Today I spent the day making for a few cards for upcoming posts and took the opportunity to make an extra one to share with you today, inspired by the traditional festive Christmas colours over at Just Us Girls and the 'blank canvas' over at Inspire.Create:

I've been wanting to use the Leaves of Holly bundle in more traditional Christmas colours and Carol's colour palette gave me the perfect opportunity - take a look:

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

Boughs of Holly - Whilst this card may look complex at first glance, with such a mix of reds and greens, you might actually be surprised to know that the only stamping on the outside of my card is the sentiment; both the red/green background panel and the green of the holly leaves and the red of the berries have all been cut from the Boughs of Holly designer series paper. The reverse sides of the papers in this pack have some beautiful watercolour-effect backgrounds, so I chose one incorporating a mix of reds and green for the background panel and then two others, one red and one green, for the back pieces of my holly and berries. I love the variagated tones that you can see through the gold upper layers and all achieved with minimal effort - bonus!

Touches of Gold - I really wanted the gold to have a starring role on this card so the distressed gold specialty paper was the obvious choice. I used it for the main label and cut an extra holly leaf to slot behind - the effect of the distressing is so beautiful and I think compliments the colours beautifully:

I added a simple label sentiment so as not to detract from the label detail and added some gold twine trim and brushed gold enamel dots to complete the look. What do you think - do you prefer the traditional or contemporary look with these holly leaves? Do leave me a comment below - I would love to hear your thoughts.

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

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

Enjoy your evening; hockey training was cancelled this evening due to the torrential rain that continues to fall here - and I am thankful to be wrapped up warm inside! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

LEAVES OF HOLLY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (48.50)	BOUGHS OF HOLLY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	DISTRESSED GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (4.75)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	EVENING EVERGREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	EVENING EVERGREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)
BRUSHED METALLIC ADHESIVE BACKED DOTS (8.50)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host - it's Clean and Simple Week and I've made it festive for you:

I am properly in festive card making mode now, so I chose CAS Christmas! Your project can be any kind of Christmas card, as long as it's clean and simple. What do we mean by clean and simple? Your project must:

• have minimal layers and embellishments
• have plenty of open space
• be simple and uncluttered

I used the lovely Kim's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week and in contrast to last week's card, today I'm using the Colour Hues palette of scarlet red and green for a traditional festive affair - take a look:

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

For the vertical element on my card, I stamped and diecut a candy cane using the Sweet Candy canes bundle, creating a two-tone effect by using my Stamparatus and inking first the red sections with sponge daubers, stamping then cleaning my stamp and adding the green stripes. For the horizontal elements, I used a combination of a heat-embossed white sentiment stamped onto my Garden Green card front and the word 'jolly', both from the 'Jingle Jingle Jingle' stamp set, which I stamped in red, outlined in green, and fussy cut and popped up on dimensionals overlapping my candy cane.

I added a couple of simple green sprigs and a flat jingle bell trinket tied with twine to complete my card:

Simple, colourful and fun - and I repeated the sentiment on the envelope too for a little extra pizzazz.

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:

Enjoy your day; today we are at home with both of the James Juniors spending the day catching up on homework, having spent most of yesterday out on the hockey pitch (one win 8-1, one loss 5-0 - I'll leave you to work out which score belongs to which!) I shll be cooking, ironing and hopefully fitting in a little crafting too (fingers crossed!) I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SWEET CANDY CANES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (48.50)	JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (21.00)	FLAT JINGLE BELL TRINKETS (7.00)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

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

I thought the icy colours of blue, silver and white would make a pretty Christmas card so I grabbed my Leaves of Holly bundle and used Linda's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches for my layout (I flipped the main images to suit the shape of my main holly label die) and set to work - take a look at what I came up with:

