Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at Fusion:

I went with both the sketch and photo inspiration for my card today - I loved the navy and white colour combination and the strong pattern influence in the inspiration photo:

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

Label Me Pretty - The focal point for my card is a layered label from the new Label Me Pretty set. I featured one of the other labels in this set in my Saturday post (if you missed it you can see it here); for today's card I punched out my main label using the new Pretty Label Punch and added some additional layering to the circles in the centre. 

Floral Boutique - I love the patterns in the Floral Boutique designer series paper pack and will be sorry to see this paper retire. Fear not though, there is a silver lining: 4 of the patterns in this pack are returning in the new In-Colour Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper Pack, including the one I've used on my card today. Hooray - now I can re-create my card in the new in-colours too!

An Added Detail - In addition to some retired Sale-A-Bration metallic ribbon, I added one final detail to my card today; well actually, to the envelope! I took a co-ordinating piece of paper from the Floral Boutique stack and added it to my envelope flap for some pretty additional detail. This is a nice way to add a touch of colour to an otherwise plain envelope - after all, envelopes should never be naked!

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:

Label Me Pretty Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Pretty Label Punch	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	1-3/8" (3.5 Cm) Circle Punch
1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Circle Punch

Happy Monday everyone! Lots to achieve this week so I'm trying to be organised with this week's blog posts. Today I'm just in time to share a card for this week's challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches:

So many possibilities here for this sketch and that object/shape! I eventually decided on a 'something old, something new' for a birthday card - take a look:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

I thought the easel from the 'Painter's Palette' stamp set would look great paired with the new 'Pick A Pattern' designer series paper, so I stamped it twice so that I could add a little dimension between the easel and the canvas, added some paint splatters to the canvas in some of the colours that feature in the paper, paired with a bright Emerald Envy card base and that was my card done. An artistic start to the 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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Painter's Palette Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Pick A Pattern Designer Series Paper	Emerald Envy A4 Cardstock	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad
Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Sahara Sand A4 Cardstock	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of our amazing and fearless leader Nance to host this week and she has a clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

I took the opportunity to use this week's Paper Craft Crew Sketch for my card today as I haven't played along over there for a while:

This simple layout was perfect for a clean and simple card with a feature butterfly - take a look:

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

Watercolour Wings - I decided to use the larger of the Watercolour Wings butterflies to create the focal point on my card today. I used the same set for my sentiment, that I chopped up by hand. This is a great set for a clean and simple card - I really should use it more often!

Fluttering White Space - I wanted to keep my 'white space' white and uncluttered, however decided to add interest by embossing my background with my Fluttering Embossing Folder. 

Loving Lemon-Lime Twist - I decided to feature one of the new in-colours on my card today: Lemon-Lime Twist. I paired it with Dapper Denim and Night of Navy for my butterfly, along with a little Night of Navy baker's twine and Navy on Lime for my sentiment - I so love these two colours together! This green is so zingy and fresh - it is a definite new favourite of mine! Here's my colour combination in case you would like to try it on a future 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. 

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

I look forward to seeing your clean and simple creations in the gallery this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Watercolor Wings Photopolymer Stamp Set	Bold Butterfly Framelits Dies	Fluttering Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Night Of Navy Solid Baker's Twine	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock
Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Lemon Lime Twist A4 Cardstock	Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my wonderful friend Claire's turn to host this week and she has a fun colour challenge for us to work with:

I love Claire's palette of bold, bright colours and took the opportunity to use some of my new pre-order products that have been bursting to get out of the box and create a card for a friend that uses this week's Mojo Monday sketch layout - take a look:

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

A Sentiment That Says It All - I chose to feature the largest sentiment in the new 'Lovely Friends' stamp set on the front of my card today. This is a stamp set choc-full of heartfelt sayings to put on a card to your very best friend (or friends - why stop at one?!) and this one is pretty much a card in itself. I incorporated the colours in a few added florals from the same set and the layering and banners behind, yet it is the sentiment that does all the work here. 

