Happy Wednesday everyone! This is my second post today - click here if you would like to see this week's Weekly Deals post. For today's creative project, I have another Christmas card to share with you featuring another of the adorable characters from the Christmas Cuties stamp set and this week's sketch over at Retrosketches:

I also paired my Christmas Cuties with one of my under-used papers with the Home for Christmas designer series paper pack - take a look:

I stamped my image in Archival Black onto Extra Thick Whisper White and coloured it with my inks and aquapainter, then stamped the snow stamp around it in Pool Party. I mounted my stamped image panel onto a piece of Real Red that I had cut out with my scalloped circle framelit, the largest one in the Circles Framelits set. Behind this I used my piece of patterned paper, matted onto Mossy Meadow and a card base of Pool Party. I cut out my sentiment with my retired Word Bubble framelits and popped it up on dimensionals for a little lift.

This is one of those super cute cards that is very satisfying to produce - all that theraputic colouring! I'm happy to have found a layout that makes the most of that lovely background paper too. 

That's all from me today; back tomorrow with my card for this week's new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Christmas Cuties Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Big Shot	Aqua Painters
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad	Pool Party A4 Cardstock	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red A4 Cardstock	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijion Classic Stampin' Pad	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock

Good morning everyone - happy Monday to you! This morning I have a Christmas card using this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches:

Now I looked at this sketch and loved the layout and almost went with it 'as is' using the square as my shape - such a classic layout - but decided since Cindy was ok with 'any shape' I would actually go with a much less literal interpretation. So without further ado, here's my card:

I used Crumb Cake for my base, then stamped the shepherds and wise men from the 'All Ye Faithful' stamp set onto a strip of Early Espresso cardstock and heat embossed them in gold and matted this panel with gold foil cardstock before adhering to my card base. I then did the same to my holy family onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and coloured it with my inks and a blender pen before cutting out with the smallest of the Ovals Framelits and my Big Shot. I then popped this up on dimensionals between the stamped images on the Early Espresso piece. To finish, I stamped my sentiment in Early Espresso directly onto the Crumb Cake base layer. 

So as you can see, a less than literal interpretation of the sketch but each of the key elements is present. I adore this stamp set and these images are beautiful whether used individually or as a set.

That's all from me today; I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

All Ye Faithful Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy	Heat Tool (Uk)	Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Big Shot	Ovals Collection Framelits Dies	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock	Early Espresso A4 Cardstock
Gold Foil Sheets

A late post from me today - too much trick-or-treat fun earlier on this evening! Anyway without further ado, today I made a couple of cards using the sketch from Mojo Monday this week, the second of which is also for this week's challenge over at Merry Monday:

Both my cards feature papers from the Season of Cheer designer series paper, along with the Christmas Greetings Thinlits with the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set - one of the great bundle offers in the current seasonal catalogue. Here's the first card I made in traditional festive colours with the holly paper:

I went with a simple base layer of Real Red, then for the panel layered the holly paper with some Mossy Meadow and added a banner of red glimmer paper before adding my layered circles featuring my sentiment, a combination of stamped elements from the 'Holly Jolly Greetings' stamp set and a glimmer die cut using the Christmas Greetings Thinlits. I really liked this card, so decided to make a second one with a slightly different sentiment combination from the same sets, this time featuring the Christmas lights paper from the same DSP pack and a slightly less traditional colour scheme. Here it is:

I just love the glimmer paper on both of these cards; I'm not a fan of loose glitter, but glimmer paper is the best! So which one do you prefer - traditional or contemporary colour scheme? They are both great, although I think I'm veering towards the holly - I'm a sucker for red and green at Christmas time! I'd love to hear your thoughts - do leave me a comment below.

Back tomorrow with this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Holly Jolly Greetings Clear-Mount Bundle	Season Of Cheer Designer Series Paper	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Big Shot	Magnetic Platform
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Punch Corner Project Life	2-1/2" Circle Punch	Red Glimmer Paper	Real Red A4 Cardstock
Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock	Silver Glimmer Paper	Soft Sky A4 Cardstock	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad
Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock

Today I have a change from Christmas cards; I wanted to use this week's sketch over at Less is More and I am also playing along with the challenge over at The Card Concept:

I decided that the colours over at The Card Concept would make a pretty thank you card so here's my card for today:

I've been seeing some wonderful autumnal cards made with the Sheltering Tree stamp set so I thought I would use it on this card, although I think my card looks more Spring-like than autumnal! I used a base of Pink Pirouette with a mat of Early Espresso, and stamped my tree off the edge of the panel in Early Espresso onto Very Vanilla cardstock. I overstamped the blossom in Pink Pirouette with a little Cherry Cobbler, then for my sentiment used a combination of my 'thanks' Greeting thinlits die for the negative die cut in my Cherry Cobbler banner, with 'For Being You' stamped in Early Espresso using the 'Crazy About You' stamp set. 

Clean and simple with a hint of cherry blossom - a nice change from the autumnal, Halloween and Christmas cards of late!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Sheltering Tree Photopolymer Stamp Set	Crazy About You Photopolymer Stamp Set	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Greetings Thinlits Dies	Big Shot
Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso A4 Cardstock	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad
Cherry Cobbler A4 Cardstock

Today I have a card that I made with this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge in mind and uses the colours over at Fab Friday and just so happens to suit the theme over at TGIF Challenges too:

As soon as I saw the sketch I knew that I wanted to create something with my Lighthearted Leaves set and Leaflets Framelits and I wanted to create something bold with bright colours and contrast, so the colours were a perfect choice. Here's my card:

I used a base of extra thick Whisper White and a mat of Basic Black, then stamped my leaf in Memento Black onto a piece of Tangelo Twist, then coloured certain areas of the leaf in white with my chalk marker. I cut the co-ordinating leaf shape out of my Bermuda Bay layer then popped this on top using dimensionals. I used the Greetings Thinlits and my Big Shot for the 'thanks', cutting it out twice, once in white and once in black than layering them, one slightly offset against the other, beneath my leaf, with a candy dot for a pop of orange (it's Pumpkin Pie, but you can't tell it's not an exact match so far away from the base layer - I won;t tell if you won't ;-)!)

Rather simple, yet the layers and graphic nature of this card, combined with the bold, bright colours and one of my favourite stamp sets make this one of those cards that I would love to receive.

That's all from me today; I'm off to make some Halloween crafts at my friends coffee morning to raise funds for the Outspan School in Uganda. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Lighthearted Leaves Photopolymer Stamp Set	Leaflets Framelits Dies	Greetings Thinlits Dies	Big Shot	Magnetic Platform
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock	Tangelo Twist A4 Cardstock
Brights Candy Dots	White Stampin' Chalk Marker

Just time to sneak in a creative post today with a couple of cards for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge. They have a great sketch this week and I managed to make not one but two cards (and will be using this layout for a couple more too!). Here's the sketch:

I wanted to make a Christmas card and whilst originally I had planned on an execution to my second card below, I was inspired byChrissy's card on the CAS(E) This Sketch design team and decided to take a slightly different tack and use some Designer Series Paper and a layer - here's my card:

I covered the front of my extra thick Whisper White cardstock base with a piece of snowflake-patterned Season of Cheer DSP and made a panel out of Night of Navy, cut out with my Project Life framelit and Big Shot, and repeatedly stamped the ' Let it snow!' sentiment from the 'Snow Place' stamp set in Versamark and heat embossed it in white. To finish I took a Snowflake Elements embellishment, stamped it in White kraft ink and heat embossed it in white, then stamped it again in Versamark and heat embossed it in Iridescent Ice to give it a wonderful sparkle. This snowflake DSP is one of my favourites in the Season of Cheer pack - I love the ombre effect of the finish and those snowflake embellishments are gorgeous, whether left plain or jazzed up a little as I did here. The photo doesn't show just how wonderfully sparkly the snowflake is in real life - it's really something!

