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 bright colour challenge for us to work with:

I love brights so was excited to get to work with Claire's chosen colours this week. I decided to go square this week and use the fabulous Jen T's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week for the layout of my special birthday card - take a look:

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

Petal Patterns Background - Since I was going with a square card today, I decided to use my Petal Patterns Dies for my background. I diecut them in Bermuda Bay and layered them onto a piece of Melon mambo onto my Bermuda Bay cardbase. I offset the top layer and before I glued it to the solid layer, I went over the outline die with my light Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends marker to make it stand out more. I also added some rhinestones that I had coloured with my Melon Mambo Stampin' Blends marker to the centre of the flowers to highlight the pink. 

Paper Florist Dies Flower - The background would look pretty on its own, but the focal point of today's card is most certainly the over-the-top flower that I created using the Paper Florist Dies. I wanted to create a peony-type flower that was full of dimension, so I layered the centre then kept adding the outer petals until I was happy. I added some diecut leaves and flower buds behind it and a few loops of Bermuda Bay ribbon from my stash - isn't it pretty?

All those layers make this the perfect card to share with the team over at The Flower Challenge where their current challenge is to 'add layers'.

And A Charming Sentiment - I finished my card with a heat-embossed sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set, diecut with the co-ordinating Sentiment Silhouettes Dies. This is also the final part of my middle column for the challenge over at TicTacToe Challenge this week (square card/diecut/embossing)

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. 

Since this card won't fit into an envelope, I am going to make a co-ordinating box to present it in. This is a special card for someone with a milestone birthday later in the year, so it will be worth the effort. I really love the 3D effect of this card! Everything on this card is either retired (Bermuda Bay) or is due to retire at the end of the month; this will be the last opportunity to purchase any of the dies or the stamp set that I used on today's card, so if they are on your wishlist, you don't have long to act.

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

Enjoy your day; the hubby is off to Washington DC for the week today, so it will be just the youngest of the James Juniors and I at home. Since there is another week of school holiday to go, I am taking the opportunity to get some decorating done so my week will be a busy one. Never fear - I have some things to share here too though so be sure to pop by this week.  I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PETAL PATTERNS DIES (21.00)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (11.00)	SENTIMENT SILHOUETTES DIES (13.20)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	CRUSHED CURRY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
MELON MAMBO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Rachel has asked that we use a trio of balanced shapes. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card and remember the shapes you choose don't have to be squares. 

I paired Rachel's fun sketch with the bright colour combo over at Just Us Girls this week that was perfect for what I had in mind - take a look:

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

Those retiring lists I mentioned in yesterday's post are now well and truly live and so for today's card I just had to highlight one of my favourite retiring sets: Hey Chuck. As a previous chicken owner, I knew I'd never be able to resist these comical feathered friends! They are great for colouring, especially if you're a beginner as there is only a small area to focus on at a time. In addition to the chickens themselves, the dies contain a bunch of 'extras' in addition to those that cut out the chickens; on today's card I used the semi-circle sunshine to make a stencil so that I could stencil in my morning sun (this is something I've done previously here too) and the weather vane - so great for creating fun scenes, the possibilities are endless! The dies are also discounted as part of the retiring sale - so if you buy the stamps and the dies, you get a better deal if you purchase them separately than if you purchase them as a bundle. Here's my colourful poultry in close up:

A trio of sparkly Gorgeous Grape enamel dots complete my fun card (I've provided a link to one that is similar 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. 

This will be the perfect card to send to my daughter on her return to university - students in general are not known for being early risers so I suspect this will make her smile!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HEY CHUCK DIES (21.00)	HEY CHUCK CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	HEY CHUCK BUNDLE (48.50)	BLACKBERRY BLISS STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
PUMPKIN PIE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GLOSSY DOTS ASSORTMENT (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

Click here to go right to the the online store to shop your favourite retiring items now - please note the discounted prices are only available from tomorrow, Tuesday April 9th.

Click here to see the retired items list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Click here to see the retired items list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Please remember this is also your last opportunity to stock up on 2022-24 in colour products: we will be saying goodbye for good to Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis at the end of the month.

Finally, whilst we all dislike price rises, sometimes they are necessary in order to remain competitive. As such, I want to give you a heads up that the following items will all increase in price when the next Annual Catalogue launches in May, so if you would like to get a jump on those price rises, here's your opportunity to get your order in beforehand:

I'll be placing an order first thing tomorrow, so if you'd like to take advantage of the bargains on the retiring list, then do get in touch with your order by 8pm this evening.

Some products have discounts of up to 60% so there are some great bargains to be had; since these lists are whilst supplies last, there are products that have already gone in some markets prior to discounts beginning, so don't delay in placing your order if there's something you 'must have'. I'll be back to share some of my favourites later in the week but meanwhile, time to review those wishlists!

Let me know if you have any questions. Back tomorrow with another post; until then, happy shopping!

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Anne Marie to host this week since it is the fifth Sunday of the month we have a tic tac toe challenge to work with:

I went bottom left to top right diagonal with sparkle, diecut and embossing (dry) and it just so happens that my card also fits the right hand coloumn of embossing(dry), patterned paper and birthday to create the easiest ever number birthday card - take a look:

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

Do you ever need a number card to celebrate a special birthday? I have so many friends and family celebrating milestone birthdays this year that I find myself making lots of this type of card - and I think this must be my most straightforward, easiest yet!

I embossed a panel of Pacific Point cardstock with the birthday embossing folder, then backed this with some (retired gold glimmer paper, having first cut my number 21 out of the centre. I then added a trio of Pacific Point Brights designer paper banners to my card base followed by my rectangle, before finishing with my sparkly number 21 popped up on foam adhesive sheet and a couple of brushed gold metallic dots: 

Not only was this card really quick to make, but this layout would work in any colour, with any co-ordinating patterned paper and glimmer - perfect, I'm off to make a whole bunch more!

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. 

Today's card is also my second entry over at Just Add Ink this week and uses the Try Stamping on Tuesday sketch.

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

Enjoy your day; nothing much happening here today, although it is lovely to know that it's a Bank Holiday weekend - an extra day off is always welcome! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ALPHABET À LA MODE DIES (40.00)

LET'S CELEBRATE EMBOSSING FOLDERS (7.50)

BRIGHTS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (7.87)

PACIFIC POINT A4 CARDSTOCK (7.00)

STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (26.40)

BRUSHED METALLIC ADHESIVE BACKED DOTS (8.50)

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 I'm sharing a card for the current Color Hues challenge:

Purple is one of my favourite colours so I knew I wanted to play along. I decided on some more colouring with my Stampin' Blends using up a little more retiring paper - take a look:

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

The Perfectly Penciled papers are great for colouring with your Stampin' Blends markers - I made this card last week where I 'reverse coloured' the same pattern - you can see that card here if you missed it. This time I coloured the actual flowers in shades of purple and green and included a larger vertical panel, accenting with a diecut sentiment in black and white again using the Amazing Thanks Dies and pairing with a stamped 'YOU' from the 'Art Gallery' stamp set.

This paper and those fabulous Amazing Thanks Dies are all retiring at the end of this month - add them to your shopping basket via the links below whilst you still can!

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:

PERFECTLY PENCILED 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (7.87)	AMAZING THANKS DIES (ENGLISH) (10.40)	ART GALLERY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (8.40)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (5.75)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	FRESH FREESIA STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)	SHADED SPRUCE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (8.50)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Valerie has asked that we create a slimline card with a square feature and overlapping sentiment:

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card but remember to make it a slimline if you'd like to be considered for the winner's spot for this challenge. 

For my card today I ended up making two cards; I'll share the first one tomorrow as it was a little less clean and simple than I'd have liked. This is the card I settled on to share with you today:

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

This is actually a no-stamping card. I used a piece of the retiring black and white Perfectly Penciled designer series paper and coloured the negative space around the florals using my Mint Macaron Blends, before cutting it out using one of my square Stylish Shapes Dies. I added this to a base of thick Basix White cardstock, and then added a layered thanks sentiment cut with the Amazing Thanks Dies on dimensionals to complete my card:

The Perfectly Penciled papers are great for colouring with your Stampin' Blends markers and this 'reverse colouring' really allows the black and white design to stand out. This paper, along with Mint Macaron and all its accessories and those fabulous Amazing Thanks Dies are all retiring at the end of this month - add them to your shopping basket whilst you still can - or maybe wait until 11pm this evening when the 24 hour free shipping promotion starts - you can read more about the free shipping promotion here!

