Today I'm sharing the first of the cards from my second of this month's technique class featuring the very on-trend Jar of Love stamp set and co-ordinating Everyday Jars Framelits Dies. Each of the ladies received the bundle and as always I was on a mission to use as wide a variety as possible of the stamps in this set to showcase its versatility.

This was the easiest cards of the three - a fun 'pop of pink' shaker card:

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

Pop of Pink - The colour scheme for my fun shaker is inspired by the Pop of Pink Suite of Products; I used some of the Pop of Pink washi tape to embellish with a little gold ribbon - here's the colours if you'd like to save them for inspiration too:

A Sweet Sentiment - This card uses one of the many sweet sentiments from the 'Jar of Love' stamp set and is perfect for the loveheart theme of my card. I added a Brights enamel heart too for added shine.

Confetti Fun - My confetti is a mix of Melon Mambo hearts, cut out with the little framelit in the Everyday Jars set, and the hearts in the metallic sequins assortment; I usually pick these out when I do other projects, so I had quite the collection for my shaker! 

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. 

The Jar of Love and Everyday Jars Framelits bundle is another of those that has just has so many creative possibilities! If you haven't bought yours yet, this month would be the perfect time to do so; if you purchase the bundle at £48.50 you will earn yourself a £4.50 money-off coupon any purchases next month too - bargain! Just click on the links below to hop on over to my online store to order yours today - and don't forget to add this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to get a little thank you in the post from me too.

I'll be back tomorrow with the second of the cards from my Jar of Love class; come back then, you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Jar Of Love Photopolymer Bundle	Pop Of Pink Designer Washi Tape	Gold 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Ribbon	Metallics Sequin Assortment	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Melon Mambo A4 Cardstock	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Brights Enamel Shapes	Handheld Stapler
Window Sheets

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the lovely Jaydee to host this week and she has a clean and simple challenge for us to play along with:

As I was working through trying to get my cards done before my impending vacation, I was grateful for Jaydee's choice of clean and simple theme this week - watercolouring. For my card this week I decided to use my new 'Bella and Friends' stamp set and create a truly 'clean and simple card. Take a look: 

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

Bella and Friends - Ok, so hands up who doesn't think this cute puppy dog set is adorable?! As my regular readers will know I am not really a pet person and so I don't have many of those kinds of stamps (read the trouble that got me into in this post earlier in the year!). With the retirement of my beloved 'Giggle Greetings', I needed an animal stamp - and the minute I saw this stamp set, I was in love! The cute puppy dog so reminds me of my brother-in-law's dog Ollie and he was the colour inspiration for my puppy today - a mix of Soft Suede and Delightful Dijon. This set is perfect for colouring, whether with an aquapainter or markers, and is also great for clean and simple cards. I like it so much, I may even be tempted to purchase the 'Pretty Kitty' cat equivalent too!

Have aquapainter, will watercolour - My favourite way to colour images like this is to use my aquapainters. I simply stamped the image in Stazon onto watercolour paper, and got right to it! I coloured the images then added a little Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi for the landscape and was done. This kind of card is good for the soul - whether it takes minutes or hours, I find colouring with my aquapainters wonderfully theraputic. How about you?

Clean and Simple - This card ticks all the boxes for a clean and simple card: minimal layers and embellishments, one simple focal image focused on one third of the card and easy to recreate - yay! 

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 reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

I look forward to seeing your clean and simple watercoloured creations this week. I'm off for another day of fun in the sun!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bella & Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Sets	Aqua Painters	Jet Black Stazon Pad	Watercolor Paper	Soft Sky A4 Cardstock
Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijion Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin' Pad	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad

Today I'm sharing the third and final card from my recent technique class featuring the Moroccan Suite of products. Each of the ladies received a share of the products in the suite - designer series papers, ribbon and twine as well as the Moroccan Nights stamp set and the aim was to create a trio of cards that showcased each of the elements.

This card is all about the paper and features a different way to showcase one of the wonderful patterns of the Moroccan Designer Series Paper - take a look:

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

Moroccan Tiles - The papers in this set contain some colourful traditional Moroccan-inspired mosaic patterns, some of which work for backgrounds and some which deserve to be a feature in their own right; the paper on this card today is, in my view, one such pattern. There is no stamping required, as the wonderful rustic colours of the paper do all the hard work for you. I didn't even include a sentiment on the front of my card, as I didn't want it to spoil the geometrical layout - there is plenty of space inside the card to stamp a sentiment of your choosing. 

