Happy World Card making Day everyone! Today I've a quick post to share a birthday card that I made for a couple of challenges - I used the layout over at Try Stampin On Tuesday (including the option to feature patterned paper - no surprise there!) and this week's colour palette over at The Color Throwdown:

Each of the CTD challenge colours appear in a piece of designer paper from the Les Shoppes pack that I had yet to use so that was the starting point for today's card. I thought it had a vaguely Mexican feel too, so I paired it with the pinata image in the 'Taco Fiesta' stamp set for a fun birthday card - take a look:

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

This card was actually really simple: a little Blends colouring and blocks of solid colour to highlight the elements and really allow that fabulous patterned paper to shine!

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; the boys are out at hockey today and I shall be taking advantage of the fact that it's World Card Making Day and indulging in my hobby! Remember Stampin' Up! is running a virtual event today that you are all welcome to attend, even if you haven't registered - read all about it here.

I'll be back tomorrow with my card for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

TACO FIESTA PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (18.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)	LES SHOPPES 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	CALYPSO CORAL STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BALMY BLUE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

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 fun theme challenge for us to work with:

This was something of a challenge for me this week as I don't have any stamp sets that feature space images. I do have the fabulous space-inspired Stargazing designer series paper though so this is where I started for my card. I grabbed Karren's Freshly Made Sketches layout and set to work - take a look:

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

I fussy cut one of the large ringed planets from one of the planet-covered designs (if you have the Reach For The Stars Dies they actually fit the paper but it was easy enough to do by hand) and popped this up on dimensionals on a base that featured one of the other space designs. I added a sentiment from the retired stamp set 'Stepping Stones' that I heat embossed in silver:

A sprinkling of rhinestone jewels to highlight some of the stars complete my card. This turned out to be rather simple in the end - the Stargazing paper really did do the heavy lifting. 

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 off to visit Rebecca at university today with a few home-cooked treats in hand and the promise of lunch out. She is perfectly able to look after herself but I think some home comforts will be appreciated! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

STARGAZING 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)
RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)

Yay it's Friday - almost the weekend!! Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'World Mental Health Day' which is on October 10th. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used blue, green, sparkle and metallic embellishment and this is what I came up with:

I used the sketch layout over at Sketch Saturday and decided to create a Christmas card for my stash! Here's the low-down on today's card:

Winter Meadow - The papers featured on today's card were the starting point for my creation. They are from the Winter meadow designer series paper collection and both the patterns featured are opposite sides of the same sheet. I decided to edge my card with the berry paper to allow that lovely bright blue wash to take centre stage. These papers have pretty water-coloured designs featuring festive winter foliage and are so pretty. 

Timeless Arrangements - I used a sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set and paired it with one of the labels and foliage from the Timeless Arrangement Dies - don't be afraid to mix and match your products and sets to give them a whole new look and feel. 

Silver Sparkles - My metallics and sparkle come from the silver-edged ribbon I used to join my papers, the thin strips of silver glimmer paper and those blue rhinestone berries that I added to my diecut foliage to tie in with the border pattern. Check out the sparkle:

 I heat embossed my sentiment in silver and added a trio of matt silver sequins 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. 

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 Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

WINTER MEADOW 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	TIMELESS ARRANGEMENTS DIES (33.00)	CHRISTMAS CLASSICS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)	SILVER & WHITE 1/2" (1.3 CM) SHEER RIBBON (8.50)	NEUTRALS ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS (7.00)	METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)
VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	BASIC GRAY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Anne Marie to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

The weather here has become much more autumnal this week, so I found myself feeling inspired by the beautiful autumn wreath that is bottom left of the Hand Stamped Sentiments inspiration photo and decided to recreate it with the Color Dare colours above (I used my closest colours for all 6) for a pretty autumnal card - take a look:

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

I chose a striped pattern from the Countryside Inn designer series paper pack to accentuate the lines of the horizontal panels of the sketch as my starting point, then added my leafy wreath that I diecut using the Country Wreath Dies, with some pumpkins in Smoky Slate and Very Vanilla added from the retired Seasonal Swirls die set:

A fussy cut sentiment from 'Season of Chic', a linen thread bow and a trio of speckled dots complete my card. I had a few leftover bits and pieces so used them to add a little additional decoration to the inside of my card:

I love the softness of the Very Vanilla with the mix of browns and I think they compliment the blues nicely 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'm planning on spending my day baking an gardening in equal measure! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

COUNTRY WREATHS DIES (37.00)	COUNTRYSIDE INN 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	SEASON OF CHIC PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (26.00)	BOHO BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
PECAN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LINEN THREAD (4.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	ADHESIVE-BACKED SPECKLED DOTS (7.50)

I managed to get lots of crafting done today so am well on my way to getting back into the swing of things! I've a quick post to share a card inspired by this week's Case The Designer challenge over at Global Design  Project:

I love the layering of Wilma's original card so this was the starting point for my card - take a look:

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

My card features one of the brightly coloured pages from the Masterfully Made designer series paper pack and I took the colours for my base, foliage and stamping from there. I used my favourite leaf stem from the Gorgeously Made Dies for my foliage stems, adding one in Berry Burst and another in Melon Mambo, and softened the Crushed Curry stamping on my white panel with an additional layer of vellum. A couple of Pretty Peacock sequins complete my card:

My card is a riot of clashing colour and whilst you can't see much of the designer paper layer, it does a great job of bringing all of the colours together. I love it! 

If you are also in love with the Gorgeously Made bundle, remember if you purchase it before the end of September you will receive the 'Create With Jan and Joanne' tutorial bundle containing 4 projects designed by myself and my crafty friend Jan Clothier featuring this versatile suite.

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 my card for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

GORGEOUSLY MADE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (47.50)	MASTERFULLY MADE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS TRIO (7.50)	CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'World Card Making Day' which is on 7 October. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used bright colours, sequins and layers and this is what I came up with:

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

World Card Making Day - This week's challenge celebrates World Card Making Day. This day is celebrated on the first Saturday in October each year, which this year falls on 7th October. As a crafter and committed card maker, this is definitely a day to celebrate! I always try to make sure I do some crafting for fun on that day but if you would like something more organised, you can join with me and the team at Stampin' Up! who are hosting a free event for this day:

This is a virtual event that will run from 1-4pm UK time and during this time we will be using a trio of different supplies to make three different cards. You can download the supplies list here and you've plenty of time to order anything you need in advance of the session (you can of course substitute other supplies if you don't have those detailed to hand). There is also a handy measurements guide for you to use in preparation and to refer to during the session. The session is FREE to attend; you can register here ahead of time, but if you haven't registered and happen to be free simply come along! I hope to see you there!

Just My Type - My card to celebrate this day is a simple 'hello' card featuring the 'Just My Type' stamp set and the Delightfully Eclectic designer series paper. The flowers in the paper co-ordinate beautifully with those in the stamp set that I featured behind my typewriter. I picked out the colours in the paper for my 'hello' sentiment and added a few hearts and sequins and a fold of ribbon to complete my card. I stamped the typewriter in Night of Navy onto Fresh Freesia cardstock for a different look - what do you think?

I really like this card - the pops of colour against the darker blues make me happy :-)

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 Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

Enjoy your day; I'll be back Sunday with my Paper Players project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JUST MY TYPE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	DELIGHTFULLY ECLECTIC 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (28.00)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
FRESH FREESIA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BUBBLE BATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	PASTEL ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS (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 Jaydee to host this week and she has an interesting colour challenge for us to work with:

I paired Jaydee's colours with the sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments and since I had a little more time this week decided I would have a little play with some new product - take a look:

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

Exposed Brick Texture - First up is a new-to-me product, the Exposed Brick 3D embossing folder that I used to emboss not only a piece of Pebble Path-coloured designer paper from the Fresh As A Daisy pack, but also the solid coloured trio of panels that sit on top of the base. I don't use a lot of embossing as a rule, but isn't that texture just something? It is great for adding detail to backgrounds and I really love the effect.

Abundant Beauty Sunflowers - It will be no surprise to my regular readers that the Abundant Beauty masks were one of the first things onto my pre-order shopping list - I do love a good stencil! This is a great pack with a herringbone design, autumn and snowflake panels and a layering stencil that includes a trio of sunflowers. These are the stencils I used today - I used my blending brushes to apply colour to my flower trio - I used Crushed Curry as my additional colour to 'brighten' my sunflowers and allow for more graduated colour - and some additional leaves, then fussy cut them out and pieced them onto my frame/panel background. Check out the texture and detailing on the close up below:

Charming Sentiments - To finish I added a simple sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' set and diecut it with the coordinating die. I love that this stamp set has such a great variety of phrases for each and every occasion, and they can be diecut perfectly with no need to fussy cut - bonus!

I'll be honest I did find Jaydee's colour palette a challenge this week and I wasn't sure about this card once finished but having let it sit a while, I've decided it looks just fine, even if those leaves are a slightly unorthodox choice! What do you think? How would you use these colours? What do you have to be grateful for today? 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; we are still in the grips of the late summer heatwave we've been experiencing here in the UK this week, so as much as I'd love to type more posts and share more things with you, my craft room is a veritable sauna, so I am spending as little time in it as possible - the garden and BBQ beckons! I'll be back later in the week with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ABUNDANT BEAUTY DECORATIVE MASKS (10.00)	PEBBLED PATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	WILD WHEAT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	COPPER CLAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	WILD WHEAT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
PRETTY PEACOCK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	FRESH AS A DAISY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	2023–2025 IN COLOR™ DOTS (7.50)	COPPER CLAY 3/8" (1 CM) TEXTURED RIBBON (7.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	EXPOSED BRICK 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (10.25)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	SENTIMENT SILHOUETTES DIES (33.00)

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 a fun theme challenge for us to work with:

I feel like I need to start today's post with a confession! I am hosting this week - and for a variety of reasons I have been super busy with family commitments and not had a moment to craft all week! So when it came to making my card with limited time to spare, I remembered I had the cutest family of four-legged friends that would enable me to make a super-quick card - take a look:

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

Yes - the Beary Christmas Memories & More Cards to the rescue! For this week's card, I used not only one of the printed cards but also a pre-printed card base with co-ordinating envelope; all I needed was to add a little ribbon loop detail and pop the card up on dimensionals and I was done. By using the pre-printed bases, this card was even quicker to pull together than last week. And isn't this cute family of polar bears just the cutest?

The Memories & More cards are perfect for crafting when time is of the essence - and this set of four legged friends is just adorable! They are making me sleepy just looking at them - so contented.

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 soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Today I have my project for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'World Gratitude Day' which is on September 21st. 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 did embrace the challenge theme wholeheartedly and used ribbon, gift packaging, die cuts, flowers and thank you and this is what I came up with:

I created both some gift packaging and a co-ordinating card using the lovely autumnal colour palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week. Here's the low-down on today's projects:

Gift Packaging Made Easy - For my gift box, I created a decorative belly band for one of the Envelope Treat Boxes that can be found on page 126 of the Stampin' Up! annual catalogue. Have you seen them? They are white, stampable boxes that measure 2 1/4" x 3 1/2" x 1" when folded and are perfect for packaging little treats. I made my wrap using the Glorious Gingham designer paper in Pecan Pie, then added a label that I decorated with foliage and stamped and coloured flowers and a trio of solid gems:

Here's a picture with the belly band removed, so that you can see how the box opens (gold foil stickers are also included with the boxes to seal them, although they are principally decorative - the box will hold itself closed):

Here's a close up showing the stamping on my label and my coloured flowers - I just love the warm tones of this trio of colours together:

A Co-ordinating Thank You - I decided to create a co-ordinating card to give with my gift; I used elements of my packaging design and carried them into my card, using the simple layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday as the basis for my design:

On my card I only added foliage to the bottom portion of the sentiment strip, to mimic the sketch; I also added a thin, solid strip of cardstock to highlight the simple thank you sentiment:

The layering of the foliage diecuts in the Timeless Arrangements bundle adds so much detail to this otherwise clean card and I love the blend of this trio of warm, almost autumnal colours. It's been so chilly here in the UK these past few days, this set fits right in!

Here is the visual summary 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. 

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 Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

 Enjoy your day and 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 LeAnne to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

I thought that the main panel on LeAnne's sketch was crying out to frame something, so decided to create a quick and easy Christmas card using the panel with an aperture to frame a Memories & More card from the Beary Christmas set in the upcoming mini catalogue. - take a look:

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

The new Beary Christmas Memories & More cards feature polar bears, trees, presents and patterns and are just great for quick and easy Christmas cards. I added a small one featuring a large sentiment and trimmed slightly to a Balmy Blue card base, then taking a smaller panel of Balmy Blue, cut a square aperture using the Stylish Shapes Dies then ran the whole panel through my diecutting machine with my (retired) Wintry 3D embossing folder - check out the lovely embossed effect in more detail on the close up below:

I added a Real Red ribbon and bow to complete my card. So simple, yet the embossing adds a really pretty detail. I'm linking today's card up over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown where they are asking us to make Christmas cards that feature an embossing folder 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 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'!