First Steps New Baby Boy Welcome Card for AYSI197

by Joanne James9. April 2019 14:00

Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at As You See It where the ladies have a great sketch to play with:

This is one of those versatile sketches that is a 'keeper' and can be used in so many ways. I still had my gingham papers out on my desk following Sunday's cards and decided it was perfect for a baby card - take a look:

 

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

First Steps - My focal point sentiment comes from the 'First Steps' stamp set, an adorable collection of sweet baby images that are perfect for cards, invites, showers, samplers and more. I stamped my sentiment using my Stamparatus so that I could ink it several times and get a really solid image, then having stamped off first stamped the tiny footprints behind it in the same colour.  

Subtle Textures - I embossed my top panel with the Subtles embossing folder to add a little texture without detracting from the sentiment. I added a little more detail with the soft organdy ribbon and used my layers and scalloped border/mat detail to add a little more interest and to tie in my panel of Balmy Blue gingham check across the bottom. 

Monochromatic Blue - I kept my card simple with a monochromatic Balmy Blue and Whisper White colour combination however this design could be easily replicated in pink for a girl or any of the other colours in the Gingham Gala designer series paper stack for a more gender-neutral design.

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Balloons Floating Frame Birthday Cards

by Joanne James8. April 2019 11:30

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card using the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the current colour palette at Fab Friday:

   

My card features a technique that is currently all the rage and I've been wanting to have a go at - the floating frame technique. This actually means I have two cards for you! Here's the first one:

 

And here's the second one, featuring the outer frame element:

 

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

Floating Frames - The floating frame technique is really easy to create with a few basic tools: some 'Press and Seal' food wrap or similar, a framelit - I used my Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies - and lots of dimensionals! You simply stamp and punch/diecut your images, lay them out, cover with Press and Seal, trim to frame size and cut out your central piece, before adhering dimensionals to the back of the diecut pieces and adhering to your chosen card base. Finally you remove the Press and Seal and your floating shapes remain in place. Jennifer McGuire has a fabulous video on this technique if you want to see one of these cards being made - you can see it here

Birthday Balloons - I've seen some fabulous examples of this technique, mostly using florals, but I was in need of some birthday cards and I thought the colours over at Fab Friday would be perfect for some bright and colourful balloons. I had so much fun making these cards I'm going to make a few more in alternative colour combos too - this is a great card design that would work well for both boys and girls, so makes a great storecupboard standby. I stamped my balloons with one of the stamps in the 'Happy Birthday Gorgeous' stamp set before punching them for added interest and I used one of the other balloon stamps in the set to decorate the envelope, as you can see below:

No need for a naked envelope here!

A Birthday Greeting - For my second card, I needed a larger greeting to sit inside my frame so my Well Written Framelits were the perfect choice. I also added an extra balloon for balance, tied with some white baker's twine. The same design could be used with other stamps and sentiments from this set too to make cards for other occasions - how many other combinations can you come up with? 

Here are the visual summaries of the key products used on today's projects 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; we are having a kit clear-out in the playroom today. So far we've made an erupting volcano, an insect hut, a flying helicopter and two solar-powered motorised dinosaurs. You've got to love the Easter holidays! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

A Good Day Gingham Gala Card Trio

by Joanne James7. April 2019 09:00

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 fun theme challenge for you to work with:

I decided to get making with my Gingham Gala designer series paper and made not one, not two but three cards for today's challenge - all of which use this week's Fusion sketch too (turned through 90 degrees):

I didn't get overly creative with my gingham panels as I wanted to use them as backgrounds in their own right and really let them shine.

So, to my cards! Each of them also coincidentally features a stamp from the stamp set, 'A Good Day', for my feature circles.  Here is the first one:

 

This card is my favourite from a creative point of view, as I love the sun/rain rainbow idea and the bright yellow check just makes this such a happy card!

For my second card I created one that uses not only the Fusion sketch but the theme too - no Easter eggs sure, but the cutest of Easter bunnies:

 

I stamped part of my sentiment on the banner. which I also bordered with one of the the edgelits in the Be Mine Stitched Framelits set and continued it on the inside of my card. I forgot to take a photo of my 'corrected' inside, but if you're interested and fancy a giggle you can pop over to my Facebook page to see the original one!