It's Hip To Be Square - Having spent much time considering the patterns in the Moroccan Designer Series Paper pack, I finally decided today's paper was the one that I wanted to showcase in a feature frame. I made my frame by overlaying two of the square framelits from the Layered Square Framelits set; I used the framelits measuring and - this image shows you how I decided which ones would give me the aperture I needed:

Framelits are great for creating windows and apertures, in addition to the perfect square mat or layer. I simply centred mine onto my card front and cut them one at a time, cutting the square one first then overlaying the second one in an offset diamond shape. You can create a corner frame piece to help you line up your framelits and ensure they are perfectly central if you need to.

Medallion Centre - To finish my card I punched out a co-ordinating circle from the remainder of my paper (highlighted by the small square in the image above), backed it with another punched circle of Cajun Craze and mounted it on a dimensional with a twist of the Delightful Dijon 5/8" Mini Striped Ribbon and some metallic gold thread. 

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 hope you like this trio of cards using the Moroccan Suite of products. If you live in or around Northampton and would like to join me for some creative fun, you can check out my schedule of forthcoming classes here - I would love you to join me!

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with this week's card for our new challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Layering Squares Framelits Dies	Moroccan Designer Series Paper	Delightful Dijon 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Mini Striped Ribbon	Metallics Sequin Assortment	1" (2.5 Cm) Circle Punch
1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Circle Punch	Gold Metallic Thread	Delightful Dijon A4 Cardstock	Cajun Craze A4 Cardstock

Today I'm sharing the second of the cards from my recent technique class featuring the Moroccan Suite of products. Each of the ladies received a share of the products in the suite - designer series papers, ribbon and twine as well as the Moroccan Nights stamp set and the aim was to create a trio of cards that showcased each of the elements.

This card was about making the most of the large mosaic patterned stamp in the Moroccan Nights stamp set - take a look:

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

Moroccan Nights - The stamps in this set contain some traditional Moroccan-inspired mosaic patterns, including one large tile design. This stamp is quite large and may appear intimidating, however there are lot of ways this stamp can be used in your projects. For this card, I've gone with one of the simplest and created a tone-on-tone pattern behind my sentiment, that adds detail without obstruction and doesn't overwhelm the other elements of my card. We also stamped this pattern in Emerald Envy on the inside of the card liner and the front and rear flap of the co-ordinating envelope - no naked envelopes here!

A Jewel Of A Colour Combination - The colours for this card were drawn from the piece of Moroccan Designer Series Paper featured on this card - feel free to hover and save this colour combination if it's one that appeals to you too:

Mustard Gold - Lastly, the simple panels on this card allowed for a 'show bow' in one of my new favourite ribbons, the Delightful Dijon 5/8" Mini Striped Ribbon. As my regular readers will know, I'm not a huge fan of Delightful Dijon unless paired with the 'right' colours, however this ribbon looks more gold that mustard and I can see me buying it by the bucketload for use on all kinds of projects - it ties the most wonderful bows 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 tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Moroccan Nights Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Moroccan Designer Series Paper	Delightful Dijon 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Mini Striped Ribbon	Moroccan A4 Cardstock	Delightful Dijion Classic Stampin' Pad
Metallics Sequin Assortment	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	You've Got This Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Today it's time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a sketch for you:

For my card today I headed straight to my Little Foxy suite of products and decided on another card using the cute Foxy Friends set and co-ordinating Fox Builder Punch - I just couldn't resist!

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

My Foxy Friend - I know I could have made so many animals with my Foxy Friends stamp set, but the fox won me over again! I stamped him in Calypso Coral and punched all the pieces out separately (I punched the tail backwards, as I still wanted it on the left, although it would have been much easier to stamp and punch the right way around and stick it on the right!) and layered them onto my tree stump, which I cut out by hand.

Toadstools Galore - I chose another of the great patterns from the A Little Foxy DSP stack for my feature panel and used its colour scheme to dictate the mat layers and base colour of my card. I went with a square base as per the sketch in Smoky Slate and left it plain; on reflection I think it could use some texture as it is a rather large expanse of plain cardstock, but I am not unhappy with it! I also added a swathe of Pool Party Satin Ribbon beneath my fox as one of the horizontal banners; I love this satin ribbon and am so pleased we now have it in more colours.

Sunburst Sayings - I went with a simple birthday sentiment from the 'Sunburst Sayings' set, continued on the inside of my card with 'Happy Birthday to you', stamped in Archival Grey directly onto my card base. Nothing too fussy as I think this card would work well as either a male or female card, so wanted to keep it neutral.

The Foxy Friends bundle just has so many creative possibilities! If you haven't bought yours yet, this month would be the perfect time to do so; if you purchase the bundle and a pack of the 'A Little Foxy' Designer Series Paper Stack together you will have spent £45 and so you will earn yourself a £4.50 money-off coupon any purchases next month too - bargain! Just click on the links below to hop on over to my online store to order yours today - and don't forget to add this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to get a little thank you in the post from me 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. 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's sketch; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Foxy Friends Photopolymer Bundle	A Little Foxy Designer Series Paper Stack	A Little Foxy A4 Cardstock	Pool Party 3/8" (1 Cm) Stitched Satin Ribbon	Whisper White A4 Cardstock
Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad	Sunburst Sayings Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Today I'm sharing the first of the cards from my recent technique class featuring the Moroccan Suite of products. Each of the ladies received a share of the products in the suite - designer series papers, ribbon and twine as well as the Moroccan Nights stamp set and the aim was to create a trio of cards that showcased each of the elements.

My first card was a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) of one of the samples on page 66 of the annual catalogue - take a look:

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

Lantern Trio - The trio of lanterns on the die cut circle are each from the Moroccan Nights stamp set. The intricate detail on each of the stamps means that they don't need any special treatment - they can just be stamped in a single colour and are really effective, individually or when clustered as they are here. I stamped the outer two lanterns first, then the middle one last - this ensures even spacing and that you fit them all onto your diecut circle.

Moroccan Mosaic - The Moroccan Designer Series Paper has a wonderful collection of traditional Moroccan patterns, both in terms of colour and mosaic style - they are very reminiscent of the patterns I saw when I visited Marrakesh a few years ago. They work well both as background papers and as a feature in themselves. This card uses a full size piece with a neutral pattern for the card base and a panel in a bright blue diamond design on the centre of the card.

Washi Tape Wonder - One of the things I love about this card is the way it uses washi tape to add additional dimension to the paper pattern. Blue Moroccan Designer Washi Tape has been wrapped around the top third of the blue-patterned DSP panel to add yet more pattern and interest. My customers are always asking me for suggestions as to how they can use their washi tape and this idea works well where the products are part of a co-ordinating suite.

The addition of some gold metallic foil doily, Delightful Dijon mini striped ribbon and Emerald Envy twine completes this 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 my card for this week's challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Moroccan Nights Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Moroccan Designer Series Paper	Moroccan Designer Washi Tape	Delightful Dijon 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Mini Striped Ribbon	Emerald Envy Solid Baker's Twine
Moroccan A4 Cardstock	Metallic Foil Doilies	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijion Classic Stampin' Pad
Confetti Celebration Clear-Mount Stamp Set

I've been enjoying a nice couple of days of rest and relaxation but today am back to it from my sun lounger! I have a nice and easy Foxy Friends card for you, featuring the cute fox! Take a look:

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

Take One Fox - I stamped the fox in Calypso Coral directly onto a circle of Whisper White, then stamped his head again onto a piece of scrap paper, punched it out and popped it over the main image on dimensionals. 

Spots and Chevrons - I paired the fox with a couple of pieces of patterned paper: the chevron pattern is from the A Little Foxy DSP Stack and the polka dot banner from the Subtles stack (my paper is actually the old design as I was using up some of my stash, but there is an almost identical pattern in the current Subtles DSP stack - the dots are just slightly bigger).

Add A Happy Hello - I finished my card with a sentiment from one of my 'go to' sentiment sets, Tin of Cards, stamped in Archival Black. I love the sentiments in this set - the font seems to go with everything and they are a great size for most cards.

I also added a piece of retired Basic Grey stitched ribbon, as this was all that I had to hand when I made this card; the new Smoky Slate stitched Ribbon would work beautifully for this card though - I've included the link for this in the supplies table below.

This is the card that I made at my last Coffee and Card session at Bell of Northampton before we broke up for the summer and this little chap proved very popular. The Foxy Friends bundle just has so many creative possibilities! If you haven't bought yours yet, this month would be the perfect time to do so; if you purchase the bundle and a pack of the 'A Little Foxy' Designer Series Paper Stack together you will have spent £45 and so you will earn yourself a £4.50 money-off coupon any purchases next month too - bargain! Just click on the links below to hop on over to my online store to order yours today - and don't forget to add this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to get a little thank you in the post from me 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. 

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Foxy Friends Photopolymer Bundle	A Little Foxy Designer Series Paper Stack	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad
Layering Circle Framelits Dies	Smoky Slate 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Stitched Ribbon	Pool Party A4 Cardstock	Tin Of Cards Photopolymer Stamp Set

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of our fearless leader the awesome Nance to host this week and she has a colour challenge for us to play along with:

For my card this week I decided to use this week's Freshly Made Sketches sketch and took my inspiration from the Blooms and Bliss suite to create my card today:

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

Blooms and Bliss Colour Combo - The trio of colours chosen by Nance for today's challenge all appear in the Blooms and Bliss Suite and in particular the designer series paper of the same name, so I was drawn here for the starting point for today's card. Having ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the whimsical floral patterned papers, I eventually settled upon this rather bold, mostly Island Indigo, patterned paper for the base of my card. This pattern is great for a background as it doesn't interfere with the detail of the focal image and the watercolour-like flecking adds a softness to this otherwise strong colour.

