Today I'm sharing my entry to this week's Paper Players challenge, which has this great sketch by Ann Schach as the starting point:

I love the idea of the 'hidden message' tag on the front of this card. I got out some Sale-A-Bration goodies and another new stamp from the Spring-Summer catalogue and this is the card that I came up with: 

This is the outside of my card, using the alligator stamp from the 'See Ya Later' stamp set - free with a £45 spend during Sale-A-Bration. I chose the bold in-colours of Gumball Green and Raspberry Ripple for my card and I partially inked my stamp using Stampin' Write markers, as I didn't want to include the bottom bit of the sentiment - and this is the reason why:

I made a pull-out tag with the new Scalloped Top Tag Punch and stamped it with one of the Just Sayin' word bubble stamps - how cute is that?! Here's another photo of it sticking out of the card at a jaunty angle (not so sure about this now, but seemed like a good idea at the time!!):

 Some ribbon to pull the tag and a few hearts punched out using my trusty owl punch complete this card. I like this idea a lot and am sure I will be using this layout again. If you like it too, pop on over to the Paper Players page and check out this week's Design Team inspiration; there's some great work there and I particularly love Ann's card - the detail is amazing!

I'm off to get on with the big basket of ironing that I've been putting off for too many days now; still, I'm meeting up with some of my Stampin' Up! team this afternoon, so that is definitely something nice to look forward to.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

See Ya Later Wood-Mount Stamp Set	Just Sayin'	Scalloped Tag Topper Punch	Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper	Gumball Green A4 Card Stock
Raspberry Ripple A4 Card Stock	Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Raspberry Ripple Classic Stampin' Pad	2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers	Envelope Punch Board
Owl Punch	Raspberry Ripple 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Today I have a little project to show you that is based on something I made using my Flowerfull Heart stamp at the beginning of January, but because I didn't have a voice I wasn't able to shoot a video to show you how to make it! Now that my beloved Flowerfull Heart stamp is no longer available to purchase, I decided to modify my original design and make it using one of the stamps in the new 'Language of Love' set that features in the Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue. I used Stampin' Up!'s Simply Pressed Clay to make an ornamental gift tag embellishment that you could use to decorate a card or package. Here's one on a box with a bow made out of some of the lovely Sale-A-Bration Sweet Sorbet DSP:

Here's a close-up of the tag, where you can really see the detail of the stamp:

These tags really are quite easy to make, although you need to bear in mind it's a two stage process, as you will need to allow time for the clay to dry before you can colour and finish it. Here's a link to my video tutorial that shows you how it's done - it also includes some larger ornamental hearts made with my Flowerfull Heart (I couldn't resist!) - and some useful hints and tips for working with Simply Pressed Clay:

These tags would look beautiful attached to a wedding gift, or could even be an alternative wedding favour. I hope you found today's video tutorial useful and it inspires you to make interesting things with Stampin' Up!'s Simply Pressed Clay - leave me a comment and let me know what you come up with, or better still share a photo of your work on my Facebook Page!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Language Of Love	Simply Pressed Clay	Sponge Daubers	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad	Linen Thread	Pool Party 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon	Pink Pirouette 3/8 Inch Taffeta Ribbon

After all the news-related posts of the day, I thought I would share a quick creative post of a card I made using some of the new products that feature in the Stampin' Up! Spring-Summer catalogue released today. Today's card is my entry for this week's sketch challenge over at Create With Connie and Mary; last week I was delighted to be chosen as one of the 'Top 3 Picks' for the colour challenge with the card I featured here. This week's challenge is to design a card using the following sketch layout:

Here is my finished card:

So if you were expecting spring pastels, I'm afraid you're already disappointed!! This card is something of a departure for me - I don't often use black as a card base, but I was inspired recently by this card created by Justin Krieger (check out his blog here - I love his style.) and decided that black would provide the perfect backdrop to showcase lots of the new gold products that feature in the new seasonal catalogue.

I stayed quite faithful to the sketch and edged my oval in gold foil and embellished with a layered flower using the Flower Shop and Mixed Bunch stamp sets. I embossed the bottom flower in black on Very Vanilla and the top layer in gold on black to give it a luxurious feel - the photo at the bottom of this post really shows the detail. I finished with a vintage button threaded with the new gold baker's twine and some gold foil leaves punched from my two step bird punch. The background banner is made from one of the gold vellum sheets, another new product; each pack contains 3 designs (it also includes a spot and a heart pattern) and I love them! I finished by adding my floating dots of gold sequins, which I removed from the thread so that I could use them individually. Oh and I almost forgot - the 'Live happy' sentiment is one of those included in the Sale-A-Bration stamp set, 'You're Lovely'.

I hope you like my card; if you would like to see what the designers and other participants did with this sketch, pop over to the CCMC page for more design inspiration.

