Hello Friend Tortoise CCS535

by Joanne James16. April 2024 13:00

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:

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

Playing In The Rain Pink Rabbit

by Joanne James15. April 2024 08:00

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:

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

Beach Day Ombre Sunshine Wishes AYSI321

by Joanne James12. April 2024 12:00

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.
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.

Hey Chuck Rise And Shine CCS535

by Joanne James9. April 2024 13:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & SketchesThis 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 bright colour combo over at Just Us Girls this week that was perfect for what I had in mind - take a look:

 

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

Those retiring lists I mentioned in yesterday's post are now well and truly live and so for today's card I just had to highlight one of my favourite retiring sets: Hey Chuck. As a previous chicken owner, I knew I'd never be able to resist these comical feathered friends! They are great for colouring, especially if you're a beginner as there is only a small area to focus on at a time. In addition to the chickens themselves, the dies contain a bunch of 'extras' in addition to those that cut out the chickens; on today's card I used the semi-circle sunshine to make a stencil so that I could stencil in my morning sun (this is something I've done previously here too) and the weather vane - so great for creating fun scenes, the possibilities are endless! The dies are also discounted as part of the retiring sale - so if you buy the stamps and the dies, you get a better deal if you purchase them separately than if you purchase them as a bundle. Here's my colourful poultry in close up:

A trio of sparkly Gorgeous Grape enamel dots complete my fun card (I've provided a link to one that is similar below). 

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. 

This will be the perfect card to send to my daughter on her return to university - students in general are not known for being early risers so I suspect this will make her smile!

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.

Stampin'Up! Annual Catalogue and Mini Catalogue Retiring Lists Go Live Tomorrow

by Joanne James8. April 2024 09:00
 
Stampin’ Up! 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue & January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue Retiring Lists are here – Products Available While Supplies Last!
 
Last Chance Product Details are as follows:
  • All products are available until April 30th while supplies last, and there are no purchase limits.
  • The discounted prices will not start on any products until Tuesday, April 9.
  • Stamp sets are not guaranteed during this promotion and are while supplies last.

Click here to go right to the the online store to shop your favourite retiring items now - please note the discounted prices are only available from tomorrow, Tuesday April 9th.

Click here to see the retired items list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Click here to see the retired items list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Please remember this is also your last opportunity to stock up on 2022-24 in colour products: we will be saying goodbye for good to Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis at the end of the month.

Finally, whilst we all dislike price rises, sometimes they are necessary in order to remain competitive. As such, I want to give you a heads up that the following items will all increase in price when the next Annual Catalogue launches in May, so if you would like to get a jump on those price rises, here's your opportunity to get your order in beforehand:

 

I'll be placing an order first thing tomorrow, so if you'd like to take advantage of the bargains on the retiring list, then do get in touch with your order by 8pm this evening.

Some products have discounts of up to 60% so there are some great bargains to be had; since these lists are whilst supplies last, there are products that have already gone in some markets prior to discounts beginning, so don't delay in placing your order if there's something you 'must have'. I'll be back to share some of my favourites later in the week but meanwhile, time to review those wishlists!

Let me know if you have any questions. Back tomorrow with another post; until then, happy shopping!

Timeless Arrangements Thank You Card CCS534

by Joanne James2. April 2024 13:00

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

      

For my card today I used the layout over at Sketch Saturday and used Rachel's fresh colour combination for a pretty floral thank you card - take a look:

 

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

I stamped my sentiment from the 'Timeless Arrangements' stamp set onto a label from the same set, and backed it with a selection of diecuts in the challenge colours. I also stamped and coloured a couple of flower stems and added them to the mix. I used diecuts that broadly followed the diagonal shape of the lines on the sketch and added seven scored lines with my scoring tool to my white cardbase - you can see the detail if you look closely below:

 

The scored lines add a real touch of elegance to the card and are a great way to incorporate the stripes in a more subtle way. A trio of pink pearls was all I needed to complete my card. 

