More Wishes Festive Fun Framed Card FF0148

by Joanne James24. November 2023 09:00

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 'International Animal Rights Day' which is on 10th December. 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 used alcohol markers, animals/critters/birds and stripes and I combined both the 'make a statement' and sketch inspiration over at Try Stamping On Tuesday for my card and this is what I came up with:

 

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

More Wishes - Ordinarily if I was going to use a large sentiment, I would make this the central focal point of my card, but the layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday had me intrigued and I wondered if I could instead use my bold sentiment to frame my illustration. The 'More Wishes' stamp set is perfect for this approach: it's just wide enough to create a frame whilst still leaving a central aperture. I did need to get creative with my choice of sentiment and how I laid it out across the four frame elements; as you can see, my repeated sentiment actually starts and ends on the long side. I added a cute robin from 'Festive & Fun' to delineate - I think it works but I'd love to know what you think!

Festive & Fun - I chose one of the images from 'Festive & Fun' to fill the centre of my frame, stamping it in Memento Black and colouring with my Stampin' Blends to co-ordinate with my frame:

Bold Colour - My colour scheme was inspired by the palette over at Global Design Project #GDP421 this week. I stamped the words on my frame using my Stamparatus and stamped them several times each to get a good, solid ink coverage. This does make the colours slightly darker and more intense; I actually really like this colour combination for a modern, festive Christmas 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. 

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.

Bee Mine Sneak Peek TTT236

by Joanne James23. November 2023 18:00

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 have a break from Christmas cards for you today! I decided to go from the top left corner on the diagonal with critters/free/patterned paper and using the layout over at Sunday Stamps I have a sneak peek of some product from the new Stampin' Up! mini catalogue that launches 4th January  - take a look:

 

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

I don't usually share sneak peeks this early, but the new Bee Mine Suite is just SO cute! Whilst the stamp set is called 'Bee My Valentine' and does have some Valentine sentiments, it also has generic ones too and this is the perfect set to tell someone how much they mean to you. The stamp set has a coordinating bee punch that stamps out the body and wings and also includes a tiny heart. Today's card includes both a sentiment and stamped and punched bee, along with two of the Bee Mine designer series papers layered for my background:

It's difficult to see but I added some clear Wink of Stella to my bee wings for a little extra sparkle - adorable, even if I say so myself! Unless you're a demonstrator you have to wait until 4th January to order this fun suite; if you're not on my mailing list and would like to receive a copy of the new mini catalogue, do get in touch and I can make sure you receive a copy.

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 for our new challenge over at Festive Friday and fear not - it will be another Christmas card! Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

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

Clean and Simple Candy Cane Wishes

by Joanne James22. November 2023 09:00

Today I'm sharing a card using the current layout over at CAS on Sunday that was inspired by the candy-can colours and festive mood board over at Just Us Girls:

   

I couldn't resist that colour palette over at Just Us Girls and so much festive inspiration! I had a couple of candy canes cut from retired Sweetest Christmas designer paper in my stash, so decided to use them as the basis for a clean and simple card - take a look:

 

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

I added my candy canes to some solid colour banners and a circle that picked up the challenge colours and added a sprig of stamped mistletoe with a trio of pearls and twine bow, along with a sentiment from the retired 'Sweet Candy Canes' stamp set:

 

A trio of in-colour enamel dots complete my card. Quite a simple card and would be quick to run off in multiples too - I love 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. 

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.

Joy To You And Yours CCS 526

by Joanne James21. November 2023 13:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & SketchesThis week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Nancy has asked that we include three elements overlaid with a sentiment. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

       

For my card today I decided to embrace the interesting colour palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and create a simple Christmas card using my Alphabet A' La Mode Dies - take a look:

 

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

For today's card I used a dark Pebbled Path background, and having added some tone-on-tone ink around the edge of the base to add depth, I flicked the surface with some watered-down white ink for some snow splatters. I added a trio of letters to spell the word JOY for my 3 elements and cut these from white cardstock, then overlaid these with a sentiment stamped in Berry Burst from the retired 'Peace and Joy' stamp set (there is an equivalent one in the current 'Merry & Bright' stamp set).  so that they would stand out against my Pebbled Path background:

 Some diecut holly leaves and berries and a sprinkling of rhinestones complete my clean and simple card design. I wasn't sure about this colour palette when I saw it, but I ended up liking my card so much that I made two! Here;s another photo with my inside sentiment too:

 

I'm also linking this card up for a second entry over at Less Is More where the theme is 'Anything CAS Goes'. 

