Kind Koala Says Goodbye!

by Joanne James28. April 2016 08:05

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

 

I decided that the Smoky Slate of today's colour combo was perfect for a card using one of my favourite single stamps in the annual catalogue, Kind Koala, that is retiring at the end of May:

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

Kind Koala - This cute koala image is a great single stamp - image and sentiment all in one, with a flower that can be dressed up in so many ways. I coloured my koala in Smoky Slate and shaded in some Night of Navy on the word 'you'. For the flower, I stamped it again on Calypso Coral cardstock, fussy cut it out and paper-pieced it onto my card, adding a tiny Very Vanilla punched flower from my scraps box and finished with a navy candy dot.

A Border of Stripes - Do you recognise my patterned paper? It's one from my favourite Pretty Petal Designer Series Paper Stack. The Calypso Coral stripes were the perfect compliment to my Calypso Coral card base and koala image, which I stamped on Very Vanilla to tie in with the Very Vanilla stripes of the paper.

There's Always Room For A Bow - The clean and simple design and layout of today's card allows for a rather over-the-top double bow and button combo, to highlight more of the challenge colours. The Night of navy seam binding ribbon ties a beautiful bow - this card will definitely need a box rather than an envelope to keep it looking pristine though!

 

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 sorry to see this sweet little stamp retire - on the upside, there will be lots of great stamps to take its place!

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's colours; 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:

  • Pretty Petals Designer Series Paper Stack
  • Calypso Coral A4 Cardstock
  • Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock
  • Subtles Designer Buttons
  • Night Of Navy 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon
  • Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad
  • Many Marvelous Markers

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Time for a Cupcake Party!

by Joanne James21. April 2016 08:05

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

 

I decided to use the 'Cupcake Party' stamp set for both the greeting and embellishment on my card today, with some splashes of gold and an interesting co-ordinating background:

 

Cupcake Party - I haven't used this stamp set and punch in a while - and now they are both going away! I decided to use some bright orange frosting to contrast with the blues of my card - and added a Bermuda Bay candle with a gold Wink of Stella flame. If either of these items are on your wishlist, snap them up from the online store before it's too late. 

A Happy Pattern - I've been intrigued for a while that one of the stencils in the Happy Patterns pack co-ordinates perfectly with the cupcake case in the cupcake Party stamp set. I sponged my background in Pool Party onto my Pool Party card base to create a co-ordinated yet subtle background.

Splashes of Gold - My card features quite a few gold elements for sparkle and shine today: a gold foil frame for my ombre sentiment (inked with Island Indigo, Bermuda Bay and Pool Party markers), gold Wink of Stella for my candle flame, some gold metallic thread and a sprinkle of gold sequins. On this card all that glitters most certainly is gold - I think it adds to the party feel!

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 how they interpreted 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: 

  • Cupcake Party Wood-Mount Stamp Set
  • Cupcake Builder Punch
  • Sponge Daubers
  • Happy Patterns Decorative Masks
  • Tags & Labels Framelits Dies
  • Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock
  • Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Pool Party A4 Cardstock
  • Whisper White A4 Cardstock
  • Metallics Sequin Assortment
  • Gold Metallic Thread
  • Gold Foil Sheets
  • Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad

Bear Hugs - Papa Bear Gone Fishin'

by Joanne James14. April 2016 08:05

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

 

This colour combination left me stumped for a while, until I decided that Soft Suede would be a good colour for a bear - take a look:

The low-down on today's card is as follows:

Papa Bear - I stamped my Daddy Bear from the 'Bear Hugs' stamp set in Early Espresso on Soft Suede card stock and cut him out using my Big Shot and co-ordinating Bear Hugs Framelits, curving his arms in slightly so that he could 'hold' on to his fishing pole. 

Gone' Fishin' - The 'Bear Hugs' set comes with lots of fun embellishments; I decided to go with a fish on this card that I coloured in Mint Macaron and Lost Lagoon with my Aquapainter, then painted liberally with clear Wink of Stella to give him shimmery scales. I attached my fish to a piece of white baker's twine, which I in turn knotted to my cocktail stick fishing pole. How cute?!

