Today I'm sharing a card that I made a few days ago just for fun! A number of challenges combined to inspire this clean and simple New Year card:

The sketch over at AAA Cards, combined with the colours at TGIF Challenges and the similar palette and clean and graphic designs at Inkspirational caused me to root through my scrap box for a gold foil made me think of stars and specifically the starry swirl in the retired Stitched Stars die set:

I cut it out of gold foil, then infilled the gaps with some sparkly stars in gold, silver and black metallic glimmer paper and added a few more around the outside, before finishing with a simple new year sentiment from another retired set 'Gnome For Christmas':

The glimmer paper makes this simple card so sparkly - perfect for the challenge over at SUO Challenges too where they are currently all about the glitter!

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

Hello lovely readers - and a happy new year to you all! Today I'm sharing a card that I made for some friends with whom welcomed in the new year - I was still enjoying the 'morning after the night before' yesterday so from a blog perspective today heralds the beginning of the end of my festive blog break! I'm also linking up with a couple of challenges - the current challenge over at Global Design Project where the theme is all about celebrating at home and the lovely ladies over at As You See It who are all about the sparkle for their first challenge of the year:

My card was inspired by my 2017 new year card, minus the owl of course (you can see that card in a previous post here) and has a little 'something old ... and lots new' about it - take a look:

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

A Window Into 2018 - I used my much-loved Large Numbers Framelits to create fun shaker-card windows in the front of my card. This is so easy to do; you just need to remember to keep the middle of the 0 and 8 to complete the negative image. If you place the numbers that you've cut out over the window sheet without sticking them down, they will allow you to position the negative pieces in just the right position when you remove the numbers again. 

All That Glitters - My decision to create a shaker card was largely because I was looking for an opportunity to use these amazing gold glitter flakes from the new Spring-Summer catalogue that launches tomorrow. Check out the close-up below - aren't they gorgeous? So sparkly! 

Celebrate ... Amazing You - The main front panel of my card features a stamp from a new Sale-A-Bration set, Amazing You (stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in gold and silver) and the word 'celebrate' cut from silver glimmer paper using another of this year's Sale-A-Bration free items - a set of thinlits dies called 'Celebrate You' that co-ordinate with the stamp set and are available free with a £90 purchase. More news on Sale-A-Bration tomorrow, but I hope these sneak-peeks have got you all excited about the fabulous things that are to come!

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 all of the news and information on the 2018 Sale-A-Bration promotion and the launch of the new Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Large Numbers Framelits Dies	Amazing You Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Celebrate You Thinlit Dies	Gold Glitter Flakes	Silver Foil Sheets
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder
Silver Glimmer Paper	Window Sheets	Foam Adhesive Strips

I had a fun family day yesterday, full of laughs and the last of the Christmas crackers. I'm back today with another couple of cards to welcome in the new year for the current challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I made two identical cards, one in each of two colourways. Here's the first one, in white and silver:

And here's the second one in black and gold:

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

A Frosted Medallion - For today's card I've used both the large medallion and the sentiment from the 'Frosted Medallions' stamp set as intended for a new year's card. I stamped both in Versamark and heat embossed them in silver on the white version. I debated about whether or not I should obscure that gorgeous medallion shape with the sentiment, but in the end decided that the card looked a little naked without the sentiment and besides, I like the way the edges frame the centred oval, giving just a hint of the design beneath. The Frosted Medallions stamp set is still available as part of the 'Year End Closeouts' for just a couple more days before retiring to make way for a new range of seasonal products, so if this set appeals to you, snap it up now before it's gone for good.

Fabulous Foil Designer Acetate Panel - My vertical background panel is courtesy of the Fabulous Foil Designer Acetate - I just love this for adding layering detail to cards without bulk. Easy for a two-way card too - I just cut two pieces and flipped one (don't forget to remove the protective seal from the silver-patterned side to see it shine in all its glory).

Stitched Shape Framelits Are Returning - I finished my card with a sentiment from the Frosted Medallions set framed in a simple stitched oval. I know these have been unavailable to order due to unprecedented demand when first introduced, however good news - those who did manage to order them before they were put on hold and had theirs on backorder will be receiving them any day now and for those who still want to get their hands on them, stocks are likely to have been fully replenished by mid-January so they will once again be available to purchase - and in time for Sale-A-Bration too, wahoo! These stitched shapes just finish off a sentiment beautifully and I guarantee one you have them you won't be able to stop using them!

So which one of these colourways do you prefer? I gave the gold and black one to my mother-in-law yesterday as I know she is partial to this colour combo, but I think I prefer the silver and white one myself - so crisp and fresh. I would love to know what you think - do feel free to leave me a comment below, I read them all and love it when you share your views with me.

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. 