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.

Last Chance 2023 July-December Mini Catalogue Retiring Products Announced

by Joanne James20. November 2023 20:00

Heads up everyone: the list of products that will be retiring from this year's July-December mini catalogue has been announced and will be live from 11pm tonight! With 5 weeks still to go until the big day, this is a great time to snap up a bargain for some Christmas crafting.

You can see and download the full list of items retiring from the current July-December mini catalogue, and their discounts, by CLICKING HERE.

Retiring products are only available WHILE STOCKS LAST, so if you've still items on your wish list from this year's July-December mini catalogue, you need to check the retiring lists and if they're on it put an order in pronto! Don't forget to add this month's online hostess code: C3HYZSV4

Hop online to get the latest on stock availability and place your orders. Some retiring items are discounted by up to a massive 60% so these may well be snapped up quickly. 

Inked and Tiled Clean and Simple Notecard FMS612

by Joanne James20. November 2023 14:53

Today I'm squeaking in a quick post before I head out on the school run to share a super quick card I made using Linda's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week:

I spent absolutely ages considering what I was going to do with those two long, thin columns and none of my layered ideas were working out, so in the end I went super simple and decided to make a very clean and simple notecard using the 'Inked & Tiled stamp set - take a look:

 

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

I used the stamps to represent the layers and inked them using my Stampin' Write markers, which enabled me to easily stamp the flower petals and stem in one go, and achieve a slight variegated look to the petals my adding in a little Berry Burst to my Melon Mambo:

 

An unconventional colour scheme, especially when you add in the navy stem and leaves, but I rather like it. I added a few white opaque sequins and picked up the Bubble Bath colour of my background 'squiggle' for my label, although in hindsight I think I might have made this white too. Do you ever use your Stampin' Write markers to ink your rubber stamps in this way? It really is so easy and is great if you are short on ink pads too - The 'Inked & Tiled' stamp set is perfect for #SimpleStamping. And so quick - I even had time to repeat the flower on the front of my envelope 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. 

I'm off on the school run; I'll be back with another post later as I've news of this year's Last Chance Discount Lists to share. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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

Joy Of Noel CAS Christmas Tag Card PP667

by Joanne James19. November 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 LeAnne to host this week and she has a fun clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

 

Make a tag or feature a tag on your project - just remember to keep it clean and simple! I had another vellum idea I wanted to try out and LeAnne's challenge today gave me the perfect opportunity - take a look:

 

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

First things first: I used a piece of retired Expressions In Ink Specialty Designer Series Paper for my card base for ease, but you could easily recreate this alcohol ink effect using some Stampin' Blends and drops of rubbing alcohol. I then cut my tag shape out of the centre of my designer paper panel, before gluing it to my white cardbase (minus the tag). I cut 5 extra tags out of white carstock and added these behind the DSP one, so that when they were glued back into the space the stacked tag would have added depth. I cut another tag out of vellum (I used a scrap of Shaded Spruce for the reinforcer) and stamped the large foliage stamp from the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set in Versamark off the edge and heat embossed it in gold. When it is added (tied not glued) to the tag stack I created earlier, the design is clear and the vellum softens the alcohol ink effect on the tag below:

A gold heat embossed sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set, along with some gold elegant trim and a trio of festive pearls, complete my card. 

I really like the finished effect - minimal layers and embellishments, lots of white space and enough gold to add a little festive flair. The foliage stamp in the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set is so versatile - although it's a line stamp, it doesn't have to be coloured - there are so many different ways to use it. If you would like even more inspiration using the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set, you can search my blog for lots more examples or better still, this is the bundle that features in this month's 'Join In With Joanne and Jan' tutorial that I have created with my NZ friend, the lovely Jan Clothier - if you purchase this bundle from me this month you will receive our  tutorial for FREE with full instructions for 4 additional projects using this fabulous set.

