Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'Remembrance Day/Veterans Day' which is on November 11th. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used red, black, poppies and sympathy and this is what I came up with:

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

I don't have any current product featuring poppies, so I had a rummage in the retired box and decided that the Sunday Stamps sketch layout would be perfect to showcase some of the beautiful Peaceful Poppies designer paper that I have been hoarding. I used one sheet using the reverse for my background and then a fabulous poppy print for the central panel. A simple sentiment from a retired Sale-A-Bration set called 'Heal Your Heart' completed the front of my card:

Isn't that paper gorgeous? I used another stamp from the same set on the inside, along with some stamped poppies from the retired 'Painted Poppies' stamp set:

I also added this stamp to the front of my envelope and decorated the flap with more of that pretty paper. Too good to hoard and as the flower of remembrance these poppies are fitting for a sympathy card.

No visual summary of the key products used on today's project as they are all retired except for the basic cardstock. 

How does our board inspire you? I can’t wait to see what YOU create! For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

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

We are having a two-post Tuesday today since in addition to my regular CAS Colours & Sketches post, I am guesting with the team over at The Colour Hues Challenge following my win for challenge #62 with my purple and green card - you can see that card here if you missed it.

So their new challenge is an interesting one for this time of year - take a look:

Yes, orange and slate grey - a combination I rarely consider outside of Halloween season, so I found this one a challenge in the true sense of the word! I love the slate grey, but what to do with the orange? Having had a little play, I finally came up with something that I think works - take a look:

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

I decided to use the slate grey for my card base, adding some tone-on-tone splatter with a grey marker, and added a double sprig of flowers from Dainty Delight with a trio of white daisies. I used retired Pale Papaya for my stems, that I added Pumpkin pie ink to with a blending brush to bring out the orange tones, and used the true Pumpkin Pie Orange sparingly for small flower heads and daisy centres: 

A sprinkling of gems and a white embossed sentiment complete my card. So what do you think? Did I successfully manage to use the orange to add a pop of colour to my otherwise sombre sympathy card? I hope so, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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:

DAINTY DELIGHT DIES (34.00)	SOMETHING FANCY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	BASIC GRAY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

Today we have a public holiday here in the UK so we are enjoying an extra-long weekend - well, as much as you can when both James Juniors are revising for end-of-year exams and the weather outside is rather grey and chilly! We are at least enjoying the slower pace and I'm hoping I might even sneak in a little crafting later too. First up I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Just Add Ink where the team are making sympathy cards:

These are sometimes difficult cards to make and it's sometimes good to have a few of these on hand that you can simply reach for when needed rather than need to make from scratch. There is a gorgeous set in the Spring-Summer catalogue that will sadly be retiring next month but is perfect for this type of card - take a look:

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

Dear Doily - So when I first saw the Dear Doily set in the seasonal catalogue, it wasn't at the top of my wish list, however my dear crafty friend Jan Clothier had this set and created so many fabulous samples with it (check them out on her blog here) that I eventually decided I 'needed' it and now I'm sad that this set is going away! The Doily Builder Thinlits are already sold out in the UK and have been for some time, however the stamp set is still available. It has some beautiful images but it's really the words in this set that get me; the gorgeous swirly font for the main words I used on the front of today's card that can then be paired with a number of alternatives depending on whether your card is to show thanks, friendship or sympathy. I used the latter on the inside of my card:

For a sympathy card, it is often difficult to find the right words and I think this set really hits the mark as far as that is concerned.

Make Your Mark With Markers - I kept my card fairly simple, using the Doily Builder Thinlits to create both some inset diecutting on the back panel and a frame for my sentiment which I really wanted to be the focal point of my card, but I did choose to add a single stem of lavender using one of the other stamps in this set. I coloured it with my Stampin' Write markers, colouring the stem in Tranquil Tide and the buds in Powder Pink with a little edging in Blackberry Bliss to create a variation in colour. Using your markers is a great way to add variagated colour to a single stamp; just ink them up and 'huff' on your stamp, and it will stamp a beautiful multi-coloured image.

A Fresh Colour Combination - I kept my colour palette subtle for today's card, with the exception of Blackberry Bliss which acts as a strong accent colour for my focal point. if this is a colour combination that appeals to you, please feel free to save it for future inspiration:

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. 

There is some great inspiration from the team and in the gallery over on the Just Add Ink page so you should definitely click on the link and check them out if this is something you often struggle with. Meanwhile, enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Dear Doily Cling Stamp Set (£22.00)	2017-2019 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (£13.75)	Stampin' Write Markers New Color Assortment (£44.00)	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock (£7.25)	2017-2019 In Color A4 Cardstock (£8.00)
Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad (£7.00)	Blackberry Bliss A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (£9.25)

Today I'm sharing an extra card that uses Linda's oh-so simple sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches (you can see my earlier Paper Players post here if you missed it):

The circle could be used in so many ways and I decided to use it to try out a fun new-to-me colouring technique - take a look:

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

Glimmer Stained Glass - I decided the circular aperture would be perfect for a stained glass window using the Stained Glass Thinlits and a technique I've seen previously where you stamp and/or colour onto acetate and back this with silver glimmer paper for a sparkly coloured effect. I cut two semi-circular windows and mirrored them, inset into the circle cut out of my mat layer and backed this with a piece of acetate window sheet. I then flipped it over and coloured the reverse with my Stampin' Blends, using the borders of the diecuts to define my changes in colour, before adding a piece of silver glimmer paper for a sparkly shine. This is such a fun technique and really very pretty in real life. 

Painted Glass Sympathy - I originally set out to create a Christmas card (what can I say - I'm on a roll!), but having completed my window I didn't think it looked particularly Christmassy and since I didn't want to add anything else to it and detract from the window, I decided to change purpose and used the appropriate sentiment from the Painted Glass stamp set to create a sympathy card instead. I don't believe that sympathy cards should be devoid of colour and there is something quite tranquil about sunlight shining through a coloured stained window in a church so thought it would work perfectly with this in mind. I added one of my favourite sentiments from Flourishing Phrases to the inside of my card:

A Word About Colour - I used a variety of brightly-coloured Stampin' Blends to bring my stained glass window to life and I think it would work with pretty much any colour combination. I think it's the use of black though that defines this card - in the definition of the layers, the inlaid detail of the window itself and my heat-embossed Gothic-style sentiment. Black shouldn't be reserved just for outlines and sentiments - be brave in your use of black as a colour in its own right.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Stained Glass Thinlits Dies (£27.00)	Painted Glass Clear-Mount Stamp Set (£17.00)	Painted Glass Clear-Mount Bundle (£39.50)	Window Sheets (£4.75)	Silver Glimmer Paper (£4.75)
Basic Black A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Gorgeous Grape A4 Cardstock (£8.00)	Black Stampin' Emboss Powder (£4.75)	Versamark Pad (£8.25)	Embossing Buddy (£5.50)
Poppy Parade Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Daffodil Delight Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Highland Heather Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Call Me Clover Dark Stampin' Blends Marker (£4.25)	Blackberry Bliss Dark Stampin' Blends (£4.25)
Mango Melody Dark Stampin' Blends (£4.25)

Good morning and happy Monday everyone! I am up and about and blogging nice and early today as I have a busy day and evening so need to be organised! Today I'm sharing a card using this week's colour challenge over at CAS Colours and Sketches that would also be perfect for our current challenge over at The Paper Players too:

As I had the 'Remarkable You' stamp set out on my desk for the second of my cards yesterday, it struck me that the above colour combo was perfect for those lovely arum lilies so I set about making today's card - take a look:

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

Making 'White Space' Blue - One of the principles of clean and simple design is to have plenty of 'white space' visible on your card. White space doesn't have to be white in colour though; in order for my design to work today, I wanted my white lilies to stand out and what better way than to place them against a bright blue Pacific Point coloured background? The blue plays a central role on my card with the other two colours adding just the merest hint of colour, whilst still allowing my card to feel CAS. 

Clean and Simple Paper Piecing - I stamped my lilies directly onto my card base and again onto Whisper White cardstock. I then fussy cut my white lilies, and after colouring the stems in Pear Pizzazz and adding some So Saffron highlights to my blooms with a blender pen, I paper-pieced them in place onto my card base. This is a great way to get all of the detail of the sketch-like outline whilst also ensuring the flowers stood out adequately against the blue background. A simple white embossed sentiment finishes the front of my card.

Words of Sympathy - These lilies make a beautiful sympathy card; one of my go-to sentiment sets for this type of card is 'Flourishing Phrases' -  this set has some wonderful and thoughtful sentiments, and no more so than for those sometimes tricky cards where words are never really enough. Here's the inside of my card - I love how the words fit with the shape of the flowers too:

I always find sympathy cards difficult to make to order so like to have a few on standby for when the need arises. I particularly like to use colour on my sympathy cards too, so this one definitely ticks all the boxes for me and will head to my card box for future use.

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:

Remarkable You Clear-Mount Stamp Set (£23.00)	Flourishing Phrases Clear-Mount Stamp Set (£33.00)	Pacific Point A4 Cardstock (£7.25)	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad (£6.00)	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad (£6.00)
Blender Pens (£10.75)	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad (£5.50)	Whisper White A4 Cardstock (£8.25)	Versamark Pad (£7.75)	White Stampin' Emboss Powder (£4.50)

Happy Monday everyone! This is the start of the busiest week for me - classes, parties and a number of family commitments - so I'll do my best  to keep up with my blogging schedule. Today I'm sharing one of the cards that I'm making with my ladies in my technique class this week - an oval shaped card, using an interesting vellum technique. Here's my card:

I saw this neat technique where you stamp your image on vellum then rub the back of the image with a round ended stylus to 'colour' it in a video tutorial by Deb Valder here. I used Pink Pirouette for my background, then layered the vellum before adding my black border, cut with the largest shaped oval framelit which I paper-pierced around the edge. I needed a sympathy card for my box, so used a sentiment from the 'Bloom With Hope' set, which I cut out with the Banners framelits, and a little bow to soften the card front. I really like the effect of the vellum - it looks slightly 'raised' following the rubbing and adds a feeling of texture to the card. 

I'm looking forward to making this card with my ladies this afternoon and then this evening I'm off to craft with a group of Brownies and then Girl Guides - I'll share these projects later in the week.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Indescribable Gift Clear Stamp Set	Jet Black Stazon Pad	Big Shot Magnetic Platform	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack
Paper-Piercing Tool	Stampin' Pierce Mat	Ovals Collection Framelits Dies	Pink Pirouette 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon	White Vellum A4 Card Stock
Pink Pirouette A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock

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