That's all from me; back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Frosted Medallions Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Fabulous Foil Designer Acetate	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad
Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	Gold Foil Sheets	Silver Foil Sheets	Basic Black A4 Cardstock
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Well hello! Have you missed me? I hope you've all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for a very happy new year! I had a very busy Christmas season and had to take an extended blogging break; sometimes some things just have to give and for me my blog was one of them this past few weeks. Anyway, now I'm back and here with a card to welcome in the new year. I'm also entering a couple of challenges: the Paper Craft Crew are looking for a black-tie gala inspired card and the peeps over at CAS-ual Fridays are working with the theme of 'Celebrations':

I decided that today the owl should return in more ways than one - take a look at my card to see what I mean:

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

A Dapper Owl - The star of today's card is the super-sparkly, rather dapper Fred Astaire-esque owl that is tripping the light fantastic as he welcomes in the new year! The Owl Builder Punch was one of my first Stampin' Up! purchases and I love how versatile it is. I used the owl punch to make the very first new year card that I blogged way back in 2013 when I first began blogging (you can see that card here) so it seemed fitting that I should use an altogether more elegant owl to kick start 2017. This card also heralds the start of a new weekly feature of mine: each week I will be creating a card that features a different owl or character made with the Owl Builder Punch. This is a fun way to demonstrate the versatility of this popular Stampin' Up! punch, so be sure to tune in each week for your owl inspiration. Today's owl sports a gold glimmer waistcoat and a top hat and bow tie courtesy of the Snow Friends Framelits. The walking cane is a simple strip of glimmer paper and a circle punched with the owl builder punch. Along with my Large Number Framelit numbers, today's owl is seriously sparkly!

It's A Celebration - My starry background is courtesy of the fireworks in the 'It's a Celebration' stamp set in the current seasonal catalogue; I stamped them in Versamark and heat embossed in silver and gold for a dramatic background reminiscent of the night sky.

Yes, Let's Celebrate 2017! - I finished my card with a sentiment from the 'Confetti Celebration' stamp set - ot just for birthdays, this set works for lots of other kinds of celebration 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 Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

That's all from me; I'm off to spend the day with the extended James family to welcome in the new year. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Owl Builder Punch	Snow Friends Framelits Dies	It's A Celebration Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Confetti Celebration Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy
Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	Gold Glimmer Paper	Gold Foil Sheets
Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

A new card for a new year! I know I shared a new year card with you yesterday - well, I have another one for you today! As a rule I only send one happy new year card each year, to my mother-in-law for hosting our family New Year's gathering, however when I saw that the theme this week over at Global Design Project was CASE The Designer and set eyes on Bibi Cameron's gorgeous card, inspiration most definitely struck. Here is her original card:

Isn't it lovely? I was really attracted to the background and decided to have a go at another technique that my good friend Kim Fee over at Simply Fairies affectionately calls the 'smooshing technique' as the basis for my card. So here is my card:

You might wonder why I struggled with this background - looks simple enough, right? Well, having thrown away many a piece of ruined cardstock I would have to disagree - there is clearly an art to getting it right! The lovely Kim recently made a short video after much pleading by myself and other smoosh-challenged friends; you can watch it here and I seriously recommend you do if you want to try this technique as it contains some great hints and tips. 

I used extra-thick Whisper White cardstock for my base, then created my inked layer on a piece of shimmery white cardstock using Pacific Point, Island Indigo and Night of Navy inks. The cardstock gives the card a wonderful all over shimmer in real life. I then used the stars stamp from Holly Jolly Greetings (a carryover set, yay!) stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in gold for added interest, then used some gold glimmer numbers, diecut using the new Large Numbers Framelits Dies (love these!). My Hello is from the 'Crazy About You' stamp set, which I popped up on dimensionals and finished with a trio of gold metallics sequins.

I really love the randomness of this background, which is quite different from my usual style, even though the card still feels true to me. So thanks Bibi and Kim for the inspiration for today's card. I hope it inspires you too to create something a little different this week - the new year is full of new creative possibilities and I am so looking forward to sharing them with you!

Happy New Year wishes to you all, my customers, blog and social media followers and friends and the ladies over at SUO Challenges where I'm linking up my second New Year card. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Available January 5th:

140622 Large Numbers Framelits Dies

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Metallics Sequin Assortment	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
Heat Tool (Uk)	Big Shot	Holly Jolly Greetings Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Gold Glimmer Paper	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock
Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

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

As soon as I set eyes on this sketch I knew what I was going to do with it - I just love it when that happens! I decided to use up some scraps of Winter Wonderland designer series paper and create a card to celebrate the new year - take a look:

I used a mix of patterns and papers for my banners and then a collection of stars, some solid and some just in outline, cut with my Big Shot and Star Framelits, some metallics star sequins and with my sentiment from the 'Six Sayings' hostess set stamped in Versamark and heat embossed in black across the front of the main star to create the focal point of today's card.

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! I will be delivering this card today to my Mother-in-Law who is hosting the annual New Year's James family gathering - I am reliably informed that my brother-in-law's gorgeous puppy Ollie is joining us too, so here's to a day that is likely to be fun and chaotic day!

