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)

Today I'm sharing a card inspired by the colour palette over at Colour Inkspiration that used the Try Stamping On Tuesday sketch layout:

We are hoping for slightly cooler temperatures here in the UK today, but as the weather has been hotting up, I thought it was the perfect time for one of my 'Hippest Hippos' to cool off in the tub - take a look:

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

Hippest Hippos - Yes I have another hippo for you - my third this week! This time my hippo is complete with snorkel and mask and ready to dive into his shiny foil bathtub to cool off! I love the cute accessories that come with the Hippo Dies - you really can have your hippo your way! 

Amazing Phrasing - Another sentiment from the 'Amazing Phrasing' stamp set; I didn't stamp the inside of my card as I'm not sure which of the sentiments in the set I'm going to use, as I haven't yet decided who will be the recipient of this card and it can be tailored to suit. This is another Sale-A-Bration stamp set (free with a £90 purchase) that is so versatile and a definite keeper - yay for free product!

Bathtub Blues - I wasn't sure about the combination of Pacific Point and Starry Sky on this colour palette, but as it turns out they were the perfect pairing for a blended background for my cute bathing hippo. I combined both colours with my blending brushes, flicked the surface with my aquapainter and then layered my diecuts on top, including some Pacific Point water splashes, which I brushed with Wink of Stella for a sparkly shine:

This hippo definitely knows how to cool down the fun way! I took a delivery yesterday that came in a large polystyrene box. I promptly filled the empty container with cold water and sat with my feet in it for a much-needed cool down - it was glorious and the perfect way to recycle my packaging too!

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

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

Enjoy your day; my niece has her graduation day today so will be thankful for the slightly cooler temperatures as she dons her cap and gown I'm sure. 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)	AMAZING PHRASING PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	PACIFIC POINT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (£9.50)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (£7.50)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£7.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)	WATER PAINTERS (£13.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Patricia is hosting this month and this week she has another colour challenge for us: 

For my card today I couldn't resist another of those Hippest Hippos. This time I paired this little guy with a fun sentiment from another Sale-A-Bration stamp set that can be yours free with a £90 purchase called 'Amazing Phrasing' - take a look:

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

'Amazing Phrasing' is one of those useful stamp sets that you can use to create lots of different sentiment combinations. I thought this hippo looked like he was definitely sweet on someone, so I chose this sentiment and paired it with one on the inside from the 'Hippest Hippos' set:

I went back to a grey hippo today, so with my So Saffron cardbase had to really look at ways to incorporate a little more of the other two colours. In addition to the flower he's holding, I added some pink diecut hearts and stamped part of my sentiment onto Soft Sea Foam and fussy cut it to add in a little more green too:

And that's all there is to it - another clean and simple hip hippo!

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. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

Enjoy your day; I got up and crafted early this morning, as my craft room will be like a sauna from mid-morning in this heatwave we are experiencing here in the UK. No complaints here though - I shall be taking it easy and catching up on a good book beneath a fan, probably whilst lying on the stone tiles to keep cool! The weather is supposed to break tomorrow so the temperatures should be easing off a little. Stay safe and enjoy your day wherever you are and I'll be back tomorrow with another hippo project for you. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	AMAZING PHRASING PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SOFT SEA FOAM STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

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 I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a colour challenge, with this week's colour palette chosen by me:

I loved the sky in the inspiration photo, so thought I would try and recreate it on a couple of Christmas cards. I grabbed my ink pads and blending brushes, along with some new embossing folders and this is what I came up with - take a look:

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

Charming Landscapes - Both of today's cards feature a panel embossed with each of the new Charming Landscapes embossing folders. These folders are great for adding embossed background layers to your cards, but I wanted to pair them with a bold, blended sky and make them the main feature. One includes a mountain scene, the other a village scene - I couldn't decided which one to use so having started with the village scene, I decided to create a second one using the mountain scene too:

Blended Sky - I used all four of the challenge colours to create my blended sky, starting with the lightest colour pink then progressing to the darkest blues. To pick out the snowy/starry details of the embossing across the sky, I them too a dry aquapainter and painted each of the embossed elements with some (retired) Frost White shimmer paint; if you don't have any of this, you could use a white craft re-inker or even the new pearlised enamel effects on page 59 of the seasonal catalogue. This was a time-consuming process, but so worth it to pick out the detail. I also flicked the sky with my clear Wink of Stella pen for a subtle extra sparkle:

Aren't these skies just so pretty?

Masking Magic - In order to keep my blended colour to the sky portion of my scene only, I created masks for each embossing folder, by running it through my Big Shot with some acetate window sheet and using a scissors to cut around the mountains/houses. I attached each to my white embossed cardstock and held in place before adding my ink colours, then removed when complete. These can be easily cleaned and re-used, which is a good job; I like these cards so much I can't wait to create more using different colour combinations. I added a simple sentiment from the 'Christmas To Remember' stamp set and another to the inside of my card to finish. Here are both of my cards together - which one do you prefer?

Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Here is the visual summaries 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 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I was a little concerned that the team wouldn't take to my choice of colours this week, but I can honestly say they've outdone themselves - you should definitely check out their cards this week. 

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.
• In a colour challenge, black or other neutral can be used in outlines and sentiments but no other colours should be included. Stampin’ Up colours are used for reference but colours that are a close match are welcome.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHARMING LANDSCAPES EMBOSSING FOLDERS (£7.50)	CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	ORCHID OASIS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	POLISHED PINK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
PETAL PINK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely Vicky is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I used the sketch layout over at TGIF Challenges and went across the top row of our board with Clean And Simple (CAS), Bright Colours and Butterfly - take a look:

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

I still had the Butterfly Kisses papers, the Build A Butterfly Dies and 'Simply Fabulous' stamp set out on my desk having made this card so thought I would change things up in terms of colour scheme with a pop of bright blue Starry Sky cardstock for my card base, a larger-than-life sentiment and a super-bright Parakeet Party butterfly:

I also added a couple of (retired) in colour flower embellishments to pick up the Fresh Freesia colour. Easy as 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. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

Enjoy your day; I am enjoying the slightly cooler weather today and making the most of it before things really hot up from tomorrow. I'll be back tomorrow with another pair of projects for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BUILD A BUTTERFLY DIES (£29.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	BUTTERFLY KISSES 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	SIMPLY FABULOUS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)	STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
PARAKEET PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Patricia has asked us to create something with the layout below. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I decided to go for a clean and simple birthday card with a pop of bright colour courtesy of the Butterfly Kisses designer paper - take a look:

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

I added a piece of Butterfly Kisses designer paper to my card base, then overlaid the front section with a piece of Basic White cardstock that I cut with one of my Basic Borders Dies to give it the curve of the sketch. To this I added a butterfly cut with one of the Build A  Butterfly Dies and a sentiment from the 'Simply Fabulous' stamp set. I did add my sentiment to the lower portion of my card rather than where it was suggested on the sketch as I wanted it to stand out better and not get lost in the pattern of the paper. I also added a greeting and small decoration from the same stamp set to the inside of my card: 

I chose two of the colours that feature in the paper for my sentiment and butterfly respectively to give the whole thing a sense of cohesiveness. One of those cards that is simple and yet so effective I think:

A great sketch too with loads of creative possibilities. Looking forward to see what's in the gallery 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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BUILD A BUTTERFLY DIES (£29.00)

BUTTERFLY KISSES 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)

BASIC BORDERS DIES (£27.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

CALYPSO CORAL 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 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)