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

I used the sketch over at Global Design Project for my layout (I rotated it through 180 degrees) and was also inspired by the snowman and the blue and white winter sentiment over at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week for my clean and simple snow card - take a look:

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

I used the Oh So Ombre free Sale-A-Bration paper as the base for my card and heat-embossed the cute skyward-looking snowman onto the ombre paper in white, adding a little extra white with a chalk marker. I added my sentiment, finishing with the word 'snow' made out of the Playful Alphabet letters in white and replacing the 'o' with a glittery white glimmer paper snowflake. Finally I added a sprinkling of sequins from a selection of mixes in my stash amongst the falling snow:

I think I might add this card to next year's Christmas card stash - not that it ever snows here in the UK at Christmas, much to the disappointment of the James Juniors who continue to live in hope! We had the tiniest dusting yesterday morning first thing but it didn't hang around, and we are forecast a return to drizzle and grey skies by today! Hope my little snowman brings some cheer your way in lieu of some sunshine.

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:

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; nothing much happening here this weekend as we continue to endure lockdown. I am enjoying having more time to read and build Lego and as a family we seem to have rediscovered chess this past week as we finished watching 'The Queen's Gambit' on Netflix. If you haven't seen it, I can highly recommend it. And you can't bit a game of chess for immersive distraction! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

SNOWMAN SEASON PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£17.00)	PLAYFUL ALPHABET DIES (£32.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	BERMUDA BAY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
WHITE STAMPIN' CHALK MARKER (£3.25)	OH SO OMBRE 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£0.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

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 an interesting colour challenge for us to work with:

Now I know I said Ann had an 'interesting' colour challenge for us this week ... what I really meant to say was 'incredibly difficult'!! Or at least, it was for me this week! Whilst I don't mind any of these colours in their own, or even paired, as a trio I struggled with them. All three are featured in the new Dandy Garden designer series paper, and usually DSP would be my first port of call for a colour challenge, but the truth is I am not a fan of this pack! Or at least, I should qualify that by saying I'm not a fan of the sides with mixed colours - the monochromatic patterns in this pack are just lovely! Anyway, I had to call in help for this one, both in the form of this week's Paper Craft Crew sketch and a certain James Junior - take a look at what we came up with:

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

A Trio Of Triangles - I was drawn to this week's PCC sketch with its three triangles, as I had been having a team chat this week with one of my team who has been using her stitched triangles as part of an ongoing challenge and I mentioned that I had bought these before Christmas but not yet used them and I thought the sketch would be a good way to remedy that. The trio would also enable me to work in this week's colours, so provided a great starting point.

A Darling Donkey - I then needed to decide upon my neutral colour; this is where Rebecca, the self-confessed 'brains' behind today's card, suggested I go with grey and a donkey from the super cute 'Darling Donkeys' stamp set, one of the sets that can be yours free with a £45 spend during Sale-A-Bration. So I coloured one of the funny kicking donkeys and fussy cut it out - perfect!

Hinge-Step HeeHaw - Finally, I just had to work out what to do use for the horizontal background panel. I decided to go with a tri-colour sentiment block, made up of alternating colours of 'heehaw!', one of the sentiments in the Darling Donkeys set. I used my Stampuratus and moved the plates up and down the hinge to perfectly space my words to create a seamless flow across the page. The Stamparatus made light work of the stamping, although 'the hands' (Rebecca's reference to my contribution!) were definitely not working as quickly as 'the brain' (apparently, since it was all her idea!!) I finished my card with a birthday sentiment and a trio of enamel dots. 

Despite my initial reservations about this week's colours, I'm actually pretty pleased with the end result. What do you think? Did Team James pull it off?! Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'll be linking today's card up over at SUO Challenges too where they have 'Designer's Choice' themes 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:

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'm hoping to do a little crafting and maybe wrap up and brave the elements for a brisk walk - but I'll see what the temperatures are like first! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

STITCHED TRIANGLES DIES (£33.00)	DARLING DONKEYS CLING STAMP SET (£0.00)	CLASSIC LABEL PUNCH (£17.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	BLACKBERRY BLISS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BUMBLEBEE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BUMBLEBEE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	2020–2022 IN COLOR ENAMEL DOTS (£7.50)

Apologies everyone - this post was scheduled to go live yesterday but didn't publish (operator error, I'm afraid!) so here it is today!

We may be in a tier 5 national lockdown here in the UK, but that does mean at least lots of time for crafting! So what better time to announce that the first of this year's Sale-A-Bration 2021 promotions is here! Yes, this year times are a-changing and instead of just one 3 month long Sale-A-Bration at the start of the year, there will instead be two, slightly shorter promotions. The second one will be in July to coincide with the launch of the new annual catalogue, but the first one is happening now and runs from 5th January until 28th February. You can click on the catalogue on the right hand side of my blog page or below to access the Sale-A-Bration leaflet to download a copy or click on the icon above or on the right to go directly to my online shopto place an order - we are LIVE!

So how does Sale-A-Bration work? For anyone who hasn't come across it before, it's Stampin' Up!'s annual promotion that is loaded with offers whether you shop, join or host. You can earn a free Sale-A-Bration product for every £45 you spend between 5 January and 28 February. There is also the opportunity to earn even bigger rewards with a £90 purchase. It's the perfect time to purchase those products you've had on your wish list and earn more products for free! 

It’s also one of the best times of the year to join Stampin’ Up! There is a fabulous joining option during this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion: as usual, you can become a demonstrator for just £99 and choose £130 of FREE products for your Starter Kit. In addition to an extra £31 worth of product in your starter kit, exclusive to Sale-A-Bration, you will also receive a free stack of our Regals, Subtles, Neutrals, Brights, and 2020—2022 In Color Designer Series Paper along with your Starter Kit! There couldn’t be a better time to join the Stampin’ Up! family. Plus, the whole kit ships for free! There is plenty of choice and flexibility, whether you want to be a hobby demonstrator and just use your discount to enable you to purchase craft supplies more cheaply, or alternatively would like to build a flourishing direct sales business and sell supplies to others - it's entirely up to you. 

Hosting is also even more rewarding during Sale-A-Bration. When you host a party and reach a certain amount in sales (see the Stampin’ Rewards chart in the Sale-A-Bration brochure for more information), you can earn a free stamp set! Even if you reaches the qualifying amount on your own outside of a party, you can earn the same free stamp set too, both in person and when shopping in my online store. What's more, you can even apply your Stampin' Rewards to a Starter Kit and become a demonstrator yourself - I would love to welcome you to my team!

If you would like to host a virtual party, please do get in touch. Equally if you've ever thought about becoming an SU! demonstrator, now is a great time to do so - I would love to have a no-obligation chat with you about joining my team and the benefits.

As if that wasn't enough, today also sees the launch of the new January-June 2021 mini catalogue - full of gorgeous new products:

Just click on the image above or in the sidebar on the right to browse the catalogue online, or contact me on 07773 421446 if you would like a paper copy posted out to you and you don't already have a demonstrator; paper copies have been sent to my regular customers. If you are as excited as me and just can't wait, here's the link to my online store - everything is available to purchase from today!

If you would like more information on any of the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch! 

Thanks so much for popping by - it's always nice to share good news! Back soon with lots of projects showcasing products from the new catalogue. Until then, happy shopping!

As promised - my second post of the day! I've news of a special sale that is happening from 10.50pm tonight for 24 hours only! During the Merry and Bright Online Extravaganza nearly all 2020–2021 Annual Catalogue items are eligible for the 10% discount! There are a few exceptions which I've detailed for you below:

Otherwise, EVERYTHING ELSE IS 10% OFF for 24 hours only - including bundles and the latest 'Joy To The World' Paper Pumpkin kit! If you are placing your order via my online store, please remember to add this month's Reward Code 469YSGD2 to receive a thank you from me. Alternatively, if you are local get in touch and I will add the orders together to save on postage. 

This is also a good opportunity to remind you of the details of the other out-of-catalogue promotions that are currently running, which include the 'Joy To The World' Paper Pumpkin kit I mentioned above. I held a craft-along session using this kit this morning which is great for some easy Christmas cards (the kit itself has materials to make 8 cards with envelopes) and is also great for creating alternative ideas for both the festive season and beyond with the included stamp set. Here's a reminder of the details: 

And here's a link to the Stampin' Up! video with more details:

We also have the early release of the Quite Curvy bundle, which will debut in the upcoming Spring mini catalogue, along with the co-ordinating Curvy Christmas stamp set and Classic Christmas Designer Series Paper, which are exclusive to the Curvy Celebrations promotion and will not be available when the catalogue goes live on 4th January. More details below:

Right that's all from me - only one thing left to do - get making those lists to Santa ASAP! Back tomorrow with a creative project; until then, happy shopping!

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As You See It where it's time for my favourite, a sketch challenge:

For my card today I paired an old favourite with some new Christmas papers - a look:

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

Beautiful Boughs - The Beautiful Boughs Dies are in the annual catalogue as a carryover from the last Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue and whilst I don't have the bundled stamp set (hence choosing a greeting from 'Itty Bitty Christmas' for today's card, that most useful of Christmas sentiment sets!) I do love the dies; their beautiful layered detail is great to add bold festive greenery to a project.

Pine Cone Poinsettias - The starting point for today's card was most definitely the designer series paper (no surprises there then!) I decided to use one of the papers that is on offer as part of this month's designer series paper sale (you can read all about that here) so I chose the Poinsettia Place paper pack and a pattern that I haven't yet used featuring pine cones, hence the fit with the Beautiful Boughs dies.

A Slight Confession - Whilst the layout of today's sketch is clearly visible on my card, I chose not to follow the suggested sentiment placement, instead making mine a feature of the circle. This is in part because I was originally going to use an alternative paper and use a diecut flower as the focal point, but in the end changed my mind at the last minute as I wanted to play with a new paper design. Either way, the sketch is a suggestion and does not have to be followed to the absolute letter; as long as the broad elements are visible, artistic licence is welcome!

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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.

Both of the James Juniors are now officially on half-term for a week; I've spent the last few days enjoying some quality mother-daughter time with Rebecca as Ben was still at school, and tidying up some odds and ends, hence my lack of blog posts. They are both having a 'lazy day' today though so once I've battled my way slowly through the ironing pile, I am hoping to make a card or too later :-) Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEAUTIFUL BOUGHS DIES (£33.00)	POINSETTIA PLACE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	STITCHED SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
SOFT SUEDE CARDSTOCK A4 (£8.25)	SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLOWERS FOR EVERY SEASON GEMS (£6.00)
SNOWFLAKE SPLENDOR 1/4" (6.4 MM) RIBBON (£6.50)

Whilst I've mentioned it over on my Facebook Page earlier this month and will be posting lots more ideas this week, it occurs to me that I didn't write a blog post to share with you the details of this month's designer series paper promotion so with still another week to go before it ends, here are the details in case you've missed them!

We all love gorgeous Designer Series Paper, me especially, and during the month of October you can enjoy a 15% discount on select papers from our current catalogues. Now is a great time to stock up and save on some of our most popular paper designs! The papers included in the promotion are detailed below:

If you would like to see the ways in which I've used some of the papers in the promotion, simply type the name of the paper in to the search bar on the right and you will see lots of project inspiration. I will also be sharing additional samples over on my Facebook page this week so do give me a like and follow to see more great ideas.

There is no limit as to how much paper you are able to purchase, and the discounted price is also applies where paper is purchased in a starter kit or with Stampin' Rewards. So if you need more paper to get cracking on those Christmas projects, now is the perfect time to stock up! The offer ends on 31st October at 10.50pm BST for online orders, so choose your papers and get shopping - just click on the links below to head on over the online store! 

Buy your discounted papers in the online store by clicking on the links below - don't forget to include this month's hostess code:

ARTISTRY BLOOMS DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	'TIS THE SEASON 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	FOREVER GREENERY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	POINSETTIA PLACE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	TRIMMING THE TOWN DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)
PLAID TIDINGS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	TOILE TIDINGS DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	PEONY GARDEN DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	WHALE OF A TIME DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	HEARTWARMING HUGS DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)
MAGIC IN THIS NIGHT DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	SNOWFLAKE SPLENDOR DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	IN GOOD TASTE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£17.00)	PLAYING WITH PATTERNS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	PLAYFUL PETS DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host and I am the featured designer this week. I chose lots of autumnal elements for my board: 

I used the same layout on today's card as the one I used for Monday's Christmas card (you can see that card here if you missed it). I went across the first row of the tictactoe board, with Plaid-Pumpkin-Thankful and I embraced those fresh Color Dare colours to make a bright autumnal thank you card - take a look:

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

I stamped the pumpkin image from the 'Celebration Tidings' stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black onto a stitched rectangle and coloured this image with my Stampin' Blends, using a panel of bright Plaid Tidings designer paper for my background and some retired Old Olive ribbon from my box to add in a little more green. I used Mango Melody cardstock for my cardbase and Pumpkin Pie for my mat layer - I love how bright this card looks, compared to if I'd used darker, richer colours. Good news on that Plaid Tidings paper too - it, along with many other designs, is on sale for the whole of the month of October as part of Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Paper sale - more details to follow on that in another post later!

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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

CELEBRATION TIDINGS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	PLAID TIDINGS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£9.14)	MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	WHISPER WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	STAMPIN' BLENDS PUMPKIN PIE COMBO PACK (£8.50)	MANGO MELODY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	DAFODILL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	OLD OLIVE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

Are you ready? The biggest stamp sale of the year is coming up on 23 September - that's tomorrow! It’ll only last for 24 hours, so you will need to act fast to grab the goods. It actually starts at 11pm this evening here in the UK. 

For 24 hours from 22 September at 11:00 p.m. to September 23 10:59 p.m. (UK) online, a select number of cling and photopolymer stamp sets from the 2020–2021 Annual Catalogue will be available for purchase at a 15% discount.

Here's a list of all of the stamp sets included in the sale:

If like me, you're more of a visual person, then you may find the following pictoral summary more useful so that you can see 'at a glance' the stamp sets that are included:

If you see something you like, you can either place an order through me, or you can shop directly through my online store. My shop will have a category entitled “Stamp Sale” that displays every stamp set on sale to ensure a quick and easy shopping experience.

The discount applies to individual stamp sets (not bundles) and can also be used in conjunction with a starter kit. Place your order here through my online store or by clicking on the shopping bag icon in the menu on the right hand side - don't forget to include the current hostess code TSEGA7FU for an extra thank you from me. 

I'll be back with more creative projects later in the week but in the meantime this is a 24 hour event only so you have to act fast to benefit from 15% off these amazing sets, so time to go shopping - don't miss out! 

Good morning everyone! I will be back later with a creative post but it's the start of a new month and there's lots happening, so time for an update post first!

Firstly - the clearance rack in the online store has been updated! Bargains are selling out fast but there are some great discounts to be had, especially in terms of kits: the Bird Ballad Laser Cut Cards and Tin is reduced from £17 to £6.80 - add a pack of Bird Ballard Designer Paper which is also reduced to £4.30 and you have the makings of a project in itself for under £12! 

The Lots of Happy All-Inclusive Card Kit is also reduced to just £13.20 - almost £20 off! This kit would make a great gift for a crafty friend - time for a little early Christmas shopping, perhaps?

The second news of the day is that during the month of September there is a great 'Get and Go' joining promotion for anyone wishing to join Stampin' Up! that is totally geared to helping you get your Stampin' Up! business off the ground. In addition to the already great value Starter Kit, new recruits will receive pre-cut paper, stamps, and embellishments to use in their first event. 

In addition to the regular starter kit (for £99, new recruits choose £130 worth of products) new recruits will also receive enough cardstock pieces to make 16 cards, a pack of Rhinestone Basic Jewels, the So Much Love stamp set, and the Queen Anne’s Lace stamp set—all for their first event. 8 packs of pre-cut cardstock in Coastal Cabana will be provided, and 8 packs of pre-cut cardstock in Granny Apple Green, for a total of 16 cards (packs include envelopes). You can choose what samples to replicate and how to distribute your packs to your customers. (Important note: ink, adhesive, cutting tool, and clear block for stamping must be purchased separately, however these products may be included as part of the Starter Kit product selection.) You will also receive instructions on how to recreate the samples shown, access to promotional materials and support from me to hold your first event and get your business off the ground. If this is something that appeals to you, please get in touch - I would love to help you realise your potential! Or simply click on the 'join my team' link on the right hand column on my blog and start your journey today.

The third piece of news today is that the Stampin' Cut and Emboss Machine (standard size) is finally here and available at last for you to purchase! This durable machine is easy to use, lightweight and portable yet simple to store - and it can be yours from today! Just click on the link to my online store below to get your hands on one! Here's a short video that shows it in action:

The mini Stampin' Cut and Emboss is still in production having experienced COVID-related manufacturing delays so you will have to wait a little longer to get your hands on this one's little sister; in the meantime, the standard size machine has you covered!

Right, that's a lot of information for one post - I'll be back later with today's creative musings! 

STAMPIN’ CUT & EMBOSS MACHINE (£112.00)

MAGNETIC CUTTING PLATE (£22.00)

BIRD BALLAD LASER-CUT CARDS & TIN (£6.80)

BIRD BALLAD DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£4.30)

LOTS OF HAPPY CARD KIT (EN) (£13.20)