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 fun theme challenge for you to work with:

Claire's board has a distinctly beachy theme this week, so I went across the middle with diecut, blue and patterned paper and yes, you've guessed it - I decided to create another shaker card featuring my favourite Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Hippest Hippos - this time a more clean and simple version than the one I shared with you a few days ago (you can see that card here if you missed it). Time to check out today's card:

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

For today's challenge I used up a little more of the (retired) Whale of A Time designer series paper to create an underwater paradise for my snorkelling hippo. This time I cut a partial circle for my frame and used the wave die from the Hippo dies to create the 'surface' of the sea for my hippo to swim along, placing my hippo outside my shaker element rather than inside as on my previous card. Once again I added a pair of handcut customised fins, along with snorkel and mask to my hippo - this time in bright Parakeet Party green:

For this card, my shaker element is a flat 'pocket' shaker - a great way to reduce bulk and a great way to introduce a shaker element to an otherwise clean and simple card. Not forgetting the inside, I used the 'Whale Done' stamp set for some co-ordinated stamping and added a strip of left over designer paper:

Today's hippo's underwater apparel was inspired by my own snorkel, mask and fins which are also bright green in colour - just to make sure Jason doesn't lose me as I'm floating around the Caribbean. I've not done that for a while - happy memories!

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 card up over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges for a second entry into their shaker cards challenge and over at Just Add Ink for another 'Under the Sea' card. Finally I'm linking up over at Addicted to CAS where the theme is 'nautical' - I'm pretty sure I've met that brief, I just hope they think my card is sufficiently clean and simple! 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	SENDING SMILES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	LAYERING CIRCLES DIES (£33.00)	WHALE DONE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	PARAKEET PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	WINDOW SHEETS (£4.75)	WATERCOLOR PENCILS (£15.00)

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 my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

I wasn't sure how to tackle today's sketch initially, but I thought the focal point 'any shape' might lend itself to some fussy cutting, so I decided to reach for some of my designer papers and see where the mood took me! I settled on the lovely browns and neutrals of the Abigail Rose Suite and ended up creating a 'kitchen sink' of a focal point - take a look:

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

I decided to use this bold pattern of white florals on a brown scripted background for my base, then fussy cut more of the flowers and used those as the basis for the decoration for my focal point. I used a stitched circle for my base, blending some inks to create an ombre effect and then layering a selection of leafy diecuts in shades of browns, along with some (retired) wooden leaves and sprigs and my trio of fussy cut flowers for decoration. I added a touch more colour to my fussy cut flowers using my Stampin' Blends, to give them a little more definition and added some Elegant Faceted Gems for a touch of sparkle:

I just kept layering and adding in bits and pieces until I felt happy with the way the decoration framed my sentiment (taken from the 'Hand Penned' stamp set) - hence my 'kitchen sink' reference! I decided to make my vertical banner element from vellum, so that it didn't obscure too much of the pattern beneath it. I also added some layered ribbon for detail and texture and to pick up the colour scheme (the Crumb Cake ribbon I used is retired but I've included a link below to a suitable current alternative). 

Very little stamping on today's card and just like my last one another card with lots of bits and pieces, but actually easy to recreate - the paper definitely does the 'heavy lifting' and I love the way the fussy cut flowers tie in with the base below. I'm also linking my card up with the ladies over at TGIF Challenges who are crafting with their favourite things this week - anyone who knows me well can attest to my love of designer series paper - I love it all, any pattern, any size and this card is definitely a showcase of that!

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; not much going on here 'chez James' this weekend - just enjoying a relaxing weekend in the garden, hopefully with a little crafty time thrown in now things have cooled down a little. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ABIGAIL ROSE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	STAMPIN’ BLENDS DEEP COMBO PACK (£8.50)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	STAMPIN' BLENDS COLOR LIFTER (£4.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	EDEN DIES (£33.00)
FOREVER FLOURISHING DIES (£34.00)	HAND-PENNED PETALS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
EARLY ESPRESSO 1/4" (6.4 MM) FAUX SUEDE TRIM (£6.25)	NATURAL FINISH 7/8" (2.2 CM) RIBBON (£8.00)	ELEGANT FACETED GEMS (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.50)

Hurrah it's Friday! Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday where the challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'International Owl Awareness Day' which is on Friday 5th August.

