Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have my favourite, a sketch challenge for you to work with:

Despite the fact that I chose the sketch, I struggled with it initially - too many possibilities I think and I almost couldn't decide what to choose as my focal point! In the end I made a couple of cards - I'll share the second one with you tomorrow, along with a co-ordinating gift box. For today I settled on this colourful little fella - take a look:

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

Night Before Christmas - I decided to use this bright and bold reindeer patterned paper from the Night Before Christmas paper pack as the starting point for my card. This bold pattern works really well for a background and the spots were one of my two for my second attempt at the 'Take Two' challenge over at Just Add Ink this week. The second part was the strip of (retired) copper glimmer paper that I used along the edge of my sentiment strip and the trio of Holiday Rhinestones I used for some added bling and sparkle.

A Majestic Deer - I used one of the deer stickers from the Night Before Christmas Memories and More Pack as my focal point. I backed him with a Mossy Meadow stitched circle and popped him up on dimensionals to make him stand out. He is slightly larger than the deer on the paper so works well to emphasise the design and bring it into focus. 

Itty Bitty Christmas - The sentiment on my card is from the 'Itty Bitty Christmas' stamp set. This is a great Christmas standard, with a ton of festive sentiments in a variety of shapes and sizes for both the inside and outside of 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 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:

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; we had a day of sport yesterday with both hockey match and swimming competitions so today will hopefully be a slightly more restful one. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Night Before Christmas 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Night Before Christmas Memories & More Card Pack (£10.25)	Itty Bitty Christmas Cling Stamp Set (En) (£20.00)	Cherry Cobbler A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)	Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels (£5.50)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As You See It where we have a rather interesting colour challenge:

These were definitely not colours for Christmas but were perfect for a congratulations card that I needed to make for a dear friend of mine - take a look:

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

Bloom And Grow - I adore the 'Bloom & Grow' stamp set - it's right up there as one of my favourite floral sets and is a cinch to cut out with the co-ordinating budding Blooms Dies. This particular floral bough that I've used today is a great one when you have only three colours to play with too. I used a piece of in-colour designer series paper (last year's design) to tone down the brightness of the Pineapple Punch card base and for the first time used the scalloped pieces in the dies set to create a channel either side of my stamped sentiment and tucked the florals in, similar to one of the samples on page 131 of the Stampin' Up! annual catalogue. 

Let's Celebrate Today - I love that larger than life ' you are simply wonderful' sentiment in this stamp set and combined it with another of the word stamps in this set 'let's celebrate you' on the inside of my card. This card is headed overseas to none other than my fabulous AYSI teamie Jan Clothier of Thinking Stamping fame; this week she was crowned as one of the Stampin' Up! Artisan designers for 2020 and I couldn't be more pleased for her - a definite cause for celebration! There's also reason for you, the reader, to celebrate today - if you don't already own the 'Bloom and Grow' bundle you might be please to know that it is available at a 15% discount as part of the current Online Extravaganza that ends tonight; so don't delay, pop your set into your shopping basket right away by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post! 

Just Choose Two - In addition to playing along at Time Out (I did not go for the optional extra of one layer on this occasion but may come back to this another time!) I am also playing along with the lovely peeps over at Just Add Ink where they have a great 'Just Take Two' challenge this week. My two were spots (on my DSP) and sparkle - this is unfortunately not as obvious in the photograph to see, but each of those yellow flowers is brushed liberally with clear Wink of Stella and the blue berries each have a coating of Shimmery Crystal Effects - trust me, in real life this card is so sparkly!!

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 hospital for a second procedure to try and sort out my constantly aching and rather immobile frozen shoulder - wish me luck! Depending on my mobility I may or may not be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bloom & Grow Bundle (£47.03)	Pineapple Punch A4 Cardstock (£7.01)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	2018-2020 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)
Pineapple Punch Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	In Color 2018–2020 Stampin' Write Markers (£13.75)	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush (£7.50)	Shimmery Crystal Effects (£4.75)

Sales this good don’t happen often. During Stampin’ Up!’s Online Extravaganza, which kicks off tomorrow, Stampin’ Up! is offering discounts on some great bundles and some core products. What better time to stock up some essentials you are going to need over the coming year?! Here’s a flyer that lists the products that are on sale during this promotion:

Here’s a quick summary of the discounts you will receive when you purchase sale items in the Online Extravaganza between November 20 and November 22:

Take an additional 5% off the original 10% discount on:

• 8 Select bundles
• Neutrals Classic Stampin’ Pads Assortment
• Regals Classic Stampin’ Pads Assortment
• 2018-2020 In Color Classic Stampin’ Pads Assortment

Take 15% off Ink Pads and Cardstock in:

• Neutrals Collections
• Regals Collection
• 2018-2020 In Colors
• 2019-2021 in Colors (except Purple Posy)

Now let’s take a look at these products in my Online Store:

Take an additional 5% off the original 10% discount on the following:

Parcels & Petals Bundle (£47.50)	Path Of Petals Bundle (£39.50)	Free As A Bird Bundle (£47.50)	Dino Days Bundle (£47.50)
Memorable Mosaic Bundle (£33.25)	Band Together Bundle (£50.25)	Bloom & Grow Bundle (£49.50)	To A Wild Rose Bundle (£50.25)

Take 15% off the following ink and cardstock collections:

Neutrals 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock (£11.75)	Neutrals A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Neutrals Classic Stampin' Pad Assortment (£63.00)	Regals A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Regals 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock (£11.75)	Regals Classic Stampin' Pad Assortment (£63.00)	2019-2021 In Color A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	2019-2021 In Color 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock (£11.75)
In Color 2018–2020 A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	In Color 2018–2020 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock (£11.75)	Classic Stampin' Pad Assortment In Color 2018-2020 (£31.50)

Merry Merlot A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Early Espresso A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Soft Suede A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Sahara Sand A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Gray Granite A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Smoky Slate A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Basic Gray A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Merry Merlot Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Real Red A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Cherry Cobbler A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Cajun Craze A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Pumpkin Pie A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Old Olive A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Garden Green A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Shaded Spruce A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Blackberry Bliss A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Rich Razzleberry A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Rococo Rose A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Terracotta Tile A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Pretty Peacock A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Seaside Spray A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Purple Posy A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Lovely Lipstick A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Grapefruit Grove A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Pineapple Punch A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Call Me Clover A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Blueberry Bushel A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Rococo Rose Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Terracotta Tile Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Seaside Spray Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Lovely Lipstick Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Grapefruit Grove Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Pineapple Punch Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Call Me Clover Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)

There's never been a better time to stock up on inks and cardstock - why not get your hands on a new trimmer whilst you're at it? Or maybe snap a bundle as an early Christmas gift, or better still add it to your wishlist and ask the purchaser to contact me - I'll gift wrap it and add a tag too! 

You can place your order online - don't forget to use the current hostess code 6ZJ4N4YF or if you are local to me and would like to add to my order and save on postage, then please message me or give me a call today or tomorrow as I will be placing an order on Thursday evening.

I'll be back tomorrow with a card for you - in the meantime, start making those shopping lists and stock up on those crafting essentials. Happy shopping!

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Jaydee to host this week and she has a great seasonal Clean and Simple challenge for you to work with:

Since this challenge theme was the North Pole, I had to go with a Santa and his festive friends - take a look:

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

I used this week's CAS(E) This Sketch for my layout and heat embossed my sentiment in white onto my Real Red card base before stamping my single stamp image from 'Christmas Crowd' in Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto my top layer of Whisper White and colouring with my Stampin' Blends. I added some clear Wink of Stella to the fur on Santa's suit and a sprinkling of snowflake sequins, before popping my panel up on dimensionals and attaching to the front of my card base. I also stamped the outline image on the inside of my card behind my sentiment:

Now I know not all of Santa's Christmas crowd can be normally found in the North Pole (cue the penguin!!) however I think for such a cute bunch we can make an exception and grant a little creative licence!

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:

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; we had a day packed with sport yesterday so today will be about homework and baking for tomorrow's school charity bake sale. I have a busy week ahead but I have managed to make and photograph some other projects, so I'll be back tomorrow with more Christmas goodness to share. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Christmas Crowd Cling Stamp Set (£19.00)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)	White Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)	Real Red A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Real Red Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
So Saffron Light Stampin’ Blends Marker (£4.25)	Call Me Clover Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Pool Party Light Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Balmy Blue Stampin' Blends Combo Pack (£8.50)	Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Soft Suede Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Smoky Slate Light Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Basic Black Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)
Bronze Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Ivory Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Stampin' Blends Color Lifter (£4.25)	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush (£7.50)	Snowflake Sequins (£5.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that uses a fun technique that is inspired by the theme and photo inspiration for the current FUSION challenge:

I love that fabulous colourful mermaid tail cupcake and took that as my inspiration rather than the sketch this week, as I also wanted to try out a fun technique inspired by a rather unusual household item. Here's my card:

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

A Magical Mermaid ... Or Two Or Three - I created a mermaid-patterned cardfront using the small solid mermaid image from the 'Magical Mermaid' stamp set; I stamped each image freehand as I wanted the spacing close than I could achieve with my stamp positioning tool. I haven't used this stamp in this set before - I usually use the large mermaid image - so it was a good opportunity to use the set in a different way. 

A Fun Technique - to achieve the multi-coloured effect, I revisited the 'oldie but goodie' baby wipe technique. I created two separate stamp pads using baby wipes and drops of three reinkers on each, then alternated stamping with each one to create my pattern. This is such a fun technique if you are trying to create variegated colour; no two stamped images are the same so it makes for colourful patterns. 

Unusual Inspiration - You may be wondering where I got my rather eclectic colour inspiration from this week; all is revealed in the photo below:

Yes, one of Rebecca's bedsets! She loves these brightly coloured mermaids and since my card is a little notecard that I slipped into her school bag as a surprise note as I sometimes do, I knew she would instantly recognise the inspiration. The thing I love most about the finished card is the watery effect of the blended colours, which seems fitting for my nautical mermaid. 

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. 

So as you can see, inspiration really can be found in the most unusual of places. What is your most unusual source of inspiration in your crafting? Do leave me a comment below - I would love to know.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Magical Mermaid Cling-Mount Stamp Set (£19.00)	Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)	Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes (£6.50)	Lovely Lipstick 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Grosgrain Ribbon (£5.50)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)
Embossing Buddy (£5.50)	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)	Lovely Lipstick Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)	Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)
Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)	Call Me Clover Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)	Highland Heather A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

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

I decided I would make another Christmas card for my stash using this week's colours using the cute 'Birds of a Feather' stamp set - take a look:

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

I did some layering onto my card base with a piece of Bermuda Bay DSP (this is last year's design but a current one would work just as well), along with a strip of retired glimmer paper for a pop of sparkly green, before my stitched rectangle. I did take a liberty here and used a piece of Pool Party; my birds were originally stamped on Whisper White, but the finished result was too 'white' so I fussy cut my birds and then paper-pieced two of them into a couple of outlines stamped directly onto the Pool Party rectangle, which works much better. The last birdy I popped up on dimensionals between the other two. Each of them was coloured with my Stampin' Blends and whilst it's difficult to see in the photo, I gave the fur on their Santa hats a liberal dose of clear Wink of Stella for some extra sparkle and shine. I added a couple of Granny Apple green glitter enamel dots and inked my partial sentiment with my Stampin' Write markers. I completed my sentiment by adding the last line inside my card, along with a trio of masked outlined birdies:

I was pleased with the finished card, until it occurred to me that there are four in the James 'flock' not three, and whilst I think odd numbers look better than even on a card front, it might make the recipient think we have reduced in numbers as the year has progressed! What to do? I think I need to add another birdie to the front of my envelope at least for the avoidance of doubt!! 

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:

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; we have a day of homework and housework and the arrival of the muddy kit as the boys return from their rugby tour to York. Thankfully the weather stayed dry when it counted and all matches were played without incident. Alas the same couldn't be said for the female counterparts of Year 8, who were on a hockey tour to Wales this weekend and had play stopped yesterday afternoon due to - heavy SNOW!! It looks like winter has well and truly arrived here in the UK this week.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Birds Of A Feather Cling Stamp Set (£20.00)	Stitched Rectangle Dies (£33.00)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Pool Party A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Highland Heather Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush (£7.50)	Glitter Enamel Dots (£6.50)

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:

 I considered a number of options before settling on using this week's muted palette over at Color Throwdown to create an autumnal thank you card - take a look:

The sketch gave me the opportunity to do something that I've been wanting to try for a while with my Seasonal Wreath embossing folder. I'm also linking up with the Retro Rubber Challenge since they currently have an 'anything goes' theme. I am making a concerted effort to use up more of my retired papers and give some old favourite stamp sets some love so their theme this week is perfect: my card uses a piece of left over retired DSP and a bunch of products that are all more than a year old - read on to see just how old! Here's the low-down on today's card:

A Blended Embossed Wreath - The Seasonal Wreath is in my 'top 5' of favourite embossing folders, especially for Christmas cards. I've had mine since it was launched in 2018 and I do feel it's one of those annual catalogue 'unsung heroes' - lost in the pages at the back of the book, buried amongst the other patterns, but it's great for quick cards and works for all seasons depending on how you decorate/embellish it. I usually use it as a straight forward emboss, but I wondered what it would look like if I coloured it. I decided to try Blends in the first instance and I actually quite like the effect. It isn't as easy to see the dimension from a distance, but even in just three colours I think it gives it a new look.  

Thanks and Appreciation - The sentiment on my card comes from probably my most favourite fall stamp set ever: Painted Harvest. I've had this stamp set since it's launch in 2017 and I can't ever imagine parting with it. Such wonderful thankful sentiments and sunflower stamps that are pretty much foolproof to use and look fabulous in a wide variety of colour combinations. The best thing about it is this set features in the current Stampin' Up! annual catalogue and is still available to purchase :-) The other stamp I've used on my card today is my orange pumpkin embellishment; this stamp is from one of my old sets, 'Pick A Pumpkin', also from 2017 but now retired. I held onto this set and the co-ordinating Patterned Pumpkin Thinlits as they contain some nice pumpkin shapes that work for both fall and Halloween-themed cards alike.

Other 'Oldie but Goodies' - Other items that I've used on today's card that I've had for longer than I can remember are the circle punches I used to layer my sentiment and that piece of Paisley and Posies DSP, which is from Autumn-Winter 2016 - not that I'm a hoarder of patterned paper or anything ...!

I debated whether to add anything else to this card, but decided to leave it 'as is' and allow the wreath to take centre stage. I am enjoying experimenting a little this week and with this card it certainly felt good to use up some bits and pieces, albeit just a few - not sure I made enough of a dent to justify a shopping spree!

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. 

Do check out the cards by the other members of the As you See It design team - we have all interpreted the sketch differently so there is a ton of creative inspiration!

Enjoy your day; I have a date with the ironing basket before heading out on the swim run this evening. What are your plans for the weekend? We are having a split one in the James household: the girls are at home looking forward to a weekend full of hockey, GCSE coursework and crafting, whilst the boys are on the school rugby tour to York via Nottingham. Hopefully the pitches won't be too waterlogged to play - I am looking forward to unpacking the kit bags on Sunday already!!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Seasonal Wreath 3D Embossing Folder (£8.25)	Painted Harvest Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Linen Thread (£4.75)	Soft Suede A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Mint Macaron Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Soft Suede Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
2" (5.1 Cm) Circle Punch (£17.00)	2-1/4" (5.7 Cm) Circle Punch (£17.00)

Today I'm sharing a card that I am hoping to squeeze in for this week's Fab Friday Challenge:

They have a great sketch and I was working on something else when I had a sudden flash of inspiration - take a look:

I decided to use my Seasonal Wreath embossing folder for that large circle as a background for my jolly Santa, which offered some theraputic colouring with my Stampin' Blends. A simple sentiment also from the 'Holly Jolly Christmas set completes my card.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Enjoy your day; I have a host of things to get done today, which thankfully are indoors, unlike poor Rebecca who is outdoors taking part in a hockey tournament all day. I made sure she was dressed for the weather and I know she will be perfectly happy with her lot, but honestly it's been so cold here this last few days I would definitely rather her than me!

I'll be back tomorrow with another project for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Holly Jolly Christmas Cling Stamp Set (En) (£20.00)	Jolly Season Dies (En) (£31.00)	Seasonal Wreath 3D Embossing Folder (£8.25)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)
Cherry Cobbler A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Call Me Clover A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Real Red Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	Call Me Clover Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Smoky Slate Light Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)
Basic Black Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Soft Suede Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Daffodil Delight Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)

Today I have an update from you regarding Purple Posy ink from Stampin' Up, which I have pretty much copied for the news release, as follows:

Despite Stampin' Up!'s efforts to resolve issues with Purple Posy ink, we have learned that the ink colour is still shifting over time. This means that the colour is coordinating more loosely than we typically allow with our colours. Due to these ongoing challenges, we have decided to discontinue Purple Posy classic ink. As of 5 November 2019, the following items will no longer be available to purchase:

• Purple Posy Classic Stampin’ Pad (item 150084)
• Purple Posy Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill (item 150091)
• 2019–2021 In Color Classic Stampin’ Pad Assortment (item 150087)

We are unable to replace Purple Posy ink pads for customers who have already received them. However, anyone with concerns regarding the colour shifting properties of their Purple Posy ink pads should contact Demonstrator Support directly to arrange for a £7.00 coupon code as compensation. 

All other Purple Posy products (such as Purple Posy Stampin’ Write Marker, Purple Posy Cardstock, Purple Posy Stampin’ Blends, etc.) will remain available for purchase.

All of Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive ink colours are run through a vigorous series of tests to get ahead of challenges like this, and to ensure colours are accurate and meet our standards of coordination. Purple Posy did pass regular testing standards in time-simulating ovens, but we have now identified that it fell short when it came to actual time passing. The colour begins to shift once the ink has rested in the ink pad for about six weeks.

It is rare for Stampin’ Up! or our ink manufacturer to have such persistent issues with ink; Purple Posy has certainly been an anomaly. We completed full testing on 11 distinct batches of Purple Posy Classic Stampin’ Ink before releasing the current version. We are now confident that no additional efforts would uphold our coordination needs over time. 

So there it is - Purple Posy ink and ink refills are no more. If anyone has any issues with an existing ink pad that they would like to report, please get in touch. Fortunately for us, the other non-ink products in the range will still be available until June 2021, so there will be lots more opportunity to enjoy this lovely colour. 

This seems like a good opportunity to share the latest set of cards that the ladies in my in-colour club received, which were in fact a CASE  of a card made by my dear friend and AYSI teamie Jan Clothier of Thinking Stamping, who made this lovely card a while ago and I liked it so much I cased it for my ladies with her permission - you can see Jan's original card here and you can find a close up of my Purple Posy version below:

I hadn't used the 'Love What You Do' set for a while so it was good to ink it up again. Here's a shot showing all of the cards in the 2019-21 In-Color set:

So pretty - thank you Jan for the inspiration!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project that you can still buy for you to pin for easy reference:

Apologies that this is in Purple Posy, but I'd made and photographed these cards before the Stampin' Up! announcement was made. Whilst I did use Purple Posy ink for the blooms on my card, you could colour these with Stampin' Write markers and achieve a pretty similar effect. Such creativity will still be required if we are to enjoy colour coordination with this delicate soft purple from now on. 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:

Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	2019-2021 In Color A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	2019–2021 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	2019-2021 In Color Faceted Dots (£6.00)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Layering Squares Dies (£33.00)	Rococo Rose 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon (£7.50)	Terracotta Tile 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon (£7.50)	Pretty Peacock 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon (£7.50)	Seaside Spray 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon (£7.50)
Purple Posy 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Scalloped Linen Ribbon (£7.50)	Rococo Rose Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Terracotta Tile Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Seaside Spray Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)

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

I had a few ideas for Ann Marie's 'woodsy' theme today and decided to really go all-out to incorporate as many wood-themed elements into my card as possible. I decided to continue with another Christmas card to add to my collection and ended up creating something a little different (for me!) - take a look:

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

Knock on Wood - My card has lots of elements that tie in to the wood theme: some woodland background dry embossing, a panel of retired Wood Textures DSP, the tree trunk stamp from Rooted in Nature (stamped in Crumb Cake and then sponged with Early Espresso around the edge), as well as some greenery and a couple of pine cones that could easily be spotted on a walk through the woods.

Texture, Texture - There are lots of layers and textural elements on today's card too: in addition to the dry embossing, I added shimmery white embossing paste to my greenery for  textured snow and the glimmer paper and twine bow also adds contrast. I originally started out using Jen's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches (you can see that sketch here), but ended up adding so many layers and bits and pieces I rather lost my usual 'clean' look. Whilst I love the finished result, I will need to go back to the drawing board if I'm to put in an FMS entry this week!

Woodland Sparkle - All that wood made for a rather neutral card, with only the greens adding colour to the mix of browns. I decided to add a silver glimmer 'merry' diecut for some festive sparkle, along with some frosted epoxy droplet 'berries' and a silver and linen twine bow. I really like the finished effect.

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. 

I'm also linking up today's card to the Festive Friday Challenge (my card features silver, wood, texture, circles and green from the inspo list) and the challenge over at Paper Craft Crew where I went across the middle of the board: embossing paste/rustic/gone wild and the top left-bottom right diagonal: found in the forest/rustic/sponging)

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

Enjoy your day; we are enjoying the last day of the half-term holiday before returning the school tomorrow. We have some hockey planned and a trip to the farm shop, along with preparations for my classes this week. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Woodland Embossing Folder (£8.00)	Merry Christmas Dies (£26.00)	Merry Christmas To All Photopolymer Stamp Set (£25.00)	Rooted In Nature Cling-Mount Stamp Set (£39.00)	Flourish Dies (£27.00)
Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets (£8.25)	Shimmery White Embossing Paste (£8.25)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)
Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Garden Green A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Beautiful Boughs Dies (£33.00)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Silver Glimmer Paper (£4.75)
Linen Thread (£4.75)	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)