Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Claire to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge, for you to work with:

I decided today that I'd make a card with something old (my stamp set is the retiring 'Eastern Beauty') but mostly something new and share a sneak peek of some of the specialty designer series paper that will be coming along in the new annual catalogue - take a look:

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

So today's card really is all about the paper! Due to ongoing EU Customs issues, European demonstrators who attended Stampin' Up!'s recent Onstage event were unable to place an early pre-order, so our only new goodies to play with were the products we came come with. One of those was a pack of the new Mosaic Mood Specialty Designer Series Paper though, which is perfect for backgrounds, borders and more! It has some gorgeous printed pages with roses, butterflies and hummingbirds that can be fussy cut to add as embellishments too and what's more they have some amazing UV detail that gives a great glossy, soft sheen - check it out on the rose below:

This detail really makes this paper shine! Since I featured my sentiment on the circle element of my sketch, I used a butterfly from the paper in place of the sentiment on the sketch to keep the whole thing balanced. I liked this card so much that I cut into a few more sheets and changed my base colour to create another card using the sketch that features a hummingbird that I cut from a different sheet of paper:

Again, here's a close-up of that gorgeous glossy detailing, this time on the whole of the bird:

The colours are not as visible as the glossy finish is reflecting the light, but take my word for it this really makes these papers something special. 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's projects for you to pin for easy reference:

And my second card:

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. 

Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

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; one of the James Juniors has a birthday party to attend today, but otherwise we have a sport-free day so are looking forward to lunch and an afternoon indoors escaping the storm-force gales we have experienced the last couple of days! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies (£28.00)	So Saffron A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Soft Suede A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Eastern Beauty Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)
Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock (£8.00)

It's the weekend and an activity-filled one here in the James household! Today I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches where the lovely Karren has an interesting sketch to work with:

I'm on a bit of a roll with my FMS cards lately -thank you Kim for choosing me as your Princess of Clean last week (if you missed it, you can see that card here) so thought I'd try my hand with Karren's sketch. I've been playing with embossing paste this week and this sketch was perfect for something I wanted to try - take a look:

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

Pattern Party - The sweeping arch on the right-hand side of Karren's sketch was perfect for creating a textured design using my embossing paste and this medallion-inspired design with one of the Pattern Party Decorative Masks. The decorative design of the mask was such that I could use it to make my textured panel a real feature of my card.

Metallic Medallion - There is lots you can do with embossing paste: you can use it 'neat', colour it with re-inkers and also add colour using sponge daubers or Stampin' Spritzers. Here though I decided to see what it would look like if I sprinkled my wet embossing paste with copper embossing powder and heat set it to give a shiny metallic finish. This was really easy to do and whilst it doesn't give a perfect finish, it's easy to get pretty even coverage and it adds additional texture and interest as well as shine to the card. Along with the copper foil mat, this card has a real luxurious feel - I love it!

Dapper Denim Ombre - I used a piece of Dapper Denim ombre paper from the Color Theory designer series paper stack for the background to my textured medallion. It adds just enough additional interest without detracting from the star of the show. I added a circular sentiment from the Eastern Beauty stamp set to finish - it's in broadly the right place when compared to Karren's sketch, but I have used a little artistic licence here as it worked for my 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. 

If you liked this card do pop back over the next few days, as I have additional examples of cards I've made using embossing paste and a variety of different techniques. Enjoy your day; I'm off to spend the rest of mine at the swimming pool (spectating rather than swimming!) and I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Pattern Party Decorative Masks	Embossing Paste	Palette Knives	Color Theory Designer Series Paper Stack	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock
Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad	Copper Foil Sheets	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder	Eastern Beauty Photopolymer Stamp Set	2" (5.1 Cm) Circle Punch

Today I'm sharing a card inspired by the photo over at The Paper Craft Crew and the sketch at As You See It:

I finally succumbed and bought the Eastern Palace Suite at the end of May; I had my classes scheduled through May and June and with lots of other pre-order goodies to play with so I didn't buy early. There are so many fabulous samples out there using this set though, I eventually caved and bought the bundle as I have a group of customers wanting to do a class with it in August. This is the first time I've used it to create this fabulously layered card - take a look:

After making this card, I might officially be in love with the Eastern Palace Suite! Here's the low-down on today's card:

So Many Layers - There are no less than 12 layers on my card today! This is thanks to the detail of the Eastern Medallions Thinlits Dies - this set consists of 14 intricate dies that can be nested and stacked to create an almost infinite collection of shapes and designs, with or without the additional detail of the Eastern Beauty stamp set. 

Stamp A Roundabout - I chuckled when I read Heather's post over at As You See It and her reference to roundabouts! The sketch suggested a curved element around the circles and since the Easter Beauty stamp set is one of the few that has a couple of naturally circular sentiments, I had to use one to create a border for my layered centrepiece, interspersing with a swirl. I stamped directly onto my designer series paper background too - again, something I don't often do, however I think it works on today's card so maybe I should give it a go more often! Check out the other interpretations of Heather's sketch over at AYSI, including those of their new design team members, Teresa Klein and the lovely LeAnne Pugliese, my fellow teamie over at The Paper Players - great additions to the team!

Vibrant Eastern Opulence - Lemon Lime Twist , Dapper Denim and Very Vanilla all feature in the Eastern Palace Specialty Designer Series Paper and as such this a colour combination you see often on projects featuring this suite. I decided to add in some Tempting Turquoise as per the inspiration photo and I love the way even a small amount of it this lifts this colour palette even more - here it is for you to save if you'd like to experiment with 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. 

Enjoy your day; I have a class this morning followed by Ben's sports day this afternoon. The forecast is another hot one, so don't forget your suncream! I and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Eastern Beauty Photopolymer Bundle	Eastern Palace Specialty Designer Series Paper	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad
Lemon Lime Twist A4 Cardstock	Tempting Turquoise A4 Cardstock	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad

For all of you who have been patiently awaiting the arrivial of the new annual catalogue, I have some great news: from today you are able to get your hands on the colourful and exotic products from the Eastern Palace Suite a whole month before they’re released in the 2017-2018 annual catalogue! These products are being made available in two exclusive bundles, each of which includes a free product. Whilst these products will be available individually in the new Stampin' Up! 2017-18 Annual Catalogue, each of these exclusive bundles will be available for the month of May only:

 The following video from Stampin' Up! also shows just how easy these suites are to make beautiful cards (bear with it at the beginning as it is a little slow to start - keep watching to see the new products in action):

https://youtu.be/qF02FybBBO8

Whether you are a beginner or avid crafter, this really is a set with endless combinations and possibilities. Each bundle also contains ink pads in three of the new in-colours too. The other good news is that this bundle is also available as part of the Stampin' Up! starter kit and this is a great time to sign up as a demonstrator - as a demonstrator you will also get the opportunity to pre-order other items from the new Stampin' Up! 2017-18 Annual Catalogue too starting tomorrow! Do get in touch if you would like to chat with me about joining my team - I would love to welcome you to my Stampin' Up! family or alternatively click on the 'Join My Team' link in the sidebar. 

What's more, if you purchase either of the Eastern Palace Suite bundles from me this month, either in person or online using this month's hostess code  DXFJQZPN you will also receive a free full-colour PDF tutorial with complete instructions to make the following three cards:

Aren't they gorgeous? That's all from me today - you can see today's creative post here if you missed it - otherwise, I will be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy shopping!

Links to my online store:

Eastern Palace Starter Bundle

Eastern Palace Premier Bundle