Happy Monday everyone, and for those of you in the UK a Bank Holiday too! Lots happening today - first things first, I'm sharing a card for the current Fusion challenge (photo inspiration) using this week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I loved the look of the rainbow watercolouring of the inspiration photo so thought I'd have a go at this fun technique - take a look at my finished card:

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

Watercolour Rainbow - I masked off the circle shape in the sketch using a round post it on a piece of retired music note paper that I had in my stash and then using my aquapainter, allowed the colours to flow and bleed into one another and away from the masked area. It really wasn't tricky; the most important thing is to not over-blend the colours so that they remain true and don't end up all brown and muddy. The paper did warp a little, but I used Fast Fuse liberally to adhere it to my mat when dry and this seemed to do the trick.

A Sparkly Butterfly - I used my Butterfly Thinlits to cut out a simple butterfly in Basic Black cardstock and brushed it liberally with clear Wink of Stella. You can see a little of the shine in the photogragh, but believe me in real life this is super sparkly and looks great against the rainbow coloured background.

Just A Note - My sentiment is from the Flourishing Phrases stamp set - it seemed appropriate with the musical background paper! I added a Pumpkin Pie enamel shape heart for an added pop of colour against the black.

So a fun card that wasn't overly difficult to create and looks so very pretty in real life.

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. 

This is one of two posts today - you can read my second post regarding the early release of some great new Annual Catalogue product - the Eastern Palace Suite - here. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Butterflies Thinlits Dies	Basic Black A4 Cardstock	Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Aqua Painters	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad
Elegant Eggplant Classic Stampin' Pad	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad	Flourishing Phrases Clear-Mount Stamp Set

I've had a busy day - we have today welcomed 4 new additions to the James Family - yet still managed to find time to photograph this little number that I made yesterday for this week's challenge over at The Global Design Project. Thank you for to the GDP team for choosing my card last week as a GDP Winner  - I'm honoured. If you missed it, you can see that card here. This week the challenge is to case one of their design team, the lovely Michelle Last, and this is her inspiration card:

I liked the way Michelle embossed the whole front panel, as this isn't something I do on a card often, and combined it with the focal point frame and I wanted to retain these elements. I considered using butterflies but a quick glance at the gallery showed lots of other examples so I went through my box of embossing folders for inspiration and this is what I came up with:

Here's the lowdown on today's card:

Pick A Pattern - I chose to use the Hexagons Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for my background and that formed the basis of the masculine theme for my card. This folder creates such a deep impression with wonderful dimension it makes a great background.

A Creative Frame - I decided to create a frame shaped like a nut to tie in with my masculine hexagonal theme. The hexagonal shape in the Build It Framelits was too small for my card, so I just punched a 2" circle into a piece of cardstock and freehand cut my hexagon around it. It is not perfectly proportioned because I needed a larger hole in order to accommodate my sentiment, so a little creative licence used.

Nailed It - The real feature of my card has to be the tools from the Nailed It bundle. I was so surprised and disappointed to see that this set and the Build It Framelits were not carrying over into the new annual catalogue. It's a great set and I haven't used it much on my blog yet as I was building up to Father's Day in June. The framelits have unfortunately already sold out but at the moment the stamp set is still available. I would really recommend it as it makes a great masculine set and the main tools can be easily fussy cut my hand. I watercoloured my tools with ink and an aquapainter to reflect the style of the card I was casing - a quick and easy way to add a splash of colour.

The fun thing about casing someone else's card is that you can take lots of basic elements that are the same - the embossed background, fancy frame and watercoloured image - yet make them your own to produce something completely different. My card is a completely different theme to the challenge card, but similar in many other ways and it's clear to see where I did a 'Copy And Selectively Edit' of Michelle's original. Thanks Michelle for the inspiration this week!