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

I decided to layer a couple of the main holly labels from the Holly Berry Dies, one in dark metallic silver and one in white that I stamped my main greeting on and overlaid them having turned the bottom one through 180 degrees. I added in a selection of holly leaves and foliage behind each, cut from a combination of silver foil and white glimmer paper and interspersed with some blue ones. I created my own piece of variegated blue cardstock by adding three blue inks randomly to a sheet of whisper white cardstock and then diecut a selection of solid and outline leaves from this, overstamping some in Starry Sky ink too - I just love the effect! I added some silver twine and a selection of opal rounds and blue faceted enamel dots to my Starry Sky cardbase, that I had inked around the edges and added some white ink splatters to as a finishing touch:

Aren't those holly leaves just so pretty? I added a second smaller label towards the bottom of my card as per the sketch for the second part of my sentiment - this set has some great combination sentiments which work well with this layout. I also used a larger A5 card base to accommodate my design; I like having a few special, larger cards for close friends and family members at this time of year and this design works perfectly.

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. 

How do this week's colours inspire you? I'd love to know what you think of today's non-traditional holly leaves card - do leave me a comment below and share your thoughts.

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

Enjoy your day; I spent all day yesterday at the side of the hockey pitch and this morning I'm taking the youngest of the James Juniors to participate in his school army cadets Remembrance Day parade and service - always a spectacular sight and such an important duty, 'lest we forget'. I'll be back tomorrow with another project using some of the leftover pieces from today, so stay tuned. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

LEAVES OF HOLLY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (48.50)	REAL RED & WHITE 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (4.75)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	OPAL ROUNDS (7.00)	SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (9.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (11.75)
STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'National Cake Day' which is on 26th November. 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 birthday sentiment, candle and patterned paper and using the current sketch layout over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge this is what I came up with:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Charming Sentiments - For today's card I used both a sentiment and dies from the Charming Sentiments bundle. This is a great sentiment set with dies that cut out each of the sentiments exactly; but did you also know that the dieset has a number of very useful extras, including stars and candles for example? That's where I got the candles from that feature on my card today - so useful, everything you need in one bundle! 

Celebrate Everything - I took the colour scheme for my card today from the stripes in the paper that I featured on the bottom half of my card front, that comes from the 'Celebrate Everything' DSP pack - you know how much I love these papers, right?! I did take a little liberty with the sketch, as my stripes are diagonal rather than straight - but it's clear where the inspiration has come from:

A Surprise Inside - This is a birthday card that's something of a two-in-one - I added a pocket to the inside to hold some money too:

A little extra paper to the envelope flap completes this colourful card that is winging its way to my nephew whose birthday it is next week.

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 Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHARMING SENTIMENTS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (49.50)	CELEBRATE EVERYTHING 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (16.50)	PACIFIC POINT A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	CRUSHED CURRY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	POLISHED PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)

I'm here with news of a new collection that was released at the start of this month, the Fitting Florets Collection. Suitable for any occasion, including Christmas and seasonal celebrations, the sweet Fitting Florets Collection is a great addition to your stamp collection. From colour schemes to sentiments and embellishments to dies, these unique products blend together so that your cards and crafts fit whatever occasion you might need. Send birthday wishes, express your gratitude, or spread Christmas cheer—with so many options to mix and match you’ll be set no matter the celebration all year! 

The Framed Florets bundle is a pre-release that will be included in the 2023 January-April Mini Catalogue. In addition to the bundle, for the duration of the pre-release only, you will also be able to order a number of additional exclusive products, that will be available only while supplies last - an additional festive sentiment stamp set, co-ordinating designer series paper and embellishments - you can see the detail below:

There's also a handy video from the Home Office that shows the product in more detail:

What do you think - pretty right? Also perfect for those of you that love frames and anyone who has been missing ovals since our layering oval dies retired. 

If any of these items appeal to you, click on the images below to go to the online store to purchase. Remember some of these items are whilst stocks last, so don't leave it too late. happy shopping!

