Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card using Judy's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches that is also my card for the current Colour Inkspiration Facebook challenge:

I thought those 5 stripes would be perfect for another card featuring the new 2023-25 In Colours, so take a look at what I came up with:

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

I wanted to use one of the curvy dies from the Around The Bend Dies for my stripes, so my card ended up being more of a slimline when finished to give me enough height to fit in all of the layers (I hope Judy is OK with that!) I cut the layers in each of the in colours, then layered them so that each colour is visible through the diecut detail of the layer above. A simple 'hello' sentiment and a white card base allows the diecut detail and colours to take centre stage:

I added a single layered diecut daisy from the Dainty Delight Dies to each stripe, finishing with a single large in colour dot for a little extra shine.

So what do you think - do you have a favourite in-colour from this set yet? I do think it's tricky to use all 5 on one card, but I like how this one worked out. I think Boho Blue is m favourite - let me know yours in the comments below!

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:

DAINTY DELIGHT DIES (34.00)	AROUND THE BEND DIES (31.00)	2023–2025 IN COLOR A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	2023–2025 IN COLOR™ DOTS (7.50)	PEBBLED PATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
ARTISTICALLY INKED CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)

Today I'm sharing my final card for my Guest Designer spot over at Just Us Girls. I will be so sad to leave - I've had such a great month crafting alongside these lovely ladies, but I'm sure they have someone wonderful lined up to take over next month. For my final card we have a super fun challenge - CASE a design Team Member:

Now I could have created absolutely anything for my final card this week - but I thought it would be fun if I CASEd one of the Just Us Girls Design Team Members! And it just so happened that I saw this card by the lovely Carol McFarland a week or so ago and actually commented on her socials that I wanted to CASE this card, so I thought today that I would! This is my version - take a look:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Whilst I love to colour, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I love exploring alternative ways to add colour to line art images. I took an alternative approach to colouring this rose the last time I used it - you can see that card here. This card gave me another final opportunity to use the Cottage Rose stamp before it retires and also to have some fun with the new 2023-25 In Colours too. I stamped the main rose image around the edge of a piece of Whisper White, then masked off two 'stripes' in turn and blended some Moody Mauve ink first from one edge, then the other. I added a sentiment from the same set and two addition uncoloured diecut roses on dimensionals:

A trio of In Color Dots and black enamel dots complete my card front. I added a little extra detail to the inside of my card too:

I like this card so much, I think I'm going to make 4 more versions in each of the other new in-colours too. CASEing someone else's card can be so much fun - whether you are inspired by the images, colours, layout or technique, there is so much to choose from! I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone is inspired by the JUGS Design Team cards this week and thank you to Carol for inspiring mine! A final thank you too to all the lovely JUGS ladies for their cameraderie this month - you will undoubtedly see me back in the gallery soon!

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

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

Enjoy your day; I'm off to the hockey pitch this afternoon and looking forward to a long Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, even if that means it will probably rain!! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

COTTAGE ROSE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.20)

COTTAGE FLOWERS DIES (22.40)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)

BLENDING BRUSHES (11.75)

MATTE BLACK DOTS (4.05)

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 gorgeous colour challenge for us to work with:

Isn't that such a great palette of colours?! They are right in my wheelhouse and I couldn't wait to get to started. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these colours - take a look:

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

Loveliest Layers - The highlight of today's card is the flower that is stencilled onto the central panel of my card. I used the Loveliest Layers Decorative Masks that you can find on page 62 of the mini catalogue. They contain a background stencil and this layered flower and I think with so many great new stamps, dies and papers, these masks are easily overlooked, yet they are so easy to use and make great designs. Using my blending brushes, I first inked the base flower in Highland Heather, then added the definition in Orchid Oasis. For the leaves I used Parakeet Party for both layers, inking the second one more heavily to give the contrast.

Love For You - I decided to add a thank you sentiment comprising a tiny heat-embossed stamped 'thanks' with a die cut 'so much' courtesy of the 'Love For You' bundle. I only used two of the three layers of the dies, and adhered them flat to my panel whilst adding my stamped element with dimensionals to help it standout:

I am a big fan of the 'Love For You' bundle and the versatility it offers in terms of how to layer the dies and the way various elements combine to create a wide variety of sentiments.

Even More Layers - Whilst my card layout is quite simple, it does contain lots of layers - 7 in fact. Each of them serves a purpose though, from the in-color DSP that frames my central focal point, to the thin borders to highlight the central panel and the double-layering of the sentiment and the use of white is also key here to give definition to the overall design.

So what do you think of today's card? I love it and can't wait to create more with these stencils.

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; we are having a quiet one as we are part way through GCSE mock examinations for the youngest of the James Juniors, so revision reigns! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

LOVE FOR YOU BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (44.00)	LOVELIEST LAYERS DECORATIVE MASKS (10.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)	BLENDING BRUSHES (11.75)	ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	ORCHID OASIS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)
HIGHLAND HEATHER A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Cecile has asked that we overlay an image and background element: 

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card. For my card today I used my snowflake and 'swoosh' stamps from the 'Season of Chic' stamp set along with some diecut snowflakes cut with the Chic Dies for some winter birthday or Christmas inspiration:

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

I added a simple border with my white chalk marker then stamped some tone-on-tone snowflakes stamped in Orchid Oasis to my cardfront, along with a swoosh in Starry Sky for contrast, and complimented this with a white heat-embossed sentiment and some white glimmer diecut snowflakes, trimmed with Opal Rounds:

I added some stamped snowflakes and a greeting to the inside of my card, and carried the detail over to the envelope too:

A card that works for a winter birthday or Christmas - and easy to make 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 tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SEASON OF CHIC BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (54.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	OPAL ROUNDS (7.00)	ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
ORCHID OASIS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	REAL RED & WHITE 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (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 Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely Felicita is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went down the first column with Friendship, Any Colour and Any Shaped Die and went with a tone-on-tone look using one of Stampin' Up!'s new 2022-24 in colours, Tahitian Tide - take a look:

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

My card uses a simple white base with ink, ribbon and DSP in Tahitian Tide. Oh and did I mention the glimmer paper? This is the star of today's card - along with the Pretty Pop Up Dies that I used to create the detail for my focal point - check out the dimension and sparkle below:

The glimmer paper has a graduated ombre effect; difficult to see on this small area, but so pretty and along with the designer paper and metallic ribbon does a great job of showcasing the bright blue tones associated with this colour. I added some basic pearls to highlight the die detail. I have a top ribbon tip for you too: if you look closely, you can see I created a notch in the edge of my card which allows my ribbon to sit perfectly straight and be held neatly in place. This ribbon is lovely - so soft and ties beautiful bows. A simple card that is sure to bring a smile to a friend's face when received in the post. 

I liked this card so much, I made another one in Starry Sky which I thought I'd share - what do you think?

My favourite is still the first one, but I'm going to make a whole batch and include them in with this month's In-Colour Club packs as I think they do a great job of showcasing these lovely new in-colours.

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. 

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; I'll be back tomorrow with this week's card for the new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PRETTY POP-UPS DIES (£30.00)	SIMPLY FABULOUS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (£11.25)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	TAHITIAN TIDE 1/8'' (3.2 MM) METALLIC WOVEN RIBBON (£8.50)	STARRY SKY 1/8'' (3.2 MM) METALLIC WOVEN RIBBON (£8.50)
TAHITIAN TIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card that uses the sketch layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments that showcases four out of the 5 new in-colours - perfect for the challenge over at Colour Inkspiration CI#122 too:

I decided to start the week with some #simplestamping using a set that is perfect for the beginner stamper and the banner on the HSS layout was the ideal place to showcase it - take a look:

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

Sentimental Swirls - The 'Sentimental Swirls' stamp set was inspired by our very first £1m sales achiever in the UK, Sam Hammond. It comprises a basic swirl, with additional swirls, leaves, flowers, a bird, a butterfly and some simple, sentiments perfect for the most popular types of cards - birthdays, thank yous and general hellos. The set has endless creative possibilities and as it's photopolymer, it's really easy to line up the images or the infills. I created a leafy swirl that fills my banner and stamped a bird onto one of the vines, before adding my flowers and sentiment separately. I also added a little extra decoration to the inside of my card:

Step It Up With Punch Co-ordination - Sentimental Swirls is great for one layer stamping, but it's also easy to step up your designs by using the Flowers and Leaves punch from the annual catalogue, which punches out one of the flowers in the set. That's what I did on my card, adding some Orchid Oasis enamel dots to the centres and curving the petals slightly with my bonefolder before adding my flowers to my card:

I used a panel of in-colour designer series paper in a floral design behind my banner for a touch of extra detail.