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'll be back tomorrow with a new project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Nailed It Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Hexagons Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Delightful Dijon Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point A4 Cardstock	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad
Smoky Slate A4 Cardstock	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Aqua Painters	Whisper White A4 Cardstock
2" (5.1 Cm) Circle Punch

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! The lovely Jaydee is the hostess this week and as it's the fifth week of the month she has a fun tic tac toe board for us to work with:

I decided to go across the bottom row - pink, leaves and flower - and took the opportunity to create a card with a modern collage feel, a little different to my usual style. Take a look:

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

So In Love Watercolouring - I heat embossed the large flower from 'So In Love' onto Shimmery White cardstock and used my aquapainter and a variety of pink inks to watercolour it. When dry, I added a liberal brush of clear Wink of Stella for added sparkle. I used the same outline flower for some tone-on-tone stamping and added some white diecut leaves.

Bits And Pieces - I love collage-style cards, but find them such a challenge to create and have them look natural! I gathered lots of bits and pieces - ribbon, sequins, doilies and a wooden flower - and set to work. I also gave my finished card a liberal flick of Wink of Stella - you can't see the shine on the photograph, but this card is oh so pretty in real life!

Freestyle Collage - So the trick with this kind of freestyle collage card is to somehow take an eclectic selection of items and bring them together into a cohesive design. This card took me longer than it should have, as I was very considered with my elements, however I'm really pleased with the result - a lovely, feminine card that would work for a variety of different occasions. I am also linking up with the ladies over at SUO Challenges today with this card where there theme is 'all that's feminine'.

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:

I look forward to seeing what you create with our tic tac toe board this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend - we have a long one as tomorrow is a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so we are all enjoying the extra day that comes with a public holiday - let's just hope the weather stays fine! I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

So In Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Shimmery White A4 Cardstock	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush
Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder	White Stampin' Emboss Powder	Aqua Painters	Silver 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Natural Trim	Pink Pirouette A4 Cardstock
Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad	Sending Love Embellishments

Today I've a quick post to share some sneak peeks with you for some lovely new products that are appearing in the new Stampin' Up! annual catalogue that is due out on the 1st June - 6 in fact! Take a look:

Today's card features some great new products from the Delightful Daisy Suite, featuring some delicate and elegant florals, including:

• A pretty new stamp set, Daisy Delight
• A co-ordinating Daisy Punch
• Delightful Daisy Designer Series Paper
• 1/4" Daffodil Delight Double-Stitched Ribbon
• Faceted Gems

It also features one of the new in-colours - the sentiment, also from the Daisy Delight stamp set, is stamped in Tranquil Tide.

This is such a pretty set - I'm really looking forward to creating more with it. I can't wait to share the new catalogue with you; if you are a customer of mine that has purchased from me within the last 6 months you will automatically receive an annual catalogue from me. If you haven't purchased from me within the last six months but would like to receive a copy of the new catalogue and don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, then please get in touch with me here to reserve your copy.

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

Today I'm sharing a project that I made in an all-day class last November, but didn't share at the time on my blog. Do you remember the 3D home decor piece featuring the Paisleys and Posies stamp set and co-ordinating Paisleys Framelits that featured on page 46 of the Autumn-Winter seasonal catalogue? Here's a reminder:

I thought this was a lovely and unusual piece of wall art, so decided to use it as the basis for an all-day class where the ladies attending would each make their own version of this project and also stamp a stack of cards using the remaining papers in the Petals & Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Paper pack, which they each received in their kits.

Here's my finished framed piece - I originally framed it in white, but have since had it professionally framed in a beautiful copper-coloured wood frame similar to the one in the catalogue, which has much greater impact:

I like this piece so much it is now hanging on the wall in my dining room. The photo above really doesn't do it justice - just look at the lovely shine on the foil and embossed copper against the navy: 

So very pretty! The finished piece measures 12" x 12" unmounted and unframed. The Petals and Posies stamp set and co-ordinating Paisleys Framelits were carried over and are still available, however the paper was discontinued. Good news though: I decided to share this project today because those lovely Petals and Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Papers are now available again on the Clearance Rack for only £4.70 per pack - bargain!

I ALSO HAVE A SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU - A FREE PDF TUTORIAL!

For everyone who purchases the Petals and Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Papers on the Clearance Rack along with the Petals and Posies stamp set and co-ordinating Paisleys Framelits from me through my online store before the end of this month (Sunday 30th April) using the current hostess code Y2MKPTP6, I will send you a copy of my PDF tutorial for the above home decor wall art project, containing full written and photo step-by-step instructions FOR FREE, so that you can recreate it too! Instructions will be emailed separately following purchase - please ensure you include your email address and check the box that allows you to be contacted by me as your demonstrator following your purchase to send them on to you.

The links below will take you to my online store to enable you to purchase all of the supplies you need. I'll be back tomorrow with another project and more Stampin' Up! news. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Petals & Paisleys Specialty Designer Series Paper	Paisleys & Posies Photopolymer Stamp Set	Paisley Framelits Dies	Whisper White 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock	Copper Foil Sheets
Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

Today I'm sharing a card for this week's new challenge over at CAS Colours and Sketches where this is the last of my guest designer posts this month. This week it's a sketch challenge: 

I also decided to use the inspiration photo over at Fusion as a starting point for my card today, which features another sneak peek of the forthcoming 'Bike Ride' stamp set and a few other new products besides - take a look:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

New Stamps - Not one, but two new stamps from the forthcoming new Stampin' Up! annual catalogue on my card today! The lovely Bike Ride bicycle, this time in Smoky Slate (not quite a truck, but still transport, right?) with a cascade of flowers in the front basket. I stamped and fussy cut these so that I could pop them onto a dimensional; not tricky, but I'm still looking forward to ordering my co-ordinating framelits! The sentiment is from a new set too called 'Happy Birthday Gorgeous' that has some wonderful sentiments in pretty scripts and fonts - more on this another day.

New In-Colours - Two new in-colours on my card today too: my cardbase and bicycle highlights are the new Powder Pink, a delicate soft pink that is almost a neutral, and Berry Burst - a rich, berry red with warm undertones, the colour that I used for my scalloped top border and enamel dots. Did you spot those lovely new accessories too? Glitter enamel dots, in various sizes and shades of Berry, with a wonderful glittery sparkle. I am going to need a TON of these!

New Tools - Wondering how I made that scalloped border? Yes, another something 'new' from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits is a scalloped border edge thinlit; I know this will be useful for all kinds of projects.

Isn't that a whole lot of new loveliness for a clean and simple 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. 

Be sure to check out the other DT cards over at CAS Colours and Sketches and look out for me in the gallery from next week onwards!

Enjoy the rest of your day; the James Juniors are (finally) back to school so today I am loooking to move mountains and get into the thick of my significant 'to do' list. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: No product table today, as most of the items on today's card will not be available to purchase until the new catalogue launches. Item numbers are included on the visual above though, so why not add this to your Pinterest board and contact me when the catalogue is live to place your order?

What a great start to a Tuesday - I logged on this morning to find a surprise update to the Clearance Rack. There are now lots of new items available, some with as much as 60% off. As is always the case, popular items will sell out quickly, so don't spend too long deliberating - get in there quick! There are some great paper bargains, including many designer series papers, accessories, kits, framelits and even a few punches. My favourite Warmth and Cheer DSP stack is there along with those gorgeous Petals & Paisleys Designer Series Papers too - I could go on, but the best thing you can do is hop on over and take a look.

Click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last! You might also want to check out this week's round of new weekly deals too and pop one or two of those in your basket - you can find them here. Don't forget to include the current hostess code Y2MKPTP6 make sure that 'allow your demonstrator to contact you' is ticked in order that you receive your special 'thank you' in the post from me. 

Race you to the shop - first one there gets the bargains! Happy shopping! 

A quick post with my second card today; you can see my card for this week's Paper Players Challenge here - this card is my second entry this week for the challenge over at Global Design Project and also happens to use this week's Paper Players sketch:

Whilst I loved my earlier entry for this week's Global Design Project challenge - you can see it here in case you missed it - I wanted to have another go with much more obvious sparkle and bling and this is what I came up with:

A little Falling In Love designer series paper, a Falling Petals embossed vellum overlay and not one but two glimmer papers: Blushing Bride for my Sunshine Wishes heart and Gold for my sentiment diecut from the same set and border. A gold metallic enamel heart shape, some gold thread and a little gold heat embossing finish my card. Very blingy for me and much more in keeping with the GDP challenge this week!

