Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings in World War Two, with the start of the invasion on the 6th June known as D-Day. There are commemorations taking place both at home and abroad today to remember those Allied personnel who lost their lives on this day and to recognise the bravery, commitment and sacrifices of those service personnel who fought during the war to free Europe from Nazi occupation.

So it seemed a fitting day to share with you a recent commission. I was asked to create some cards and gift boxes as thank you gifts for some teachers who had led a school trip to the World War Two battlefields recently. A red poppy, the traditional form of remembrance, is the star of this card:

I chose a simple Real Red background and created a layered border using Modern Medley DSP. I stamped the poppy from the 'Simply Sketched' hostess set in Black stazon onto Very Vanilla, then coloured using Real Red ink and my aquapainter, with a touch of Garden Green for the stem. I added the sentiment directly to the card base, and honestly didn't feel this card needed anything else. I also made a co-ordinating gift box using one of the kraft gift boxes available in the annual catalogue:

I covered in co-ordinating paper and made a tag with the same sentiment and poppy image on Very Vanilla and punched with my Scalloped Tag Topper punch, finishing with a 3/4" Chevron ribbon bow.

A lovely set to show appreciation and appropriate to share it on a day when we should all take time to remember the courage, bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces, of yesterday and today, who give of themselves in order that we may live relatively safe and secure lives. I for one, am thankful for that.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Simply Sketched	Kraft Gift Box (4)	Modern Medley Designer Series Paper	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig	Jet Black Stazon Pad
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Real Red A4 Card Stock	Aqua Painter
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black 3/4" Chevron Ribbon	Real Red 1/8 Inch Taffeta Ribbon

Yay it's Friday - it may be stormy here in the UK, but it can't dampen that Friday feeling! Especially as this weekend we have a Bank Holiday too - an extra day makes all the difference. Today's card uses the sketch layout over at Retrosketches this week:

I recently had the need the need to send two sympathy cards within a week and realised that it isn't something I keep a stock of, even though it's the type of card you often need without warning. I decided to make one using this week's sketch - here's my card:

I decided to use Real Red ink and a blender pen to colour my Simply Sketched poppy, which is stamped in black Stazon on Very Vanilla. Whilst red is often associated with love and romance, the Flanders poppies were also red and they are a traditional symbol of remembrance. I matted my poppy with a layer of Basic Black, then did the same with the circle element behind, cutting the top layer from a piece of Modern Medley designer paper using my Big Shot and Circles Framelits. To finish, I coloured some rhinestones black with a Sharpie marker pen and adhered them to the card.

A nice early post from me today; no sports fixtures this afternoon, so time for a trip to the hairdressers instead - I hope the weather is kind!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Simply Sketched	Modern Medley Designer Series Paper	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Real Red A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock
Jet Black Stazon Pad	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Blender Pens	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

Back again with a creative post today - just in time to share my card for The Paper Players this week, where Anne Marie has this sketch challenge for us:

I decided to use a sheet of the flower patterned paper from the Fresh Prints DSP Stack as the starting point for my card; I love the pattern on this paper, but have been almost afraid to use it as it's so busy. Today I took the plunge - here's my card:

I used a Coastal Cabana base for my card, then matted a piece of Crumb Cake on Real Red and adhered to the base. I used the flower DSP for the main panel and broke slightly from the sketch to put my sentiment on the second rectangular panel, as opposed to the Crumb Cake layer. I stamped the blossom stamp from the Morning Meadow hostess set around it, having coloured it with my Crumb Cake and Coastal Cabana markers, then punched three flowers from Coastal Cabana cardstock using my Itty Bitty Flower punch and moulded them around the end of my paper piercing tool to shape them before adhering over some of the stamped blossoms. I then finished with a Real Red stamped flower from Simple Stems and three red candy dots (I really need these to be sold in packs of red only - I use more red ones than any other colour!!)

I'm quite pleased with the final result - the bold red borders really ground the busy flower pattern I think. I'm also linking this card up with SUO Challenges, where the challenge this week is to use a flower on your card.

Must go - I've grocery shopping to do before I turn in for the night (thank heavens for online grocery stores!)

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack	Simple Stems	Simply Sketched	Morning Meadow	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Real Red A4 Card Stock	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana	2013-2015 In Color Stampin' Write Markers	Crumb Cake Stampin Write Marker
Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock	Brights Candy Dots	Punch Pack	Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

I've had a lovely day today with members of my team at our quarterly training day; it's always such fun to get together with some of the wider team and meet up with friends I don't see all that often. Today I'm sharing a birthday card that I made for one of my downline who celebrated her birthday this week. I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and the colours and photo over at Colour Q for the inspiration for my design:

I love the bright and bold colours over at Colour Q this week and the pattern on the sundress had me reaching for my Simple Stems set again to try and capture those bright flowers. Here is my finished card:

I used a piece of spotty Coastal Cabana DSP from the Fresh Prints paper stack as my angled background, then layered three flowers as the anchor for my birthday flag. I stamped the largest flower twice in Tangerine Tango and once in Pumpkin Pie, and having cut one of the flowers using my Secret Garden framlits, fussy-cut the remaining two flowers into sections, then layered them with a Tangerine Tango base, Pumpkin Pie middle layer and Tangerine Tango flower centre. I then popped them up on dimensionals to give a real 3D effect to this flower. I stamped the remaining two flowers in Bermuda Bay, then overlapped all three flowers - this photo shows the layering really well:

I used a piece of retired Tangerine Tango ribbon for my bow - I was tempted to use white, but decided my card needed another pop of orange amongst the lovely turquoise blues, so there you have it.

That's all for today; back tomorrow with another card, until then happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Simple Stems	Magnetic Platform	Secret Garden Framelits Dies	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Bermuda Bay	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad
Simply Sketched

Today I'm sharing the card that was originally scheduled for yesterday! This card also uses the sketch layout at Freshly Made Sketches this week and I combined it with the colour challenge over at CAS Colours and Sketches this week:

I decided to go with an adult masculine card (it's always good to have a few of these on standby!) and inked up my Simply Sketched hostess set for the focal point of my card:

I stamped the little bird in Chocolate Chip ink and coloured him with a Chocolate Chip marker and blender pen, then used the blue and green to create a simple sponged background. I stamped my sentiment from the same stamp set on the front of the layered banner and used some of the Gingham Garden DSP to add interest without making the card too busy. This piece of Pear Pizzazz DSP seemed to be just right for this card, although you could be forgiven for not even knowing it's there as it isn't typical of the bright pink, indigo and yellow designs that are a key feature of this DSP pack.

I really like the understated finish of this card - and the little bird is perfect for a male card. This is the first time I've used the Simply Sketched stamp set and will definitely be making more with it. It has some lovely sketch stamps and three useful sentiments in a font that works with all kinds of cards. As I mentioned above, this set is an exclusive hostess set that can be yours only when you host a Stampin' Up! party. The current Sale-A-Bration promotion is a great time to host a party - not only will you and your party attendees get a free gift for every £45 you spend, but as the hostess you can earn an additional £25 in hostess benefits for qualifying party sales (£250 or more). If you would like to host a Stampin' Up! party, do give me a call or contact me to book a date.

I hope you like today's card; if you would like to see more ideas for using either today's sketch or the colour scheme, do pop by the Freshly Made Sketches and CAS Colours and Sketches blogs to see what the design teams and participants have created.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad	Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Pear Pizzazz	Chocolate Chip A4 Card Stock
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper	Blender Pens	Sponge Daubers	Simply Sketched