Happy Monday everyone! For me this is officially the first day of the long school summer holiday! The James Juniors actually finished a couple of weeks ago, but having spent two weeks abroad on vacation today marks the start of our time at home - 6 weeks of no school runs, yay! So how long before I get cries of 'I'm booorrrreeeeedddd' do we think??!

I was pleasantly surprised to return home to the UK to find that summer has finally arrived, so I'm hoping that today's card doesn't tempt fate! I made it with a few challenges in mind:

The team over at CASology have a cue card of 'rough', which can mean many things; I decided to go with a 'get well soon' sentiment and also included some diecutting which the team over at TGIF are looking for this week and a little paper piecing for the team over at Just Add Ink. Take a look:

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

Umbrella Weather - With the exception of the sentiment, which comes from the co-ordinating 'Weather Together' stamp set, my card is all about diecutting today. The umbrella, clouds and raindrops are all part of the Umbrella Weather Framelits set. I've been wanting an umbrella set for ages (you can see my previous punch art attempt at creating my own umbrella here) and this framelit set is perfect: it contains two different umbrella types and lots of border patterns that you can use to customise them, in addition to clouds, hearts and raindrops. The framelits are a great standalone set and you don't need the stamp set to get great use out of these, although given that together they can be purchased as one of the many discounted bundles in the catalogue, I'm not sure why you would buy them alone (just saying :-) )

Paper Piecing - Paper Piecing, the technique that uses small pieces of paper or card to create a pattern, originates from an old quilting technique where the quilter sews small pieces of fabric onto paper in order to make it easier to join them together. On my card I decided to paper-piece the sections of my umbrella. I cut one complete umbrella out of Real Red, then cut a further three umbrellas - one red, one yellow, and one out of a scrap of retired Cherry on Top DSP from my scrap box - and fussy cut each of these by hand into three sections, that I then paper-pieced together and glued to the red base to create my colourful brolly.

Minimal Layers, Maximum Interest - I wanted to create interest not only with my use of bright blocks of colour but also in terms of dimension, with the raindrops, sentiment, clouds and umbrella all completing for layer space on my card. In order to maintain my 'clean and simple' feel, I created a recess in my top mat for my sentiment and popped this layer up on dimensionals to add depth to my raindrops. I then adhered my umbrella directly onto this layer, arching the recess, and finally popped the clouds onto dimensionals for a little lift too. 

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. 

A brightly coloured card that should cheer someone having the roughest of times!

That's all from me today; I have a date with a huge basket of post-vacation ironing along with some time outdoors with the James Juniors making the most of the nice weather whilst it lasts. I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Weather Together Photopolymer Bundle	Island Indigo A4 Cardstock	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad	Pool Party A4 Cardstock	Real Red A4 Cardstock
Daffodil Delight A4 Cardstock	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock	Whisper White A4 Cardstock

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of my sweet friend LeAnne to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to play along with:

This is one of those sketches that has so many possibilities and when I sat down with my sketch book I came up with about six different cards straight off, there were just so many choices! In the end I decided to go with the soft and nautical By The Shore suite to create a rather fishy card today - take a look:

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

Under The Sea - My regular readers will know that the James' are a family of keen swimmers and scuba divers, so this was never going to be a set I could pass up for long! Fishes, seaweed, bubbles, an anchor, shells and starfish, along with some great sentiments and rope/border stamps - a veritable underwater cornucopia. I used the main sentiment on my card today, inked up using my Stampin' Write marker to easily incorporate each of the three colours that feature most strongly in this suite and cut out with my circle framelits and used the seaweed in Mint Macaron to add a little background interest, stamping off once first to give a paler colour. I used an all-blue angel fish (if there is such a thing!) as my embellishment element as per the sketch, popping it up slightly higher than my sentiment circle. Here is today's colour combination should you wish to save it to use again too:

By The Shore - The By The Shore Designer Series paper has some wonderful patterns, including two sheets of ombre in coral and denim blue. The Calypso Coral ombre worked perfectly for my card base, and I also used a piece with a circular pattern for my vertical banner - it reminded me of bubbles, in an abstract way, so it co-ordinates with the other elements of my card.

