Welcome Home with Humble Home Bundle

by Joanne James30. September 2024 10:30

Today I'm sharing a card using this week's Color Throwdown colours that was inspired by Jen B's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches:

 

I just loved Jen's layout this week - I could honestly have made 10 cards with it, I had so many ideas! Unfortunately I didn't have the crafting time to match - so I had to be choosy! I decided to have a play with my Humble Home bundle as it as out on my desk, so I set to work - take a look at what I came up with:

 

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

I had this idea that I wanted to make the word 'HOME' across the bottom of my card, substituting the 'O' with a punched house. Did I mention the Humble Home bundle is a punch, rather than die, bundle? It makes for super quick punched houses! I used the Mini Alphabet Dies for my letters and then punched a house, onto which I stamped the large heart from the stamp set in Real Red, so that it would highlight my embossed 'welcome' to complete my sentiment. I popped my house up on dimensionals and added a couple of hearts to my row of elements, also punched using the Humble Home punch: 

 

I was originally going to add these pieces to a plain undecorated panel, then had a last-minute idea to stamp the 'Watercolour World' onto a panel of Balmy Blue with a tone-on-tone effect and I'm really pleased I did - I really like the subtle detail. I diecut my panel with one of the Perennial Postage Dies then added the whole thing to a white card base. Lots of the young people I know are currently planning gap years to take between completing their A Levels and starting university and I think this would make a great card to welcome them home from their adventures.

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've lots to do today so I'm not sure I will get time to make and share another card using this layout to share, but be sure to keep an eye out for it in future designs - it's a keeper! I'll be back tomorrow with another project for our new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches and lots of great Stampin' Up! news too. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

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

Iconic Imagery Charming Landscapes Christmas Card

by Joanne James29. September 2024 11:10

Today I've another quick post that I meant to share yesterday, but didn't get around to it! I finally managed to create a card for the Color Hues Challenge that is almost over that is also perfect for stencil week over at Just Us Girlstake a look:

    

I had a little 'something old, something new' in mind for today's card - another Christmas card - take a look:

 

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

Charming Landscapes - This card features a panel embossed with one of the retired Charming Landscapes embossing folders that is still a favourite of mine. These folders are great for adding embossed background layers to your cards, but I love pairing them with blended sky and making them the main feature. The village scene is my favourite of the two, so that's what I used for my card. 

Stencilled Sky - In order to keep my blended colour to the sky portion of my scene only, I created stencil masks for each embossing folder, by running it through my Big Shot with some acetate window sheet and using a scissors and craft knife to cut around the mountains/houses. I attached each to my white embossed cardstock and held in place before adding my ink colours, then removed when complete. I think the fresh blue and pink works really well, even if it makes for a slightly less conventional festive colour scheme. Once my blended sky was complete, I went over the star and snowflake details with a white gel pen and added a couple of rhinestones for a subtle sparkle. 

Iconic Imagery - I wanted to bring my embossing folder up to date by pairing with a new sentiment set, and the bold script of the online exclusive 'Iconic Imagery' stamp set was just the thing. I stamped one part in pink directly onto the embossed panel, then fussy cut the word 'celebrate' stamped in blue for a little extra impact:

I matted my decorated panel with each of the challenge colours too to complete my 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 '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.

All About Autumn Leaves PP709

by Joanne James29. September 2024 08:00

Today it's the fifth Sunday of the month 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 TicTacToe challenge for us to work with:

       

I decided to use the middle column of patterned paper/diecut/fall and using the layout over at Sketch Saturday set to work. I loved the autumnal inspirational quote at Time Out and knew I had the perfect piece of paper in my retired box that embodied the rich colours of autumn leaves - take a look:

 

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

Last season's All About Autumn designer series papers had some wonderful photographic leaf prints and this one of a tree canopy taken from above shows the changing colours of the leaves in all their glory. I wanted to feature as much of it as possible, so layered the same image with just a narrow border of copper foil in between. I picked up the copper tones with a diecut leaf that I used to decorate one of my favourite sentiments for autumn cards - am Emily Bronte quote from the retired 'Lighthearted Leaves' stamp set - I think it compliments the paper beautifully:

A couple of brass enamel dots was all I needed to complete my card. The designer paper really is so evocative and I love the warm colours associated with the changing seasons.

