I'm here with news of a new collection that was released at the start of this month, the Fitting Florets Collection. Suitable for any occasion, including Christmas and seasonal celebrations, the sweet Fitting Florets Collection is a great addition to your stamp collection. From colour schemes to sentiments and embellishments to dies, these unique products blend together so that your cards and crafts fit whatever occasion you might need. Send birthday wishes, express your gratitude, or spread Christmas cheer—with so many options to mix and match you’ll be set no matter the celebration all year! 

The Framed Florets bundle is a pre-release that will be included in the 2023 January-April Mini Catalogue. In addition to the bundle, for the duration of the pre-release only, you will also be able to order a number of additional exclusive products, that will be available only while supplies last - an additional festive sentiment stamp set, co-ordinating designer series paper and embellishments - you can see the detail below:

There's also a handy video from the Home Office that shows the product in more detail:

What do you think - pretty right? Also perfect for those of you that love frames and anyone who has been missing ovals since our layering oval dies retired. 

If any of these items appeal to you, click on the images below to go to the online store to purchase. Remember some of these items are whilst stocks last, so don't leave it too late. happy shopping!

Links to the Online Store:

FITTING FLORETS COLLECTION (ENGLISH) (92.50)	FRAMED FLORETS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (51.25)	FRAMED FLORETS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	FRAMED FLORETS DIES (35.00)
GOLD ADHESIVE-BACKED SWIRLS (8.00)	FRAMED & FESTIVE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	FITTING FLORETS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)

What a great start to a Tuesday - I logged on this morning to find a surprise update to the Clearance Rack. There are now lots of new items available, some with as much as 60% off. As is always the case, popular items will sell out quickly and stocks are already lower than they were earlier today, so don't spend too long deliberating - get in there quick! There are some great paper bargains, including many designer series papers, accessories, kits and punches. 

Click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last! Don't forget to include the current hostess code WUN4D92Q in order to receive your special 'thank you' in the post from me. 

Race you to the shop - first one there gets the bargains! Happy shopping! 

We have just entered the month of October, synonymous with Halloween and the practice of 'trick or treat'. There are no tricks here though, only treats as far as Stampin' Up! us concerned so here is a round-up of everything happening this month.

FREE SHIPPING TODAY ONLY

First up - free shipping on orders over £60 for today only:

Orders need to be placed before 10.59pm this evening - just click on the image to visit the online store and enjoy the saving. This is a great time to stock up on basics, supplies for Christmas crafting, or a kit or two for Christmas gifting. Remember to add the current hostess code WUN4D92Q for a thank you from me.

STAMPIN' UP! LAUNCHES IN BELGIUM AND IRELAND TODAY

Secondly, Stampin' Up! Has launched into both Belgium and Ireland today! This means that anyone living in those countries can now both order from my online store and are able to join my team - how exciting! This is a great opportunity for fellow crafters in those countries to discover Stampin' Up! products and if they decide they want to join Stampin' Up!, either as a means to receive a discount on their own purchases or because they would like to embrace a new business opportunity, then there's even more good news:

£154 FOR £99 STARTER KIT OCTOBER JOINING OFFER

The Stampin' Up! Starter Kit is on offer this month in all markets: between 4-31 October, the starter kit has an enhanced value of £154! For just £99, you can choose £154 of products from the annual or mini catalogue, the clearance rack, our kits collection or items that are currently available on pre-order too. The starter kit also comes with free postage (and not just today!) and includes free catalogues and other useful business supplies too. There are so many benefits to joining Stampin' Up! right now:

• An ongoing 20% discount on all product purchases, for at least the next 6 months
• See and pre-order new products before they are released to the general market
• An invitation to Stampin' Up!'s exclusive Demonstrator Facebook Group
• An invitation to my Team Facebook Group
• Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events
• The opportunity to build a business that could generate you an income if you wish

Or you could simply enjoy the great offer that is the starter kit itself this month - it's entirely up to you. If you'd like to join my team, then just click here and it will take you to the right place; there is always a 'join me' link in the right-hand column of my blog and if you have any questions or would like to chat through any of the details, just give me a call.

Finally, there are new kits being added to our kit collection today, including a gorgeous Birthday Card Organiser Kit that would make a great gift for yourself or a loved one. I've included a picture above but check out today's other post for more details where I will give a roundup of a few of the newest kits in the collection.

That's all for now - you can see today's creative post here in case you missed it!

As promised in yesterday's post: it's Wednesday and there is a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! Here are this week's deals:

If you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for September WUN4D92Q if your order is under £150 and be sure to make sure that you don't check the 'no contact' box if you'd like to be kept updated with the progress of you order and receive a little thank you in the post from me. 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - lots to choose from this week! Click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

FESTIVE FOILS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£7.60)	3/16" (4.8 MM) IRIDESCENT TRIM (£6.75)	HEART PEARLS (£6.38)
STAMPIN' UP! ABIGAIL ROSE POSTER (£7.60)	SWEET SORBET 1/8'' (3.2 MM) METALLIC WOVEN RIBBON (£6.80)	SPARKLE & SHINE SEQUINS ASSORTMENT (£6.08)
EVENING EVERGREEN 3/8'' (1 CM) WINDOWPANE CHECK RIBBON (£5.60)	LOOSE FLOWER FLOURISHES (£5.95)	POLISHED PINK 3/8" (1 CM) OPEN WEAVE RIBBON (£6.08)
SOFT SUCCULENT 3/8" (1 CM) OPEN WEAVE RIBBON (£5.74)	PASTEL PEARLS (£5.63)	MATTE BLACK DOTS (£6.08)
GILDED LEAFING (£7.23)	GOLD 1/4" (6.4 MM) SHIMMER RIBBON (£6.08)	COPPER FOIL SHEETS (£4.28)

There is no creative post today; I am having new windows fitted at home and unfortunately there has been a problem with the one for my craft room, so my office is currently out of action and has been inaccessible for longer than I anticipated. These things happen and things are being sorted out today so hopefully I will have my CAS Colours and Sketches card for you tomorrow.

Instead, I thought I'd share some promotional news with you that I have yet to post here on the blog - my recent vacation caught me on the hop with September announcements and there is lots going on! Those of you that have been around for a while will remember Wednesday Weekly Deals: the way they work is a range of products will be discounted each week for one week only; new weekly deals will be announced every Wednesday. We won't know what they are in advance: you will simply need to go to my online DBWS store to find out what they are. Wednesday Weekly Deals are running for the month of September - so there are two weeks of deals remaining. I've included links to this week's deals below and will share next week's deals when they are announced in a separate post tomorrow. 

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person.

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals, available until tomorrow evening 10.50pm - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

PEARLIZED ENAMEL EFFECTS BASICS (£12.60)	ROSE GOLD & WHITE 5/8" (1.6 CM) STRIPED RIBBON (£6.75)	SILVER 3/8" (1 CM) METALLIC EDGE COTTON RIBBON (£6.75)
STAMPIN' UP! MASKING PAPER (£6.08)	PERFECTLY PENCILED 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.00)	LOVELY LAYERS 3-3/4" X 5" (9.5 X 12.7 CM) VELLUM (£5.18)
FAUX SEA GLASS SHAPES (£6.75)	VELLUM 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) LAYERING DESIGNS (£8.55)	EDEN DIES (£26.40)
SCALLOPED KRAFT TREAT BOXES (£7.60)	EVENING EVERGREEN 3/8" (1 CM) OPEN WEAVE RIBBON (£6.08)

Back tomorrow with a new set of deals - until then, happy shopping!

Can’t stop staring at a certain stamp set (or two, or three)? Stock up on stamp sets at a stellar price! For one day only, you can buy select cling stamp sets at a 15% discount. This short and stamp-tacular sale only happens once a year, so get in gear—it’s time to shop ’til you drop! 

Are you ready? The biggest stamp sale of the year is today - 15th September! It’ll only last for 24 hours, so you will need to act fast to grab the goods. It actually started at 11pm  evyesterday evening here in the UK. 

For 24 hours from 14 September at 11:00 p.m. to 15 September 10:50 p.m. (UK) online, each of the stamp sets from the 2022–2023 Annual Catalogue will be available for purchase at a 15% discount (excluding host sets).

Click here for a link to a list of all of the stamp sets included in the sale and their reduced prices. 

If you see something you like, you can either place an order through me, or you can shop directly through my online store. My shop will have a category entitled “Stamp Sale” that displays every stamp set on sale to ensure a quick and easy shopping experience.

The discount applies to individual stamp sets (not bundles) and can also be used in conjunction with a starter kit - what a great way to get more bang for your buck! Place your order here through my online store or by clicking on the shopping bag icon in the menu on the right hand side - don't forget to include the current hostess code 6SQFH49A for an extra thank you from me. 

I'll be back with another creative project tomorrow, but in the meantime this is a 24 hour event only so you have to act fast to benefit from 15% off these amazing sets, so it's time to go shopping - don't miss out! 

