It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Shannon has asked that we add a square focal point. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I took my inspiration from the symmetrical focal point and decided to create a fun good luck card featuring a cute ladybird - take a look:

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

A Confession - So first up, a confession! I actually made my card for today's challenge and it wasn't until I was writing up today's post that I realised I had my sentiment in the wrong place. I almost went with it - the sketch is a guideline, that's all - but in the end I decided to make a second version that was faithful to Shannon's layout and compare the two. So the card above is my 'take two' - my original card is the one below:

On this one I added my sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set to the card base, whereas on the sketch the sentiment in on the focal square. Here's a photo pf both cards together - which one works better for you? 

I must be honest, I'm on the fence; I like my second version more than I though I would - kudos to Shannon for her layout!

Ladybug Builder - I thought a ladybug - or ladybird as we call them here in the UK - would make a cute centrepiece for a good luck card. I wondered why ladybirds are considered lucky in many cultures and Google tells me it's simply that they are one of the chief insects to eat crop pests - the gardener's friend. The Ladybug Builder punch made light work of mine - a simple punching of the elements and some heat-embossed black dots for a little extra shine:

Remember The Inside - I designed this card with a child in mind, so couldn't resist adding another stamped comical smiling ladybird to the inside of my card with another sentiment from the 'Hello Ladybug' stamp set:

I love making good luck cards for children; so much of their lives seem to consist of exams and tests, it's nice to send some positive vibes and let you know you are wishing them every success! I am linking today's card up with the team over at Inspire.Create who are sharing cards for babies or children and at the Alphabet Challenge Blog where there are on 'F is for Flying' - my ladybird has her wings ready to go!

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. 

Today is the last full study day for both James Juniors - we are at T-1 and T-3 respectively - the end of the exam season is nigh! We have experienced some torrential downpours this morning, so I am hoping to get ahead with my crafty endeavours - I even have a second card to share with you today - I'll be back with that shortly!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HELLO LADYBUG PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (17.00)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	LADYBUG BUILDER PUNCH (21.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today I'm sharing a quick card I made using both the sketch and photo inspiration over at Inspired By Challenges:

When I saw the pretty abstract pattern on the pillows of Lauren's inspiration sketch I knew I had just the paper to make a quick no-stamping card - take a look:

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

The retired Abstract Beauty papers had a similar pattern so I cut out a stitched square, along with another from the pack for the offset layer, and paired them with a pre-coloured card base and diecut sentiment:

These 'Wanted to Say' Dies are so useful for a quick sentiment - the gold diecut stars that I added are also from this die set, one of a number of useful extra bits and pieces in this set in addition to the sentiment dies. Whilst the card bases are no longer available, the Abstract Beauty papers are still available - they are currently on the Clearance Rack for just £5.60 a pack - bargain! 

Another quick, no-stamping card to add to my exam congratulations stash!

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:

ABSTRACT BEAUTY 4" X 6" (10.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (5.60)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

WANTED TO SAY DIES (37.00)

GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

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 pretty colour challenge for us to work with:

Isn't that a great colour combo? I used the layout over at Sketch Saturday and went with some Around The Bend Dies florals with a focus on the pink - take a look:

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

I decided to use my favourite pink form the Brights family, Melon Mambo, as the focus of my card, adding a couple of strips of retired Brights designer paper and a heat-embossed white-on-black sentiment from 'Something Fancy', before embellishing with hearts and flowers from the Around The Bend Dies set, some silver thread and rhinestones for a little sparkle:

I added another sentiment and a little extra detail inside my card:

I liked this card so much I made another one, this time using Flirty Flamingo and I switched out the rhinestones for pearls and sequins:

Here's a close up:

I used an alternative sentiment inside this card:

I'm linking this second version of my card up over at the Paper Craft Crew where I went down the first column of the tic tac toe board (flowers, sequins, hearts).

Here's one last photo of both cards together - which one do you prefer? My favourite is the Melon Mambo version, but the Flirty Flamingo version is fun too. Very girly and feminine!

Here is the visual summaries 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:

Enjoy your day; I'm hoping to fit in a little crafting but otherwise it should be a fairly uneventful day. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

AROUND THE BEND DIES (31.00)	SOMETHING FANCY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MELON MAMBO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)
RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)	IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (7.00)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made for this week's Just Us Girls Challenge - I may no longer be guest designer, but who can resist playing along with this fresh colour combo of pink and yellow that Nancy chose this week? Not me (waves excitedly to all my new JUGS friends!) I used the sketch over at Hand Stamped Sentiments for my layout and having chosen two new pastel shades for my florals I am also linking up with the current Flower Challenge:

To my card! Lots of new things on today's card - take a look:

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

Another Cheerful Daisies card - I am loving exploring the ways that these stamps and dies can be used together. For today's card I didn't stamp the daisies, instead opting to diecut them in 3 layers: the middle layer is the trio of daisies stuck together (leaves snipped away), which I inked with Lemon Lolly in the centres and Bubble Bath on the petal edges, the base layer consists of the three individual outlines in Basic White and adhered behind the middle layer, and this is finished with a top layer of individual pieces cut from vellum. By using all three layers, it creates a beautiful dimensional daisy - add in some texture from some diecut fronds, leaves and a scrap embossed with the timber embossing folder, along with a trio of Lemon Lolly faceted gems and you have a visual feast! 