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!

Enjoy your day; I made a couple of other cards yesterday that I didn't get the opportunity to blog so will pop back later to share those with you. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

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

Clearance Rack Updated - Up to 60% Off

by Joanne James24. September 2024 09:00

What a great start to a Tuesday - I logged on this morning to find a surprise update to the Clearance Rack. There are now lots of new items available, some with as much as 60% off. As is always the case, popular items will sell out quickly, so don't spend too long deliberating - get in there quick! There are some great paper bargains, including many designer series papers, accessories, kits and punches. 

Click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last! Don't forget to include the current hostess code JQEHTZGK make sure that 'allow your demonstrator to contact you' is ticked in order that you receive your special 'thank you' in the post from me next month. 

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Golden Greenery Christmas Card for PP708

by Joanne James22. September 2024 08:00

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

 

I created a sketch with a few layers, that also includes a diagonal, something I generally avoid! I decided that the layering lent itself to showcasing some papers, so I decided to break into a new pack and create a few Christmas cards. Here's the first one:

 

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

Season of Green & Gold - The Season of Green & Gold Specialty Designer Series Paper is the star of today's cards. This paper is part of the Season of Green & Gold Suite Collection that is one of the Online Exclusives, so does not appear in the mini catalogue and can only be viewed online. The paper is a specialty paper featuring festive foliage and one side of each design includes gold foil detailing I can honestly say each of the patterns is truly beautiful. The gold and vanilla pattern I used on my card is my favourite, so that had to be the one I used on my first card. I matted my panel with one of gold foil and did the same to my second layer, onto which I heat embossed a sentiment from the 'Greetings Of The Season' stamp set. 

Golden Greenery - For my 'any shape' element, I decided to add a bunch of coordinating foliage in Very Vanilla and gold foil, cut using the Golden Greenery Dies. It has a beautiful embossed detail and I finished my bunch with a simple gold twine bow:

I left my card base plain so as not to detract from the detail of the paper and foliage; a couple of sparkly gems was all I needed to complete my card.

Three Variations On My Design - I loved my first card so much, I decided to make a few more using other patterns and colour combos. The first one still uses a Very Vanilla card base, but this time with a panel of green and gold designer paper and green diecut foliage, cut straight from another of the sheets in the pack:

 

You could of course stamp the foliage too using hte 'Golden Greenery' stamp set and then diecut it too, but using the pre-printed paper is a great timesaver! My third card uses the same papers, but this time on an Old Olive card base. to pick up on the colour of the papers more:

 

My final card is similar to the one above, but this time with a slightly shorter sentiment layer (I prefer the longer length but this was my first one made and I couldn't bare to see it go to waste!) and a pair of bells nestled in my foliage, also cut from another of the paper sheets:

 

Here's all four of the cards together - which one do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The reverse of these papers have some fabulous patterns too, but I couldn't resist showcasing the gold foiled side - so elegant! If you haven't already, you should check out the 'Online Exclusives' area of my Stampin' Up! website - there are some fabulous products for your festive crafting. As for my sketch - I hope you'll play along with us over at The Paper Players this week - I can't wait to see what you create!

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!

Enjoy your day; no plans here today so I'm hoping to squeeze in a little crafty time at some point. I'll be back later in the week 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.

Layers of Beauty Petunia Pop Thank You Card

by Joanne James20. September 2024 09:00

It's Fri-yay! Today I'm sharing a card that I made earlier in the week with a few challenges in mind:

      

The team over at The Flower Challenge want us to include a stamped flower, so I grabbed my Layers of Beauty stamp set and stencils and using the layout over at Tuesday Morning Sketches set to work - take a look:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Layers of Beauty - I love the single large floral spray stamp in the 'Layers of Beauty' stamp set and with a stamping platform, it's so easy to use - just ink and stamp! I used my coordinating stencils to colour it in using three shades of lilac/pink, one for each layer - the effect adds so much dimension:

The team over at Inkspirational have been asking us for coloured images using any medium - so this is my entry. I added a few shiny pearls for a little extra decoration.

