the hostess, so you won't want to miss it. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Christmas Magic Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Greetings From Santa Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Real Red A4 Cardstock	Garden Green A4 Cardstock	Watercolor Paper
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush	Gold Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

I've had a full-on craft day today - I love it when I get so much done and it's rare these days to have such a productive block of time. Time to share today's card with you which uses this week's sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch:

I love a good sketch and this one intrigued me this week! I was looking at stamp sets with split sentiments and came across my Star of Light set which has a number of these and took it from there. Here's my card:

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

The Light of The World - The Star of Light set has a number of paired sentiments, in addition to some single ones. I chose the one about the Light of Heaven becoming the Light of the World and positioned each part either side of my central star diecut.

Sparkle and Shine - I wanted to keep my card predominantly white and decided to heat emboss my central star in silver on white cardstock. I added a plain silver foil stat diecut behind, slightly offset, to create a 'shadow' and give more definition to the uppermost star. 

Final Touches - This card is all-white and ultra CAS, however I couldn't resist adding a trio of silver metallic dots to my extra thick white cardstock base to balance my final design.

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. 

Back tomorrow with this week's new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Star Of Light Photopolymer Bundle	Magnetic Platform	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Today it's time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a sketch for you:

I've been patiently waiting for my Warmth and Cheer DSP stack to arrive as it wasn't available on preorder here in the UK, so as soon as it got here I couldn't resist opening it and using a couple of identical patterns in two different colourways to make my card for today:

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

Warmth and Cheer - I'm a big fan of the 6"x6" stacks that Stampin' Up! sells and this one doesn't disappoint. The Warmth and Cheer DSP stack has 24 patterns with everything from sweater patterns to autumnal plaid and Christmas trees to baubles - something for everyone.

My Jolly Friend The Reindeer - I stamped the reindeer from the Jolly Friends stamp set in Memento Black onto Crumb Cake cardstock, before fussy cutting and adorning with a fun knitted bobble hat from the same set. I stamped my hat in Garden Green onto Delightful Dijon cardstock and finished it with a bobble and trim punched in Whisper White and brushed with clear Wink of Stella for sparkle, all punched out with the co-ordinating Jolly Hat Builder Punch. I love it when we have sets that co-ordinate; even better when you can save 10% if you buy the bundle - job done!

Cookie Cutter Christmas - The Jolly Friends set has lots of hats, scarves and accessories to choose from, but no sentiments. I took mine from the the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set as I thought it worked well with my papers and fun reindeer and stamped it in black onto a Whisper White banner.

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. 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's sketch; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Jolly Friends Photopolymer Bundle	Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijon A4 Cardstock	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush	Banner Triple Punch

Happy Monday everyone! I've had the first of my monthly technique classes today, featuring the Holly Berry Happiness stamp set and co-ordinating Holly Berry Builder punch so thought I would share with you one of the cards we made, which is actually a CASE of one of the cards featured on page 27 of the new seasonal catalogue. I wanted to share with my ladies some hints and tips on creating a wreath with the holly bough stamp. Here's my card:

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

Creating A Wreath - The holly bough in the Holly Berry Happiness stamp set can be used to create a beautiful circular wreath, but can be tricky to line up perfectly without practice. My top tips for getting a great result are:

• Draw around a punched circle or circle framelit in pencil to give you a guide - I used the fourth from largest circle framelit from the recently retired set, which sits just inside the outer edge of the holly bough.
• Don't bend the stamp if you want to be able to two-stamp stamp and infill easily; place the stamp on a flat surface and allow it to take its natural shape, then take your acrylic block to it.
• Tape your cardstock to the centre of your grid paper and use the intersecting lines to guide the alignment of your stamps - you should be able to fit one holly bough in each quarter circle.

Green As A Cucumber - Each of my class cards used a different shade of green to show how each of the main Stampin' Up! green inks can be used for different effects on Christmas cards. This card features Cucumber Crush, a really vibrant green - great for the holly and the striped in-colour DSP adds a strong graphic element to this card.

Copper Best Wishes - I heat embossed my sentiment in copper as opposed to white, as in the catalogue sample. I just love this copper embossed look against the black and it co-ordinates with and accentuates the colour of the fir cone embellishments 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. 

I spent the rest of the day making jam and ensuring the first of my James Juniors is ready for the start of the new academic year tomorrow. This is even more of a big deal than usual for us, as both children are starting new schools and for the first time will be separated from each other. I'm hoping all goes well - wish me luck! James Junior number two starts school on Wednesday.

I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Holly Berry Happiness Photopolymer Stamp Set	Mini Pinecones	3/8" (1 Cm) Ribbon Silky Taffeta Combo Pack	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder	Embossing Buddy
Versamark Pad	Heat Tool (Uk)	Cucumber Crush A4 Cardstock	Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin' Pad	2015-2017 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Banner Triple Punch	Linen Thread

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the lovely Jaydee to host this week and she has a great theme for you to work with:

What a great theme this week - so many possibilities! I rarely make a circular card, so decided today I would give it a go! I have been on a roll with Christmas cards lately and a circular theme works perfectly for another one - take a look:

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

An Oldie But Goodie - The Wondrous Wreath stamp set is a returning seasonal set that is in the current catalogue and is perfect for the theme of this week's challenge. I stamped both layers of leaves in Cucumber Crush, stamping off the base layer once first to achieve the two-tone green. I added some pearls coloured with a red Sharpie for my berries. I used my retired circle framelits to create my card base, using the largest circle. I knew there was a good reason to keep hold of these!

Pinecone Embellishment - My sweet wreath embellishment is made from the new Cherry Cobbler Silky Taffeta Ribbon and some mini pinecone embellishments, tied on with linen thread. I love it when we get a new catalogue - there are always fun new trinkets and charms that are perfect for dressing up projects!

Merry and Bright - My banner is from the new 'Stitched With Cheer' stamp set. I stamped it in Versamark and heat embossed in Copper - I just can't get enough of it! This stamp set is another that co-ordinates with the existing Bunch of Banners framelits dies - always good to get more mileage from existing items you own :-)

Such a fun card! I made a bright green envelope to co-ordinate too using my Envelope Punch Board so this card is officially good to go - another one for my stash.

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 theme.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Wondrous Wreath Photopolymer Stamp Set	Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies	Cherry Cobbler A4 Cardstock	Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin' Pad	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock
Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Heat Tool (Uk)	Pearl Basic Jewels
3/8" (1 Cm) Ribbon Silky Taffeta Combo Pack	Mini Pinecones	Linen Thread	Stitched With Cheer Photopolymer Set	Bunch Of Banners Framelits Dies