Links to the Online Store:

FITTING FLORETS COLLECTION (ENGLISH) (92.50)	FRAMED FLORETS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (51.25)	FRAMED FLORETS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	FRAMED FLORETS DIES (35.00)
GOLD ADHESIVE-BACKED SWIRLS (8.00)	FRAMED & FESTIVE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	FITTING FLORETS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)

I had a little extra crafty time yesterday in between completing some design team projects and made a quick card for the current challenge over at Inspired By that I wanted to share today:

Those pinecones totally made me think of the design in the Painted Christmas designer series papers - do you know the one? Check out my card below to see:

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

I also used the Inspired by sketch this week and paired my painted pinecone paper with an Evening Evergreen strip with a sentiment that was part heat-embossed with 'merry' from the 'Christmas Banners' stamp set and a 'Christmas' diecut from the now retired Merry Christmas Thinlits Dies. I added a couple of diecut pinecones as a simple embellishment to complete my card:

Quite a simple card but one that packs a big impact - and good to use up some designer series paper 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 your day; I need to dash as it's time for the school run! I'll be back tomorrow with another post. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

PAINTED CHRISTMAS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	CHRISTMAS BANNERS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	CHRISTMAS PINECONE DIES (42.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	EVENING EVERGREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
SOFT SUEDE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

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

Giving thanks! With the American holiday of Thanksgiving around the corner, giving thanks is perhaps even more at the forefront of our minds, however this is a theme that works all year round - we always have something to be thankful for, however small. I used Jen's split layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and the first three colours of the Sunday Stamps palette for my card - take a look:

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

I used the So Saffron Gingham Cottage designer paper for my split panel background and added my leafy stamped Cottage Wreath across the split. I inked my wreath in So Saffron and added Cajun Craze to it with a sponge dauber for a variegated effect, before adding the twig wreath in Soft Suede (I stamped this off twice first) and cutting it out with the Country Wreaths Dies. I added a simple stamped sentiment to the centre and decorated my wreath with a bow of (retired) Cajun Craze ribbon tied with linen thread, along with a couple of leaves cut from copper foil and a couple of copper metallic dots:

I could have used the diecut bow in the Country Wreaths Dies set to create a 'cleaner' bow detail, but I decided to change things up and use up some of the many rolls of ribbon I have and I must say I love it - it really brings out the autumnal colours. What are you thankful for - who would you give thanks to? Do leave me a comment below or better still, play along with this week's challenge - we would love to have you join us.

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:

Enjoy your day; I will be preparing for the departure of the eldest of the James Juniors on another trip - her second in three weeks! This time it's a Geography field trip though - muddy fields and rivers call, a far cry from the tourist sights of San Francisco. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

COTTAGE WREATHS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (49.50)	GINGHAM COTTAGE 12" X 12" (30,5 X 30,5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (28.00)	COPPER FOIL SHEETS (4.75)	LINEN THREAD (4.75)	BRUSHED METALLIC ADHESIVE BACKED DOTS (8.50)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	CAJUN CRAZE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	SO SAFFRON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	SOFT SUEDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)

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 as it's the fifth Sunday of the month she has a bonus Tic Tac Toe challenge for us to work with:

I used Jen T's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches for my layout and went across the bottom of the grid with yellow, birthday and stitching for a fresh and vibrant birthday card this week - take a look:

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

Hues of Happiness - The Hues of Happiness designer series paper made light work of the decoration for today's card! I diecut a trio of flowers and some leaves and used them to accent a stitched circle that I had also partially diecut with one of the Blossoming Happiness Dies. 

Sending Birthday Wishes - I used the Sending Smiles Bundle to create my sentiment, layering my diecut 'sending' with a vellum base so that it doesn't obscure too much of the detail beneath:

I used Early Espresso for my sentiment as it picked up the brown tones in the flowers and was less harsh than black. 

