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

I went down the right-hand column with red or green (I used both), patterned paper and diecut, and paired it with the fabulously festive colours over at Colour Inkspiration and made a card that is perfect for the 'add glitter' challenge over at Inkspirational - there's definitely plenty of that! I'm definitely in full-on Christmas mode still, so couldn't resist another Christmas card - or two! - take a look:

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

Gorgeous Garden - I decided to use a die that you possibly don't immediately consider as a Christmas one. The Gorgeous Garden Dies feature both a leaf coverplate and a floral coverplate die. The floral die reminds me of amarylllis flowers, that are often associated with the festive season, so I decided to create a card using red and green as my chosen colours to add to the Christmassy feel. 

All That Glitters - Whilst my card looks quite simple and straightforward, it actually showcases a neat technique. I covered a two-ply cardstock panel with an adhesive sheet, then placed the die on top and ran it through my diecutting machine so that the adhesive sheet was cut but the cardstock based remained intact. I then firstly removed the backing paper from the green sections, and having diecut another floral plate out of the mottled Shaded Spruce pattern in the Joy of Christmas designer series paper set, added the negative space green diecut pieces to the adhesive background. The pattern is subtle, but it adds just a little more interest than a plain green. Next, I removed the backing paper from the negative space of the flowers themselves, then sprinkled this with some Real Red glittered embossing powder that I found in my drawer. I heated it to set the powder, then finally removed the main piece of backing paper and add a double-layered diecut coverplate in Real Red. I just love the finished effect - check out the sparkle on the close up below:

 I also made a second version of this card, this time using pure fine red glitter. This wasn't Stampin' Up! branded glitter, so the colour is slightly deeper. I gives a slightly more textured finish - just as effective though:

The glitter just needs to be pressed firmly against the adhesive paper; any stray excess can be removed with the sticky end of your Take Your Pick tool. I know glitter is ecologically out-of-fashion right now (although there are eco-friendly versions available), but if you have old tubs of fine glitter hanging around like I do, this is a fun way to use it up. Here's another photo of both cards together so that you can see the subtle difference between the two:

Which one do you prefer? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Brightest Glow - Finally, the sentiment on the front of my card is from the oh-so-useful festive sentiment set in the annual catalogue called 'Brightest Glow', heat-embossed in white on Basic Black for a little more emphasis against that red and green background and added some black and white gingham ribbon too. I added another sentiment from the same set to the inside of my card:

So what do you think? I absolutely love these Gorgeous Garden Dies - I think they are one of the unsung heroes of the annual catalogue, since they are standalone dies. You will definitely be seeing more of them in the weeks and months to come - watch this space!

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. 

One last thing to mention: this will be my last challenge with the TicTacToe Challenge team. I have absolutely loved being a part of this team and will miss Felicita and everyone very much; moving into 2024 I will be reducing my design commitments to allow me to focus on other opportunities. A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

GORGEOUS GARDEN DIES (40.00)	BRIGHTEST GLOW CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	JOY OF CHRISTMAS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
LABELS AGLOW DIES (31.00)	BLACK & WHITE 1/4" (6.4 MM) GINGHAM RIBBON (6.75)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. It's the final month of the year and our final challenge of 2023 so we are rounding off with a festive challenge: 

For my card today I chose to re-use sketch 505 from earlier in the year, which just so happens to be the one I designed when I was hosting back in February. If you would like a reminder of the original non-seasonal card I made using this sketch, you can see it here. For today's card I decided to pair a current sentiment, from the 'Joy Of Noel' stamp set with some long retired, much hoarded paper called 'Home For Christmas' for a festive card featuring Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer - take a look:

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

I have a couple of packs still of this retired paper, which is full of cutesy, vintage-style festive designs. I just love the sheet featuring reindeers and if you do a search of my blog you will see that I've made cards previously featuring them too. They are perfect for fussy-cutting; I paired mine with a border of festive red stripes from the same pack and popped him up on dimensionals for a little extra lift:

I stamped the sentiment on the front of the card twice: once in black onto my card base before I added my striped strip, then again in Real Red on some scrap cardstock and fussy cut the word 'spirits' so that I could overlay it onto the stripes. I also added another sentiment from the co-ordinating 'Christmas Classics' set inside my card and mirrored the design on the inside, adding one of Rudolf's friends peeking in at the edge - such a great way to use those partial images from the edge of a sheet of designer paper:

And that's all there is to it! I'm also linking today's card up over at The Alphabet Challenge Blog where they are celebrating 'R is for Reindeer' and with the Christmas theme over at CAS on Sunday. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JOY OF NOEL PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)

VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)

REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

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 and punches. 

