It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Shannon has asked that we add a square focal point. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I took my inspiration from the symmetrical focal point and decided to create a fun good luck card featuring a cute ladybird - take a look:

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

A Confession - So first up, a confession! I actually made my card for today's challenge and it wasn't until I was writing up today's post that I realised I had my sentiment in the wrong place. I almost went with it - the sketch is a guideline, that's all - but in the end I decided to make a second version that was faithful to Shannon's layout and compare the two. So the card above is my 'take two' - my original card is the one below:

On this one I added my sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set to the card base, whereas on the sketch the sentiment in on the focal square. Here's a photo pf both cards together - which one works better for you? 

I must be honest, I'm on the fence; I like my second version more than I though I would - kudos to Shannon for her layout!

Ladybug Builder - I thought a ladybug - or ladybird as we call them here in the UK - would make a cute centrepiece for a good luck card. I wondered why ladybirds are considered lucky in many cultures and Google tells me it's simply that they are one of the chief insects to eat crop pests - the gardener's friend. The Ladybug Builder punch made light work of mine - a simple punching of the elements and some heat-embossed black dots for a little extra shine:

Remember The Inside - I designed this card with a child in mind, so couldn't resist adding another stamped comical smiling ladybird to the inside of my card with another sentiment from the 'Hello Ladybug' stamp set:

I love making good luck cards for children; so much of their lives seem to consist of exams and tests, it's nice to send some positive vibes and let you know you are wishing them every success! I am linking today's card up with the team over at Inspire.Create who are sharing cards for babies or children and at the Alphabet Challenge Blog where there are on 'F is for Flying' - my ladybird has her wings ready to go!

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. 

Today is the last full study day for both James Juniors - we are at T-1 and T-3 respectively - the end of the exam season is nigh! We have experienced some torrential downpours this morning, so I am hoping to get ahead with my crafty endeavours - I even have a second card to share with you today - I'll be back with that shortly!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HELLO LADYBUG PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (17.00)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	LADYBUG BUILDER PUNCH (21.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today I've a second post to share a quick second card that I made yesterday pairing a little something old with something new for the following challenges:

I realised at the weekend that I was out of options for simple birthday cards suitable for teenage boys, so I decided to embrace those diagonals over at Just Add Ink and incorporate some rainbow colour for the peeps over at Addicted To CAS who are featuring rainbow colours  - take a look:

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

Whilst searching for something else the other day (isn't that always the way?!) I rediscovered my retired Happy Dies that I thought would make a great diagonal (with a score line top and bottom to be true to the sketch). I popped my top layer up on dimensionals and added a strip of the current Bright and Beautiful designer series paper behind, adding the remainder of my sentiment from the co-ordinating (retired) 'So Much Happy' stamp set in Blueberry Bushel below the diecut:

At the last moment I decided to add a trio of sparkly tinsel gems to finish. I added a happy birthday sentiment inside, but realised afterwards that without it this would make a good congratulations card too - and since I am still stocking up on exam congratulations cards as I'm hopefully going to need a fair few in August, I might go back and make another couple of these to add to my stash and the two birthday cards I made!

There is something so happy about a flash of rainbow stripes against all that white with just as hint of sparkle too, don't you think? Remember that paper is currently on sale too - and with free shipping tomorrow, there couldn't be a better time to stock up!

No visual summary of the key products used on today's project, but everything that is current and still available is listed in the supplies table below.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (9.98)

TINSEL GEMS FOUR-PACK (7.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

STOP PRESS for an important announcement: For 24 hours only, starting at 11pm UK time this evening, Stampin' Up! are offering FREE shipping on orders of £60 or more.

The key information is as follows:

• Free shipping applies after the qualifying order amount has been met.
• The minimum qualifying amount to receive free shipping is £60 or more.
• Free shipping only applies during the 24-hour period the promotion is live in each market; this means that the order must be opened and closed between 20 June 2023, at 11p.m. and 21 June 2023, at 10:59 p.m (UK).

