Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a seasonal 'fill in the blank' challenge from Heather:

My favourite beach activity - well, I'm not one for lying on a sun lounger at the beach (I prefer to do that poolside!) so when I'm at the beach I like to be 'doing' and my favourite things to do include building sandcastles and paddling in the sea. So I knew I had to feature a sandcastle on today's card. I was inspired by this card that was my pick over at The Paper Players last week to try a similar technique and I ended up with not one, but two cards to share with you today. Here's the first one that I started with:

I used my retired Little Letters Thinlits Dies to cut my sentiment out a sheet of retired Serene Scenes paper with a beach scape, and infilled with the same letters cut from Basic White, and stamped a sandcastle using my Beach Day stamp set to which I added a little extra colour using my Stampin' Blends:

Having made this card, I decided that I would use the letters I'd cut out of my designer paper and make a second card:

This time I inset my letters into a white panel, that I popped up on a white card base which I had embossed with a retired waves embossing folder. Finally I added another sandcastle:

You still get a sense of the seaside from the letters, against all the white space. I decided I liked this card more than my first one, so that's the one that I used as my As You See it card, but I've shared both to explain the process. Here's a photo of both cards together - which one do you prefer?

No visual summary of the key products today, as the key products are retired, but there are store links to the current products used below. I'm also linking today's first card up over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog where they are on 'H is for Holidays' and my second card for another play at Addicted to CAS where the current codeword is SUMMER.

So what's your favourite beach activity? Why not play along and share it with us over at As You See It.

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• For a Fill In The Blank Challenge you must tell us how you would finish the sentence.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your post.
• Make sure you link the specific post and not the whole blog to the Linky. Use AYSI#(insert challenge number) when uploading to a public gallery
• Please turn off word verification so that we can send you lots of feedback.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges. 
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider for Top Pick and Featured Artist, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEACH DAY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (7.50)

CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made for a few current challenges that are all celebrating the delights of summer:

The team over at Just Us Girls are celebrating all things summertime, Addicted to CAS has the codeword of SUMMER and AAA Cards is looking for anything clean and simple, with the optional twist of summer.  

I have made a few cards using the 'Beach Day' set recently, mostly featuring the dies which I love. I wanted to try something more CAS that focused on the stamps alone - take a look at what I came up with:

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

This card really is super simple - I stamped a trio of images using my stamping platform for a crisp outline, added in some extra sand to extend the horizontal line and added a sentiment beneath. I coloured my images with my watercolour pencils, smoothing them with my blending pen:

This was my first experiment with the new neutral, Basic Beige, that I used for my card base. This really is a lovely neutral and makes a great soft, sand base for a beach-themed card. I haven't made a #simplestamping card like this one in ages, so it was fun to go back to basics. The Beach Day bundle is perfect for this kind of card, with so many images that can be combined to make fun little scenes. All we need here in the UK now is a little more sunshine - so far the summer has been rather damp!

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 am off to the hairdressers later, which is always a joy. A good natter and an uninterrupted cup of coffee that I can still drink whilst hot - bliss! I'll be back Friday with my project for As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEACH DAY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (7.50)

BLENDER PENS (14.00)

WATERCOLOR PENCILS ASSORTMENT 1 (17.00)

BASIC BEIGE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Suzy has asked that we feature a frame and a trio of design elements. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

I decided to play along with the team over at Just Add Ink where they are all about adding a little party fun so for my card today I grabbed my 'Sweet Pea' stamp set and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

These partying peas crack me up; they are great for clean and simple cards and with party hats and streamers, these little guys are ready to party for sure! I flipped the sketch as my pea pod curved the wrong way to have my frame on the right hand side of my card and I chose three different stamped elements to adorn my frame. My frame is diecut with the Unbounded Love Dies; I actually cut two and snipped away one side, then joined them to make one larger frame, hiding the joins beneath my stamped elements:

A sprinkling of sequins and glimmer gems added to the party feel to complete 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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SWEET PEAS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	UNBOUNDED LOVE DIES (34.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (7.50)	2024–2026 IN COLOR™ SHIMMER GEMS (8.00)	SHY SHAMROCK STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)	PETUNIA POP STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)

We are already half way through July so today I have a quick reminder of what's new this month. First things first: BONUS DAYS ARE BACK! Do you remember this promotion from last year? It was so successful, Stampin' Up! have decided to repeat it this year.

For every £45.00 you spend between 3 July and 31 July (before delivery), you’ll get a £4.50 Bonus Days coupon that you can use between 1 and 31 August. Our new annual catalogue has been out for a couple of months now, so I'm sure you will still have some items on your wish list; this is a great opportunity to shop from it and make savings when you shop again in August with your coupons! 

