Cottage Rose in Moody Mauve JUGS 677

by Joanne James29. April 2023 05:00

Today I'm sharing my final card for my Guest Designer spot over at Just Us Girls. I will be so sad to leave - I've had such a great month crafting alongside these lovely ladies, but I'm sure they have someone wonderful lined up to take over next month. For my final card we have a super fun challenge - CASE a design Team Member:

 

Now I could have created absolutely anything for my final card this week - but I thought it would be fun if I CASEd one of the Just Us Girls Design Team Members! And it just so happened that I saw this card by the lovely Carol McFarland a week or so ago and actually commented on her socials that I wanted to CASE this card, so I thought today that I would! This is my version - take a look:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Whilst I love to colour, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I love exploring alternative ways to add colour to line art images. I took an alternative approach to colouring this rose the last time I used it - you can see that card here. This card gave me another final opportunity to use the Cottage Rose stamp before it retires and also to have some fun with the new 2023-25 In Colours too. I stamped the main rose image around the edge of a piece of Whisper White, then masked off two 'stripes' in turn and blended some Moody Mauve ink first from one edge, then the other. I added a sentiment from the same set and two addition uncoloured diecut roses on dimensionals:

 

A trio of In Color Dots and black enamel dots complete my card front. I added a little extra detail to the inside of my card too:

 

I like this card so much, I think I'm going to make 4 more versions in each of the other new in-colours too. CASEing someone else's card can be so much fun - whether you are inspired by the images, colours, layout or technique, there is so much to choose from! I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone is inspired by the JUGS Design Team cards this week and thank you to Carol for inspiring mine! A final thank you too to all the lovely JUGS ladies for their cameraderie this month - you will undoubtedly see me back in the gallery soon!

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'm off to the hockey pitch this afternoon and looking forward to a long Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, even if that means it will probably rain!! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Nothing's Better Than Pizza FF133

by Joanne James28. April 2023 08:00

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge

    

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'National Eat What You Want Day' which is on 11th May - who knew?! Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I did go with a food-themed card; I used pizza, diecutting, gingham and food sentiment and this is what I came up with:

 

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

I decided to create a custom sentiment as the focal point of my card, using a combination of stamped words from the 'Nothing's Better Than' stamp set and letters diecut with the Alphabet a La Mode Dies - perfect for the challenge at Just Add Ink this week too! I paired this with a strip of gingham reminiscent of an Italian pizza parlour table cloth and a slice of punch art pizza:

 

I added some stamped mushrooms and tomatoes from a (retired) stamp set called 'What's Cookin?' to decorate my pizza slice and added a gingham pocket inside my card to hold a gift card; I will be saving this card to send to my daughter who will hopefully be going off to university later this year and am sure will appreciate some extra funds for a pizza night out to save her having to cook for herself occasionally!

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. 

How does our board inspire you? I can’t wait to see what YOU create! For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

 

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Hues of Happiness Slimline Birthday Card TTT 206

by Joanne James27. April 2023 16:00

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely Elizabeth is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

    

I went from top left down the diagonal with flowers, yellow and gems and used the layout over at Sketch Saturday to create a pretty, summery birthday card with some pretty retiring product - take a look:

 

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

I had lots of these lovely Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody flowers that I'd previously diecut from the Hues of Happiness designer series paper, so i thought that this would be a good opportunity to put them to good use! I went with a white slimline card as I need the length to fit them all in, added a half panel of So Saffron cardstock which I diecut across the top with one of the Blossoming Happiness edgelit dies ( I also used these dies to cut out the flowers) and added notches to both sides and would it with some white baker's twine, before adding my flowers. A simple birthday sentiment and some sparkly gems finish the outside of my card: 

 I added a little more stamping using the 'Happiness Abounds' stamp set to the inside of my card:

 

I do love a yellow card - so cheery and sunny and I will miss the Happiness Abounds Suite so much! Both the stamp set and dies are discounted as part of the last chance product promotion - the dies are 50% off, an absolute 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 Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Perfectly Penciled Amazing You

by Joanne James26. April 2023 11:37

Today I'm sharing a card for the current Color Hues challenge:

Purple is one of my favourite colours so I knew I wanted to play along. I decided on some more colouring with my Stampin' Blends using up a little more retiring paper - take a look:

 

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

The Perfectly Penciled papers are great for colouring with your Stampin' Blends markers - I made this card last week where I 'reverse coloured' the same pattern - you can see that card here if you missed it. This time I coloured the actual flowers in shades of purple and green and included a larger vertical panel, accenting with a diecut sentiment in black and white again using the Amazing Thanks Dies and pairing with a stamped 'YOU' from the 'Art Gallery' stamp set.

