Today I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches where Amy has this great sketch for us:

I had lots of thoughts on how I could use this sketch but in the end it was a chance conversation with the ladies in my technique class this week that resulted in today's card:

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

Take A Square Of Paper - The Christmas Around The World designer series paper has lots of great patterns in it, with some fabulous plaids but also some rather bold repeating patterns that can be difficult to use. This was the basis of the discussion I was having with my class ladies, who were struggling to imagine how they would use the busy patterns in this set: the wreaths, transport paper, sweet things and this pattern featuring the nutcrackers. I reflected on this conversation and decided that this sketch is a great way to demonstrate how such busy patterns can be used to great effect: use a large piece of paper and make it the focus of the card, with very little else to distract or clash with it. 

A Single Sentiment - To this end, I added nothing more to the front of the card than a couple of coloured background pieces behind my sentiment banner. I decided to heat emboss my sentiment from the 'Sugarplum Dreams' set in gold onto Basic Black cardstock for dramatic effect - I really like the finish.  

Don't Forget The Inside - The sentiment is the only stamping on the front of my card - I did however stamp the other word stamp from the 'Sugarplum Dreams' stamp set and a nutcracker, which I coloured with marker pens, onto the inside of my card. Whilst I didn't forget to stamp it, I did forget to photograph it to share with you - oops! I will do that tomorrow and come back and add the picture here for you to see - now edited to add:

And that's it - actually quite a simple card to make, I think I might make a few more of the same design with the remains of my sheet of DSP!

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:

Christmas Around The World Designer Series Paper	Sugarplum Dreams Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
Brights Best 12" X 12" Cardstock Pack	Night Of Navy A4 Cardstock	Basic Black A4 Cardstock

Following yesterday's clean and simple embossed snowflake, I'm following up today as promised with a 'stepped up' version of that card, along with a co-ordinating mini pizza gift box. Let's take a look at today's card:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Step It Up - If you have a bit more time and are feeling more adventurous, using a few extra tools and embellishments will allow you to 'step up' your card and create something with a little more depth and detail, whilst still relatively easy to make. Here I added a centrepiece of a stamped and silver embossed snowflake from the gorgeous new Snowflake Sentiments set, backed with a punched circle of silver glimmer paper, some metallic edged ribbon and a foil snowflake for some Christmas sparkle. 

Mini Pizza Anyone? - Have you noticed these fabulous little Mini Pizza Boxes on page 44 of the seasonal catalogue? These sturdy white boxes come flat packed for easy storage and are a great size for a few chocolates, notecards or even a cookie - they're foodsafe with a greaseproof lining and perfect for small gifts - and mini pizzas too! I decorated mine with the same embellishments as my card, along with a base of Year Of Cheer Specialty Designer Series Paper:

I also added a little tag made from the useful thinlit in the Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits Dies set, decorated with a diecut snowflake.

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:

Winter Wonder Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder
Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set	Snowflake Sentiments Clear-Mount Bundle	Snowflake Sentiments Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits Dies	Foil Snowflakes
Year Of Cheer Specialty Designer Series Paper	Silver 3/8" Metallic-Edge Ribbon	Silver Glimmer Paper

Wednesday already - where does the week go?! I had a technique class yesterday and was out on the rugby touchline for the first game of the season today (a narrow 8-7 defeat, but well-played all round) and have lots of makes to share so thought it was about time I squeezed in a quick blog post! Today I'm sharing a super quick and easy Christmas card that would be perfect for mass production - take a look:

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

Winter Wonder - It's that snowflake again! Yes, the Winter Wonder Embossing Folder produces such great texture and dimension, it really is a centrepiece in itself. 

A White Christmas - A simple design in all-white can be really effective; here I've layered my embossed snowflake panel onto an extra-thick whisper white cardbase for a seamless design. 

A Simple Sentiment Banner - To finish, I added a simple sentiment banner, heat embossed in silver. This could just as easily be stamped in a colour of your choice. Equally, I used a sentiment from the 'Christmas Pines' stamp set, but this could be switched out for any similar one-line stamp. I stepped my banner, but it still pushes flat for posting - great for friends and family mailings in the run up to Christmas. A trio of rhinestones for a little festive sparkle complete my 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 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

This card would be great if you want to make a whole bunch of cards in one go, so if you need to make a big dent on your Christmas card making, this could be the card for you!