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 was tempted to go with an owl theme for obvious reasons, but my search for an inspirational quote took me in a completely direction. I ended up using inspirational quote, texture and brown and this is what I came up with:

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

Memories and More - The starting point for today's card was the quote on the front of my card. One of the best places to look for inspirational quotes is a Memories and More card pack - and that's where I found this one, in the Texture Chic card pack. I thought these words would make a lovely card for an anniversary, or a much-loved friend to let them know how much they mean to you. I added a stitched edge by running the card through my diecutting machine and then set about incorporating other elements from the Texture Chic Suite into my design.

Texture, Texture - There is an abundance of texture on today's card: the beautiful Texture chic designer paper is used for both a mat layer and for the base layer to my leaves (which I cut out of the middle of the mat layer to be economical!), then there is the stunning distressed gold speciality paper that I used for the top layer 'skeleton' leaves. I decided that my Soft Suede mat was too plain, so picking up the pattern on the quote card, I partially embossed it on opposing corners with one of the (retired) Checks and Dots embossing folders, then applied heat and stick powder and gold Gilded Leafing to these areas and the panel edges to add to tie in with the other gold elements. You do lose some of the definition of the embossing I think, but it does add tons of textural detail:

Some linen thread and Elegant Faceted Gems also add texture to the front of my card.

Seasons of Chic - Having used the Chic Dies to cut the leaves to decorate the front of my card, I used the co-ordinating 'Season of Chic' stamp set for my inside sentiment, along with some extras for decoration:

I rarely make this sort of card, which is quite shabby chic in it's look and feel and contrasts to my usual clean and layered style, but it just sort of evolved and I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out; it's always fun to step out of one's comfort zone once in a while!

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
Stephanie Lanzalotto
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:

SEASON OF CHIC BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£54.75)	TEXTURE CHIC MEMORIES & MORE (£9.50)	DISTRESSED GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (£4.75)	TEXTURE CHIC 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)	SOFT SUEDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SOFT SUEDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	HEAT & STICK POWDER (£5.75)	GILDED LEAFING (£8.50)	LINEN THREAD (£4.75)

Yes - it is officially the hottest day of the year here in the UK with record breaking temperatures expected and I have a Christmas card to share with you! Well, with all of the 'Christmas in July' challenges around, it would be rude not to, right?! I'm playing along with the following challenges with today's clean and simple card:

AAA Cards have a CAS 'anything goes' challenge with an option of Christmas Pets in July and Less Is More want us to use traditional Christmas colours. So I paired my 'go to' traditional colours of red, green and gold (here found in a snippet of retired Perfectly Plaid DSP from my scrap box) with my 'choose two' of fur and stitching over at Just Add Ink and reached for my Scottie dog punch to create a sweet, furry bundle all dressed up for Christmas in his tartan bow - take a look:

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

My stitching is courtesy of my Stitched with Whimsy dies, which frame my cute canine without adding extra layers and on today's card my 'white space' is red, as I wanted to use white velvet paper for my dog, which gives him a lovely 'furry' texture too, although this is quite difficult to see in the photographs:

I added a gold heat-embossed sentiment from the 'Christmas Scottie' stamp set to the front of my card, and completed my greeting with another from the same set on the inside:

I know Scottie dogs are traditionally black in colour, but my card today will be heading to a friend of mine who loves West Highland White Terriers, or 'Westies' as they are affectionately known. This looks just like her pooch - who at Christmas will undoubtedly be dressed in his finest plaid bow 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 day; it's early evening here and there are no signs of things cooling down. I think we are in for a sticky night; it could be worse though - at least I'm not wearing a furry coat like the Westie on my card! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHRISTMAS SCOTTIE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£35.00)

SNOWY WHITE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) VELVET SHEETS (£4.75)

CHERRY COBBLER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

STITCHED WITH WHIMSY DIES (£27.00)

VERSAMARK PAD (£9.00)

METALLICS 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 Ann to host this week and she has a fun Clean and Simple challenge for us to work with as we celebrate another milestone with our 600th challenge:

Cards for kids - what fun! I used Karren's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week which was perfect to highlight my ballet dancing hippo - take a look:

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

I couldn't resist another outing with my 'Hippest Hippos' Sale-A-Bration stamp set and co-ordinating Hippo Dies, this time I decided to feature the sweet ballet dancing hippo. My colours were taken from the palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week. This is my first foray into the world of coloured hippos - I usually stick with the grey kind! I stamped, coloured and diecut one, backed with a couple of rectangles of DSP (these are from retired collections but I've included the links to the current equivalents below). I also gave my hippo a flower in her 'hair' and added a liberal does of clear Wink of Stella to her tutu and ballet shoes:

