It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Bhavya is hosting for the month of April and it's time for our second colour challenge of the month: 

I thought these colours would be perfect for a bowl of cherries for a sweet friend - so I grabbed the retiring 'Measure of Love' stamp set and set to work - take a look:

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

 A simple bowl of cherries, backed with some Pattern Party black and white gingham and with an added Cherry Cobbler scalloped border detail to finish:

A super clean and simple 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. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

MEASURE OF LOVE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£12.80)	SCALLOPED CONTOURS DIES (£33.00)	PATTERN PARTY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) HOST DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£17.00)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CHERRY COBBLER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
OLD OLIVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)

Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at CAS on Friday where the challenge is to use a stencil. I chose a favourite colour combination of yellow and navy blue and came up with this sunny creation to contrast with the grey clouds that seem ever present here in the UK at the moment:

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

Instead of stencilling the whole of the floral image across the centre, I added a partial stencil along two edges of my main panel, in order to preserve the all important 'white space'. I layered a selection of yellows for depth, then inked a sentiment from 'Create With Friends' and overstamped the edge of one of my floral clusters:

A couple of thin borders completes 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 I was making this card again, I'd probably move the florals in the bottom left corner out even further, showing less florals and more white - next time! I really love these stencils; I do have to be careful to not get either too enthusiastic with my blending brushes or put my inky fingers across the clean white areas on my card. If this happens to you too, all is not lost; with a 'ruined' card that was the pre-cursor to today's creation, I simply chopped around the offending smudge and converted the remains into gift tags for my in-person customer orders:

Waste not, want not and all that! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BUTTERFLIES & FLOWERS LAYERING DECORATIVE MASKS (£9.25)	CREATE WITH FRIENDS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£9.60)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SO SAFFRON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
BUMBLEBEE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	PEAR PIZZAZZ CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Bhavya is hosting for the month of April and it's time for her first sketch challenge of the month: 

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card. For my card today I decided to grab my retiring 'What's Cookin'' stamp set and Cookin' Dies and create a simple card for the baker or would-be chef in your life - take a look:

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

I almost passed over the colours at Just Add Ink this week, when it occurred to me that they really reminded me of Cornishware pottery, with its distinctive blue or red and vanilla stripes, so I decided that a Cornishware-inspired mixing bowl, along with a little texture from my neutral chopping board and mixing spoon and a pop of red from a Cherry Cobbler sentiment and twine bow were just what I needed for today's clean and simple card. Check out the texture that the die gives the chopping board on the closeup below:

I also added a little additional decoration to the inside of my card - aren't those miniature chef hats just the cutest?!

I can't believe this set is on the retiring list this year; I had so many more plans for it and am really sad to see it leave the annual catalogue. I will definitely be holding on to mine - I love to spend time in the kitchen and I know I'll find many more uses for it. If you would like to be the proud owner of the What's Cookin' stamp set and co-ordinating Cookin' Dies, they will only be around for another couple of weeks, and even then only whilst stocks last, so do get your order in sooner rather than later! I'm also sharing today's card over at Less Is More where the theme this week is 'occupations'  - this set is perfect for chefs, bakers and kitchen enthusiasts! 

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 love to cook and my family suggest I'm quite good at it. Whilst out for lunch at the weekend, my son was tucking into his lasagne and when asked if everything was ok with his meal, he announced "It's good - but not as good as my Mum's!" I'm not sure there's anything you can reply to that; if only all problems could be solved with a homemade lasagne!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

WHAT'S COOKIN' CLING STAMP SET (£20.00)	COOKIN' DIES (£27.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
SAHARA SAND A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SAHARA SAND CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)

Today I'm sharing a card I made at the weekend that uses Jen M's great layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week and also uses the current Color Hues combination of pink and green:

Jen's sketch has a lovely open panel that can be used in so many different ways. I decided it would be a great place to have one last hurrah with my Dandelions 3D embossing folder - take a look:

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

I simply embossed my dandelions on a panel of white cardstock and added Polished Pink to the seed heads and Pear Pizazz to the stems lightly with a blender brush for just a hint of colour to the raised elements. I added them to a base covered with a piece of Polished Pink In-Colour designer paper and added a simple heat embossed sentiment from 'Flowing Flowers' and a trio of iridescent rhinestones for some subtle sparkle:

I think this embossing folder is so pretty and a great way to make texture a feature on an otherwise clean and layered 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. 

Just a quick post from me today - I have a long 'to do' list that I'm trying to rattle through and a new annual catalogue pre-order that has just arrived that I want to get the opportunity to play with!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

I have an extra card today to share a card a special card I made for Rebecca and her hockey team mates to say goodbye to one of their members who is leaving at the end of the season to go to university. I thought the motley crew of animals in the retiring 'From All of Us' stamp set would be perfect for a team farewell - take a look:

I used a bright and fun unconventional colour scheme to colour my group of animals and fussy cut them and placed on the centre of a larger A5 card, over a simple scored panel of Coastal Cabana - I needed room for lots of messages inside! I added a 'good luck' message using a retired alphabet set either side of my colourful gang:

I added one other stamp to the inside to finish:

Cute, right?! This is a great stamp if you need a collective card from a group.

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'm sharing this card over at SUO Challenges with the theme is 'animals and critters' and The Alphabet Challenge where their theme is 'A for Animal Antics' - I think my collective definitely look they could get up to some mischief!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Anne Marie to host this week and she has a bright colour challenge for us to work with:

I love Anne Marie's bright and sunny colours this week and ended up making a couple of cards. First up I used this week's layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and went with some florals, care of my Pierced Blooms Dies - take a look:

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

I diecut a trio of layered flowers and leaves and paired them with a piece of Daffodil Delight coloured Hand Penned designer series paper and used white as my neutral. A few polished pink gems add a touch of sparkle to the front of my card:

And a little extra stamping inside completes my card:

I wanted to try and use these colours on something other than flowers, so made a second card using the retiring 'Hippo Happiness' stamp set and co-ordinating Hippo & Friends Dies:

Some simple stamping and diecutting is all there is to it. The best part about this card is definitely the punny sentiment though - Hippo birthday...

... 2 ewe! Isn't that just so sweet?!

I used the sketch over at TGIF Challenges this week for the layout for this card and I am also linking up over at SUO Challenges where they are all about 'animals and critters' for their current challenge.

Two very different cards but I think both work with these colours. Which one do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's projects 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. 

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

Enjoy your day; we have some chores to take care of and we are out to lunch - should be a good day! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (where still available): 

It's nearly time to see all of the lovely items that will be retiring from the current 2021-22 Annual Catalogue!  I'm just popping by to let you know that the Last-Chance Products promotion will go live at 7pm this evening, UK time. All items retiring will be available for LAST CHANCE purchase, with some items that can be discounted by up to 50% - yay for a bargain!

As soon as the list is available, I will upload it here on my blog and share in to my Crafty Owl Creatives Facebook Group.

So set your alarms if you want to be at the front of the queue - there will be bargains to be had!