There are some details in terms of small print that you need to take note of, as follows: 

• Promotion period: 3–31 July 2014
• Redemption period: 1–31 August 2024
• An email address is required to participate in this promotion; Bonus Days coupon codes can only be delivered via email.
• It is strongly recommended that you both save emails containing their Bonus Days coupon codes AND write down the coupon codes in a safe place. Codes cannot be resent if the email is lost, and lost codes cannot be recovered.
• Bonus Days coupon codes can be redeemed for any product, excluding Starter Kits.
• There is no limit to the number of coupons you can receive per order or throughout the duration of the promotion.
• There is no limit on the number of coupons you can use on an order during redemption.

There is also a new kit available this month called 'Garden of Thanks' - and it's beautiful! 

The cards in this kit really are beautiful - but don't just take my word for it, add one to your shopping basket today! Remember if you are placing an order online to also include this month's hostess code 3NR3FB9W to receive a free thank you gift from me too! 

If you have any questions on any of the above, then please do get in touch - I am always happy to help!

Back tomorrow with a creative post; until then, happy shopping!

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a bright colour challenge chosen by me:

I chose this inspiration picture ages ago so didn't have anything in mind at the time, but when it came to create my card today I really felt like these colours would suit something bright and summery, so I grabbed my Beach Day stamp set and dies and set to work. I used the fab sketch over at Sunday Stamps for my layout (I mirrored it on the long side, because I wanted my palm trees to follow the line of the circle) and set about creating a fun beach scene. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

I grabbed a piece of (retired) striped in-colour designer paper for my background, then diecut a circle and built my beach scene. This is mostly a collection of dicuts - the only stamping is the sentiment and the grains and shells stamped on the Crumb Cake 'sand' - and I threaded my lifesaver with a scrap of yellow sparkly twine I found in my scraps box for an extra little detail:

I added a birthday sentiment to the inside and am planning on using this for a masculine birthday that I have coming up soon, as I think it works without being stereotypically manly (if you know what I mean!). I'm also linking today's card up at Inspire.Create where the theme is 'summer'.

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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• For a Recipe Challenge use all elements of the recipe - the possibilities within those parameters are endless.
• For a Colour Challenge use all of the given colours and only those colours with these exceptions:
• White and Very Vanilla are free colours.
• In addition, you may use of ONE of these neutrals: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Basic Beige.
• For a Speed Stamping Challenge you must tell us the time it took to make your project and it must be finished in under 10 min.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your post.
• Make sure you link the specific post and not the whole blog to the Linky. Use AYSI#(insert challenge number) when uploading to a public gallery
• Please turn off word verification so that we can send you lots of feedback.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges. 
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider for Top Pick and Featured Artist, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEACH DAY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	BEACH DAY DIES (32.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a sketch challenge designed by Deborah:

I knew that I wanted to use two pieces of co-ordinating designer series paper for those layers, so I decided to make another card with the Online Exclusives Latte Love bundle and the A Little Latte designer series papers that I used earlier this week. Here's what I came up with:

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

My card really is all about the A Little Latte designer paper: I used it it for both of my layers, with a colourful plaid for my base and a coffee splattered top layer. This provided the perfect base for my pair of coffee cups, fussy cut by hand from another sheet of paper:

I popped these up on dimensionals and added a thank you sentiment from the 'Latte Love' stamp set, anchored with a Calypso Coral-coloured rainbow enamel dot. This turned out to be a really simple card - quick and easy to duplicate so perfect for my customer thank you cards this month.

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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
• In a sketch challenge, you are welcome to rotate or flip a sketch. You can replace shapes used such as substituting a circle panel for a square panel. However, we must be able to still see the basis of the original sketch in your finished product.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

LATTE LOVE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (39.00)

A LITTLE LATTE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)

EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

RAINBOW ADHESIVE-BACKED DOTS (8.50)

This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Shannon has asked that we create a slimline card with a banner focal point. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

I haven't made a slimline card in a while so today's card made a pleasant change. Also - what to do with all those circles, whilst still keeping things clean and simple? I decided to showcase a bundle from the Online Exclusives, Latte Love, that is just one of those that you can get with an additional 10% off this month. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

I thought that those circles would work really well as coffee cups, so cut a banner from the A Little Latte designer series paper, along with a trio of coffee cups, all showcasing different coffee art, and tucked them around my banner. I stamped some coffee rings and splatters in Pecan Pie and added a few adhesive backed swirl dots, finishing with one of the sentiments in the set:

This would make a great card for a friend you haven't seen in a while - who doesn't love a good coffee and catch up, right? Better still when you can get the bundle to make this card at a total of 20% off this month; why, it's almost rude not to!

I'm also playing along with my good friends over at TicTacToe Challenge this week - I went down the first column of Jeanie's board with layers, diecut and patterned paper.

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 and I'll be back later in the week with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

LATTE LOVE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (39.00)	A LITTLE LATTE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	ADHESIVE-BACKED SWIRL DOTS (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	PECAN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	PECAN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BAKER'S TWINE THREE COLOR PACK (7.50)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for our speed stamping challenge - and I chose the theme:

Thank you cards! I use thank you cards more than any other kind of card and it's good to have some speedy designs on hand. I was actually a little short on crafty time this week so speed stamping week couldn't have come at a better time! I knew exactly where I was headed for my quick card - take a look at what I came up with and then I'll fill you in on the details:

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

Ready, Set ... - As we always say with a speed challenge, preparation is key. Think about your design and gather your supplies before the timer starts - this will make for a quicker execution. Mount your stamps, open your ink pads and you will be ready to start with the stopwatch. Here are all my supplies, in addition to my Tombo glue and trimmer, which is just out of view:

For a really quick card think about shortcuts - my shortcut on today's card is the Frames & Flowers designer series paper. The precut die-cut designs in the pack are a huge timesaver - a ready made decoration. I chose a sheet of patterned paper for my background, then one of the co-ordinating large foliage diecuts that had space for a printed sentiment.

Go! - Now to the timed action! I took my card base and added a pieces of designer series paper to the front of it. I then stamped the word 'thanks' in Pretty Peacock across the centre of the diecut (I used the retired 'Biggest Wish' stamp set but I've included a shop link below to a current one that would make a great alternative) the added this to the centre of my card base, using dimensionals:

I finished with a selection of co-ordinating gems to finish my card.

Result - That's all there is to it - a great #simplestamping card where the designer paper definitely takes the strain! How long did it take to make this card? 

Just 2 minutes and 42 seconds - at that speed, you could even make multiples in the space of 10 minutes! The Frames & Flowers papers really are fabulous and great for all kinds of speedy cards; at £9.50 for a pack, they're super reasonable 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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
• In a speed stamping challenge, please time yourself and say in your post how long your card took to complete. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Shop link to the Frames & Flowers 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper £9.50: click here

PRETTY PEACOCK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)

MY SMALL BUSINESS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (18.00)

PETAL PINK & PRETTY PEACOCK FOILED GEMS (7.50)

Everyone loves a good deal, which is why Stampin' Up! is offering an additional 10% off all stamp and die bundles! Between 5 and 30 June, take advantage of the sale and add some new bundles to your collection. Plus, save 10% on the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine and the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. These machines make the perfect crafting partner for stamp and die bundles. With this offer, you and can save time and money!

In addition, today sees two new kits added to the online collection:

First up - the Expressions of Kindness card kit: 

Share heartfelt cards with the Expressions of Kindness Kit. Featuring nostalgic-looking floral designs in beautiful colour tones, this kit is perfect for all-occasion cards for friends and loved ones. Pair the desired sentiment and images from the kit to quickly create timeless cards. Wish happy birthday, send a friendly note, or more, and let the people in your life know you care! Also available in French and German.

 The second kit is The Scenic Route Travel Journal Kit:

EXPRESSIONS OF KINDNESS KIT (ENGLISH) (22.00)

THE SCENIC ROUTE TRAVEL JOURNAL KIT (21.00)

Today I'm sharing a clean and simple card that I made for the following challenges:

The sketch over at AAACards was perfect for a trio of balloons, the code word at Addicted to CAS this week and I had to use the trio of colours over at Color Dare since they are celebrating their 12 year anniversary - what an achievement! Here's the clean and simple card I made for the occasion:

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

I used an acetate sheet to create a stencil using my retired Balloon Bouquet Punch, then using my blending brushes added three balloons in the challenge colours, overlapping them to form a cluster. I used a retired stamp set to add some balloon strings in Encore silver ink, then finished my card with 'celebrate' sentiment cut from silver foil using my Wanted To Say Dies, and layered on vellum:

I originally made a version of this card where I added some stencilled confetti in silver, but thought it looked too 'busy', so I made a second one that is very clean - I much prefer it! This is a great standby birthday card design that could be made in any colour combo and would suit pretty much any participant - I might have to make a few more!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	WANTED TO SAY DIES (37.00)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BOHO BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (14.00)
SILVER 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) FOIL SHEETS (4.75)