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

I went across the top row with rainbow/green/diecut as my 3 options and using this week's Try Stamping On Tuesday sketch (no punny sentiment I'm afraid!) set to work and this is what I came up with:

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

Sunshine and Rainbows - The colour scheme for today's rainbow card is taken from the (now retired) Sunshine and Rainbows designer paper that was free during Sale-A-Bration; I still have some left so don't be surprised to see it on my projects in the coming weeks/months - I'm hoping it will give you lots of inspiration as to how you can use the paper you earned free too! I love this colour mix; I also used the colours of the paper stripes for the die infills of my rainbow border too, mixing and matching as I went along.

Brilliant Rainbow Dies - I created a rainbow border across my card using the rainbow tag die in the Brilliant Rainbow Dies set; the actual rainbow border in the set was too small and didn't line up with the stripes of my paper, so instead I created my own, layering the tags across my card so that each rainbow covered four vertical stripes. I then added a plain white panel and stamped my sentiment at the very bottom, with a trio of pink hearts as an accent.

Ribbons of Colour - I decided to add a large and showy ribbon bow to my card, pulling colours from the rainbow paper and adding in some sparkly white too for an additional feminine touch. I also added some of the new iridescent rhinestones basic jewels from the mini catalogue. These are just so sparkly and pretty and I love the way they are faceted so take on some of the colour beneath them, which you can see closer on the photo below:

Since rainbows are very much a feature of today's card, I'm also linking up with the Paper Craft Crew (non-traditional colours) and over at Global Design Project #GDP355 where they also have rain/rainbows as their theme.

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 the rest of your day; I'll be back tomorrow with another project for this week's new challenge over at As You See it. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

RAINBOW OF HAPPINESS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£41.25)	MAGENTA MADNESS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MAGENTA MADNESS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	COASTAL CABANA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	IRIDESCENT RHINESTONES BASIC JEWELS (£7.00)

It's nearly time to see all of the lovely items that will be retiring from the current 2021-22 Annual Catalogue!  I'm just popping by to let you know that the Last-Chance Products promotion will go live at 7pm 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!

As soon as the list is available, I will upload it here on my blog and share in to my Crafty Owl Creatives Facebook Group.

So set your alarms if you want to be at the front of the queue - there will be bargains to be had!

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Jeanne has asked that we create a slimline card with the following layout: 

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card. I chose to use this week's colours over at Just Us Girls for my card - I love the soft green and pink combination, with the added warmth of vanilla. You might have thought this would draw me to florals, but no - today's card is all about the leaves - take a look:

I decided to have my first outing with the beautiful 'Artfully Layered' stamp set and create a cluster of leaves on the corner of my slimline card. The leaves are quite large, so I went with a standard sized slimline (9.5cm x 21cm). I stamped two leaves in Soft Succulent directly onto my card base, one of these going off the edge and for this one I created a stencil and added some some soft Blushing Bride pink ink over the top. To finish I added a layered diecut leaf and a simple birthday sentiment from the same set, along with a trio of three pink enamel dots.

I love the variation in detail of all three leaves:

I also used a few of the other stamps in the set to add a little extra detail to the inside of my card:

And of course the new Slimline Envelopes in the mini catalogue also come in Soft Succulent,  so I had the perfect ready-made envelope all set to go too - bonus!

The Artfully Layered bundle is a new acquisition for me, having been persuaded by all of the wonderful cards I've seen with it, especially those created by my wonderful friend Jan Clothier - you can check out here blog here if you would like to see some of the amazing creations she has made 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. 

Enjoy your day; It's only Tuesday and I am playing catch up already this week, having had my class day yesterday which is always busy. Add in an unscheduled hockey match today and the usual to-do list, piano lessons and the rest it is turning into a busy one! The sun is shining though and spirits are high, so I must get on. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

ARTFULLY LAYERED BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£50.25)	SLIMLINE ENVELOPES (£9.25)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	SOFT SUCCULENT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	EVENING EVERGREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SOFT SUCCULENT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
EVENING EVERGREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BLUSHING BRIDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.25)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Laurie to host this week and she has a clean and simple challenge for us to work with showcasing 'Blooms':

I used the sketch over at Global Design Project #GDP334 for my layout and couldn't resist another tulip card! This one is super simple and all about the stamping so perfect for this week's TGIF Challenge too - take a look:

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

I decided to move away from brights and pastels and create a dramatic purple tulip on today's card. I stamped a single tulip from the 'Flowering Tulips' stamp set in a combination of Blackberry Bliss and Rich Razzleberry, and added it to a Rich Razzleberry base using a couple of strips of Regals DSP in Blackberry Bliss at the top and bottom of my stamped panel to tie the two together. I resisted the urge to add anything else to my card - this is clean and simple week after all. Remember, we are looking for cards that:

• Have minimal layers and embellishments
• Have plenty of open space
• Are simple and uncluttered

I also added a little additional stamping to the inside of my card to finish:

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. 

