Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the fabulous LeAnne's turn to host this week and she has a fun challenge for us to work with:

Animal antics - what fun! I decided to embrace the diagonal of Kim's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week - I usually shy away from diagonals, but since I hadn't had the opportunity to play along for a couple of weeks and the Design Team had produced such beautiful cards as always, I thought it was time to remedy that - and also played along with the 'music' theme over at Global Design Project #GDP443 this week. I have two things I need to say upfront: today's card does feature a whole bunch of recently retired product (I'm still trying to use up some favourites!) and secondly, I apologise now if today's card leaves you with an earworm you can't stop singing! Time to share my card - take a look:

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

Celebrate Good Times Come On - Yes - who else is now singing along to that classic 80s hit by Kool and the Gang?! Kim envisaged a large sentiment along her diagonal, so I decided to feature the 'celebrate' diecut from the Wanted to Say Dies. I paired it with the words 'good times' stamped from the retired set 'Let The Good Times Roll' to complete my greeting and of course I needed a singer for my song; enter in the singing tortoise from the retired Zoo Crew designer paper - the perfect pop star!

A Star Is Born - I used three different starry elements on my card to create a cohesive design: a panel embossed with the retired Lucky Stars Embossing Folder, a piece of star-patterned designer paper from the retired Bright & Beautiful paper pack and finally some Lemon Lolly stars diecut using another of the dies in the Wanted To Say Dies set. I think it's fair to say that my singing tortoise, just like the intended recipient of my card, has 'star' quality:

Take Two - I originally wanted to use a piece of circle patterned paper for my card, but only had a few scraps left. Once I'd made my starry version, I decided I would go back and make another one using my originally chosen paper. I had to alter the angle of the diagonal slightly in order to make it work. Instead of the embossed panel, I stamped some circles using the retired 'Circle Sayings' stamp set in coordinating colours. Here's my second card:

I thought I would prefer this card, but actually ended up liking my starry version better - go figure! Which one do you prefer? Do 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; it was a beautiful day yesterday, which is just as well since the youngest of the James Juniors had his first cricket match of the season with his new club. He received his cap, did some great bowling and fielding and came home happy as the team won their game too. I'm hoping for another warm day today, but we do have a Bank Holiday long weekend here in the UK this weekend, so that usually means rain! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

WANTED TO SAY DIES (37.00)	AZURE AFTERNOON A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	LEMON LIME TWIST STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)
LEMON LOLLY STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)

Hello! I finally managed to get some time in my craft room today so managed to whip up a few projects to share with you this coming week. Today I'm sharing a quick card I made using the layout over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday that was perfect for a monochromatic card featuring one of the new in-colours, Petunia Pop:

Here's my card  - take a look:

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

I used one of my Around The Bend Dies to cut a curved piece of in-colour designer paper, and paired it with a stamped flower from the 'Hooray For Surprises' stamp set, along with some white foliage and a sentiment from the same set. I finished my card with a trio of sparkly glimmer dots:

This card came together really easily and it was fun to play with another of the new in-colours. Do you have a favourite yet? I need to have a bit more of a play before I decide which one gets my top vote, but in the meantime I'd love to hear your thoughts so do leave me a comment below.

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:

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	AROUND THE BEND DIES (31.00)	HOORAY FOR SURPRISES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	HOORAY FOR SURPRISES DIES (30.00)	2024–2026 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	PETUNIA POP CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD (8.50)
2024–2026 IN COLOR™ SHIMMER GEMS (8.00)

The wait is over - it's May 1st and the new 2024-25 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalogue is here! You will find a permanent link to the new catalogue on the right hand side of my blog but for today you need look no further than the picture below which will take you straight to the new catalogue: 

The new catalogue is fantastic, with so many great new products to choose from. I've sent paper copies to everyone who has shopped with me in the last 6 months; a digital copy of the new catalogue can be accessed via the image above and it will be permanently linked via my blog on the right hand side if you don’t have a paper copy and wish to browse. If you have your paper copy and just want to go straight to the shop to place your order, click here - ordering systems have now fully transitioned from the old stock items to the new so you are good to go! Also, remember to add the current hostess code for May VDKNV7BH if your order is less than £150 and ensure your preferences are set to 'contactable' to receive a thank you in the post from me.