Don't forget the inside - I added a sentiment from 'Happiness Abounds' and a little extra detail to finish off the inside of 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 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:

Enjoy your day; we will be catching up on tales from the USA today as the prodigal daughter returned from her trip to SanFranciso last night. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

HUES OF HAPPINESS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	HAPPINESS ABOUNDS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (46.75)	SENDING SMILES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (46.75)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BRIGHTS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)
GLOSSY DOTS ASSORTMENT (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'National Family PJ Day' which is on November 14th - who knew?! Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used hot chocolate, cookies and circles along with the sketch over at Sunday Stamps for my layout and this is what I came up with:

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

To The Rescue - I almost struggled to combine enough of the elements this week - I had most of them in one form or another, but not that could be used together. Then I remembered I had some of this retired 'Night Before Christmas' designer series paper from a few years ago in my stash and bingo - it gave me cookies and hot chocolate in one! All I needed to do was combine with the 'Nothing's Better Than' stamp set for my sentiment and the Love You More Than co-ordinating dies for my diecut circle-shaped cookies and I had a trio!

A Cookie Trio - I stamped and diecut a trio of cookies to compliment my greeting on the front of my card, which I carried over to the inside too:

This set really is so much fun - you can create all kinds of greetings and messages with it! This card will be perfect to go with a home-baked gift in the run up to the festive season and is sure to make someone smile!

A Stacked Sentiment - I diecut the word 'cookies' in my greeting and triple-stacked it to add height, using Poppy Parade to pick up the colour of the mugs on the paper - I used this for my banner topper too. 

Whilst this isn't a Christmas card, I think the red gives it a fun, festive feel. I also added some of the Early Espresso suede effect ribbon to the topper - this feels so luxurious and makes nice flat bows 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. 

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 Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

Like many families, the James' have a long-standing tradition of family pyjamas at Christmas time. My husband jokes that he has more Christmas PJs than ones he can wear all year around! Here's a Christmas selfie of us sporting ours from last Christmas:

These were actually quite tasteful considering some of the designs we've sported over the years - I guess that's what happens when you have discerning teenagers in the house! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

NOTHING'S BETTER THAN PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	LOVE YOU MORE THAN DIES (£28.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
EARLY ESPRESSO 1/4" (6.4 MM) FAUX SUEDE TRIM (£6.25)

I had a little extra crafty time yesterday so thought I'd pop by to share an extra card that I made with the current Fusion sketch:

When I had my Santa Express Memories and More Cards out on my desk to make this card that I shared with you on Sunday, it occurred to me that one of the large cards would be a great jumping-off point for the Fusion sketch and with just a few extra bits and pieces I could make another quick Christmas card to add to my stash - take a look:

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

This is another of those cards where the Memories and More cards take the strain - you can see the 'undressed' card in the corner of the photo at the bottom of this post - I added a simple banner and a wreath cut in Shaded Spruce cardstock using the Country Wreaths Dies, decorated with a bow cut from white velvet paper for a little added texture and some glittery (retired) enamel dot berries (the sequins listed below would make a good current substitute):

I didn't need to do any stamping, as the card had a sentiment already printed onto it - I simply picked out some key colours and shapes (the wreath detail echoes the berry detail on the M&M card) and used those for my banner detail. This is a great way to dress up a simple card base - perfect for a quick card.

Also - did you know that Stampin' Up! sells Basic White Assorted Memories and More Cards and Envelopes in packs of 20, that are sized perfectly to fit memories and More cards? You don't even need to cut anything down to size; bonus! You can find them on page 136 of the Annual Catalogue and they are the perfect addition to your Christmas craft supplies for quick and easy cardmaking. 

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 more news. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SANTA EXPRESS MEMORIES & MORE CARD PACK (£11.25)	BASIC WHITE ASSORTED MEMORIES & MORE CARDS & ENVELOPES (£10.00)	COUNTRY WREATHS DIES (£37.00)	PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	ADHESIVE BACKED SEASONAL SEQUINS (£6.75)
SNOWY WHITE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) VELVET SHEETS (£4.75)