Delicate Baubles Christmas Tree TTT136

by Joanne James21. October 2021 18:00

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely LeAnne is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

    

I decided to give my Delicate Baubles Dies another outing - the Christmas tree was calling my name! - so I too the first column on the Tic Tac Toe board with Christmas Tree/Bow/Green and in a fun twist decided to pair with the colour palette over at Just Us Girls this week for a rather unconventional Christmas card colour scheme - take a look:

 

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

This And That - The key to making today's card work is the piece of retired This and That Epic Day design series paper that I used for the frame on my card. It does such a good job of bringing all three colours together and makes the bright bauble tone in rather stand out in a way that jars, I think.

Delicate Baubles - Another bauble paper-pieced in block of the JUGS challenge colours, with some sparkly enamel dots to highlight the starbursts and a gold enamel star to top the tree. I trimmed the base of the bauble on this one so that it didn't have a double border edge.

Add A Bow - I could have added a diecut bow using the die in the Delicate Baubles die set that I used on my previous bauble cards, but decided that something more showy was needed so added a triple bow in Pool Party sheer ribbon - so pretty!

 

A simple 'Noel' sentiment from the 'Trimmings & Tidings' stamp set completes my card. So what do you think - is this colour scheme too unconventional for a Christmas card? Do leave me a comment below - as always, I'd love to know your thoughts.

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

 

You can see all of my 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 day; as of this afternoon, both of the James Juniors will be officially enjoying their half term break, so I am looking forward to spending more quality time with them next week. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Whimsy And Wonder Christmas Tree Trio For Color Throwdown

by Joanne James20. October 2021 07:00

Today I'm sharing a very special card as it was made for this week’s new challenge over at Color Throwdown, where I am delighted to be the featured designer this week!

This is the colour palette we are working with:

 

How pretty is that trio of pastels?! I am in a real groove with Christmas card making at the moment, so no ghosts for me! I decided on a trio of Christmas trees instead - take a look:

 

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

Christmas Tree Dies - These skinny Christmas trees are from the Christmas Tree Dies and I think they are my absolute favourites in the set! They can be used in traditional and less conventional colours and still look great. I cut a tree in each colour and also used a piece of watercolour-effect designer paper that was from last year‘s winter mini catalogue that featured the same heather and aqua tones.

Texture and Pines - I used this week’s Global Design Project layout #GDP314 for my card today and for square element used some shimmer white cardstock embossed with the Evergreen embossing folder. This adds a lovely sheen and great texture and dimension as a background detail. 

Seasonal Swirls - I decided to use the star wreath piece from the Seasonal Swirls Dies for the round element of the design, cut from retired white glimmer paper for a full-on winter sparkle. I also added a few sequins and flicked my background with my clear Wink of Stella pen for added shimmer.

 

I added a sentiment from the 'Sparkle of The Season' stamp set, anchored with a pink enamel heart to 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. 

Enjoy your day; you should definitely check out the Color Throwdown design team creations to see what they made of this sugared-almond inspired colour palette this week.

 

Remember too that the 24 hour stamp sale is now in full swing - full details on yesterday’s post here. You have until 10.50pm this evening to snap up a bargain!

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

24 Hour Stamp Sale Starts Tonight Save 15% on Selected Cling Stamps

by Joanne James19. October 2021 19:32

Can’t stop staring at a certain stamp set (or two, or three)? Stock up on stamp sets at a stellar price! For one day only, you can buy select cling stamp sets at a 15% discount. This short and stamp-tacular sale only happens once a year, so get in gear—it’s time to shop ’til you drop! 

Are you ready? The biggest stamp sale of the year is coming up on 20 October - that's tomorrow! It’ll only last for 24 hours, so you will need to act fast to grab the goods. It actually starts at 11pm this evening here in the UK. 

For 24 hours from 19 October at 11:00 p.m. to 20 October 10:50 p.m. (UK) online, each of the cling stamp sets from the 2021–2022 Annual Catalogue will be available for purchase at a 15% discount.