An Added Extra - I also used this set for some thank you cards to pop in with some recent customer orders and for the bag tags. The smaller flower in the set also co-ordinates with the flower of the (now retired) Strawberry Builder Punch - you can see that on the tags below:

So if you already have this punch in your collection, you will have even more creative possibilities available to you with this set.

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. 

Sentimental Swirls is such a great set for simple cards that can be easily stepped up by adding in a punch (or two). It's in the January-June mini catalogue and whilst I've had it since I made my pre-order, I haven't shown it on my blog until now - which is a shame, as it's a great set that didn't carry over to the new annual catalogue, so you only have until the end of June to get your hands on it. The good news though is that on Wednesday this stamp will hit the Last-Chance list so you will be able to pick it up for just £14.70 - that's a 30% discount on the catalogue price, bargain!

I love the way that the in-colours coordinate so well together too; today's card features all of them except Tahitian Tide (you can glimpse a butterfly in this colour on one of my tags if you need a quick fix!)

A quick reminder that the current joining promotion that features an in-color kit in addition to the £130 of product of your choice - and all for £99 - closes tomorrow. Read all about it here if you'd like a reminder - I would love to welcome you to my team. Alternatively, I still have places left in my current in-colour club - details on the same link above.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SENTIMENTAL SWIRLS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	FLOWERS & LEAVES PUNCH (£18.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	ORCHID OASIS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£7.50)

Today I'm sharing the card that I sent out with the paper copies of the new Stampin' Up! annual catalogue to my loyal customers. I used the new 'Sending Smiles' bundle and my card also features each of the new in-colours - take a look:

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

Sending Smiles - I had lots of these cards to make, so purposely designed a fairly clean and simple, almost one layer (save the diecut sentiment) card. For this kind of mass production the Stamparatus is a must: I added flower stems, each set of petals and then the sentiment to separate platform plates, then without needing to move my card, stamped each colour in turn. Once all my card bases were stamped, I added my diecut sentiment; I added adhesive sheets to the reverse of my Tahitian Tide cardstock to speed up the gluing process and added some Tombo behind the vellum to attach it to the cardbase.

New In Colors - Let's take a look at those new 2022-24 In Colors: 

Whilst the In Color collections aren't designed to be used together, the colours in this collection compliment each other beautifully, don't you think? 

Want Them All? - Would you like to add these colours to your ink collection? Stampin' Up! have made that even easier for you this month. Between 3-31 May, when you join Stampin' Up! as a new demonstrator, you receive not only £130 of product for £99, but you will get an additional £62.50 worth of In-Color products FOR FREE! 

You will receive a full set of in color ink pads, a mixed pack of in color cardstock, in color designer series paper and a pack of in-color grid paper in your FREE product bundle. Your kit is sent postage-free and there are a range of ongoing benefits, from product discounts to training and most of all the opportunity to grow a business that works for you and have fun and build friendships as part of the wider Stampin' Up! community.

If this isn't for you, then you might like to consider joining my new In Color Club. 

2022-24 In Color Club Details

To help you spread the cost and gradually grow your new in-colour collection, I am offering an in-colour club (UK customers only). It begins this month and runs for the next 5 months, up to and including September. Each month, you will receive a collection of products for one of the colours, with each month featuring a different colour. You will be sent a reminder on the 1st of the month, and your in-color club invoice will need to be paid by the 15th of the month in order that items can be ordered in good time.

Each month, you will receive: 

• 1/2 pack of A4 cardstock (12 sheets)
• 1/2 roll of 1/8" (1cm) In Color Metallic Woven Ribbon
• 1 ink pad
• 1 ink refill
• 1 Stampin' Write Marker
• 30 In Color Matte Decorative Dots
• Eight 6”X6” In Color DSP sheets
• Four sheets 6" x 6" In Color Glimmer paper
• In Color Baker's Twine
• A hand stamped card featuring your in-colour of the month

Since all of the colours are also available as Stampin' Blends, there is the option to add on a Stampin' Up! Blends Marker Combo Pack each month for an additional £8.50.   

Details:

Basic Pack Cost: £31.65 plus postage and packaging (Royal Mail 2nd Class Signed For) every month May through September. If you are local, you can avoid the cost of shipping and arrange to collect. 

Payment can be made by Paypal or bank transfer (or cash/cheque for local customers).

If you would like to join my new colour club this month, then you can email me to sign up here.

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. 

I am also linking my card up over at The Alphabet Challenge where they are currently on 'B is for Blooms' as we go back through the alphabet once more.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SENDING SMILES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£46.75)

2022–2024 IN COLOR CLASSIC STAMPIN' PADS (£33.75)

TAHITIAN TIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (£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 week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went both across the bottom row Diecut/Spring Colours/Floral and down the middle column with Butterfly/CAS/Spring Colours this week, also using the beautiful trio of pastels over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and the layout (but not the colours - I may have another go with some blues next week!) over at Fusion for my fresh thank you card - take a look:

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

Flowers Layering Masks - As I said in my earlier post today, I think I am really enjoying experimenting with stencils, and this particular flower stencil in the Butterflies and Flowers Layering Decorative Masks is definitely one of my favourites! Today I incorporated two different coloured flowers, using the same colour to build up the layers on each, before adding leaves. I also added a touch of stencilling to the inside corner of my card:

Pretty Pastels - This is such a pretty spring colour combination that the HSS team chose this week. It just so happens to be the same colour combination I used for my daffodils and tulips Paper Players card earlier in the week too; you can see that card here if you missed it. I used Fresh Freesia for my card base and added a panel of in-color designer paper for a subtle tone-on-tone layer of pattern detail.

Brass Butterflies - To finish my card I added a couple of in-colour gems to my purple flowers and a couple of brass butterflies for a fun extra detail - you can just see the shine as they catch the light on the one on the upper left portion of the photo below:

A simple stamped sentiment from 'Flowing Flowers' in Basic Grey completes today's card.

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

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

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; I'll be back tomorrow with another project for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BUTTERFLIES & FLOWERS LAYERING DECORATIVE MASKS (£9.25)	BRUSHED BRASS BUTTERFLIES (£9.25)	STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES (£30.00)	2021–2023 IN COLOR JEWELS (£6.50)	2021–2023 IN COLOR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
FRESH FREESIA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SO SAFFRON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MINT MACARON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
FLOWING FLOWERS CLING STAMP SET (£24.00)

Happy Monday everyone! After a weekend out of action, I am feeling slightly better today and this morning had time to finish my card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge:

I love Karren's sketch this week - wide open to interpretation. So much so, the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed I used the same layout for my Paper Players card that I posted yesterday (you can see that card here if you missed it). I didn't link that one up as whilst I loved the end result I felt it wasn't really 'clean' enough to do Karren's sketch justice. Not the case for today's card though - take a look:

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

Slim Card Dies Trellis - The central panel of the sketch is perfect to showcase diecut detail; I used one of the Slim Card Dies in gold foil to create something that reminds me of a Moroccan trellis, cut down though to fit a standard sized card front. Just because the dies are made for slimline cards, doesn't mean they can't be used in this way too.  

Jewels of Colour - The colour scheme for today's card comes from the palette over at TGIF Challenges this week. This is not a trio of colours I would usually use together, but I thought they would make a rich blended backgound of graduated colour - the perfect backdrop for my trellis. As a bonus, I wanted to pick out elements of the trellis design with rhinestones or similar, and following a perusal of my collection found that the 2020-22 In Color Enamel Dots were perfect; two of the colours were spot on, and the Cinnamon Cider ones worked for the Soft Suede portion of my card where I only needed a couple because of my sentiment position (which I chose with this in mind). I think the addition of the enamel dots really makes a feature of the design:

Amazing Thanks - This is one of those rather rare no-stamping cards; I chose to use a layered 'thanks' diecut from the Amazing Thanks dies for my sentiment, layering gold foil onto Magenta madness layered with vellum to tone down the pink. These dies really are a keeper - so very useful! There will be some stamping on the inside of this card, but for the time being it's blank as I might use it for a specific type of thank you card. 

I really like this card and whilst this isn't a colour combo I would ordinarily have chosen (and in fact I originally made this card in an alternative colourway) I think it really makes it. I think it has a  very Aladdin and Arabian Nights vibe!

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. 

Right - I'm off to squeeze in a few jobs before heading out on the school run. Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SLIM CARD DIES (£55.00)	AMAZING THANKS DIES (ENGLISH) (£25.00)	GOLD FOIL SHEETS (£4.75)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.25)	MAGENTA MADNESS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MAGENTA MADNESS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
BUMBLEBEE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SOFT SUEDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SOFT SUEDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.25)