It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Vicky is hosting this month and for her last challenge of the month she has a great sketch challenge for us: 

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card. For my card today I decided to pair the sketch with the colours over at Hand Stamped Sentiments to create a 'thinking of you' card, but must confess it wasn't entirely plain sailing! Initially I had created a completely different card for this challenge - then when I went to upload it on our Design Team page realised I had missed Vicky's reference to 'any non-geometric shape' - I will share that card another day - and back to the drawing board I went! I eventually came up with the following clean and simple card:

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

Beauty Of Tomorrow - I reached for the 'Beauty of Tomorrow' stamp set as it has a collection of images in a variety of sizes, including the larger, feathery grass stem that I used on my Smoky Slate card base as the start of my design. I cut a label using my Seasonal Labels dies to which I added my sentiment and some ink splats, then added another seed stem and a bird, which I popped up on a dimensional for extra lift:

 I also used the same set to add a little decoration to the inside of my card:

A Lesson In CAS - I ended up making two cards today and thought I would share the reasons for that here with you, not least because we have a design team call out over at CAS Colours & Sketches this week so for anyone thinking they might like to join the team, it might prove useful! My regular readers will know that my 'go-to' style is generally clean and layered and one of the reasons I initially joined this team was with a view to honing my 'clean and simple' card making skills. I initially laid out the card you see above, but thought it looked a little plain, so I made another card - the one you can see below. Once complete, I no longer felt like it met the CAS brief; whilst there was still lots of 'white space', the additional layering, the coloured gems and diecut detail took this card beyond it. I still love it - and this is the card I'm sharing over at HSS - but I ended up making another card to my original design, the one you see above, and funnily enough once finished I decided I liked it much better than I had the first time around now that I had something else to compare it to - go figure! 

Take Two - Here is that second card! I added in an additional couple of layers, cutting up one of the large leaves from the die set to add interest to the border, along with more splats and coloured gems:

And here's another photo so you can see the extra colour that my subtle changes add: 

I hope you found reading about my trials in card making interesting and useful - our challenge is all about the 'clean and simple', although it can be easy to get carried away with the colours or sketch and forget this. You can see a photo of both cards together below - do you prefer one more than the other? Do leave me a comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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

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

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

BEAUTY OF TOMORROW BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£46.75)	SEASONAL LABELS DIES (£35.00)	SMOKY SLATE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	SMOKY SLATE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
RICH RAZZLEBERRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£4.75)

Today I have a quick 'extra' post to share a card that I made for the current challenge over at Fusion that I'm also linking up over at Global Design Project where their theme is 'Hey Pumpkin' #GDP315:

I love both the Fusion sketch and inspiration photo, but as I have no current pumpkin products in my collection, I went on the hunt through my retired paper for some featuring neutral coloured pumpkins and ended up making a card that comprises entirely retired product, save the basic colours which are all current (Mint Macaron, Old Olive, Basic White and Cajun Craze):

I found this lovely retired paper in the 'Country Lane' paper pack, and paired it with a white layered pumpkin, diecut with the Patterned Pumpkins dies and tied with some retired old olive twine, and finished the whole thing off with an oversize sentiment cut with the Expressions Thinlits Dies.

Thank you Fusion for the inspiration to use up more of my hoarded paper and give some of my retired tools some love - this card is for you my readers, who am I am thankful continue to follow along and sometimes even comment as I share my crafty musings and creations with you!

Today I'm sharing a card using Jacqui's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and the photo inspiration over at Just Add Ink:

Jacqui's sketch has a lovely open space and the colours on the leaves in the JAI inspiration photo are just beautiful! They were the very inspiration I needed to create a project I've been wanting to get to since my last card class - take a look:

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

Merriest Frames - I'm such a fan of the Merriest Frames Embossing Folder and die set; whilst designed for Christmas, by changing up the colours and using a non-festive sentiment gives this frame a completely different look that stretches it across the seasons. It was also the perfect centrepiece for Jacqui's sketch! I also used it to add a touch of glamour to my envelope too.

Blended Autumn Leaves - I used a blending brush to add a collection of autumnal colours to my leafy frame and added a few small raindrop clear enamel dots in a nod to the photo. 

Beauty of Tomorrow - I showcased my favourite autumnal sentiment from the 'Beauty of Tomorrow' stamp set in the centre of my frame and added a small twine-tied diecut leaf embellishment to complete my card:

I really love this card! The frame is so lovely - a riot of blended autumnal colour.

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 another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

MERRIEST FRAMES HYBRID EMBOSSING FOLDER (£36.00)	INTRICATE LEAVES DIES (£26.00)	BEAUTY OF TOMORROW CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)	MERRY MERLOT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	REGALS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)
VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.00)	MERRY MERLOT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	RICH RAZZLEBERRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
OLD OLIVE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (£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 LeAnne to host this week and she has my favourite, a sketch challenge for you to work with:

So many ways to use this sketch! I decided to go with a larger slimline card and showcase one of my favourite paper designs in the current mini catalogue - take a look:

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

Whimsy and Wonder - I love the rather less traditional colours of the Whimsy and Wonder specialty designer series paper and I particularly love the iridescent foiling on some of the sheets, such as the snowflakes on the paper I am featuring on today's card. I cut three rectangular panels of DSP using my stitched rectangle dies and matted each with some brushed silver foil cardstock and a layer of basic white too.

Stitched Snowflakes - For the focal point to anchor my banner, I decided to create a large layered snowflake, using two snowflakes cut using my Stitched Snowflakes Dies and backed this with an additional iridescent snowflake. I added a large rhinestone and silver trim bow - here's a close up so that you can see just how pretty it is:

Finishing Touches - I heat embossed my sentiment from the 'Merry Snowflakes' stamp set in silver onto a banner of Blushing Bride on the front of my card, and stamped another sentiment from the same set onto the inside panel:

I added snippets of snowflakes both to the inside and beneath the panels on the outside of my card to complete the look - you can never have too many snowflakes, right?! I just love this card - so gloriously feminine, yet festive 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 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; we are enjoying a restful day at home. If it stays fine we might go for a long walk this afternoon, and since it's the start of half term I may see if I can cajole the rest of the James family into completing a jigsaw with me on our return! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

WHIMSY & WONDER 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£14.00)	STITCHED SNOWFLAKES DIES (£32.00)	WONDERFUL SNOWFLAKES (£5.50)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (£9.25)
BLUSHING BRIDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	VERSAMARK PAD (£8.75)	METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (£7.00)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£4.75)

Hurrah, it's the weekend! Anyone else feeling like that today? Today I'm sharing a super simple, one layer card for the following challenges:

Never one to shy away from the challenge of a one/no layer card, I decided to pair my entry for the autumnal one-layer theme over at Less Is More with the lovely colours over at Colour INKspiration. I haven't played along there for a while but I love their colour combo of browns with an aqua blue and warm yellow. I decided to make another card with my 'Enjoy The Moment' stampset that I used earlier this week - take a look:

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

I stamped a row of circles in alternating challenge colours using the 'Textures and Frames' stamp set from the recent Sale-A-Bration promotion, and stamped over this with a variety of seed pods and seed heads from the 'Enjoy The Moment' stamp set in Early Espresso, masking the edges so that they didn't go outside of the background circles. I added some scored lines above and below my stamped images for added definition, then finished with my sentiment below:

Layering stamped images is a great way to add colour and create depth without the need for layers and these seed heads are so perfect for an autumnal card. This card really is #SimpleStamping at its best - nothing more than stamps, ink and paper. What are you going to stamp today? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to know.

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; I am off to the hockey pitch for some spectating so will be wrapping up warm against the chillier temperatures we've been experiencing the last few days; I think it may be time for the big coat!! I'll be back tomorrow with my card for out new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

ENJOY THE MOMENT CLING STAMP SET (£21.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	CINNAMON CIDER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)
POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)

Today I'm sharing a clean and simple Christmas card for the current challenge over at CAS Christmas:

I knew I had some red and grey plaid in my retired paper collection so thought I would use this as the basis of my card featuring another of those Delicate Baubles dies - this time the snowflake:

The paper features more muted tones of red and grey (Cherry Cobbler and Grey Granite) than I remembered, but I actually quite like the effect. A simple 'Noel' greeting that I fussy cut from the 'Tidings and Trimmings' stamp set and a single rhinestone complete my 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. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DELICATE BAUBLES DIES (£33.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)	CHERRY COBBLER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	GRAY GRANITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£4.75)	TIDINGS & TRIMMINGS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)

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

I decided to give my Delicate Baubles Dies another outing - the Christmas tree was calling my name! - so I too the first column on the Tic Tac Toe board with Christmas Tree/Bow/Green and in a fun twist decided to pair with the colour palette over at Just Us Girls this week for a rather unconventional Christmas card colour scheme - take a look:

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

This And That - The key to making today's card work is the piece of retired This and That Epic Day design series paper that I used for the frame on my card. It does such a good job of bringing all three colours together and makes the bright bauble tone in rather stand out in a way that jars, I think.

Delicate Baubles - Another bauble paper-pieced in block of the JUGS challenge colours, with some sparkly enamel dots to highlight the starbursts and a gold enamel star to top the tree. I trimmed the base of the bauble on this one so that it didn't have a double border edge.

Add A Bow - I could have added a diecut bow using the die in the Delicate Baubles die set that I used on my previous bauble cards, but decided that something more showy was needed so added a triple bow in Pool Party sheer ribbon - so pretty!

A simple 'Noel' sentiment from the 'Trimmings & Tidings' stamp set completes my card. So what do you think - is this colour scheme too unconventional for a Christmas card? Do leave me a comment below - as always, I'd love to know your thoughts.

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; as of this afternoon, both of the James Juniors will be officially enjoying their half term break, so I am looking forward to spending more quality time with them next week. I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

DELICATE BAUBLES DIES (£33.00)	TIDINGS & TRIMMINGS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)	POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	POOL PARTY 3/8" (1 CM) SHEER RIBBON (£5.50)	WONDERFUL GEMS (£7.50)

Today I'm sharing a very special card as it was made for this week’s new challenge over at Color Throwdown, where I am delighted to be the featured designer this week!

This is the colour palette we are working with:

 

How pretty is that trio of pastels?! I am in a real groove with Christmas card making at the moment, so no ghosts for me! I decided on a trio of Christmas trees instead - take a look:

 

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

Christmas Tree Dies - These skinny Christmas trees are from the Christmas Tree Dies and I think they are my absolute favourites in the set! They can be used in traditional and less conventional colours and still look great. I cut a tree in each colour and also used a piece of watercolour-effect designer paper that was from last year‘s winter mini catalogue that featured the same heather and aqua tones.

Texture and Pines - I used this week’s Global Design Project layout #GDP314 for my card today and for square element used some shimmer white cardstock embossed with the Evergreen embossing folder. This adds a lovely sheen and great texture and dimension as a background detail. 

Seasonal Swirls - I decided to use the star wreath piece from the Seasonal Swirls Dies for the round element of the design, cut from retired white glimmer paper for a full-on winter sparkle. I also added a few sequins and flicked my background with my clear Wink of Stella pen for added shimmer.

 

I added a sentiment from the 'Sparkle of The Season' stamp set, anchored with a pink enamel heart to complete my 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. 

Enjoy your day; you should definitely check out the Color Throwdown design team creations to see what they made of this sugared-almond inspired colour palette this week.

 

Remember too that the 24 hour stamp sale is now in full swing - full details on yesterday’s post here. You have until 10.50pm this evening to snap up a bargain!

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

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

EVERGREEN FOREST 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£9.25)	CHRISTMAS TREES DIES (£33.00)	SEASONAL SWIRLS DIES (£32.00)	SUBTLE SHIMMER SEQUINS (£6.00)	HIGHLAND HEATHER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)
POOL PARTY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	HIGHLAND HEATHER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	SHIMMERY WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.25)

Can’t stop staring at a certain stamp set (or two, or three)? Stock up on stamp sets at a stellar price! For one day only, you can buy select cling stamp sets at a 15% discount. This short and stamp-tacular sale only happens once a year, so get in gear—it’s time to shop ’til you drop! 

Are you ready? The biggest stamp sale of the year is coming up on 20 October - that's tomorrow! It’ll only last for 24 hours, so you will need to act fast to grab the goods. It actually starts at 11pm this evening here in the UK. 

For 24 hours from 19 October at 11:00 p.m. to 20 October 10:50 p.m. (UK) online, each of the cling stamp sets from the 2021–2022 Annual Catalogue will be available for purchase at a 15% discount.

Here's a list of all of the stamp sets included in the sale:

If you see something you like, you can either place an order through me, or you can shop directly through my online store. My shop will have a category entitled “Stamp Sale” that displays every stamp set on sale to ensure a quick and easy shopping experience.

The discount applies to individual stamp sets (not bundles) and can also be used in conjunction with a starter kit - what a great way to get more bang for your buck! Place your order here through my online store or by clicking on the shopping bag icon in the menu on the right hand side - don't forget to include the current hostess code ADG6HG9G for an extra thank you from me. 

I'll be back with another creative project tomorrow but in the meantime this is a 24 hour event only so you have to act fast to benefit from 15% off these amazing sets, so set your watches, it's almost time to go shopping - don't miss out! 

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Vicky is hosting this month and this week she has a fabulous colour challenge for us: 

I just love this colour combination! Gorgeous colours for autumn, so I decided to use them to get colouring - take a look:

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

I stamped a lady from the 'Delivering Cheer' stamp set, cropped her out using my Stitched Rectangles dies and coloured her in with my Blends in the challenge colours. 'Delivering Cheer' is such a fun stamp set with lots of fun combinations of tops and bottoms. It's photopolymer so super easy to align the pieces and is great for both paper-piecing and colouring. I especially like the stamp that allows you to add some funky patterned tights - check it out below:

Isn't that a fun detail? I added a piece of Regals designer paper to further emphasise the purple tones; I love purple but Rich Razzleberry isn't a colour I use often - I love it in this combo though! A simple sentiment from the 'Sparkle of the Season' stamp set completes today's card, which is already in the mail!

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

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

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DELIVERING CHEER PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (£17.00)	REGALS 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£10.75)	STITCHED RECTANGLE DIES (£33.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£7.75)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (£5.50)
SPARKLE OF THE SEASON PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£16.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	OLD OLIVE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	CRUMB CAKE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	RICH RAZZLEBERRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.00)