It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. First up - a confession! I got my dates mixed up and I actually used this sketch last week for my Tuesday post - you can see that card here if you missed it - but since this week is actually CAS Colours and Sketches week, I'm showing you another way to use it! This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Rachel has asked that we use a trio of balanced shapes. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card and remember the shapes you choose don't have to be squares. 

I paired Rachel's fun sketch with the 'take 5' challenge over at Color Dare this week (I ended up using all 5 colours) and created a simple notecard to say hello to a friend - take a look:

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

I tweaked Rachel's sketch slightly and balanced my stamped and diecut tortoise from 'Playing In The Rain' onto a stacked sentiment from the 'Biggest Wish' stamp set, stamped in Flirty Flamingo. In place of the sentiment on the sketch, I added some flowers - perhaps the meadow where my tortoise had picked his daisy? 

My colours do seem a little off today for some reason, with my pink letters looking almost coral; my sage greens are also looking a little darker than they are in real life; notwithstanding, I like this second take on the sketch and the stacked sentiment is a fun idea too. The 'Biggest Wish' stamp set is retiring at the end of this month, although its companion set 'More Wishes' is staying, so if you are wanting to take advantage of the full combination of greetings, be sure to pick up this set before it's too late.

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:

BIGGEST WISH PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (16.00)	PLAYING IN THE RAIN CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (25.00)	PLAYING IN THE RAIN DIES (33.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
SOFT SEA FOAM STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card for a couple of challenges:

The word of the week at Just Us Girls is 'rain' and whilst I didn't have an image of pink rainboots I could use, I loved the pinks in this week's Inspired By photo so took my inspiration from the pink coat and florals to give my puddle-jumping rabbit a pretty little raincoat - take a look:

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

I stamped my bunny onto my card base then stamped it again on a separate piece of cardstock and diecut it, minus the puddle. I coloured her with my Stampin' Blends and paper-pieced her raincoat with a piece of pink floral designer paper that I found in my scrapbox. I stamped my raindrops directly onto my cardbase, then added some diecut clouds, to which I added some Wink of Stella for a subtle sparkle. There is something so cute about this little bunny I think: 

This image so remind me of when the James Juniors were toddlers and loved nothing more than an afternoon walk in the rain, jumping in the puddles - happy memories! 

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. 

A short post from me today as I need to crack on with my decorating! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

PLAYING IN THE RAIN CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (25.00)	PLAYING IN THE RAIN DIES (33.00)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BUBBLE BATH STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BALMY BLUE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (7.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (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 Claire to host this week and she has a bright colour challenge for us to work with:

I love brights so was excited to get to work with Claire's chosen colours this week. I decided to go square this week and use the fabulous Jen T's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week for the layout of my special birthday card - take a look:

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

Petal Patterns Background - Since I was going with a square card today, I decided to use my Petal Patterns Dies for my background. I diecut them in Bermuda Bay and layered them onto a piece of Melon mambo onto my Bermuda Bay cardbase. I offset the top layer and before I glued it to the solid layer, I went over the outline die with my light Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends marker to make it stand out more. I also added some rhinestones that I had coloured with my Melon Mambo Stampin' Blends marker to the centre of the flowers to highlight the pink. 

Paper Florist Dies Flower - The background would look pretty on its own, but the focal point of today's card is most certainly the over-the-top flower that I created using the Paper Florist Dies. I wanted to create a peony-type flower that was full of dimension, so I layered the centre then kept adding the outer petals until I was happy. I added some diecut leaves and flower buds behind it and a few loops of Bermuda Bay ribbon from my stash - isn't it pretty?

All those layers make this the perfect card to share with the team over at The Flower Challenge where their current challenge is to 'add layers'.

And A Charming Sentiment - I finished my card with a heat-embossed sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set, diecut with the co-ordinating Sentiment Silhouettes Dies. This is also the final part of my middle column for the challenge over at TicTacToe Challenge this week (square card/diecut/embossing)

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. 

Since this card won't fit into an envelope, I am going to make a co-ordinating box to present it in. This is a special card for someone with a milestone birthday later in the year, so it will be worth the effort. I really love the 3D effect of this card! Everything on this card is either retired (Bermuda Bay) or is due to retire at the end of the month; this will be the last opportunity to purchase any of the dies or the stamp set that I used on today's card, so if they are on your wishlist, you don't have long to act.

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

Enjoy your day; the hubby is off to Washington DC for the week today, so it will be just the youngest of the James Juniors and I at home. Since there is another week of school holiday to go, I am taking the opportunity to get some decorating done so my week will be a busy one. Never fear - I have some things to share here too though so be sure to pop by this week.  I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PETAL PATTERNS DIES (21.00)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (11.00)	SENTIMENT SILHOUETTES DIES (13.20)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	CRUSHED CURRY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
MELON MAMBO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where the lovely Heather C has a pretty colour challenge for us:

I almost went with florals for today's card, but I couldn't get past the idea that these colours would make a beautiful sunset so I grabbed a new bundle that I recently picked up and set to work - take a look:

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

I used a series of floating stripes for the sunset sky on today's card. I've used this technique before and it's really easy to do: all you need is to take your stripes in a variety of widths, adhere to a piece of window sheet acetate (the ones your stamps come on will work nicely) and cut out with a circle die or to your desired shape. I wanted an ombre effect using the challenge colours, so in order to get additional shades, I used two strips of cardstock in each of the challenge colours, then coloured one of each with the darker and lighter shades of Stampin' Blends markers respectively. The colour change is subtle, but this is a great way to gain additional variety - you can see the detail more closely below:

I wanted the sunset to be the main focus on my card, so created my beach scene around it using white diecuts only. The Beach Day Dies have lots of additional detail, so don't really need colour to create interest. My sentiment is stamped in Calypso Coral and from the bundled 'Beach Day' stamp set. Both the Beach Day stamp set and dies are on carryover into the new catalogue, but the bundle price isn't so if they are on your list, if you want that additional saving, you'll need to order before the end of the month. I bought this set because I love all of the little details in both the stamp and dies sets - I have so many holiday and beach day scrapbook pages to complete, I know it will come in handy - not to mention for summer-themed cards too. I added a trio of rainbow enamel dots to complete my card.

This card has me dreaming of Caribbean beaches and sunnier climes - the sun is out here in the UK for once and there's a good breeze, so it looks like it might be time to take laundry out to the washing line - I can but dream of faraway places! So what do these colours make you think of? I'd love to see your projects in the gallery this week - why not play along?

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.
• In a colour challenge, black or other neutral can be used in outlines and sentiments but no other colours should be included. Stampin’ Up colours are used for reference but colours that are a close match are welcome.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEACH DAY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (45.75)	BEACH DAY DIES (32.00)	BEACH DAY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (19.00)	CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	CALYPSO CORAL STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BUBBLE BATH STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
RAINBOW ADHESIVE-BACKED DOTS (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that used the sketch layout over at Sunday Stamps and the colour palette over at TGIF Challenges:

I love bright colours and thought this palette would work well for some unconventionally coloured retiring florals - take a look:

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

I paired a couple of stems from the Color and Contour stamp set with a vibrant background using a piece of Masterfully Made designer series paper and a fancy shredded bow beneath my sentiment:

The sentiment is from the same stamp set, but I tweaked the positioning to suit the sketch design better. A trio of tinsel gems complete my card.

I feel like 'Color and Contour' is an underused set, but I will miss the co-ordinating Scalloped Contour Dies so much - the labels and borders in this set have been used on so many projects! If you don't have them in your collection, you should definitely consider picking up a set before they retire if they are still available in your market. 

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:

COLOR & CONTOUR PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (12.00)	MASTERFULLY MADE 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (7.05)	LEMON LIME TWIST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LEMON LIME TWIST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	TINSEL GEMS FOUR-PACK (7.50)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Rachel has asked that we use a trio of balanced shapes. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card and remember the shapes you choose don't have to be squares. 

I paired Rachel's fun sketch with the bright colour combo over at Just Us Girls this week that was perfect for what I had in mind - take a look:

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

Those retiring lists I mentioned in yesterday's post are now well and truly live and so for today's card I just had to highlight one of my favourite retiring sets: Hey Chuck. As a previous chicken owner, I knew I'd never be able to resist these comical feathered friends! They are great for colouring, especially if you're a beginner as there is only a small area to focus on at a time. In addition to the chickens themselves, the dies contain a bunch of 'extras' in addition to those that cut out the chickens; on today's card I used the semi-circle sunshine to make a stencil so that I could stencil in my morning sun (this is something I've done previously here too) and the weather vane - so great for creating fun scenes, the possibilities are endless! The dies are also discounted as part of the retiring sale - so if you buy the stamps and the dies, you get a better deal if you purchase them separately than if you purchase them as a bundle. Here's my colourful poultry in close up:

A trio of sparkly Gorgeous Grape enamel dots complete my fun card (I've provided a link to one that is similar below). 

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. 

This will be the perfect card to send to my daughter on her return to university - students in general are not known for being early risers so I suspect this will make her smile!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HEY CHUCK DIES (21.00)	HEY CHUCK CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	HEY CHUCK BUNDLE (48.50)	BLACKBERRY BLISS STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
PUMPKIN PIE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GLOSSY DOTS ASSORTMENT (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

Click here to go right to the the online store to shop your favourite retiring items now - please note the discounted prices are only available from tomorrow, Tuesday April 9th.

Click here to see the retired items list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the 2023-2024 Annual Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Click here to see the retired items list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in PDF format, including the discounts that will apply beginning on April 9:

You can click here to download the retiring list for the January-April 2024 Mini Catalogue in Excel format so that you can modify and edit it.

Please remember this is also your last opportunity to stock up on 2022-24 in colour products: we will be saying goodbye for good to Sweet Sorbet, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis at the end of the month.

Finally, whilst we all dislike price rises, sometimes they are necessary in order to remain competitive. As such, I want to give you a heads up that the following items will all increase in price when the next Annual Catalogue launches in May, so if you would like to get a jump on those price rises, here's your opportunity to get your order in beforehand:

I'll be placing an order first thing tomorrow, so if you'd like to take advantage of the bargains on the retiring list, then do get in touch with your order by 8pm this evening.

Some products have discounts of up to 60% so there are some great bargains to be had; since these lists are whilst supplies last, there are products that have already gone in some markets prior to discounts beginning, so don't delay in placing your order if there's something you 'must have'. I'll be back to share some of my favourites later in the week but meanwhile, time to review those wishlists!

Let me know if you have any questions. Back tomorrow with another post; until then, happy shopping!

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

Sunshine and rainbows! You can take your inspiration from anything relating to sunshine, rain and rainbows with some great inspiration on our badge this week. I decided to take Anne Marie's theme quite literally and built my card around a sentiment from the 'Just My Type' stamp set that includes both elements - take a look:

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

Saying Goodbye - It's that time of year when we are getting ready to say goodbye to lots of products in both the mini and annual catalogues and today's card is a celebration of some of my favourites: the 'Just My Type' stamp set that my sentiment hails from, the 'Rays of Light' background stamp that I used to create my sunshine shining through the clouds, the Basic Borders Dies that I used for my cloud cutaway, the Lighter Than Air rainbow-striped paper and the iridescent gems are all leaving us at the end of the month. Many of these will be available at a substantial discount from 9th April onwards and all will be available only whilst stocks last - so be sure to place your order in a timely manner if you don't want to miss out!

Lighter Than Air Rainbow Stripes - Instead of stamping a rainbow alongside my rays of sunshine, I decided to use a sheet of rainbow-striped pastel designer series paper from the Lighter Than Air pack. I made my stamped layer slightly smaller than my card base to give a rainbow border then used one of my Basic Borders Dies to create the cloud-shaped cut-away, revealing the detail of the paper in all of its striped glory. Since the team over at Time Out are asking us to feature stripes for their current challenge, I'm linking my card there too.

Borders and Clouds - Having used my cloud-shaped Basics Borders Die to create the corner cutaway to reveal more of my rainbow stripes, I decided that I wanted to put my sentiment into a cloud too. Since I didn't have a die large enough, I used my border die to create my own custom cloud:

A triple coloured twine bow and a sprinkling of iridescent gems complete today's 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 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 enjoying having the eldest of the James Juniors home from university so will be making the most of the next few days before she returns to her studies for the final term of the year - I can't quite believe her first year is almost done! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

JUST MY TYPE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	RAYS OF LIGHT CLING STAMP SET (17.00)	BASIC BORDERS DIES (27.00)	LIGHTER THAN AIR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
LEMON LOLLY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BAKER'S TWINE THREE COLOR PACK (7.50)	IRIDESCENT RHINESTONES BASIC JEWELS (7.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Rachel is hosting for the month of April and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

For my card today I used the layout over at Sketch Saturday and used Rachel's fresh colour combination for a pretty floral thank you card - take a look:

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

I stamped my sentiment from the 'Timeless Arrangements' stamp set onto a label from the same set, and backed it with a selection of diecuts in the challenge colours. I also stamped and coloured a couple of flower stems and added them to the mix. I used diecuts that broadly followed the diagonal shape of the lines on the sketch and added seven scored lines with my scoring tool to my white cardbase - you can see the detail if you look closely below:

The scored lines add a real touch of elegance to the card and are a great way to incorporate the stripes in a more subtle way. A trio of pink pearls was all I needed to complete my card. 

I will so miss the Timeless Arrangements bundle when it retirees - it makes the prettiest thank you cards.

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! colour 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)	TIMELESS ARRANGEMENTS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (51.25)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SOFT SEA FOAM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
SOFT SEA FOAM STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Ann to host this week and since it's the fifth Sunday of the month she has a tic-tac-toe challenge for us to work with. here's the board:

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities and my card today is a case in point; I had decided to use the sketch over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for my layout and was planning on going across the bottom row, but ended up settling on the first column of designer paper/sparkle/flowers - take a look:

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

I had a couple of floral stamp sets out on my desk and was intending to stamp a whole bunch of pastel flowers, however as I went on the hunt through my DSP for a piece to use to my background panel, I found a pack of flowers that I had diecut ages ago from the (retired) Hues of Happiness designer series paper and decided instead to use those up. I gathered a selection of flowers in yellow and blue, along with some diecut leaves, and set to work. Since I was using designer paper for my flowers, I decided to emboss my Lemon Lolly background panel with the hatched Basics 3D embossing folder. I added in some white foliage diecuts and decided on a Nested Essentials Dies label with a greeting from the 'Textured Floral' stamp set, stamped in Coastal Cabana and Early Espresso:

A trio of golden sparkly enamel dots to pick up on the warm yellow tones complete both my tictactoe column and my card. I love how this card turned out and it was a great way to use up those diecut flowers 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 delicious Easter lunch today followed by the spoils of the morning Easter egg hunt that is obligatory in the James household (apparently the offspring are NEVER too old for such activity where chocolate is concerned!) I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TEXTURED FLORAL BUNDLE (49.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASICS 3D EMBOSSING FOLDERS (28.00)	NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)	COASTAL CABANA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)