I've been working lots with the honey bee bundle lately as it's one of the sets that will feature at my luxury residential craft retreat this weekend and whilst it was out on my desk I made a quick card for the current theme challenge over at Addicted to CAS that also uses this great sketch from the Inkspire-Me team (they have an optional colour element too but I opted out):

I thought this bee would be a good thing to use for the code word of 'symmetry' since it is pretty symmetrical and the trio of bees as per the sketch further emphasises this I think - take a look:

No real explanation required on this one, other than I stamped and diecut three bees, added some yellow to them with my Daffodil Delight Blends markers and then finished with some clear Wink of Stella on their wings - which looks so sparkly in real life, but try as I might I could not capture in my photo. A simple sentiment and bee-inspired base and mat 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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Honey Bee Bundle (£38.50)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush (£7.50)	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)

As promised, today I have Sale-A-Bration news for you! I know how much you've all been enjoying the benefits of the Sale-A-Bration promotion; as if it couldn't get any better I just wanted to let you know that from today there are some new items being added to the selection of products that can be earned free, both with a £45 order and two stamp sets that can be yours with a purchase of £90 or more. You can click on the image below to download the flyer:

So what's new? There is the silver and rose-gold foiled Flowering Foils Specialty papers - you can check them out in this video here from the Stampin' Up! Home Office:

 Aren't they gorgeous? These papers are sure to be popular!

 There is a great masculine stamp set called 'Well Dressed', perfect for easy masculine projects:

There is some coloured and embossed vellum 'So Very Vellum' that is perfect for dressing up your projects:

Each of the above products can be yours FREE with a £45 product purchase.

In addition, there are two stamp sets that are available with a £90 spend. The first is a stamp that coordinates with the Label Me Fancy and Label Me Lovely punches called 'Tags in Bloom':

Finally, there is the 'Rise and Shine' stamp set that co-ordinates with the carryover Cup of Cheer Dies:

As with the other items in the Sale-A-Bration catalogue (with the exception of the Kerchief Card Kit which is now sold out), these items will be available from now until the end of the Sale-A-Bration period, 31st March whilst stocks last. You can see full details for each of the new product on the new Sale-A-Bration flyer via the link above and there will be more samples made with each of them over on my Facebook page today.

If you would like more information or to place an order, either go here to purchase from my online store (don't forget to add this month's hostess code C3HMK9CP) or click on the links below. Alternatively or you can email me or telephone me if you would prefer. Back shortly with a new creative project; until then, happy shopping!

Links to the new Sale-A-Bration items in the online store: 

Flowering Foils Specialty Designer Series Paper (£0.00)

Rise & Shine Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) (£0.00)

Well Dressed Cling Stamp Set (£0.00)

So Very Vellum Specialty Designer Series Paper (£0.00)

Tags In Bloom Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) (£0.00)

Happy Monday everyone! I need to have a productive week this week - my to-do list is long! - this week's post maybe a little short and sweet - so let's go!

I still had the 'Welcome Easter' stamp set out on my desk having made this card last week, so decided to use the colours over at Just Add Ink where I haven't managed to play along in a while (hello lovely JAI ladies!) and this week's CAS(E) This Sketch layout from the lovely Brian King and an altogether different look to create a sweet baby card - take a look:

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

I grabbed a piece of Pleased As Punch DSP for the pink check layer and added a horizontal piece with a stitched diecut border detail before anchoring with my bunny. I stamped him on Shimmery White cardstock in Smoky Slate, then used my aquapainter to colour him in, keeping the colours soft and muted and layered on a scalloped circle.

Now whilst I used the CAS(E) This Sketch layout, I may well get thrown out with this card as I broke my own clean and simple rule here - not only did I add a sprinkle of adhesive-backed sequins, but I also tied the Soft Sea Foam panel with a piece of Whisper White crinkle seam binding ribbon! In my defence, this ribbon is so soft and lightweight, it squishes to nothing (good for cards that need to be mailed!) and I kind of figured since it was a new baby card, a little embellishment makes it special. Not much of a defence to Brian and the CTS design team - if it helps, I used this sketch for another card that I'm going to share later in the week that is perfectly CAS in everyway, as Mary Poppins would say. 

So what do you think - is that little guy sweet or what?! He reminds me of Thumper from the Disney classic 'Bambi', (another Disney reference - not that I'm counting down to a special vacation to the happiest place on earth or anything...) but I digress...! 