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project that also uses the snowflake embossing folder, but is a stepped up version with a matching gift box too. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Winter Wonder Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder
Banner Triple Punch	Rhinestone Basic Jewels	Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of my fellow Brit turned Yankee teamie, the lovely Jaydee, to host this week and she has a fun colour challenge for us to work with:

Before I get into my post today, you will notice that our esteemed team leader, the fabulous Nance Leedy, is off this week; she is currently battling with the effects of Hurricane Irma; we love you Nance and our thoughts and prayers are with you that you and your family are safe! The same goes for anyone else reading this who is impacted either directly or indirectly by the devastating effects of the hurricanes moving through the Caribbean and USA currently.

Back to my card. Whilst these colours made me think 'floral', I struggled to incorporate the silver into my floral design so decided instead to create an unconventionally-coloured Christmas card with my Card Front Builder Thinlits Dies - take a look:

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

Card Front Builder Dies - With the exception of a one-word stamped sentiment, today's card focuses on the Card Front Thinlit Builder Dies. I used a trio of trees to edge my shaker window and the teeny tiny deer to create a simple wintry scene.

Softly Falling Snow - Today I've used another embossing folder - my all-time favourite, the Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing folder. It provides great texture for my top card layer and my winter scene.

Shake, Shake, Shake - I continued my softly falling snow by creating a shaker card window as a focal point for my winter scene and filled it with white mica flakes. These were in last year's seasonal catalogue however you can currently snap them up on the clearance rack; they make a great alternative to sequins for a softer look and feel.

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. 

These may be unusual colours for a Christmas card, but I think they work. What do you think? Are there any unusual colour combinations you like to try on your Christmas cards? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

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

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's colour palette. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	Silver Glimmer Paper
Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Layering Circle Framelits Dies	Window Sheets	Card Front Builder Thinlits Dies	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock
Pear Pizzazz A4 Cardstock	Christmas Quilt Photopolymer Stamp Set	Subtles Enamel Shapes	Mica Flakes Trio Pack

Yay, it's the weekend! I've had a busy week and didn't manage to squeeze in yesterday's blog post following my open house event to celebrate the launch of the new Autumn-Winter catalogue - a big thank you to all the lovely ladies who attended - so I'm back today with the Christmas card I promised for this week's challenge over at Merry Monday - I need to get cracking on building my festive stash:

I had a marathon session this week creating cards using the new snowflake embossing folder and knew that this would be perfect for the challenge - take a look:

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

Year Of Cheer - My card was inspired by the wonderful display of projects on page 36 of the seasonal catalogue featuring the Year Of Cheer Suite - the combination of whites and metallics and intricate foiled papers are perfect for seasonal wintry projects. I particularly love the papers in this suite - the foil patterns are gorgeous and work for lots of occasions, not just Christmas, The snowflake foiled pattern was just the right base for my wintry Christmas card.

A Winter Wonder - I'm generally not big into embossing folders, but there are a few in my collection that are absolute keepers and at this time of year are much loved and used. Two of my long-time favourites are the Woodland TIEF and my all-time favourite Softly Falling however I am pleased to report that the Winter Wonder Textured Impressions Embossing Folder will be completing my trio of festive favourites. This huge single snowflake measures 4" square and makes a real statement on a Christmas card, for sure.

JOY - The 'Cheers to the Year' stamp set that is part of the Year Of Cheer Suite includes the word 'Joy' - although as I don't have this stamp set I substituted with a little more retro rubber today and used a very similar stamp from last year's retired 'Holly Jolly Greetings' stamp set, heat embossed in silver on my folded banner. 

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Winter Wonder Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Year Of Cheer Specialty Designer Series Paper	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Silver Foil Sheets	Embossing Buddy
Versamark Pad	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder

Good evening lovely readers! So today was the day that saw my precious James Juniors return to school - I got lots of work done, but boy was the house quiet! So we are about to return to our school routines and something close to normal working will resume. I've been busy making lots of Christmas samples in readiness for my open house on Friday however September is also a big birthday month for us, with several family members and friends celebrating birthdays (my good self included!) So today I'm sharing a card that I made for my Dad's birthday that fits perfectly with the theme over at the Global Design Project this week:

I decided to make a slightly larger card than usual as I wanted to be able to personalise it - take a look:

I decided to use the High Tide stamp set for my card - such a great set for masculine cards and one that you can use to make quite colourful masculine cards (they don't always have to be brown :-) ) I stamped my beach scene off to the left as I wanted it to act as something of a background for my sentiment, then paired the Happy Birthday from the 'Butterfly Basics' stamp set with my stamped and diecut 'DAD' - you know how much I love these letters and co-ordinating framelits! I'm not generally one for frills, especially on a masculine card, so pretty ribbon was a no-no for me, however I did add some burlap beneath my diecut letters for a little extra touch - I think it fits nicely with the beachy theme too.

If you like the High Tide set and live local to me, you might like to know that this is the set we will be using in one of my October Monthly Technique Classes - get in touch if you would like more information.

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 hope you enjoyed today's quick post; I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

High Tide Photopolymer Stamp Set	Letters For You Photopolymer Stamp Set	Large Letters Framelits Dies	Butterfly Basics Photopolymer Stamp Set	5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon
Sahara Sand A4 Cardstock	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point A4 Cardstock	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! My dear friend Claire is the hostess this week and she has a fun and timely theme for us to work with:

I know some of my readers in other countries have already seen a return to school, but for us this week Wednesday is the day, so this week's challenge is a timely one. Is it me or do all Mums especially get just a little excited at the prospect of the start of a new academic year and a return to school after the long summer break? Don't get me wrong, I love having my two Juniors at home and am thankful for the break from the sometimes relentless activities that comprise the school routine, however all good things must come to an end and so it is that we are getting ready to begin a new school year, with the excitement, opportunities and challenges that this will undoubtedly bring.

I've double projects for you today as I needed some gift packaging for a teacher gift this week, so took the opportunity to create a fun gift box and co-ordinating card - take a look:

The gift box is rather large (approx. 18 inches long) so was something of a challenge to photograph but hopefully the detail below will enable you to see how I made it. Here's the low-down on today's projects:

A Window Turned Pencil Box - Having made an elongated box with my Window Box previously with the ladies in one of my technique classes earlier this year, I knew that I could use the same idea to create my pencil-shaped box. I cut one piece of the window box without cutting straight through and elongated this for the length of my sheet of A4 Crushed Curry cardstock. I then cut another piece that was the same length and the width of three sides, for the opposite 3 sides of my pencil, but without a bottom/lid. Instead I used some Maths to create a template for my pencil point in Crumb Cake, and adhered this inside the end of the tube to create my pencil point:

Here's a shot showing you how the main body of the pencil box opens to accommodate the main gift:

In addition to the main box, I also made a complete box using my Window Box Thinlits in Blushing Bride for my eraser and adhered this to the top of my pencil, which also opens separately - just big enough to add a little treat or two inside to accompany my main gift:

Finally I added a sleeve created from silver foil, to hold the pencil box closed securely - it just slides off to create access to the main box. A banner tag decorated with an apple - every teacher project has to have one, right? - finished my box. 

Pieces And Patterns For A Co-ordinating Card - I wanted a card to co-ordinate with my gift box, so decided to replicate the pencil design on a simple card using the pencil stamp from the Pieces and Patterns set. I masked a square and created my own repeating pattern - thank heavens for a stamp-a-ma-jig! - and then added a banner sentiment from the same set, again anchored with an apple (made using an old die I have in my stash):

Back To School Colours - My back-to-school pencil and apple colours fit perfectly with the colour palette and photo inspiration over at The Color Throwdown this week (I hope I'll be allowed my pink eraser and a few neutrals (the pencil really wouldn't be complete without it). I'm also linking my card up with the challenge over at Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'apples' and both of my projects fit the bill over at Paper Craft Crew where they have extended their 'back to school' challenge for another 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:

I look forward to seeing what you create with this week's theme. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Window Box Thinlits Dies	Crushed Curry A4 Cardstock	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Blushing Bride A4 Cardstock
Real Red A4 Cardstock	Silver Foil Sheets	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Pieces & Patterns Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad

The Bank Holiday is over and we are back to normality. I'm sharing another card from my recent technique class featuring the Colorful Seasons stamp set using the baby wipe technique, this time with a winter theme - take a look:

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

Triple Stamping Technique - Today's card uses the same babywipe reinker technique that I shared with you yesterday, this time using the snowflake outline images and also incorporates another fun technique: triple stamping. This is where you stamp over several layers to create a dimensional image, or alternatively stamp over a single layer then cut your sheet into a central piece with two surrounding frames using your trimmer. Each stamped section is then layered with a solid coloured mat in between to add dimension to the image.

