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

So many ways to go with Jaydee's theme this week and so many choices! I am still busy cutting up my beautiful Wonderful World designer series papers so wanted to use Judy's great layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week to showcase one of my favourite flowers in the pack for today's challenge - take a look:

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

I highlighted my fussy-cut flower on a bright yellow stitched diecut circle and some diecut leaves and paired it with another of the blue-toned patterns in this pack. I experimented with different combinations of patterns for the three panels, but decided I preferred all three cut from the same paper so went with it. A few in-colour enamel dots and a fussy-cut sentiment from the 'Simply Fabulous' stamp set, stamped in Starry Sky, completes my card:

This card has a lovely clean feel with all that white space, despite its layers - and I love the way the layout highlights that single flower. What's more, this paper can be yours FREE, along with the 'Wonderful World' stamp set, when you place an online order of £90 or more between now and 31st August - yay 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; I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

WONDERFUL WORLD BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	SIMPLY FABULOUS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)	STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£7.50)	SUMMER SHADOWS DIES (£32.00)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'International Dog Day' which is on August 26th. 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 dog, treat and texture and actually have a couple of co-ordinating projects for you - take a look:

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

Today's project started with the treat - dog shaped, but the human kind! I found these cute Scottie dog shortbread biscuits at the supermarket and thought they would be perfect packaged in a slim cello bag so that they could be seen in all their glory! 

I added a piece of black cardstock to back them, then closed my treat bag with topper made from the Seasonal Labels Dies folded in half in red gingham paper and finished with a diecut wreath and punched Scottie dog, along with a cute sentiment banner: 

I decided to make a co-ordinating Christmas card to go with my treat, incorporating my 'topper' into the centre of my card design:

I added in additional texture by using the (retired) Checks Embossing Folder to emboss the front panel of my card and left the front sentiment-free:

I'm thinking I might give this card and treat to my post lady in the run up to the festive season as a thank you for her care and attention as she does her daily rounds - I'm sure the irony of my Scottie dog won't be lost on her, although there is no chance of these shortbread biscuits biting back!

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 Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Stephanie Lanzalotto
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHRISTMAS SCOTTIE BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£35.00)	COUNTRY WREATHS DIES (£37.00)	SEASONAL LABELS DIES (£36.00)	GINGHAM COTTAGE 12" X 12" (30,5 X 30,5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£28.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

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

For my card today I decided to have another go at the nautical challenge over at Addicted to CAS and this time create an uber-CAS card - take a look:

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

A few stamped waves, a sentiment and a trio of fish all from the 'A Fish And A Wish' set, with one of the fish popped up on dimensionals with a trio of sparkly bubbles for good measure. I kept things really simple, using a Stampin' Write marker brushed lightly over my fish once I'd stamped them in Highland Heather, to give them a two-tone look:

I like the added detail that highlighting the fish pattern gives and it's a great way to tie them into the sentiment too. Super simple!

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.

A super-quick post from me today - I am a busy, busy bee! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

A FISH & A WISH CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

EFFERVESCENT ELEMENTS (£7.00)

Today it's Sunday 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 fun theme challenge for you to work with:

Claire's board has a distinctly beachy theme this week, so I went across the middle with diecut, blue and patterned paper and yes, you've guessed it - I decided to create another shaker card featuring my favourite Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Hippest Hippos - this time a more clean and simple version than the one I shared with you a few days ago (you can see that card here if you missed it). Time to check out today's card:

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

For today's challenge I used up a little more of the (retired) Whale of A Time designer series paper to create an underwater paradise for my snorkelling hippo. This time I cut a partial circle for my frame and used the wave die from the Hippo dies to create the 'surface' of the sea for my hippo to swim along, placing my hippo outside my shaker element rather than inside as on my previous card. Once again I added a pair of handcut customised fins, along with snorkel and mask to my hippo - this time in bright Parakeet Party green:

For this card, my shaker element is a flat 'pocket' shaker - a great way to reduce bulk and a great way to introduce a shaker element to an otherwise clean and simple card. Not forgetting the inside, I used the 'Whale Done' stamp set for some co-ordinated stamping and added a strip of left over designer paper:

Today's hippo's underwater apparel was inspired by my own snorkel, mask and fins which are also bright green in colour - just to make sure Jason doesn't lose me as I'm floating around the Caribbean. I've not done that for a while - happy memories!

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. 

I'm also linking today's card up over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges for a second entry into their shaker cards challenge and over at Just Add Ink for another 'Under the Sea' card. Finally I'm linking up over at Addicted to CAS where the theme is 'nautical' - I'm pretty sure I've met that brief, I just hope they think my card is sufficiently clean and simple! 

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: 

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	SENDING SMILES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	LAYERING CIRCLES DIES (£33.00)	WHALE DONE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	PARAKEET PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	WINDOW SHEETS (£4.75)	WATERCOLOR PENCILS (£15.00)

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

Today we are all about Christmas in July. I do like to get a start on Christmas cards at this time of year, but when it come to my favourite Christmas in July creation it has to be home decor and table favours; these always take longer to make than you think they will and in the busy run up to Christmas there is rarely time to devote large chunks of time to crafting, so I like to get a good headstart on these kinds of projects - it makes me feel organised! I have two projects for you today - a piece of home decor and a co-ordinating table favour. Both use the Tree Lot Dies, available free with a £90 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion - and I took the inspiration for my festive caravan and 'trees for sale' scene from the top right photo over at Hand Stamped Sentiments - what a great inspo board! First up - here's my home decoration piece:

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

I used a dome that I had in my office that I bought last year that was just waiting to be made into something, and built my little scene onto the base, having first covered the base with snowy white velvet paper (cut with a retired layering circles die). The string of lights, embellished with the pretty Festive Pearls, the trees and the 'trees for sale' sign are all one dimensional and stand with the aid of small supports behind them. The caravan is made by diecutting two of the diecut caravan pieces and adding a base (described in more detail with the table favour below) and a second curved piece of cardstock for the roof (the roof piece measures 3 1/2" x 1 1/2", scored at 1/2" on each side and 1/4" on each side respectively). I added some red ribbon to the top of my dome and red glimmer to the base of my dome for extra festive feel. Here's a close up of my little scene, with the dome removed so that you can see the detail more easily:

My finished dome measures 11cm wide by 19cm tall and that's not all - it lights up too! 

A little tricky to see since I photographed it in daylight, but a nice feature to give a cosy night time glow. In addition to my decoration, which could be used as a table centrepiece, I also created the first of a set of table favours made from the caravan die. These are quite easy to make: just cut two caravan sides, then take a piece of cardstock measuring 4 1/8" x 1 1/2", scored at 1" on each side and 1/4/" on each side respectively, to create the open box shape. They are just big enough to hold two Lindor chocolates or similar:

How cute is that?! Both of today's projects are quite easy to make, but I won't lie - there is a time-consuming element, since all of the little pieces need to be cut and glued in place. Worth it though I think - and if you start now, you will have them finished and ready to go when Christmas rolls around!

The key products used on today's project are included in the table below - no visual today. 

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:

TREE LOT DIES (£0.00)	TREES FOR SALE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	SNOWY WHITE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) VELVET SHEETS (£4.75)	REAL RED & WHITE 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (£4.75)	FESTIVE PEARLS (£6.75)	REAL RED & GARDEN GREEN 3/8" (1 CM) RIBBON COMBO PACK (£7.00)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (£9.50)

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 Betty is our featured designer. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went right across the middle this week with enamel dots/sequins, free and shaker and - surprise, surprise! - another card featuring my favourite Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Hippest Hippos - take a look:

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

I couldn't resist another outing with Hippest Hippos and today's challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to use up some (retired) Whale of A Time designer series paper to create an underwater paradise for my snorkelling hippo. I cut my frame and background out of the same piece of paper, so that my scene extends across the whole of the front of my card. I added my stamped and diecut hippo, complete with snorkel and mask - but there is one thing missing in the Hippo Dies set: everyone knows that to scuba or snorkel effectively, you need fins, right? So I made a pair for my hippo (nothing fancy - cut by hand) - what do you think?

I filled my shaker with a collection of green, silver and clear sequins and beads and added a custom birthday sentiment, courtesy of the 'Amazing Phrasing' and 'Sending Smiles' stamp sets - thank you to the talented Melody Hyde for this great Instagram tip. 

Not forgetting the inside, I used the 'Whale Done' stamp set for some co-ordinated stamping and a fun sentiment:

So what do you think of today's hippo-tastic creation? And using free stamp sets too - yippee!

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. 

I'm also linking today's card up over at Sparkles Monthly Challenges where their theme this month is shaker cards and over at Just Add Ink where the theme is 'under the sea'.

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. 

Enjoy your day; nothing much to report in the James household - all told, a pretty unremarkable week! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	AMAZING PHRASING PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	SENDING SMILES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	WHALE DONE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	POPPY PARADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)
WINDOW SHEETS (£4.75)

Today I have an extra quick post to share a card that uses the Sunday Stamps sketch layout that uses a new stamp set called 'Breaking News' from the annual catalogue:

I made for my niece who celebrated her university graduation last week - my monochromatic colour scheme was influenced by the colour of her university gown hood. Here's my card:

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

I added a tone-on-tone background using the scroll image to create a custom DSP (a simple way to add interest to a background and also perfect for SUO Challenges who have some great examples of how to create custom DSP too this week - do check them out), then stamped and fussy cut two newspapers with two different sentiment collections. I decided to create a mortar board using some black cardstock, twine and a brad for the additional sketch element:

The sentiment inside is courtesy of Amazing Phrasing - such a great Sale-A-Bration set!

I like this set and think it offers lots of fun options and I love the way you can tailor the newspaper with different stamps and sentiments - I think it will look better in a less monochromatic colour scheme 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 later with my card for this week's TicTaToe challenge. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BREAKING NEWS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	CHERRY COBBLER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	CHERRY COBBLER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (£10.25)	AMAZING PHRASING PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Patricia has asked that we incorporate an angled element overlaid with a sentiment. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

This is an interesting sketch with so many possibilities for that angled section. For my card today I decided to use it to highlight some new speciality paper and create a clean and simple Christmas card - take a look:

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

Snowflake Vellum - I cut a strip of one of the patterns of the new Snowflake Speciality Vellum and tucked it behind the triangle 'v' shape that I cut out of my top white card layer. The vellums in this pack are gorgeous - a variety of snow patterns, some of which are fuzzy white velvet and some of which are silver holographic foil, one of which I used here. They are so pretty - difficult to photograph, but so shiny in real life! I used the remainder of the vellum strip to decorate the flap of my envelope - you can see that on the photo at the bottom of the post.

A Hidden Gem - I love a good word diecut and was disappointed to not find any new ones in the new seasonal catalogue. But wait - there is a hidden gem! In the Santa Express Memories and More card pack, there are two - yes two! - sheets of wooden diecut sentiments - score! These are great for adding dimension and detail to all kinds of projects. They are naturally the colour of whitewashed wood, but I coloured mine silver with a retired silver encore ink pad before adding to my card:

The Santa Express Memories and More pack has some great cards for both both memory keeping and card making, but I have to say I think the pack is worth it for the diecut sentiments alone - such a great way to create an impact!

Sparkle and Shine - I finished my card with a sprinkle of Sparkle and Shine Sequins to highlight my sentiment and bring out the sparkle of the vellum. Not too many - today is clean and simple day, after all! 

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:

SNOWFLAKE 12 X 12 (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY VELLUM (£9.50)

SANTA EXPRESS MEMORIES & MORE CARD PACK (£11.25)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

SPARKLE & SHINE SEQUINS ASSORTMENT (£6.75)

BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

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

I wasn't sure how to tackle today's sketch initially, but I thought the focal point 'any shape' might lend itself to some fussy cutting, so I decided to reach for some of my designer papers and see where the mood took me! I settled on the lovely browns and neutrals of the Abigail Rose Suite and ended up creating a 'kitchen sink' of a focal point - take a look:

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

I decided to use this bold pattern of white florals on a brown scripted background for my base, then fussy cut more of the flowers and used those as the basis for the decoration for my focal point. I used a stitched circle for my base, blending some inks to create an ombre effect and then layering a selection of leafy diecuts in shades of browns, along with some (retired) wooden leaves and sprigs and my trio of fussy cut flowers for decoration. I added a touch more colour to my fussy cut flowers using my Stampin' Blends, to give them a little more definition and added some Elegant Faceted Gems for a touch of sparkle:

I just kept layering and adding in bits and pieces until I felt happy with the way the decoration framed my sentiment (taken from the 'Hand Penned' stamp set) - hence my 'kitchen sink' reference! I decided to make my vertical banner element from vellum, so that it didn't obscure too much of the pattern beneath it. I also added some layered ribbon for detail and texture and to pick up the colour scheme (the Crumb Cake ribbon I used is retired but I've included a link below to a suitable current alternative). 

Very little stamping on today's card and just like my last one another card with lots of bits and pieces, but actually easy to recreate - the paper definitely does the 'heavy lifting' and I love the way the fussy cut flowers tie in with the base below. I'm also linking my card up with the ladies over at TGIF Challenges who are crafting with their favourite things this week - anyone who knows me well can attest to my love of designer series paper - I love it all, any pattern, any size and this card is definitely a showcase of that!

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; not much going on here 'chez James' this weekend - just enjoying a relaxing weekend in the garden, hopefully with a little crafty time thrown in now things have cooled down a little. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ABIGAIL ROSE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	STAMPIN’ BLENDS DEEP COMBO PACK (£8.50)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	STAMPIN' BLENDS COLOR LIFTER (£4.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	EDEN DIES (£33.00)
FOREVER FLOURISHING DIES (£34.00)	HAND-PENNED PETALS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
EARLY ESPRESSO 1/4" (6.4 MM) FAUX SUEDE TRIM (£6.25)	NATURAL FINISH 7/8" (2.2 CM) RIBBON (£8.00)	ELEGANT FACETED GEMS (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.50)

Hurrah it's Friday! Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday where the challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'International Owl Awareness Day' which is on Friday 5th August.

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 was tempted to go with an owl theme for obvious reasons, but my search for an inspirational quote took me in a completely direction. I ended up using inspirational quote, texture and brown and this is what I came up with:

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

Memories and More - The starting point for today's card was the quote on the front of my card. One of the best places to look for inspirational quotes is a Memories and More card pack - and that's where I found this one, in the Texture Chic card pack. I thought these words would make a lovely card for an anniversary, or a much-loved friend to let them know how much they mean to you. I added a stitched edge by running the card through my diecutting machine and then set about incorporating other elements from the Texture Chic Suite into my design.

Texture, Texture - There is an abundance of texture on today's card: the beautiful Texture chic designer paper is used for both a mat layer and for the base layer to my leaves (which I cut out of the middle of the mat layer to be economical!), then there is the stunning distressed gold speciality paper that I used for the top layer 'skeleton' leaves. I decided that my Soft Suede mat was too plain, so picking up the pattern on the quote card, I partially embossed it on opposing corners with one of the (retired) Checks and Dots embossing folders, then applied heat and stick powder and gold Gilded Leafing to these areas and the panel edges to add to tie in with the other gold elements. You do lose some of the definition of the embossing I think, but it does add tons of textural detail:

Some linen thread and Elegant Faceted Gems also add texture to the front of my card.

Seasons of Chic - Having used the Chic Dies to cut the leaves to decorate the front of my card, I used the co-ordinating 'Season of Chic' stamp set for my inside sentiment, along with some extras for decoration:

I rarely make this sort of card, which is quite shabby chic in it's look and feel and contrasts to my usual clean and layered style, but it just sort of evolved and I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out; it's always fun to step out of one's comfort zone once in a while!

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 Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Stephanie Lanzalotto
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SEASON OF CHIC BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£54.75)	TEXTURE CHIC MEMORIES & MORE (£9.50)	DISTRESSED GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (£4.75)	TEXTURE CHIC 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)	SOFT SUEDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SOFT SUEDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	HEAT & STICK POWDER (£5.75)	GILDED LEAFING (£8.50)	LINEN THREAD (£4.75)