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 timely theme challenge for you to work with:

19 days to go and yes - it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, so that is my theme this week! You can share your gifts, cards, packaging - we would love to see your festive makes! I love to make co-ordinating cards and gift packaging at this time of year so I have one such set to share with you today. My post is photo-heavy as I'm going to share both a Christmas card and a rather fancy matching gift box using products from the Snowflake Splendor Suite. I even have a video tutorial for you!

First up - here's my Christmas card, with the hexagonal aperture cut using the So Many Snowflake dies:

I added some diecut snowflakes painted with Frosted White shimmer paint and finished with those pretty Balmy Blue adhesive-backed gems and a pretty Pool Party sheer ribbon bow, with a simple sentiment and snowflake decoration on the inside of my card:

 Check out the effect of those faceted gems - so sparkly!

This card was a variation on one I made in my monthly card class featuring the Snowflake Wishes bundle a few months ago. I liked the card so much, I decided to make a matching box, using the same hexagonal aperture and the Stitched Nested Label Dies from the annual catalogue. I made a simple birthday gift box using these dies previously (you can see that box here if you missed it) and have been wanting to make a video tutorial to show how it was done, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Here is my finished box closed:

And this is what it looks like open - the lid and base extend beyond the sides of the box and the top slides off to reveal the inside:

I wanted to step up my box so instead of simply creating an open aperture on the lid, I added some acetate and created a shaker, filled with snowflake sequins and glitter - check out  this out - it's not only the sentiment that's full of sparkle:

I added some Snowflake Splendor designer paper to the sides of my box lid and wrapped and tied it with more of the Pool Party sheer ribbon, to tie it in with the detail on my card - you can see that better below:

Rather than detail exactly how I made this project in words, I thought I would make a video tutorial should you wish to have a go at making one yourself - so here it is:

I am just in love with this set; the box isn't huge, but will hold small gifts such as chocolates, jewellery, a scented candle - lots of options! Here's a final photo of my projects together:

I would love to know what you thought of my video tutorial too; was it useful? Would you like to see more of this type of content. Do let me know - 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 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:

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 started writing Christmas cards whilst at hockey yesterday and am hoping to crack on with those this afternoon to get them in the post tomorrow, which will be a huge achievement! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SNOWFLAKE WISHES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£51.25)	STITCHED NESTED LABELS DIES (£33.00)	SNOWFLAKE SPLENDOR DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	BLUE ADHESIVE-BACKED GEMS (£7.50)	SNOWFLAKE SEQUINS (£5.50)
POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	FROST WHITE SHIMMER PAINT (£7.50)
POOL PARTY 3/8" (1 CM) SHEER RIBBON (£5.50)	FOAM ADHESIVE STRIPS (£7.25)	WINDOW SHEETS (£4.75)

Today I have a quick post with the a card for the current colour challenge over at Just Add Ink:

These colours have featured in a few of my projects as they are all in the Heartwarming Hugs designer series paper (and you all know how much I love designer series paper!) this card is one I designed for a class featuring the Peace and Joy bundle - take a look:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

I layered a trio of banners of DSP onto a stitched rectangle, then added some Real Red sheer ribbon and sprig punch greenery behind my focal point sentiment, with a little stamping on the inside to finish:

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 (or two!) and a video for my weekly Paper Players post. Make sure to pop by - you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HEARTWARMING HUGS DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	PEACE & JOY BUNDLE (£42.25)	BANNERS PICK A PUNCH (£21.00)	STITCHED SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	STITCHED RECTANGLES DIES (£33.00)
RED RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£6.50)	SPRIG PUNCH (£17.00)	PEAR PIZZAZZ A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PEAR PIZZAZZ CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MOSSY MEADOW A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a festive recipe challenge:

I struggled a little with the recipe this week; not because there was anything wrong with the ingredients, I think I’ve just been so busy that my creative mojo had upped and left the building! I decided to have another play with my Freezin’ Friends stamp set and this is what I came up with:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Snowflake Splendor - What can I say that I haven’t  already said about this fabulous paper (maybe I’d like the spelling to read ‘splendour’ as a nod to the Queen’s English, but I digress!) Anyway, once again it provided the perfect background and enabled me to tick off ’patterned paper’ and ‘snowflake’ from the recipe, so all good!