For my final card, I was inspired by this week's Global Design Project #GDP183 theme of 'A Day At The Park':

For me a day at the park is not complete without a ride on the swings, so this sweet little tree swing was perfect to fit this theme and paired with a sentiment from the Sale-A-Bration set 'Part of My Story' and the fresh green gingham makes for a sweet, uplifting card:

 

This is the card that I like most in terms of layout - whilst each of the images needs a different sized circular element, this is the one that I like the most in terms of overall proportion. 

Here are the visual summaries 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 hope you like my gingham trio; I also created a 'bonus' card using plaid as the main feature of my design so do pop back later in the week to see another example using this week's theme.

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

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

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; we are having a restful one with a roast dinner with all the trimmings for lunch and then we'll be watching the Oxford-Cambridge boat race on TV in the afternoon - armchair sportsmen for once! I'll be back tomorrow with another super-fun project that you are not going to want to miss. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Mediterranean Moments Cafe Note Card

by Joanne James6. April 2019 21:00

I've had a busy week that's kept me away from my blog but I have managed to get lots made over the past couple of days so I should be better prepared this week! Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at Just Add Ink that also uses the sketch layout at The Paper Craft Crew:

   Paper Craft Crew Sketch Challenge PCC332

I missed playing with the ladies over at Just Add Ink last week as I just didn't manage to get my card finished and blogged (one for another time!) but as soon as I saw their inspiration photo this week I knew exactly which set I was going to use. Here's my card:

 

Mediterranean Moments is a stamp set that I've used many times, but not recently so it was a good opportunity to dust off this favourite from the annual catalogue and get to work. The photo reminded me of the cafe scene so this formed the basis of my main focal point, stamped on white and coloured with my Stampin' Blends. I used the PPC sketch to push me to consider a different layout to any I've used previously with this set. I did some tone-on-tone stamping using one of the other stamps in the set and embossed the main panel with a brick pattern for added texture and interest, and added a few wooden leaf embellishments from my box. I added a sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings to finish my 'just because' note 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. 

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Forever Lovely Birthday Cards

by Joanne James1. April 2019 21:00

I've had my first class of the month today and today I have a couple of cards to share with you: one from my class and one that my class card was based on, both of which were inspired by the lovely Julee Tilman's current Mojo Monday sketch (turned through 90 degrees):

Here's the first card I created using the beautiful All My Love suite - take a look:

 

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

Whilst the papers in the All My Love suite feature classic romantic colours, these papers are not just about hearts - they feature some fabulous florals too. This card features one of my personal favourites and compliments the Soft Sea Foam background beautifully. 

Along with the die cut detail of the sentiment panel, this makes for a simple yet pretty card. 

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

Here is the second similar card that we made in my class, using an alternative colourway, this time with a couple of diecut flowers to compliment the patterned paper:

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Sale-A-Bration By the Bay - Get Yours Before It's Too Late!

by Joanne James28. March 2019 21:30

Today I've just got time for a quick post to share another card made using the Sale-A-Bration stamp set 'By The Bay' that I made a while ago but haven't got around to blogging. Here's my card:

 

A simple scene watercoloured on shimmery white paper with inks and an aquapainter, layered with a tone-on-tone panel of Balmy Blue embossed with the Stripes embossing folder and paired with some burlap and leaves and a sentiment with stitched edge detail. Easy as that! You have only 4 more days to snap it up for free with a £45 order so if it's on your list, get your order in before the weekend. 

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

6 Days Left Of Sale-A-Bration 2019: Shop-Host-Join Whilst You Can Still Earn More!

by Joanne James26. March 2019 21:00

No post yesterday I'm afraid as my day was long and busy, from the moment the youngest James Junior got dropped off at school at the crack of dawn to go on his school trip to Paris to an evening spent helping out with a local Brownie pack followed by Girl Guides doing a spot of Mother's Day crafting. Today has seen the arrival of our German language school exchange student, but a long journey has resulted in an early night so I've time to sit and blog this evening. Today I'm sharing the most popular card from my last Sale-a-Bration class that features not one, but three of the fabulous products that can be yours free with a purchase of £45 or more:

 

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

A Trio of Sale-A-Bration Goodness - Today's card features three of the Sale-A-Bration goodies that are still available for you to receive free with a spend of £45 - can you spot them all? The wooden butterfly from the Butterfly Elements, and a piece of Grapefruit Grove foil sheet that has been embossed with the Country Florals Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. This card is so simple to recreate and would work in lots of alternative colours too - the ladies in my class loved it! Check out the detail of the foil embossing - it really is lovely. 

Shop, Host, Join: There's Still Time - So whether you are going to shop and spend £45 or more (you get one free item for each £45 spend, or one of the higher-value ones for a £90 spend) or host your own party (an online party - or single qualifying order if your shopping list is a long one! - are still options at this stage), you still have 5 days to do so, so get those orders in. 

Join My Team For An Extra Sweet Reward - Whether you are a hobbyist or would like to build a business of your own, there's never been a better time to invest in a Stampin' up! starter kit. Not only will you receive £170 of product of your choice for a £99 spend, if you pay an additional £26 you can receive the fabulous and super-useful craft and carry tote too. You can read more about all of the Sale-A-Bration offers in my earlier post here; if you've any further offers, or would like to chat to me and find out the details of a special incentive that I am offering for qualifying joiners this week, do get in touch - I would love you to join my team.

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Happiness Blooms birthday Card for PP434

by Joanne James24. March 2019 09:00

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 challenge, a sketch, for you to work with:

 

I chose something with layers and whilst the uppermost layer with the sentiment on is arrow-shaped, any horizontal shape would work in this space. I actually have a couple of cards to share with you today. Firstly the card I actually made for today's challenge using my favourite papers for the Spring-Summer catalogue - take a look:

 

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

A Well Written Tag - I made the top layer of my card into a tag using my Scalloped Tag Topper Punch and used it as the focal point for my main greeting cut using the Well Written Framelits, finished with a tiny bit of stamping that I punched out and shortened with my Classic Label Punch. I added a few flowers from the same set, finished with some Bitty Blooms punched leaves and some navy enamel dot centres.

Happiness Blooms - The gorgeous bold and bright florals of the Happiness Blooms Designer Series Paper set the tone and colour scheme for my card today. I resisted the urge to use my favourite navy pattern in this set and instead chose the gorgeous Calypso Coral/Night Of Navy/Call Me Clover/ Whisper White combo, with a contrasting striped design for my second layer of pattern. I finished off the inside of my card and envelope with another sentiment from the 'Well Said' stamp set and some stamped flowers using 'Bloom by Bloom'. Such a colourful and cheerful card - very me! 

My Original Inspiration - I actually designed this sketch before Christmas and used it for a card in one of my monthly technique classes. I realised during an exchange of messages with my fellow PP teamie the lovely Claire that I hadn't actually blogged that card, and whilst the papers that I used (Festive Farmhouse) are no longer available, the Merry Christmas Thinlits Dies and Merry Christmas To All stamp set are on carryover from the Autumn-Winter catalogue and still available, so I thought I would share with you too so that you can see how it looks with an alternative product set:

 

So two for one today! Which one do you prefer? I'd love you to leave a comment below.

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

 

And for the Christmas version:

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:

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

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 looking forward to visiting your blogs to see what you make of my sketch this week. Enjoy your day; I will be packing up the youngest of the James Juniors in readiness for a week-long school trip tomorrow and preparing for the imminent arrival of a German exchange student who is visiting to spend time improving her English language skills with the other one! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
 
 
Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

#SimpleStamping Baby Cards With Perfectly Paired

by Joanne James22. March 2019 17:00

Today I'm sharing a card for the current challenge over at CASology where there is watery theme:

 

I also decided to combine it with this month's #SimpleStamping challenge set by Stampin' Up!, which was to create an occasion card (new baby, wedding, sympathy) with nothing more than stamps, ink, paper and ribbon. I decided to make a card to welcome a new baby using the 'Perfectly Paired' and created both boy and girl versions. First up, I have an ultra quick and easy #SimpleStamping card - the boy version: 

Here is my second #SimpleStamping card - the girl version: 

 

This really took just a minute to make - I even made a video to show you how I did it! Here you go:

Easy, right? #SimpleStamping with minimal supplies to produce great results (even if I say so myself!!)

Perfectly Paired is a great set for new baby cards if you're starting out: one main image with a couple of smaller ones too and three sentiments that work for the inside and outside of your cards, tags or even a home decor piece for a new baby's nursery. You could also adapt it to form the basis of christening invitations, so lots of creative possibilities for a single stamp set.

The images can be inked in a single colour or coloured using Blends or watercolour pencils, or you can choose to highlight certain parts of the main image by masking or spotlighting specific area of the main image. Adding a simple bow in a co-ordinating ribbon colour adds a simple touch of luxury to a #SimpleStamping card.

Here's an example of the above card coloured with my combo of Pool Party Stampin' Blends to show how a little extra colour really brings the image to life, but still making it a relatively inexpensive card with only a couple of extra supplies needed:

 

To really get the most from my supplies, I also stamped a partial image on the front of my envelope and this sentiment on the inside of my card:

Not a naked piece of paper in sight! By keeping things simple and using a basic monochromatic colour scheme, this is a card that can be easily mass-produced with limited supplies and would work well in pretty much any colour. 

Having created my #SimpleStamping cards, I decided to create a stepped up version that is still super simple in style and design but introduces a new technique - heat embossing - for the more adventurous casual or avid crafter. I went with a neutral pale yellow base for this card (always useful to have in your stash if you need a quick baby card but don't know the gender) and this time using a white ribbon - a good choice if you've limited supplies and will go with any colour theme:

 

You could also add a little selective colour to these images to highlight some of the images if you have a marker of the same colour to give some tonal highlights and just pick out a few of the animals.

Here are the visual summaries of the key products used on each of today's projects 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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
 
 
Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
 
 
Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
 
 
Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Are You Ready For Christmas?!

by Joanne James20. March 2019 20:00

Good evening! I was out late last night with the lovely Jane and friends who were hosting a Stampin' Up! party so have been busy placing orders for their goodies today and getting a few other jobs done. Last night we were all about the cupcakes and Easter bunnies, however today here on the blog I'm sharing a Christmas card - yes, a Christmas card! - for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge where they have an intriguing sketch:

 

I wrestled for ages on whether or not to tackle this sketch and how literally to interpret those sharp lines and then I had a brainwave and my Christmas card was done - take a look:

 

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

Ready For Christmas - Are you ready for Christmas? Me - not at all, but since it was the title of the stamp set I used for the sentiment and festive baugh on today's card it seemed a fitting eye-catching blog title too! This card is mostly diecutting rather than stamping, however I stamped my pine baugh for extra detail and stamped and fussy-cut my sentiment so that it didn't obscure too much of my festive scene. I also stamped the other part of my sentiment on the inside of my card:

 

A Christmas Staircase - A flash of inspiration led me to consider how the lines of the sketch looked very much like a staircase, so out came my Christmas Staircase Thinlits that form the basis for today's card. I decided to use the diecut rather than the stamp because I like the fine embossed detail and delicate spindles and wanted this to be the main feature to link it back to the sketch. The decorative pine baugh and diecut bows are from the same die set.

Under The Mistletoe Wallpaper - I used a little piece of Wood Textures paper for my hardwood floor and a piece of Under The Mistletoe designer series paper for my wallpaper to keep with the festive feel. Did you know that you can purchase Christmas supplies all year round from Stampin' Up!? The annual catalogue (pages 93-103) contains a selection of stamps, dies and even papers designed for the holiday season, so there's no excuse not to be Christmas crafting all year round! 

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 putting my feet up this evening; enjoy yours too and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

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About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.