I will so miss the Timeless Arrangements bundle when it retirees - it makes the prettiest thank you cards.

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:

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

Natures Sweetness Notes of Nature Thank You Card AYSI320

by Joanne James29. March 2024 13:00

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

    

I love our sketch this week; it's the kind of layout that can be dressed up or down, with a clean and simple or much more detailed design - lots of possibilities! I decided to go over-the-top with this one and go big on designer series paper - there are no less than 5 different patterns used on this card! Too much? Here's my card - take a look:

 

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

Nature's Sweetness - It's that time of year when we are getting ready to say goodbye to lots of product from the Stampin' Up! annual and mini catalogues and time to get using up that designer series paper! On today's card I used 5 different patterns from the Nature's Sweetness specialty designer series papers - can you spot them all? One for the background, a couple for the strips behind the circle (another one) and finally the cocoa pods have been diecut from another of the sheets, bringing the total to 5. I wouldn't normally use so many on one card, but I think the colours and patterns work sufficiently well together to not be too overwhelming. 

A Touch of Colour - I used a diecut cocoa pod for the focal point on my card - I'm hoping this is ok for the theme of 'Just Add Chocolate' over at Just Add Ink this week - I'm sure they were thinking chocolate eggs and bunnies, but I don't have any of those in my current stash so I'm hoping my cocoa pods as the purest form of the brown stuff still ticks the box. I added a touch of colour to the designer paper with my Soft Sea Foam and Pecan Pie Stampin' Blends to make my pods stand out against the background detail:

 

Accessorize, Accessorize - I added a few leafy diecuts, some elegant gold trim and gold sequins as finishing touches to my card. I trimmed down to a simple 'thanks' sentiment and also stamped the inside of my card and the envelope with the 'Notes of Nature' stamp set to complete my card.

 I was a 'late bloomer' as far as this suite is concerned (I have Jan to thank for finally convincing me I needed it in my life), so definitely feel as if I'm making up for lost 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. 

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

Enjoy your Good Friday. Amongst other things, I will be visiting the farm shop today and driving to Birmingham to collect the oldest of the James Juniors who is coming home for the Easter break - we are all excited! 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.

Easter Promise Spring Crocus Two Ways

by Joanne James26. March 2024 21:21

Today I'm sharing a couple of extra Easter cards that I made for a few current challenges, using one of my favourite retired Easter sets, Easter Promise, using two different colouring techniques. The first one is for the current TicTacToe Challenge (I went across the middle row with pastel colours/CAS/flowers) and is my second entry over at Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'Bloom:

    

My first card is coloured with my Stampin' Blends - take a look:

 

 I coloured my crocus with my Stampin' Blends, sticking to pale purples with a tiny pop of orange for the stamen. I stamped and fussy cut the sentiment and added a trio of irridescent gems - don't you just love how they pick up the colour of whatever they're next to?  

My second card uses the colours over at Sunday Stamps and since it's another card featuring spring flowers, I'm sharing over at AAA Cards:

   

For this card I stamped the crocus image onto watercolour paper and used my inks and aqua painter, along with my watercolour pencils for highlights, to colour:

 

I used all of the colours on the Sunday Stamps palette (if you look closely there is the faintest wash of pink around my blooms which add a hint of Spring warmth) and diecut my finished image and added to a Lemon Lolly card base, with some coordinating enamel dots for a pop of added colour:

 

On this card I stamped my sentiment in brown and I think it suits the yellow tones much better. Both the insides and envelopes were stamped for a finishing touch of co-ordination. Both of these cards are off in the post already - the Easter weekend is almost upon us!

I hope you like my trip back down memory lane with one of my favourite retired Easter sets.

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

 

 

Bee Mine Sweet As Honey CCS 533

by Joanne James19. March 2024 13:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. I am hosting this month and this week's challenge is a sketch challenge:

 

The sketch features six elements and an overlapping sentiment. The six elements don't need to be circles, they can be any shape, and they don't all have to be identical, however there should be a common theme to your chosen images. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when creating your card. Most of all, have fun! 

For my card today I got out my paper snips once more and spent some time fussy cutting a variety of honey pots from the Bee Mine designer series paper - take a look:

 

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

There's so much value to be had in a pack of designer paper - especially if you have the patience to get your scissors out and start snipping! I arranged my pots across the centre of my card and then stamped my sentiment from the 'Bee My Valentine' stamp set in Tuxedo black ink, highlighting the word 'sweet' by inking it with my Sweet Sorbet in-colour marker, and after fussy cutting that too, popped it up on dimensionals and laid it over my honey pots::

 

Another clean and simple card - I'm sure Winnie the Pooh would approve!

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; it's raining here (again!) so I will be spending the day indoors, trying to distract myself from doing the housework by poring over the new Stampin' Up! annual catalogue that I received yesterday! 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.

Painted Lavender CAS Notecards AYSI319

by Joanne James15. March 2024 13:00

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for the dreaded speed challenge, with the theme chosen by Deborah:

 

Spring flowers - how lovely it is to see them starting to appear in the garden! My daffodils are out and my tulips and lavender are coming along behind. My lavender in the garden doesn't usually bloom until late spring, so I'm taking the opportunity to create some of my own whilst I wait!

This week is speed stamping week, where we need to gather our supplies, set our timers and create our cards in 10 minutes or less. Being the designer series paper fan that I am, it's not uncommon for me to reach for some when I need to make a big impact in a hurry, however I've used designer paper for the last few speed challegnes so today I thought I'd challenge myself to stick to stamping only (ok, with maybe a little diecutting!) When you need a speedy card, the main thing needs to be to keep things simple - and be very organised! So here are my supplies laid out before I started:

 

Stamps mounted, ink cases opened, timer set - and go! This is the finished card that I created:

 

Now for the details! Here's the low-down on today's card:

Painted Lavender Speed Stamping - I used the tiny lavender stems from the 'Painted Lavender' stamp set on my card today - I think this is my favourite stamp in the set. It's great for quick stamping: I diecut my postage stamp first, then stamped the stems in Shaded Spruce, followed by the flowers - first two in Highland Heather then two in Gorgeous Grape (by doing light then dark, I didn't need to clean my stamp in between - another time-saving tip!). So easy to position as it's photopolymer, so you can see exactly where you're stamping. For my base, I used one of the Stampin' Up! white notecards and envelopes - another time saver, as no cutting required! I stamped my sentiment directly onto my notecard base, then added a snippet of ribbon to the back of my stamped diecut before adhering to my notecard using dimensionals. Finally, I added a couple of brass butterflies for a little extra embellishment:

 

 How long did all this take? Just 3 minutes and 38 seconds! So with so much extra time to go, I added some stamped butterflies to the inside of my card and added the same lavender design to the front of my envelope too before calling it a day. Total time used: 

 

Less than 5 minutes for the win - result!

The Multiplier Effect - At under 5 minutes, this little notecard is a great speedy make. You could even shave a little time off that total by stamping the envelope and the same time as the diecut, rather than afterwards. Which brings me to my next point - cards that are quick to create but still showcase lots of new products are just what I'm looking for when I'm making multiples to send out to my customers with a new catalogue. And that may just be where today's card came from; I haven't shared it until now, but these were the cards that my customers received in the post with their mini catalogues before they launched in January. Here's a quick shot of some of them laid out together:

 

Lots of lavender loveliness!

Make It With Me - Now this is where you might think me completely mad: I haven't made a video for you in a while and I chuckled when my friend and fellow teamie Jan mentioned that had decided to video her undertaking her speed stamping challenge. Whilst I did think her rather mad, the more I thought about it, I decided I'd have a go too. I haven't made a video in ages so be kind! So here you go:

Room for improvement to be sure, but I hope you found it useful. 

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. 
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.
 

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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!

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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.