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 some exciting Sale-A-Bration news so do come back to find out more. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Welcome Easter Cling Stamp Set (English) (£19.00)	Pleased As Punch Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Petal Pink A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Soft Sea Foam A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)
Petal Pink Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Layering Circles Dies (£33.00)	Stitched Be Mine Dies (£33.00)	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock (£9.25)
Aqua Painters (£16.00)	Whisper White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon (£7.00)	Basic Adhesive-Backed Sequins (£6.50)

Today it's Sunday and it's also the first of March - happy St David's Day to all my fellow Welsh men and women! It's time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the wonderful Anne Marie to host this week and she has a theme challenge for you to work with:

 I am in a bit of a clean and simple card making groove of late - and today I have another CAS creation for you. I decided to take this week's sketch over at CAS Colours & Sketches and make another Easter card - take a look:

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

Turn Up The Heat - Do you remember the first time you practised heat embossing? It's one of those techniques that is always a real 'wow' as you turn on your heat gun and see the powder turn into molten metallic magic on your stamped image. It adds such a great shine to projects and a raised edge that makes it easy to colour inside too. If you look at the close up photo below you can see the dimension and shine that it adds:

My top tip for a neat effect and minimal splatter when heat embossing is to always rub your cardstock with an embossing buddy before you stamp your image in Versamark and sprinkle with your embossing powder; this will keep the powder where you want it and not cause it to stick in areas where it isn't required.

Crocus Colours - The colour scheme on today's card is inspired by the most common traditional crocus colours: a warm honey yellow, bright purple and pale yellow. I used a Highland Heather base - I embossed the front using my Subtles Embossing Folder - and coloured my flowers using Highland Heather, Mango Melody and So Saffron Stampin' Blends markers to compliment my gold heat embossing.

Easter Promise - The stamp set I used today is called 'Easter Promise' and has both sentiments and these gorgeous crocus flowers that are perfect for celebrating Easter. I heat embossed the trio of crocus and then used my largest Stitched Circle Die to create a partial diecut around them (that's the 'hat' shape on the sketch!) and I then heat embossed my sentiment and fussy cut it so that I could position it where I wanted it. I also decorated the envelope front and back and the inside of my card and continued with the heat embossing and colouring theme:

For a CAS card it took a little while with all of the heat embossing and colouring, but it was so worth it - this card is so, so pretty! 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 will be spending the day at home escaping the winds and rain and hoping to get some quality time in my craft room in between catching up on household chores and making sure the youngest of the James Juniors is prepared for this week's mock Common Entrance examinations - not much then!  I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Easter Promise Cling Stamp Set (English) (£18.00)	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder (£9.25)	Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)
Highland Heather A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Highland Heather Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Mango Melody Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	So Saffron Stampin' Blends Combo Pack (£8.50)	Pumpkin Pie Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Granny Apple Green Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)
Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Glitter Enamel Dots (£6.50)

As I type my post it's miserable and raining outside so I'm glad to have something bright and cheery to share with you! Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a cheery colour challenge from the lovely LeAnne:

I used Jen B's current sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches for my layout and decided LeAnne's colours would be perfect for a sweet Easter chick - take a look:

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

A Colour Confession - I feel I need to confess upfront as the eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted I used Daffodil Delight in place of the Mango Melody that LeAnne chose on today's card. This was a genuine oversight on my part (lots on at the moment and having designed my card on the move just grabbed for the wrong supplies!) I didn't have time to remake, which is a shame as I'm sure my cute chick would look equally warm and fluffy in Mango Melody, but I'm hoping you will all forgive me. It does give me an opportunity to point out though that if you are ever put off participating in colour challenges because you don't have the 'correct' colour to hand, most of them - and certainly those for As You See It and The Paper Players which I design for - are perfectly ok for you to substitute with the nearest colour in your stash, whatever the brand. I actually used only the smallest drop of Grapefruit Grove - for my chick's beak and legs - and the same for Poppy Parade - for his comb and also to accent my banner with some gorgeous (retired) Poppy Parade mini striped ribbon. 

Welcome Easter - The star of my card today is the super-cute Easter chick. He features in the 'Welcome Easter' stamp set in the Spring mini catalogue and is perfect for some quick colouring. The set also features a sweet lamb and cute bunny (keep an eye out for him in another post over the next few days, as he will be making an appearance!) along with some Easter/baby sentiments and a few smaller stamps, a couple of which I used to add a little decoration to the inside of my card:

How cute is that?!