 

This paper and those fabulous Amazing Thanks Dies are all retiring at the end of this month - add them to your shopping basket via the links below whilst you still can!

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Two Tone Flora Die Window Card FMS582

by Joanne James24. April 2023 17:00

Happy Monday everyone! I've spent the day in my office working on projects to share with you this week and amongst other things also managed to make a card for Karren's fabulous layout over at Freshly Made Sketches today so I need to blog it quickly before they close! Here's Karren's sketch:

   

I paired it with the colours over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and took the opportunity to play with another new-to-me bundle - take a look:

 

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

I thought the large circle of Karren's sketch would be perfect to showcase the detail of the die plate that is included in the Two Tone Flora Dies, so I cut an aperture using the largest of my circle Stylish Shapes Dies and adhered the diecut behind. I added a panel of (retired) Fine Art Floral designer paper behind it, that features a subtle Pool Party gesso effect, and accented my window with a single Blackberry Bliss flower:

 

Some Mint Macaron leaves, a trio of glossy dots and a birthday sentiment from 'Something Fancy' complete my card.

I've always loved the combination of Pool Party and Blackberry Bliss and this dies is just amazing - I can't wait to use it more! Both the Two Tone Flora stamp set and dies are carrying over to the new annual catalogue, but the bundle pricing isn't - so if you'd like to purchase both items and receive a 10% saving, you'll need to be quick and place your order for them before the end of the 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. 

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Fresh As A Daisy Suite Sneak Peek PP637

by Joanne James23. April 2023 08:00

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

 

I had a few ideas for Ann's layout, but having finally received my new annual catalogue preorder I decided to have a play with just some of the new goodies in my box - take a look at what I came up with:

 

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

Every single thing that I used on my card today is brand new!!

New Papers: I used the new Fresh As A Daisy designer paper as my starting point and used a bold, pink daisy pattern for my main panel and the reverse for the semi-circle.

New Colours: I used a base of the new pale pink, Bubble Bath, a mat of Copper Clay and ink in Copper Clay and one of the new in-colours, Moody Mauve.

New Stamps and Dies: The bundle that is included in the Fresh as a Daisy Suite is called 'Cheerful Daisies'; the stamp set contains both solid and outline daisy images and a range of sentiments and there are dies that cut out the stamped images and those that create standalone layered flowers along with a great label die.

New Accessories: I used both the Adhesive-backed Solid Gems in Copper Clay and the new 3/8" Textured Ribbon in Moody Mauve on my card too (I split the ribbon in half lengthways for my bow, tied with twine).

You can see the layering more closely here - so much to love, right?!

 

I added an offcut of paper and another sentiment from the set to the inside of my card to finish:

 

So what do you think? Are you excited to see more of the Cheerful Daisies and lots of other items from the annual catalogue? It launches May 2nd so not long to wait! I have catalogues ready to send to everyone who has shopped with me in the past 6 months. If you don't have a demonstrator and would like to receive a catalogue, do get in touch.

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. 

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

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

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

 

Nothings Better Than Cocktails JUGS 676

by Joanne James22. April 2023 05:00

Today I'm sharing my fourth card for my Guest Designer spot over at Just Us Girls. This week it's Clean and Simple week - always a favourite!

       

The theme is food and beverages - I couldn't resist another outing with my 'Nothing's Better Than' stamp set before it retires! I used the layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday and the bright colour palette over at Color Throwdown to make a colourful cocktail reminiscent of summer vacations - take a look:

 

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

I stamped my cocktail in yellow and decided to accent with a blue umbrella and slice of lime, then diecut it and backed it with a circle of vellum and carried my accent colours through to my strips of ombre glimmer paper and my two-tone sentiment: 

 

I stamped another glass on the front of my envelope and on the inside of my card for added colour:

 

If you stamp them all at the same time, it really takes very little extra time and it's a nice way of adding a little extra 'pretty'. I will miss this set soooo much when it retires - the stamps and dies have done double-duty in my craft room and then some; I love them and will never part with them! Be sure to check out what the Just Us Girls Design Team have made for Clean and Simple Week - I'm sure they will have some amazing projects to share!

