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've a colour challenge for you to work with:

I chose pastel colours for this week's challenge; I rarely choose pastels as a starting point, much preferring brights, so I thought this would both challenge me and also give me a gallery full of pastel design inspiration - a win-win I'd say! With the recent Stampin' Up! announcement of a full colour refresh, we are saying goodbye to not only the outgoing 2021-23 in-colours, but several from across the colour families too. I've used one of the retiring in-colours and three of the four retiring pastels from the subtles family on my cards today along with the layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday - take a look at the first one:

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

Farewell Hand Penned Petals - I used the retiring 'Hand Painted Petals' stamp set and coordinating Penned Flowers Dies on my car today, along with the border dies from the Eden Dies set, also retiring, to pick out the border edge of my Country Gingham panel. This is a great stamp set if you're new to stamping - it has both outline stamps and individual pieces to infill the various flowers and leaves with colour, but they intentionally don't line up with each other exactly. The easy, artsy look means that you don't have to align the stamps perfectly - yet they still look great, perfect for a beginner! Get your stamp set and dies from my online store here whilst stocks last. 

Bye, Bye Blushing Bride - This card features Blushing Bride and Mint Macaron, retiring pastels from the Subtles family, along with Pale Papaya, a retiring in-colour. I've never been a big fan of Blushing Bride (I find it a 'muddy' pink) but I do think it can be enhanced when paired with other colours. Paired with the peachy tones of Pale Papaya and the fresh green of Mint Macaron and some ribbon and gems in those colours too, it does look quite pretty - what do you think?

So Long, So Saffron - So Saffron is another of the departing Subtles, so I decided to make a variation on my first card using Pale Papaya for the larger flowers and the pale yellow of So Saffron for the smaller ones; all other details were the same.

I think I prefer this version, but I'll leave it for you to decide if you have a favourite!

So are you a fan of the Subtles colour family and pastel shades? If so, you should definitely consider entering our challenge this week!

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

And the second one:

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'm off to set up my Easter egg hunt for the James Juniors - they might be in their teens now, but they still like to hunt for their chocolate, they are nothing if not sticklers for tradition! We have a roast turkey lunch planned then this afternoon will be spent consuming the fruit of their spoils and if the sun continues to shine, walking it off! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

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 she has a sketch challenge for us to work with:

I love a good sketch and had a few ideas as to how I was going to work with this one, but in the end I kept things pretty simple. I thought I would run with the theme over at Time Out of the changing weather so typical of March days, courtesy of the Dickens quote on their challenge badge  - take a look:

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

I used two patterns from the Rain and Shine Specialty designer series paper pack for my two vertical panels - one featuring grey skies and driving rain (it's difficult to see in the photos, but this sheet has a fabulous clear embossed rain detail) and the other featuring a sunny spring day and accented my card with a sweet flower-bearing turtle also fussy cut from another sheet in this pack:

I stamped my sentiment, from the retired set 'Special Moments' onto a layered banner cut with the Stylish Shapes Dies. That's all there is to it - pretty straightforward but hopefully the perfect mix of sunshine and showers to brighten someone's day.

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; hopefully if you're in the UK you remembered to turn the clocks forward last night - another sign that lighter evenings are on the way! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

RAIN OR SHINE SPECIALTY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (14.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)

MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)

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 seasonal theme challenge for us to work with:

It's clean and simple week and Ann has asked us to feature a spring flower on our card. here's a quick reminder of what we mean by 'clean and simple at The Paper Players:

• Has minimal layers and embellishments
• Has plenty of open space, aka "white" space
• Is simple and uncluttered

After much deliberation, I decided to use my 'Flowering Tulips' stamp set as I haven't yet inked it up this spring. I chose the lovely bright colours palette over at Just Add Ink and created this really simple card - take a look:

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

I stamped a couple of tulips in the same colour as the cardstock, stamping off one of the layers to get a depth of colour and cut them out using the Tulips Dies and heat embossed the stamens in black for a little extra shine. I added my tulips to a matt layer onto which I'd stamped my sentiment and used one of the dies in the set to cut a pattern to reveal colour from the card base below:

I added a simple diecut silhouette border to the inside of my card to complete my design: 

Super simple and so bright and cheery, tulips, alongside daffodils, are one of my most favourite spring flowers.