Gingham Gorgeousness - Lastly, I embossed my cardfront with my Subtle Embossing Folder for some light texture and interest and used a piece of gingham to make a quick banner using my Triple Banner Punch (so useful!) out of the now retired Gingham Gala DSP. This paper was a deliberate choice, as I wanted to incorporate a little more white into my card. I've linked to the Brights DSP pack below though as the gingham pattern it contains is a good match that is readily available. There is definitely something about colourful gingham that makes me feel like Spring - does it give you that feeling 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. 

Before you put your creative thinking caps on, why not check out the blogs of the other As You See It team members:

Amy Jasper

Heather Cooper

Jan Clothier

Jane Knudsen

LeAnne Pugliese

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.

We look forward to seeing your creations in the AYSI gallery.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Welcome Easter Cling Stamp Set (English) (£19.00)	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder (£9.25)	Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper (£10.75)	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)
Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Pumpkin Pie Light Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Banner Triple Punch (£22.00)

Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by the current challenge over at Fusion:

I love the sketch but was also unusually (for me) inspired by the photo and all those neutrals as well this week. It's also a great opportunity to link up with the gals over at Retro Rubber too as their theme is 'anything goes' and I am giving an old stamp set some love - take a look at what I came up with:

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

I used a whole bunch of retired product on today's card; I still had these neutral 'Go Wild' designer papers left out on my desk from my card yesterday, and thought they would make a great background for my shelf of knick-knacks. I used two contrasting papers with the same design and split the mats to compliment each one. I like the contrast, but it does give this card something of a 'magic eye' effect I think! I used my retired 'Bookcase Builder' stamp set for my shelf with a mixture of various bits and pieces (this set dates back to the Spring 2017 seasonal catalogue), keeping in with the neutral colour scheme. I decided to leave off a sentiment as my cardfront was busy enough and I will probably use this card as a notecard to write a letter in, so it is ok without. 

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 for this week's new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Current Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Stitched Rectangle Dies (£33.00)

Neutrals A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

Neutrals Classic Stampin' Pad Assortment (£63.00)

Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)

Today I'm sharing a couple of different notecards using the fun Witty-cisms stamp set. The first one was inspired by Laurel's fun cactus photo over at Inspired by this week:

The Witty-cisms stamp set appeals both to my sense of humour (who can resist a good pun?!) and my love for colouring, so I paired the fun cactus stamp with some retired DSP and a Crumb Cake note card to incorporate those graphic patterns and neutrals to come up with this quick and easy notecard:

I used my old faithful Stitched Shapes dies to cut out the square and my new Stitched So Sweetly dies for the stitched scallop background, but otherwise this was super quick and easy to create - just a quick stamp and colour with my Stampin' Blends. I like that it isn't too fussy - I will be using this one to tuck into Master James' school bag next week to wish him luck for his Common Entrance mock examinations next week - I think it is suitably masculine for a now discerning almost-teenager to wish him luck without causing embarrassment!

I decided to use another stamp in this set and the same layout to create some thank you notelets to pop into my customers' order bags this month - here's that card too:

This layout would work with pretty much any of the stamps in this set and is perfectly sized for our ready-made notelet packs. I made a whole bunch of these in one sitting:

This is such a useful stamp set for this quick style of card - you could even use it directly onto a notelet for a super simple one-layer card, #SimpleStamping at it's best!

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. 

Enjoy your day; did you enjoy your pancakes yesterday? Today young Master James and I will be starting the day at school's Ash Wednesday service and this afternoon Ben will be playing in a hockey match - well, someone needs to work off all that sugar, right?! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Witty-Cisms Cling Stamp Set (£20.00)	Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes (£6.50)	Stitched Shapes Dies (£28.00)	Stitched So Sweetly Dies (£30.00)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£9.00)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)
Call Me Clover Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Real Red Combo Pack Stampin' Blends (£8.50)	Real Red A4 Cardstock (£8.25)

Today I'm sharing a card that uses both the CAS(E) This Sketch layout and the theme over at Time Out this week:

I have a combination of old and new for my card today! I've been desperately trying to increase my stash of on-hand birthday cards and use up some of my stash of retired designer series paper so the above challenges gave me the perfect opportunity - take a look:

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

So Sentimental - I used the 'This calls for confetti!' stamp from the new 'So Sentimental' stamp set as the starting point for today's card, picking up on the theme over at Time Out and paired this with some retired Picture Perfect Party DSP that has a fun scattered confetti photographic print for a fun birthday party vibe - which just so happened to perfectly fit the CAS(E) This Sketch layout too.

