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

Whilst it has been a little chillier again here in the UK this week, there are still so many wonderful signs that spring is in the air. The daffodils are starting to open, the first lambs have been born on a neighbouring farm so today's card is full of spring colour - take a look:

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

Flowers For Every Season - I decided that for today's card I wanted to see an injection of spring colour, so reached for the Flowers For Every Season designer paper pack. This pack contains some very bold, bright florals and the one I chose, with its tulips amongst other flowers, is just perfect for spring. I used the three panel layout over at Paper Craft Crew so that the pattern didn't become too overwhelming, and backed each one with a thin border of Just Jade and a fancy frame diecut with the Ornate Layers Dies in Whisper White.

Butterfly Beauty - I chose a sentiment that I thought reflects the optimism that comes with the spring season, and embellished it with a layered butterfly cut using the Butterfly Beauty dies (I snipped this one away from the larger die):

I also used another of the dies in the same set to create my horizontal pieces of greenery. 

Elongated Envelope - In order to comfortably accommodate my three panels, I made my card slightly longer than a standard card front (it measures 18cm instead of 14.9cm). The photo below shows the difference in sizes:

This meant I needed to create a custom envelope. Rather than start from scratch though, I thought I'd share with you a quick trick that you can use to convert a standard envelope to fit a larger card. All you need to do is glue the envelope closed, then slice off the end on the short side and add some some designer paper to create a new closure:

It's really straightforward: Take two strips of coordinating DSP, one measuring 4cm x 30.5cm (1 1/2" x 6") and one 4cm x 10.5cm and attach the longer one to the cut edge of the front of the envelope, with an even overhang top and bottom. Measure 18cm from the end of the envelope and score a line along your DSP, cut away the corners to create your flap then flip your envelope over to the reverse. Fold over the overhangs and glue those in place then align the shorter piece across the back of the envelope and glue to the base. Add tear and tape to the envelope flap and you're done. Here's a photo of the reverse of the envelope extension which hopefully makes some sense of my instructions above:

 I also added some Magenta Madness ribbon to cover my seam as my card will be hand delvered rather than posted - you can always leave this off if you need to be able to post your card.

What do you think? I hope you found the envelope instructions useful and you like my card full of spring colour and flowers. I'm also linking up today over at SUO Challenges, where the theme is 'things that fly' - I think my butterfly qualifies on that front!

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:

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 am hoping to spend some time in the garden today and will be making the most of my last day at home with the James Juniors before they head back to school next week on Monday and Tuesday respectively. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FLOWERS FOR EVERY SEASON DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	ORNATE LAYERS DIES (£34.00)	BUTTERFLY BEAUTY DIES (£36.00)	STITCHED SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	PEACEFUL MOMENTS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)
JUST JADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MAGENTA MADNESS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)

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

The often-dreaded masculine card! I decided to go with one of my current favourites from the January-June mini catalogue as I wanted to give this set another outing and create something a little different to my previous card with this set (you can see that card here if you missed it). Here's my card for today:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Treasures of Life - I decided to use the Grandad and Grandson image from the 'Treasures of Life' stamp set as the main feature of my masculine card today. This is such a beautiful set to celebrate the joys of being a grandparent. I stamped my image in Early Espresso and gave it a rough watercolou in earthy tones, picking out some of the details of the little boy in Night of Navy. I stamped my image on some retired Naturals White card for added texture and added another sentiment to the inside of my card from the set:

I left it otherwise fairly blank as I haven't yet decided what occasion I'm going to use this card for and I may add a birthday greeting too in due course.

All About Texture - I used lots of textural elements on today's card: a piece of Early Espresso embossed with the Tasteful Textile 3D embossing folder, a piece of the In Good Taste designer series paper. along with the texture added by the navy twine and my naturals white cardstock. I think the combination of elements along with the earthy brown tones give my card a homely, cosy feel. What do you think?

Tasteful Labels and an Old Faithful - The final element to complete this week's recipe challenge was to use a diecut: I used one of the Tasteful Labels dies for my sentiment, along with one of my old faithful Stitched Rectangle Dies to frame my watercoloured image.