Geometrical Forest - I decided I needed to conjure up some forest or at least a feeling of the outdoors behind my lake, but was somewhat at a loss as to how to do this with such a limited colour palette. I perused my designer series papers and bingo - this geometrical design, whilst not including trees of any kind, works as a background. I do think those triangles are evocative of trees (ok, I know it's a stretch, but if you have a better suggestion do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear it!) And where did I find it? In the 'It's My Party' Designer Series Paper stack of all places!

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 colours; 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:

  • Bear Hugs Clear-Mount Bundle
  • It's My Party Designer Series Paper Stack
  • Soft Suede A4 Cardstock
  • Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Lost Lagoon A4 Cardstock
  • Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Ovals Collection Framelits Dies
  • Whisper White A4 Cardstock
  • Rhinestone Basic Jewels
  • Whisper White Baker's Twine
  • Clear Wink of Stella

Stampin' Up! 2015-17 In Colours Washi Butterfly

by Joanne James7. April 2016 08:05

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

 

So after everything I said about Delightful Dijon on my CCMC card last week, this week I've gone and used it again - out of choice! My card this week is all about our current in-colours, the 2015-17 In Colours to be exact:

I decided to create a washi tape striped inset background for my white butterfly, using the In Colour Designer Washi Tape that is an exclusive hostess gift which you can purchase with Stampin' Rewards when you host a Stampin' Up! party. I then chose the remaining elements of my card from there: a strip of white corrugated card for texture, a strip of watermelon wonder wide 1" stitched satin ribbon and for the back panel a piece of Colour Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper - I went with the Delightful Dijon because this is the only uncut piece in my pack! I finished my butterfly with a Mint Macaron  In-Colour Blossom Accent, finished with a rhinestone. I haven't added a sentiment to my card today as I wanted to add it to my stash of 'all purpose' cards, so will probably add one as I'm ready to send it.

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 how they interpreted 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:

  • Bold Butterfly Framelits Dies
  • 2015-2017 In Color Designer Washi Tape
  • Watermelon Wonder 1" Stitched Satin Ribbon
  • Color Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper
  • 2015-2017 In Color Blossom Accents
  • Kraft And White Corrugated Paper
  • Punch Corner Project Life
  • Rhinestone Basic Jewels
  • Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Thanks For Helping Me Grow

by Joanne James31. March 2016 08:05

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

 

Ok - so I'll be honest upfront: I'm not a fan of Delightful Dijon! Actually, I'm sure I've declared this to my regular readers before and I can honestly say I've only used it once on a card where I really loved the output (funnily enough a previous CCMC colour challenge - you can see that card here). I have therefore mixed feelings about today's card - and it's really the presence of the mustard that's the reason! So, here is today's creation:

The details for today's card are as follows:

Helping Me Grow - This is a stamp set you haven't seen me use before and there is good reason for that - I don't own it! I actually bought it as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law, borrowed it back for an idea I had that I then didn't get to try out a few weeks ago but knew it would be just perfect for today's card. The large, over-size blooms in this set are perfect for a centre-piece of their very own; I stamped them in Lost Lagoon and used my Aquapainter to colour them in with the same colour for a soft, washed look. So thank you Kathy! 

Timeless Elegance - If you look really closely, you will see that there is a subtle pattern to the paper I used for my main stamped image. The Timeless Elegance designer series paper has Sahara Sand as one of its feature colours; it adds interest to my floral panel without overwhelming the stamped image and fits with the challenge colours.

The Perfect Label - The sentiment on my card is also from the 'Helping Me Grow' stamp set. There are some great sentiment combinations that can be made with this set; there are also a number of nice corner or border treatments, including the one I used on this card. What's more, the sentiment border is the perfect fit for the framelit in the Rose Garden Thinlits Dies set - bonus! 

So that's my card - not-so-Delightful Dijon and all!

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 colours; 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: 

  • Helping Me Grow Photopolymer Stamp Set
  • Rose Garden Thinlits Dies
  • Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper
  • Delightful Dijon A4 Cardstock
  • Delightful Dijon 1" Dotted Lace Trim
  • Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Lost Lagoon A4 Cardstock
  • Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock
  • Sahara Sand A4 Cardstock
  • Pearl Basic Jewels
  • Venetian Crochet Trim

You Are Tea-rrific Cuppa Card

by Joanne James24. March 2016 08:05

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

 

I decided to go with bright colours and tea cups today - here is my card:

Today's card is all about colour and is surprisingly easy to recreate with a few key supplies:

Have A Cuppa Designer Series Paper - The 'Have a Cuppa' Designer Series Paper Stack is choc-full of tea-themed designs in bold, bright patterns and colours. This paper works hard to earn its place on a card but as a result allows the remaining elements to be simplified, so that it can really shine. I used many of the dsp colours for the other blocks of colour on my card.

Cups and Kettles Framelits Dies - The only thing stamped on today's card is the sentiment; the patterned cup is courtesy of the Big Shot and the Cups and Kettles Framelits; with three cups and patterns to choose from, decorated tea cups are quick to produce. I also added an Itty Bitty punched heart to mine - just because!

Add a trinket - The simple design of my cup needed just a little something to finish - I decided a cute little Have A Cuppa Embellishment in the form of a silver teapot and cup, tied with Bermuda Bay stitched ribbon, would be just the ticket. These are perfect addition to a card or gift and add an antique charm to an otherwise modern card.

This card is a fun, punny way to share with someone the high regard in which they are held.

Here's the visual summary of the key supplies used to make today's card for easy reference:

 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see how they interpreted this week's sketch; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too! We have some new designers joining the team this week so do pay them a visit and see what they have to offer.

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

  • Have A Cuppa Designer Series Paper Stack
  • A Nice Cuppa Photopolymer Bundle
  • Bermuda Bay 1/8" Stitched Ribbon
  • Have A Cuppa Embellishments
  • Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock
  • Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Melon Mambo A4 Cardstock
  • Pool Party A4 Cardstock
  • Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock
  • Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock

 

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In The Meadow Square Card

by Joanne James17. March 2016 08:05

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

 

These colours immediately made me think of nature so I decided to use my new 'In The Meadow' stamp set for my card today:

 

I stamped my images in Archival Black ink and used my aquapainter and inks to colour them in before cutting out with my Circles Framelits. My Soft Suede card base is square and I layered this with a mat of Mossy Meadow and a piece of striped paper from the English Garden designer series paper pack that has a lovely watercoloured feel. I added a strip of Mossy Meadow and before I added a few twists of linen thread and a bow, decided to add a strip of wide Watermelon Wonder ribbon on something of a whim. The only other place I used this one of the challenge colours was on the butterflies next to my sentiment, so thought I would try a bold injection of colour; I liked it, so I kept it! This stamp set is not the type I am normally drawn to, but having seen some beautiful scenes created with it I decided I had to have it and I love the creative possibilities it offers.

Here's today's visual summary of the key products used to create today's card for easy reference:

 

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

I have another busy day in store today (no rest for the wicked and all that!)

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

  • Big Shot
  • Precision Base Plate
  • In The Meadow Clear-Mount Stamp Set
  • Watermelon Wonder 1" Stitched Satin Ribbon
  • Circles Collection Framelits Dies
  • Magnetic Platform
  • Linen Thread
  • English Garden Designer Series Paper
  • Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Soft Suede A4 Cardstock
  • Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock
  • Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock
  • Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad

Thanks Very Very Very Much Teacher Card

by Joanne James10. March 2016 08:05

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

 

My card today started with the sentiment on the sketch, which immediately reminded me of the thank you sentiment in the 'Fabulous Four' stamp set. I decided to get an early start on my end of school year thank you cards - a long way off yet, but I will need lots of them this year so no time like the present! Here's my card:

 

The three key elements of today's card are as follows:

Fabulous Four stamp set - this is a stamp set with four large sentiments, three of which are two-line sentiments like the one on today's card. They are big, bold and fun and perfect if you want to make the sentiment the focal point of your card.

Owl Builder Punch - I haven't made an owl with my Owl Builder Punch for a while so I decided to take the flower element of the sketch and make it a scholarly owl, complete with spectacles, mortar board and shiny apple courtesy of a little Crystal Effects. I coloured him to co-ordinate with my chosen designer series paper - isn't he so cute?!

Schoolhouse Designer Series Paper - I used two of the papers from the Schoolhouse pack for my card today: the alphabet fitted in perfectly with my school theme and the stripes added some additional colour for the bottom portion of the card. I also added a piece of co-ordinating Tangelo Twist In-Colour Washi Tape beneath the sentiment as per the sketch; a small touch, but it does nicely emphasise the positioning of the owl.