A stitched square for the diamond, along with a sentiment on the diecut label that comes with the Cheerful Daisies Dies completes my card. This sentiment isn't supposed to fit the label, since it's the wrong shape, however given that I wanted to tuck my label into my arrangement and needed a blank portion, it worked perfectly. I adore this duet of new colours that joined the Subtles family following the colour refresh, so much so I even stamped my sentiment in Bubble Bath pink - I just didn't want black to intrude onto my otherwise wholly pastel 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. 

I am not generally a big fan of pastels, but I must say these two new colours are delightful additions to the Subtles family and I know I'll be using them lots more! Do you have a favourite colour family? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back shortly with a quick post for this week's TicTacToe Challenge. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHEERFUL DAISIES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (50.25)	ADHESIVE-BACKED SOLID GEMS (7.50)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LEMON LOLLY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	TIMBER 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (10.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)

Happy Monday everyone! I've spent the day in my office working on projects to share with you this week and amongst other things also managed to make a card for Karren's fabulous layout over at Freshly Made Sketches today so I need to blog it quickly before they close! Here's Karren's sketch:

I paired it with the colours over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and took the opportunity to play with another new-to-me bundle - take a look:

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

I thought the large circle of Karren's sketch would be perfect to showcase the detail of the die plate that is included in the Two Tone Flora Dies, so I cut an aperture using the largest of my circle Stylish Shapes Dies and adhered the diecut behind. I added a panel of (retired) Fine Art Floral designer paper behind it, that features a subtle Pool Party gesso effect, and accented my window with a single Blackberry Bliss flower:

Some Mint Macaron leaves, a trio of glossy dots and a birthday sentiment from 'Something Fancy' complete my card.

I've always loved the combination of Pool Party and Blackberry Bliss and this dies is just amazing - I can't wait to use it more! Both the Two Tone Flora stamp set and dies are carrying over to the new annual catalogue, but the bundle pricing isn't - so if you'd like to purchase both items and receive a 10% saving, you'll need to be quick and place your order for them before the end of the month.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

TWO-TONE FLORA BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (53.00)	SOMETHING FANCY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	GLOSSY DOTS ASSORTMENT (7.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.75)

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)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the lovely LeAnne to host this week and she has a fun clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

Use a craft image on your card - hmm, this should be an easy one right? Turns out I had nothing in my current product stash that fitted the bill and due to the sorting out of stamp sets I couldn't find any stamps in my retired stash either (even though I know I have some somewhere!!) Then I remembered that I has a retired Memories and More pack called 'What a Year' that had some quirky images in - and today's no-stamping card was born! Here it is:

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

A few of the cards in this pack feature scissors, so I chose one of them, added a background of (retired) Mango Melody Dandy Designs paper left over from Sale-A-Bration, and one of the sentiment stickers from the Memories & More pack too. The only extra I added was a diecut circle and banner behind:

And that was it - done! A little light on 'white space', but no stamping, minimal layers and embellishments and it took barely 10 minutes to put together - clean and simple at its best!

No visual summary of the key products used on today's project or supplies list, as apart from the Stylish Shapes Dies and basic cardstock I used, everything else is retired. I think this makes a fun and colourful notecard for a crafty friend - I'd love a fancy pair of scissors like the ones on this card too, wouldn't you?

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

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

Today I'm sharing my third card for my Guest Designer spot over at Just Us Girls. This week it's photo/moodboard week:

 So much to love about this mood board! I was inspired by all of the pretty pinks and the florals in the middle picture on the top row, and the sentiment below it, for my guest designer card this week - take a look:

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

I knew that I wanted to focus on the pinks for my card this week, in particular that pretty piece of designer paper that I used for my base panel from the Awash in Beauty paper pack. I have been holding on to this for just the right opportunity and I decided this card was it! used the sketch over at Paper Craft Crew for my layout; I like the way the white horizontal strips break up the background pattern but still allow it to shine. For my focal point, I went with a sentiment from my favourite 'Simply Fabulous' stamp set in Merry Merlot - I will so miss this set when it retires! - and framed it with more pretty pink blooms that I fussy cut from the reverse side of the background paper. A sprinkle of sequins completes my card:

I really love how this card turned out - these papers are soo pretty! How does the mood board inspire you? Check out what the design team over at Just Us Girls have created this week and have a go and join us!

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 for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

AWASH IN BEAUTY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.25)

SIMPLY FABULOUS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (15.30)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)

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've a colour challenge for you to work with:

I chose pastel colours for this week's challenge; I rarely choose pastels as a starting point, much preferring brights, so I thought this would both challenge me and also give me a gallery full of pastel design inspiration - a win-win I'd say! With the recent Stampin' Up! announcement of a full colour refresh, we are saying goodbye to not only the outgoing 2021-23 in-colours, but several from across the colour families too. I've used one of the retiring in-colours and three of the four retiring pastels from the subtles family on my cards today along with the layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday - take a look at the first one:

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

Farewell Hand Penned Petals - I used the retiring 'Hand Painted Petals' stamp set and coordinating Penned Flowers Dies on my car today, along with the border dies from the Eden Dies set, also retiring, to pick out the border edge of my Country Gingham panel. This is a great stamp set if you're new to stamping - it has both outline stamps and individual pieces to infill the various flowers and leaves with colour, but they intentionally don't line up with each other exactly. The easy, artsy look means that you don't have to align the stamps perfectly - yet they still look great, perfect for a beginner! Get your stamp set and dies from my online store here whilst stocks last. 

Bye, Bye Blushing Bride - This card features Blushing Bride and Mint Macaron, retiring pastels from the Subtles family, along with Pale Papaya, a retiring in-colour. I've never been a big fan of Blushing Bride (I find it a 'muddy' pink) but I do think it can be enhanced when paired with other colours. Paired with the peachy tones of Pale Papaya and the fresh green of Mint Macaron and some ribbon and gems in those colours too, it does look quite pretty - what do you think?

So Long, So Saffron - So Saffron is another of the departing Subtles, so I decided to make a variation on my first card using Pale Papaya for the larger flowers and the pale yellow of So Saffron for the smaller ones; all other details were the same.

I think I prefer this version, but I'll leave it for you to decide if you have a favourite!

So are you a fan of the Subtles colour family and pastel shades? If so, you should definitely consider entering our challenge this week!

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

And the second one:

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:

Enjoy your day; I'm off to set up my Easter egg hunt for the James Juniors - they might be in their teens now, but they still like to hunt for their chocolate, they are nothing if not sticklers for tradition! We have a roast turkey lunch planned then this afternoon will be spent consuming the fruit of their spoils and if the sun continues to shine, walking it off! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

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: 

I took the third column of diecuts, pastel colours and Easter and using the colour palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments I created an Easter card for the theme at Global Design Project #GDP387 - take a look:

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

The design of my card was inspired by a summer-themed card I'd seen on Pinterest that featured a modern block sentiment when I was looking for ink blending inspiration. I wanted my sentiment to fit inside a square, so used my (retired) Playful Alphabet Dies as they were just the right shape and size. I blended all three colours using blending brushes onto a sheet of white cardstock - once in defined rows (I cut my sentiment square from this piece) and then on randomly on a larger area; I used this piece to diecut my two flower elements using the Penned Flowers Dies. I recommend you colour your cardstock before you diecut the pieces rather than afterwards, as this helps you avoid dark edges. Once I'd coloured my square and cut it out using the Stylish Shapes Dies, I diecut out the letters, then cut the same letters again in white and inset them into the negative space:

 I backed the whole thing onto a panel of neutral Smoky Slate grey and added a few iridescent rhinestones for a little extra sparkle. The letters I diecut from the outside square panel didn't go to waste; I used them for the sentiment on the inside of my card, with an extra diecut piece for decoration:

I also decorated the envelope with the stamp from the Hand Painted Petals stamp set for a little extra detail. Not a bunny, chick or Easter egg in sight, but I think this is a pretty Easter card nonetheless and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. It just goes to show you don't always need to have themed supplies in order to make a card for a particular occasion - you just have to get creative with what you have in your stash!

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. 

Apologies that it's been a little quiet around here; I've been single parenting this week and so have had very little opportunity to get in my craft room and when I have, my creative mojo has been struggling to craft under pressure! I still feel like I'm catching up on that lost hour from the clocks going back on Sunday; the James Juniors break up for the Easter holidays tomorrow and I have to say, the end of term can't come soon enough! I'll be back tomorrow with another project for our new challenge over at Festive Friday. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PENNED FLOWERS DIES (28.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.25)	BLENDING BRUSHES (11.75)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	FRESH FREESIA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)
PEAR PIZZAZZ CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (7.50)	SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (8.75)	IRIDESCENT RHINESTONES BASIC JEWELS (7.00)