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: 

FLOWERING TULIPS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	TULIPS DIES (33.00)	GORGEOUS GRAPE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)
GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	MANGO MELODY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)

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 bold and bright colour challenge for us to work with:

I used the sketch over at Sunday Stamps for my layout and thought LeAnne's colours were perfect for a fun birthday card featuring one of the birds in the 'Silly Goose' stamp set - take a look:

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

I used some in-colour designer paper for my base, then stamped my partying goose onto a stitched rectangle and coloured it with my Stampin' Blends in the challenge colours. This is such a fun stamp set, with some great sentiments. I could have made this a straightforward birthday card, but instead decided to add this sentiment inside to send belated birthday wishes:

Fun, right?! I finished my card but decided that since I'd only used Granny Apple Green on my goose's party hat, I need to add a little extra, so I hunted through my stash and found these sparkly Granny Apple Green enamel dots so added these for a little extra celebratory sparkle:

That's all there is to 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 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: 

SILLY GOOSE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (33.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)	TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	TAHITIAN TIDE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	STAMPIN' BLENDS COLOR LIFTER (4.25)

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 I've a theme challenge for us to work with:

We are still some weeks away, but it's always good to be prepared so I thought we could get a start on our Easter cards. I used Karren's super-versatile layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week and set to work. I ended up making two cards - take a look at the first one:

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

Country Lane and a Punched Easter Bunny - I haven't used these papers for a while, but I knew that this pretty floral from the Country Lane designer series paper pack would be the perfect pattern to form the basis of the colour scheme for today's card. I wanted a clean white bunny as my focal point and the darker background sets it off perfectly:

I added a little punched flower to my bunny for a little extra decoration.

A Step Up - Having made my initial card, I decided to create a second one with an extra layer and some tied baker's twine - just a small extra detail but it does add a little something extra:

 The sentiment is from a retired set called 'Welcome Easter' - obviously, any of the current Easter sets could be substituted. Here's a photo of both cards together so that you can compare:

A Little Interior Decoration - Another sentiment and a border of leftover paper decorates the inside of my card:

That's all there is to it - nice and straightforward! I love the Easter Bunny Punch but wasn't so keen on the drawings in the coordinating stamp set but I think this card shows that it works without 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 back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

EASTER BUNNY PUNCH (18.00)	COUNTRY FLORAL LANE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	LAYERING CIRCLES DIES (33.00)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)	MOSSY MEADOW CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	MOSSY MEADOW A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
MINT MACARON A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	PEARL BASIC JEWELS (5.75)

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 sketch challenge for us to work with:

This is a great sketch from Jaydee this week and although we have the option to use any shape, I decided that the square format with a large central focal point would be a great opportunity to play with the largest of the Pretty Pop Up Dies which I haven't used for a while. So I grabbed the fresh colour palette over at Inkspirational and this is what I came up with:

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

Have you seen the Pretty Pop Up Dies? They are another of those 'hidden gems' in the annual catalogue. You can find them on page 173 and they are a set of standalone dies without a co-ordinating stamp set. They consist of a range of shaped panels and individual pieces that have this amazing pop-up detail. The panel dies cut in one run through the die cutting machine - so easy! I cut mine on a piece of Whisper White, then coloured the individual pieces with my Stampin' Blends. I added some clear Wink of stella to my butterfly and dragonfly wings and added some (retired) Daffodil Delight pearls to the small flower centres:

I used a (retired) large circle die to cut out the panel and cut a circular frame in Tahitian Tide to tie it in to the background. I added in some foliage around my centre, made up by cutting the corner foliage piece from the Around the Bend Dies and creating a square (-ish) shape, layering four cut from Granny Apple Green cardstock and another four in Whisper White that I coloured with my light Granny Apple Green Blends marker and offsetting them to allow the colours to blend.

This is a completely no-stamping card; I just couldn't bring myself to cover up any of that pretty diecut detail, so I will make up for that on the inside. 

So what do you think of today's card? Do leave me a comment below, I'd 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 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 catching up today following my 2 day visit to Newcastle. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PRETTY POP-UPS DIES (30.00)	AROUND THE BEND DIES (31.00)	TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)
TAHITIAN TIDE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)

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

Isn't a cup of tea the cure for all ills? It is in my house, for sure! As such I reached for the 'Cup of Tea' stamp set and set about creating a soothing paper-based version for the perfect pick-me-up, using this week's Color Throwdown colours and the layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments - take a look:

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

Claire has chosen 'get well soon' as our theme however since it is clean and simple week, it's worth a reminder of what we at The Paper Players mean by Clean and Simple:

• Minimal layers and embellishments
• Plenty of open space, aka "white" space
• Simple and uncluttered

I have taken a slight liberty with my card today - ordinarily I would have not included the dots & spots diecut layer, but I liked this additional detail, especially with the three panels, and it seemed a little too 'clean' without, so I decided to go with it! My card is otherwise simple and uncluttered, with minimal layers and embellishments, so that's all good.

I added a cup of tea, stamped and filled with flowers as the focal point for my card and added a couple of lemon slices and my fussy cut sentiment to finish:

If you are under the weather, I think this card would be the perfect way to send get well wishes.

