It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Shannon is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

Shannon's fresh colour palette are perfect for summer and I decided to use them for some pretty florals. I grabbed the new layout over at Sketch Saturday and a few new products and set to work. This is what I came up with:

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

I used a sentiment from the new 'Country Wishes' stamp set and added it to a label from the Unbounded Love Dies, adding a second one in Daffodil Delight for a hint of shadow. I stamped a floral bouquet from Country Wishes and coloured it in the challenge colours with my Stampin' Blends and popped it up on some dimensionals:

A twist of (retired) Daffodil Delight ribbon, tied with white baker's twine completes my 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! colour 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:

UNBOUNDED LOVE DIES (34.00)	COUNTRY FLOWERS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (50.25)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)	FRESH FREESIA STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where Jane has a theme challenge for us:

It's that time of year when lots of people are getting married so Jane's choice of theme is a timely one. I decided to use one of my new stamp set and stencil sets to revisit an 'oldie but goodie' technique for my wedding card - take a look:

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

Layers of Beauty - The stamp set I featured on today's card is called 'Layers of Beauty' and comes with a set of co-ordinating dies and layering stencils and I think it's going to be a new favourite! The main stamp is a large floral arrangement of roses and can be used in so many ways. I stamped it in black onto my Basic White card base and left it uncoloured, then stamped it again on another sheet of cardstock to create my spotlight. 

Stencilled Spotlight - With my second image, I used my stencils to colour the flowers in Real Red and the leaves in Garden Green. The stencils are amazing - with only 2 colours, it's possible to create flowers that are full of depth. I chose these colours from the Color Dare challenge because red roses are the language of love and romance and whilst I wouldn't normally go so bold on a wedding card, I think it suits a demonstration of this technique. Once coloured using my inks and blending brushes, I used a Stylish Shapes Circle Dies to cut out a circle, then carefully pieced it onto my black and white design, using dimensionals for a little lift:

I was reminded of the spotlight technique with Inkspirational's current challenge; I haven't made a card using it in ages so it was a fun one to revisit.

Sentiment Creativity - I didn't have any current sentiments for a wedding card, so I went on a rummage through my retired stash to see what I could find. Interestingly I couldn't find anything that said 'wedding' specifically, although I'm sure I must have some somewhere. There were lots of congratulations and celebrate sentiments though and in the end I settled with a combination of 'celebrate together' from the retired 'Create With Friends' stamp set. I trio of white sequins complete my card.

I really love this set and can't wait to use it more. I'm also linking today's card up over at Just Us Girls where it's 'anything goes stencil week'; so happy to have added this one to my collection!

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.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

LAYERS OF BEAUTY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	LAYERS OF BEAUTY DECORATIVE MASKS (13.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (14.00)	ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS TRIO (7.50)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches.This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Patricia has asked that we add a panel with 3 banners behind. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I decided to do another showcase of one of the beautiful designs in the Thoughtful Journey paper pack on that panel - take a look:

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

I used one of the Nested Essentials Dies to cut out my scenic panel and decided to highlight three of the colours in the sky and use those for my horizontal strips. I heat-embossed my sentiment onto each in white and used words from the 'Unbounded Love' stamp set that worked well together. How gorgeous are these papers? 

A trio of co-ordinating pearls complete my card front, with a corresponding sentiment added to the inside of my card:

What do you think? This is a great design that is quick to make and really does showcase the pretty papers.

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! colour 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.

Finally, a quick reminder that all orders placed today over £60 are eligible for free shipping - so a great time to stock up on your new annual catalogue favourites.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

UNBOUNDED LOVE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	THOUGHTFUL JOURNEY 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	ADHESIVE-BACKED PEARL TRIO (7.00)	NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	PETUNIA POP A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)
BOHO BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BASICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (20.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

STOP PRESS for an important announcement: For 24 hours only, starting at 11pm UK time this evening, Stampin' Up! are offering FREE shipping on orders of £60 or more.

The key information is as follows:

• Free shipping applies after the qualifying order amount has been met.
• The minimum qualifying amount to receive free shipping is £60 or more.
• Free shipping only applies during the 24-hour period the promotion is live in each market; this means that the order must be opened and closed between 20 May 2024, at 11p.m. and 21 May 2024, at 10:59 p.m (UK).

This is a great time to stock up on new annual catalogue items that are on your wishlist, to pick up one of our all-inclusive papercrafting kits or to treat yourself to a bargain from the clearance rack. So start making those lists and head off to my online Stampin' Up! store to place your order. Remember to add the current hostess code 3NR3FB9W to receive an extra thank you in the post from me.

Happy shopping!