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. 

It's the last day of the Easter school holidays here tomorrow; I'll be back on Tuesday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Sunshine Sayings Clear-Mount Bundle	Falling Petals Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper	Gold Glimmer Paper	Blushing Bride A4 Cardstock
Vellum A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Versamark Pad	Embossing Buddy

It's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! The awesomely talented Sandy is the hostess this week and she has a great sketch for us to work with:

I took the opportunity to use up some of my retiring designer series paper and create a fun birthday card using products from the Party Animal Suite - take a look:

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

Be A Party Animal - I chose to feature the paper covered in a quirky animal print, complete with party hats, on my central panel. This is such a fun design with unisex appeal. Such fun for a birthday card, and even better value now that it's reduced in price to only £7 a pack!

Add A Party Hat - I added a fun party hat embellishment, tied with an Emerald Envy Taffeta bow, above my sentiment banner for my focal point. I backed it with a plain stitched square in Crushed Curry for an added pop of colour. 

A Party Bright Colour Combo - The Party Animal Suite is full of bright, bold colours for wild adventures and birthday celebrations and my card today features four of the main ones:

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. 

This sketch is a real keeper - I can think of so many ways to use it! Thanks Sandy for the inspiration.

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

I am looking forward to spending time pottering in the garden today, making the most of the lovely weekend weather. I can't wait to see what you create with our sketch this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend as it will be over all too quickly; I'm looking forward to I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Party Animal Designer Series Paper	Balloon Adventures Photopolymer Stamp Set	Party Animal Embellishments	Ribbon Taffeta 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Emerald Envy	Party Animal A4 Cardstock Pack
Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Pacific Point A4 Cardstock	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	White Stampin' Emboss Powder

Today I'm sharing a card for this week's challenge over at The Global Design Project where it's all about the sparkle and bling:

I immediately thought 'glimmer paper' for this challenge, but ended up creating a card that had plenty of shine from the copper elements and my glimmer sparkle was somewhat understated - take a look:

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

Copper Trio - Most of the shine on my card comes from the trio of copper elements I've used for the mat, dragonfly and sentiment: copper foil, copper embossing powder and copper metallic thread. These co-ordinate beautifully with the white and Blushing Bride elements elsewhere on my card and definitely add a luxurious feel.

A Glimmer Of Dragonflies - I created a collection of silhouetted dragonflies by using one of the Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits to create a stencil that I then used to sponge my central panel with some Blushing Bride ink. Did you know that the collective term for a group of dragonflies is generally acknowledged to be a 'cluster', but in some circles it is also believed to be a 'glimmer' or a 'beauty'? How lovely is that?

Farewell, Blushing Bride Glimmer - Finally I layered my large diecut dragonfly, using a base of Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper, then vellum and finally copper foil. The angle of the photo doesn't reveal much of the soft pink glimmer paper and it is much easier to see all three layers distinctly in real life - it adds a subtle sparkle that ties in with the sponged panel perfectly. Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper is another of those products on the retirement list that will be leaving us by the end of May but would be easy to overlook, so if you need to stock up be sure to do so whilst stocks last.

This is one of the cards that I designed for my recent Dragonfly Dreams Technique class that featured a variety of ink techniques using this set and I think has to be my favourite of the trio. I'm so glad that this stamp set and framelits are carrying over into the new annual catalogue, although this will be without the 10% bundle saving for purchasing both items together. I will be running this technique class again in person on Monday 3rd July if you live in or around Northampton and would like to attend; however I also have a special offer for anyone who purchases the Dragonfly Dreams bundle through my online store before the 31st May - you will receive this class as a 'Class To Go' with the materials, full written instructions and accompanying step-by-step video tutorials FOR FREE in the post following your purchase (please remember to quote the current hostess code in the sidebar in order to qualify).

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Dragonfly Dreams Photopolymer Bundle	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad	Embossing Buddy	Versamark Pad	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Copper Metallic Thread	Copper Foil Sheets	Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper	Vellum A4 Cardstock