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. 

So how will you use this week's recipe?

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:

TREASURES OF LIFE CLING STAMP SET (£21.00)	RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	TASTEFUL LABELS DIES (£29.00)	TASTEFUL TEXTILE 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£8.25)	IN GOOD TASTE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£20.00)
2020–2022 IN COLOR ENAMEL DOTS (£7.50)	CINNAMON CIDER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CINNAMON CIDER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	HEART CHARMS (£7.00)	WELL SUITED TWINE COMBO PACK (£6.50)

Sale-A-Bration may be over for another year, but that's no reason for the excitement to end! From today you can get blooming with an exclusive early release from our new annual catalogue that is due to launch at the beginning of May - the Butterfly Brilliance Suite. Bring in the beauty of nature with the artistic designs of the Butterfly Brilliance Bundle and coordinating designer series paper, along with textured specialty paper that will put a pop of brilliance on every project. 

The suite consists of the following products: 

Prepare yourself for a burst of butterflies with the Butterfly Brilliance Background Stamp. Use this stamp to create projects for Mother's Day, weddings, and more. Pair this stamp with greetings of your choice to customize it for the season or occasion. Stamp the line-art image and add color with your choice of coloring technique, or apply different colors of ink to the stamp before stamping to create a unique look. Whatever you do with it, the results will be glorious.  Create beautifully detailed butterflies for all of your paper crafting projects with the Brilliant Wings Dies. Once you've cut out a swarm of butterflies, you can create a background, make a focal point, or use them as accents. There's so much you can do with these dies - and there's a saving when you but stamps and dies as a bundle - bonus!

Add lovely texture to your creations with the Natural Touch Specialty Paper. The pale woodgrain is versatile enough for any project and any time of year. You can stamp on it, emboss it, and use it with dies. Use large pieces of it as a background or cut out pieces to use as accents. 

This is an exclusive specialty paper that will only be available during the Butterfly Bouquet promotion and while supplies last.

Some people call a group of butterflies a kaleidoscope, and that's what you'll get with the Butterfly Bijou 6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper. Choose from glorious butterfly patterns in shades of aqua, pink, and yellow or watercolored patterns that coordinate beautifully. You can't go wrong with these unforgettable patterns.   

This is also an exclusive Designer Series Paper that will be available only during the Butterfly Bouquet promotion and while supplies last.

Love it all? Why not treat yourself to the Butterfly Brilliance Collection and get butterflies galore! This is also only available for the duration of the current promotion and won't carry over into the annual catalogue when it launches.

So what do you think? Have these butterflies got your heart all a-flutter today? If you can't wait to get your hands on yours, click on the links below to order from my online store:

BUTTERFLY BRILLIANCE CLING STAMP SET (£16.00)	BRILLIANT WINGS DIES (£41.00)	BUTTERFLY BRILLIANCE BUNDLE (£51.25)
BUTTERFLY BIJOU 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	NATURAL TOUCH SPECIALTY PAPER (£4.75)	BUTTERFLY BRILLIANCE COLLECTION (£66.75)

I'll be back shortly with today's post for our new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. In the meantime, happy shopping! 

Today I'm squeezing a card for the current challenge over at Freshly Made Sketches and Color Dare (bottom row):

I procrastinated somewhat with Judy's sketch this week (too many ideas!) In the end I took a couple of liberties and went with a floating birthday chicken - take a look:

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

Hey Birthday Chick - I  kept the basic layout of Judy's sketch but used a landscape rather than portrait orientiation, in order that I could accommodate my 'happy' diecut into the horizontal stripe. I thought the floating chicken was the perfect shape to cross the horizontal element - and so easy to cut out with my Birthday Chick Dies too.

 So Much Happy - I used my 'Happy' die to create the horizontal element of the sketch and paired it with one of the stamped sentiments from the bundled 'So Much Happy' stamp set (my second sketch liberty, as I need to position it below rather than above the horizontal strip). I used another sentiment from this set on the inside of my card, along with another chicken to decorate:

Blended Clouds - I decided to make my floating chicken part of a simple scene, so used the cloud-shaped die from the Happy Dies set to create a stencil and with my blending brush, created a simple pattern with some Pool Party ink so that it looked as if my chicken was floating up, up and away:

I so love these new blending brushes! My skyscape was so easy to create and the ink blends so beautifully and evenly with them.

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've had a busy day, with a few errands and online Parents' Evening earlier, hence me being later than I hoped with this post. Enjoy your evening and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£40.50)	SO MUCH HAPPY BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£43.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.25)
POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	CHERRY COBBLER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (£7.50)

Today I'm here with an extra card that I made yesterday just for fun for a few challenges:

The challenge over at CASology closes tomorrow but I had been musing over an idea that I wanted to try for a few days, so paired it with the Color Throwdown colours which had a lovely rust colour included, perfect for a fox, and made the following card:

I used a whole host of retired product on this one, most notably my Foxy Friends stamp set and Fox Builder Punch, to create a Foxy face in lieu of the 'o' in my 'FOXY' word created using the Playful Alphabet Dies and paired it with the word 'Lady' from part of a sentiment in the retired 'Little LadyBug' stamp set to create my custom wording. I used the Color Throwdown colours in a quartet of stripes for my diecut letters and carried them across my card base to unify my layers. I added an additional stamped fox to the inside of my card:

Lastly, no foxy lady is complete without a sassy magenta flower in her fur, right?! So I added a punched flower for an added touch of femininity: 

I love this clean and simple card - it turned out just as I imagined. The big question is, who would you send a card like this to? I'd be really interested in your thoughts!

I'm also linking today's card up over at Addicted to CAS where the code word for the next fortnight is 'animal'.

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 evening and I'll be back tomorrow with another project and news of an early prrelease from teh forthcoming annual catalogue. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used (current supplies only):

PLAYFUL ALPHABET DIES (£32.00)	RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	PRETTY PEACOCK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	PRETTY PEACOCK CLASSIC STAMPIN’ PAD (£7.00)
MAGENTA MADNESS A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CAJUN CRAZE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CAJUN CRAZE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Ann to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for you to work with:

So many options for today's sketch! The weather is slowly warming up as Spring approaches and whilst we may not be experiencing beach vacations for some time to come still, I decided to break out my Sand and Sea Suite and recreate that feeling with a card or two instead. So this is the first card I came up with:

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

Sand and Sea - So much to love about the Sand & Sea Suite! One of the most unique aspects is the way that the dies contain a whole joined sheet of shells and sea fronds that can be both stamped and embossed then either used as a single piece or the individual pieces can be cut away as I've done on my card. I stamped, embossed and diecut the panel in both pink, yellow and pearlescent cardstock and mixed the various elements on my card, with that large, pink circular shell as the centrepiece. I gave it a pearlescent finish by sponging with frost white shimmer paint before adding to my card - just check out the amazing texture and detail:

I added some pearls and braided trim to finish. This stamp really does have the most lovely sentiments too; one the front of my card I used the one that forms the basis of the name for this stamp set - here's a peek at the inside of my card with the second part of my greeting:

This card is headed to one of my oldest and most dear friends for her birthday - I know she will love it! I'm also linking it up with the team over at Time Out Challenges, who are also celebrating their 7th birthday this week and challenging us to make birthday cards too - way to go Time Out!

A Pearlescent Alternative - I had another piece of the Sand & Sea DSP left after making the above card, so I decided to flip it and make another card using the reverse pattern, with the same layout but changing out some of the elements and colours and going for a slightly softer look:

I actually had something of a happy accident with this pearlescent shell. I had intended to simply emboss it, but having embossed the pink shell on the card above first, I hadn't realised that some of the pink ink had rubbed off onto the embossing folder so when I removed my pearly shell from the embossing folder, it had traces of pink ink on the indents. I wiped some of it away but then decided to go with it and instead rubbed the raised areas with Blushing Bride ink to accentuate them. I decided I actually quite liked the detail so no harm done - what do you think?