Here's a list of all of the stamp sets included in the sale:

 

 

 

 

If you see something you like, you can either place an order through me, or you can shop directly through my online store. My shop will have a category entitled “Stamp Sale” that displays every stamp set on sale to ensure a quick and easy shopping experience.

The discount applies to individual stamp sets (not bundles) and can also be used in conjunction with a starter kit - what a great way to get more bang for your buck! Place your order here through my online store or by clicking on the shopping bag icon in the menu on the right hand side - don't forget to include the current hostess code ADG6HG9G for an extra thank you from me. 

I'll be back with another creative project tomorrow but in the meantime this is a 24 hour event only so you have to act fast to benefit from 15% off these amazing sets, so set your watches, it's almost time to go shopping - don't miss out! 

Delivering Autumn Cheer CCS 442

by Joanne James19. October 2021 13:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Vicky is hosting this month and this week she has a fabulous colour challenge for us: 

  

I just love this colour combination! Gorgeous colours for autumn, so I decided to use them to get colouring - take a look:

 

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

I stamped a lady from the 'Delivering Cheer' stamp set, cropped her out using my Stitched Rectangles dies and coloured her in with my Blends in the challenge colours. 'Delivering Cheer' is such a fun stamp set with lots of fun combinations of tops and bottoms. It's photopolymer so super easy to align the pieces and is great for both paper-piecing and colouring. I especially like the stamp that allows you to add some funky patterned tights - check it out below:

 

Isn't that a fun detail? I added a piece of Regals designer paper to further emphasise the purple tones; I love purple but Rich Razzleberry isn't a colour I use often - I love it in this combo though! A simple sentiment from the 'Sparkle of the Season' stamp set completes today's card, which is already in the mail!

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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Enjoy The Moment Note Card

by Joanne James18. October 2021 17:23

Happy Monday everyone! I had a little time today to work on some future projects, and following a lunch time walk with the eldest of the James Juniors who is on half-term break already, where we admired the falling conkers and autumnal leaves, got a little side-tracked into creating a card on my return using this week's Color Throwdown colour palette:

I really loved this mix of browns and aqua and took the opportunity to use some items that haven't gotten much love lately - take a look:

 

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

Enjoy The Moment - I really like the detailing on the seed heads in the 'Enjoy The Moment' stamp set and had it on my desk for another project, but couldn't resist another card with then in these colours. Found on page 26 of the annual catalogue, this is a great set for autumnal cards and works well in neutral colours. 

Everyday Label Punch - After stamping and colouring each of my images, I punched them out with my Everyday Label Punch, as I realised I hadn't used a punch on a card in ages and this label punch is super useful for both tags and cards alike. 

Cork Border - Did you notice the strip of cork paper I added beneath the gingham behind the punched pieces? This is some of the new cork specialty paper that is featured in the current mini catalogue. It's great for adding texture without bulk and really easy to cut with your paper trimmer. You can see it more closely on this image:

 

A little stamping on the inside completes 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. 

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. I am also the Featured Designer over at The Color Throwdown this week so be sure to come back for another post featuring their new colours on Wednesday. Until tomorrow, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Party Puffin Give It A Whirl Interactive Birthday Card PP563

by Joanne James17. October 2021 08:00

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 you to work with:

       

I decided to use Judy's Freshly Made Sketches layout for my card and having originally decided to go super simple, after yesterday's card I couldn't resist having another go at incorporating an interactive element so I'm having another go over at Just Add Ink too - take a look:

 

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

The stars of today's card are the 'Party Puffins' stamp set - my go to for fun birthday cards - and the Give It A Whirl dies, with a rotating wheel of sentiments and images. You can see the first one above; here's the second one:

 

And finally, the third one:

 

Here's a quick video clip that show how the wheel rotates through the images:

A piece of Patterned Party striped designer paper adds a little coloured border and I used these colours to co-ordinate my coloured images too. A sprinkling of sequins 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 Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

These dies are super easy to use and whilst they do add layers to today's card, my overall design is still clean and simple, with minimal embellishments and lots of white space.

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

  
Remember: it's clean and simple week, so minimal layers and embellishments and lots of clean 'white' space on the birthday cards that you share this week.
 
Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Have A Hoot Peek A Boo Clean and Simple Halloween Card

by Joanne James16. October 2021 09:00

Today I'm sharing a clean and simple card for the current challenge over at Addicted to CAS where the code word is 'Spooky':

   RRCB 169   

I'm also linking up with the ladies over at Retro Rubber where the theme is 'anything goes' and at SUO Challenges where the theme is Halloween too. Whilst digging around in my retired stamp collection the other week, since this is where most of my Halloween stamps are to be found, I remembered there were three different Halloween owls in last year's 'Have A Hoot' stamp set from September 2020 and decided to use it to try a really easy fun fold Peek-A-Boo style card that I had seen Jennifer McGuire make ages ago that I wanted to have a go at. Here's what the card looks like closed:

 

Then as you open the card, it reveals either another image or message - I went with a 'boo' courtesy of the owl hiding behind the pumpkin:

 

Perfect for the challenge over at Just Add Ink this week where they are all about moving parts too. Here's a short video clip so that you can actually see how the peek-a-boo mechanism works:

Isn't that fun?! I embossed the front of my card with my retired cobweb embossing folder to add to the spooky vibe; I'm hoping this doesn't take away too much from the CAS aspect of my card and my 'white space'. Here's a close-up of that mischievous owl:

 

No visual summary of the key products used on today's project since they are all retired; it was fun to take a trip into the retired box to create this super simple card to share with you today.

Enjoy your day; I'm off to the hockey pitch side lines! I'll be back tomorrow with my card for our new challenge at the Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

  • Have-A-Hoot stamp set (retired)
  • Cobweb Embossing Folder (retired)
  • Stampin' Blends - various

Delicate Baubles Blackberry Bliss Christmas Tree AYSI261

by Joanne James15. October 2021 13:00

This is my second post of today - you can see my earlier Festive Friday post here in case you missed it. This is my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for a colour challenge:

 May be an image of fruit and text that says "い 10.15.21 BLACKBERRY GRANNY BLISS APPLE SILVER GREEN A.Yyo.SoeTt CHALLENGE BASIC WHITE 261"

I really love this combination of deep Blackberry Bliss, bright Granny Apple Green and white with a dash of metallic silver. I made another Christmas card, this time using my new Delicate Baubles Dies - take a look:

 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

This card was actually really easy to create: I added a strip of Regals DSP to my card base, then added some adhesive sheet to my bauble background and paper-pieced the details into the top layer of my bauble in the challenge colours, adding a trio of rhinestones for extra sparkle:

 

A silver heat-embossed sentiment from 'Tidings and Trimmings' completes my festive 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. 

I'm a sucker for an interesting die and I love the detail on the baubles in this set - you will definitely be seeing more of them this festive season!

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.
We look forward to seeing your creations in the AYSI gallery.

Today marks the end of a three-day expedition by the eldest of the James Juniors for her silver Duke of Edinburgh award so I am expecting tired feet this evening! At the same time, the youngest of the Juniors is embarking on an army cadet weekend and will be sleeping out in the forest somewhere in the wilds of Cambridgeshire this evening under an improvised shelter. He has an Arctic sleeping bag, but I am really hoping the rain holds off! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Seasons Of Fun Roller Skating Pumpkin FF0095

by Joanne James15. October 2021 09:00

This is my first post of a two-post Friday and I'm here with my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday. 

    

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'National Cat Day' which is on October 27th. 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 cat, orange and texture from the inspo list along with the sketch layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments to create a Halloween-inspired birthday card, perfect for a late October birthday - take a look:

 

I'm also linking up over at SUO Challenges where they are sharing all things Halloween for their current challenge too.

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

Seasons of Fun - I thought the trick-or-treat roller skater in the 'Seasons of Fun' host set would make for a fun Halloween-inspired birthday card for someone celebrating a late October birthday, so stamped and coloured my image with Blends and added a combination of sentiments on the inside of my card for a play on the idea of 'trick or treat' that the image suggests to fit my birthday greeting:

 

I used up a whole bunch of retired Halloween DSP and a background panel embossed with a retired cobweb embossing folder for texture for the remaining details on the front of my card, along with a sprinkling of retired enamel dots.

Spot The Difference - Did you spot the difference between my roller-skating pumpkin and the stamp in the catalogue? I took a leaf out of my creative friend Vicky's book (she is a whizz at combining stamps in unexpected ways to come up with amazing designs!) and coloured and fussy-cut the cat from the image with the boy playing in the leaves that I used on this card here and added him to the little girl's pumpkin treat bucket:

 

Crafty, eh? Well, I had to get a cat onto my card somehow!

My Little Pumpkin - I realised when I went over to grab the link for Hand Stamped Sentiments to add my card to the gallery, that one of their design team, Ange McKay, also used this image on her card so mine does naturally look very similar. I hadn't seen her card before I made my own though; this cute image reminds me of a little pumpkin of my very own:

 

My children loved to dress up when they were little and this photo of Rebecca was her first Halloween photo when she could walk - check out those pink shoes! This photo is now more than 14 years old - but is still makes me smile!

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 morning and I'll be back later with my project for the new challenge over at As You See It. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Merriest Moments Simple One layer and a Fancy Technique

by Joanne James14. October 2021 11:10

Today I'm sharing a couple of cards with you. I held my monthly class online at the start of the week and it featured the Merriest Moments bundle and following the discussions we had on the call I wanted to share another couple of cards featuring the most versatile of bundles. My first card is for the current challenge over at The Alphabet Challenge Blog, where they are on 'N is for No Layer'. I made the simplest of cards using a festive red and white colour combination - take a look:

 

I embossed my thick basic white card base directly with the Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder and stamped my sentiment directly into the frame centre in Real Red. This embossing folder really is so pretty and whilst I did try a version adding some colour to the foliage, I didn't like it anywhere near as much as the 'naked' version - the detail of the embossing is stunning and I'm not sure that the photos do it justice:

 

This really is one of the easiest cards to make and would be great both for cards that need to be sent overseas and weight is an issue for example, or you simply want an impressive design that can be produced in multiples really quickly.

For my second card, I wanted to use the same embossing folder to join this week's trend week challenge over at Just Us Girls where they are asking us to experiment with a technique called heat embossed embossing folders:

If you've never tried this technique before, you should definitely watch Jennifer McGuire's video on it where she gives a thorough overview and lots of examples - you can see her video here. I've never tried it before, but though the Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing Folder would be a great one to experiment with. For this card, I went bold with a festive Real Red and metallic gold colour combination - take a look:

 

I decided to use the whole embossing folder and not cut out the foliage frame, as I wanted the background detail too. I added my red panel to a red card base, and also heat embossed my sentiment into gold onto a red stitched rectangle which I popped up on dimensionals in the centre of the frame, adding a trio of red sparkly faceted dots for good measure. Check out the detail that the heat embossing adds to the foliage:

 

This was a really fun technique to try and I have to say I think the key to getting a good finish is to use a traditional rubber brayer to ink the flat side of your embossing folder with the Versamark - this way you don't get it into areas where you don't want to see the heat embossed detail and it picks out the surrounding space easily. This was my first attempt and will definitely be experimenting with other versions (and embossing folders!) If this technique is something that interests you, you should definitely check out the Just Us Girls DT samples and the gallery, where you will also see another sample using this embossing folder made by one of my lovely class attendees, Deborah Wheeler - how great that we were both inspired following my class!

I was asked by one of my customers last week, "If you could only choose one new bundle this Christmas, which one would it be?" This was a question that required much thought before answering, not least because I have never been known to buy just one stamp set and the beauty of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that I acquire lots and lots of stamp sets cheaply or even for free! I decided that if I was only buying one bundle, it would have to be something that was versatile; I would want to be able to do lots of things with it and not get bored due to a lack of creative opportunities. The answer I gave to that customer? The Merriest Moments Bundle - it absolutely delivers on all fronts!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's projects 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:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

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About Me

Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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This is my personal blog and is not endorsed by Stampin’ Up! I hope you find it a plentiful source of ideas and personal inspiration but please don't copy my designs for contest submission or use for classes, publication or sale without express permission.