Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'World Music Day' which is on June 21st. 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 totally got on board with the theme! I live in a household of music-makers and used music notes, black, white, embossing and circles and using the current layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday this is what I came up with:

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

For The Record - 'For The Record' is a great set for music lovers! The vinyl record makes for a great centrepiece for any card and the variety of sentiments mean that it can be used for lots of different occasions too. In addition to the record on the front of my card, I added a trio of brightly coloured records to both the inside and my envelope to decorate - here you can also see one of the sentiments in this set:

An Embossing Double - I have both wet and dry embossing on my card: I heat-embossed my sentiment and vinyl record for added shine to highlight the groove detail and added a dry embossed background layer of notes and sheet music using my Merry Melody Embossing folder:

The challenge over at The Alphabet Challenge Blog is 'E is for Embossing' this week so I'll be joining in with my card there too.

An Unexpected Find - Did you recognise the designer paper I used on my card today? It's actually taken from the new 'Butterfly Kisses' paper pack. The stripes in the design are diagonal, but I cut the sheet at an angle (you can see it in the photo at the bottom of the post) and then cut the lines at different heights - I thought it looked like the outputs on a sound mixing desk and it was a great way to add a pop of bright colour to my music-themed card. What do you think - does it work? I'd love to know your thoughts - please do leave me a comment below!

 I hope you like today's card - if you are considering adding the 'For The Record' stamp set to your collection, you only have until the end of the month to do so before it retires for good. The good news is that it is currently available as part of the Last Chance Promotion at 50% off for just £10.50 - bargain!

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 Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Stephanie Lanzalotto
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

FOR THE RECORD CLING STAMP SET (£10.50)	BUTTERFLY KISSES 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	MERRY MELODY 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£9.50)	STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	FRESH FREESIA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (£9.00)	CLASSIC MATTE DOTS (£6.50)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. We are into June so it's all change! Samantha is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

This trio of colours are perfect for florals so for my card today I pulled out one of my new favourites, the 'Sending Smiles' bundle, for a clean and simple card - take a look:

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

I stamped my stems and leaves directly onto my card base, and blended some additional Pear Pizzazz ink along the bottom edge of my card base, then stamped my flower heads and sentiments onto a separate piece of white cardstock and diecut them with the Sending Dies in order that they would stand out from the background. A trio of brass butterflies complete the front of my card:

I also added a little extra stamping to the inside of my card - no naked insides here: 

The 'Sending Smiles' stamp set is great for clean and simple cards and has a great variety of sentiment combinations too. Combined with this colour combination, this purple-lover couldn't be happier! 

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:

SENDING SMILES BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£46.75)	BRUSHED BRASS BUTTERFLIES (£9.25)	GORGEOUS GRAPE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PEAR PIZZAZZ CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

I had a little crafty time yesterday so today I'm sharing an extra card that uses this week's Global Design Project #GDP345 colour palette and the sketch layout over at Just Add Ink - take a look:

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

I thought the GDP colours would be perfect to colour one of the 'This Birthday Piggy' images so I decided to make this moped-riding porcine the focus of my colouring today and used my Stampin' Blends in each of the challenge colours to bring him to life.

The sketch layout was great to showcase some designer series paper; I decided to go with a tone-on-tone look using some of my In-Color designer paper in Starry Sky to match my cardbase - I thought the pattern co-ordinated with the confetti coming from the birthday piggy's moped - what do you think?

I finished my sentiment on the inside of my card and added another partially stamped image to decorate:

I think this is a fun image that would appeal to young and old alike. I'll be adding it to my stash of cards for young boys - I always need some of those! I'm also entering it over at SUO Challenges for my second entry into their 'kids cards' challenge.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

THIS BIRTHDAY PIGGY CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
STARRY SKY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SWEET SORBET STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	PETAL PINK STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

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

I still had my Nothing's Better Than set out on my desk from Friday's cards out on my desk, so I decided to use the current Atlantic Hearts sketch layout and play along with the In-Color challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and set about recreating the colourful cocktails on our challenge board this week - take a look:

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

I cut a whole bunch of stitched rectangles in glimmer paper in each of the new in-colours and laid them on my card base in alternating colours, with the lighter shades at the top and the darker shades bottom. I then added my sentiment and my colourful cocktail glass. I brushed my cocktail with clear Wink of Stella - along with the glimmer paper, this makes for one sparkly card!