Back tomorrow with a video tutorial for you and an exciting make using a new stamp set from the Spring-Summer seasonal catalogue. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

You're Lovely Clear-Mount Stamp Set	Flower Shop	Mixed Bunch - Clear-Mount Stamp	Gold Baker's Twine	Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum
Gold Foil Sheets	Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape	Gold Sequin Trim	Very Vintage Designer Buttons	Ovals Collection Framelits Dies
Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform	Bird Punch	Versamark Pad	Black Stampin' Emboss Powder
Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder	Embossing Buddy	Basic Black A4 Card Stock	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Heat Tool - Uk Plug

A quick post from me this evening! With just one more day to go, I had intended to share another card using a Sale-A-Bration 'sneak peek' to whet your appetite for tomorrow, however I've had an idea that I've wanted to try for a couple of weeks with my Flowerfull Heart stamp and since today is the last day you can purchase this stamp, I thought I'd have one last share with you. I decided to use this week's layout at Freshly Made Sketches as my starting point:

As my regular readers will know, I struggle with the concept of 'vintage' (I much prefer clean lines!) but instinctively I thought this was one of the few stamps in my set that might work for the vintage look, so here's my attempt:

I say 'attempt' because whilst I quite like the finished card, I'm not sure it meets the criteria for a truly vintage look. I like the Crumb Cake, the more muted effect by colouring the stamp with markers and the ribbon works. however, not a pearl or doily in sight - think I might have to go off and do a little more research on this one! If anyone would like to leave some suggestions as to how I could improve the vintage feel of this card, do let me know - all comments welcome. Click on the links below if you would like to purchase any of the items used above, including the stamp - last chance today!

Back tomorrow with the start of Sale-A-Bration - hope you're all as excited as I am!! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Flowerfull Heart Wood-Mount Stamp	En Français	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock
Primrose Petals A4 Card Stock	2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write Markers	Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform
Hearts Collection Framelits Dies	Crumb Cake 1/2 Inch Seam Binding Ribbon

Today's card uses a stamp from another of the forthcoming Sale-A-Bration stamp sets called 'See Ya Later': a collection of 4 stamps each featuring a fun phrase. Today's card seems quite appropriate given the weather that we've been having in the UK this weekend; here's my card:

My layout was inspired by the sketch over at CAS Colours & Sketches this week:

I embossed the Smoky Slate panel with the Cloudy Day embossing folder - this item is retired, but is still currently available on the clearance rack if you'd like to snap up a bargain - it just fits with the sentiment of this stamp. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder so that it would stand out on the finished card.  The real star of this card though is the bright sunburst coming out from behind the clouds, which just lifts the subtle grey and Soft Sky blue to another level.

I'm also linking today's card up with CAS-ual Fridays, where the challenge is to use blocks of colour in your design.

With the rain and the almighty storm with thunder and lightening yesterday afternoon, this card is sure to brighten your day!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky	Daffodil Delight A4 Card Stock	Black Stampin' Emboss Powder	Versamark Pad
Embossing Buddy	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Cloudy Day Textured Impressions Embossing Folder	Heat Tool - Uk Plug

Hurray it's the weekend! Don't we all feel a little like that sometimes? We have a weekend of normality in the James household and that's fine by me - I even managed to squeeze in a few hours in my craft room this afternoon, so I'm certainly not complaining! Today I have another Sale-A-Bration sneak-peek for you - this time a stamp from a set called 'Hello Lovely'. I used this week's sketch over at Mojo Monday for the layout for my card - here is the sketch:

And here is the card I created:

I took the colours for my card from the Afternoon Picnic DSP, although I used Smokey Slate as opposed to Basic Grey as I didn't want the grey to overshadow the other colours. The main stamp is shaped and sized perfectly to fit the Deco labels framelits. I cut out my stamped image using the framelits but mounted on two circles in Crushed Curry and Pear Pizzazz to emphasize the central circle shape that is the focal point of the sketch.

Wondering where I got the embossing folder that I used to emboss the grey section beneath the main banner? It's actually the Stylish Stripes TIEF, that I ran through the Big Shot then turned my piece of cardstock through 90 degrees and embossed it again to give me a criss-cross pattern, echoing the background detail of the DSP and the lattice on the stamp itself.

I'll be sharing more cards using this stamp set in coming weeks; meanwhile, only four more days until Sale-A-Bration goes live and you too will be able to get this and many other exciting sets free when you spend £45.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Pear Pizzazz	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry	Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate	Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	Blender Pens	Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform
Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies	Circles Collection Framelits Dies	Crushed Curry 3/4" Chevron Ribbon

So today I'm sharing a card I made to welcome the latest addition to the family for some friends of mine - their fourth daughter (hence the title of my blog post today!) I decided to steer clear of the pastel pinks that are traditional for baby girl cards and go brighter; after all, when it's your fourth baby girl it's nice to ring the changes, right?! So here's my card:

I used the 'Zoo Babies' stamp set to create my montage of animals and based my colour scheme on the checked DSP from the 'Birthday Basics' set. I used paper piecing to highlight some of the animals' features, as opposed to colouring with marker, so that they would stand out against the bold patterned paper. I smiled to myself as Rebecca came to give my card her seal of approval and said "Are you going to add 'another' with your Raspberry Ripple marker Mum?" As you can see, I resisted the temptation!!