I'm also linking up today's card over at SUO Challenges where the theme is new years projects.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

I've had a great work day today and managed to fit in some quality crafting time, so amongst other things I have a Happy new Year card to share with you today that was inspired by this week's sketch over at The Paper Craft Crew:

Here is the card I created:

For a new year celebratory card some glitz and glamour were definitely the order of the day, so I layered a number of gold and sliver elements - glimmer paper, silver foil, sequins and gold vellum and topped with a silver embossed black pennant cut with my Banner framelits. The stamp I used is from the versatile 'Mingle All The Way' set from the Autumn-Winter Seasonal Catalogue; this set along with many others, is only available until January 5th when the catalogue ends, so if it's still on your wish list then don't leave it to late to order. I created a popped-up banner for the word 'cheers' having heat embossed this section in black on brushed gold cardstock, then cut it out and adhered with dimensionals. Some gold ribbon, a trio of rhinestones coloured with a black permanent marker and done!

We are having our traditional James family day on New Year's Day so I will be taking this card along with me for my mother-in-law; I'm hoping it will go some way to make up for the lack of Christmas card!

I'm also linking up to the new year challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments where this is the challenge inspiration photo:

Back tomorrow with a special 'extra' post for the lovely ladies over at Colour Me...! and a new set of weekly deals. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Mingle All The Way Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Banners Framelits Dies	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Basic Black A4 Card Stock
Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	Versamark Pad	Embossing Buddy	Heat Tool - Uk Plug	Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum
Silver Foil Sheets	Brushed Gold A4 Card Stock	Gold Glimmer Paper	Black Stampin' Emboss Powder	Gold Sequin Trim
Gold 1/8" Ribbon	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

As promised, I managed to get some photographs taken today and wanted to share with you a variation on yesterday's MDS card that you can see here. This is a larger card, A5 size, and something of an MDS hybrid: I printed the same panel for the central section, but also created a larger panel using another of the stamps in the set which I repeated and inverted to create an outer border panel, then mounted both layers on Midnight Muse cardstock:

I really like the addition of the layering and the border image - it reminded me of fireworks! - and gives a different look to the card I think. The interior panel was the same as the one I created for yesterday's card.

Hope you like today's variation. Back tomorrow with a card using one of my absolute favourite new stamps - the Flowerfull Heart that's available this month as part of the 'Whole lot of Love' promotion (details on the right hand side of my blog). Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Mds Download - Digital Download

Midnight Cheer Ensemble - Digital Download

Midnight Muse A4 Card Stock

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you've all had a lovely day recovering from the excesses of last night or simply enjoying what is traditionally the last day of the holiday season today. I've spent mine having a family day with the extended James clan, generally enjoying good food and catching up before we all start back to work tomorrow.

Today I have another My Digital Studio project to share with you; this is a Happy New Year card that I made using the Midnight Cheer download. Having hunted through my stamp sets, I didn't have anything that was really appropriate for New Year, so decided to browse through MDS and I found this download, which I love. I stuck with the suggested colours of Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit and Sahara Sand and created the basic layout. Here's the front of the card:

I created a really simple greeting for the inside using other stamps in the set - here it is:

I also created an A5 hybrid version of this card using additional layers and mounted on Midnight Muse, but I haven't managed to photograph it yet. Hopefully I will have another round of photographing tomorrow, so I should be able to come back and update this post with the additional photograph then. I can see me using this set in future years too, ringing the changes with an alternative colourway and also using it to create party invitations and a piece of frameable home décor. I love the flexibility that MDS gives in this regard.

That's me done for today; back tomorrow with some exciting new projects to share. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Mds Download - Digital Download

Midnight Cheer Ensemble - Digital Download

I have been very busy exhibiting at my first wedding fair today, so today's work is that of a guest crafter - my daughter! Today is Chinese New Year and as my daughter is very fortunate to learn Mandarin at school, we decided to make a new year card for her Mandarin teacher, Wan Lau Shu (or Mrs Nelson to the uninitiated - apologies for  the poor phonetics!!) and a small gift.

So first up, the card:

This year is the Year of the Snake, so we decided to decorate the card with a golden snake (yellow/gold is considered the most important colour and the colour of Imperial China) made using a paper-folding technique learned at a lunchtime 'Maths through Art and Design' club (aren't schools great these days?!). We stuck the snake to a bright red card, as red is an important colour in Chinese culture symbolising good fortune and joy and is very popular during new year celebrations. To finish, my daughter carefully wrote 'Happy New Year' in her best character writing alongside it.

She then also made a small gift of a punch art panda bookmark to go with the card. Isn't he cute?

Just a few simple punched shapes, diamantes to give his eyes some sparkle and a red bow for luck. So to everyone out there who is celebrating today, a Happy New Year! Until next time, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up Supplies (Panda Bookmark only):

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Tools: Large oval punch, 2-step bird punch (the wing), owl punch (circles for eyes and heart for nose), diamantes