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:

The eagle-eyed amongst you might recognise this layout - I actually based it on the Berry Burst card that features the Cheerful Daisies bundle on the front page of the Stampin' up! catalogue. I love layers, so this card layout was right up my street. No Cheerful Daisies today though - instead I'm featuring the Gorgeously Made bundle. Take a look:

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

I used a Night of Navy base, with a tone-on-tone embossed layer featuring the hatch design that is one of the online exclusive embossing folders. Then I added a bright, floral piece of Masterfully Made designer series paper, that I had cut top and bottom using the edge dies in the Gorgeously Made bundle - how beautiful is this paper?! I added a vellum circle to allow the paper to show through, before diecutting two pieces of foliage that highlight two of the colours in the designer paper and adding a sentiment from the bundle using the label die:

I added a (retired) flower embellishment and a couple of sparkly enamel dots to complete my card. I just love the bright colours on this card; I kind of wish I had cut the label shorter and left off the flower embellishment, but hey ho - next time!

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 returned from a two-week vacation yesterday so I am feeling rested, relaxed - and ready to hit the hockey pitch today! I am driving the eldest of the James Juniors to Nottingham today for an umpiring training day, so am hoping at least that it will be dry, if not as warm and sunny as I've been used to! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

GORGEOUSLY MADE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (47.50)	MASTERFULLY MADE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	BASICS 3D EMBOSSING FOLDERS (28.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	TINSEL GEMS THREE-PACK (7.00)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'International Beer Day' which is on August 4th. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. I don't have any current product that fits with this theme, so I delved into my box of retired dies as I knew I had a combination that work perfectly. I used gold, acetate, cheers sentiment and bubbles and this is what I came up with:

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

I went with a simple congratulations card that would be perfect for lots of celebrations and using my retired Sip and Celebrate Dies to diecut a couple of champagne glasses from a panel of basic white thick cardstock. I backed them with acetate, then fussy cut two pieces of distressed gold paper to look like champagne and diecut some bubbles out of them before glueing to my acetate glasses. I then added this panel to my white cardbase, before adding my diecut Cheers! sentiment cut form gold foil over the top:

Simple yet elegant, I think you'll agree - I think I'll add this to my engagement card pile!

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. 

How does our board inspire you? I can’t wait to see what YOU create! For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

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 (8.50)

GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)

DISTRESSED GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (4.75)

WINDOW SHEETS (4.75)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and our leader, the lovely Felicita, is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went down the first column with Friendship/Any Colour/Any Shape Die and actually made two cards today, the fist one of which is for our challenge - take a look:

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

Floating Frame - I haven't made a floating frame card in ages and I thought the new Cheerful Daisies bundle, with lots of differently shaped and sized pieces, would be perfect to showcase this technique. I decide to make two square cards (more on that in a moment) and stamped lots of daisies and leaves in my chosen colours, before diecutting and laying out on my craft mat to a cover a space slightly larger than my 6" card front. When I was happy that the whole area was covered with no large gaps, I adhered a sheet of Press 'n' Seal over them and ran through my diecutting machine with the largest of the square Stylish Shapes Dies, to cut out my central square. I set this to one side, then flipped over my frame and added dimensionals to each of the pieces, before flipping back over, centering and adhering to my cardfront. Once all elements were stuck down, I removed the Press 'n' Seal and trimmed any pieces that were overhanging the edge. I then added my heat-embossed sentiment and a single enamel dot to the square inside the frame I created to finish:

Isn't that something?! I love the effect of this technique. 

Sentiment Style - I still had my central square so I made a second card, this time using Bubble Bath cardstock as my card base. Here's that finished card: 

I followed the same process, adding dimensionals to the reverse and centering the square panel before removing the Press 'n' Seal. This time, I decided to make a feature of another of the sentiments in the Cheerful Daisies set and repeat it four times along each edge of my square panel - I really like this effect. If you look closely at the close up below, you can also see the stitched detail of the square die around the edges of the diecut pieces too:

So what do you think? Do you like this style of card - is it something you've tried, either with this set or others? If you do a search on my blog you will find several other examples where I've used this technique. Do let me know what sets you've used - I'd love to know in the comments 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 Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

Another reminder too that for more great ideas on how to make the most of the Cheerful Daisies bundle, if you purchase it from me before the end of the month (or place an order of equivalent value) you will receive a copy of the tutorial I've created with my friend Jan Clothier and access to our private Facebook group.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

CHEERFUL DAISIES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (50.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	MOODY MAUVE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	COPPER CLAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
WILD WHEAT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	MOODY MAUVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CAJUN CRAZE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BUBBLE BATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)
2023–2025 IN COLOR™ DOTS (7.50)

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

Are you ready? The biggest stamp sale of the year is today - 19th July! It’ll only last for 24 hours, so you will need to act fast to grab the goods. It actually started at 11pm yesterday evening here in the UK. 

For 24 hours from 18 July at 11:00 p.m. to 19 July 10:50 p.m. (UK) online, each of the stamp sets from the 2023–2024 Annual Catalogue will be available for purchase at a 15% discount (excluding host sets).

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

The discount applies to individual stamp sets (not bundles) and can also be used in conjunction with a starter kit and the current Bonus Days promotion - what a great way to get more bang for your buck! Place your order here through my online store or by clicking on the shopping bag icon in the menu on the right hand side - don't forget to include the current hostess code 2A6EXGJ4 for an extra thank you from me. 

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

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Jeanne has asked that we feature a vertical panel with any shape:

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I decided to grab some brightly coloured inks and my new 'It's A Science' stamp set and create a fun card for a science fanatic - take a look at what I came up with:

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

I stamped a row of atoms in my chosen colours down the length of my white card base; I used my Stamparatus and the hinge-step technique to space them evenly down the card front. I stamped my sentiment and microscope onto some basic white cardstock, I fussy cut the microscope and added some highlights with my Smoky Slates Blends markers and added it to my cardfront with dimensionals for a little extra lift:

I finished my card with some sequins from my stash in colours that complimented the colours of my atoms. I just love this set - both my kids are science nerds and since one of them is hoping to study Bio-Chemistry at university in September, I know this is a set that's going to see lots of ink.

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:

IT'S A SCIENCE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	TAHITIAN TIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	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 Anne Marie to host this week and she has a fun clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

I used the sketch over at Try Stamping on Tuesday and also played along with their optional twist of camping/campfire and got fussy cutting with my paper snips and some Zoo Crew Designer Series Paper to come up with today's fun clean and simple notecard - take a look:

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

Today's card is all about the designer paper! I had lots of images fussy cut from the Zoo Crew designer paper so I chose this one of the lion, added some additional colour to him with my Stampin' Blends markers and adhered him and some trees that I also fussy cut from the paper to a stitched oval, to which I'd added some Starry Sky and Parakeet Party inks with some blending brushes to ground my campfire scene (I also added a flick of clear Wink of Stella to give my sky a starry night feel, although it is difficult to see this on the photo). I anchored my oval with a trio of strips featuring some of the black and white patterns from the Zoo Crew papers and stamped a vertical sentiment from the 'charming Sentiments' stamp set:

Whilst you might be forgiven at first glance for thinking I missed the point of Anne Marie's challenge this week, you will see my lion is busy roasting his pink marshmallows over his open campfire. yum - s'mores, anyone?! Fussy cutting the individual images is such a fun way to use designer paper! A little goes a long way and this kind of minimalist layout is perfect for clean and simple cards. I'm also linking today's card up over at CAS on Friday where designer paper is the theme of their current challenge too.

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

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

Enjoy your day; it's sun loungers rather than campfires for me, but I'm not complaining! I'll be back on Tuesday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ZOO CREW 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (7.50)	WILD WHEAT STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	COPPER CLAY STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

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 colour challenge, chosen by the lovely Heather H:

Whilst I love our challenge photo this week - isn't the colouring on that crab amazing?! - I wasn't sure how I was going to use it on my card. Turns out after a quick perusal of stamp sets, it wasn't that tricky after all - take a look:

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

I thought a spot of colouring was in order and grabbed my Blends in each of the challenge colours and stamped and coloured an image from the 'By My Side' stamp set. I used the Grey Granite for my ground shadow, but it doesn't appear anywhere else on my card. I picked up the Tahitian Tide in my (retired) designer paper banner and made my base from Crumb Cake and Poppy Parade, adding interest with my Dots and Spots Die for my main panel. I did use a piece of in-colour twine that is actually white and Sweet Sorbet for my bow, but there is such a small hint of colour you really can't tell the difference and it blends in just fine. 

I stamped a simple sentiment next to my image, highlighting the word 'friend' by stamping it on Tahitian Tide cardstock and paper-piecing it in place:

And that's my card - a brightly coloured note to send a friend a little 'hello'.

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:

BY MY SIDE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (21.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	DOTS & SPOTS DIE (30.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	2022–2024 IN COLOR BAKER'S TWINE PACK (14.00)	POPPY PARADE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	TAHITIAN TIDE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	GRAY GRANITE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

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

These colours definitely made me think florals so I grabbed my Cheerful Daisies Dies for a pretty birthday card - take a look:

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

I've seen a few lovely cards online where the daisies have been paired with blue gingham and I thought the Bubble Bath pink and blue/green of Lost Lagoon, along with lots of white, would pair beautifully with some of the Berry Burst Glorious Gingham designer series paper. I used that for my background, then added a vellum diecut circle base for my trio of layered daises. I cut my daisies in white and added some Bubble Bath ink the centres of the bottom layer, along with a hint of ink added with a blending brush to the bottom layer petals, then I cut out lots of the leaves from this die in Lost Lagoon and tucked them in around the base. A white baker's twine bow, a trio of tinsel gems and a simple birthday sentiment from 'Sending Smiles' complete my card:

I think the layering of the elements works so well and the predominantly white daisies balance the bold gingham well I think. The Cheerful Daisies bundle is such a great set and this is a perfect time for me to remind you that it is the featured set in my current tutorial bundle with the lovely Jan Clothier - if you place an order with me for the Cheerful Daisies bundle (or if you have it, feel free to substitute with product of equal value) this month, you will receive the tutorial, along with access to our exclusive Facebook group, for free.

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; apologies for my post going live later than intended today. I am away from home and was temporarily without internet, but we are all sorted now so normal service should be resumed from this point forward! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

CHEERFUL DAISIES DIES (32.00)	TINSEL GEMS FOUR-PACK (7.50)	GLORIOUS GINGHAM 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (10.00)	BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	LOST LAGOON A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	BUBBLE BATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)	SENDING DIES (ENGLISH) (31.00)
SENDING SMILES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (21.00)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'World Conservation Day' which is on July 28th. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used kraft card, copper, a wooden embellishment, foliage and a thank you sentiment and this is what I came up with:

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

The starting point for today's card was actually the wooden embellishment that I found in my stash; I thought it had a similar shape to the large foliage die in the Gorgeously Made Dies set so I grabbed that stamp set and dies and set to work! I heat-embossed one of the grassy stamps in white onto my kraft mat layer, and did some tone-on-tone stamping with the script stamp on this layer too, along with some added ink blended around the edge of my panel. I then added two pieces of diecut foliage, one cut from the Copper Clay washed pattern in the Fresh As A Daisy DSP pack and one from copper foil, then added my wooden embellishment and some Copper Clay enamel dots and ribbon behind my sentiment, that I cut out with one of the labels in the Gorgeously Made die set:

In addition to my layered foliage, I added in a shape cut from corrugated kraft card that I found in my stash and some distressed Copper Clay cardstock. This card is so chock-full of texture and the warm, copper tones give it a warm, naturalistic feel - I 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. 

How does our board inspire you? I can’t wait to see what YOU create! For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

GORGEOUSLY MADE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (47.50)	NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	2023–2025 IN COLOR™ DOTS (7.50)	FRESH AS A DAISY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)
BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	COPPER CLAY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	COPPER CLAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	COPPER CLAY 3/8" (1 CM) TEXTURED RIBBON (7.50)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely Elizabeth is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went down the first column with green and blue, layers and diecut and used a couple more of my washi diecuts from my friend and teamie Elizabeth for my card today - take a look:

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

The diecuts are from a set of rainbow florals and I thought the green rose was really unusual, but paired with the blue one beautifully. I used them to frame my Nested Essential diecut panel, onto which I stamped a sentiment from the 'Quiet Meadow' stamp set in Starry Sky ink. I wanted those coloured roses to really standout, so backed my sentiment panel with a couple of white diecuts using the largest of the Artistic Dies. The only other colour I added was a sprinkling of green and blue rhinestones:

There are four layers to this card, but because it uses minimal colour and lots of white, it still retains a clean and elegant feel. 

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. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

One last reminder before I go - Bonus Days have started today: from now until 31 July, you will earn a £4.50 coupon redeemable against any order placed next month for every £45 you spend in July - so now is the time to get shopping, especially with today's update of the Clearance Rack too!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

QUIET MEADOW CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)

ARTISTIC DIES (33.00)

NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)

STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)