I finished my sentiment on the inside of my card and added another cocktail for good measure:

I also added a stamped cocktail to the front of my envelope - it's definitely happy hour for the recipient of this 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'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

NOTHING'S BETTER THAN PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	LOVE YOU MORE THAN DIES (£28.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	2022–2024 IN COLOR 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) GLIMMER PAPER (£11.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	TAHITIAN TIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

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

I was tempted to do something with lemons, as I love the bright yellow of the lemons against the blue in our inspiration photo today, however I have had a rainbow-themed idea percolating in my head for a little while so decided to try that out instead. As a result, I ended up wtih not one but two cards for you today - take a look:

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

Rainbow Pastels Coffee - I started off with this card that was inspired by the pastel rainbow colours over at Fusion (you can see them on the badge at the bottom of this post). I stamped and diecut a collection of coffee cups using the Nothing's Better Than stamp set and Love You More Than co-ordinating dies, and adhered them across the centre of my slimline card. I added a simple stamped sentiment either side, with the diecut 'coffee' added on top using adhesive foam sheet:

 I carried the sentiment and coffee cup theme through to the inside (and did the same with my second card too):

 I was going for a clean and simple card with lots of white space and could have stopped there, but decided that it would be fun to add a selection of sequins from my stash that co-ordinated with my rainbow colours around the cups for a little extra sparkly detail - it's also a nod to the round plates in the Fusion photo. Check out how pretty they shine:

Rainbow Brights Cocktails - Having completed this card, I thought it would be fun to make another card with the same idea, this time using the cocktail glass in the Nothing's More Than set. I changed up my rainbow of colours from pastels to brights (I was thinking more of a day to night vibe!) for my second card:

The cocktail glasses are larger than the coffee cups, so I went for a more uniform positioning across the centre of the card and placed my stamped sentiments to either side for better balance. I wanted to preserve my white space so didn't add as many sparkles this time; I still couldn't resist a few iridescent rhinestones to add to my cocktail party feel though!

So which are you - Team Coffee of Team Cocktails? Today it's a Bank Holiday here in the UK to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee - 70 years on the throne, wow! I think this means I'll be doing both as the day progresses; any excuse to raise a glass, ma'am!

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.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

NOTHING'S BETTER THAN PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	LOVE YOU MORE THAN DIES (£28.00)	FOAM ADHESIVE SHEETS (£7.50)	SAHARA SAND A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.75)
BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	FRESH FREESIA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	MINT MACARON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SO SAFFRON CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PALE PAPAYA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	POPPY PARADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
BERMUDA BAY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	ORCHID OASIS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	IRIDESCENT RHINESTONES BASIC JEWELS (£7.00)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's my turn to host this week and this is the fun board that Team X and I are playing along with: 

I went on the diagonal from top left down with Spots or Stripes (I chose stripes), Circle and Free and decided to take Carol's fun inspo photo over at Just Us Girls along with the sketch over at Try Stamping on Tuesday to showcase more fabulous new designer series paper - take a look:

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

I took my inspiration from the pastel bicycles in the JUGS inspo photo and chose two contrasting patterns of paper from the 'Design A Daydream' designer series paper pack, one featuring bold stripes and the other featuring pastel-coloured bicycles to feature on my card today. Design A Daydream is an exclusive 48-sheet pack of designer series paper that can be yours when you earn hostess rewards as a result of either hosting a party or placing a qualifying order and has lots of other great patterns too. I added a simple hello sentiment from the 'Sentimental Swirls' stamp set to the top banner and finished with a focal point of a Petal Pink single diecut bicycle from the Windmill Field Dies with a (retired) flower embellishment to decorate its basket:

What do you think? If you are dreaming of bicycles too and would like to get your hands on some of this paper, give me a call to chat about arranging a party - I would love to hear from you and book something in the diary.

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

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

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

Enjoy your evening; I'll be back tomorrow for the second day of our Bank Holiday Jubilee weekend here in the UK with my card for our new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

DESIGN A DAYDREAM 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) HOST DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£17.00)	WINDMILL FIELDS DIES (£31.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	SENTIMENTAL SWIRLS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BLACKBERRY BLISS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

Today I'm sharing a quick masculine card, perfect for the challenge over at Inspire.Create that uses the current sketch over at Sketch Saturday:

I thought this was a great sketch layout that was perfect to showcase the new He's The Man designer series papers - take a look:

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

The papers in the He's The Man Suite are fabulous - a great selection of masculine designs covering everything from cars, to camping, cooking and lots more besides. Better still, the paper pack includes two whole sheets of pre-diecut pieces that can be used to embellish your cards - no stamping required! I used to different paper patterns and one of the diecuts from the pack, along with some retired Crushed Curry twine that picked up the yellow on the tent and a couple of diecut trees from the (retired) Christmas Trees Dies that reflected the shape of the trees on the DSP:

That's it - simple as that! I'm also entering today's card over at The Alphabet Challenge where they are on 'D is for Diecuts' this week - the diecuts in this set really are the best!

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 love these papers so much I am going to feature them in an upcoming class - you can read all about it here and do get in touch if you'd like to register.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HE'S THE MAN 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)

CLASSIC MATTE DOTS (£6.50)

MINT MACARON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. There are 5 Tuesdays in May so we are ending the month with the double: one of our previous sketches and a retired colour combination. For Shannon's final challenge as hostess she chose the following:  

For my card today I grabbed a punch bundle that is perfect for a quick and simple thank you card that will really make the most of these retro colours - take a look:

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

I used my Basic Borders Dies for a simple angled layered border with a simple dotted detail, and used my Flowers of Friendship stamp set to heat emboss a sentiment on my Island Indigo card base and stamp a trio of flowers in Island Indigo onto the other two colours and punched them out with the flowers and Leaves punch and finished them with some retired Island Indigo enamel dot centres:  

Super simple and could be easily recreated in colours that are currently available.

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 and news of a great new promotion too. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BASIC BORDERS DIES (£27.00)

FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)

FLOWERS & LEAVES PUNCH (£18.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)

It's nearly time to see all of the lovely items that will be retiring from the current 2022 January-June Mini Catalogue on 30th June!  I'm just popping by to let you know that the Last-Chance Products promotion will go live at 11pm this evening, UK time. All items retiring will be available for LAST CHANCE purchase, with some items that can be discounted by up to 50% - yay for a bargain!

In order for you to get organised, the list has been released in advance - here's the link to the full list so you can filter by language/category/price etc. and I've also included a couple of visuals below:

So get those shopping lists ready and if you're shopping online remember to add the current host code for an extra thank you in the post from me!

Back later with today's creative post - until then, enjoy writing those shopping lists!

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card that uses the sketch layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments that showcases four out of the 5 new in-colours - perfect for the challenge over at Colour Inkspiration CI#122 too:

I decided to start the week with some #simplestamping using a set that is perfect for the beginner stamper and the banner on the HSS layout was the ideal place to showcase it - take a look:

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

Sentimental Swirls - The 'Sentimental Swirls' stamp set was inspired by our very first £1m sales achiever in the UK, Sam Hammond. It comprises a basic swirl, with additional swirls, leaves, flowers, a bird, a butterfly and some simple, sentiments perfect for the most popular types of cards - birthdays, thank yous and general hellos. The set has endless creative possibilities and as it's photopolymer, it's really easy to line up the images or the infills. I created a leafy swirl that fills my banner and stamped a bird onto one of the vines, before adding my flowers and sentiment separately. I also added a little extra decoration to the inside of my card:

Step It Up With Punch Co-ordination - Sentimental Swirls is great for one layer stamping, but it's also easy to step up your designs by using the Flowers and Leaves punch from the annual catalogue, which punches out one of the flowers in the set. That's what I did on my card, adding some Orchid Oasis enamel dots to the centres and curving the petals slightly with my bonefolder before adding my flowers to my card:

I used a panel of in-colour designer series paper in a floral design behind my banner for a touch of extra detail.

An Added Extra - I also used this set for some thank you cards to pop in with some recent customer orders and for the bag tags. The smaller flower in the set also co-ordinates with the flower of the (now retired) Strawberry Builder Punch - you can see that on the tags below:

So if you already have this punch in your collection, you will have even more creative possibilities available to you with this set.

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. 

Sentimental Swirls is such a great set for simple cards that can be easily stepped up by adding in a punch (or two). It's in the January-June mini catalogue and whilst I've had it since I made my pre-order, I haven't shown it on my blog until now - which is a shame, as it's a great set that didn't carry over to the new annual catalogue, so you only have until the end of June to get your hands on it. The good news though is that on Wednesday this stamp will hit the Last-Chance list so you will be able to pick it up for just £14.70 - that's a 30% discount on the catalogue price, bargain!

I love the way that the in-colours coordinate so well together too; today's card features all of them except Tahitian Tide (you can glimpse a butterfly in this colour on one of my tags if you need a quick fix!)

A quick reminder that the current joining promotion that features an in-color kit in addition to the £130 of product of your choice - and all for £99 - closes tomorrow. Read all about it here if you'd like a reminder - I would love to welcome you to my team. Alternatively, I still have places left in my current in-colour club - details on the same link above.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SENTIMENTAL SWIRLS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	FLOWERS & LEAVES PUNCH (£18.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	2022–2024 IN COLOR™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)	ORCHID OASIS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	ORCHID OASIS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	2022-2024 IN COLOR MATTE DECORATIVE DOTS (£7.50)