This is a great time to stock up on the designer series paper that is on sale this month, to pick up one of our all-inclusive papercrafting kits or to treat yourself to a bargain from the clearance rack. So start making those lists and head off to my online Stampin' Up! store to place your order. Remember to add the current hostess code KFVKVNXK to receive an extra thank you in the post from me.

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 Jaydee to host this week and she has a clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I do love a good one layer card! I decided to use the 'everything beach' inspiration from another of my favourite clean and simple challenges, AAA Cards, to create my one layer wonder for you today - take a look:

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

One of the challenges with a one layer card is the ability to create a scene with depth, without having actual layers to do it. This is where technique such as masking and stencilling can prove really useful. For my card today, I first stamped the pelican from the 'Waves of Inspiration' stamp set in Smoky Slate. I added a touch of colour to this image with my watercolour pencils; not generally my first choice of colouring medium, but super useful when creating a one layer card, as you won't get any bleeding of colour onto the reverse, something which is unavoidable if you are colouring with Stampin' Blends markers, for example. I then stamped the same image onto a post-it note and fussy cut it to create a mask; I positioned this over the stamped image on my card so that I could add my background. 

I decided to stamp my sea in Lost Lagoon (I applied the ink to my stamp using a blending brush for a soft finish), using the sea stamp in the 'Oceanfront' stamp set. It isn't wide enough to cover the width of the card, but it was easy to extend the stamp by first stamping one side of the mask, then repositioning the card and stamping the other side, being careful to ink only the edge of the sea stamp and not overstamp the sea to the left of the mask. I then used a cloud stencil and some Pool Party ink and a blending brush to add in a hint of cloudy sky behind the pelican - you can see that better on the close up below:

Finally I added a trio of seagulls in Basic Grey and stamped my sentiment in black just above the horizon line. I didn't add any embellishments and by keeping my design to the bottom third of my card managed to preserve that all-important 'white space' of a clean and simple card 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; It's Father's Day here in the UK today so whilst I might be looking forward to enjoying another day of sunshine and relaxation (fingers crossed!), I suspect it might be the DH who will have his feet up! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

WAVES OF INSPIRATION CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	OCEANFRONT PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (21.00)	WATERCOLOR PENCILS ASSORTMENT 1 (15.00)	LOST LAGOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SMOKY SLATE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
BASIC GRAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for the 'dreaded' speed challenge:

I know some of you dread the idea of creating a card in under 10 minutes, but with a little preparation it doesn't have to be tricky - take a look:

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

I knew that I would be using the shell stamps and dies from the Seasons of Chic stamp set and Chic Dies for my card today as they are my only current seashells, so I grabbed each of the dies and laid up each of the stamps and found a piece of the co-ordinating (retired) Texture Chic designer series paper to use for my background. This is the easiest way to get big design impact in the shortest possible time. Having found my sheet of paper, I pulled out the co-ordinating ink pads and cardstock (Petal Pink, Pebbled Path and an offcut of distressed gold), started my timer and set to work!

I cut a piece of designer paper to cover my entire cardbase, stamped a shell and diecut it along with three more in solid cardstock colours all in one go to save time, the stamped my sentiment onto a banner of Basic White and attached it to my cardfront, anchored with my shells. I added some clear Wink of Stella to my stamped shell and a sprinkling of basic pearls to complete my cardfront:

I did a quick timecheck and was doing so well, I even managed a quick stamped detail on the inside of my card within the allotted time:

And - stop the clock! I used a total of 7 minutes 59 seconds to create today's card - I managed to surprise myself at just how much time I had left over! My desk was a mess and I hadn't cleaned a single stamp, but it just goes to show if you need a card in a hurry, it can be done! The designer paper definitely does the heavy lifting on this card - the same background could be created using the stamps in the set, but it would take sooo much longer! I am also sharing today's beach-inspired card with thoughts of summer with the team over at Inkspirational where they are looking for seasonal 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. 

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 speed stamping challenge, please time yourself and say in your post how long your card took to complete. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHIC DIES (35.00)	SEASON OF CHIC PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (26.00)	DISTRESSED GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (4.75)	PEBBLED PATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	PEBBLED PATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
PETAL PINK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (7.00)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (7.50)

Today I'm sharing a quick card I made using both the sketch and photo inspiration over at Inspired By Challenges:

When I saw the pretty abstract pattern on the pillows of Lauren's inspiration sketch I knew I had just the paper to make a quick no-stamping card - take a look:

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

The retired Abstract Beauty papers had a similar pattern so I cut out a stitched square, along with another from the pack for the offset layer, and paired them with a pre-coloured card base and diecut sentiment:

These 'Wanted to Say' Dies are so useful for a quick sentiment - the gold diecut stars that I added are also from this die set, one of a number of useful extra bits and pieces in this set in addition to the sentiment dies. Whilst the card bases are no longer available, the Abstract Beauty papers are still available - they are currently on the Clearance Rack for just £5.60 a pack - bargain! 

Another quick, no-stamping card to add to my exam congratulations stash!

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:

ABSTRACT BEAUTY 4" X 6" (10.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (5.60)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

WANTED TO SAY DIES (37.00)

GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

Today I'm sharing a card inspired by the photo over at Just Add Ink that also uses this week's Global Design Project #GDP398 sketch (rotated anti-clockwise 45 degrees):

The photo inspiration over at Just Add Ink this week is really beautiful and whilst I would usually make my sunset scenes with some ink blending or brayering, having had the 'Oceanfront' stamp set out on my desk for a few cards recently I decided to see if I could create a similar scene using these scenic stamps. I had a little play and this is what I came up with:

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

I stamped each of the elements - sky, sea and foreground - one at a time. My top tip is that your Stamparatus is a must for this kind of card: it makes aligning the stamps super easy, but also allows you to build up your colours gradually when you apply each one individually. I took card to not allow each colour to overlap too much as I wanted to avoid a 'muddy' line of colour. Other than that, it really was quite straightforward; once the background elements were in place, I stamped my foliage and grasses, going over each several times to get a strong black image. I used a back panel layer of Gorgeous Grape to bring out the purple of the water and having rotated the GDP sketch, I decided to use some diecut grasses (I used the retired Harvest Dies) for the final element and dispense with a sentiment: 

This card was the result of a few attempts until I achieved something I was happy with and I'm really pleased with the end result. If you have often looked at scene-building sets but have been put off by the need to 'put them together' to make something, the 'Oceanfront' stamp set is a really good set to start with: the pieces fit together to make a simple scene without too much imagination required, but this can be easily built on and by changing out colour schemes can be used to create a completely different look and feel. Why not find a photo of a favourite seascape and try and recreate it as I've done here?

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. 

Today is the penultimate GCSE exam for the youngest of the James Juniors - to say that he is beginning to feel demob-happy is an understatement! We have only just reached the halfway point as far as A Levels are concerned though, so the challenge for the next 2 weeks will be maintaining a state of equilibrium I feel! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

OCEANFRONT PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (21.00)	GORGEOUS GRAPE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	AZURE AFTERNOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Summer has finally arrived here in the UK and yes, you've guessed it - I'm sharing a Christmas card! I was intrigued by the layout that the lovely Linda Callaghan came up with for her Freshly Made Sketches design this week - check it out:

I managed to grab a little crafty time over the weekend so decided to have a go at creating something that made the most of her unique layering and this is what I came up with:

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

I almost went with a wreath for the circular element, but couldn't work out how to incorporate that vertical column effectively. I finally settled on using the fabulous circular die in the Labels Aglow set for the circular element and layering it with some (retired) Lights Aglow designer paper in festive Cherry Cobbler with a pattern of dots in vanilla and gold that tied nicely in with the gold dots of the circular element. I also lined my envelope with the same paper. I did take a liberty with the sentiment, in as much as whilst I retained the position I didn't have a skinny one that I liked. I thought I would try the 'Celebrate' diecut from the 'Wanted To Say' die set which never seems to leave my desk at the moment and I really liked the effect:

Whilst my card is designed for Christmas - I used a festive sentiment from the 'Brightest Glow' stamp set on the inside of my card - it occurs to me you wouldn't know from the outside that this card was designed with Christmas in mind. Hopefully the peeps over at Happy Little Stampers will appreciate my understated take on Christmas - which is perfect for their die challenge too (the only stamping is on the inside of today's card). For a card with 7 layers, the design is still clean and uncluttered - just how I like it! This isn't a layout that I would usually be drawn to, but I really love the finished effect - thanks Linda for a thought-provoking sketch!

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:

LABELS AGLOW DIES (31.00)

WANTED TO SAY DIES (37.00)

GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)

VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

CHERRY COBBLER A4 CARDSTOCK (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 Anne Marie to host this week and she has a pretty colour challenge for us to work with:

Do you ever send a card 'just because'? 'Hello' cards are perfect for an anytime greeting and useful for a quick note or simply to keep in touch with a friend. For my card this week I started with the sketch layout over at TGIF Challenges and grabbed my Cheerful Daisies Dies as these colours seemed the perfect fit. Take a look at what I came up with:

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

Cheerful Daisies - I diecut the daisy trio in Basic White then split them apart, adding some Lemon Lolly to the centre of the main flower with a vellum top layer. I added a couple of pairs of diecut leaves and fronds that I watercoloured in Lost Lagoon, before piecing them back together.

Lots of Lemon Lolly - Lemon Lolly is such a lovely, fresh shade of citrus yellow that I knew this needed to be the focus colour of today's card. I used it for my base and added a piece of striped DSP to the centre of the scalloped panel too, as well as a trio of gems - so pretty!

And A Little Lost Lagoon - With white as my neutral this featured as my second colour and I used Lost Lagoon as my accent colour, for my watercolouring, stamped sentiment and a little ribbon detail too.

The only stamping on today's card is my 'hello' sentiment so I'm linking up this week's Just Us Girls challenge too, where that's their codeword. I'm also sharing with the ladies over at SUO Challenges where their current theme is flowers. 

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; yesterday was absolutely gorgeous here - summer has finally arrived! I am hoping for a repeat today and looking forward to spending a fairly lazy day in the garden. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

CHEERFUL DAISIES DIES (32.00)	SCALLOPED CONTOURS DIES (33.00)	ARTISTICALLY INKED CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (9.98)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LEMON LOLLY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
ADHESIVE-BACKED SOLID GEMS (7.50)	WATER PAINTERS (13.00)	LOST LAGOON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	LOST LAGOON ¼" (6.4 MM) BORDERED RIBBON (7.50)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'International Fairy Day' which is on June 24th. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used pink, sparkle, vellum and stars and the current layout over at Sunday Stamps and this is what I came up with:

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

No fairies or toadstools here today; instead a riot of colour for a starry congratulations card. I might be getting a little ahead of myself, but with both of the James Juniors and their friends taking major exams this year, I am hoping that lots of this kind of card will be in order, so I'm starting early! The Bright and Beautiful designer paper pack has some fabulous colours and patterns, but this all-over starry design screams celebration! I used a Bubble Bath pink card base and added mats in Basic White and Berry Burst, splitting my designer paper into three as per the sketch layout. I added a simple sentiment from the 'Charming Sentiments' stamp set in a Stylish Shapes stitched circle, and decorated this with punched stars, picking out the colours of the stars in the patterned paper. I also used some (retired) Fresh Freesia shimmer vellum for some added sparkle - hopefully you can see it on the close up below: 

I used a couple of retired star punches for my stars, but if you need a current equivalent, the Beautiful Balloons Dies have two star dies that are the same size and shape - I've included the link in the supplies list below.

The Bright and Beautiful Designer Series Paper is another of those that are available at 15% discount in this month's designer series paper sale - I would definitely recommend you stock up! 

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. 

How does our board inspire you? I can’t wait to see what YOU create! For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (9.98)	CHARMING SENTIMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	BEAUTIFUL BALLOONS DIES (32.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	LEMON LIME TWIST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	AZURE AFTERNOON A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LEMON LOLLY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)