Happy Valentine's lovely readers! It seems only right that I should share a Valentine's card today; actually I made this card to send to the DH to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which is next week, but it would work for either. I made my card with a couple of challenges in mind:

Inkspirational have a word prompt of 'heart' and the theme over at Inspire.Create is 'All About Love'. I went for a relatively clean and simple card with lots of fun details that focuses on the sentiment - take a look:

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

The sentiment comes from the 'Just My Type' stamp set and I found a tiny vintage key trinket in my embellishment stash that I thought paired with it perfectly. A Bee Builder Punch heart and a selection of designer paper snippets, diecuts and gems complete my card:

Pretty yet not overly feminine - I really like the finished result and hope that the Hubby will 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. 

I have enjoyed a pleasant Valentine's dinner with the youngest of the James Juniors, catching up on the events of the day, the highlight of which was a hockey 2nd XI win, which is always worth celebrating! I'll be back on Friday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JUST MY TYPE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BANNERS PICK A PUNCH (26.00)	EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)	BEE BUILDER PUNCH (21.00)	SCALLOPED CONTOURS DIES (33.00)

Happy Galentine's Day everyone! It has been so wet and miserable here in the UK today - thank heavens for the opportunity to escape to my craft room! Today I'm sharing a card made with tomorrow - Valentine's Day - in mind that combines a few current challenges:

Here's my clean and simple Valentine's card:

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

Today's card is all heart - perfect for the challenge over at Addicted to CAS. I took my favourite trio of reds and pinks (Real Red, Sweet Sorbet and Flirty Flamingo) for the challenge over at Color Hues and used the sketch layout over at Sunday Stamps to create a trio of oversize hearts. I paired them with an oversize sentiment from the Love For You Dies and a stamped 'For You' from a retired set:

A trio of sparkly enamel dots complete my card. I'm also linking my Valentine up over at CAS on Friday as that's their theme this week 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. 

That's all from me; I have a late pickup this evening as the youngest of the James Juniors has been taking part in the House Singing Competition at school. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

LOVE FOR YOU DIES (ENGLISH) (30.00)

SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

Today I'm sharing a quick clean and simple card that I made yesterday using this week's Color Throwdown colours and the current AAA Cards sketch:

My card showcases a couple of Sale-A-Bration freebies that I've yet to share - take a look:

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

 I thought these colours were perfect of a bright blue sky with a tree and tropical leaves, home to this adorable sloth. I used a stencil and a blending brush to add my sky and clouds, stamped and coloured my sloth with my Stampin' Blends, then diecut the tree and leaves with the Jungle Pals Dies and fussy cut the sloth as I didn't want a white border. Isn't he cute?!

A simple sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set completes my card. The Jungle Pals stamp set is free with a £45 purchase and has lots of fun jungle animals - perfect for children's cards. The Jungle Pals Dies are free with a £90 purchase and not only do they cut out the animals, there is a great tree, leaves and vines 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. 

Sloths are very on-trend so this card will be sent to the oldest of the James Juniors at university in the hope that it will be well-received!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	GRAY GRANITE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	PECAN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

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 a pretty colour challenge for us to work with:

I love this colour combo! I used Jen M's great layout over at Freshly Made Sketches for my card and set to work to create another card using my Gorgeous Garden Dies - take a look:

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

Gorgeous Garden Dies - I would usually use this type of layout to create a popped-up panel, but I decided instead to create a frame to highlight just part of the floral Gorgeous Garden Die. I layered up my die as I've done on previous cards and added a few additional flowers and leaves to highlight the pinks. This is quite a neat way to use only part of the die; depending on the size of the aperture you use, you can get two cards out of one Gorgeous Garden panel too.

Did Someone Say FREE? - Love the Gorgeous Garden Dies? Today's post is a great opportunity to remind you that they feature in one of the current 'Join In With Joanne and Jan' tutorials that I have designed in collaboration with my good friend Jan Clothier:

This tutorial features 4 main projects with a couple of extras thrown in too featuring a range of techniques and of course the Gorgeous Garden Dies. The projects that feature in the tutorial are exclusive to the tutorial itself and you won't find them on our blogs or anywhere else. How can you get it? Well, if you purchase the Gorgeous Garden Dies from either Jan or myself, then the tutorial with photos and full detailed instructions will be yours FREE - it's as simple as that. 

Season Of Chic - The sentiment on my card is from the 'Seasons of Chic' stamp set; I inked it in two stages using my stamping platform so that I could highlight the word 'amazing'. This technique works really well with this stamp set - you can see the detail more closely below:

So pretty, right? I made this card for someone special who has been achieving great things of late and I wanted to let her know how amazing I think she is, so I'll be popping it in the post today.