I'm linking today's card up with Less is More where the challenge this week is 'New Baby', the sketch challenge over at CAS(E) this Sketch! and Addicted to CAS, where the challenge is 'New' - well, this card is for a new baby and was created with a new (to me!) stamp set, so I think that qualifies!

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Zoo Babies	A Dozen Thoughts	Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock	Raspberry Ripple A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Crisp Cantaloupe
Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper	Raspberry Ripple Classic Stampin' Pad	Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
3/16 Inch Corner Punch

I have another one layer card to share with you today; I sat down at my desk yesterday with the intention of making something completely different, but having finished the card that I blogged yesterday my head was still in the 'one layer' zone and I suddenly remembered an idea I had had a while ago, but not committed to paper. So I raided my Stampin' Write marker box and came up with the following quick, fun card:

This fun little shovel is from the 'Tag It' stamp set, a great stamp set with a mix of images suitable for a variety of occasions, and for which Stampin' Up! donates £2 from every set sold to Ronald McDonald House Charities. I started with the stamp on the right, which is the complete stamp including the 'I Dig You' sentiment, then worked back from right to left using my stamp-a-ma-jig to ensure perfect placement to create my rainbow of trowels. I wanted my red trowel to be the focal point, so in addition to including the sentiment, I inset it in a read dotted outline heart using the fine tip of my Real Red marker pen and my paper piercing template.

Another cute one layer card with a Valentine's theme - I think I'll link this one up with the challenge over at The Paper Players this week too. Back tomorrow with another project; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Whisper White A4 Card Stock

Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Tag It

Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack

Many Marvelous Markers

I'm sticking with the Valentine's theme today as today's card is also this week's entry for The Paper Players weekly challenge, where Sandy has asked us to create a one layer Valentine's card:

I decided to use the heart as per the challenge tile, but today's card is also showing you how to use one of my favourite Stampin' Up! products, the Expressions Thinlits dies, in a different way. You've seen me use the die cut word itself as in yesterday's card, and I've also used the negative space created by the die cut (you can see an example of that here). Today I thought I would show you how you can use them to create a mask, which gives yet another effect and one that is particularly suited to a one-layer card. Here is my card:

I cut out the die cut word 'love', along with two overlapping hearts cut with my Hearts Framelits and created a mask. Then using Melon Mambo and Smoky Slate ink and a couple of sponge daubers, I carefully sponged around the die cuts to give the illusion of two overlapping hearts, with love running through the centre. I created a second mask using the small heart from the Owl Builder Punch; I could have used a stamp, but I wanted to retain the soft sponged effect so created another stencil then simply sponged a few random hearts across some of the remaining white space. I rounded the bottom corners of the card, but otherwise left well alone; as the Paper Players point out this week, less is more!

I'm really pleased with how this card turned out and it shows yet another way you can use the thinlits to achieve an alternative effect. If you too are 'in love' with 'love' and the other words in the Expressions Thinlits set, don't forget these are only available until 1st February when the current seasonal Autumn-winter catalogue ends - click on the link below to my online store if you would like to purchase. I know I wouldn't be without mine - they can be used in so many ways.

Back tomorrow with another one layer card; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform	Hearts Collection Framelits Dies	Expressions Thinlits Dies	Whisper White A4 Card Stock
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	Owl Punch	3/16 Inch Corner Punch

Good evening blog readers! I had lots of jobs to do today, but after a morning of paperwork I decided the housework could wait and I spent the afternoon cardmaking instead (oops!!) Today I'm sharing another Valentine's card, this time with a more masculine feel. I used the colours from this week's challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary as my starting point:

I decided to use my 'Hearts A Flutter' stamp set, as although this is one of my favourite sets and one I use a lot all year round, I haven't used it on any of my Valentine's cards yet this year. Here is my card:

I stamped my hearts somewhat randomly across the lower half of my card, either side of my focal point. I mounted the top layer of cardstock on dimensionals for two reasons: firstly, to make the ribbon easier to attach and secondly so that the heart that I cut out (I used my hearts framelits for this) would have some depth and my die cut 'love' would have more impact. I deliberately chose to use Smoky Slate for my middle layer, as I wanted the heart to have a more masculine appeal, especially as I used ribbon on my card too; Island Indigo Chevron Ribbon isn't too girly, but adds a luxurious feel to the card. A few candy dots to finish just to add balance and done.

Whilst I designed this card with a man in mind, I think it would work equally well for a woman, especially if you're not the kind of person who is into all things pink and red.

Back tomorrow with another Valentine's themed card; until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine	Magnetic Platform	Hearts Collection Framelits Dies	Expressions Thinlits Dies	Hearts A Flutter Clear-Mount Stamp Set
Island Indigo A4 Card Stock	Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate	Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad	Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pad	Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad
Whisper White A4 Card Stock	Regals Candy Dots	Neutrals Candy Dots	Island Indigo 3/4" Chevron Ribbon