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'd like to tell you that my plan for today was to consume cocktails, but alas no such luck! I will be stood at the side of the hockey pitch, as usual - cocktails will have to wait for antoher day! I'll be back tomorrow with my card for our new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

By My Side Follow Your Own Star AYSI 297

by Joanne James21. April 2023 12:00

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

    

I love this colour combo, but I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it work on a card. I need not have worried though; once I'd pulled out a couple of retiring stamp sets and the sketch layout over at Atlantic Hearts I knew exactly where I was headed. Take a look at what I came up with:

 

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

I knew I wanted to make a few more cards featuring the cuties in the 'By My Side' stamp set before it retires, so I decided to go with this young lady following her butterfly friend for my focal point. I coloured her with my Stampin' Blends in the challenge colours and instead of pairing her with the sentiments in the set, I chose a larger one from the retiring 'Stepping Stones' set. A great set including a selection of famous motivational quotes, I chose 'Follow Your Own Star' and stamped it in Gorgeous Grape ink. I decided to go with a bold background of stripes in each of the challenge colours (doubling up with Coastal Cabana) and used a retired  butterfly embossing folder across the whole panel to add interest and create a unifying design:

 

It also picked up the stamped butterfly on the focal image. It's almost a shame the sentiment doesn't say 'Follow your own butterfly', as the young lady featured seems to be dreamily following her winged friend!

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.
We look forward to seeing your creations in the AYSI gallery.

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Forever Friends Kit - A New Addition To The Kits Collection Online

by Joanne James20. April 2023 15:24

Just a quick post to let you know that the latest addition to the Kits Collection by Stampin’ Up! can now be found in the online store:

 

 The Forever Friends Kit has all you need to create beautiful floral cards with green foil accents to share with all your friends! This kit retails at £20 and includes:

 

  • Enough supplies to create 8 cards—4 each of 2 designs
  • 8 coordinating envelopes
  • One Forever Friends photopolymer stamp set
  • One Night of Navy Ink Spot
  • Printed card bases, printed foil envelopes, foil die cuts, adhesive, twine, and a clear block
  • Finished card size: 5-1/4" x 4-1/4" (13.3 x 10.8 cm)
  • Coordinating colours: Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy, Old Olive, Petal Pink

 You can order yours in the online store by clicking here and here's a link to the unboxing video if you'd like a closer look:

Pretty, right? 

That's all from me for today! Remember if you are shopping with me in the online store, remember to use the host code for April in order to receive a little thank you from me in the post.

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

You Make A Difference Rainbow Card

by Joanne James20. April 2023 09:00

Today I'm sharing a card that I made last week when I had my 'Begin With A Dream' stamp set out on my desk making this card

Today's card uses the layout above from Try Stamping on Tuesday and embraces the inspiration of 'rainbow' too - take a look:

 

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

Fairly straightforward here - a diecut rainbow using the retired Rainbow Dies for the curved element and a panel of the repeating image of people holding hands, coloured with my Stampin' Blends and finished with a heat-embossed sentiment: 

I had intended to stick with the colours of my diecut arches but did get a little carried away with colouring the people - there is so much colour on this card it is truly a rainbow! I still love the fun, colourful feel though and I think it would be a great card for someone who needs a little mood boost (a teacher, maybe?) The 'Begin With A Dream' stamp set is really useful for this kind of card - it also features a really useful globe stamp that I've yet to feature on a card (so many stamps, so little time!)

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 in the middle of a serious office clear-out so my day will be a busy one; I need to make progress before I can reward myself with some time crafting with my new annual catalogue preorder goodies that finally arrived yesterday! I'll definitely be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Mini Catalogue

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

The mini catalogue is now live! Read and download your copy here.

Shop Online

Access my online shop 24 x 7, 365 days of the year:

Current March hostess code:

S9F2XJJW

Shop Online

Join My Team

It's always a great time to join Stampin’ Up! New team members can get £130 worth of products for only £99 + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up! Stampin' Up! has something for everyone: join my growing team and benefit from my support to enjoy Stampin' Up! however you choose.

If you're interested, call me for a chat to understand how I can help you realise your goals. Alternatively, if you have already decided to sign up and you just can't wait, please click here for the link to the online form where you can sign up and order your starter kit right away! 

Latest Kit!

Stampin Cut and Emboss

The Rock Legend Kit has all you need to make 8 cards with coordinating envelopes. Along with the new Panda Friends Kit, both are available from January 4th for just £14 each - get yours here!

2023-24 Annual Catalogue

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

Click on the catalogue for a full list of current SU! supplies - if you would like to order any of the items featured, please drop me a line at [email protected] or give me a call on 07773 421446 - I'd be happy to help.

New Online Exclusives

There will be new products available exclusively in the online store from 5 March - check them out here.

About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

Follow Me

Monthly Newsletter

Box Builder

Click the button above to use Box Buster to create your custom box design using the Envelope Punch Board!

Kits Collection Now Available!

Stampin Cut and Emboss

The new Kits Collection from Stampin' Up! is now available!

Click here to see the current kits available and order yours online today.

I Design For

 

 

 

Stampin' Up Stuff

This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.