Giving Gifts Rainbow Ombre Snowflakes

by Joanne James8. December 2021 07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! First things first - remember today is FREE SHIPPING at Stampin' Up! so the perfect time to pick up those last few Christmas gifts! You have until 11pm this evening UK time, so don't delay!

Now onto today's card, which was inspired by the current sketch over at Just Add Ink and is also perfect for the festive rainbow challenge over at - where else but The Rainbow Challenge:

   

I can't resist a good sketch and this one gave me the perfect opportunity to go all-out with a clean and simple yet unconventionally coloured Christmas card - take a look:

 

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

Giving Gifts Dies - I used the snowflake die in the Giving Gifts Die set to create my negative aperture border on today's card by cutting one end, then turning the die through 180 degrees and lining up the edges then cutting a second time, to give the single snowflake border panel. This is a great way to use this die on something other than a tag - it's always handy to be able to extend the use of an item. Unfortunately since I wrote today's post the dies are now no longer available in the UK; the lists are changing daily though and there are some things where stock of retiring items is still on route to the warehouse, so if you like them keep checking back.

Wonderful Snowflakes - I balanced my snowflake border with one of the Wonderful Snowflakes pre-diecut pieces that I trimmed to mirror the shape of the sketch element and added a simple 'Let It Snow' sentiment to tie both elements together. I used the snippet of snowflake I cut off to decorate the inside of my card:

 

Rainbow Ombre - My unconventional colour scheme today is taken from the rainbow ombre glimmer paper I used beneath the negative space of my snowflake border. I picked out the Bermuda Bay for my card base; I love the way the deep turquoise highlights the iridescent shine of the diecut snowflake and white embossed sentiment. I also picked out some of the white iridescent faceted gems from the From My Heart Faceted Gems pot to highlight the centres of the snowflakes in my border and used a (retired) sparkly blue one to centre my white snowflake.

 

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:

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

Free Shipping 8 December for 24 Hours Only!

by Joanne James7. December 2021 23:00

 

STOP PRESS for an important announcement: For 24 hours only, starting at 11pm UK time this evening, Stampin' Up! are offering FREE shipping on orders of £35 or more.

The key information is as follows:

  • Free shipping applies after the qualifying order amount has been met.
  • The minimum qualifying amount to receive free shipping is £35 or more.
  • Free shipping only applies during the 24-hour period the promotion is live in each market; this means that the order must be opened and closed between 7 December 2021, at 11p.m. and 8 December 2021, at 11:00 p.m (UK).

This is a great time to stock up on last-chance items, to pick up one of our all-inclusive papercrafting kits or to treat yourself to a bargain or some stocking fillers from the clearance rack. So start making those lists and head off to the online Stampin' Up! store or message me with your order.

Happy shopping!

Merriest Moments CAS Poinsettia CCS 449

by Joanne James7. December 2021 13:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Patricia is our host for the month of December and our first challenge this month is a colour challenge: 

     

I decided these colours would perfectly suit a Christmas festive poinsettia, so stamped and cut one from the Merriest Moments stamp set along with some festive holly and used it to frame my simple sentiment that I inset using one of my Layered Circle Dies:

 

I added a sentiment and little extra stamping using the same set to the inside of my card:

 

 A trio of Cherry Cobbler matte dots for an extra pop of red complete my clean and simple card:

 

 I'm not sure this is a combination I would have chosen, but I really like the deep red against the fresh Mint Macaron base, with just the tiniest amount of yellow for good measure.

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'm also linking today's card up over at The Alphabet Challenge where the current theme is 'R if for Red' - I think my poinsettia qualifies on that front!