Nautical Details - In addition to my sentiment and fish, I added a few other nautical details: I stamped a trio of starfish on my card base directly onto the ombre paper, added some pearls and finally a sailor's reef knot in vanilla baker's twine around my horizontal banners. This adds a lot of dimension to my card, making it a little un-post friendly, but I like the added texture and detail it gives so I will just save this card for someone closer to home.  

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

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

I love this fun set and just know I will get tons of use from it. The lovely Linda Callaghan also used this set this week - her card is beautiful and quite different to mine so be sure to check it out for additional nautical inspiration.

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 sketch this week.

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Seaside Shore Wood-Mount Stamp Set	By The Shore Designer Series Paper	Layering Circle Framelits Dies	Very Vanilla Thick Baker’S Twine	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock
Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad	Calypso Coral A4 Cardstock	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad
Very Vanilla A4 Cardstock	Pearl Basic Jewels

Today I have a card that I made a few weeks ago with a Connie and Mary challenge (you can see my actual challenge card here if you missed it) but didn't use at it was lacking in Cucumber Crush. I still think it's a lovely card though so thought I would share it with you today:

Isn't that just the peachiest?! Here's the low-down on today's card:

The Art of Layering - Today's card is a simple design but one that really works the layers to combine two alternative patterns and produce a colourful card. I used Peekaboo Peach for my card base and mat and interspersed my main panel with a double layer, using the Pear Pizzazz to add a fresh edge. 

Watercolour Words - I stamped my bright sentiment in Tangerine Tango using the Watercolour Words stamp set on a circle of Whisper White cut using my Layered Circles Framelits and trimmed to fit the edge of my card - I think this makes a nice thank you card.

You're A Peach - The star of this card is the Fruit Stand Designer Series Paper though - don't those peaches look good enough to eat?! Even without the co-ordinating Fresh Fruit stamp set, this paper adds a burst of fresh, summery fruitfulness. A touch of Peekaboo Peach in-colour ruched ribbon to finish co-ordinates perfectly. 

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 this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Fruit Stand Designer Series Paper	Fruit Stand A4 Cardstock	Watercolor Words Photopolymer Stamp Set	Peekaboo Peach 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock
Layering Circle Framelits Dies	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad

My regular readers will know what a fan I am of Stampin' Up!'s kits and today I want to share with you the latest all-inclusive kit offering - the Oh Happy Day Card Kit. Here's one of the finished cards from the set:

And here's a catalogue image that shows all of the cards that can be made with this kit:

Here's the low-down on the Oh Happy Day Kit and why I think they are perfect for just about anyone and everyone:

All Inclusive - The Oh Happy Day card kit is one that contains everything you need to create 20 unique cards: card bases, co-ordinating envelopes, die cut images and shapes, a Stampin' Spot ink pad, set of 13 photopolymer stamps and an acrylic block and a range of accessories and embellishments. Simply add your choice of adhesive and you are good to go. 

Great Value For Money - At £31.50, this kit offers exceptional value for money - where else could you buy 20 handcrafted greetings cards at less than £1.60 each and have a stamp set, ink spot, block and a range of embellishments left over to create even more things with too? Not to mention the creative fun you will have putting them together along the way!

The Perfect Gift -  Whether young or old, experienced crafter or new to crafting, this kit is perfect for you. Follow the instructions included or unleash your own creativity and do your own thing - and if you're trying to buy for 'the person who has everything' - I bet they don't have one if these! The kit comes in a lovely gift box too, so all you need is some ribbon and a tag and you are done.

Here is a reminder of this fantastic kit if you are getting organised and want to pin it to your Pinterest 'Christmas Gifts' board 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. 

Also the lovely people at Stampin' Up! have also produced a video showing this kit in more detail if you'd like a close look:

I truly do think that this is one of the best kits yet - it's the bright and colourful equivalent of the equally good Watercolour Wishes kit - you can read all about that one here. Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Oh Happy Day Card Kit

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

Today it's time for a new challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary and this week we have a colour combination for you:

As I pondered these colours, I decided that another Bella and Friends card was the way to go - Tip Top Taupe seemed like a good colour for a puppy. Here's my card:

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

Bella And Friends Just For You - Another of the adorable images in this set, I stamped the puppy and his feathered pal in Archival Black ink and this time coloured them using the challenge colour inks and a blender pen onto Whisper White cardstock. I added a liberal coat of clear Wink of Stella to the balloon, although it's difficult to see the sparkle on the photograph - trust me, it's there!

Swirly Scribbles Background - As I was about to assemble my card, I decided that my base layer looked rather plain. I considered the options for adding interest and settled on creating my own random pattern using the small swirl in the Swirly Bird set, stamping it all over in Mint Macaron for a tone-on-tone look. I for one am pleased with the result! 

Envelope Paper is not just for Envelopes - Are you wondering which designer series paper stack I got my Dapper Denim strip from? Well, the answer would be 'none' as it's actually a piece of the new In Colour Envelope Paper. The great thing is though, whilst it's perfect for envelopes it also makes great designer paper to use on cards. It means your card then is also guaranteed to co-ordinate with your custom envelope should you choose to make one - and why wouldn't you? :-)

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. 

Do visit the other Design Team members to see what they did with this week's colours; there's lots of inspiration over on their blogs too!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bella & Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Sets	Whisper White A4 Cardstock	Blender Pens	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock
Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad	Tip Top Taupe A4 Cardstock	Tip Top Taupe Classic Stampin' Pad	Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad	2016-2018 In Color Envelope Paper
Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

Today I'm sharing the third and final card from my second of this month's technique class featuring the very on-trend Jar of Love stamp set and co-ordinating Everyday Jars Framelits Dies. Each of the ladies received the bundle and as always I was on a mission to use as wide a variety as possible of the stamps in this set to showcase its versatility.

This card is a lovely freestanding pop-up card that was inspired by this card created by Lou Kitzelman. I loved it so much I had to have a go at making my own so here's my version:

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

Jar of Flowers - Here I've used the Jar of Love set to create a jam jar full of pretty flowers. I love the little flowers in this set and the co-ordinating Everyday Jar Framelits make light work of cutting them out. Each flower is done in a single colour, with the base flower stamped off once to give the contrast with the smaller piece. I chose a mix of purples, pink and orange for my little posy - feel free to hover and pin this colour combination if it's one that appeals to you too:

Kraft Hardwood Table - I used some retired pre-embossed kraft cardstock in my class, however by stamping the Hardwood stamp in Versamark and clear embossing on plain kraft cardstock you can achieve a similar woodgrained effect for your 'table' base.

Another Fun Fold - This freestanding pop-up card is easier to re-create than it looks. It is a great statement card that also folds completely flat for postage which is always a bonus. 

Here's a quick step-by-step tutorial should you wish to have a go:

Freestanding Pop-Up Jar of Love card - Metric Version

Using the diagram below as your guide:

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. 

The Jar of Love and Everyday Jars Framelits bundle is another of those that has just has so many creative possibilities! If you haven't bought yours yet, this month would be the perfect time to do so; if you purchase the bundle at £48.50 you will earn yourself a £4.50 money-off coupon any purchases next month too - bargain! Just click on the links below to hop on over to my online store to order yours today - and don't forget to add this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to get a little thank you in the post from me too.

I'll be back tomorrow with the second of the cards from my Jar of Love class; come back then, you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Jar Of Love Photopolymer Bundle	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Hardwood Clear-Mount Stamp	Kraft 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock	Versamark Pad
Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder	Heat Tool (Uk)	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad	Rich Razzlebberry Classic Stampin' Pad
Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad	Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad	Tags & Labels Framelits Dies	Sweet Sugarplum 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon

Today I'm sharing the second of the cards from my second of this month's technique class featuring the very on-trend Jar of Love stamp set and co-ordinating Everyday Jars Framelits Dies. Each of the ladies received the bundle and as always I was on a mission to use as wide a variety as possible of the stamps in this set to showcase its versatility.

This card was a punny fun-fold card using the goldfish and a feline friend - take a look:

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

Here Fishy, Fishy - I wanted to create something using the punny 'Best Fishes' sentiment and decided to have a little fun. Whilst my goldfish is swimming innocently in his jar, he is being watched by a mischievous pussy cat - and he has no idea! I stamped both my goldfish and my stalking kitty directly onto a panel of Whisper White (I stamped and punched his tail separately so that it would overhang) then stamped my jar separately and using the framelit cut out the centre too. To this I adhered a piece of window sheet that I had coloured with one of my retired Blendabilities - a light blue Sharpie or similar would also do the job - and stuck this over the top of the stamped panel. Lastly, I added a few bubbles with my white gel pen.

Serene Scenery Parquet - I used a couple of the patterned papers from the Serene Scenery DSP stack to decorate my card: a spotted one to highlight my greetings label, and one of the photographic images with a pattern that reminds me of a wooden parquet floor to the sides. 

A Fun Fold - I chose to create a centre step easel card to showcase my kitty and jar. I have admired a number of versions of this type of card create by my fellow demonstrator, the talented Amanda Bates at the Craft Spa however I wanted a card that would still fit into a C6 envelope when complete, so I created my own mini version.

Here's a quick step-by-step tutorial should you wish to have a go:

Mini Centre Step Easel Card (portrait) - Metric Version

Using the diagram below as your guide:

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

The Jar of Love and Everyday Jars Framelits bundle is another of those that has just has so many creative possibilities! If you haven't bought yours yet, this month would be the perfect time to do so; if you purchase the bundle at £48.50 you will earn yourself a £4.50 money-off coupon any purchases next month too - bargain! Just click on the links below to hop on over to my online store to order yours today - and don't forget to add this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to get a little thank you in the post from me too.

I'll be back tomorrow with the second of the cards from my Jar of Love class; come back then, you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Jar Of Love Photopolymer Bundle	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad	Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Window Sheets	Foxy Friends Photopolymer Bundle
Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	Tangerine Tango Classic Stampin' Pad	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad	Tags & Labels Framelits Dies
Sunshine Sayings Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Crumb Cake A4 Cardstock

Today I'm sharing the first of the cards from my second of this month's technique class featuring the very on-trend Jar of Love stamp set and co-ordinating Everyday Jars Framelits Dies. Each of the ladies received the bundle and as always I was on a mission to use as wide a variety as possible of the stamps in this set to showcase its versatility.

This was the easiest cards of the three - a fun 'pop of pink' shaker card:

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

Pop of Pink - The colour scheme for my fun shaker is inspired by the Pop of Pink Suite of Products; I used some of the Pop of Pink washi tape to embellish with a little gold ribbon - here's the colours if you'd like to save them for inspiration too:

A Sweet Sentiment - This card uses one of the many sweet sentiments from the 'Jar of Love' stamp set and is perfect for the loveheart theme of my card. I added a Brights enamel heart too for added shine.

Confetti Fun - My confetti is a mix of Melon Mambo hearts, cut out with the little framelit in the Everyday Jars set, and the hearts in the metallic sequins assortment; I usually pick these out when I do other projects, so I had quite the collection for my shaker! 

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. 

The Jar of Love and Everyday Jars Framelits bundle is another of those that has just has so many creative possibilities! If you haven't bought yours yet, this month would be the perfect time to do so; if you purchase the bundle at £48.50 you will earn yourself a £4.50 money-off coupon any purchases next month too - bargain! Just click on the links below to hop on over to my online store to order yours today - and don't forget to add this month's hostess code 63RNATE3 to get a little thank you in the post from me too.

I'll be back tomorrow with the second of the cards from my Jar of Love class; come back then, you won't want to miss it! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Jar Of Love Photopolymer Bundle	Pop Of Pink Designer Washi Tape	Gold 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Ribbon	Metallics Sequin Assortment	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad
Whisper White A4 Thick Cardstock	Melon Mambo A4 Cardstock	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Brights Enamel Shapes	Handheld Stapler
Window Sheets

It's Sunday and time for a new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the lovely Jaydee to host this week and she has a clean and simple challenge for us to play along with:

As I was working through trying to get my cards done before my impending vacation, I was grateful for Jaydee's choice of clean and simple theme this week - watercolouring. For my card this week I decided to use my new 'Bella and Friends' stamp set and create a truly 'clean and simple card. Take a look: 

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

Bella and Friends - Ok, so hands up who doesn't think this cute puppy dog set is adorable?! As my regular readers will know I am not really a pet person and so I don't have many of those kinds of stamps (read the trouble that got me into in this post earlier in the year!). With the retirement of my beloved 'Giggle Greetings', I needed an animal stamp - and the minute I saw this stamp set, I was in love! The cute puppy dog so reminds me of my brother-in-law's dog Ollie and he was the colour inspiration for my puppy today - a mix of Soft Suede and Delightful Dijon. This set is perfect for colouring, whether with an aquapainter or markers, and is also great for clean and simple cards. I like it so much, I may even be tempted to purchase the 'Pretty Kitty' cat equivalent too!

Have aquapainter, will watercolour - My favourite way to colour images like this is to use my aquapainters. I simply stamped the image in Stazon onto watercolour paper, and got right to it! I coloured the images then added a little Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi for the landscape and was done. This kind of card is good for the soul - whether it takes minutes or hours, I find colouring with my aquapainters wonderfully theraputic. How about you?

Clean and Simple - This card ticks all the boxes for a clean and simple card: minimal layers and embellishments, one simple focal image focused on one third of the card and easy to recreate - yay! 

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. 

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 your clean and simple watercoloured creations this week. I'm off for another day of fun in the sun!

Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Bella & Friends Clear-Mount Stamp Sets	Aqua Painters	Jet Black Stazon Pad	Watercolor Paper	Soft Sky A4 Cardstock
Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	Delightful Dijion Classic Stampin' Pad	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Cucumber Crush Classic Stampin' Pad	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad

Today I'm sharing the third and final card from my recent technique class featuring the Moroccan Suite of products. Each of the ladies received a share of the products in the suite - designer series papers, ribbon and twine as well as the Moroccan Nights stamp set and the aim was to create a trio of cards that showcased each of the elements.

This card is all about the paper and features a different way to showcase one of the wonderful patterns of the Moroccan Designer Series Paper - take a look:

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

Moroccan Tiles - The papers in this set contain some colourful traditional Moroccan-inspired mosaic patterns, some of which work for backgrounds and some which deserve to be a feature in their own right; the paper on this card today is, in my view, one such pattern. There is no stamping required, as the wonderful rustic colours of the paper do all the hard work for you. I didn't even include a sentiment on the front of my card, as I didn't want it to spoil the geometrical layout - there is plenty of space inside the card to stamp a sentiment of your choosing. 

It's Hip To Be Square - Having spent much time considering the patterns in the Moroccan Designer Series Paper pack, I finally decided today's paper was the one that I wanted to showcase in a feature frame. I made my frame by overlaying two of the square framelits from the Layered Square Framelits set; I used the framelits measuring and - this image shows you how I decided which ones would give me the aperture I needed:

Framelits are great for creating windows and apertures, in addition to the perfect square mat or layer. I simply centred mine onto my card front and cut them one at a time, cutting the square one first then overlaying the second one in an offset diamond shape. You can create a corner frame piece to help you line up your framelits and ensure they are perfectly central if you need to.

Medallion Centre - To finish my card I punched out a co-ordinating circle from the remainder of my paper (highlighted by the small square in the image above), backed it with another punched circle of Cajun Craze and mounted it on a dimensional with a twist of the Delightful Dijon 5/8" Mini Striped Ribbon and some metallic gold thread. 

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 hope you like this trio of cards using the Moroccan Suite of products. If you live in or around Northampton and would like to join me for some creative fun, you can check out my schedule of forthcoming classes here - I would love you to join me!

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with this week's card for our new challenge over at The Paper Players; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Layering Squares Framelits Dies	Moroccan Designer Series Paper	Delightful Dijon 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Mini Striped Ribbon	Metallics Sequin Assortment	1" (2.5 Cm) Circle Punch
1-1/4" (3.2 Cm) Circle Punch	Gold Metallic Thread	Delightful Dijon A4 Cardstock	Cajun Craze A4 Cardstock