Seasonal Layers Snowflake - The co-ordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits have a number of fun dies and today's card features one of the snowflakes, so incredibly detailed - check it out in the close up at the start of today's post. It makes a great focal point, this time with a glitter enamel dot as its centrepiece.

A Frosty Colour Combo - Today's colour combination is all about frosty, cold wintry days - here it is for you if you'd like to save it to use on your winter and Christmas projects:

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 from my class that also uses the baby wipe reinker technique. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Bundle	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Glitter Enamel Dots	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad
Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Christmas Pines Photopolymer Stamp Set

Today it's a Bank Holiday Monday here in the weekend and for once it looks as if the sun is going to shine - woohoo! I'm sharing a card from my recent technique class featuring the Colorful Seasons stamp set using a fun technique - take a look:

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

Baby Wipe Technique - The Colorful Seasons stamp set has a great selection of solid and outline stamp images that work well with the babywipe reinker technique. This is where you create your own multi-coloured ink pad by adding a selection of colours to a baby wipe and then use this as your ink pad to create a variegated look. I used the technique with the small solid leaf stamp for my autumnal card - it reminds me of falling autumn leaves, which are often a mix of colours. 

Seasonal Layers Skeletal Leaf  - The co-ordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits have a number of fun dies that include this gorgeous leaf, so incredibly detailed. It makes a great focal point, tied with a little linen thread and a decorative wooden heart (this one is retired but I've included the link below for the current version).

An Autumnal Colour Combo - This colour combination sums up the season for me - here it is for you if you'd like to save it to use on your autumn and fall projects:

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 from my class that also uses the baby wipe reinker technique. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Bundle	Pumpkin Pie A4 Cardstock	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Early Espresso A4 Cardstock
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad	Linen Thread	Hearts & Stars Elements	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

I've been absent from my blog for a few days - once again precious time with my Juniors this week as we make the most of our school summer holidays hasn't left me time for blogging during the latter part of this week. Luckily for you today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! The lovely Laurie is the hostess this week and she has a sketch for us to work with:

I tried a few different things for my card today, but kept wanting to put a sentiment in the circle! Since I was trying to be truly faithful to Laurie's sketch, I kept at it then it hit me - the answer was in a piece of paper I have been saving for just such an opportunity! Take a look:

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

What Birthday Memories Are Made Of -  In the end this card makes me feel like a little bit of a cheat, since there is very little stamping and the gorgeous sheet of Birthday Memories Designer Series Paper does all the hard work! There are some gorgeous papers in this pack, all of which contain intricate and colourful birthday imagery reminiscent of days gone by. The sheet I've used today is a design that covers the whole of the 12" x12" sheet and is really one that is hard to cut into. It makes a beautiful gift box lid or gift bag where you can see the entire animal parade.

Big Is Beautiful - I happened to have a half-width of this sheet of designer paper left over from another project, so decided to upsize my card to the larger size of 14.9cm x 21cm in order to accommodate as much of the design as possible, including those fun floating balloons. To emphasise the shape of the sketch, which I represented with the little racoon, I decided to fussy-cut another identical racoon out of one of the other sheets of DSP and pop it up on dimensionals, allowing it to hang over the edge of my central panel. 

Don't Forget The Envelope - The only stamping on my card front was for my sentiment I couldn't resist embellishing with a gift that I also cut out of the DSP too), and on the inside. I also used the 'Birthday Delivery' stamp set to stamp and decorate my envelope front and back though - a special handmade card shouldn't stop at the card front, although I don't often photograph mine to share with you. For some great examples of this be sure to check out my teamie Nance's blog - her cards always look as fabulous on the inside as on the outside :-)

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. 

This paper is truly gorgeous and it's almost as if it was made for Laurie's sketch this week. I love this card - I just need to find a special little person to send it it to now! 

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

I look forward to seeing what you create with our sketch this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; we are lucky that we have a Bank Holiday here in the UK so it's a slightly longer one than usual - I'm hoping for some sunshine! I'll be back this week with some of the projects from my last class and maybe even another sneak peak or two of some great sets from the upcoming Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue, so stay tuned. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Birthday Memories Designer Series Paper	Birthday Delivery Photopolymer Stamp Set	Soft Sky A4 Cardstock	Basic Gray A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock
Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad