It's Monday and I'm starting the week with some of my favourite bright colours as I share a card for the current challenges over at Color Throwdown and the Paper Craft Crew: 

I love those colourful florals on the CTD badge so thought it was high time I made another card using my current favourite floral stamp set - take a look:

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

Beautiful Blooms - I just love the 'Beautiful Friendship' stamp set - I can't believe I overlooked it on my first pass through the catalogue. I think it is actually up there as one of my most favourite floral stamp sets of all time. It's just so easy to use. I love yellow flowers, so decided to choose yellow blooms with a side of hot pink for the buddleia-type flowers, with some bright green leaves for good measure. 

And A Butterfly - I 'saved' my orange for my little butterfly, which I stamped in black then coloured with a blender pen and some Grapefruit Grove ink. I have to say I'm not sure about the butterfly having added it to my card - what do you think - better with or without? 

Birthday Wishes - I heat-embossed my sentiment in white on black for a little extra contrast, using one of my current go-to birthday sentiments from the 'Varied Vases' set. It's perfect for cards with a floral theme so is getting a lot of use at the moment. I bordered my sentiment with a thin sliver of Lovely Lipstick ribbon just to tie the whole thing in with my card a little better. 

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. 

We have a day of getting ready to return to school this week! The first of the James Juniors is in tomorrow afternoon for pre-season rugby training - a sure fire way to see it start to rain!! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Beautiful Friendship Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Butterfly Gala Photopolymer Stamp Set (£20.00)	Varied Vases Photopolymer Stamp Set (£24.00)	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Melon Mambo A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Grapefruit Grove Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)
Versamark Pad (£8.75)	White Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)	Whisper White Solid Baker's Twine (£3.25)	Lovely Lipstick 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Grosgrain Ribbon (£5.50)

Today it's Sunday and the first of September; where is the year disappearing?! It's time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players and it's the turn of the fabulous LeAnne to host this week and she has a fun theme challenge for you to work with:

I had limited options for today's theme: cows, pigs or ducks! Limits are often helpful though as they really help focus the mind. I was so tempted to use my current farmyard favourite, those funny cows from the 'Over The Moon' set, however I decided to give some love to one of my other farmyard friends that has been a little neglected of late and took the opportunity to play along with the fourth week of the Freshly Made Sketches celebrations too - take a look:

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

This Little Piggy - Whilst pigs are often to be found down on the farm, I'm not sure you'd see many of the flying variety! I do love this flying porcine creature though and I decided that on today's card she really needed wings to be proud of, so I created a stand-out pair in white glimmer paper and paper-pieced them - how cool are they?!

Artistic Touches - I used some of the patterned paper and felt accessories from the Follow Your Art Suite on my card today, heat embossing some clouds in white across my designer paper for added detail, along with a white twine bow. 

Frame It - I did a creative interpretation of the FMS sketch today and created a continuous scene, using a frame created from a pair of square Stitched Shape Framelits to draw the eye to my pig and sentiment and keep true to the sketch, rather than create my scene on a central square. 

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 are enjoying the last few days of the summer holiday before the James Juniors begin a new school year later this week. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

This Little Piggy Cling-Mount Stamp Set (£19.00)	Follow Your Art Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Follow Your Art Embellishment Kit (£10.25)	Whisper White Solid Baker's Twine (£3.25)	Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)	Sparkle Glimmer Paper (£4.75)
Iridescent Sequin Assortment (£4.75)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)

Today I've a short post to share a clean and simple Christmas card using this week's sketch over at CAS Colours & Sketches:

I had my Dashing Deer Dies out on my desk for another project I had been working on and it suddenly occurred to me that the two smallest deer would work perfectly for the shapes on the sketch:

I stamped one on the cardbase and then added a top layer with the diecut overlay (a process made much easier with the use of my trusty Stamparatus), then stamped the second one and popped it in front on a dimensional. I added a stamped sentiment with a diecut floral embellishment, finished with a faceted dot and I was done. It took longer to think about the design of this card than to make it!

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. 

We started today with our very first family 5k parkrun, then had an afternoon where the boys and girls of the James household divided and conquered: the boys went to watch the local football match and the girls did a little shopping and music making. A fun day!

Remember today is your last chance to spend your bonus coupons or take advantage of the current 'Extra, Extra' joining promotion that is happening this month. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Dashing Deer Cling-Mount Stamp Set (£20.00)	Detailed Deer Dies (£32.00)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)
2019-2021 In Color Faceted Dots (£6.00)	Cherry Cobbler A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

Woohoo, it's Friday! I have another 'Bloom and Grow' card for you today, this time using both the sketch and inspiration photo over at Fusion:

Today's card is a little more 'stepped up' than my earlier clean and simple version (you can see that card here if you missed it) with a few more tools involved - take a look:

On today's card my sentiment is in the same place, however I have added a split top layer of Costal Cabana cardstock that I first embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. I coloured my row of five flowers with my Stampin' Blends and cut them out using the co-ordinating Budding Blooms Dies before popping up with dimensionals across the edge of the mat layer. This card just shows how a few well chosen additional tools and accessories can create a completely different card with the same stamp set.

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. I am really loving this stamp set at the moment; I made the cards for my in-colour club with it too. It makes such great feminine birthday cards and is really easy to work with.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bloom & Grow Bundle (£49.50)	Pinewood Planks 3D Embossing Folder (£9.25)	Coastal Cabana A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Shaded Spruce Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	Stampin' Blends Color Lifter (£4.25)

Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at Fusion where both the sketch and inspiration photo got my creative juices flowing this week, so much so that I made two cards! Today I'm sharing a clean and simple one layer card inspired by the photo that is also perfect for the current challenge over at Addicted to CAS and I will be back with a stepped up card that uses the sketch too tomorrow.

My card also fits the bill over at SUO Challenges and this month's Stampin' Up! #SimpleStamping challenge since it is a simple combination of stamps, ink and paper to make a birthday card - take a look:

This card really was super simple to make: I positioned my sentiment and stamped it in Memento Black ink onto extra thick whisper white cardstock, then took one of the boughs of flowers from the 'Bloom and Grow' stamp set and stamped it both above and below if along the fold of the card, stamping off the edge to add interest. I coloured them with my Stampin' Blends and added a graduated aqua border to make the flowers stand out and mimic the colour of the inspiration photo.

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:

Bloom & Grow Photopolymer Stamp Set (£24.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Shaded Spruce Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)
Pool Party Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Bermuda Bay Light Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Stampin' Blends Color Lifter (£4.25)

Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at TGIF Challenges where they challenging us to use a technique that I don't often feature on my cards:

I did experiment with splatters for my recent technique class featuring the Come Sail Away suite so having been using splatters a little more of late with this set in particular. You can see one of my previous cards here; this is another of the samples I prepared to demonstrate how splattering can be used to create unigue backgrounds: 

On this card I used some Bermuda Bay reinker and blue Brusho on Shimmery White cardstock, covered with scrunched up cling film before leaving to dry and then removed the cling film. I then covered with some splatters of copper shimmer and I added a collage of stamped and diecut bits and pieces from the Come Sail Away suite and some unravelled copper trim to complete my card. I'm not sure this type of card will ever feel natural to me - watercoloured backgrounds and collage-style cards are not my forte, but it's fun to step outside of your comfort zone every once in a while to try something different.

Don't forget to set your alarms for 6pm UK time this evening for your last chance opportunity to order trimmer blades for the discontinued Stampin' Up! trimmer - full details in my previous post here.

We have been busy harvesting fruit and veg from our garden and spent yesterday baking more goodies to eat and for the freezer I hope you enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Sailing Home Bundle (£46.75)	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock (£9.25)	Coastal Cabana A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Soft Suede A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Ink Refill (£3.50)	1/4" Copper Trim (£5.50)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)
Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)

This is my second post of today! You can read my earlier creative post here but I wanted to make sure you had the latest information regarding Trimmer Blades for Stampin' Up!'s discontinued Stampin' Up! Trimmer.

The final batch of Stampin’ Trimmer Cutting Blades (item 126995) arrived in the warehouse earlier than the expected September due date, so they will be made available to purchase TOMORROW. 

Trimmer blades will be available to order on Wednesday, 28 August at 6:00 p.m. (UK), and when they sell out they will be gone for good.

In the past, blades have sold out within minutes and individuals placing single orders have had more success than demonstrators placing orders for multiple customers. As such, my advice to you is to be ready to place your order online at 6pm and arrange for them to be shipped to you directly. Remember, the limit is three packs of blades per customer.  