A Hidden Surprise - I could have stopped there; instead I chose to use the co-ordinating Lovely Laurel Thinlits Dies to create a fun pop-up inside my card. When you open this card, this is what you see:

Isn't that just such a fun surprise? These thinlits are really easy to use and make light work of creating this impressive pop-up feature. I love the flowing script of the banner font too and the subtle embossed detail on the banner itself.

There's Nothing Blue About This Card - Ok, well other than the card itself, of course! I chose to use Tempting Turquoise as my dominant colour of those in Claire's palette today and I think it really allows the red and orange to pop and the lovely green laurel wreath to shine. This is one of those truly uplifting cards that is guaranteed to raise a smile - or maybe even a 'wow' when opened up and the surprise inside is revealed. I think this card is cheeriness in an envelope!

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:

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's colour palette. Happy Mother's Day to my fellow team mates and all my lovely readers who are stateside and have had to wait until today to celebrate and be celebrated; Mother's Day in the UK is in March and already seems like so long ago. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I have a quiet few hours this afternoon so am going to get some things prepared to share with you next week in the hope that my normal blog schedule will be resumed. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Lovely Friends Photopolymer Bundle	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad
Brights A4 Cardstock	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Banner Triple Punch

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! The lovely LeAnne is hosting host this week and she has a fun theme for us to work with:

Sweet treats - yummy! So many delicious possibilities; I'm a real lover of ice-cream so decided to break out my Cool Treats Suite and using this week's sketch over at Mojo Monday created my very own ice-cream sundae - of the paper variety, of course! Take a look at what I came up with:

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

Lots of Layers - I was attracted to this week's Mojo Monday sketch and all those lovely layers - I've used 10 in total on my card! I am often wary about mixing paper patterns however the Tasty Treats papers have some great co-ordinating patterns that make mixing and matching easy. I used three different ones on today's card sticking to one small pattern design, one larger design and a banner of stripes. Neither one overwhelms another so can be used together effectively to create a cohesive design.

Tasty Treats - I took the colour scheme for my card directly from the Tasty Treats Specialty Designer Series Paper and instead of a square for one of the layers of the sketch I used my Frozen Treat Thinlits to create a three-scoop ice cream sundae, complete with sprinkles and glossy hot fudge sauce (courtesy of my fine tip glue pen). Such a shame we are soon to say goodbye to this paper, however I'm thrilled that the stamp set and thinlits are being carried over to the new annual catalogue.

Two-Tone Sentiment - I finished with a two-tone sentiment by masking and inking my stamp with Watermelon Wonder and Early Espresso respectively. I gave the same treatment to my sentiment on the inside and added a cherry, because, well every sundae needs one, even if it's on the inside:

This card is a great example of what I love about Stampin' Up! - effortless colour and product co-ordination. Inks that match stamps that match cardstock that match paper - there's nothing 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 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:

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's theme. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; we are embarking on exam season here in the James household, so it will be revision and not a lot else here today. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Cool Treats Photopolymer Bundle	Tasty Treats Specialty Designer Series Paper	Watermelon Wonder A4 Cardstock	Peekaboo Peach A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock
Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock	Pool Party A4 Cardstock	Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Fine-Tip Glue Pen

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! The lovely Jaydee is the hostess this week and as it's the fifth week of the month she has a fun tic tac toe board for us to work with:

I decided to go across the bottom row - pink, leaves and flower - and took the opportunity to create a card with a modern collage feel, a little different to my usual style. Take a look:

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

So In Love Watercolouring - I heat embossed the large flower from 'So In Love' onto Shimmery White cardstock and used my aquapainter and a variety of pink inks to watercolour it. When dry, I added a liberal brush of clear Wink of Stella for added sparkle. I used the same outline flower for some tone-on-tone stamping and added some white diecut leaves.

Bits And Pieces - I love collage-style cards, but find them such a challenge to create and have them look natural! I gathered lots of bits and pieces - ribbon, sequins, doilies and a wooden flower - and set to work. I also gave my finished card a liberal flick of Wink of Stella - you can't see the shine on the photograph, but this card is oh so pretty in real life!

Freestyle Collage - So the trick with this kind of freestyle collage card is to somehow take an eclectic selection of items and bring them together into a cohesive design. This card took me longer than it should have, as I was very considered with my elements, however I'm really pleased with the result - a lovely, feminine card that would work for a variety of different occasions. I am also linking up with the ladies over at SUO Challenges today with this card where there theme is 'all that's feminine'.

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:

I look forward to seeing what you create with our tic tac toe board this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - we have a long one as tomorrow is a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so we are all enjoying the extra day that comes with a public holiday - let's just hope the weather stays fine! I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

So In Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush
Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	White Stampin' Emboss Powder	Aqua Painters	Silver 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Natural Trim	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock
Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad	Sending Love Embellishments

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! The awesomely talented Sandy is the hostess this week and she has a great sketch for us to work with:

I took the opportunity to use up some of my retiring designer series paper and create a fun birthday card using products from the Party Animal Suite - take a look:

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

Be A Party Animal - I chose to feature the paper covered in a quirky animal print, complete with party hats, on my central panel. This is such a fun design with unisex appeal. Such fun for a birthday card, and even better value now that it's reduced in price to only £7 a pack!

Add A Party Hat - I added a fun party hat embellishment, tied with an Emerald Envy Taffeta bow, above my sentiment banner for my focal point. I backed it with a plain stitched square in Crushed Curry for an added pop of colour. 

A Party Bright Colour Combo - The Party Animal Suite is full of bright, bold colours for wild adventures and birthday celebrations and my card today features four of the main ones:

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. 

This sketch is a real keeper - I can think of so many ways to use it! Thanks Sandy for the inspiration.

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

I am looking forward to spending time pottering in the garden today, making the most of the lovely weekend weather. I can't wait to see what you create with our sketch this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'm looking forward to I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Party Animal Designer Series Paper	Balloon Adventures Photopolymer Stamp Set	Party Animal Embellishments	Ribbon Taffeta 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Emerald Envy	Party Animal A4 Cardstock Pack
Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Pacific Point A4 Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	White Stampin' Emboss Powder

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the amazing LeAnne to host this week and she has a clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

So I couldn't resist sharing a sneak peek of a brand new stamp set with you today - a fabulous two-step stamping set called 'Bike Ride', that I received as part of an all-attendee giveaway at Onstage in Amsterdam last week - take a look:

Isn't that fun?! Read on for the low-down on today's card:

Demonstrator Perks And A Sneak Peek - One of the best perks about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is being able to get your hands on new products before anyone else does! I came home from Onstage last week with some new stamp sets including this fun bicycle stamp set. I was also able to participate in an event-only pre-order which means I am expecting another box of new goodies on Tuesday morning - can't wait! If you are excited by getting your hands on new products early, do get in touch with me about joining my team now so that you can take advantage of these pre-order demonstrator perks too.

A Bike Ride For Teacher - Today's sneak peek is a set called 'Bike Ride'. Such a fun two-step stamp set with lots of little accessories - everything from flowers to apples and books to an adorable puppy dog! You can build endless combinations to make your two-wheeled creations totally unique. The best bit? This set also has some co-ordinating Build A Bike framelits that will make putting your creations together as easy as can be! My CAS card today uses just the stamp set - I created a few masks to enable me to stamp my bicycle as a single layer and adapted the basket to fit the front of my bike. For my first card I stamped my bicycle slightly off the page and added a basket of apples with an overlaid thanks diecut from the retiring 'Hello You' thinlit set (I cut this out 3 times, stacked them and heat embossed with clear embossing powder for added dimension and shine) and the word teacher stamped with my Layered Alphabet set -so useful for custom greetings. 

Teacher Thank You Take Two - I was having so much fun with my set, I created a second card to share with you too! This time I stamped the whole of my bicycle on the card front so that in addition to my basket of apples (accented with my fine tip glue pen) I could add a stack of books to the rear. I also grounded my bicycle with a little sponging and some stamped grass (from the retiring 'Basket Bunch' stamp set) and stamped the word teacher in bold block lettering and cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals for added impact:

I had so much fun playing with this set and making an early start on my teacher thank you cards for the end of next term. I've lots more ideas for this set and I can't wait to get my hands of the framelits when the new catalogue goes live on June 1st! 

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:

I look forward to seeing your clean and simple creations in the gallery this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - we will be either hunting for or eating chocolate as our primary activities today - I think we might need a bike ride later to work some of our calories off! I'll be back tomorrow with another project, also with a travel theme so be sure to tune on for that, Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Hello You Thinlits Dies	Labeler Alphabet Photopolymer Stamp Set	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red A4 Cardstock	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Versamark Pad	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder	Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Fine-Tip Glue Pen

I'm back following a few days of blog absence due to my travels to Amsterdam for Stampin' Up!'s Onstage Live this week. More about that in another post; for 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 a fun colour challenge for us to work with:

I made my card for today last week before leaving for Onstage Live in Amsterdam and was a little time-stretched so needed something quite quick and easy and the sketch layout over at Fab Friday was perfect for such a card. Having had the opportunity to have a sneak peek of some of the amazing florals from the rest of the Design Team I decided to go for an alternative look and pulled out my Oh So Succulent stamp set to create a super simple card - take a look:

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

Layered Succulents - I decided to stamp a variety of succulents and rather than use a mask to create dimension, I decided to cut them all out using the co-ordinating Succulent Framelit Dies and just rearrange them until I was happy, adding some of them with dimensionals for a more 3D effect. A much quicker solution and when your pushed for time, much more sensible!

Rock and Roll Succulents - I stamped some of my succulents exclusively in Mint Macaron and others in Mint Macaron then rolled the edge of the stamp into my Perfect Plum ink pad before stamping to give a variegated effect.

Back to Black - I decided to heat emboss my sentiment in white onto Basic Black cardstock instead of using black ink on white to provide a contrast to the black outlined succulents on the white panel. 

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 do wish I had allowed my trailing succulent to the left of the sentiment to sit over rather than under my sentiment, but hey ho!

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

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's colour palette. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'm hoping to rest up after my hectic visit and spend a quiet day at home with my family and my new Stampin' Up! catalogue! I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Oh So Succulent Photopolymer Bundle	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Sahara Sand A4 Cardstock	Perfect Plum A4 Cardstock
Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pad	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	White Stampin' Emboss Powder	Versamark Pad

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the lovely Laurie to host this week and she has a fun and timely theme challenge for us to work with:

I took the opportunity to take a break from cards this week and have a couple of quick and easy 3D items perfect for Easter treats for you to choose from. The first one is a basket made with the Window Box Thinlits to hold these cute chocolate carrots that I found when out shopping recently:

The Window Box Thinlits are so versatile and make the cutest Easter baskets! Of course I had to add a little tag with a bunny and fun sentiment and some Peek-a-boo Peach ribbon bows for decoration.

Sticking with the Easter bunny theme, I also made a punch art 'bow bunny' to decorate my little bucket of chocolate mini eggs:

I made my bunny using a combination of my Bow Builder, Festive Flower Builder and Owl Builder Punches, adding a few pearl eyes and some whiskers drawn in with my Stampin' Write marker. Not so sure about this one (I think perhaps his eyes are too far apart!)  Still, an easy way to decorate a treat container or Easter package.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's projects 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:

I look forward to seeing what you create with our fun theme this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Window Box Thinlits Dies	Basket Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set	Basket Builder Framelits Dies	Soft Suede A4 Cardstock	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock
Peekaboo Peach 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon	Tags & Labels Framelits Dies	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Classic Label Punch
Many Marvelous Markers

Basket Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Bow Builder Punch	Festive Flower Builder Punch
Owl Builder Punch	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock	Pearl Basic Jewels