Here's today's visual summary for easy reference:

 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see how they interpreted 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:

  • Fabulous Four Clear-Mount Stamp Set
  • Owl Builder Punch
  • Schoolhouse Designer Series Paper
  • 2014-2016 In Color Designer Washi Tape
  • Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Whisper White A4 Cardstock
  • Basic Gray A4 Cardstock
  • Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock
  • Garden Green A4 Cardstock
  • Basic Black A4 Cardstock
  • Crystal Effects
  • Real Red A4 Cardstock
  • Tree Builder Punch
  • 1/8" Silver Mini Brads
  • Whisper White Baker's Twine

 

Color Me Irresistible Botanical Blooms Happy Birthday

by Joanne James3. March 2016 08:05

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

 

I thought this colour combination was quite an unusual one and I did spend a lot of time working out what to do with it! Eventually there were two things that set me off on the path that led to today's card: one was the desire to use a piece of the coloured Color Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper and the other was this card by the lovely Connie Babbert! I loved the layout of Connie's card and knew when I saw it that it would be perfect for what I had in mind - here is the end result:

 

I decided to use Hello Honey for my card base and make a feature panel of the Color Me Irresistible paper - this paper is quite dramatic but the hint of pattern and combination with the other two challenge colours worked perfectly. A few layered Botanical Builder flowers and a happy birthday sentiment from the 'Tin of Cards' stamp set, finished with a black satin ribbon bow, finish my card. I just love the flower combinations that you can achieve with the Botanical Builder Framelit Dies - in addition by sponging the centres and edges and adding feathered lines using the tip of your Stampin' Write marker, as I did on the largest of the blooms on today's card, it's easy to create beautifully realistic and dimensional flowers. 

Here is today's visual summary for easy reference:

 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's colours; 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:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
  • Botanical Builder Framelits Dies
  • Tin Of Cards Photopolymer Stamp Set
  • Color Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper
  • Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock
  • Hello Honey A4 Cardstock
  • Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Cajun Craze A4 Cardstock
  • Basic Black 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon
  • Neutrals Candy Dots
  • Project Life Corner Rounder

Happy Easter From The Friends & Flowers Easter Bunny!

by Joanne James25. February 2016 08:05

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

 

I decided to create a fun Easter card today using the new 'Friends and Flowers' stamp set that co-ordinates with the returning Festive Flower Builder punch - take a look:

 

This is a great stamp set with lots of pieces that enable you to make bunnies, fish, flowers and more! It's so easy to punch out the various bits and pieces for easy creation with the co-ordinating punch; my Festive Flower Builder Punch got a real work out before Christmas (do a search on it or the 'Reason For The Season' stamp set here on my blog to see the many projects I've created using it) so I'm glad I get to use it with another co-ordinating stamp set too. I simply stamped the bunny face and ears in Smoky Slate on a piece of Whisper White cardstock, added a little Blushing Bride pink using my Stampin' Write markers and punched out (using the 1 3/8" circle for the face). I added a Bow Paper Clip embellishment to one ear for added 'cute' factor and bordered my sentiment panel with two thin strips of blushing Bride glimmer paper - a little glimmer goes a long way! The sentiment is the one you'll find with the 'Easter Lamb' stamp - I simply masked my stamp so that I would only get the words and not the image - which I stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in white for added gloss.

Lastly, do you recognise the pretty pastel paper I used for my background layer? It's actually from the It's My Party paper stack. Whilst this is a pack with lots of bold patterns and colours, the presence of Mint Macaron and Sahara Sand in the colour combination means there are some hidden pastel gems in there too, so be sure to check it out.  

Here's today's visual summary for easy reference:

 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see how they interpreted 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:

  • Friends & Flowers Wood-Mount Stamp Set
  • Festive Flower Builder Punch
  • Easter Lamb Wood-Mount Stamp
  • Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper
  • Bow Paper Clips Embellishments
  • Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad
  • Blushing Bride A4 Cardstock
  • Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock
  • Whisper White A4 Cardstock
  • It's My Party Designer Series Paper Stack
  • 1-3/8" Circle Punch
  • Embossing Buddy
  • Versamark Pad
  • White Stampin' Emboss Powder
  • Heat Tool (Uk)

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Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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