Back to today's project! 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 today's project up over at Less Is More where the theme is 'anything CAS goes'. 

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; it's a rather wet and miserable weekend here so I will be staying indoors today I think - maybe some festive baking will be on the cards! 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.

Joy To You Sparkle and Shine Christmas AYSI 312

by Joanne James17. November 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 festive theme challenge chosen by me:

 

Christmas! Yes, with 38 days until the big day, I am in full-on festive card making mode so I thought it would make the perfect for theme for our challenge this week. I created two versions of the same card for this week's challenge - take a look at the first one:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Following our vellum challenge here at As You See It a little while ago, I've found myself experimenting more and more with vellum. I had the idea to use a vellum diecut panel to showcase the bold sentiments in the 'Joy To You' stamp set, overlaid onto a super shiny, sparkly background in festive colours, that allowed the background to remain visible. I stamped the largest sentiment and heat-embossed it in gold on a panel cut with the Scalloped Contour Dies, and added this to a base onto which I glued strips of red, green and gold foil and red and gold glimmer paper. I adhered the vellum panel with dimensionals strategically placed behind the widest letters and a trio of gold pearls. Check out the sparkle:

 

I liked this card so much, I created a second, landscaped version using another of the sentiments in the set, in a silver and blue colourway:

 

This version uses a slightly smaller sentiment and scalloped die but the principles are them same - and still so sparkly!

I used some retired coloured foils that I had in my stash and paired them with the adhesive-backed gold and silver glimmer paper - did you know that this is available as an online exclusive product? So useful for your festive projects - there is also a three pack of coloured glimmer papers available online. YA design that's great for using up scraps and strips leftover from other projects, you could also make a less traditional version using the pink and green foils that are featured in the current mini catalogue. 

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. 

What do think - does this simple design pack a festive punch? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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.
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.

Seasonal Sale Starts Tomorrow!

by Joanne James13. November 2023 13:00

Time for an information post as I have 2 important bits of promotional news to share with you. Importantly, tomorrow sees the start of Stampin' Up!'s Seasonal Sale! 

 

To wrap up the year—and kickstart the next—there is a steal of a deal on paper crafting products! There’s no better time to stock up and save from the 2023–2024 Annual Catalogue. Here’s what you’ll save when you shop during the sale:

  • 10% OFF RIBBONS & TRIMS
  • 15% OFF INKS (including Blends and ink refills)
  • 20% OFF PAPERS

Build up your collection of crafting basics bursting with colour and prepare for another year of projects!

In addition, I have mentioned it previously, but last week saw the launch of additional products in our range of Online Exclusives products.

 

Online Exclusives offer a great opportunity for new experiences! You won’t find these products in any catalogue; they are fresh, never-before-seen products to spark your creativity and expand your crafting collection - all from the convenience of the online store. Here are images of just some of the products available:

 

You can see all of the items that have been launched in my online store by clicking here. So lots of new things to look at and bargains to be had! I will be placing an order tomorrow so if you are local to me and would like to save on postage and add to my order, do get in touch.

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Christmas Pinecones Peace on Earth

by Joanne James13. November 2023 12:22

Happy Monday everyone! We are another week closer to Christmas, so no surprises that today I'm sharing a card for the occasion! I took my inspiration from the crate of pinecones on the Hand Stamped Sentiments  inspiration photo below:

I diecut some pinecones and greenery using the Christmas Pinecone Dies and snipped a section to frame my sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set - take a look:

 

I used a piece of retired Painted Christmas designer series paper for my background; I love the fresh feel of this paper, and the white background allows the detail of the diecut pinecones to really shine:

 

A few sparkly gems complete my card. This card took longer to make than it took to write my post; those Christmas Pinecone Dies take a little bit of time to cut and assemble, but I think it was worth it. Plus I've still got enough leftovers to make another 2-3 cards - bonus! I'm also linking today's card up over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog, where they are currently on 'P is for Peace' - the world could definitely do with some of that at the moment, for sure.

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.

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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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