Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of my dear friend, the fabulous Jan, to host this week and she has a theme challenge for us to work with:

I wanted to try something else new with my Layers of Beauty set, so decided to use the soft colour palette at Colour Inkspiration which I thought would work nicely for an anniversary card and set to work. This is what I came up with:

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

I cut a whole bunch of strips 5mm wide in each of the challenge colours, including strips in a variety of designer paper and glimmer paper that coordinated, and glued them diagonally to a panel and added to the front of my card. I heat embossed the main image in the 'Layers of Beauty' stamp set in white on vellum and added it to my striped panel and secured it beneath the vertical panel on the left hand edge, onto which I stamped my sentiment. The vellum layer softens the colours and detail of the stripes whilst highlighting the embossed detail:

I added a sprinkle of purple faceted gems to complete my card. I love the interest that the stripes add and I think this is a great alternative method of adding colour to the Layers of Beauty stamp. A brief interlude between autumn and Christmas projects with these fresh, mostly pastel colours 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; I have been having a rare child-free weekend as the youngest of the James Juniors has been away on a school field trip to study sand dunes amongst other things. Its amazing how many things you get done without a Saturday sports fixture, especially when the day stays dry for once! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

LAYERS OF BEAUTY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (54.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (20.00)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	GORGEOUS GRAPE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
PURPLE FINE SHIMMER GEMS (7.50)	PERENNIAL LAVENDER 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	COUNTRY WOODS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	HIGHLAND HEATHER A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)

It's  the first of October and this month there is lots going on in the world of Stampin' Up!, with two promotions and new kits to boot! Firstly:

UP TO 30% OFF ALL KITS IN THE KITS COLLECTION

From 1 to 31 October, you can shop all kits up to 30% off. Shop card making kits, home decor, treat packaging, and so much more. Kits are all-inclusive and come with step-by-step instructions for easy crafting. There’s something for everyone! So don’t wait; start shopping now; kits are only available while supplies last.

2 NEW KITS COLLECTION KITS ADDED 

The Kits Collection discount also applies to the two new kits being added to our kit collection today: a card kit called the Alpine Air Kit:

 The Alpine Air Kit has all the pieces you need to create nine all-occasion cards with an elegant mountain theme. Whether you want to say hello, wish a happy birthday, or show support, you can pair each sentiment with the watercoloured mountain scenes and pre-cut paper pieces to make cards for any adventurer or nature-loving friend. Also available in French and German.

The A look Back kit is available at the discounted price of £21.60 this month (usual price £24).

£160 FOR £99 STARTER KIT OCTOBER JOINING OFFER

The Stampin' Up! Starter Kit is on offer this month in all markets: between 1-31 October, the starter kit has an enhanced value of £160! For just £99, you can choose £160 of products from the annual or mini catalogue, the clearance rack, our Kits Collection or items that are currently available on pre-order too - this includes the Online Exclusives that will be released next month. The starter kit also comes with free postage (and not just today!) and includes free catalogues and other useful business supplies too. There are so many benefits to joining Stampin' Up! right now:

• An ongoing 20% discount on all product purchases, for at least the next 6 months
• See and pre-order new products before they are released to the general market
• An invitation to Stampin' Up!'s exclusive Demonstrator Facebook Group
• An invitation to my Team Facebook Group
• Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events
• The opportunity to build a business that could generate you an income if you wish

Or you could simply enjoy the great offer that is the starter kit itself this month - it's entirely up to you. If you'd like to join my team, then just click here and it will take you to the right place; there is always a 'join me' link in the right-hand column of my blog and if you have any questions or would like to chat through any of the details, just give me a call.

That's all for now - you can see today's creative post here in case you missed it!

Online Store Links to the new kits:

A LOOK BACK KIT (21.60)

ALPINE AIR KIT (ENGLISH) (18.90)

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

These colours had a real autumnal feel for me so I decided to play along with the challenges over at CAS on Friday where the challenge theme is 'Leaves' and AAA Cards where they are all about autumn and create a clean and simple card featuring one of my favourite leaves - take a look:

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

'Lighthearted Leaves' is a leaf set that I've had in my collection for a long time and will never part with! It contains one of my favourite sentiments for autumn cards (I used that on Sunday's card - you can see that here if you missed it) and I love the intricate design of the leaves, that are so perfect for a spot of quick colouring. I created a Night of Navy square frame using my Stylish Shapes Dies and used the challenge colours to colour my leaf with my Blends. I then I tied my leaf with Night of Navy baker's twine and added a snipped sentiment stamped on orange cardstock for an additional pop of autumnal colour:

My regular readers will know I'm not a fan of Wild Wheat generally, but I must confess I love it in this colour combination, so thank you Laura! I think colours can sometimes be like tasting vegetables - sometimes you just need to try cooking them a different way!

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! colour 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 soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	WILD WHEAT STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)	PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	PUMPKIN PIE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (10.25)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)

Today I'm sharing a card using this week's Color Throwdown colours that was inspired by Jen B's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I just loved Jen's layout this week - I could honestly have made 10 cards with it, I had so many ideas! Unfortunately I didn't have the crafting time to match - so I had to be choosy! I decided to have a play with my Humble Home bundle as it as out on my desk, so I set to work - take a look at what I came up with:

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

I had this idea that I wanted to make the word 'HOME' across the bottom of my card, substituting the 'O' with a punched house. Did I mention the Humble Home bundle is a punch, rather than die, bundle? It makes for super quick punched houses! I used the Mini Alphabet Dies for my letters and then punched a house, onto which I stamped the large heart from the stamp set in Real Red, so that it would highlight my embossed 'welcome' to complete my sentiment. I popped my house up on dimensionals and added a couple of hearts to my row of elements, also punched using the Humble Home punch: 

I was originally going to add these pieces to a plain undecorated panel, then had a last-minute idea to stamp the 'Watercolour World' onto a panel of Balmy Blue with a tone-on-tone effect and I'm really pleased I did - I really like the subtle detail. I diecut my panel with one of the Perennial Postage Dies then added the whole thing to a white card base. Lots of the young people I know are currently planning gap years to take between completing their A Levels and starting university and I think this would make a great card to welcome them home from their adventures.

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've lots to do today so I'm not sure I will get time to make and share another card using this layout to share, but be sure to keep an eye out for it in future designs - it's a keeper! I'll be back tomorrow with another project for our new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches and lots of great Stampin' Up! news too. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HUMBLE HOME BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (37.75)	MINI ALPHABET DIES (29.00)	PERENNIAL POSTAGE DIES (31.00)	WATERCOLOR WORLD CLING STAMP SET (22.00)	BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (20.00)

Today I've another quick post that I meant to share yesterday, but didn't get around to it! I finally managed to create a card for the Color Hues Challenge that is almost over that is also perfect for stencil week over at Just Us Girls - take a look:

I had a little 'something old, something new' in mind for today's card - another Christmas card - take a look:

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

Charming Landscapes - This card features a panel embossed with one of the retired Charming Landscapes embossing folders that is still a favourite of mine. These folders are great for adding embossed background layers to your cards, but I love pairing them with blended sky and making them the main feature. The village scene is my favourite of the two, so that's what I used for my card. 

Stencilled Sky - In order to keep my blended colour to the sky portion of my scene only, I created stencil masks for each embossing folder, by running it through my Big Shot with some acetate window sheet and using a scissors and craft knife to cut around the mountains/houses. I attached each to my white embossed cardstock and held in place before adding my ink colours, then removed when complete. I think the fresh blue and pink works really well, even if it makes for a slightly less conventional festive colour scheme. Once my blended sky was complete, I went over the star and snowflake details with a white gel pen and added a couple of rhinestones for a subtle sparkle. 

Iconic Imagery - I wanted to bring my embossing folder up to date by pairing with a new sentiment set, and the bold script of the online exclusive 'Iconic Imagery' stamp set was just the thing. I stamped one part in pink directly onto the embossed panel, then fussy cut the word 'celebrate' stamped in blue for a little extra impact:

I matted my decorated panel with each of the challenge colours too to 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:

ICONIC IMAGERY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (10.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	AZURE AFTERNOON A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)

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

I decided to use the middle column of patterned paper/diecut/fall and using the layout over at Sketch Saturday set to work. I loved the autumnal inspirational quote at Time Out and knew I had the perfect piece of paper in my retired box that embodied the rich colours of autumn leaves - take a look:

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

Last season's All About Autumn designer series papers had some wonderful photographic leaf prints and this one of a tree canopy taken from above shows the changing colours of the leaves in all their glory. I wanted to feature as much of it as possible, so layered the same image with just a narrow border of copper foil in between. I picked up the copper tones with a diecut leaf that I used to decorate one of my favourite sentiments for autumn cards - am Emily Bronte quote from the retired 'Lighthearted Leaves' stamp set - I think it compliments the paper beautifully:

A couple of brass enamel dots was all I needed to complete my card. The designer paper really is so evocative and I love the warm colours associated with the changing seasons.

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 made a couple of other cards yesterday that I didn't get the opportunity to blog so will pop back later to share those with you. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

BLACKBERRY BLISS A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)

BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

TEXTURED METALLIC 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (8.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (13.00)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for an interesting colour challenge from Deborah:

I  love bold colours, but I was initially stumped as to what to do with this week's colour palette. Then I saw last week's Freshly Made Sketches layout and since I'm in Christmas mode, I decided a bright Christmas tree (or two!) was in order - take a look:

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

I used a couple of retired tree dies from the Pine Woods Dies set (I've included a current set that's very similar below) to make a pair of layered pine trees and added them to a panel of Azure Afternoon cardstock that I embossed with the Snowflake Sky embossing folder - so pretty! I added some deetail to the background by carefully outlining some of the snowflakes with a white gel pen and adding some (retired) iridescent snowflake sequins to others - you can see the detail more closely below: 

A blanket of white snow on the ground and a sentiment from the (retired) Sweet Candy Canes stamp set complete my card. I actually really like the finished result - the bold blocks of colour are really impactful and I love the finished look. Another Christmas card for my stash! 

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 or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• For a Colour Challenge use all of the given colours and only those colours with these exceptions:
• White and Very Vanilla are free colours.
• In addition, you may use of ONE of these neutrals: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Basic Beige.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your post.
• Make sure you link the specific post and not the whole blog to the Linky. Use AYSI#(insert challenge number) when uploading to a public gallery
• Please turn off word verification so that we can send you lots of feedback.
• You can combine our challenge with up to 3 other compatible challenges. 
• We do reserve the right to delete, or not consider for Top Pick and Featured Artist, entries that do not comply with these guidelines.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SNOWFLAKE SKY 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (10.25)	AZURE AFTERNOON A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (13.00)	AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
WHITE LOOSE SNOWFLAKES (7.50)	PEACEFUL EVERGREENS DIES (38.00)

What a great start to a Tuesday - I logged on this morning to find a surprise update to the Clearance Rack. There are now lots of new items available, some with as much as 60% off. As is always the case, popular items will sell out quickly, so don't spend too long deliberating - get in there quick! There are some great paper bargains, including many designer series papers, accessories, kits and punches. 

Click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last! Don't forget to include the current hostess code JQEHTZGK make sure that 'allow your demonstrator to contact you' is ticked in order that you receive your special 'thank you' in the post from me next month. 

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:

I created a sketch with a few layers, that also includes a diagonal, something I generally avoid! I decided that the layering lent itself to showcasing some papers, so I decided to break into a new pack and create a few Christmas cards. Here's the first one:

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

Season of Green & Gold - The Season of Green & Gold Specialty Designer Series Paper is the star of today's cards. This paper is part of the Season of Green & Gold Suite Collection that is one of the Online Exclusives, so does not appear in the mini catalogue and can only be viewed online. The paper is a specialty paper featuring festive foliage and one side of each design includes gold foil detailing I can honestly say each of the patterns is truly beautiful. The gold and vanilla pattern I used on my card is my favourite, so that had to be the one I used on my first card. I matted my panel with one of gold foil and did the same to my second layer, onto which I heat embossed a sentiment from the 'Greetings Of The Season' stamp set. 

Golden Greenery - For my 'any shape' element, I decided to add a bunch of coordinating foliage in Very Vanilla and gold foil, cut using the Golden Greenery Dies. It has a beautiful embossed detail and I finished my bunch with a simple gold twine bow:

I left my card base plain so as not to detract from the detail of the paper and foliage; a couple of sparkly gems was all I needed to complete my card.

Three Variations On My Design - I loved my first card so much, I decided to make a few more using other patterns and colour combos. The first one still uses a Very Vanilla card base, but this time with a panel of green and gold designer paper and green diecut foliage, cut straight from another of the sheets in the pack:

You could of course stamp the foliage too using hte 'Golden Greenery' stamp set and then diecut it too, but using the pre-printed paper is a great timesaver! My third card uses the same papers, but this time on an Old Olive card base. to pick up on the colour of the papers more:

My final card is similar to the one above, but this time with a slightly shorter sentiment layer (I prefer the longer length but this was my first one made and I couldn't bare to see it go to waste!) and a pair of bells nestled in my foliage, also cut from another of the paper sheets:

Here's all four of the cards together - which one do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The reverse of these papers have some fabulous patterns too, but I couldn't resist showcasing the gold foiled side - so elegant! If you haven't already, you should check out the 'Online Exclusives' area of my Stampin' Up! website - there are some fabulous products for your festive crafting. As for my sketch - I hope you'll play along with us over at The Paper Players this week - I can't wait to see what you create!

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; no plans here today so I'm hoping to squeeze in a little crafty time at some point. I'll be back later in the week with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

GREETINGS OF THE SEASON PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	GOLDEN GREENERY DIES (37.00)	SEASON OF GREEN & GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (16.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	METALLICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (20.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (13.00)
OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)	GOLD & SILVER 1/8" (3.2 MM) TRIM COMBO PACK (8.50)	IRIDESCENT FOIL GEMS (7.50)

It's Fri-yay! Today I'm sharing a card that I made earlier in the week with a few challenges in mind:

The team over at The Flower Challenge want us to include a stamped flower, so I grabbed my Layers of Beauty stamp set and stencils and using the layout over at Tuesday Morning Sketches set to work - take a look:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Layers of Beauty - I love the single large floral spray stamp in the 'Layers of Beauty' stamp set and with a stamping platform, it's so easy to use - just ink and stamp! I used my coordinating stencils to colour it in using three shades of lilac/pink, one for each layer - the effect adds so much dimension:

The team over at Inkspirational have been asking us for coloured images using any medium - so this is my entry. I added a few shiny pearls for a little extra decoration.

Eyelet Embossing - The main stamped image takes up all of my layer, but I wanted to add a hint of something to my base beneath. I embossed it with the Eyelet 3D embossing folder for a little extra texture, and rolled the corner of my stamped panel to reveal a little more of it.

Scraps For Tags - I stamped and coloured my image twice, as I wanted to fussy cut a single rose to anchor my sentiment banner (I could have used one of the dies to cut this out, but I didn't want the white border). This did then leave me with a lot of the image left over; rather than waste it, I cut a couple of tags from it and added a sentiment:

Waste not, want not as they saying goes!

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:

LAYERS OF BEAUTY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (54.00)	EYELET 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (9.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (14.00)	PETUNIA POP A4 CARDSTOCK (10.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (13.00)	BASICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (20.00)
VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BUBBLE BATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PETUNIA POP CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD (8.50)	BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SHADED SPRUCE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	ADHESIVE-BACKED PEARL TRIO (7.00)