There is also a great joining promotion that goes live today to coincide with the launch of the new catalogue:

It’s always exciting to be able to invite people to join our community of crafters and creators. And right now it’s even more exciting because when you sign up between 1 and 31 May to become a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, in addition to £130 worth of products of your choice for only £99 + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up!, you will also receive the following 2024–2025 In Color products in your Starter Kit for FREE:

That's an additional £78.25 of FREE product - such a great deal and the perfect way to add these fresh new colours to your supplies - and all for just £99. I would love to chat with you about the benefits of joining my team and being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator; as always, you can always find the link to join my team on the right hand side of my blog page; alternatively it's right here if you fancy jumping right in!

That's a lot of information for one post; if I were you I would put the kettle on, put your feet up and get comfy and settle down with your new catalogue for a browse and start creating that all-important wish list!

Back later with news of two new kits that have also launched today; until then, happy shopping!

It's the last day in April so it's public service announcements galore today!

Counting down now - only 1 day to go until the new 2024-25 Annual Stampin' Up! catalogue launches!

I have sent out copies to everyone on my catalogue mailing list who has purchased from me in the last 6 months - if you're not on this list but would like to receive one, then do give me a call on 07773 421446 or drop me an email and I will pop one in the post to you today.

This also means the following: 

Today is the last day that you can order from the 2023-24 Stampin' Up! catalogue - this includes any of the 'Bundle and Save 10%' bundles. Even though some of the products they contain are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, they will not be available as a discounted bundle. 

Today is also the last day that you can order from the 2024 January-April Mini Stampin' Up! Catalogue - a number of the products are being carried over to the new annual catalogue, however we will be saying goodbye to many items and again they will not be available as a discounted bundle. There are still a number of stamp sets and accessories available at a discount on the Retiring List here - today is your last chance to grab a bargain!  

There are still lots of bargains to be had following last week's Clearance Rack Refresh, so if you are placing an order online you should definitely check this out too.

If you are placing an order online, remember to use this month's online hostess code VDKNV7BH to receive a little thank you from me. 

That's all from me - back tomorrow with the new annual catalogue and news of a fabulous joining offer for the month of May, so do be sure to come back then to hear all about it! Until then, happy last-chance shopping!

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, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

There are so many was I could have used my sketch; I wanted to have a play with the Latte Love online exclusives suite, so thought I would make a fun coffee-themed card - take a look:

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

I used three different patterns of the A Little Latte designer series paper on my card: one for the swirly background, another in a contrasting plaid pattern for the four squares that I diecut using the Stylish Shapes Dies and a third for the coffee cup itself, which I diecut from the designer paper itself:

A heat-embossed sentiment and a trio of swirl dots were all I needed to complete my card. This card actually came together really quickly once I'd chosen my patterns; I really love those creamy coffee swirls that I used for the background. It's really worth checking out the range of exclusives in the online store; These online exclusive products are available outside of catalogue publications, so will be available whilst stocks last for the foreseeable future.

I'm also playing along with my old teamies over at TicTacToe Challenge (waves enthusiastically!) this week: I went across the bottom row with gem or embellishment/patterned paper/diecuts.

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 can't wait to see how you interpret my sketch this week. I'll be back later this week with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

LATTE LOVE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (44.00)

A LITTLE LATTE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)

ADHESIVE-BACKED SWIRL DOTS (7.50)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

PECAN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for an interesting 'fill in the blank' challenge from the lovely Heather H:

The colour I use least in my crafting - intriguing! I used the sketch over at Global Design Project #GDP442 for my layout this week and I made a card that features only two colours; can you guess which one I don't use very often?

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

Yes - it's Wild Wheat! I must confess I am not a fan of this one of last year's in-colours and actually don't use it very often at all so for today's card I decided that I would try something different and pair it with one of my most-used colours and all-time favourite, Night of Navy, to see if the colour combo would make Wild Wheat more appealing.

I used a Night of Navy card base and covered it with an entire panel of Wild Wheat - brave! I decided to add a diecut panel using the leaf die from the Gorgeous Garden Dies to the centre of my card. I've used these dies many times before and the eagle-eyed amongst you will realise that the whole die covers an entire card front, so you may be wondering how I managed to halve it to create my panel. It actually wasn't that tricky: I cut my Night of Navy Panel to size then aligned my die at the outside edge and partially diecut it towards the other end. I then removed the die and using a craft knife, I used a metal ruler and carefully cut away the edge of the loose pieces to create a narrow border on the other side of the panel. Yet another way to use these fabulous dies!

I added some Night of Navy twine and a simple gold heat-embossed sentiment from the 'Timeless Arrangements' stamp set, accented with a brass metallic dot to finish:

A piece of co-ordinating Wild Wheat in-colour DSP to decorate the flap of the envelope completes my card. Whilst I'm still not a fan of Wild Wheat, I must confess I do rather like this colour combo!

This is a great opportunity to remind you that the Gorgeous Garden bundle is just one of those featured in the monthly tutorials I create with my AYSI teamie, good friend and fellow demonstrator Jan Clothier. This tutorial contains lots more ideas and ways to use the Gorgeous Garden Dies and is yours for FREE when you purchase the Gorgeous Garden Dies from either Jan or myself. These dies are only available until the end of the month before they retire; they are currently almost half price at £24 for the pair - bargain! 

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 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:

GORGEOUS GARDEN DIES (24.00)

NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

WILD WHEAT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

TIMELESS ARRANGEMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)

VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

I have another card to share with you today, this time inspired by the challenges over at Festive Friday (I chose green, thread and interactive) and the butterfly inspiration over at TGIF Challenges:

I love Memories & More cards both for scrapbooking and card making and I've used lots of them previously to make quick clean and simple cards. Today I've something a little different though; whilst my card still focuses on the Sweet Thoughts Memories & More card pack and card base and envelopes, I've paired with the Hooray For Surprises bundle to make a fun interactive card - take a look:

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

Sweet Thoughts - The Sweet Thoughts Memories & More cards and card and envelope sets are perfect for quick cards. All of the main elements I used to decorate my printed card base came from the card pack - a large butterfly and two sentiments:

All of them are stickers so have self-adhesive backs, but you can easily add with dimensionals too if you'd prefer a little lift as I've done here. The only other thing I added was a twine bow using some coordinating retired thread that I had in my stash.

Hooray For Surprises - I could have stopped there, but I thought another of the cards in the Sweet Thoughts pack would make a fun 'reveal'. I spent a little time marking my card front where I needed to place my Hooray For Surprises long pull tab. The die is longer than I wanted, given the addition of my large butterfly, but this wasn't a problem; I simply used a partial diecutting technique to diecut each one in two stages, which allowed me to shorten it without issue. I stamped the word 'pull' onto the end of each tab, and added a flower sticker from the card pack to embellish each one:

The second M&M card that I used is placed underneath the top layer, being careful to adhere around the edges and leave the tabbed area free.

The Big Reveal - So what's underneath the tabs? I created a 'false top' template using some spare card so that you can see what you'll see when those tabs are pulled:

So not only is the recipient sweet - but beautiful, amazing, fabulous, lovely and wonderful too! The hooray For Surprises Dies are such a great way to add a fun interactive element to card. One last thing - you will notice that I needed to trim the second M&M card down so that the sentiment would appear where I wanted to. Don't discard the spare edge piece though - I added mine as a little extra decoration to the inside of my card. 

So what do you think? A fun way to combine these products, right? I will be sending this card to my lovely daughter who is at university - I'm sure she will love it. This is a great opportunity to remind you that the Hooray For Surprises bundle is just one of those featured in the monthly tutorials I create with my good friend and fellow demonstrator Jan Clothier. This tutorial contains lots more ideas and ways to use this bundle and is yours for FREE when you purchase the Hooray For Surprises bundle from either Jan or myself. So why not add it to your basket now - add some Memories & More cards and you can have a go at today's card 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 and I'll be back on Friday with another project for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HOORAY FOR SURPRISES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (44.00)

SWEET THOUGHTS MEMORIES & MORE CARD PACK (6.65)

SWEET THOUGHTS MEMORIES & MORE CARDS & ENVELOPES (6.65)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Happy hump day everyone! I am playing blog catch-up today as I've been making more than I've had time to blog, so today will be a two-post Wednesday! First up I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Inspired By where I couldn't resist those cake pop colours and am still riding high on my win from last week (you can see that card here if you missed it). I also used the sketch layout. No cake on this card though - instead I combined with the fun quote over at Time Out Challenges:

I went crafty - take a look:

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

I diecut a dozen cotton reels using the Crafting With You Dies in the colours of those cake pops, and finished with a sentiment from the coordinating stamp set stamped into an embroidery hoop; I layered up the hoop for a little extra dimension and added both the hoop and insert to a punched 2" circle for a little extra stability:

Super clean and simple! I'm sending this card to my Mum, who is an avid quilter - I suspect it might lead to a request for a few more so that she can share with the ladies who attend her weekly sewing class. Good job there are double dies for the cotton reels, allowing me to cut 4 at a time! 'The Crafting With You' stamp set and dies are on carryover into the new catalogue, but not as a bundle, so you've only a week left if you'd like to take advantage of the 10% bundle savings.

A reminder that the clearance rack in the online store updated yesterday - lots of bargains still to be had! You can check it out in my online store here.

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 shortly with my second post. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CRAFTING WITH YOU BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (51.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	COASTAL CABANA A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	MELON MAMBO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

Happy Tuesday everyone! First things first: the Clearance Rack has updated overnight in the online store and there are some fantastic bargains to be had, Especially on dies and kits - you can check out the reduced items here; if you are local to me I am placing an order today, so let me know if you'd like to add to it.

So that's the bargains on the retired stuff! Today I'm sharing a card that is all about the 'new' - the new 2024-26 In Colours in fact. I decided to play along with the current challenge over at Just Add Ink with the 'take two' of pots and leaves that also uses the sketch over at Global Design Project (albeit I did change the position of the bow; I do have a slightly more faithful take on this sketch for later in the week). 

I chose to use the 'Planted Paradise' stamp set which is on carryover for my card today as I thought it would be a perfect way to showcase those bright new in colours - take a look:

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

I kept my card base and background white, so as to allow my plant pots to take centre stage, adding a frame embossed with the Timeworn Brick embossing folder and a central label cut using the Everyday Details Dies. I then stamped a collection of pots and leaves and arranged them to fill the front of my card. So the new in colours are, left to right, Pretty in Pink, Petunia Pop and Peach Pie, on the plant pots, with leaves in Shy Shamrock and a couple of trailing leaves just below my twine bow in Summer Splash:

I finished with a sentiment from the retiring 'Love For You' and a few pearls to decorate one of my pots. So what do you think - is this a set of in colours you could get on board with? Do you have an emerging favourite? Do 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 '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:

PLANTED PARADISE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (21.00)	LOVE FOR YOU PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (7.60)	EXPOSED BRICK 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (10.25)	EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)
IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (7.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

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 a seasonal clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

I thought the palette over at Color Dare was perfect for a card featuring spring flowers so I went with the pinks and green and decided to take the opportunity to say farewell to one of the prettiest floral sets whilst trying out a new in-colour - take a look:

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

Two Tone Flora is such a pretty floral stamp set - I will be sad to see it leave at the end of the month. I used the new in-colour Pretty In Pink as the base colour for my flowers today - isn't it pretty? I stamped one flower in Pretty In Pink only (I stamped off one layer then stamped in the detail at full strength), then stamped two more with a base in Pretty In Pink and added the detail in Melon Mambo. I masked the two base flowers then stamped the leaves in Lemon Lime Twist. Once the base flowers and leaves were stamped in place, I cut out my label using one of the Nested Essentials Dies, then added another flower and a sentiment from the Dainty Delight stamp set - I thought this sentiment worked well for a spring card, since that's a time of growth:

The label is popped up on dimensionals, allowing a hint of the pink card base to show through. Some silver twine and a trio of rhinestones complete my card. So what do you think of the new in-colour, Pretty In Pink? It's warmer than Bubble Bath but softer than Flirty Flamingo - I love it! I'll be introducing you to the other new in-colours this week, so keep an eye out for that! I'm also linking today's card up over at CAS on Friday where the theme is also 'Spring'.

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 hoping to spend a little time in the garden today and possibly get into my craft room to work on a few projects that I have on the go. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TWO-TONE FLORA DIES (18.50)	TWO-TONE FLORA PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (15.40)	DAINTY DELIGHT CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (12.00)	NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	LEMON LIME TWIST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	MELON MAMBO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)