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Valerie is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

For my card today I decided to colour one of the fun birthday images in the 'This Birthday Piggy' stamp set - take a look:

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

I used a combination of Stampin' Blends and Stampin' Write markers to colour my image and added a strip of brights DSP to my card base for a pop of extra colour:

This pattern is retired, but I've added a link below to the current equivalent. Whilst I didn't use them on today's card, this is the perfect opportunity to mention that the 'This Birthday Piggy' stamp set also has a new set of co-ordinating dies that will be available this month only, as part of the Perfect Partners promotion. It is one of six stamp sets from the annual and June-December catalogues that feature - see the other sets below:

Stamp set and dies are available separately, but if you don't already have the stamp set you can purchase both and receive a 10% bundle saving - bonus! This promotion runs until 30th September, so grab your dies without delay.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

THIS BIRTHDAY PIGGY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BRIGHTS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)
POLISHED PINK STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BRIGHTS STAMPIN' WRITE MARKERS (£30.00)

Just a quick post with additional information out this week: you all know that this year's second Sale-A-Bration promotion will end on 31st August and in addition to hosting and joining benefits (you can read about those here) you also earn a free product for every £45/90 spend - you can see the existing items here. Now there's more good news: from now until the 31st August, you will also be able to choose from a number of other items (you must use the special code as detailed as opposed to the usual item code to get one of these items free with a £45/90 spend):

If you would like more information or to place an order, go here to purchase from my online store (don't forget to add this month's hostess code 6SQFH49A). 

Remember as with all items offered as part of the Sale-A-Bration promotion, they are only available whilst stocks last. Currently all items are still available, however current stock levels suggest that a number of the original items will have run out before the end of the month.

Back soon with a new creative project; until then, happy shopping!

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 my favourite, a sketch challenge:

Since today celebrates the launch of the new July-December mini catalogue and the start of the second Sale-A-Bration promotion of the year, I couldn't resist the opportunity to create with some new goodies! I'm not quite in the Christmas zone yet though, so decided to pair the summery colour palette over at Global Design Project #GDP349 this week and the inspiration phrase of "Fun In The Sun" over at Try Stamping On Tuesday (but not the sketch for obvious reasons) and use two of my FREE Sale-A-Bration products to create a splashy pool-inspired card featuring a trio of hip hippos - take a look:

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

Hippest Hippos - So how adorable are these hippos??! The stamp set contains 4 sentiments and a trio of hippos in a variety of poses - and the co-ordinating Hippos Dies extend the versatility of these semi-aquatic mammals further with the inclusion of a boat, bath tub and lots of accessories too. I 'dressed' my hippos in sunglasses, a snorkel and mask and cleverly adapted the ballet dancer in the set by adding an inflatable rubber ring that I made out of a retired stitched oval die to create a trio that are ready for some water-based fun.  

A Trio Of Dies - In addition to using the Sale-A-Bration Hippos Dies to cut out the hippos and their accessories, I also used the 'waves' die in the set for some partial diecutting to create the base for my stitched circle apertures that I wanted my hippos to sit in. The circles were diecut using the Stylish Shapes Dies and my panel cut using the Rectangle Stitched Dies. I like the way you can see the wave impressions beneath the die on the solid coloured cardstock, but the Tahitian Tide In-Color DSP beneath peaks through, a little like the sparkle of light on water. I added some splashes cut from this paper to my top layer, but I think they get a little lost - I think if I did them again I might use some in-color glimmer paper; what do you think?

Watercolour Pencil Wonder - I stamped my hippos directly onto Grey Granite cardstock, then added highlights and shading using my watercolour pencils, blended out with a blending pen. This is quite a neat way to use watercolour pencils and is a great way to add a little depth to your image without having to do lots of colouring. Did you know too that July is National Watercolour Month? Watercolouring can take lots of forms besides the traditional 'brush, water and paint' method. I look forward to sharing more watercolouring tips and tricks during the coming month. 

Both the 'Hippest Hippos' stamp set and the Hippo Dies can be yours FREE with a purchase of £45 (you will need two £45 purchases to get both items - they can be purchased separately). To get yours just click on the links to the online store below and place your order - you know you want to!!

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.
• In a sketch challenge, you are welcome to rotate or flip a sketch. You can replace shapes used such as substituting a circle panel for a square panel. However, we must be able to still see the basis of the original sketch in your finished product.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back on Sunday with my card for our new theme challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	WATERCOLOR PENCILS (£15.00)
PARAKEET PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	GRAY GRANITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)