Click here to go the clearance rack in my online store and grab a bargain whilst stocks last! Don't forget to include the current hostess code C3HYZSV4 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 next month. 

In addition, another kit has been added to the online store!

 Make friendships blossom with floral handmade cards full of kind words. It’s time to spread love and kindness this season! This kit includes: 

• Enough supplies to create 9 cards—3 each of 3 designs• 9 coordinating envelopes
• Printed card bases, printed die cuts, adhesive, sequins, and gold cord
• Finished card size: 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" (10.8 x 14 cm)
• Coordinating colours: Garden Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Moody Mauve, Petal Pink, Pretty Peacock, Wild Wheat

A reminder that the 'Best Destination' kit was also recently released - you can see more details by clicking on the link below.

Happy shopping!

Links to the online store:

PAINTED WISHES KIT (14.00)

THE BEST DESTINATION KIT (ENGLISH) (19.00)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Jaydee to host this week and she has a timely theme challenge for us to work with:

It's beginning to look a lot like ... Christmas! It is indeed, so Jaydee has chosen the perfect theme this week! At the start of December I like to make those 'special' cards for friends and family - those over-the-top, fancy ones that you hand deliver. I set aside my usual clean-and-layered self and throw caution to the wind, so I thought I'd share one of those cards with you today - take a look:

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

A Fancy Shadow Box - Today's card is part card, part home decor. Measuring 5 3/4" square by 1/2" deep, the front of the card comprises a shadow box frame, with the main design in the centre. I've made non-festive versions of this card in a 6"x6" size that I've shared on my blog previously, but I've never made a Christmas one. This kind of card does take a little longer to make, but I think it's so worth it for a special occasion, don't you? It's also great for those who like to keep their cards and bring out year after year, as it is as much a decoration as it is a card.

Shining Brightly - I used one of the gold and vanilla patterns from the Shining Brightly specialty designer series paper to decorate the frame of my card. Now, I know this paper is now sold out in Europe, but it's been in and out of stock all season due to its popularity, so I'm hoping that for those of you who stocked up, you appreciate a project that shows it in all its glory. Given that my shadow box card has depth, I need to create a box 'envelope' to send it in and I used more of this paper for the lid. You can see my box in the photo below:

Joy of Noel - The real star of the show is the 'Joy of Noel' bundle that features in the centre of my frame. By far and away my favourite bundle from this year's mini catalogue, it really is fabulous. This bundle is still available and if you purchase it from me, you will receive a free copy of the 'Join in With Joanne & Jan' Joy of Noel tutorial that I created with my talented friend Jan Clothier. I combined gold embossed foliage and gold glitter pine needles with a gold embossed NOEL for the centrepiece - the foiling and glimmer paper add so much beautiful festive sparkle, don't you think?

A gold embossed sentiment inside completes my fancy card. What do you think? Do you like to make fancy cards for the special people in your life? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear what you think.  

I'm also playing along with a few challenges: My card follows the sketch at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown (I hope they'll forgive me the sentiment placement), it's a glitter entry over at Inkspirational and finally I've been saving this one for my entry over at SUO Challenges - my favourite holiday catalogue product, actually products with the bundle and paper!!

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:

Enjoy your day; I will be spending mine with more Christmas preparations and getting ready for an upcoming vacation - more about that in a future post! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

JOY OF NOEL BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (45.75)

VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

SILVER & GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) ADHESIVE-BACKED GLIMMER PAPER (6.75)

VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

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

The Shining Brightly specialty designer series paper is the only current 'starry' product that I have in my stash, so that was my starting point for today's card. As I rummaged through my stamp sets and other supplies to find things that would co-ordinate, I came across some wooden stars from last year's Christmas Memories & More packs that I had previously coloured gold for another project but not used. The stars were the same design as those on the paper and so my design was born! I remembered the sketch from Sketch Saturday and grabbed a Night of Navy card base and offcut, a circle die, some gold twine, gold foil, Versamark and gold embossing powder and the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set and set my timer for just under 10 minutes. This is my finished card: 

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

I added my DSP to my cardfront, then diecut three circles from the Navy panel, tied it with gold trim and added it to my card with dimensionals and added a wooden star to the centre of each aperture. I then heat-embossed my sentiment and fussy cut it, then added some gold foil behind it and fussy cut that too before adding to my card:

So how long did my card take? I used the full 10 minutes, although most of that time was spent heat embossing and fussy cutting my sentiment and foil shadow. I set my timer for just under 10 minutes so that it would give me a warning time to stop fussy cutting and allow me the last bit to add dimensionals and stick it to my card. I could have added it as a straight label which would have taken much less time, but I really wanted to fussy cut it to make it narrower. So what do you think? What starry creation will you create in 10 minutes or less?

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. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

• Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
• Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
• If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
• In a speed stamping challenge, please time yourself and say in your post how long your card took to complete. 

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JOY OF NOEL PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)	METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)
VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

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

I had the idea that the central panel would be a great way to showcase one of the Winter Meadow designer series paper designs - take a look:

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

One of the designs in the Winter Meadow designer series paper pack has a deer pattern that can be split into 6 and used as card fronts. I took the one that had the deer on the right hand side of the panel and cut it down to fit my central rectangle. I added a background panel of Moody Mauve and scored in the diagonal lines (these are quite difficult to see in the photos I'm afraid, but add a lovely subtle detail in real life) and fussy cut a couple of berry stems from another of the sheets in the paper pack to decorate my sentiment, which is from the 'Brightest Glow' stamp set and cut with one of the Labels Aglow dies:

I really liked this card, although I did think that I lost a lot of the impact of the deer panel once I'd cut it down. Whilst I had the papers out on my desk, I decided to make a second card using another panel of the deer paper, this time using Kim's open layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week:

I cut the single panel into three and built up the central section with a couple of layers of black and white cardstock, adding my sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set onto a stitched label:

I let the paper do all the work as far as this card is concerned and added only a trio of three pale silver sequins to complete my card:

So two cards for you today - hope you like them! I'm also linking my first card up over at Time Out Challenges where the current challenge is Winter/Holiday.

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

Enjoy your day; I'll be back later in the week with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

BRIGHTEST GLOW CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	LABELS AGLOW DIES (31.00)	WINTER MEADOW 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	MOODY MAUVE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	IRIDESCENT RHINESTONES BASIC JEWELS (7.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	CHRISTMAS CLASSICS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)	NEUTRALS ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS (7.00)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'International Animal Rights Day' which is on 10th December. Remember the fun thing is that at Festive Friday you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion; your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. This week I used alcohol markers, animals/critters/birds and stripes and I combined both the 'make a statement' and sketch inspiration over at Try Stamping On Tuesday for my card and this is what I came up with:

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

More Wishes - Ordinarily if I was going to use a large sentiment, I would make this the central focal point of my card, but the layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday had me intrigued and I wondered if I could instead use my bold sentiment to frame my illustration. The 'More Wishes' stamp set is perfect for this approach: it's just wide enough to create a frame whilst still leaving a central aperture. I did need to get creative with my choice of sentiment and how I laid it out across the four frame elements; as you can see, my repeated sentiment actually starts and ends on the long side. I added a cute robin from 'Festive & Fun' to delineate - I think it works but I'd love to know what you think!

Festive & Fun - I chose one of the images from 'Festive & Fun' to fill the centre of my frame, stamping it in Memento Black and colouring with my Stampin' Blends to co-ordinate with my frame:

Bold Colour - My colour scheme was inspired by the palette over at Global Design Project #GDP421 this week. I stamped the words on my frame using my Stamparatus and stamped them several times each to get a good, solid ink coverage. This does make the colours slightly darker and more intense; I actually really like this colour combination for a modern, festive Christmas 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. 

How does our board inspire you? I can’t wait to see what YOU create! For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the Festive Friday Card Making and Paper Crafting Challenge Design team:

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

MORE WISHES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	FESTIVE & FUN CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (25.00)	TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	POPPY PARADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	POPPY PARADE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)
COASTAL CABANA CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	POOL PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	PARAKEET PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PARAKEET PARTY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	SMOKY SLATE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	PECAN PIE STAMPIN’ BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)

It's Thursday and time for a new challenge over at TicTacToe! It's the turn of Team X to host this week and the lovely Elizabeth is our featured designer this week. This is the fun board that we are playing along with: 

I have a break from Christmas cards for you today! I decided to go from the top left corner on the diagonal with critters/free/patterned paper and using the layout over at Sunday Stamps I have a sneak peek of some product from the new Stampin' Up! mini catalogue that launches 4th January  - take a look:

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

I don't usually share sneak peeks this early, but the new Bee Mine Suite is just SO cute! Whilst the stamp set is called 'Bee My Valentine' and does have some Valentine sentiments, it also has generic ones too and this is the perfect set to tell someone how much they mean to you. The stamp set has a coordinating bee punch that stamps out the body and wings and also includes a tiny heart. Today's card includes both a sentiment and stamped and punched bee, along with two of the Bee Mine designer series papers layered for my background:

It's difficult to see but I added some clear Wink of Stella to my bee wings for a little extra sparkle - adorable, even if I say so myself! Unless you're a demonstrator you have to wait until 4th January to order this fun suite; if you're not on my mailing list and would like to receive a copy of the new mini catalogue, do get in touch and I can make sure you receive a 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 Product and 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

A tictactoe board offers so many creative possibilities - how does this week's board inspire you? Why not have a go? We would love to see you in the gallery and who knows - you might be selected for Designer's Choice and be eligible to be a guest designer on a future challenge. 

Enjoy your day; I'll be back tomorrow with another project for our new challenge over at Festive Friday and fear not - it will be another Christmas card! Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TUXEDO BLACK MEMENTO INK PAD (6.25)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PETAL PINK CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH (7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today I'm sharing a card using the current layout over at CAS on Sunday that was inspired by the candy-can colours and festive mood board over at Just Us Girls:

I couldn't resist that colour palette over at Just Us Girls and so much festive inspiration! I had a couple of candy canes cut from retired Sweetest Christmas designer paper in my stash, so decided to use them as the basis for a clean and simple card - take a look:

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

I added my candy canes to some solid colour banners and a circle that picked up the challenge colours and added a sprig of stamped mistletoe with a trio of pearls and twine bow, along with a sentiment from the retired 'Sweet Candy Canes' stamp set:

A trio of in-colour enamel dots complete my card. Quite a simple card and would be quick to run off in multiples too - I love it!

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:

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	BANNERS PICK A PUNCH (26.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	FLIRTY FLAMINGO A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	SWEET SORBET A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
SWEET SORBET CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (7.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. This week's challenge is a sketch challenge and Nancy has asked that we include three elements overlaid with a sentiment. Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card.

For my card today I decided to embrace the interesting colour palette over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and create a simple Christmas card using my Alphabet A' La Mode Dies - take a look:

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

For today's card I used a dark Pebbled Path background, and having added some tone-on-tone ink around the edge of the base to add depth, I flicked the surface with some watered-down white ink for some snow splatters. I added a trio of letters to spell the word JOY for my 3 elements and cut these from white cardstock, then overlaid these with a sentiment stamped in Berry Burst from the retired 'Peace and Joy' stamp set (there is an equivalent one in the current 'Merry & Bright' stamp set).  so that they would stand out against my Pebbled Path background:

 Some diecut holly leaves and berries and a sprinkling of rhinestones complete my clean and simple card design. I wasn't sure about this colour palette when I saw it, but I ended up liking my card so much that I made two! Here;s another photo with my inside sentiment too:

I'm also linking this card up for a second entry over at Less Is More where the theme is 'Anything CAS Goes'. 

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:

ALPHABET À LA MODE DIES (40.00)	PEBBLED PATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BERRY BURST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MOSSY MEADOW A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BERRY BURST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	PEBBLED PATH CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)	FOAM ADHESIVE SHEETS (7.50)	WHITE CRAFT STAMPIN' INK REFILL (4.25)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (5.75)