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: 

CUP OF TEA BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (43.00)	DOTS & SPOTS DIE (30.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BLUSHING BRIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	SO SAFFRON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	GARDEN GREEN 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 Ann to host this week and she has a fresh colour challenge for us to work with:

I thought these colours were perfect for a card to welcome a new baby so I grabbed Linda's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and my 'Adorable Owls' stamp set and set to work. I This is what I came up with:

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

I added a piece of Balmy Blue Country Gingham to the lower portion of my cardfront, then added a horizontal panel of clouds cut using the Basic Borders Dies. I stamped and coloured two owls in the challenge colours with my Stampin' Blends, then fussy cut them out. I sat my baby owl on her own cloud, courtesy of the Give It A Whirl Dies, popped up on dimensionals, then added my second owl. My baby owl has a pink bow since Rebecca's piano teacher has just become a father to a beautiful daughter named Harriet, so this card will be winging its way to him to congratulate the family on their new arrival. My heat-embossed sentiment is from the 'Charming Sentiments' bundle, which I diecut with the co-ordinating dies: 

These sentiments come in two halves - I used the second one on the inside of my card:

'Adorable Owls' is such a cute stamp set and even better because it's free with a £45 order during Sale-A-Bration which runs until the end of the month - got to love a free stamp set, right?!

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; the James Juniors are on half term this week, so this will be a week of exam revision mixed with a little R&R before getting back to it. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BASIC BORDERS DIES (27.00)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (49.50)	GIVE IT A WHIRL DIES (37.00)	COUNTRY GINGHAM 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	BALMY BLUE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	PETAL PINK STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	STAMPIN' BLENDS COLOR LIFTER (4.25)
VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)

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 theme challenge for you to work with:

I  used Jen's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and the fresh colour palette over at Color Dare (I used all of the colours except Linen) and made a thank you card featuring a sweet songbird - take a look:

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

I used a stencil I had made previously using one of the Basic Border Dies along with a blending brush to create a cloudy sky using Pool Party ink, then added a solid panel in the same colour that I had embossed with music using the Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder as the backdrop for my songbird. I stamped my branch and the bird's legs onto a piece of white cardstock and fussy cut them, then stamped my bright blue songbird in Tahitian Tide, punched it out using my co-ordinating Songbird Builder Punch and popped the bird up on dimensionals for a little extra lift. A stamped punny musical greeting and a trio of additional music notes complete my scene:

I like the addition of the texture behind the bluebird and love that this bundle worked for our music theme - I haven't used it nearly enough! Not to mention I was a little pressed for time this week, so I was pleased that this card came together quite easily. I wanted to make a few in alternative colourways, but they will have to wait for another time!

If the Sweet Songbirds bundle is on your wishlist, you might be pleased to know that the Songbird Builder Punch can now be yours FREE with a £45 purchase as one of the additional products that are available this month as part of Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration promotion - for full details read last week's post here.

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; ours will be a homework-filled one! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SWEET SONGBIRDS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (32.25)	MERRY MELODY 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (9.50)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	TAHITIAN TIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)
PALE PAPAYA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	PEAR PIZZAZZ CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)

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 took my inspiration from the pink and red hearts and flowers in the top right corner of the Hand Stamped Sentiments inspiration board and decided to make a slightly fancier card for a loved one today featuring the Love For You bundle - take a look:

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

Today's card is a trifold card. I wanted to use the Love For You layered dies in a different way, so decided to make a two-colour tri fold card and cut each piece out of the alternating layers. I cut the largest aperture from the front section, then cut the second aperture from the second flap, having first added a piece of gingham to the centre of the panel:

 The last skinny set of diecuts were adhered to the inside of the card, with the 'so much love' being adhered with foam sheets for added dimension. I also added a small stamped sentiment and a sprinkle of hearts. The card has a double ribbon bow tie closure, tied through a couple of diecut slits. Here's another photo of the front that shows the detail of the layering, depth and dimension, along with the the pretty stamped pearl-centred flowers and diecut leaves that I used to accent my focal sentiment:

 A few hearts and a sprinkle of in-colour dots complete my card. I love the layered effect of these dies and the trifold really steps it up, yet is easy to achieve. What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts - do leave me a comment below.

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: 

LOVE FOR YOU BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (44.00)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BLUSHING BRIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	COUNTRY GINGHAM 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)
SWEET SORBET 1/8'' (3.2 MM) METALLIC WOVEN RIBBON (8.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (7.50)	FOREVER FLOURISHING DIES (34.00)	PASTEL PEARLS (6.25)	FOAM ADHESIVE SHEETS (7.50)