So which of these cards do you prefer? This one: 

Or this one:

Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts. I am using this suite for my next monthly online stamp class and am looking forward to creating more fabulous cards with it - get in touch if you'd like more information.

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

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; the weather has been unseasonally mild here this week, so I will be spending some time in the garden today and probably heading out on my bike for a long cycle ride with the other members of the James household to take advantage of the warmer temparatures in case winter decides to make a return! I will also be placing my last Sale-A-Bration order as the current Sale-A-Bration promotion ends today - last call for orders if you would like to earn one of the amazing free gifts that are available as part of the promotion. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

FRIENDS ARE LIKE SEASHELLS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£50.25)	SEASHELLS 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£8.25)	SAND & SEA 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	TASTEFUL LABELS DIES (£29.00)	SEASIDE SHELLS (£5.50)
PEARLESCENT SPECIALTY PAPER (£3.75)	BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	SO SAFFRON A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	WHITE STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	3/16" (4.8 MM) BRAIDED LINEN TRIM (£6.50)	BLUSHING BRIDE 3/8" (1 CM) METALLIC RIBBON (£5.50)	MELON MAMBO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
FLIRTY FLAMINGO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	PEARL BASIC JEWELS (£4.75)
FROST WHITE SHIMMER PAINT (£7.50)

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 Betty is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I went down the first column with thinking of you/stitching/flowers for my card today, that also makes the most of one of the Sale-A-Bration freebies that can still be yours for a few more days so is perfect to play along with the team over at TGIF Challenges too - take a look:

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

Flower and Field - Although I didn't eventually choose it, I was considering 'shades of green' as one of my board options and I immediately thought of this paper in the Flower and Field Sale-A-Bration DSP pack as it makes such a beautiful use of Just Jade as its background colour. I decided to use this paper anyway as it's so pretty and the green, pink and yellow combo give me three colours to play with the peeps over at Paper Craft Crew this week too! It's also a great reminder that there are just 3 days to go until the end of the current Sale-A-Bration promotion. If you are a regular Stampin' Up! customer, don't be caught out - the current promotion ends a whole month earlier than it has in previous years. That's no bad thing, as it means we will get a second Sale-A-Bration promotion later in the year, but if you still have things on your current SAB wishlist, you need to earn them whilst you still can!

Thinking of You - The sentiment I chose for my card today comes from the 'Happy Thoughts' stamp set, inspired by the Million Sales Achiever Jackie Bolhuis. This is a sentiment-only set, designed with beginner crafters in mind. It has great basic sentiments for every occasion, along with some longer ones that work perfectly as a feature or on the insdie of a card. What's more, this set was designed to co-ordinate with a number of our basic punches, so is really versatile and a great way to build on a beginner's collection of basic items. 

Pierced Blooms - I added a few Pierced Blooms to decorate my card - another long-awaited addition to my collection - although as I went to finishe my card with some black enamel dots on those itty bitty pink flowers I realised ... yes, I've run out! So use your imagination as I go off to order more of these craft room staples!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

PIERCED BLOOMS DIES (£34.00)	HAPPY THOUGHTS CLING STAMP SET (£20.00)	FLOWER & FIELD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£0.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
JUST JADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BUMBLEBEE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	STITCHED SO SWEETLY DIES (£30.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)
MATTE BLACK DOTS (£6.50)	FLOWERS FOR EVERY SEASON RIBBON COMBO PACK (£9.25)

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

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card. For my card today I am excited to use a new stamp set that I've been waiting for an age to arrive - take a look:

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

Hey Birthday Chick - Remember the 'Hey Chick' stamp set that was a Sale-A-Bration stamp set in 2017? Well, you may have noticed a set in the current mini catalogue called 'Hey Birthday Chick' featuring the same group of feathered friends, this time all ready to celebrate a birthday, complete with cake, balloon and party hat! I used that crazy chicken with the mad hair on my card today, featuring both the old one from the 'Hey Chick' set and the one with the birthday cake from the 'Hey Birthday Chick' set. 