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where Jan has a recipe challenge for us:

I don't know why, but I really struggled with our challenge this week. I think it's new catalogue syndrome - you know, when you have a ton of retired product and not much new but you want to make the new stuff work? In the end, I decided to go with a still-current-but-not-new favourite and chose to make a happy and sunny hello card that very much reflects the lovely warm weather we are having here in the UK this week - take a look:

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

Busy Bees - I decided to choose yellow as my 'other colour' in addition to black and white, and using the current Sketch Saturday layout, I positioned a pair of busy bees amongst some honeycomb elements. I stamped the details using the 'Bee My Valentine' stamp set in black onto both white and yellow cardstock, then punched out using my Bee Builder Punch and I also used another of the stamps in this set to add some stamped honeycomb to my white card base too. So that ticked off black, white and one other colour - check.

Hello, Hello - I decided to use a large 'hello' for my focal sentiment, so embossed and diecut it from the Thoughtful Moments hybrid embossing folder and die set. I inked the edge of the word in yellow before embossing and created an ombre effect by colouring with my Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends. This is a great way to get a little variation in colour without actually using a different colour, just making the use of both shades in the Blends pair:

My sentiment ticked off my last two recipe elements: embossing folder and diecut - check.

Finishing Touches - I added a couple of hexagons that I embossed with the (retired) Hive 3D Embossing Folder, showing both the embossed and debossed sides for added texture and interest and a sprinkling of diecut flowers and hexagon-shaped enamel shapes from my stash to complete my card. 

I really love the finished result and I already know who I'm going to send it to - hope she likes it 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.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEE MY VALENTINE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)	BEE BUILDER PUNCH (23.00)	THOUGHTFUL MOMENTS HYBRID EMBOSSING FOLDER (ENGLISH) (36.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (7.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Patricia is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

I used the layout over at AAA Cards to make a birthday card using some of my new catalogue goodies - take a look: 

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

I decided to use Pebbled Path as my card base for a change and added some Pebbled Path ink with a blending brush to the the area where I was going to build my wreath to add depth. In addition to a wide variety of labels and frames, there are lots of great little foliage dies in the Unbounded Love bundle and I thought they would make a neat clean and simple wreath. I combined three different pieces and then added in some flowers with pearl centres from the Lovely & Sweet Dies set too:

 A silver twine bow and a fussy cut sentiment complete my card. I really like the finished result, especially with the darker card base.

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; I'm having new carpets fitted today so my day will be a busy one. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

UNBOUNDED LOVE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (52.00)	LOVELY & SWEET DIES (30.00)	PEBBLED PATH A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	PEBBLED PATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	LOST LAGOON A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (13.00)	IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (7.00)

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

The colour I use least in my crafting - intriguing! I used the sketch over at Global Design Project #GDP442 for my layout this week and I made a card that features only two colours; can you guess which one I don't use very often?

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

Yes - it's Wild Wheat! I must confess I am not a fan of this one of last year's in-colours and actually don't use it very often at all so for today's card I decided that I would try something different and pair it with one of my most-used colours and all-time favourite, Night of Navy, to see if the colour combo would make Wild Wheat more appealing.

I used a Night of Navy card base and covered it with an entire panel of Wild Wheat - brave! I decided to add a diecut panel using the leaf die from the Gorgeous Garden Dies to the centre of my card. I've used these dies many times before and the eagle-eyed amongst you will realise that the whole die covers an entire card front, so you may be wondering how I managed to halve it to create my panel. It actually wasn't that tricky: I cut my Night of Navy Panel to size then aligned my die at the outside edge and partially diecut it towards the other end. I then removed the die and using a craft knife, I used a metal ruler and carefully cut away the edge of the loose pieces to create a narrow border on the other side of the panel. Yet another way to use these fabulous dies!

I added some Night of Navy twine and a simple gold heat-embossed sentiment from the 'Timeless Arrangements' stamp set, accented with a brass metallic dot to finish:

A piece of co-ordinating Wild Wheat in-colour DSP to decorate the flap of the envelope completes my card. Whilst I'm still not a fan of Wild Wheat, I must confess I do rather like this colour combo!

This is a great opportunity to remind you that the Gorgeous Garden bundle is just one of those featured in the monthly tutorials I create with my AYSI teamie, good friend and fellow demonstrator Jan Clothier. This tutorial contains lots more ideas and ways to use the Gorgeous Garden Dies and is yours for FREE when you purchase the Gorgeous Garden Dies from either Jan or myself. These dies are only available until the end of the month before they retire; they are currently almost half price at £24 for the pair - bargain! 

