Awesomely Artistic for The Paper Players

by Joanne James12. July 2015 11:00

Yay it's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players where this week the lovely Jaydee has the following colour challenge for us:

   Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch 152. #stampinup #blogcandy #papercraftcrew

I also used this week's sketch over at The Paper Craft Crew as the basis for today's layout. I've been desperate to ink up my new Awesomely Artistic stamp set and decided that these colours would be perfect for a soft and subtle card. This is what I came up with:

I used Mint Macaron for my card base, added some grunge splatters and then a panel of Smoky Slate and Smoky Slate DSP - I love the script pattern! I then created my feature square, which contains a lot of detail for my normally rather CAS style! I used a piece of Mint Macaron, onto which I stamped the small fern in the stamp set in the same colour ink, stamping a few times without re-inking for added depth. I stamped the floral bloom in Smoky Slate onto Whisper White and used my blender pen to add some colour to the flowers in both Smoky Slate and Mint Macaron, before fussy cutting the whole thing. Yes, you read that correctly - I fussy cut the whole thing! I won't deny it was rather fiddly and took me absolutely ages, but I think it was worth it to make it really stand out. As if that wasn't enough, I then fussy cut a few extra flowers and popped them onto the base bloom with glue dots, as I wanted some height but not too much (hence they aren't that visible in the photograph - they are more obvious in real life). I added a few pearls here and there for a little extra interest. I stamped my sentiment panel in Smoky Slate on Smoky Slate and stamped the word 'Friend' in Versamark and heat embossed in white. I added some mint lace ribbon trim behind it before adhering to my card with dimensionals. Did you spot my Sahara Sand? I have used it sparingly, on the round element tucked behind the flower and the trio of candy dots, so you can be forgiven if you blinked and missed it at first glance! A scattering of a few more pearls, and done!

This card is much fussier than many I design, however I am very pleased with it and I love this stamp set - you will definitely be seeing more of it! Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

The Paper Players Design Team
Anne Marie Hile - on leave
 
 
Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than three challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN! 

I look forward to seeing how you use these colours when I visit your cards in the gallery this week. I am spending the day with my upline for a team training day today which should be fun; it's always nice to catch up with the wider team. I'm hoping the weather will continue to be warm and that I will be coming home to an evening BBQ (well, hoping!). 

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

On Your Bike - Hooray For Adventures!

by Joanne James5. July 2015 11:00

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! This week it is the turn of the lovely Ann to host and she has the following theme challenge for us: 

The great outdoors: now I know our challenge badge this week shows trees, flowers and wildlife, but for me when I thought about what 'the great outdoors' meant to me, it was more about camping, rambling and cycling - so off I went in search of stamp sets to fit the bill. After much fruitless searching, suddenly there it was just staring me in the face - the top sheet in the open pack of Schoolhouse designer series paper on my desk was the perfect feature for my card:

Bicycles! We are a family of cyclists and are fortunate to live near to lots of great cycle paths and countryside that is accessible to cyclists. so often ride out together as a family. I really wanted the paper to take centre stage, so I went on the hunt for a small, suitable sentiment to pair it with and decided upon this one from the Project Life 'Moments Like These' stamp set which was just enough to finish my card. Another great example of where these sets can be used for memory keeping and a lot more besides!

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

The Paper Players Design Team
Anne Marie Hile - on leave
 
 
Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than three challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN! 

Your cards can be inspired by any aspect of life outdoors so get your thinking caps on and I look forward to seeing what you make of our theme in the gallery this week. I am hoping that today will be another warm and sunny one, with a BBQ lunch on the menu. Some time in the garden and a restful day is on the cards!

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

Teacher Thank You Card

by Joanne James27. May 2015 21:42

So I'm back with the second of my cards for this week's challenge over at CAS(E) This Sketch:

   

As the end of the school year will be upon us soon enough, I decided to combine this card with this week's theme over at The Challenge and get ahead and make a teacher thank you card:

I used a base of Pear Pizzazz and a mat of real Red - apple colours! - and having cut a stencil of the word 'Thank' using my Silhouette e-cutter, I stamped the word Thanks from the 'Another Thank You' stamp set repeatedly in Memento Black into the space and sponged over the whole space in Pear Pizzazz to give the letters more definition. To complete the sentiment, I die cut the word 'you' using my Big Shot and 'Hello You' thinlits three times out of Real Red cardstock and stuck them together to create a raised piece, then painted it in Crystal Effects to give a glossy finish. I used a snippet of chalkboard paper and stamped the word 'teacher' in white kraft ink to give a chalkboard effect (the stamp is from the retired set 'for my family' - it's a keeper!) and added both to my card, along with a cardboard apple embellishment from my Project Life Playground accessory kit and also a 'vintage' wire paper clip. This final addition also enables me to link up to 'Less is More' this week, where the recipe is to add metal to your card. 

I really love the way this card turned out; I like the collage feel it has, yet still retaining my clean and simple style - here's a close up of the stamping and stencilling detail: 

It's a little more embellished than my usual LIM cards, so I'm hoping it will still be permissible although I know the lovely ladies over there will give me some pointers if I've strayed too far from the brief :-) This is however much more what I had in mind for the sketch, so I hope the CAS(E) This Sketch team like it! The James Juniors are already arguing about which of their teachers will be receiving it - I think I might have to make a few copies before the end of term approaches!

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

This Week's Wednesday Weekly Deals!

by Joanne James13. May 2015 20:43

It's Wednesday and you know what that means: a new collection of Wednesday Weekly Deals! This week's deals are included below - they will be available for one week only, before a new collection of deals is announced. 

As always, if you want to take advantage of any of the deals on offer, you can support my business by placing your order online by clicking here or using the link to my store on the right hand side of my blog page where it says 'Shop Online' or with me in person. Don't forget to add the Hostess Code for May FZZMG3JY and be sure to make sure that you don't check the 'no contact' box if you'd like to be kept updated with the progress of you order and receive a little thank you in the post from me. 

Here's a summary of this week's one-week only Wednesday deals - click on each item to go to the online store to purchase:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Lots of great bargains again this week: the 2 1/2" circle punch is one of my most used punches, along with some buttons and embossing folders and even something for the Project Life fans amongst us with the Cards and Labels Framelits - very useful.

Back shortly with today's creative post; until then, happy shopping!

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Promotions | Shop Online | Stamping

You Make Me Happy Project Life Card

by Joanne James20. January 2015 09:00

Today I have something a little different to share with you, having take this week's sketch over at Pals Paper Arts and the colour palette over at Create with Connie and Mary this week as my starting point:

   

I decided I needed to feature a sentiment in the rectangle running across the front of the sketch and was about to go off in search of some nice DSP to use for the background, when I remembered an idea I had when perusing through my Project Life cards recently. I love Project Life and generally don't use my PL supplies to make cards, because I can't bare the thought of not having them to use in my album (weird, I know - I could just buy more, right?!), however I have a box of the PL Love Story cards that I won at Stampin' Up! Convention last November that I haven't used as I'm not even close to using them to PL my wedding (or anyone else's for that matter) and had been looking at recently to see what else I could use them for, particularly with Valentine's Day and my wedding anniversary coming up. I decided to take a couple of them and use them for my card today:

My card is quite an unusual size, as I wanted to use most of the 4" x 6" Project Life card on the central panel, so I shaved a little from the width and then measured my mat and base card from there. All of the cards in the Love Story PL set are in black, white and shades of grey, although as my card shows it's not tricky to introduce a little colour. I used my inks and sponge daubers to sponge in some colour around each of the flowers on the central panel, then for my sentiment cut the top off one of the square PL cards and used a cotton bud (cue tip, for my US readers!) to add a little colour to the flower head and used my Bermuda Bay marker to colour in the leaves. I then finished my card with three narrow flags, one in each of the challenge colours, and a piece of Calypso Coral ribbon from the Best Year Ever Sale-A-Bration accessory pack. 

So no stamping on my card today and quite a different use for my Project Life cards - the sentiment is sufficiently generic it could be used for a variety of occasions. Right - I'm off to the opticians again; I've been trialling new contact lenses this week and need a final fitting. Don't worry, I'm not about to change my look - they are for occasional use only as deep-down I'm a committed specs wearer. Vanity is just not my thing :-)

Back tomorrow with a new set of weekly deals and another project; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

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Cards | Project Life

More Christmas Goodness - The Christmas Seasonal Supplement Launches Today!

by Joanne James20. October 2014 22:20

DON'T FORGET: 4 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE FREE PACK OF PAPER FOR 6 MONTHS SIGN UP DEAL ENDS - CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND JOIN MY STAMPIN' UP! TEAM TODAY!

 

I'm back from Convention and will have more news on that tomorrow. Today has been all about catching up with my family, but I wanted to write a quick post to let you know that today Stampin' Up! has launched a new supplement to the Autumn-Winter Seasonal catalogue with a handful of new products that are guaranteed to get you in the mood for the festive season: 

If you click on the above image, it will take you to the full supplement. There are two main great products that I would really like to highlight to you:

The Many Merry Stars Simply Created Kit - everything you need to create 26 stars that can be used as home décor or boxes for festive packaging and the largest of which measures a whopping 38 cm in diameter and would make a lovely alternative to a wreath with the addition of some wide ribbon. Check out the picture below showing just some of what's included, as demonstrated by Pam Morgan at the European Convention in Brussels this past weekend:

 

There is a also the 'Hello December' Project Life kit - perfect if you like to keep a 'daily December' record during the festive season.

I will be offering classes using both of the above products - I already have a Many merry Stars class scheduled for 24th November so if you'd like to attend call or email me for more details, more details on additional classes to follow - but meanwhile, do take a look at the supplement as all the items contained within it are only available WHILE STOCKS LAST - if you want to get you hands on them, I suggest you hop on over to the online store or give me a call as soon as possible to add your order to the one I'm placing tomorrow.

Back tomorrow with more creativity and fun; until then, happy stampin'!

 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

 

One Layer Teacher Thank You Card - with Fingerprints!

by Joanne James15. July 2014 22:24

No blog post yesterday and a late one today - so much going on at the moment as the end of the school year draws ever closer! I've been busy finishing commissions for teacher cards and gifts today and popped by the Less is More blog to see what the current challenge is, as I haven't managed to fit in the last couple due to other commitments. This week it's One Layer Challenge combined with a theme - and when I saw what it was I just had to have a go! Yes - it's doodle fingerprints:

I've made these with my children many times and we have a Christmas tradition of painting a plate with a picture made out of hand or fingerprints each year, but never thought I'd be using my Stampin' Up! inks to create a challenge card no less! Given that I've had teacher thank yous on my mind all week, I knew exactly what I wanted to make - a fingerprint caterpillar:

Isn't he cute?! I used one of the apple embellishments from the Project Life Playground kit as a stencil for my apple and had my first public attempt at colouring in with my Blendabilities (still more practice required!), then using Wild Wasabi ink fingerprinted my caterpillar book worm into place using Wild Wasabi ink. I doodled his face with my Project Life journaling pen and added a 'to my teacher' sentiment (from the retired set 'for my family').

Not the most time consuming of cards to be fair, but jolly good fun - I could have spent all afternoon doodling and fingerprinting, with so many ideas for more cards if only time allowed! This is also the kind of card you could easily create with little ones - great if they want to make their own teacher thank you cards.

That's me done for today; back tomorrow with my Design Team card for the Colour Me...! Challenge and the new Wednesday Weekly Deals. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

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Cards | Stamping

Project Life By Stampin' Up! Is Here and Available From Today!

by Joanne James10. June 2014 20:08

At last - the much-anticipated launch of Project Life by Stampin' Up! is here! You may remember me telling you a while ago that Stampin' Up! had entered into partnership with Becky Higgins, creator of Project Life, to offer an exclusive range of Project Life scrapbooking and journaling products - you can refresh yourself on the content of my previous post here. I'm very excited about this new venture, as it totally suits me and my way of life - I take hundreds of photographs each year and really want to capture my thoughts along with them, but don't have the time to create beautiful and detailed 12" x 12" scrapbook layouts each time. Project Life was made for me - a busy mum of two - and you too!

This pocket-based system of scrapbooking with lots of pre-printed pocket cards and fun embellishments mean that it is really easy to put a page together in super quick time and the Project Life range is definitely leading the way as far as memory-keeping is concerned. As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I have been able to order these items in advance and whilst I haven't had the opportunity to put a page together yet, I have opened the box of cards and accessory kit already and take it from me, they are gorgeous - I can see lots of cardmaking possibilities with them too!

The new Stampin' Up! 2014 Annual Catalogue available here on 1st July will offer a complete Project Life product line with additional journaling card and accessory sets for every possible theme and life event you can imagine (weddings, babies, children, travel), but the range that has been pre-released today is as follows:

 

To get started

  • Photo pocket pages - a pack of 12" x 12" pocket pages in a variety of layouts, but each with standard pocket sizes to enable easy construction. No cutting, scissors or glue required!
  • Pre-printed designer journaling cards - can be used portrait or landscape and are double-sided; you can create 2 pages at the same time if you want to! They also come in a handy, rather sturdy box that can be used to keep your cards, journaling pens and accessories together and to hand - talk about scrapbooking 'to go'!Corner punch - you can leave your cards and photos square, or round them using the punch - it's entirely up to you
  • Journalling pens - a pair of pens to capture your thoughts, notes and memories as you go - and lots more besides!

To really make your pages unique to you

  • Accessory Pack - lots of stickers and co-ordinating embellishments to enable you to add a little something to your basic journaling layouts.
  • Corner Punch - straight edges or rounded corners for your photos and journalling cards, or mix and match - it's up to you!
  • Stamps - sets of photopolymer stamps that include days and dates and lots of useful shapes and icons to bring your pages to life.
  • Framelits - a set of framelits to enable you to quickly and easily crop both photos, cards and labels in super-quick time.

 

The Project Life system works so well for young and old, novice or experienced scrapbooker and you can devote as much or as little time to it as you want and still be sure of great results: you can create quick and simple layouts or spend more time embellishing to your hearts content with the accessory packs or any other items from the Stampin' Up! range - because these ranges have been created exclusively for Stampin' Up!, you know they will fully co-ordinate with all your other Stampin' Up! crafting products - LOVE that!

I'm really looking forward to sharing my Project Life projects with you; if you can't wait to get started on your own, then click on the links below to purchase any of the pre-released items from my online store today. I've also included the links for a number of themed Project Life downloads that are available already in My Digital Studio. Watch this space for more details on my 'Introduction to Project Life' Classes that I will be running later in the year - you are not going to want to miss them!

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

 

Project Life by Stampin' Up! Products Now Available to Purchase - just click on the photo to go to my online store:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

 

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Scrap Booking | Shop Online | Project Life

Project Life-Style Scrapbook Layout

by Joanne James19. April 2014 21:56

Good evening everyone! I hope you are all making the most of the long Easter weekend. I've been busy decorating and making new wall art for Ben's Lego-themed bedroom today. I also got to spend a couple of hours in my craft room, but unfortunately tidying and re-organising rather than creating today. So a quick post from me this evening to share a scrapbook page I made at our team training event last week.

The page was designed by the lovely Bekka Prideaux and is in the style of a Project Life page - i.e. divided into regular sized sections with space for journaling and photos, just like those designed by Becky Higgins, the creator of the hugely successful modern day scrapbooking phenomenon that is Project Life. Here is my page, finished with photos from the Dads, Lads & Lasses camping trip that was held at school last September:

This style of scrapbooking appeals to busy mums like me; I take lots of photographs and need a quick and easy method of presenting them and recording my memories, so I'm thrilled that Stampin' Up! has joined forces with Becky Higgins to produce our very own line of Project Life-themed accessories in the new Annual Catalogue, out in July - read all about it in my earlier post here. As a demonstrator, one of my perks is that I'll be able to get my hands on this and other new and exciting offerings ahead of customers and I can assure you I'll be first in line for this one!

If you'd like to be one of the first to get your hands on Stampin' Up's new range of Project Life accessories, now is a great time to join my team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators. If you're interested, please do get in touch - I would love to share with you the benefits that being a part of my Stampin' Up! team of demonstrators brings.

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

 

Exciting News - Project Life is coming to Stampin' Up!

by Joanne James15. April 2014 22:17

We've had a lovely family day out today at one of our favourite places locally, Twycross Zoo - a lovely little zoo for monkeys (of the Junior and primate variety!) and whilst I haven't had time to take any photos in my studio today - I might share two creative projects tomorrow to make up for it, so watch this space - I do have some very exciting Stampin' Up! news to share with you today: Stampin' Up! are partnering with Becky Higgins, the creator of Project Life, to bring Project Life products in a range of exclusive and co-ordinating Stampin' Up! colours and designs.

If you're not familiar with Project Life, it's a really simple, affordable way to get your photographs into albums; it's a pocket-based scrapbooking system, that allows you to file your photos and journaling cards easily so that you spend more time making making memories and less time scrapbooking them - sounds good to me!

There will be a complete Project Life product line on offer in the new annual catalogue that launches here in the UK on 1st July, but in the meantime, here's a short introduction from Shelli Gardner, Stampin' Up! CEO and Becky Higgins herself to tell you more:

As a mother of young children who takes hundreds of photographs each year, most of which never go beyond my computer's hard drive, this is a system that really appeals to me and I'm excited that Stampin' Up! are getting involved with Project Life. 

 I'll be sure to bring you more news as it emerges; I'm sure this is just one of the new things that Stampin' Up! will be introducing with the new annual catalogue - exciting times!

One last thing - today is the last day for this week's weekly deals, so if there's anything on the list that you fancy, then get in quick and place your online order in my shop now. Full details of this week's offers can be found here. A new collection of weekly deals will be announced tomorrow!

Back tomorrow with a project (or two!) and details of the new weekly deals; until then, happy stampin'!

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Promotions | Scrap Booking

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About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.