Chick and Birthday Chick Dies Exclusive - Not only are there the two chick stamps available, they are also available as part of exclusive bundles that will be available until 30 June. In addition to some great standalone dies, such as a fence, hen house, eggs, corn and a trellis, to name but a few, there are also dies to make cutting out any of the chicken shapes with ease. I used them to cut out one of my chickens to add a little dimension to my pair:

I am doing very well at meeting the CAS brief this week even if I say so myself, although I did take a small liberty with the sketch since my shapes are not identical. They would have been, but the temptation of the cupcake proved too much for chicken number one!!

Playing With Patterns - The colours for the rainbow colouring on my card today comes from the Playing With Patterns designer paper (Blends colours detailed below). Those subtle stripes were just enough to add interest to the base of my card. 

My rainbow stripes and funky rainbow-feathered chicks are perfect for the colour theme of 'rainbow colours' over at Just Us Girls this week and I'm also playing along with my gal pals over at TicTacToe where Team O are in charge this week and I went down the first column of Jeanne's board with Cute Critter/Celebrate/Coloured. 

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; the sun is shining here so since one of the James Juniors is officially on a Games lesson this afternoon, it looks like I am going to have company for a nice long walk. Following yesterday's announcement, we are officially on a two-week countdown to a return to school, so I think I need to make the most of it! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HEY CHICK BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£41.25)	HEY CHICK CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	CHICK DIES (£30.00)	HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£40.50)	HEY BIRTHDAY CHICK CLING STAMP SET (£20.00)
BIRTHDAY CHICK DIES (ENGLISH) (£25.00)	PLAYING WITH PATTERNS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)
NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	PURPLE POSY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	NIGHT OF NAVY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	BERMUDA BAY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)
MANGO MELODY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	CALYPSO CORAL STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing a card inspired by that fabulous photo over at Fusion and using this week's Freshly Made Sketches sketch by Amy:

I adore that rainbow unicorn outfit in the inspiration photo - what would be princess wouldn't like to dress up in that?! I had been contemplating Amy's panelled sketch and decided that I could combine the two to create the sparkly card of my dreams. If you're not a fan of the the glimmer and glitter, then you should look away now, as this card has it in spades! Ok, you have been warned!! This is what I came up with - take a look:

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

When Is A Hippo Not A Hippo? - When is a hippo not a hippo? Well, when it's a unicorn of course! My unicorn comes from the Hippo Happiness bundle, which in addition to the hippo, a butterfly, a sheep and a horse, there is of course a unicorn! I stamped mine in Smoky Slate with the second step stamp heat embosssed in silver, and gave her a gold sparkly unicorn horn. I think one of the things I love most about this stamp set is the sentiment I used on today's card - words to live by, right?! You can see the detail on my unicorn a little better below: 

Rainbow Glimmer - Having decided on a silver unicorn, I went all out to create my background panel from a complete piece of rainbow glimmer paper, spreading in colour from deep purple, through to pink, orange and yellow. I haven't used this for a while and was having definite withdrawal symptoms! I decided to leave my central clouds as one piece across the centre of my card; I tried it split with the rectangle, but preferred it as one piece. This also worked better for my sentiment, which sits nicely on the cloud.

Stitched Stars - Not satisfied with my rainbow glimmer alone, I decided to add a swirl of (retired) silver glimmer stars from the Stitched Stars die to the edge of my cloud to back my unicorn. I love this die and it's probably my most used in this set.

So what do you think - too much glimmer? I have to say I love it and I know a certain Miss James Junior who will love it too, teenager or not!! I spent the morning with a lovely bunch of my customers having our first proper online class of the year featuring florals and the Art Gallery bundle - a world away from all of this sparkle, although we did have a little play with gilded leafing - an altogether messier affair, albeit with very pretty results!

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 tomorrow with another project for this week's new sketch challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

HIPPO HAPPINESS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£45.00)	RECTANGLE STITCHED DIES (£33.00)	STITCHED STARS DIES (£35.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	RAINBOW GLIMMER PAPER (£5.50)
SMOKY SLATE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BLACKBERRY BLISS CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SILVER STAMPIN’ EMBOSS POWDER (£5.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)