Blooms and Wishes - I decided to create a randomly stamped floral panel as the focal point for my card, featuring each of the challenge colours and using the co-ordinating Blooms & Wishes stamp set to create an almost watercoloured effect. I used a combination of both first and second generation stamping for each of the colours to add depth and overlapped the flowers slightly too. This is the only place where there is any Sweet Sugarplum on my card, yet it performs an important role: without it the card would be perfectly co-ordinated, but rather flat. The addition of the warm lilac tones prevents this card from being too 'cold' and clinical I think. I finished with my sentiment stamped in Island Indigo onto Mint Macaron cardstock, for an additional burst of strong colour.

A Simple Oval - I don't use ovals all that often on my cards, but since the sketch asked for one here I thought I would follow it literally and do think it makes a pleasant change from squares or circles and is the perfect shape for my florals. I left it frameless to enable the white to really stand out against the background and added nothing more than a few pearls for a subtle embellishment. 

The Blooms and Bliss suite is such a pretty set of co-ordinating products, with plenty of scope for artistic expression.

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 reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

I look forward to seeing what you create with Nance's colour combination this week.

I am looking forward to a day of rest and relaxation in the sun today and some quality family time. Back in the next day or so with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Blooms & Wishes Photopolymer Stamps	Blooms & Bliss Designer Series Paper	Pearl Basic Jewels	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock
Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad	Island Indigo A4 Cardstock	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad

This is my second post for today; you can see my earlier post with my card for this week's Connie and Mary challenge here. Today I have exciting news of a Stampin' Up! promotion that is due to run for the rest of July - Bonus Days! 

Did you get everything you want from the new annual catalogue yet? Since it came out only a month ago, you probably still have some items on your wish list, and I have some great news for you! For every £45.00 you spend between today, 7 July and 31 July (before delivery), you’ll get a £4.50 Bonus Days coupon that you can use between 2 and 31 August . Since our new annual catalogue has only been out a month ago, you will probably still have some items on your wish list and this is a great opportunity to shop from it, whether you buy your favourite products now or later in August with your coupons!

There are some details in terms of small print that you need to take note of, as follows: 

• Promotion period: 7–31 July 2016 
• Redemption period: 2–31 August 2016 
• An email address is required to participate in this promotion; Bonus Days coupon codes can only be delivered via email.
• It is strongly recommended that you both save emails containing their Bonus Days coupon codes AND write down the coupon codes in a safe place. Codes cannot be resent if the email is lost, and lost codes cannot be recovered.
• Bonus Days coupon codes can be redeemed for any product, excluding Starter Kits.
• There is no limit to the number of coupons you can receive per order or throughout the duration of the promotion.
• There is no limit on the number of coupons you can use on an order during redemption.

I'm so excited about this promotion - it really is the first of its kind, as Stampin' Up! has never offered money-off coupons before. Furthermore, there is also going to be a new exclusive bundle for sale from 2 August until 31 August called Thoughtful Branches, so you could get this limited-time product and use your coupons to get a great deal!

Don't forget if you are placing an order online to also include this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to receive a free thank you gift from me too!

Here is a sneak peak of the exclusive bundle available from 2nd August - you can choose to spend your coupon on this bundle or any other items of your choice!

That's all from me today; happy shopping, knowing that get a spending spree next month too!

Today it's time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a colour combination for you:

I initially was drawn to the lovely Fruit Stand designer series paper to make today's card, but when I'd finished my card decided it didn't have enough Cucumber Crush so decided to take a different approach. I will share my Fruit Stand card another day, but for now this is the card I came up with:

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

Swirly Bird Scribble Flowers - I've been longing to use my Swirly Bird stamp set and co-ordinating Swirly Scribbles Framelits to create a modern floral card and today's bright and fresh colour combination provided the perfect opportunity. I stamped the bases in Peekaboo Peach and used the Scribbles in Tangerine Tango for a real pop of juicy colour. The Cucumber Crush provides wonderfully bright leaves and I added a few enamel dots too here and there.

Playful Palette Border - The hatched pattern from the Playful Palette DSP stack comes in both pink and Peekabooo Peach and it provided the perfect border for my card. I added a strip of Customer Crush to the stamped panel too for definition and contrast.

Thank You Tin of Cards - The sentiments in the 'Tin of Cards' stamp set are some of my 'go to' sentiments, I love the size and style of the scripting so much. Thank you Stampin' Up! for keeping this set, even though the Tin of Cards kit has had a refresh and makeover and now has a new set that co-ordinates with 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. 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's colours; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: