Happy Valentine's lovely readers! It seems only right that I should share a Valentine's card today; actually I made this card to send to the DH to celebrate our wedding anniversary, which is next week, but it would work for either. I made my card with a couple of challenges in mind:

Inkspirational have a word prompt of 'heart' and the theme over at Inspire.Create is 'All About Love'. I went for a relatively clean and simple card with lots of fun details that focuses on the sentiment - take a look:

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

The sentiment comes from the 'Just My Type' stamp set and I found a tiny vintage key trinket in my embellishment stash that I thought paired with it perfectly. A Bee Builder Punch heart and a selection of designer paper snippets, diecuts and gems complete my card:

Pretty yet not overly feminine - I really like the finished result and hope that the Hubby will too. 

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 have enjoyed a pleasant Valentine's dinner with the youngest of the James Juniors, catching up on the events of the day, the highlight of which was a hockey 2nd XI win, which is always worth celebrating! I'll be back on Friday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JUST MY TYPE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BANNERS PICK A PUNCH (26.00)	EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)	BEE BUILDER PUNCH (21.00)	SCALLOPED CONTOURS DIES (33.00)

Today I'm sharing a quick clean and simple card that I made yesterday using this week's Color Throwdown colours and the current AAA Cards sketch:

My card showcases a couple of Sale-A-Bration freebies that I've yet to share - take a look:

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

 I thought these colours were perfect of a bright blue sky with a tree and tropical leaves, home to this adorable sloth. I used a stencil and a blending brush to add my sky and clouds, stamped and coloured my sloth with my Stampin' Blends, then diecut the tree and leaves with the Jungle Pals Dies and fussy cut the sloth as I didn't want a white border. Isn't he cute?!

A simple sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set completes my card. The Jungle Pals stamp set is free with a £45 purchase and has lots of fun jungle animals - perfect for children's cards. The Jungle Pals Dies are free with a £90 purchase and not only do they cut out the animals, there is a great tree, leaves and vines too. 

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. 

Sloths are very on-trend so this card will be sent to the oldest of the James Juniors at university in the hope that it will be well-received!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	GRAY GRANITE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	PECAN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

I haven't managed much in the way of crafty time this week (it's amazing how a car breakdown can take up hours of your time!) so today I'm sharing a clean and simple card yet one that still packs a punch! I used the current Sketch Saturday layout and a sentiment with this week's challenge over at Just Us Girls in mind:

I'm fully embracing red and hearts for a sweet Valentine's card full of love - take a look:

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

A simple layered panel, tied with twine and a focal sentiment pretty much sum up today's card. I'm loving the new Everyday Details Dies, one of which I used to diecut my sentiment label. The other two main elements - the heart patterned Most Adored designer series paper that I used for my panel and the sentiment from the 'Heartfelt Hellos' stamp set - are both items that you can choose FREE with a £45 purchase during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion: bonus! I added a single red resin heart below my stamped sentiment for a final tie in to that pretty paper:

This is the perfect sentiment for the person in your life who has one of those never-ending conversations "Love you". "Love you more." "No, love you more." and so on - you know the ones?! The youngest of the James Juniors often uses this as a bedtime-stalling tactic, even now he's in his teens. Clearly, it works!

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. 

You have until the end of February to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration, whilst supplies last - so time to get shopping! Enjoy your day; I'm off to do some shopping of a different kind (grocery shopping - apparently craft supplies don't make a nutritious dinner!) but I'll be back early tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (10.25)

Today I'm sharing a card that uses the same products to create two different looks. I used the sketch layouts over at Tuesday Morning Sketches and Inspire.Create for each of my cards:

Both cards feature a sentiment 'Hooray For Surprises', a label cut with the Everyday Details Dies and designer series paper from the free Sale-A-Bration Flight & Airy pack. Here's the first card, with a blue colour scheme:

Here's the second card, with a pink colour scheme; I've also added some (retired) Garden Green ribbon and a bow to this version:

You know how much I love the Flight & Airy papers - no fussy cutting today though! The pattern detail of these papers lends them to be used on clean, uncluttered cards. The panel designs of both of the layouts are a great way to add interest. I love the diecut detail on the labels too:

These are great designs if you need to knock out multiples too. I'll be sending these to members of my team to celebrate their Stampin' Up! anniversaries - the inside of my cards reads 'you are simply amazing' - because they are. With Sale-A-Bration being a great time to join Stampin' Up!, there are always anniversaries to celebrate at this time of year!

Finally, here's a photo of both cards together:

Which design do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below - 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:

HOORAY FOR SURPRISES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)	BOHO BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made using Jacquie's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches that also showcases the colour palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments:

I couldn't resist a quick FMS entry this week since Jacquie's sketch is something of a 'go to' layout for me; the large circle works to showcase either a sentiment or an image with the smaller elements also offering lots of options. Today I decided to go with a sentiment from one of my Sale-A-Bration stamp sets, called 'Heartfelt Hellos' - take a look:

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

Heartfelt Hellos - I previously showcased the 'hello' from this set (if you missed that card, you can see it here) so today I thought I'd go with the larger Mother's Day sentiment (ages away, I know but it pays to be organised!) The 'heartfelt hellos' set has 6 different sentiments that work for lots of occasions: Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Dad's Birthday, Valentine's Day, Anniversary, Birthdays and general wishes too. What's more it's FREE with a product purchase of £45 or more - bonus!

Paper Florist Bold Blooms - I used my Paper Florist Dies to create two bold blooms to accent my sentiment circle. I love the bold colour palette from Hand Stamped Sentiments, but needed to add in some white to balance these strong colours. I love how quickly these diecut flowers come together and here they pack a colourful punch:

Basics Embossing - Finally, I decided to emboss the base of my card with one of the 3D Basics Embossing Folders. I haven't used this EF on anything before, but decided that these deep colours and my otherwise clean and uncluttered card could take the addition of the embossed finish. What do you think - do you like the added texture? Do leave me a comment below - 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. 

I'm having a crafty start to my week so I'm off to get back to it! Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

PAPER FLORIST DIES (35.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BASICS 3D EMBOSSING FOLDERS (28.00)	ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS TRIO (7.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
PRETTY PEACOCK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

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 my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

I wanted to make another card using some of the birds that I'd fussy cut from the Flight & Airy designer series paper, so I chose 5 of the large birds for my elements and set to work - take a look:

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

I went for a simple, skinny slimline with just a few layers and a border of Orchid Oasis and Night of Navy to pick up the blues of the feathers:

A simple sentiment from 'Pansy Patch' and some co-ordinating baker's twine for my birds to balance on completes my card. The beauty of so much Sale-A-Bration free paper? Plenty spare to make a pretty, custom co-ordinating envelope too!

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:

Enjoy your day; I am looking forward to a day of cooking and Lego building, having treated myself to a kit in a recent sale. I haven't built any in a while, so that should be fun! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PANSY PATCH PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

2022–2024 IN COLOR BAKER'S TWINE PACK (14.00)

I am currently having a love affair with the pretty Flight and Airy paper that is one of the products that you can get FREE with a £45 order during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion and have another card to share that features it, this time using the sketch layout over at Tuesday Morning Sketches:

I could have taken the easy route and just added a piece of designer paper for the top panel of the card, but instead decided to add a piece of cross-hatched embossed paper and fussy cut a piece of the pattern featuring branches, flowers and a quintet of pretty birds:

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

I added my panel to a Petal Pink base, having added a little Petal Pink ink to my hatched panel behind the birds. Here's a close-up of the detail - time consuming, but very theraputic and so worth it for the delicate finished result:

I added a row of diecut flowers with gem centres to echo the detail of the the sketch and finished with a simple sentiment banner from 'Timeless Arrangements'. What do you think? If fussy cutting isn't your thing, you could just use the paper as a flat panel - it's so pretty, it would look great that way too.

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:

TIMELESS ARRANGEMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)

BASICS 3D EMBOSSING FOLDERS (28.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Jeanne has asked that we use a diagonal along with a central focal point:

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card and the heart doesn't have to be a heart - you can choose an alternative shape too. For my card today I did that and I used a pair of birds that I fussy cut from the Flight & Airy designer series paper that is one of the gifts that can be yours FREE with an order of £45 during the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. Here's my card:

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

I spent ages trying to decide how best to use the diagonal. I wanted to avoid using a piece of designer paper for half of the panel so instead used a piece of Boho Blue watercolour, also from the Flight & Airy pack, as a layer beneath a piece of white card, across which I diecut a diagonal line using one of the new Essential Details Dies. It doesn't quite go corner-to-corner, as I wanted to preserve the horizontal/vertical aspects, but it follows the intent of the sketch and allows some of that lovely blue paper to peek through:

Fussy cutting the birds was a labour of love but so worth it as they make a lovely centrepiece. I added a few sequins and a sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set to finish. This card is a notecard to send to someone I've not spoken to in a while, to share news and let them know I'm thinking of them. Sometimes a card is better than a text, right?

I'm also playing along with my old teamies over at TicTacToe with my card today; I followed the diagonal diecut/patterned paper/pink.

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:

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

EVERYDAY DETAILS DIES (32.00)

CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)

STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

LOOSE SILVER SEQUINS (6.25)

I've had a major cleaning day today, so decided to grab some time to create a quick card inspired by Judy's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches before I start preparing dinner:

I debated how to make the most of this layout then decided on a punny masculine Valentine's card - take a look:

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

This is a great layout from Judy - the square could be the sentiment or a focal point. I went with the latter, since I decided that the narrow vertical would make a great measuring rule, which then dictated how I wanted to use the other elements. My card features three of the patterns in the Trusty Toolbox designer series paper pack - a fun set of papers that can be yours free with a £45 purchase as part of the current Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration promotion. The main panel is a dotted design that looks like a tool storage panel; the reverse of this is the ruler design I used for the vertical and finally I substituted the square element with a pencil and measuring tape that I fussy cut from another of the Trusty Toolbox designs. I paired my papers with a tongue-in-cheek sentiment from the 'Perennial Postage' stamp set that seemed the perfect choice:

A trio of adhesive-backed hearts complete my card, which I'm also sharing with my old teamies over at Festive Friday (waves enthusiastically!) - I used red, hearts and love sentiment from their inspo list.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

PERENNIAL POSTAGE CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)

COPPER CLAY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

STAMPIN' WRITE MARKERS COLLECTION (126.00)

ADHESIVE-BACKED HEARTS & FLOWERS (7.50)

Happy New Year everyone! I took an extended blog break over Christmas to spend time with family and loved every minute of it. That said, it's the 4th January and time for a new mini-catalogue and our 2024 Sale-A-Bration promotion so today I'm back to tell you all about it! Once again this year there will be only one Sale-A-Bration promotion: it runs from today until 29th 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 4 January and 29 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! 

If you host a party or place an individual order with purchases of £275 or more, you can choose an additional £27.50 of products in addition to your standard rewards for FREE!

It’s also one of the best times of the year to join Stampin’ Up! There are two fabulous joining options during this year's Sale-A-Bration promotion: 

• OPTION 1: Spend £99 and receive £130 of product of your choice and a Stampin' Glass Mat Studio (retail value £56)

The Stampin’ Glass Mat Studio is a paper crafter’s dream! The heavy-duty glass mat comes printed with a ruler and grid lines for easy measuring, while the large surface space gives ample room for spreading out while paper crafting. The safety-tempered glass has a heat and scratch resistant surface that wipes clean with the included cloth and water—no chemicals needed. The reusable cloth also cleans ink off your stamps! The nonslip, heat resistant, waterproof silicone mat features four palette squares for mixing custom ink colours or for holding small ink spots in place while crafting. Each component can be used separately or you can use all three items together for a multipurpose paper crafting studio that’s both functional and elegant. 

The Stampin’ Glass Mat Studio includes:

GLASS MAT
* 5 mm thick
* 17" x 14" (43.2 x 35.6 cm)
* Safety-tempered
* Heat and scratch resistant
* Wipes clean with water or alcohol
SILICONE MAT
* 8-3/8" x 6" (21.3 x 15.2 cm) 
* Multiuse, nonslip
* Waterproof, heat resistant
* 4 palette squares for custom-colour mixing or holding Stampin’ Spots
* Product colour: white
CLEANING CLOTH
* 8-1/4" x 8-1/4" (21 x 21 cm) 
* Durable, reusable
* Lint free
* Cleans stamps and other surfaces with only water
* Product colour: dark grey

If the Stampin' Glass mat Studio isn't of interest to you, you might prefer the following alternative:

• OPTION 2: Spend £99 and receive £160 of product of your choice.

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. Above all else, it's a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals united through a common love of crafting.

If you would like to host a virtual or in-person 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-April 2024 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!

Finally, two new kits have also been added to the online store 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 tomorrow with a creative post that uses some exciting new product! That post will go live at noon. Until then, happy shopping!

ROCK LEGEND KIT (14.00)

PANDA FRIENDS KIT (14.00)