I have a quick card to share with you today that I made using the birthday stamp from the 'Oh My Goodies' stamp set:

I used last week's Pals Paper Arts sketch for my layout and took the opportunity to use up some retired Quatrefancy Specialty DSP and my Mosaic embossing folder to echo the pattern on the stamped panel. I cut out the stamped panel and a background layer using the Deco Label framelits, which co-ordinate perfectly with this stamp set. I also stamped the sentiment again in Pumpkin Pie and cut it out and adhered it across the centre, placing a same colour circle behind to add definition.

This is a great birthday card that would work for a male or female and will make a useful addition to my birthday card stash.

Back tomorrow with this week's Wednesday Weekly Deals and another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Oh My Goodies Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies	Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Pumpkin Pie A4 Card Stock	Pool Party A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock

I'm starting my week nice and early with today's post which is a card for this week's challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I decided to stay true to the sketch with my clean and graphic card:

I chose Pistachio Pudding for my base then layered this with a piece of Whisper White down the centre of my card followed by a feature piece of DSP, this time the Gold Soiree Specialty DSP, as the circle pattern echoed my chosen focal point. I stamped the 'Thanks So Much' stamp from the #hello set in Versamark and heat embossed in gold then punched out with my 2" circle punch. I layered this onto a banner of gold foil and popped the whole piece up on dimensionals for added lift. 

This card is conveniently post-friendly and will be heading out to one of my most recent online customers this week to thank them for supporting my Stampin' Up! business. If you would like to receive a card just like this one, all you have to do is place an order in my online store this month and ensure your contact preferences are set to 'contact' and one will be on its way. 

Today is the first day of the Easter holidays for the James Juniors, but for me there is no rest: I am hosting a children's craft class where we are masking Easter treats. I will be sharing photos over on my Facebook page if I remember to take pictures as we go along and will share the projects later in the week. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

(Hashtag) Hello Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Gold Soiree Specialty Designer Series Paper	Card Stock A4 Pistachio Pudding	Gold Foil Sheets	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool - Uk Plug	2" Circle Punch
Hexagon Punch

This is my second post today - you can see my Paper Players card here - as this should have been yesterday's card, but I was just too tired to type it up last night. I've been so busy and since I did not manage to get ahead of myself this week, tiredness won. Anyway, this is a card that I made for this week's Mojo Monday challenge and the current challenge over at The Card Concept:

I love those swirled cupcakes and couldn't resist creating something pink and a similarly swirled cupcake using the Mojo sketch - here is my clean and layered card:

I used a couple of retired products on my card - some Pretty in Pink cardstock for my base, to tone down the Melon Mambo and the ribbon (it reminded me of the cupcake swirl). On a mat of Melon Mambo, I used Whisper White on the upper portion and a piece of pink ombre Sweet Taffy DSP on the lower portion (even the pattern reminded me of cupcakes!) and I covered the join with my retired melon Mambo ribbon. I stamped my sentiment from 'Something to Say' in Melon Mambo, and decided a stamped and punched cupcake was the perfect embellishment. I stamped the cupcake case in Melon Mambo on Whisper White and coloured the frosting stamp with my Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush and Melon Mambo markers before stamping to achieve the swirl effect. Both pieces were punched out using the Cupcake Builder punch. I decided to add a little bling to my cupcake with a trio of in-colour sequins in Strawberry Slush and added a single star in the same colour to the sentiment panel to even things up.

So a very pink card with a suitably pink and swirly cupcake - good enough to eat! I haven't used this punch or stamp set in ages and I like the inspiration photo so much, I might just have to have another go at this challenge but in a different style; watch this space!

Back tomorrow with an altogether more clean and graphic card. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Cupcake Party Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Cupcake Punch	Something To Say Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo A4 Card Stock
Sweet Taffy Designer Series Paper	2013-2015 In Color Sequin Assortment	Whisper White A4 Card Stock

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players. There were some great CAS florals last week and this week we have my favourite kind of challenge. My good friend and talented team member LeAnne has a great sketch challenge for us:

I decided this sketch would be great for a DSP showcase, so today I have a very bright and colourful card to share with you:

I covered my entire card front with a piece of one of the 'busy' patterns from the Flowerpot DSP pack then used a piece of vellum to tone down the pattern so that my 'thanks' die cut in Night of Navy would still stand out against the pattern. I wrapped a piece of Tangerine Tango around the vellum in a bow before adhering it to my card base, using glue dots where they are covered by other elements so that they don't show through. I added the second part of my sentiment from the 'Crazy About You' stamp set and layered over my banner trio, punched out of colours I had picked up from the pattern using my banner punch. Lastly, I finished with a bold orange flower finished with a candy dot.

This card has such a clash of bright and bold colours and yet I think they work with the sketch beautifully. There are some great cards from the Design Team this week, all of whom have interpreted the sketch in interesting ways. Do pop by their blogs and take a look:

I look forward to seeing your takes on this week's sketch in our gallery this week. 

No lie in for me as I am off for an early morning of hockey as today is tournament day and then hopefully home again to dinner cooked by the men in our house - this is becoming something of a habit! Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Crazy About You Photopolymer Bundle	Flower Pot Designer Series Paper	White Vellum A4 Card Stock	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad	Regals Candy Dots
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad	Night Of Navy A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Blushing Bride
Banner Punch	1-3/4 Inch Scallop Circle Punch

It's time for a new Thursday challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a great sketch challenge for you:

I decided to turn the sketch through 180 degrees for my card - here's what I came up with:

That circle was just asking to be made into a balloon, don't you think? I used a piece of Tangelo Twist for my base, matted with a piece of Night of Navy and a piece of the lovely Balloon Bash DSP - the gold foil balloons in the pattern looked like the little dots on the sketch I thought. I stamped my balloon in Night of Navy on Whisper White and heat-embossed the 'birthday' in gold, cutting out using the co-ordinating framelits, adding a small gold foil bow and a string of gold sequins to finish it off and popping it up on dimensionals.

Such a simple card, yet the DSP really shines and the touches of gold make this card really special. Do check out how the rest of the Design Team have interpreted the sketch - there's some great inspiration to be found!

I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Today I'm sharing a card that I'm entering in a couple of challenges:

I'm not normally one for such pastel colours unless it's a baby card, however I thought I would combine this week's colour palette over at Pals Paper Arts with the great sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch this week and create a card suitable for a wedding or engagement. Take a look:

I decided to feature the Congratulations sentiment from 'Your Perfect Day' as the centrepiece for my card, adorned with a couple of the floral flourishes from the 'Flowering Flourishes' set in each corner. I turned the sketch on its side as I needed my card to be landscape in order to fit my sentiment on. I stamped the sentiment in Soft Sky and coloured the flourishes with my Stampin' Write markers in each of the challenge colours, adding a few tiny pearls to the flower stamens. I used a piece of Soft Sky for my mat and stamped the whole card on Whisper White; this card looks more vibrant in real life - I find predominantly white cards so tricky to photograph. 

Short and sweet from me today - lots to do before attending an Easter Concert this afternoon where both James Juniors are singing and performing piano recitals. I will be back shortly with news of some additional Sale-A-Bration items that will be available free with a £45 spend until the end of the month. until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Your Perfect Day Photopolymer Stamp Set	Flowering Flourishes Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Subtles Stampin' Write Markers	2013-2015 In Color Stampin' Write Markers	Basic Pearls Jewel Accents	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

It's Sunday - my favourite day of the week! Why? Well, I usually get a cup of tea in bed before I start my day (and I definitely will today, as it's Mother's Day here in the UK) and it's time for our new challenge over at The Paper Players. This week the hugely talented Ann has a great clean and simple challenge for us:

I love CAS cards and decided that this week's challenge was the perfect opportunity to use my Lotus Blossom stamp that I received during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. I also paired it with the colours over at Color Throwdown this week as I just love the purples and green of the inspiration photo - here is my card:

This set has been the most popular of all the Sale-A-Bration promotional items that you can receive free with a £45 spend amongst my customers and whilst I've used mine to demonstrate how to stamp the flower to my customers on a number of occasions, this is the first time I've actually used it to make a card - shocking! It's a great flower and perfect for CAS cards. I stamped the sentiment and my first image of the flower in Elegant Eggplant and the same for the second one, having stamped off first. I then stamped the third solid image in Perfect Plum. I used Old Olive for my stem and then stamped the first image again in Versamark, and overstamped the sentiment in Versamark too and heat embossed both of them in clear embossing powder. Try as I might I couldn't get it to show up in the photo, but this does look lovely in real life with a lovely glossy sheen and it adds a little texture to the flower. I matted my stamped panel on a piece of Elegant Eggplant cardstock and a Whisper White base, which really allows my blossom to take centre stage. To finish, I added a trio of pearls that I coloured with the darkest of my Wisteria Wonder Blendabilities (I'm not ready to part with these just yet, even though they are sadly no longer available). If the Lotus Blossom stamp is still on your wish list, you have until the end of March to receive it free with a £45 spend - 16 days left, so don't leave it too late. 

There are a whole host of amazing floral CAS cards from the Design Team this week; do pop by their blogs and take a look:

I look forward to seeing your floral CAS creations in our gallery this week. 

I am off for a morning of hockey and then hopefully home to roast dinner cooked by the men in our house! Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Lotus Blossom Photopolymer Stamp Set	Elegant Eggplant Classic Stampin' Pad	Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pad	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad	Elegant Eggplant A4 Card Stock
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Versamark Pad	Embossing Buddy	Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool - Uk Plug
Basic Pearls Jewel Accents

It's the weekend but no signs of my week slowing down yet! I had a great Stampin' Up! party hosted by the lovely Lucy yesterday and today we visited a science fair and Ben played basketball on his school team at the county quarter finals this evening. So just time for a quick post with a card I made for this week's Mojo Monday challenge: 

This is the first sketch designed by Wanda Cullen and I think it's great (go Wanda!) I decided it was the perfect layout for me to cut into one of my favourite pieces of paper in my Painted Blooms DSP pack - here is my card: 

I used Soft Sky for my base and matted my paper on a piece of Blackberry Bliss to give a thin border, then layered a paper pierced circle, a piece of Blackberry Bliss satin ribbon and my layered sentiment circle, where I over-stamped the tulips with my thank you, before finally adding my Crushed Curry thinlit butterfly. I just love the detail of the sentiment and the dramatic bright yellow butterfly on this card - here's a close up: 

Love it! That's all from me today; back tomorrow with this week's card for our new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper	Painted Petals Clear Stamp Set	Butterflies Thinlits Dies	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Big Shot Magnetic Platform
Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack	Paper-Piercing Tool	1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch	Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad
Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad

Today it's time for a new challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary and this week we have a colour challenge for you:

This week's card was a challenge for me in so many ways! I have no Irish connections so St Patrick's Day isn't a big thing for me, although I often make at least one project to celebrate and I thought these colours would be perfect. I decided on my design and really wanted to create a four leaf clover to tie in with a 'lucky' theme, however I couldn't make it work with my layout, so went with a three leaf clover and decided that for my card this would be just as lucky (cardmaker's prerogative ;-)). Here it is:

I made my simple clover leaf using the smallest heart from the Hearts Framelits set, and freehand cut the stem, then offset my sentiment, a combination of stamps using the 'lucky' from the Project Life sentiment set 'Remember This' and the 'you' from the Sale-A-Bration set 'Simply Wonderful'. One last confession from me - I actually used a sheet of Garden Green from the Regals DSP stack for my card - when I went to my folder, I had no Wild Wasabi - oops! The effect would be just the same with a Wild Wasabi polka dot paper though, so I went with it.

Do check out the gallery to see what the other members of the CCMC design team have come up with this week - we look forward to seeing your creations!

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

Today I'm sharing another of the cards that we made at my Monthly Technique Class yesterday, featuring the Indescribable Gift stamp set. This was the simplest of the cards we made, and features the 'spotlight' technique:

The basic idea is that you stamp your chosen image, then stamp it again a second time and punch out one area of the image that you would like to highlight and this is the piece you colour. I kept the layout of my card simple and highlighted one area of the blossom stem and coloured this with my Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi and Crumb Cake Blendabilties. Here's a close up of my spotlighted element: 

Another simple, yet effective technique that is perfect with an outlined stamp image. I love the sentiment on this card too - there's something very uplifting about it. If you live in or around Northampton and are either a keen cardmaker or someone interested in learning new techniques, my technique classes next month will be held on the 13th and 14th of April and will be featuring masking, sponging and reflection techniques using the stamp set 'Lovely As a Tree'. Full class details here - do get in touch for information and to book your place.

Before I sign off today, I wanted to share with you an important news announcement from Stampin' Up! today regarding the future of our Blendabilties product line. As some of you may be aware, there have been some quality issues with our alcohol markers. Following investigations with the manufacturer, a manufacturing problem has been identified that has resulted in damage to the fine nibs. As a company, Stampin' Up! prides itself on the quality of our products and since the incidence of failure is now outside of acceptable levels and the manufacturer is unable to guarantee a swift solution to the problem, it is with regret that the line is to be stopped with immediate effect in order to prevent further disappointment. If anyone has any issues with Blendabilities purchased from me, do get in touch so that I can arrange an exchange or refund. Meanwhile, I have some cards made and not yet blogged that use them that I will continue to share, although alas you will be unable to purchase the markers if you don't already own them. On the up side, the full range of Stampin' Write markers are unaffected and offer a wealth of colouring opportunities.

Back tomorrow with this week's Wednesday Deals and a new project.

Until then, happy stampin!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

Indescribable Gift Clear Stamp Set	Pink Pirouette A4 Card Stock	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
1-3/4 Inch Circle Punch