Freezin’ Friends - All diecuts are courtesy of this set and I even managed to tick off ‘green’ with my snowy trees. I also added some shimmer white embossing paste to the snowy parts for some textural interest and sparkle:

A Neat Trick - I was wondering how to add ribbon/twine to my design and having decided to feature the tobogganing raccoon it suddenly came to me! When I was little, I spent many hours tobogganing in the snow with my bestie, on a big slope near where we lived (in mountainous Wales where I’m from, snow was a sure thing at some point each winter) and whilst we often made do with a tin tea tray, one year for Christmas my friend received the most beautiful sled, hand built by her father, with wooden slats and a bright red rope handle. It was a thing of beauty - so I thought I’d create one on paper for my raccoon too! I cut some red baker’s twine and secured it behind my image, then threaded it through and glued it to the stamped lines, finishing at the hands. A small amount of twine, but integral to my design:

So what do you think? Does this added detail work? I really like it - thanks for indulging my trip down memory lane today! I'm also linking up with the team over at Festive Friday since today's card ticks off blue - snowflakes - trees on their inspo list this 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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

FREEZIN' FUN BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£43.00)	SNOWFLAKE SPLENDOR DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	WHISPER WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	SHIMMERY WHITE EMBOSSING PASTE (£8.25)
SHADED SPRUCE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BASIC BLACK STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that uses Amy's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches as its starting point:

I absolutely loved Amy's sketch this week (it's a keeper - thanks Amy!) and could have made a ton of cards with it! Alas time was my enemy so I chose my favourite idea and ran with it! It uses one of my favourite festive combinations inspired by the patterns of the Brightly Gleaming designer paper I used for my rectangle background - take a look:

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

I made the paper the star of the show and paired it with a stamped and diecut sentiment from the 'Peace and Joy' bundle, using vellum for the base layer to soften the panel but allow the pattern to shine through. I used a bunch of retired diecuts for the trio of background 'sticks' (they are actually cut using the candle die from the 'Doily Wishes' set!) and added a copper star in place of the dot on the 'i' in 'bright' for a little something extra - check it out below:

I added a copper bow from some leftover twine from a retired card kit 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 made another card using the 'Peace and Joy' dies for another card over the weekend which I will hopefully be back to share with you later; right now I'm against the clock so have to dash!! Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll hopefully be back later with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

PEACE & JOY BUNDLE (£42.25)	BRIGHTLY GLEAMING SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)	RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	STAR DESIGNER ELEMENTS (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	COPPER FOIL SHEETS (£4.75)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.25)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the fifth week of the month and the turn of the amazing Anne Marie to host with a fun TicTaToe challenge board for you to work with:

I decided to go all-out with a fancy fold card today and originally was aiming for the central column of the board with diecut - fancy fold - embellishment; by the time I'd finished my card, I had inadvertently covered every square except 'colouring tool'! This card (almost!) has it all - take a look:

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

Double Fan Fancy Fold - I chose to make a double fan fancy fold card today as I've seen lots of these doing the rounds this season and for a fancy fold, they really aren't that tricky. I did a little bit of internet searching for a template, but in the end decided to make my own. My card measures 8 1/4" x 9", scored on the vertical at 1 1/2", 3", 6" and 7 1/2" and then scored on the diagonal as shown below. The basic outline is really straightforward - cutting the mats and layers to decorate was a little more time consuming, but worth it as they look lovely when finished. The card then has space on the reverse for the panel that would otherwise have been on the inside:

Poinsettia Showcase - I chose my favourite holly paper from the Poinsettia Place pack for my panels and chose to create a single layered poinsettia for my centrepiece. I cut a three layered flower from red velvet paper for my poinsettia using the poinsettia dies and added some holly leaves and gold berry sprigs. The red velvet paper is gorgeous and perfect for a showcase flower such as this - I wish you could feel the texture of it; it embosses beautifully too, as you can see on the close up below:

Pearls and Shine - I added a beaded pearl embellishment to the centre of my flower for the perfect finishing touch. Combined with the velvet paper, touches of gold foil and twine and gold embossed sentiment, this makes for quite a special Christmas card.

I'm linking my card up over at TGIF Challenges where the theme is 'Have a magical Christmas' (my sentiment was the perfect choice!) and over at SUO Challenges where the theme is also Christmas.

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:

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; for the first time ever whilst still in November, I think we are decorating the house for Christmas this afternoon. The James Juniors have been pestering me all week and to be honest I think we could all use a little festive cheer, so decorations it is!  I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

RED VELVET PAPER (£5.50)	POINSETTIA PLACE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	POINSETTIA PETALS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£52.00)	GOLD FOIL SHEETS (£4.75)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	GOLD STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
WONDER OF THE SEASON RIBBON COMBO PACK (£8.25)	GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	TASTEFUL LABELS DIES (£29.00)	BEADED PEARLS (£7.50)

A quick post from me today! Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by the current challenge over at Inspired By:

I love those colourful bottle brush trees and decided I would do a spot of watercolouring to create my own ombre trio - take a look:

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

I diecut the trees from watercolour paper using the Majestic Mountain dies, watercoloured them and popped the middle one up on a foam adhesive sheet. I paired it with a heat-embossed sentiment from 'Itty Bitty Christmas' and embossed my white background panel with the Tasteful Texture embossing folder for some added texture.

Finally I added a sprinkling of clear and irridescent sequins to finish:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

TASTEFUL TEXTILE 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£8.25)	MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN DIES (£33.00)	ITTY BITTY CHRISTMAS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	SNOWFLAKE SEQUINS (£5.50)	WHISPER WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)
FOAM ADHESIVE SHEETS (£7.50)	FLUID 100 WATERCOLOR PAPER (£8.25)	BERMUDA BAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MELON MAMBO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

Today I'm sharing a card using the current sketch over at Paper Craft Crew in a card that was inspired by the fabulous photo over at The Card Concept to create my clean and layered card:

I was inspired by the red and black buffalo check pillow, green ribbon-tied foliage and the white of the rocking chair of the Card Concept photo; this is what I came up with:

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

I used the foliage stamps in the 'Curvy Christmas' set to create my tied foliage and stamped this on a stitched scallop square; no curves on the front of the card, but I did use one of the curved stamps to decorate my envelope and the inside of my card:

I paired this with a panel of Real Red cardstock stamped in black with the Buffalo Check background, a banner of green gingham ribbon and some rhinestones and pearls to decorate, along with a sentiment snipped from one of the stamps in the 'Itty Bitty Christmas' stamp set.

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 absolutely love that inspiration photo and combined with the sketch am really pleased with how this card turned out.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CURVY CHRISTMAS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£20.00)	STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES (£27.00)	BUFFALO CHECK CLING STAMP SET (£14.40)	WHISPER WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)
REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£7.43)	SHADED SPRUCE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£6.30)	JUST JADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£6.30)	REAL RED STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£7.65)	ITTY BITTY CHRISTMAS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£18.00)
REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£6.30)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£4.28)	PEARL BASIC JEWELS (£4.28)	FLOWERS FOR EVERY SEASON RIBBON COMBO PACK (£8.33)

As promised - my second post of the day! I've news of a special sale that is happening from 10.50pm tonight for 24 hours only! During the Merry and Bright Online Extravaganza nearly all 2020–2021 Annual Catalogue items are eligible for the 10% discount! There are a few exceptions which I've detailed for you below:

Otherwise, EVERYTHING ELSE IS 10% OFF for 24 hours only - including bundles and the latest 'Joy To The World' Paper Pumpkin kit! If you are placing your order via my online store, please remember to add this month's Reward Code 469YSGD2 to receive a thank you from me. Alternatively, if you are local get in touch and I will add the orders together to save on postage. 

This is also a good opportunity to remind you of the details of the other out-of-catalogue promotions that are currently running, which include the 'Joy To The World' Paper Pumpkin kit I mentioned above. I held a craft-along session using this kit this morning which is great for some easy Christmas cards (the kit itself has materials to make 8 cards with envelopes) and is also great for creating alternative ideas for both the festive season and beyond with the included stamp set. Here's a reminder of the details: 

And here's a link to the Stampin' Up! video with more details:

We also have the early release of the Quite Curvy bundle, which will debut in the upcoming Spring mini catalogue, along with the co-ordinating Curvy Christmas stamp set and Classic Christmas Designer Series Paper, which are exclusive to the Curvy Celebrations promotion and will not be available when the catalogue goes live on 4th January. More details below:

Right that's all from me - only one thing left to do - get making those lists to Santa ASAP! Back tomorrow with a creative project; until then, happy shopping!

Today it's Monday and the start of a new week! I've had a Paper Pumpkin craft along with some of my lovely customers, putting together our 'Joy To The World' kits already this morning and now it's time for today's creative post! I'm sharing a couple of cards for a couple of challenges. The first of these is a card using Narelle's cute sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the colours at CAS Colours and Sketches:

The CAS Colours & Sketches colours intrigued me and I made my card in a landscape format to accommodate my slightly longer sentiment and took a short break from creating Christmas cards to make a  quick birthday card - take a look:

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

I kept it simple and used block colours for my background squares and stamped a little hippo from the 'Hippo Happiness' stamp set in Basic Grey on the central one with a stamped flower that I fussy cut and added behind her ear. I then added a sentiment and finished my card with an equally punny sentiment inside:

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. 

My second card uses the colours over at Color Throwdown and the current layout over at CAS(E) This Sketch:

After last Friday's post where I declared that I find myself avoiding Rich Razzleberry as a colour these days, I saw it was one of the trio in the Color Throwdown colours this week and loved the combination with aqua and vanilla, so reached for it to create another Christmas card - take a look:

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

A bold banner of purple and a rather snazzy hat and scarf combo to adorn my skating polar bear, but the real star of this card is the lovely snowflake-embossed Pool Party Panel that sits behind him and adds a lovely element of texture:

I fussy cut the polar bear to finish, but that is no real hardship - it's quite easy to do with some sharp paper snips.

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'll be back again shortly with another post with notice of the 'Merry and Bright' 24 hour flash sale that starts at 10.50pm tonight, so check back for that - you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used - Card 1:

HIPPO HAPPINESS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)	STITCHED SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	WHISPER WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	BLACKBERRY BLISS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PURPLE POSY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)

WARM & TOASTY CLING STAMP SET (£20.00)	WINTER SNOW EMBOSSING FOLDER (£7.00)	TRIPLE BANNER PUNCH (£21.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)
STITCHED SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	RICH RAZZLEBERRY CARDSTOCK A4 (£8.25)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	RICH RAZZLEBERRY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	POOL PARTY 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 amazing LeAnne to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for you to work with:

My card is all about the winter blues today - perfect for the Double D challenge (thanks for the heads up on this one LeAnne!) I really liked LeAnne's sketch layout this week and decided to use those panels to highlight one of the photographic images in the Feels Like Frost designer series paper pack - take a look:

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

I chose a lovely image of frosty seed heads against a blue background and cut out the panels using my Rectangle Stitched Dies before piecing back together to create the finished layout:

I brushed the frosty elements with my clear Wink of Stella brush which is difficult to see in the photo but give it a lovely subtle sparkle in real life. I added a sentiment from 'Snowflake Wishes' and a mat border of silver glimmer paper and finished off the inside with a sentiment from the same set:

The most tricky part of today's card was cutting the stitched rectangles and aligning them to the image. Otherwise, a pretty straightforward card!

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

 I 

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:

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; today is officially 'Stir up Sunday', an old tradition when home cooks spend the last Sunday before advent 'stirring up' their Christmas pudding and in modern times their Christmas cake and homemade mincemeat too.  The day gets its name from the beginning of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins with the words, "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people". We had a day of preparation yesterday and made a batch of mincemeat and some mince pies; today we are making Christmas puddings and cake - yum! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FEELS LIKE FROST 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)

SNOWFLAKE WISHES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£24.00)

RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)

SEASIDE SPRAY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)

WINK OF STELLA CLEAR GLITTER BRUSH (£7.50)