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)

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'm sharing a card inspired by the colour palette over at Colour Inkspiration that used the Try Stamping On Tuesday sketch layout:

We are hoping for slightly cooler temperatures here in the UK today, but as the weather has been hotting up, I thought it was the perfect time for one of my 'Hippest Hippos' to cool off in the tub - take a look:

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

Hippest Hippos - Yes I have another hippo for you - my third this week! This time my hippo is complete with snorkel and mask and ready to dive into his shiny foil bathtub to cool off! I love the cute accessories that come with the Hippo Dies - you really can have your hippo your way! 

Amazing Phrasing - Another sentiment from the 'Amazing Phrasing' stamp set; I didn't stamp the inside of my card as I'm not sure which of the sentiments in the set I'm going to use, as I haven't yet decided who will be the recipient of this card and it can be tailored to suit. This is another Sale-A-Bration stamp set (free with a £90 purchase) that is so versatile and a definite keeper - yay for free product!

Bathtub Blues - I wasn't sure about the combination of Pacific Point and Starry Sky on this colour palette, but as it turns out they were the perfect pairing for a blended background for my cute bathing hippo. I combined both colours with my blending brushes, flicked the surface with my aquapainter and then layered my diecuts on top, including some Pacific Point water splashes, which I brushed with Wink of Stella for a sparkly shine:

This hippo definitely knows how to cool down the fun way! I took a delivery yesterday that came in a large polystyrene box. I promptly filled the empty container with cold water and sat with my feet in it for a much-needed cool down - it was glorious and the perfect way to recycle my packaging 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; my niece has her graduation day today so will be thankful for the slightly cooler temperatures as she dons her cap and gown I'm sure. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	AMAZING PHRASING PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	PACIFIC POINT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (£9.50)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (£7.50)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£7.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)	WATER PAINTERS (£13.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Patricia is hosting this month and this week she has another colour challenge for us: 

For my card today I couldn't resist another of those Hippest Hippos. This time I paired this little guy with a fun sentiment from another Sale-A-Bration stamp set that can be yours free with a £90 purchase called 'Amazing Phrasing' - take a look:

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

'Amazing Phrasing' is one of those useful stamp sets that you can use to create lots of different sentiment combinations. I thought this hippo looked like he was definitely sweet on someone, so I chose this sentiment and paired it with one on the inside from the 'Hippest Hippos' set:

I went back to a grey hippo today, so with my So Saffron cardbase had to really look at ways to incorporate a little more of the other two colours. In addition to the flower he's holding, I added some pink diecut hearts and stamped part of my sentiment onto Soft Sea Foam and fussy cut it to add in a little more green too:

And that's all there is to it - another clean and simple hip hippo!

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; I got up and crafted early this morning, as my craft room will be like a sauna from mid-morning in this heatwave we are experiencing here in the UK. No complaints here though - I shall be taking it easy and catching up on a good book beneath a fan, probably whilst lying on the stone tiles to keep cool! The weather is supposed to break tomorrow so the temperatures should be easing off a little. Stay safe and enjoy your day wherever you are and I'll be back tomorrow with another hippo project for you. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	AMAZING PHRASING PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SO SAFFRON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SOFT SEA FOAM STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Ann to host this week and she has a fun Clean and Simple challenge for us to work with as we celebrate another milestone with our 600th challenge:

Cards for kids - what fun! I used Karren's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week which was perfect to highlight my ballet dancing hippo - take a look:

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

I couldn't resist another outing with my 'Hippest Hippos' Sale-A-Bration stamp set and co-ordinating Hippo Dies, this time I decided to feature the sweet ballet dancing hippo. My colours were taken from the palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week. This is my first foray into the world of coloured hippos - I usually stick with the grey kind! I stamped, coloured and diecut one, backed with a couple of rectangles of DSP (these are from retired collections but I've included the links to the current equivalents below). I also gave my hippo a flower in her 'hair' and added a liberal does of clear Wink of Stella to her tutu and ballet shoes:

I finished with a birthday sentiment from a retired set in a co-ordinating font and another coloured hippo inside my card:

And that's all there is to it! Remember this is clean and simple week - so your card should:

• Have minimal layers and embellishments
• Have plenty of open, or "white" space
• Be simple and uncluttered

I think my blue hippo fits the bill - and is a fitting way to celebrate our 600th challenge too! 

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

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

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

Enjoy your day; I'll be keeping out of the sun, enjoying a BBQ lunch and enjoying the glorious weather we are having here at the moment. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (£7.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)
ORCHID OASIS STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BRIGHTS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	SUBTLES 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£7.50)

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

Since today celebrates the launch of the new July-December mini catalogue and the start of the second Sale-A-Bration promotion of the year, I couldn't resist the opportunity to create with some new goodies! I'm not quite in the Christmas zone yet though, so decided to pair the summery colour palette over at Global Design Project #GDP349 this week and the inspiration phrase of "Fun In The Sun" over at Try Stamping On Tuesday (but not the sketch for obvious reasons) and use two of my FREE Sale-A-Bration products to create a splashy pool-inspired card featuring a trio of hip hippos - take a look:

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

Hippest Hippos - So how adorable are these hippos??! The stamp set contains 4 sentiments and a trio of hippos in a variety of poses - and the co-ordinating Hippos Dies extend the versatility of these semi-aquatic mammals further with the inclusion of a boat, bath tub and lots of accessories too. I 'dressed' my hippos in sunglasses, a snorkel and mask and cleverly adapted the ballet dancer in the set by adding an inflatable rubber ring that I made out of a retired stitched oval die to create a trio that are ready for some water-based fun.  

A Trio Of Dies - In addition to using the Sale-A-Bration Hippos Dies to cut out the hippos and their accessories, I also used the 'waves' die in the set for some partial diecutting to create the base for my stitched circle apertures that I wanted my hippos to sit in. The circles were diecut using the Stylish Shapes Dies and my panel cut using the Rectangle Stitched Dies. I like the way you can see the wave impressions beneath the die on the solid coloured cardstock, but the Tahitian Tide In-Color DSP beneath peaks through, a little like the sparkle of light on water. I added some splashes cut from this paper to my top layer, but I think they get a little lost - I think if I did them again I might use some in-color glimmer paper; what do you think?

Watercolour Pencil Wonder - I stamped my hippos directly onto Grey Granite cardstock, then added highlights and shading using my watercolour pencils, blended out with a blending pen. This is quite a neat way to use watercolour pencils and is a great way to add a little depth to your image without having to do lots of colouring. Did you know too that July is National Watercolour Month? Watercolouring can take lots of forms besides the traditional 'brush, water and paint' method. I look forward to sharing more watercolouring tips and tricks during the coming month. 

Both the 'Hippest Hippos' stamp set and the Hippo Dies can be yours FREE with a purchase of £45 (you will need two £45 purchases to get both items - they can be purchased separately). To get yours just click on the links to the online store below and place your order - you know you want to!!

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

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

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
• In a sketch challenge, you are welcome to rotate or flip a sketch. You can replace shapes used such as substituting a circle panel for a square panel. However, we must be able to still see the basis of the original sketch in your finished product.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back on Sunday with my card for our new theme challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HIPPEST HIPPOS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£0.00)	HIPPO DIES (£0.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	WATERCOLOR PENCILS (£15.00)
PARAKEET PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	GRAY GRANITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)