Eyelet Embossing - The main stamped image takes up all of my layer, but I wanted to add a hint of something to my base beneath. I embossed it with the Eyelet 3D embossing folder for a little extra texture, and rolled the corner of my stamped panel to reveal a little more of it.

Scraps For Tags - I stamped and coloured my image twice, as I wanted to fussy cut a single rose to anchor my sentiment banner (I could have used one of the dies to cut this out, but I didn't want the white border). This did then leave me with a lot of the image left over; rather than waste it, I cut a couple of tags from it and added a sentiment:

Waste not, want not as they saying goes!

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.

Iconic Imagery Peace on Earth and Christmas Tree Trio

by Joanne James16. September 2024 10:49

Another week, another Monday! Today I'm sharing a couple of Christmas cards that I made at the weekend using a mix and match of old and new. First up is a card that was inspired by the lovely Kim S's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week:

    

Kim wants us to make a focal feature of a large sentiment. I love a large sentiment, whether a diecut or stamp, and there is some great inspiration from both the design team and in the gallery this week, so if you're a fan or need some inspiration on how to use a large sentiment, I urge you to check out this week's challenge. I perused my collection of large sentiments and decided that I had the perfect one in my retired collection that I could give a fresh look to with some new product - take a look:

 

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

'Peace on Earth' is one of my favourite large sentiments from the retired 'Thinking Thanks and Peace' stamp set. I often use it on its own (if you use the 'search' function you can find lots of clean and simple cards using this stamp elsewhere on my blog) but one of the things I love to do with a large sentiment is frame it in some way. I was excited to see that one of the patterns in the Online Exclusives Iconic Celebrations pack is of a repeating dove, that is similar in style to the one that forms part of the sentiment stamp - perfect!  I used a sheet of DSP to cover the whole of the base of my card, then heat embossed my sentiment in white onto Misty Moonlight card and placed it in the centre. I cropped my sentiment quite tightly to allow the image on the background to be seen. Here's a close up:

 

Since my card is monochromatic too I'm also linking this card up over at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown where I've not played along in ages. I've also just realised that Kim's design team card used both the same colour scheme and sentiment, albeit using completely different supplies - clearly I was channelling her in more ways than one this week!

Since I had the Iconic Celebrations designer paper stack out on my desk and I was on a roll, I made another card - this time using the layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and the muted colour scheme at Color Throwdown:

   

The tree paper pattern had 2 of the 3 muted, woodsy colours in it, so again I used this as my base, before diecutting a stitched rectangle and adding a trio of stamped Christmas trees using the coordinating Iconic Imagery bundle:

 

The stamps in this set are two-step, super easy to line up and give a lovely dimensional effect to the completed image. I used Cherry Cobbler for a subtle pop of red on the sentiment and carried the colour over the sentiment on the inside of my card:

 

I love the fonts of the sentiments in this set - they were what prompted me to add it to my collection. I was trying to resist the paper, but well it coordinates so beautifully and makes for a relatively quick card too. 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's projects 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; time for me to crack on with some household tasks before I can hopefully squeak in a little extra crafting time later. 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.
 

 

Reindeer Days Christmas Wreath PP707

by Joanne James15. September 2024 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 Ann to host this week and she has a fun clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

    

The woodland animals on our badge this week are so sweet, but I have new goodies and am trying to rapidly increase my stock of Christmas cards, so I grabbed the sketch over at Try A Sketch on Tuesday and set to work - take a look:

 

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

Reindeer Days - The starting point for today's card was my festive reindeer, that I fussy cut from a piece of Reindeer Days designer series paper. There are some great reindeer patterns in this pack; some of them fit the co-ordinating Reindeer Fun Dies too. You can see my reindeer more closely in the photo below:

All Around Wreath - Taking my cue from the wreath around my reindeer's neck, I added a layered wreath, diecut using my All Around Wreath Dies and decorated with red rhinestones, in place of the oval on the sketch. My strip on red was inspired by the wreath's bow.