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 colour challenge, black or other neutral can be used in outlines and sentiments but no other colours should be included. Stampin’ Up colours are used for reference but colours that are a close match are welcome.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

GORGEOUS GARDEN DIES (24.00)

NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

WILD WHEAT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

TIMELESS ARRANGEMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)

VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. First up - a confession! I got my dates mixed up and I actually used this sketch last week for my Tuesday post - you can see that card here if you missed it - but since this week is actually CAS Colours and Sketches week, I'm showing you another way to use it! This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Rachel has asked that we use a trio of balanced shapes. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card and remember the shapes you choose don't have to be squares. 

I paired Rachel's fun sketch with the 'take 5' challenge over at Color Dare this week (I ended up using all 5 colours) and created a simple notecard to say hello to a friend - take a look:

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

I tweaked Rachel's sketch slightly and balanced my stamped and diecut tortoise from 'Playing In The Rain' onto a stacked sentiment from the 'Biggest Wish' stamp set, stamped in Flirty Flamingo. In place of the sentiment on the sketch, I added some flowers - perhaps the meadow where my tortoise had picked his daisy? 

My colours do seem a little off today for some reason, with my pink letters looking almost coral; my sage greens are also looking a little darker than they are in real life; notwithstanding, I like this second take on the sketch and the stacked sentiment is a fun idea too. The 'Biggest Wish' stamp set is retiring at the end of this month, although its companion set 'More Wishes' is staying, so if you are wanting to take advantage of the full combination of greetings, be sure to pick up this set before it's too late.

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:

BIGGEST WISH PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (16.00)	PLAYING IN THE RAIN CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (25.00)	PLAYING IN THE RAIN DIES (33.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
SOFT SEA FOAM STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card for a couple of challenges:

The word of the week at Just Us Girls is 'rain' and whilst I didn't have an image of pink rainboots I could use, I loved the pinks in this week's Inspired By photo so took my inspiration from the pink coat and florals to give my puddle-jumping rabbit a pretty little raincoat - take a look:

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

I stamped my bunny onto my card base then stamped it again on a separate piece of cardstock and diecut it, minus the puddle. I coloured her with my Stampin' Blends and paper-pieced her raincoat with a piece of pink floral designer paper that I found in my scrapbox. I stamped my raindrops directly onto my cardbase, then added some diecut clouds, to which I added some Wink of Stella for a subtle sparkle. There is something so cute about this little bunny I think: 

This image so remind me of when the James Juniors were toddlers and loved nothing more than an afternoon walk in the rain, jumping in the puddles - happy memories! 

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. 

A short post from me today as I need to crack on with my decorating! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

PLAYING IN THE RAIN CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (25.00)	PLAYING IN THE RAIN DIES (33.00)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BUBBLE BATH STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BALMY BLUE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (7.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

Edited to add - this card was an Inspired By Winner!

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where the lovely Heather C has a pretty colour challenge for us:

I almost went with florals for today's card, but I couldn't get past the idea that these colours would make a beautiful sunset so I grabbed a new bundle that I recently picked up and set to work - take a look:

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

I used a series of floating stripes for the sunset sky on today's card. I've used this technique before and it's really easy to do: all you need is to take your stripes in a variety of widths, adhere to a piece of window sheet acetate (the ones your stamps come on will work nicely) and cut out with a circle die or to your desired shape. I wanted an ombre effect using the challenge colours, so in order to get additional shades, I used two strips of cardstock in each of the challenge colours, then coloured one of each with the darker and lighter shades of Stampin' Blends markers respectively. The colour change is subtle, but this is a great way to gain additional variety - you can see the detail more closely below:

I wanted the sunset to be the main focus on my card, so created my beach scene around it using white diecuts only. The Beach Day Dies have lots of additional detail, so don't really need colour to create interest. My sentiment is stamped in Calypso Coral and from the bundled 'Beach Day' stamp set. Both the Beach Day stamp set and dies are on carryover into the new catalogue, but the bundle price isn't so if they are on your list, if you want that additional saving, you'll need to order before the end of the month. I bought this set because I love all of the little details in both the stamp and dies sets - I have so many holiday and beach day scrapbook pages to complete, I know it will come in handy - not to mention for summer-themed cards too. I added a trio of rainbow enamel dots to complete my card.

This card has me dreaming of Caribbean beaches and sunnier climes - the sun is out here in the UK for once and there's a good breeze, so it looks like it might be time to take laundry out to the washing line - I can but dream of faraway places! So what do these colours make you think of? I'd love to see your projects in the gallery this week - why not play along?

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 colour challenge, black or other neutral can be used in outlines and sentiments but no other colours should be included. Stampin’ Up colours are used for reference but colours that are a close match are welcome.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEACH DAY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (45.75)	BEACH DAY DIES (32.00)	BEACH DAY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	CALYPSO CORAL STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
RAINBOW ADHESIVE-BACKED DOTS (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)