I'm also linking today's card to the black, white and one colour challenge over at Color Dare and the current 'anything goes' challenge at Less Is More.

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

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

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

AMAZING THANKS DIES (ENGLISH) (10.40)

PERFECTLY PENCILED 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (7.87)

MINT MACARON STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (7.65)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

MINT MACARON A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and I am the featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went across the bottom with floral, embossing and stitching and took the opportunity to work with the current Color Hues palette of peach and kraft and decided to try out a fun technique that I saw on Instagram recently - take a look:

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

Graffiti Art - I saw a reel on Instagram recently by the New Zealand demonstrator, Jacque Williams, where she created a fun graffiti art-style card and I really wanted to give it a go! It's actually not that tricky to do: you choose your background wall colour (I used Crumb Cake) then ink one side of your Bricks and Mortar embossing folder before inserting your card and running it through your Big Shot machine. This gives you your inked 'cement' lines and the base onto which you then stamp the rest of your design. Simple! This embossing folder is great for this technique and makes a great background too. I can't believe it's retiring - if you don't have one, I'd seriously consider adding to your collection whilst you still can!

Floral Art Gallery - I chose to add some bold florals for my wall art, using the large bloom from the Art Gallery stamp set, with a Pale Papaya base and top layer of Calypso Coral for some pretty peachy florals, and I stamped the stems in a neutral brown. I also added some splatters in Crumb Cake randomly across my wall to add to the artsy feel.

Art Gallery is another stamp set I haven't used in ages but is leaving us with the current outgoing annual catalogue. I'll be keeping mine though - these florals are a no-brainer and the simple block sentiments are so useful with all kinds of cards, not to mention the large diecut sentiment in the set too. Pale Papaya is leaving too - so get yours now whilst you still can!

Tailormade Tag - I finished my card with some Crumb Cake baker's twine and a tiny tailor made tag with a simple thank you sentiment. I am sending this card to a dear customer of mine who loves a messy card - mixed media and grunge are totally her thing, so I know she will appreciate my attempt at getting even close to her signature style!!

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. You should definitely check out the design team's cards this week too - they are amazing!

Enjoy your day; I'm hoping to get a few cards made today in between errands and laundry. I'm hopeful to be able to use the washing line today, as right now it's a lovely bright and breezy day. Not sure I'll be still in luck by the time the washing machine cycle has finished - we are experiencing proper April showers here in the UK at the moment. The constant to and fro the washing line is definitely keeping me fit though! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BRICK & MORTAR 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (9.50)	ART GALLERY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (8.40)	TAILOR MADE TAGS DIES (21.00)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)	PALE PAPAYA A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)
CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	PALE PAPAYA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (6.75)	CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)

Happy Easter Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card using Jen M's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches that is also perfect for the new 'A is for Adorable' challenge over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog:

As I was making this card the other day I was pondering what to do with the pretty scene on the corner of my sheet of Happy Forest Friends designer paper, and I decided Jen's sketch would be the perfect way to showcase it - take a look:

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

By carefully cutting into four pieces as per the sketch, I could keep the scene whilst presenting it in an interesting way at the same time. I mounted each one on a mat of Grey Granite cardstock and added to a white cardbase, then fussy cut a stamped sentiment from one of my favourite retiring sets 'Simply Fabulous'. This set is currently available at a 10% discount - you can buy it here in my online store whilst supplies last! I stamped it in Night of Navy and positioned it strategically at the meeting point:

Doesn't this bear look just as if he's waving hello to the butterfly as he passes on his woodland stroll? If that's not cute, I don't know what is!  That's all there is to it - super simple today, with the pretty designer paper doing all the work!

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:

HAPPY FOREST FRIENDS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)

GRAY GRANITE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)

NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)