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:

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

Peaceful Place And A Festive Escape

by Joanne James6. December 2021 10:15

Happy Monday everyone! It's the start of a busy week here in the James household and I'm squeeking in with an early post using Cecile's fabulous sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches before I get ready for my final online card class of the year! Here is Cecile's sketch:

   

I still had those Peaceful Place papers out on my desk over the weekend and was cutting out log cabins with abandon, so knew that I had to use the sketch to feature another one - take a look:

 

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

I fussy cut another house and coloured my log cabin scene with my watercolour pencils and blended them with a blender pen, adding a liberal coat of clear Wink of Stella to the trees and snowy roof. Then came my moment of indecisiveness! I added a fussy cut fir tree for one of the sketch elements and I had decided that I was going to use my Stitched Snowflake Dies to add two snowflake impressions into my card base for the other two, however when I created my background in basic white it seemed a little flat. So I cut another panel, this time in Shimmery White, which was a little better, but still seemed to lack a little sparkle. So I went all-out and used a panel of (retired) white glimmer paper. This I LOVE - but it did prove difficult to photograph so that you could see the diecut snowflakes, amidst all that sparkle! I'm hoping you can see the idea a little better below:

 

As tricky as it was to capture on film, I absolutely love the sparkle and shimmer that a whole panel of glimmer paper adds and the diecut cut snowflake impressions are really effective in real life. A simple sentiment was all I needed to complete my card. So what do you think - is there ever something such as too much sparkle? I think not, but if you disagree, feel free to comment below! My super sparkly snowflakes are also perfect for a second play over at Inspired By this week - the first of their inspiration photos suggests they love a bit of snowflake sparkle!

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. 

It is so grey, wet and miserable here today I would definitely rather escape to my little log cabin in the snow. Alas, no such luck - my class ladies are calling and wouldn't be too impressed! Enjoy your day and I'll be 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.

Peaceful Place Evergreen Winter Wonderland PP570

by Joanne James5. December 2021 08:00

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Jaydee to host this week and she has a festive theme challenge for us to work with:

    

We've had snow twice this week in my part of the world and the current freezing temperatures are definitely showing early signs of a winter wonderland! I decided to make another card using the current colours over at The Color Throwdown and decided to get creative with my Peaceful Place designer series papers and create my own idyllic winter wonderland - take a look:

 

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

Peaceful Place - I decided to fussy cut one of the log cabins from the Peaceful Place designer paper, across the upper horizon including some trees, and added this to a precut white circle, that I had added Polished Pink ink to with a blending brush and stamped on some snowflakes in Encore silver. I allowed the trees to overhang the circle border and liberally brushed the snowy areas of the scene with clear Wink of Stella. It's difficult to see on the photos, but this card is so sparkly in real life!

Evergreen Forest - I used another sheet of Peaceful Place designer series paper for my background, this time the sparkly silver snowflakes on a mottled grey background. I ran this panel through the Evergreen Forest Embossing folder to add a row of embossed fir trees to the background for added interest. Again, it's easier to see in real life - the texture adds subtle additional detail. I used the pink for my sentiment banner and borders for a pop of colour against the silver and grey:

 

Don't Forget The Inside - I carried the winter wonderland theme over to the inside of my card, adding a strip of the sparkly snowflake paper along with a couple of fussy-cut trees and a sentiment from the 'Snowflake Wishes' stamp set:

 

Doesn't that cosy log cabin look inviting? I could totally hole myself up there with my craft supplies and a roaring log fire for a week or two! 

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:

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 four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

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'll be 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.

 

Peaceful Place Well Defined Winter

by Joanne James4. December 2021 20:00

Today I have a card that was inspired by this week's Color Throwdown colours that finally gave me the opportunity to get out on paper an idea that's been floating around in my head for a while:

 

The Peaceful Place designer series papers have some great designs that are perfect for adding colour to or creating scenes and the grey and silver were perfect with the addition of some Polished Pink to create a scenic Winter Wonderland - take a look:

 

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

Peaceful Place - One of the designs in the Peaceful Place pack comprises 4 6"x6" designs of a landscape of snowy trees. I cut the sheet into 4 then cut the bottom off each square and using a blending brush, I added some Polished Pink ink to the outer edges of the panel. I also added some stamped pink snowflakes, before flicking the paper with water then Frosted shimmer paint for splatter detail. I added another contrasting piece of paper for a border along the bottom of my card, along with a double ribbon bow.

 

Well Defined - I split the 'winter' sentiment in the 'Well Defined' stamp set and added the first part to a label on the front of my card, with the remainder on the inside to complete my sentiment:

 

I carried the winter wonderland theme over to the inside of my card, adding a strip of the sparkly snowflake paper along with a couple of fussy-cut trees and a sentiment from the 'Snowflake Wishes' stamp set.

I liked this card so much I made a second one at the same time - here's a shot of them both together:

 

I made two of these in the same colours to save time, but I think it would look great in other colours too. I think I'm going to cut up more of my paper and make some with Balmy Blue ink next.  

I'm also linking today's card up for a second entry into the current Christmas challenge over at SUO Challenges.

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. 

Enjoy your evening; I'll be back tomorrow with another project using these papers, this time for our new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

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

Snowflake Wishes Wintry 3D Embossed Thank You TTT142

by Joanne James1. December 2021 18:00

 

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 week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

       

Betty made a fabulous board this week and I really was spoiled for choice! Having finally taken receipt of my Wintry 3D embossing folder this week after a very protracted wait, I knew I would have to use it on today's card. I went down the middle column of the grid with snowflakes/free/winter and used both the sketch layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday and the sparkly snowflake in this week's Inspired By photo for a wintry card that is choc full of snowflakes and sparkle in equal measure - take a look:

 

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

A Wintry Ombre - I embossed two panels of basic white cardstock and another of ombre glimmer paper with the snowflake Wintry 3D embossing folder for some textured panels - I love how the snowflakes appear to swirl with the design. On the ombre glimmer paper, which is in hues of Night of Navy, I lightly sanded the embossed areas to highlight the texture and detail - you can see it more closely on the photo below:

The ombre glimmer paper is gorgeous and embosses beautifully - I just love the effect!

Tag-tastic - I used one of my Tailored Tag Dies to cut my tag as per the sketch, and stamped it with snowflakes and swirls, adding a sentiment heat-embossed onto a stitched label. I added an over-the-top bow using some sparkly ribbons and accented my tag with some glimmer paper snowflakes in white and navy. I cut these with my Stitched Snowflakes Dies; if you've had your eye on these and not yet ordered, I'm afraid you will be disappointed as they were one of the first things to fly off yesterday's 'Last Chance Products' retiring items list. If you missed that post, check it out here.

Merry Snowflakes Inside - I used the 'Snowflake Wishes' stamp for the details and sentiment on the front of my card, but added decoration and a further sentiment from the 'Merry Snowflakes' set to decorate the inside:

I know I made today's card as a seasonal thank you, but I think it's still ok to have a Christmassy sentiment on the inside too, don't you think? 

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 hopefully be back tomorrow with another project, but no promises - the Christmas rush is getting the better of me! Until next time, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

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

Giving Gifts Santa Tag Christmas Cards CCS 448 Double

by Joanne James30. November 2021 13:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. I am your host for the month of November and as we near the end of the month this will be my last challenge as hostess. There are 5 Tuesdays in November so we are ending the month with the double: one of our previous sketches and a retired colour combination. For my final challenge I chose the following:  

  

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch. 

For my card today I did turn the sketch through 180 degrees and used one of the Giving Gifts Dies featuring Santa and his reindeer as my focal point along with the Tailor Made Tags Dies to create a tag for my card - take a look:

 

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

I found some starry retired designer series paper in Delightful Dijon to use for my panel and it seemed more appropriate to have this running across the top rather than the bottom. I then cut my layered tag out of the remaining colours. I added a tiny diecut bow and rhinestone, along with a small sentiment from the retired ‘Itty Bitty Christmas’ stamp set stamped in Midnight Muse to complete my card:

 

I chose these colours because I thought they could be used for festive or non-festive cards and could also be substituted with similar current colours if you didn't have them.  To that end, and since I love these tag dies, I  decided to create a slight stepped up version of the same card that uses similar colours and current product. This time I also followed my sketch to the letter! I used a Very Vanilla base and added a panel of Simply Elegant Specialty Designer Series Paper, then added a ribbon bow using gold-trimmed Cherry Cobbler ribbon, along with my layered tag, along with a gold foil moon and stars and allowing more depth to the tag itself. 

 

You can see the layering of the tag more clearly in the picture 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. 

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: 

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

Sweets And Treats Christmas Pudding Card

by Joanne James29. November 2021 07:00

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card using Jen B's fabulous sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches that was also inspired by the colours of the festive photo over at Inspired By:

   

I loved Jen's sketch and combined with the red, green and brown of the Inspired By photo it was perfect for me to use two things in my crafting stash from the current mini catalogue that have yet to see ink - take a look:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Sweets & Treats - The minute I saw Jen's sketch I knew that it would be a great opportunity for me to ink up the Christmas pudding in the 'Sweets & Treats' stamp set. I bought this set for this very stamp! A Christmas or 'plum' pudding is a quintessentially British festive tradition dating back to medieval times; I coloured mine with my Stampin' Blends and fussy cut it and positioned it over a strip of Heartwarming Hugs DSP with a stitched scalloped edge. I used the same stamp set to add a festive cupcake to the inside of my card too:

 

A Merry Melody - The Merry Melody Embossing Folder was another of those items that made it into my pre-order basket but I have yet to use. I thought it would make a fun background for my Christmas pudding (I am hearing a chorus of 'So bring us some figgy pudding...' as I type!) - you can see the texture in more detail below - I blended some ink around the edges with a blender brush to accentuate the detail:

 

A fussy cut heat-embossed sentiment completes my card.

The Pudding Club - I decided I liked this card so much, I'd make another one in the same style but using Cinnamon Cider instead of Soft Suede for my background:

 

What do you think? Which card do you prefer? I think on balance I prefer my original version; do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts! You can see them next to each other further down this post for comparison. 

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.
 
Edit: My card was chosen by Linda as a Princess of Clean for FMS513 - yay!
See the source image

Painted Christmas PP569

by Joanne James28. November 2021 08:00

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 and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for you to work with:

 

I struggled a little to decide what to do about the split background layer on today's card; I eventually decided to use a single, bright patterned paper from the Painted Christmas pack - take a look:

 

There are some gorgeous patterns in the Painted Christmas pack, all with a loose watercoloured feel. I love this red and white pattern but it needed an otherwise uncluttered card to show it off to best advantage. So I split the panel into three as per the sketch, then added a red label with a white heat-embossed sentiment, accented with some holly and foliage stamped with the Christmas Season stamp set, some loops of sheer red ribbon and some red sparkly gems to finish:

This card was actually quite straightforward to put together, but I spent ages procrastinating about which paper or papers to feature so seemed to take forever to design!! I really like the pop of red against the white though, with just a little green foliage too. I used one of the sentiments from 'Merriest Moments' - this is most certainly my favourite sentiment set in the current catalogue.

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 Global Design Project #GDP319 where the theme is 'Christmas'.

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

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 four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

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; we have had a freezing few days here in the UK so today I will most definitely be staying indoors, keeping warm and might even indulge in a spot of festive baking! I'll be 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.

Mini Catalogue

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

The mini catalogue is now live! Read and download your copy here.

Shop Online

Access my online shop 24 x 7, 365 days of the year:

Current April hostess code:

VDKNV7BH

Shop Online

Join My Team

It's always a great time to join Stampin’ Up! New team members can get £130 worth of products for only £99 + free business supplies + free shipping + all the fun being a part of Stampin’ Up! Stampin' Up! has something for everyone: join my growing team and benefit from my support to enjoy Stampin' Up! however you choose.

If you're interested, call me for a chat to understand how I can help you realise your goals. Alternatively, if you have already decided to sign up and you just can't wait, please click here for the link to the online form where you can sign up and order your starter kit right away! 

Latest Kit!

Stampin Cut and Emboss

The Rock Legend Kit has all you need to make 8 cards with coordinating envelopes. Along with the new Panda Friends Kit, both are available from January 4th for just £14 each - get yours here!

2023-24 Annual Catalogue

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

Click on the catalogue for a full list of current SU! supplies - if you would like to order any of the items featured, please drop me a line at [email protected] or give me a call on 07773 421446 - I'd be happy to help.

New Online Exclusives

There are new products available exclusively in the online store from 5 March - check them out here.

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!

Follow Me

Monthly Newsletter

Box Builder

Click the button above to use Box Buster to create your custom box design using the Envelope Punch Board!

Kits Collection Now Available!

Stampin Cut and Emboss

The new Kits Collection from Stampin' Up! is now available!

Click here to see the current kits available and order yours online today.

I Design For

 

 

 

Stampin' Up Stuff

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.