I love the deep purples on today's card, especially when paired with a pop of bright Granny Apple Green so I'm also linking today's card up over at The Alphabet Challenge where their current letter is 'Y for Your Favourite Colour Combination' - purple with green is definitely one of mine!

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: 

FLOWERING TULIPS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	BLACKBERRY BLISS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	RICH RAZZLEBERRY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	REGALS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	RICH RAZZLEBERRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)

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

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'World Party Day' which is on April 3rd. 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 bright colours, twine, a celebratory sentiment and lots of layers, along with the intriguing sketch layout over at Sunday Stamps and this is what I came up with:

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

Sweet Symmetry - When I think about bright colours, I am drawn to the Sweet Symmetry papers in the suite of the same name. Full of brights and bold patterns, I knew this would be the set to work with today. I particularly like the navy-based patterns in this pack, so chose one and cut a panel, making sure to centre the pattern to my base and added it to a Just Jade mat and Night of Navy card base.  

In Symmetry Blooms - Those triangles on the Sunday Stamps sketch really got me thinking; I settled on a collection of flowers, roughly placed in a triangular shape, and mirrored and offset around my sentiment and twine-wrapped layered circle base. The symmetrical nature of the stamps in the 'In Symmetry' set are perfect for creating mirror images or structured, stylised designs such as this.

Bold Colour - The eagle-eyed amongst you may have realised that my flowers are not stamped on white cardstock, rather on paler tones of the same colour. I saw a great card by one of the Stampin' Up! UK Artisans, Martin Stone, using this technique and I love the added brightness and intensity it gives the colours. This card is very much a 'go bold or go home' type of card - you can see the detail on the flowers better on the close-up below:

If you're interested in specifics, I listed the colours I used in the supplies table at the bottom of today's post. This might not be a card for everyone, but I really love it!

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 - you are here!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

IN SYMMETRY PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£16.00)	SWEET SYMMETRY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	LAYERING CIRCLES DIES (£33.00)	BAKER'S TWINE ESSENTIALS PACK (£10.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
JUST JADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	JUST JADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CALYPSO CORAL A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CALYPSO CORAL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BUMBLEBEE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made using the current sketch over at TGIF Challenges:

Today's card features the 'In The Moment' stamp set and is also a sneak peek of things to come for the ladies attending my class next week that centres around this set. So many creative possibilities with this one in addition to straightforward colouring and this card showcases just one of them - take a look:

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

I stretched the sketch as I needed my panel to be horizontal rather than vertical, to accommodate my stamped image and tag element and stamped my image onto a scalloped rectangle. I added a strip of Hand-Penned designer series paper to the left hand side, and having stamped and coloured my image using Stampin' Blends, I stamped the image a second time onto a piece of Hand-Penned paper and fussy cut both the blanket and pillows and paper-pieced them onto my coloured image to bring in some extra pattern. You can see the detail more closely on the image below:

I think this is quite a fun way to add extra interest to a coloured image. Some co-ordinating twine and a sentiment on a coloured tag completes my card.

I used one of the 2020-22 In Colors, Misty Moonlight, for the base of my card today and this is a good time to remind you that Misty Moonlight, along with the other 2020-22 In Colors Cinnamon Cider, Just Jade, Bumblebee and Magenta Madness, will all be retiring soon when the current annual catalogue retires. The retiring lists for the Annual Catalogue will be announced next week on Wednesday 23rd March and that is usually the point at which in-color products sell out, so if you need to stock up on ink, cardstock, reinkers or accessories, now is the time to get your order in!

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 looking forward to making a version of this card along with a couple of others at my card class next week. As a reminder, all of my classes are delivered online via Zoomm these days so if you're reading this and think you would like to join us do get in touch - you would be most welcome!

Enjoy your day; following yesterday's sunshine today it's pouring with rain, grey and freezing cold - clearly spring has not quite yet sprung!! I'll be keeping warm in my craft room and will be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

IN THE MOMENT CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)	STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES (£30.00)	TAILOR MADE TAGS DIES (£20.00)	HAND-PENNED 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	CALYPSO CORAL STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	PETAL PINK STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Jeanne is hosting this month and this week it's a colour challenge: 

I don't know why but these colours really threw me for a loop this week! I spent an age working out how best to use them together on a clean and simple card. In the end I decided to grab some new and as yet unused dies from my shelf and this is what I came up with: 

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

Today's card features the new Sporting Event Dies. I actually bought these because there are some great ticket dies in the set, although as I was looking at them I thought I could layer them to make a simple pennant. I added some stars (another useful die in this set) and a diecut #1 button that I popped up on dimensionals:

I added a fun sentiment from 'Happy & Heartfelt' and paired that with another one on the inside, along with a reverse button using the leftover pieces from the front of my card:

This will come in useful when the youngest of the James Juniors (hopefully!) passes his next piano exam. I'm hoping that it might encourage continued practice and playing too, but I won't hold my breath on that front!  Despite the challenge of these colours, I've decided I quite like this colour combo. The rest of the team have made some fabulous cards with it so be sure to check them out! 

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:

SPORTS EVENT DIES (£25.00)	HAPPY & HEARTFELT CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have chosen a sunny trio of colours for our colour challenge this week

I combined my colours with Amy's great sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week and used that central panel to showcase some spring daffodils - take a look:

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

I used two pieces of Brights designer paper each with the same pattern, one in Daffodil Delight and one in Mango Melody, to cover my card base and added a scalloped stitched rectangle to the centre. I stamped and coloured the trio of daffodils from the Daffodil Daydream stamp set with my Stampin' Blends in the challenge colours and then diecut them with the co-ordinating Daffodil Dies and popped them up on dimensionals onto the diecut panel. A trio of yellow opaque sequins completes my card:

I also added a single daffodil to both the inside of my card and a co-ordinating envelope:

I love yellows and at this time of year daffodils were an obvious choice for me. The daffodils in my front garden border came into bloom this week and they looks so bright and cheery - like a little 'welcome home' party each time I pull my car onto the driveway!

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. 

So what will you create with this sunny colour palette? Before you reach for your ink and papers, check out what our amazing team has created to inspire you this week:

Enjoy your day; I am hoping that the weather will be as nice as it was here yesterday and that I will get to spend some time in the garden as there are lots of odd jobs that need doing. Otherwise, no special plans here in the James household this week. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

DAFFODIL DAYDREAM BUNDLE (£51.25)	BRIGHTS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES (£30.00)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	OLD OLIVE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

Happy Saturday everyone - hurrah for the weekend! Today I'm sharing a card that uses the current sketch layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday that was inspired by the fabulous photo over at The Card Concept:

With St Patrick's Day coming up next Thursday, it's easy to see where the team at The Card Concept are coming from with their 'Wearing O' The Green' theme this week. I took a ton of inspiration from the cushion in their photo to create my clean and layered card - take a look:

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

Lucky You - First up - all those shamrocks definitely needed a 'lucky' sentiment! I chose to use the watercolour effect stamp with the words 'lucky to know you' from the 'Lucky You' stamp set and stamped it onto a label cut using the Painted labels Dies (and trimmed slightly to it). I love the subtle watercolour effect of the sentiment stamps in this set and they are great when you want to make a feature of the words themselves.  

Flowers of Friendship - I'm sure I have the perfect clover/shamrock in my retired stamp sets, but when I came to make this card I couldn't find one anywhere so I had to get creative! I wanted to include some shamrocks - or in my case my lucky four-leaf clover substitute! - so turned to the punch I used on this card to make my stencil yesterday, this time to stamp and punch a row of leaves in So Saffron and Granny Apple Green. The colours on my card today were also influenced by the inspiration photo - I like the mix of pale yellow and vanilla in with the greens, I think they really lift and elevate the card. I added Just Jade enamel dots to the centres of the leaves to tie them in with my card base.

A Carpet of Clover - I originally left my card base blank, but my clean and simple heart still felt it was a little plain, so instead I created a carpet of clover by stamping little leaves all over to give a tone-on-tone effect. This stamp is actually a border stamp from the 'Flowers of Friendship' set - you can see it here stamped on the inside of my card:

To achieve the random effect on my cardfront I simply inked only the end two leaves each time I stamped, rather that the whole row.

How often do you find yourself getting properly creative with the items in your craft collection when you can't find the exact thing you're looking for? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear how you've repurposed stamps or tools to create something different. 

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. 

Both of the James Juniors are out on the hockey pitch today: one playing a single match, but miles away and the other with a full day of 3 back-to-back matches with both playing an dumpiring commitments. Last week's injury in our house to add to the tally was bruised hand, complete with ball dimple pattern - and a medical emergency involving another parent that had nothing to do with the play and which thankfully was dealt with swiftly by a trip to A&E. I'm hoping tomorrow will be less eventful! Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project where I am hosting this week's new challenge over at the Paper Players and I have a fresh colour challenge for you. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£33.25)	LUCKY YOU CLING STAMP SET (£19.00)	PAINTED LABELS DIES (£33.00)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	JUST JADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	JUST JADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)