I finished with a birthday sentiment from a retired set in a co-ordinating font and another coloured hippo inside my card:

And that's all there is to it! Remember this is clean and simple week - so your card should:

• Have minimal layers and embellishments
• Have plenty of open, or "white" space
• Be simple and uncluttered

I think my blue hippo fits the bill - and is a fitting way to celebrate our 600th challenge 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 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'll be keeping out of the sun, enjoying a BBQ lunch and enjoying the glorious weather we are having here at the moment. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (£7.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)
ORCHID OASIS STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BRIGHTS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	SUBTLES 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£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 LeAnne to host this week and she has a bright and fresh colour challenge for us to work with:

I haven't had much time to play beyond my design commitments lately, but can never resist a good sketch so I decided to combine this week's trio of colours with the fabulous sketch over at Just Add Ink this week (hello ladies!). I resisted the urge to go floral and inspired by the glorious weather we are having in the UK at the moment cast my mind back to memories of childhood holidays and created a summery card with some new (free!) dies - take a look:

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

Tree Lot Dies - Both the caravan and the trees on today's card were cut using the Tree Lot Dies - one of a number of products that can be yours FREE during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. Designed to co-ordinate with the 'Trees For Sale' stamp set in the new July-December mini catalogue, a number of the dies work well on their own too - and not just for Christmas cards either. The Tree Lot Dies can be yours free with an order of £90 or more - why not buy the co-ordinating stamp set as a starting point?

Get Creative With Colour - LeAnne's colour palette this week is an interesting one; the inclusion of white alongside two colours might at first glance seem limiting, but the are lots of ways to get creative with these colours and create interest. I used a piece of Tahitian Tide in-colour designer paper as my base - this gives both pattern and shades of colour. I also used some in-colour ombre glimmer paper for the flags on my caravan and used a neat trick to create two shades of Parakeet Party for my trees: I cut both layers of my tree from parakeet Party cardstock, then coloured each base tree all over with my dark Parakeet Party Stampin' Blends marker. This gave this piece a darker finish and allowed contrast with the detailed top layer.

Texture Tricks - In addition to variation in colour, I used texture to add interest to my card design: the caravan die has lots of embossed detailing, I layered my trees, I added some subtle blended background colour to my banner before I built my scene (I used a retired Stitched Nested Label Die for the banner itself), added some stitched diecut clouds courtesy of the Give It A Whirl Dies, the glimmer paper pennant banner, a baker's twine bow and lastly a heat-embossed sentiment, from the 'Let's Set Sail' stamp set - you can see these details more closely below:

I actually wanted a sentiment from the retired 'Glamper Greetings' set that said 'Home is where you park it' but I couldn't find my stamp set anywhere in the chaos that is my craft room - it is long overdue a thorough clean-out! 'Adventure Awaits' didn't quite suite the sketch as well, but was still an appropriate sentiment for my card, which is headed to a previous team member of mine who in a few month's time is about to embrace retirement and depart on a belated gap-year in her motor home - I'm sure many adventures await her on her travels.

So what do you think? I love this fresh colour combination - do leave me a comment below with your thoughts, I'd love you to share your views.

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 am still playing catch up, but will definitely be taking some time out this afternoon to watch the men's singles final at Wimbledon; it should be a great match and I've definitely earned it - I might even treat myself to a Pimms too; well, it would be rude not to!! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TREE LOT DIES (£0.00)	LET'S SET SAIL PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	GIVE IT A WHIRL DIES (£37.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	2022–2024 IN COLOR BAKER'S TWINE PACK (£14.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (£11.25)
TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TAHITIAN TIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PARAKEET PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PARAKEET PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

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

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'Global Tiger Day' which is on 29th July. 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 resisted the urge to use up some retired 'In The Wild' paper (which amongst other animals features tigers) and instead used frame, fur and black and broke open a new stamp set and went with a clean and simple card for Christmas - take a look:

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

Is this Christmas Scottie not the cutest?! I added a Real Red stamped grid patterned background (perfect for the challenge over at Addicted to CAS this week) and a sentiment from the Christmas Scotties stamp set to the front of my card, and used my scoreboard to add a simple scored frame border to my panel. Then I used the Scottie Dog Punch (yes, there is a punch!) to punch a dog out of (retired) black glimmer paper as I wanted to give his fur some texture and added a festive red bow (cut from retired red velvet paper) and a googly eye, then popped him onto my card using dimensionals.

I think the addition of some different textures for the punched element adds lots of interest to an otherwise clean and simple card:

I added a 'furry' themed sentiment to the inside, along with a stamped Scottie for a little extra decoration, this time with a grid-stamped bow. What a dapper chap! 

I'm not a big animal lover, but this Scottie dog has totally won me over - I think he's so cute! You will be seeing lots more of him in the coming months I'm 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. 

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
Stephanie Lanzalotto
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

Enjoy your day; I will be aiming to catch up with the housework having been out and about on my travels in recent weeks, hopefully after a lie-in following my 1.30am alarm call to get the youngest of the James Juniors to school in time to catch his bus to the airport for his school trip to Munich. This could be a long day! I'll be back on Sunday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHRISTMAS SCOTTIE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£35.00)

REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

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

We are a green-fingered bunch in the James household, however at this time of year the only flowers are those that have a fruit or vegetable attached - strawberries, climbing beans, courgettes and tomatoes to name a few. I don't have any vegetable stamps though, but never fear - this week's challenge can include everything from greenery, houseplants flowers and everything in between! I love flowers and with so many creative options, I was spoiled for choice. I was a little short on time though, so I decided to choose a beautiful new designer paper and let it do the heavy lifting - take a look:

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

The beautiful Awash In Beauty designer paper makes a card all by itself - beautiful watercoloured blooms, with no effort! I added a diecut sentiment and a few iridescent rhinestones, and my card is complete!

I liked this card so much I used another one with the other half of the paper and changed up the sentiment for one from the 'Sending Smiles' bundle:

Check out the subtle sparkle from the rhinestones - so pretty!

I ended up liking this one the best! What about you - do you have a favourite?

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

AWASH IN BEAUTY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	SENDING SMILES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£46.75)	AMAZING THANKS DIES (ENGLISH) (£26.00)	ART GALLERY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	MERRY MERLOT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	IRIDESCENT RHINESTONES BASIC JEWELS (£7.00)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MERRY MERLOT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

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

I chose a sketch with layers today that can be interpreted in lots of ways. I decided to use my main panel to showcase another pattern of a new designer series paper - take a look:

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

I chose a colourful, floral paper from the Lovely Linen designer paper - this linen-effect paper is so pretty. I added a banner and sentiment from my favourite 'Sending Smiles' bundle and added a couple of layered flowers diecut using the Summer Shadows Dies as an anchor for my sentiment: 

These diecut florals aren't designed to co-ordinate with the Lovely in Linen Suite, which has it's own co-ordinating stamp set and punch, but I think the shapes work quite well, don't you? A sprinkling of pearls completes my card.

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

You can see all of my 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'll be having a quiet one at home, catching up on the things that I've missed whilst I've been out on my travels. I'm looking forward to seeing how you interpret my sketch this week! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SENDING SMILES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£46.75)	SUMMER SHADOWS DIES (£32.00)	LOVELY LINEN 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	EVENING EVERGREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EVENING EVERGREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	PALE PAPAYA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SOFT SUCCULENT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	PEARL BASIC JEWELS (£5.75)

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

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'Alice In Wonderland Day' which is on 4th July. 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 hearts, teacup and book and this is what I came up with:

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

I knew I wanted to use the 'Every Chapter' stamp set for my card today (teacup and book - check!) and decided I would CASE Krista's layout over at Global Design Project #GDP348 too, so went on the hunt for some teacup-patterned paper for my background. The patterns in the Tea Boutique papers were too uniform to look right either side of my central panel, so I opted for some retired teacup paper from my stash instead. This then led me to use a similar colour palette to Krista's card too - double inspiration! 

I did a partial stamp using only the top portion of my 'Every Chapter' stamp (masking out the words on the book spine), fussy cut it out and coloured it with my Stampin' Blends before popping onto a background made using one of the stamps from the new 'Cup Of Tea' set, where I separated each sentiment with a hand-drawn heart (hearts - check!) I added another heart to my teabag tag detail and a final sentiment from 'Lovely You' to complete my card.

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

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

I'm also linking today's card up over at The Alphabet Challenge where they are on 'F is for Friendship' - this card will be headed to one of mine!

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
Stephanie Lanzalotto
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

Enjoy your day; I'm back on the road and off to Nottingham and on to Newcastle tomorrow. I'll be back here on Sunday with my card for the new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

EVERY CHAPTER CLING STAMP SET (£11.90)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	CUP OF TEA PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	LOVELY YOU CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)	BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BERMUDA BAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	MELON MAMBO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BERMUDA BAY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (£10.25)