Label Me Fancy - I heat embossed my sentiment into silver onto some Pool Party cardstock and punched it out with the new Label Me Fancy punch, and backed it with one in a contrasting colour that I'd split in half so that you can just see a border. I added a tiny piece of retired ribbon from my scrapbox for a little extra detail (this ribbon is currently available on the Clearance Rack if you would like to stock up on a ribbon bargain!). 

Sending You Thoughts - I used the Sale-A-Bration free stamp set, Sending You Thoughts, for the inside of my card, along with a little sprinkle of stamped confetti to finish off my celebratory card:

I also added the offcut of my DSP to the envelope flap for a little extra envelope decoration. So a super simple card that meant I could run off a few to add to my stash of birthday cards for when the James Juniors need one for a friend in a hurry!

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. 

So it's Shrove Tuesday today - hands up who's having pancakes for dinner this evening? I have been badgered all the way to school today to make some this evening - but just to whet your appetite, here are some American-style ones I had for brunch at the weekend - can you spot the 'hidden Mickey' (or Minnie, with the bacon bow!) - fellow Disney fans, this one is for you!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Label Me Fancy Punch (£17.00)	So Sentimental Cling Stamp Set (English) (£20.00)	Sending You Thoughts Cling Stamp Set (English) (£0.00)	Pool Party A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)
Versamark Pad (£8.75)	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)	Berry Burst 3/8" (1 Cm) Metallic-Edge Ribbon (£2.60)

Happy Monday everyone! The kiddos are back to school so I'm hoping for a productive crafting week! Today I'm sharing the other card that I made using this week's Paper Players sketch (you can see my design team post from yesterday here if you missed it) that was inspired by the spring colours over at CAS Colours and Sketches this week:

I bought my first bunches of daffodils last week and have been busy working with Spring flowers in my craft room for the last few days in readiness for my upcoming Spring Weekend Craft Retreat; it's pouring down with rain here in the UK again and I am so keen to see an end to Winter now! I'm ready to welcome Spring and these colours were perfect to bring a little more seasonal colour my way - take a look:

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

I stamped this stem of daffodils from the retired set 'You're Inspired' stamp set and coloured them with my Stampin' Blends and then created another colour blocked background using the three challenge colours and my stitched rectangle dies to sit behind it. These kinds of backgrounds are easy to create - my top tip would be to cut your three strips of coloured cardstock and adhere them to a piece of Whisper White cardstock before running through the diecutting machine; this keeps them perfectly aligned and in one piece. I added a heat embossed sentiment and some twine to my stamped layer to complete my card.

Daffodils are one of my favourite flowers; I love their sunny colour combinations and they are so cheery when the weather outside is anything but!

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; I'll be spending mine escaping from the weather and instead being brightened up with the colours of my craft supplies! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Grapefruit Grove A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)	Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)
Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack (£8.50)	Whisper White Solid Baker's Twine (£3.25)	Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)	Versamark Pad (£8.75)	White Stampin' Emboss Powder (£5.50)

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

I struggled a little with this week's sketch - I think it was because there were so many things I wanted to do with that central panel! In the end I decided to make a couple of cards. Here's the first one - using blue, green and a friendship sentiment from the current Festive Friday inspo list - featuring one of my favourite sets from the current Spring catalogue - take a look:

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

Beautiful Moments is one of my favourite new stamp sets! I am so pleased to be able to add this one to my collection that feature other images drawn by the same artist; this set was inspired by $1million Sales Achiever Jacque Williams and contains three separate images of girls of varying ages. I think they are so beautiful. I kept things simple by stamping my image onto Shimmery White paper and colouring with my aquapainter and then created a colour-block background using the three main colours of my main image. I actually made this card to send to a friend of mine who's been having a tough time of it recently - I added one of the other sentiments from the inside as a perfect reminder that she is cherished:

I can't wait to make more cards using the other images in this set, so watch this space! I'll update my post later with the second card that I made with this week's sketch. 

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 have a busy day today with one of the James Juniors playing hockey this afternoon and the other spending all day on the indoor ski slopes  learning to ski in advance of a school trip to Italy in a couple of months time. So I'm expecting two tired children for dinner this evening! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Beautiful Moments Cling Stamp Set (£21.00)	Stitched Rectangle Dies (£33.00)	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock (£9.25)	Seaside Spray A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Seaside Spray Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Pretty Peacock A4 Cardstock (£8.25)
Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad (£7.00)	Old Olive A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad (£9.25)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.75)