Stampin' Up! has also announced that there will be a new paper trimmer available for demonstrators to purchase before the end of 2019, which will sell for £23. This should be available to customers shortly thereafter and I will provide you with more information as soon as it becomes available.

Lastly, since this is the last week in August, don't forget if you earned bonus coupons last month, this is your last chance to use them if you haven't done so already. It's also the last opportunity to take advantage of the 'Extra, Extra' recruiting promotion. If you need more information, do get in touch or read all about it here.

Today I'm sharing another Christmas card, this time for the current challenges over at As You See It and Festive Friday:

I was determined to have another go at the current AYSI sketch and go with it the right way up and since metallics are a big feature of my card today it is also perfect for the challenge over at Festive Friday too - take a look:

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

Brightly Gleaming - This fabulous copper detailed designer series paper from the Brightly Gleaming specialty designer series paper is the inspiration for the colour scheme of my card today. The Brightly Gleaming Suite is one of the new suites in the forthcoming autumn-winter seasonal catalogue and the specialty paper is most definitely the star of the show in my opinion! Seasonal stars and bauble images combined with all-purpose patterns, with half of the designs having copper foil accents that truly make this paper shine. 

Christmas Gleaming Ornaments - I stamped and heat embossed all of the elements of my decorated bauble ornament and added some Night of Navy colouring with my Stampin' Blends for added detail, before punching out with the co-ordinating ornament punch. This was so quick, a little fussy cutting with the holly and berries was totally worth it. I also did a little stamping inside my card:

Copper Cabana - If you're still reading then please accept my apologies for the dodgy Barry Manilow reference :-) Today's card really is a celebration of metallics, and copper in particular. That gorgeous copper foil-accented paper, a full copper foil mat, the heat embossed sentiment and ornament detail, along with the addition of one of the foil elements that also form part of this suite, all serve to give this card a truly luxurious feel.

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:

Christmas Gleaming Bundle (En) (£46.75)	Brightly Gleaming Specialty Designer Series Paper (£13.00)	Copper Foil Sheets (£4.75)	Brightly Gleaming Foil Elements (£6.50)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)
Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Pretty Peacock A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Night Of Navy Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)

So today is the hottest August Bank Holiday Monday on record here in the UK and I am sharing a Christmas card with you - go figure!! I managed to play along with week 3 of the Freshly Made Sketches 400th birthday celebrations so it just had to be done:

I thought the panels would be perfect to showcase some designer series paper, so I used another of the patterns in my Night before Christmas paper pack and this is what I came up with:

I created a couple of layered panels then decided to make my sentiment the focal point of my Stitched Oval and used one of the festive dies from the Jolly Season dies that are also in the Night Before Christmas Suite, with a little offset layering to make it stand out. I fussy cut a santa hat from a leftover scrap of paper and added this at a jaunty angle to bring the whole thing together. The only stamping on my card was the sentiment on the inside of my card:

And my card was done!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Jolly Season Dies (En) (£31.00)

Night Before Christmas 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)

Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)

Poppy Parade A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock (£9.00)

Pretty Peacock A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

I managed to get a few hours in my craft room yesterday and finished some cards for a few challenges that I wanted to play. The first was using the gorgeous purple-based colour palette over at CAS Colours and Sketches this week which I really couldn't resist; I also used the current CAS(E) This Sketch layout:

I love purples and couldn't resist creating some pretty florals using the Bloom and Grow bundle:

This card was actually super simple: I used my Subtles embossing folder to emboss my Highland Heather card base, then stamped my sentiment on a piece of Whisper White, backed with a piece of Gorgeous Grape that I added a scalloped border to using one of the dies in the Budding Blooms Dies set. I stamped one of the floral images onto Whisper White and coloured it using my Stampin' Blends and Stampin' Write Markers, adding a little clear Wink of Stella to the dark purple berries for a subtle sparkle and shine. A little decoration to the inside using the same set completes my card:

This is the first card I've made using the Bloom and Grow stamp set, but it's a great set for clean and simple cards and once I'd started I couldn't stop so I hope you like it as I have a few more to share this week, in between more Christmas card sneak peeks 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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bloom & Grow Bundle (£49.50)	Highland Heather A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Gorgeous Grape A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder (£9.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Highland Heather Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
Daffodil Delight Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Brights Stampin' Write Markers (£27.50)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)