Greetings Of The Season - A simple sentiment from the 'Greetings of the Season' stamp set and some sparkly green enamel dots complete my clean and simple 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. 

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!

Enjoy your day; we are spending the day with family to celebrate my Mother-in-law's 80th birthday; birthday cake two weeks running - gotta love September birthdays! 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.

Bee My Valentine

by Joanne James8. September 2024 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 Elizabeth to host this week and she has a colour challenge for us to work with:

    

Elizabeth's trio of primary colours are perfect for a back-to-school or teacher appreciation card, but since I didn't need either of these I decided I would challenge myself to use these colours in another way. I had some great options with retired sets, but I wanted to use something current. So armed with the Tuesday Morning Sketches layout, this is what I came up with - take a look:

 

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

Bee Builder - I settled on a bee as the focal point for my card, since it ticked the box for one of my three colours. I heat embossed my bee's face and stripes in black for a little extra shine before punching him out and added a pair of heat-embossed vellum wings. I also added a couple of punched red hearts - so cute!

Bee My Valentine - Don't be fooled by the name, as the 'Bee My Valentine' stamp set stretches well beyond the 14th February and is perfect to let a loved one know how special they are. In addition to my bee and sentiment, I decided to use two of the other stamps in the set to add some decoration to my layers: some tone-on-tone honeycomb to the yellow layer, and some bold flowers to the red panel. This is a great way to stretch your stamps and add interest as an alternative to embossing or designer paper; it's always worth considering if stamps in a set can be used in this way.

Spotlight on Beauty Threads - I added my bee to a circle diecut using one of the circle dies in the Spotlight on Beauty Dies set. These circular dies have such pretty decorative edges; the one I used on today's card also lends itself to threading with some linen thread or baker's twine, so I threaded mine with some (retired) black and white twine and finished with a double bow detail:

Voila - my card is complete! The primary colour palette makes for a bold and bright card - I quite like the finished result. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else does with them this week.

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!

Enjoy your day; I don't have much planned, just family lunch and maybe a spot of gardening and of course looking forward to polishing off the remainder of my birthday cake. I'll be back soon though 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.

Thank You For Being A Friend Friends For Life PP704

by Joanne James1. September 2024 08:00

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have a fun theme for us to work with:

    

Spots or stripes - you choose! Or if you can't make up your mind, use both! I decided to go with spots to create a card for a special friend of mine. I used Jen T's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches for my card (with a liberal interpretation of that oval shape) - take a look:

 

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

Thank You For Being A Friend - First up - apologies if the sentiment on today's card has you singing the theme tune from the TV classic 'The Golden Girls' all day - it is just what I needed for today's card for one of my special and most caring friends. The 'Friends For Life' stamp set allows you to make a variety of sentiments by combining the stamps and diecuts it contains, all of them perfect for sharing with a friend. I snipped my stamped sentiment to fit above my layered diecut and popped it up on dimensionals so that it would stand out:

 

Full of Life Zentangles - For the main panel on my card, I decised to use a piece of brightly coloured spotty paper from the Full of Life designer series paper pack. Since I decided to go with a black and white sentiment, I added some zentangle doodles using a black fine liner to each of the spots (something I picked up from the lovely Melody Hyde of HammondAndPenny on Instagram) to give them a little extra definition; I really like the way it changes the pattern. I also added a bold black border for added definition along the edge of the panel.

A Hidden Mickey - Finally, I added some black enamel dots to randomly accent a number of the spots - except in one area where I created a 'hidden Mickey' - did you spot it? The recipient of this card is a huge fan of the famous mouse and since this card is to accompany a suitably themed gift that I bought her whilst visiting the most famous mouse of them all, I had to include one. In case you didn't spot it, here's a close-up:

 

Cute, right?! I know my friend loves those little details as much as I do and will totally appreciate it!

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!

Enjoy your day; I returned from my vacation which was wonderful but unfortunately brought the dreaded Covid with me so have been struggling for a few days. I feel like I'm just about turning the corner now though, although my tissue box is never far away! The joys of being back to reality. 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.

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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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