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'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

GORGEOUS GARDEN DIES (40.00)	SEASON OF CHIC PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (26.00)	PURPLE FINE SHIMMER GEMS (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

Today I have a nice early post for you as I'm guesting with the lovely team over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown this week! I won their December sketch challenge with this card so was delighted to be invited by Andreja to join them as a guest. This week it's colour week and they are inviting us to make cards using a blue and white colour combination:

For my card I used the current layout over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and grabbed some retired Storybook Gnomes designer series paper and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

My card started with that vertical panel of blue and white patterned paper - so pretty! I added a simple Balmy Blue banner then a sentiment from the retired stamp set 'Hug In A Mug' and a gnome that I diecut from another sheet of paper using my Gnomes Dies:

 I added a little extra detail on the inside - a sentiment from 'Gnome For The Holidays' and a partial toadstool house: 

Lots of little touches of blue for another Christmas card to add to my stash!  Thank you to the team over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for having me as their guest this week and for keeping me making Christmas cards throughout the year!

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

I haven't managed much in the way of crafty time this week (it's amazing how a car breakdown can take up hours of your time!) so today I'm sharing a clean and simple card yet one that still packs a punch! I used the current Sketch Saturday layout and a sentiment with this week's challenge over at Just Us Girls in mind:

I'm fully embracing red and hearts for a sweet Valentine's card full of love - take a look:

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

A simple layered panel, tied with twine and a focal sentiment pretty much sum up today's card. I'm loving the new Everyday Details Dies, one of which I used to diecut my sentiment label. The other two main elements - the heart patterned Most Adored designer series paper that I used for my panel and the sentiment from the 'Heartfelt Hellos' stamp set - are both items that you can choose FREE with a £45 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion: bonus! I added a single red resin heart below my stamped sentiment for a final tie in to that pretty paper:

This is the perfect sentiment for the person in your life who has one of those never-ending conversations "Love you". "Love you more." "No, love you more." and so on - you know the ones?! The youngest of the James Juniors often uses this as a bedtime-stalling tactic, even now he's in his teens. Clearly, it works!

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. 

You have until the end of February to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration, whilst supplies last - so time to get shopping! Enjoy your day; I'm off to do some shopping of a different kind (grocery shopping - apparently craft supplies don't make a nutritious dinner!) but I'll be back early tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)

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

I don't mind admitting, this trio of colours properly threw me for a loop! I couldn't get past the fact that they would make a great Pixar ball image and struggled to use them to make a card featuring anything else! I made a few discarded cards for today's challenge, before finally going uber-simple and paring my card back to the basics - take a look: 

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

A simple red frame, a panel cut with one of the Everyday Details Dies for a little border interest, and a sentiment from the Thoughtful Moments hybrid embossing folder and die set. A diecut rainbow from the same set for a final pop of colour completes my card. There are some great little dies in this set in addition to those that cut out the embossed sentiments that are perfect for clean and simple cards or an extra embellishment. I decided to go with an all-white sentiment with no colour outline:

A little unusual, but I actually quite like it! 

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:

THOUGHTFUL MOMENTS HYBRID EMBOSSING FOLDER (ENGLISH) (36.00)

EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

CRUSHED CURRY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

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 timely theme challenge for us to work with:

This week it's theme week and since February is here and Valentine's Day is around the corner, I chose the theme of 'Love'. Your card doesn't have to be a Valentine's card - it could be for a wedding anniversary or simply to say 'I love you', but should be made with a loved one in mind. I almost went with a pink and red heart-filled creation, but more of that later in the week! For today I wanted to make a bright and colourful Valentine's card featuring those cheerful bees and the Bee Mine suite - I just can't get enough of them! I used the sketch over at Try A Sketch On Tuesday for my layout and this is what I came up with:

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

Bee Mine - I cut three panels of Bee Mine designer series paper and mounted them onto Sweet Sorbet cardstock before adding to my Lemon Lime Twist cardbase. In hindsight I should have made them shorter and positioned them higher to be more faithful to the TSOT sketch, but I was so keen to show off as much of the pattern as possible I overlooked that detail when I adhered them to my card and positioned them more centrally. Hopefully the ladies over there will forgive me ;-)

Bee My Valentine - I anchored my sentiment from the 'Bee My Valentine' stamp set with a bee, stamped from the same set and punched out with the Bee Builder Punch. This punch really is so versatile; it will punch the bee's body and wings, but also has a small heart that can be used as a heart or to punch out the bee's antennae. The wings double-up as larger heart too and the bee body could also work as a speech bubble - so many creative possibilities! I love a punch that has multiple uses!

Armed With A Tip - I made my bee in the likeness of one of the ones in the designer series paper pattern. I added a couple of dots of red to her cheeks and a pair of arms, to hold her fussy cut flower. And so to my tip! If you are not confident adding your arms freehand, you can use the negative space of the punched bee body as a stencil: simply place the rounded 'head' of the stencil onto the body and draw in the arms with a Stampin' Write marker. You're welcome! 

I'm also linking today's card up with my friends over at SUO Challenges where the theme is 'Valentine's Day'. This card is going to be my Valentine's card for the youngest of the James Juniors; not too girly, blue hearts and a punny sentiment - I think it might just be considered acceptable for a discerning teenager!

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'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BEE MY VALENTINE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (36.75)	BEE MINE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	ADHESIVE-BACKED HEARTS & FLOWERS (7.50)	LEMON LIME TWIST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PETAL PINK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	LEMON LIME TWIST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SWEET SORBET STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that uses the same products to create two different looks. I used the sketch layouts over at Tuesday Morning Sketches and Inspire.Create for each of my cards:

Both cards feature a sentiment 'Hooray For Surprises', a label cut with the Everyday Details Dies and designer series paper from the free Sale-A-Bration Flight & Airy pack. Here's the first card, with a blue colour scheme:

Here's the second card, with a pink colour scheme; I've also added some (retired) Garden Green ribbon and a bow to this version:

You know how much I love the Flight & Airy papers - no fussy cutting today though! The pattern detail of these papers lends them to be used on clean, uncluttered cards. The panel designs of both of the layouts are a great way to add interest. I love the diecut detail on the labels too:

These are great designs if you need to knock out multiples too. I'll be sending these to members of my team to celebrate their Stampin' Up! anniversaries - the inside of my cards reads 'you are simply amazing' - because they are. With Sale-A-Bration being a great time to join Stampin' Up!, there are always anniversaries to celebrate at this time of year!

Finally, here's a photo of both cards together:

Which design 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 '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:

HOORAY FOR SURPRISES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)	BOHO BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a 'fill in the blank' challenge chosen by my dear friend Jan:

Time to confess, crafty shoppers - what was the last thing you purchased? At first glance you might be thinking I'm pulling your leg today, as my card features the 'Sweet Songbirds' stamp set and co-ordinating punch, both of which I've had for ages and shared several times before. Look more closely though and you will see I paired them with my most recent craft purchase: the 'Hooray For Surprises' bundle - take a look:

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

Hooray For Surprises - The 'Hooray For Surprises' bundle is so fun! The dies create perforated edges with a tab that allow you to easily create your own interactive cards. Simply pull the tab to reveal the message inside! I've been creating with this bundle a lot in recent weeks as it features in the next 'Join In With Joanne and Jan' craft tutorial bundle that I create with the lovely Jan Clothier. There are so many different ways you can create with the stamp set and dies together in this bundle, but for my card today I wanted to use one of the dies to show that there are tons of possibilities when you combine them with other sets too. I used Jen T's fabulous sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week as my starting point (turned through 90 degrees) and paired the largest of the round circle tab dies with my pair of birds and nest for a fun gender reveal card.

Here's the card front with a close up of the tab before opening:

It's A ... - When the tab is removed, there is a message underneath that reveals whether or not the mummy and daddy bird parents are expecting a boy or a girl - check it out below:

Isn't that so fun?! I made two cards, showing both boy and girl inserts. Here's a close up of the baby girl version: 

 And here's the baby boy version:

I stamped the surprise greeting with a combination of sets: the 'It's a' is from a couple of the sets in the Sweet Songbirds set and the 'Baby Boy/Baby Girl' comes from a long-retired set called 'Itty Bitty Baby', but you could just as easily hand write your own message or type one on the computer. So what do you think? I think this would make a lovely card to announce an impending birth to soon-to-be grandparents, for example, but I'd love to hear your thoughts - why not 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. 

Remember if you purchase the 'Hooray For Surprises' bundle from either myself if you are in the UK or Europe or Jan if you are in New Zealand, then you will receive our tutorial featuring this set for FREE, along with access to our Private Facebook Group for more tips and tricks too. In addition, if you purchase before the end of February you will only be £1 away from a free Sale-A-Bration gift too!

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 Fill in the Blank challenge, complete the sentence in the Challenge Banner with the phrase that is true for you and create your project using the words you used. Tell us what you said in your blog or on your site.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HOORAY FOR SURPRISES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (44.00)	SWEET SONGBIRDS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (18.00)	SONGBIRD BUILDER PUNCH (21.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
TAHITIAN TIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PECAN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)