For my second card I went with an every day card and decided to make something bright and colourful:

I used a Bermuda Bay card base and I took my colour inspiration from the Cherry on Top DSP stack of papers. I created my repeated 'Hello' sentiment using my Greetings thinlits. I decided to add a simple punched bird as my embellishment this time, punched from a piece of Watermelon Wonder Color Me Irresistible Specialty DSP  - you can't really see it in the photo, but I love the subtle embossed pattern this adds in real life - and a little Bermuda Bay wing.

Two very different takes on this week's sketch - do let me know which one you prefer in the comments below! Back tomorrow with my card for this week's new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Season Of Cheer Designer Series Paper	Snow Place Photopolymer Stamp Set	Snowflake Elements	Versamark Pad	White Stampin' Emboss Powder
Heat Tool (Uk)	Embossing Buddy	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock	Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits Dies
Greetings Thinlits Dies	Color Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper	Bird Builder Punch	Bermuda Bay A4 Cardstock	Pool Party A4 Cardstock
Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock	Cucumber Crush A4 Cardstock	Watermelon Wonder A4 Cardstock	Big Shot

I've had a busy day today with my 'Shake It Up!' Children's Craft Class making the shaker cards featured in the 'To You And Yours Shaker Cards Project Kit'. We all had tremendous fun and made lots of great cards. I'll share a picture from our class at the end of today's post, however in the meantime my blog project to share with you today is the one that my Facebook followers had a sneak peek of last week that I made with a lovely group of ladies - our Autumn leaf wreaths. We based our design on this one created by Stampin' Up! Artisan Designer Alison Okamitsu; I made a large wreath like Alison's to hang on my front door and the ladies liked it so much they wanted to create a similar, smaller version - here is ours:

We used a selection of muted colours and the wonderful Vintage Leaves stamp set and cut out the leaves using our Big Shot and co-ordinating Leaflets Framelits (one of the catalogue 15% off bundles if you are a bargain-hunter!), some pinecones, a few leaves punched with the bird builder punch and a burlap bow to finish. Isn't that pretty? The ladies were all so very pleased with their wreaths and their stamping as this is something of a first for them! 

This was a private class that I held for a group of like-minded friends who often invite me to run a class just for them. If you have a group of friends that you would like to arrange a crafty get-together with, or would simply like to join in with one of my existing scheduled classes, then do get in touch - I would love to hear from you! Don't forget the offer of additional Stampin' rewards is also still valid until the 9th November - party sales of £200 or more will earn an extra 3% of Stampin' Rewards (formerly known as Hostess Credits) so if you have a long wish list, I've still a few slots left so contact me to book your party today!

Before I go, let me share a photo of the James Juniors proudly displaying their handiwork from this morning's class:

Like mother, like daughter (and son!) as the saying goes - what else can I possibly add?!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Vintage Leaves Photopolymer Bundle	Big Shot	Hello Honey A4 Cardstock	So Saffron A4 Cardstock	Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad	Smoky Slate A4 Cardstock	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock	Typeset Specialty Designer Series Paper
Bird Builder Punch	1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! This week it is the turn of the multi-talented Nance, who not only produces fabulous cards but also designs all our challenge badges and does so much to keep our challenge blog running smoothly - thank you Nance! This week we have a clean and simple challenge for you:

I considered going with something autumnal for my card today, but in truth I've had this idea for a card in my head for a while and decided that since it fits today's brief it was about time I got it down on paper - and it's a Christmas card! Take a look:

I've been using my Vintage Leaves set a lot this week and I'm not sure whether it is meant to be or not, but the large spiky leaf definitely reminds me of holly, so I decided to use it on a Christmas card. I used Mossy Meadow for my card base and adhered a strip of the gingham patterned paper from the Merry Moments DSP stack down the left hand side. My raised panel is extra thick Whisper White cardstock, out of which I cut the spiky leaf shape using the co-ordinating Leaflets Framelits Dies - another one of the great 15% off bundles when you purchase both items together from the current catalogue - and stamped the leaf in Mossy Meadow directly onto the Mossy Meadow panel below, so that it could be seen through the aperture. I then stamped another leaf on a separate piece of Mossy Meadow and cut this out with the same framelit too, positioning it at an angle over the first one and overhanging the edge of the white panel. My 'Joy' sentiment is from the Holly Jolly Greetings set and stamped in Real Red. To finish, I added a trio of Cherry Cobbler Home For Christmas enamel dots for my berries - I love these, they add the perfect finishing touch to my card. So what do you think - do these leaves work as holly? Either way, I am pleased with the finished result.

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

I look forward to seeing your CAS creations this week.

I'm having a change of sport today as Rebecca is playing in her first club hockey tournament of the season, so I'm off to cheer her team on and then we'll be home for a late lunch. Fortunately for us this weekend marks the start of our school half-term holiday, so we have a lovely two week break from our routine of homework and early mornings to look forward to, which is especially welcome given how cold and dark it has been this week  - far from jumping out of bed in the morning I am more inclined to snuggle under the duvet and hibernate! Enjoy your Sunday however you are choosing to spend it.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Vintage Leaves Photopolymer Bundle	Big Shot	Holly Jolly Greetings Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Home For Christmas Enamel Dots	Merry Moments Designer Series Paper Stack
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad	Mossy Meadow A4 Cardstock	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

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

Having contemplated the use of washi tape on today's card, I decided to take a more liberal interpretation and used my much loved Sleigh Ride Edgelits to create the layers on today's card:

I decided to use a piece of the rather dramatic black Winter Wonderland Specialty Designer Series Paper as the main feature paper for my card, layering this on a piece of gold foil and a base of Whisper White extra thick cardstock. This DSP is gorgeous - very glossy and with a beautiful sheen to it. I then layered my edgelits, cutting the trees out of gold glimmer paper and the houses out of Whisper White extra thick cardstock, but reversing both so that my sweeping lines went in the right direction according to the sketch! I stamped my sentiment from the co-ordinating stamp set 'Jingle All The Way' in Memento Black onto the white layer, just above the sweep of my final layer - Santa and his sleigh cut out of black glimmer paper and tied with a gold corded trim bow.  

I wasn't sure that black glimmer paper would work on a Christmas card, but I'm so glad I gave it a try; it really compliments the dsp on my card and just goes to prove that black glimmer paper has a life beyond Halloween! 

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

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

A quick post from me today to share one of the cards we made at this month's Technique class, featuring the Embellished Ornaments stamp set and Delicate Ornament Thinlits Dies. For this card, I combined it with the 'Season of Cheer' designer series paper and used it to fill the framelit space of the bauble:

I chose soft Sky and Night of Navy for the mats and layers for my card and having stamped a sentiment on the front, then also decorated the inside of the card to co-ordinate:

I layered the sentiment over the stamped bauble for extra detail and interest. This stamp set and framelits are one of the great bundle offers that you can find in the seasonal catalogue, with 15% off the combined price if you purchase both items together. Who doesn't love a bargain?!

I really like this card - the colours are rather unconventional for this kind of card yet they are the perfect match for the designer papers. I think this may actually be my favourite of this month's class cards! I set my ladies a challenge too - to use the bauble shape that was wastage on this card to create another one - I'll be sharing them on my Facebook page in due course as their entries start coming in!

If you live in or around Northampton and you would like to join me for either of next month's technique card classes, we will be featuring the 'Happy Scenes' stamp set and co-ordinating Hearth and Home framelit dies. Please get in touch for more details!

I have another class tomorrow - this time Autumn home decor is the name of the game! Come back tomorrow to see what we made and also find out what's on the latest set of Wednesday Weekly Deals and a new project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Embellished Ornaments Clear-Mount Bundle	Magnetic Platform	Big Shot	Season Of Cheer Designer Series Paper	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad
Soft Sky A4 Cardstock	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad
Gold Foil Sheets