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

These colours are so perfect for fall and my card today is super simple and oh-so-quick to create - take a look:

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

I actually had the retired 'Cheer All Year' stamp set and these punched shapes out on my desk having completed another card and when I realised the shapes were in the challenge colours, I knew I had to use them up on today's card. When I saw the challenge prompt at Inspired By, it wasn't the mugs that caught my eye, but the piece of home decor on the top shelf. I stamped my autumn sentiment in Cajun Craze and added my leaves and acorn above on dimensionals:

And that was it - so simple! I used a Very Vanilla base instead of white for a change, as I think the warmer tone seems to suit fall cards better - what do you think? I didn't even add any embellishments - a real exercise in restraint today!!

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 tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a seasonal recipe challenge from the lovely LeAnne:

I went rooting through my stash for pumpkin-related bits and pieces and grabbed the layout over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

I initially dismissed that Atlantic Hearts sketch, as I wasn't sure whether the diagonal lines needed to be diagonals or would work as something with a repeat pattern and I'm not a big fan of diagonals. However, when I came across this piece of retired Country Lane designer paper that had a diagonal (of sorts!) pattern, and pumpkins, I thought I'd give it a go! I used a banner to both incorporate my gingham/check, which also served to help my diecut pumpkin to stand out from the background (those retired Pick A Pumpkin Dies will forever be in my crafting collection!) - I added a simple Old Olive twine bow to decorate it and tick another item off my recipe list - and finished by overlaying a simple diecut sentiment (another recent My Favourite Things purchase) and a trio of sequins to tick off my final ingredient:

It was good to use up more of the retired stash and whilst my pumpkin and papers might not be new, I still love them both so was happy to still create with them. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• For a Recipe Challenge use all elements of the recipe - the possibilities within those parameters are endless.
• 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'!

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Rachel has asked that we overlay a trio of shapes and add a sentiment. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I grabbed my Season of Celebration and Happiest Tags Mix & Match Ephemera packs and had a look through the diecuts to see what might work in place of those circles - take a look at what I came up with:

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

I used a circular sticker with a green chequered pattern, coupled with a diecut featuring a large poinsettia and foliage and a second one with a smaller pink flower that included a pre-printed sentiment too. These three elements came together so quickly, I couldn't just leave it there - I had to add a trio of gold pearls and some loops of gold twine for a little festive sparkle, even if it is pushing the CAS boundaries a little:

These Mix & Match Ephemera Packs make light work of quick and easy cards and add lots of detail to those three elements. They are great to have for making lots of cards, especially in the run up to Christmas. No stamping needed!

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:

SEASON OF CELEBRATION MIX & MATCH EPHEMERA PACK (£7.50)

HAPPIEST SEASON TAGS MIX & MATCH EPHEMERA PACK (£6.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)

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

We are at the end of September and with three months to go, thoughts naturally turn towards Christmas and the festive season. As crafters, we often tell ourselves at the start of the year we will build our stash of Christmas cards throughout the year, but how many do we actually make? I thought today's challenge would be a great time to find out, so whether this is your first Christmas card of the year or your fiftieth, do play along this week and let me know! I had a card made for today's challenge, but when I saw Donna's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week I had not one but three ideas with it, so I saved my original card for another day and had to get one of those ideas out of my head and into paper! Take a look at what I came up with and read on to see how I filled in our blank:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

So this is the 23rd Christmas card I've made this year so far! It's the 18th one I've shared here on my blog (the other five are for upcoming design team challenges that I will share in due course). I was actually surprised that I hadn't made more - so expect me to be doing more Christmas creating in the coming months. Donna's layout includes a Christmas tree-shaped triangle, although she points out that the shape can be anything - it doesn't have to be a tree. For today's card I went for something of a halfway house: I chose to use a tag from the Happiest Season Mix & Match Tag Pack for the main shape, but one that featured a diecut Christmas tree that I popped out to use the negative. I added a snippet of paper from the co-ordinating Creative Celebrations DSP Pack that I've been creating with lots lately that featured the same soft blue with a delicate snowflake pattern and added some silver twine and a trio of rhinestones, along with one of the new white felted stars, before finishing with a simple silver heat-embossed sentiment (from the retired 'Merriest Wishes'):

The tag and paper is a very pale shade of Hydrangea Hue, but the cardstock is much darker than this and was too bold for my mat. A rummage in the retired cardstock box resulted in a mat of Seaside Spray, which proved a better fit. This is such a simple card, yet it has an elegance to it I think. It's one of those cards where I feel like I've managed to channel my 'inner Celine', an homage to the fabulous designer over at Freshly Made Sketches, Cecile Ribon, who makes such fabulous clean and elegant cards - check out her fabulous feline this week here. I'm also linking today's card up over at Inspire.Create Challenge where their current challenge is 'clean and simple'. I really like this card and you could use the layout with any of the tag shapes in the Creative Celebrations pack.

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 Fill In The Blank challenge, please tell us in your post how you completed the sentence.
• 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; I'm hoping to escape to my craft room this afternoon and try out another of my ideas using Donna's fabulous layout. If I get there I'll be back tomorrow with another project - fingers crossed. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HAPPIEST SEASON TAGS MIX & MATCH EPHEMERA PACK (£6.75)

CREATIVE CELEBRATIONS MIX & MATCH 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£13.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)

VERSAMARK PAD (£9.00)

METALLICS WOW! EMBOSSING POWDER (£20.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Rachel is hosting the next 2 challenges and our second challenge this month is a colour challenge: 

These colours are quite spring-like, which is perfectly fitting for Rachel's part of the world. For my card today I grabbed a set that I recently picked up in a stamp sale, along with the layout over at Sunday Stamps, and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

This sweet little gnome comes from a My Favourite Things stamp set called 'Sunflower Gnomes'. There are two other stamps in the set featuring sunflowers, but in this one the gnome is holding a chrysanthemum I think. I coloured my gnome with my Highland Heather Blends and used the Bubble Bath and Peaceful Pine for my flower. I think there are dies to cut out these gnomes but I don't have them so I got fussy cutting! For the circle element of the sketch, I used a stencil and my blending brushes to add both Highland Heather and Bubble Bath ink in a blended circle as a background of sorts to ground my gnome and I flicked it with water before adding my gnome and sentiment to add a speckled effect for interest behind:

A simple banner sentiment finished my card. I sometimes struggle to create cards that are truly 'clean and simple' that are something more that just an image and sentiment, so I really like the blended circle on this one as a way to add interest. Great sketch inspiration from the team at Sunday Stamps as always!

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 tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BLENDING BRUSHES (£16.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)	BUBBLE BATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)	BUBBLE BATH STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)
PEACEFUL PINE STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)

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

I think this may be a tricky colour combo for some, although I did have a couple of ideas. I decided to go with another collection of kitties from 'Cutest Crew' - take a look:

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

I used a piece of retired watercolour-effect DSP for my background, then layered the two shades of grey to create a diecut pawprint border and added a sentiment before stamping my kittens onto Basic White cardstock and colouring with my Stampin' Up' Blends in the challenge colours, using my light Basic Black Blend for some dark grey detailing. I added my row of kitties, along with a white twine bow, to my card, then added a sprinkling of diecut white butterflies around them, accenting each with a rhinestone that I coloured with m Azure Afternoon Blends marker:

Super cute! I seem to have made lots of cards featuring these kitties, which is ironic given that I am much more a dog person. I need to put this right and feature a few more of those puppies on future cards for sure.

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:

CUTEST CREW BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£42.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£16.00)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£6.75)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (£11.25)	SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	BASIC GRAY A4 CARDSTOCK (£11.90)
SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	AZURE AFTERNOON STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	BASIC BLACK STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Amanda has asked that we feature four staggered elements, one of which should feature a sentiment. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I knew exactly what I was going to do when I saw the sketch - those 4 elements immediately reminded me of speech bubbles so I grabbed some scraps of card stock (perfect for the current challenge over at Inspire.Create) and my retired Word bubble framelits and 'Just Sayin'' stamp set and set to work. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

I diecut a trio of blank speech bubbles and a third which I first stamped with my sentiment in Night of Navy, to which I added a pink enamel heart:

I added a colour-coordinated border and realised in hindsight I could have cut the three speech bubbles directly out of my white layer and allowed the colour beneath to show through the negative space - next time! This card will make a cute card for the James Junior once he is back at uni. Not long to go now - it feels like his summer at home has lasted forever!

So how will you interpret this week's sketch? Join us in the gallery with your interpretations, we would love to see them.

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 tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a sketch challenge chosen by Heather H:

This panelled sketch is a great one to showcase some beautiful patterned paper that you've been hoarding or maybe a pretty embossing folder. I decided that it was a great opportunity to use some designer paper and when I saw the inspiration photo over at Hand Stamped Sentiments I knew I had just the thing - take a look:

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

The larger than life cherry stem on a subtle patterned background caught my eye immediately when I saw the HSS inspiration photo and I knew I had some cherry-patterned DSP in my stash that would work. The Sunny Days DSP design has a faint Smoky Slate diagonal line background pattern to it, so I used a grey mat layer then added my DSP panels. I wanted a large swirly sentiment that would pick up on the over-the-top green bow that the cherry is tied with in the inspo photo and initially diecut the word 'sending' from the retired Sending Dies, but then decided that the word 'sweet' from the retired 'Sweetest Cherries' stamp set would also work, so I stamped it in Shaded Spruce and fussy cut that instead, along with a cherry stem as an accent:

I completed the sentiment inside my card with 'with you in it', the perfect card to accompany a gift that I need to send out to a dear friend this week.

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

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Amanda is hosting the next two challenges and her first one is a colour challenge: 

I wasn't sure about Amanda's chosen colours when I first saw them, but I had recently purchased the 'Highland Cows' set by Lawn Fawn and decided Pecan Pie would be great for a farmyard friend, so that was my starting point. Take a look at where I ended up:

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

I cut and coloured one of the highland cows in Pecan Pie, using a neutral ivory Blend for his hair and decided to give him a striped party hat to incorporate the other two colours. Once I'd done this, I felt my base looked a little too plain, so I grabbed an old dot patterned stencil and added some of each colour, blended into a rough circle to go behind my cow:

 Everything was going swimmingly, until I realised I had a couple of black smudges on my white card base. I trimmed down my base, but had to take off more than was ideal to just sit it on another plain card base. I decided to add in another layer with a wider border top and bottom to balance the proportions and actually created a split layer from the same colours I used for the hat and dots. 

Since I'd used a fun, punny sentiment on the front of my card, I thought I would continue it to the inside of my card and added another partying highland cow for good measure:

Whilst my smudging resulted in me needing another layer that I would not ordinarily have included on a CAS card, I love the finished effect and the additional pop of colour. Great choice Amanda!

I'm also linking my card up over at Time Out Challenges where my 'choose 2' are CAS and birthday.

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.

It has finally cooled a little here in the UK, so I am looking forward to spending some extra time in my craft room today whilst the furniture upholsterer is downstairs re-upholstering my dining room chairs! 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 (£16.00)	BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)	BERRY BURST STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£14.00)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£10.25)
MISTY MOONLIGHT STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	PECAN PIE STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	BRONZE & IVORY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£11.25)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£16.00)	BASIC BLACK HYBRID STAMPIN' PAD (£11.25)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a speed challenge with the theme chosen by Heather C:

Crafting - that's a theme close to all our hearts, right? And quick crafting at that - you have to make your cards in 10 minutes or less. I don't have any current product with a crafting theme, so dug out a whole bunch of retired bits and pieces and ended up making not one but three cards with a crafting theme - and 2 of them took less than 10 minutes to complete! I'm also playing along with a few challenges. So my first card uses the layout over at The Paper Craft Crew:

The sketch has lots of layers, however this doesn't have to mean time-consuming; take a look at what I came up with:

I embossed my card base with the Button Button Embossing Folder, then added a panel of Follow Your Art designer paper. A stamped sentiment from 'Crafting With You' cut with a scalloped stitched die is the next layer, followed by some co-ordinating twine and buttons to finish:

how long did it take? Just 4 minutes and 29 seconds!

This card was mostly cutting and gluing so didn't take long at all to construct. Since I still had all of my crafting paraphenalia out on my desk, I thought I'd make a second card - take a look:

This time much more clean and simple and using nothing more than a little stamping and colouring with my Stampin' Blends in the colours of the current challenge over at Color Dare:

I used a sentiment from 'It Starts With Art' and coloured the ribbons with my Stampin' Blends, before diecutting them and popping on dimensionals. I added a trio of coordinating enamel dots to finish:

At 8 minutes 12 seconds, his one still came in under the 10 minute mark:

Whilst there isn't much colouring, this does take more time - something to bear in mind when you are making a 'quick' card. My final card uses the sketch over at Sunday Stamps:

This layout was perfect to showcase this cute little hedgehog artist which I fussy cut from the Zoo Crew designer series paper:

There was the slightest hint of colour on the image, so I picked up the pale pink and heart motif and added some tone-on-tone stencilling to my card base using one of my Kristina Werner Jumble of Hearts stencils. along with a simple horizontal banner using Stacked with Love DSP and a sentiment from 'It Starts With Art':

This card did not come in under 10 minutes though:

I think the fussy cutting is just a little too challenging for a speed challenge! Good job Sunday Stamps are not counting lol!

If you would like to embrace creating at speed for our challenge over at As You See It this week, here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• For a Speed Stamping Challenge you must tell us the time it took to make your project and it must be finished in under 10 min.
• 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'!