Today I'm squeaking in a quick post before I head out on the school run to share a super quick card I made using Linda's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week:

I spent absolutely ages considering what I was going to do with those two long, thin columns and none of my layered ideas were working out, so in the end I went super simple and decided to make a very clean and simple notecard using the 'Inked & Tiled stamp set - take a look:

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

I used the stamps to represent the layers and inked them using my Stampin' Write markers, which enabled me to easily stamp the flower petals and stem in one go, and achieve a slight variegated look to the petals my adding in a little Berry Burst to my Melon Mambo:

An unconventional colour scheme, especially when you add in the navy stem and leaves, but I rather like it. I added a few white opaque sequins and picked up the Bubble Bath colour of my background 'squiggle' for my label, although in hindsight I think I might have made this white too. Do you ever use your Stampin' Write markers to ink your rubber stamps in this way? It really is so easy and is great if you are short on ink pads too - The 'Inked & Tiled' stamp set is perfect for #SimpleStamping. And so quick - I even had time to repeat the flower on the front of my envelope 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. 

I'm off on the school run; I'll be back with another post later as I've news of this year's Last Chance Discount Lists to share. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

INKED & TILED CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (26.00)

ADHESIVE-BACKED SEQUINS TRIO (7.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

STAMPIN' WRITE MARKERS COLLECTION (126.00)

BUBBLE BATH A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

LABELS AGLOW DIES (31.00)

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 a fun clean and simple challenge for us to work with:

Make a tag or feature a tag on your project - just remember to keep it clean and simple! I had another vellum idea I wanted to try out and LeAnne's challenge today gave me the perfect opportunity - take a look:

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

First things first: I used a piece of retired Expressions In Ink Specialty Designer Series Paper for my card base for ease, but you could easily recreate this alcohol ink effect using some Stampin' Blends and drops of rubbing alcohol. I then cut my tag shape out of the centre of my designer paper panel, before gluing it to my white cardbase (minus the tag). I cut 5 extra tags out of white carstock and added these behind the DSP one, so that when they were glued back into the space the stacked tag would have added depth. I cut another tag out of vellum (I used a scrap of Shaded Spruce for the reinforcer) and stamped the large foliage stamp from the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set in Versamark off the edge and heat embossed it in gold. When it is added (tied not glued) to the tag stack I created earlier, the design is clear and the vellum softens the alcohol ink effect on the tag below:

A gold heat embossed sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set, along with some gold elegant trim and a trio of festive pearls, complete my card. 

I really like the finished effect - minimal layers and embellishments, lots of white space and enough gold to add a little festive flair. The foliage stamp in the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set is so versatile - although it's a line stamp, it doesn't have to be coloured - there are so many different ways to use it. If you would like even more inspiration using the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set, you can search my blog for lots more examples or better still, this is the bundle that features in this month's 'Join In With Joanne and Jan' tutorial that I have created with my NZ friend, the lovely Jan Clothier - if you purchase this bundle from me this month you will receive our  tutorial for FREE with full instructions for 4 additional projects using this fabulous set.

Back to today's project! 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. I'm also linking today's project up over at Less Is More where the theme is 'anything CAS goes'. 

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

Enjoy your day; it's a rather wet and miserable weekend here so I will be staying indoors today I think - maybe some festive baking will be on the cards! 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)	TAILOR MADE TAGS DIES (21.00)	METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)
SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	FESTIVE PEARLS (6.75)

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

Christmas! Yes, with 38 days until the big day, I am in full-on festive card making mode so I thought it would make the perfect for theme for our challenge this week. I created two versions of the same card for this week's challenge - take a look at the first one:

 Here's the low-down on today's card:

Following our vellum challenge here at As You See It a little while ago, I've found myself experimenting more and more with vellum. I had the idea to use a vellum diecut panel to showcase the bold sentiments in the 'Joy To You' stamp set, overlaid onto a super shiny, sparkly background in festive colours, that allowed the background to remain visible. I stamped the largest sentiment and heat-embossed it in gold on a panel cut with the Scalloped Contour Dies, and added this to a base onto which I glued strips of red, green and gold foil and red and gold glimmer paper. I adhered the vellum panel with dimensionals strategically placed behind the widest letters and a trio of gold pearls. Check out the sparkle:

I liked this card so much, I created a second, landscaped version using another of the sentiments in the set, in a silver and blue colourway:

This version uses a slightly smaller sentiment and scalloped die but the principles are them same - and still so sparkly!

I used some retired coloured foils that I had in my stash and paired them with the adhesive-backed gold and silver glimmer paper - did you know that this is available as an online exclusive product? So useful for your festive projects - there is also a three pack of coloured glimmer papers available online. YA design that's great for using up scraps and strips leftover from other projects, you could also make a less traditional version using the pink and green foils that are featured in the current mini catalogue. 

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. 

What do think - does this simple design pack a festive punch? Do leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JOY TO YOU CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)

SCALLOPED CONTOURS DIES (33.00)

METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

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

BLOOMING PEARLS (7.50)

Time for an information post as I have 2 important bits of promotional news to share with you. Importantly, tomorrow sees the start of Stampin' Up!'s Seasonal Sale! 

To wrap up the year—and kickstart the next—there is a steal of a deal on paper crafting products! There’s no better time to stock up and save from the 2023–2024 Annual Catalogue. Here’s what you’ll save when you shop during the sale:

• 10% OFF RIBBONS & TRIMS
• 15% OFF INKS (including Blends and ink refills)
• 20% OFF PAPERS

Build up your collection of crafting basics bursting with colour and prepare for another year of projects!

In addition, I have mentioned it previously, but last week saw the launch of additional products in our range of Online Exclusives products.

Online Exclusives offer a great opportunity for new experiences! You won’t find these products in any catalogue; they are fresh, never-before-seen products to spark your creativity and expand your crafting collection - all from the convenience of the online store. Here are images of just some of the products available:

You can see all of the items that have been launched in my online store by clicking here. So lots of new things to look at and bargains to be had! I will be placing an order tomorrow so if you are local to me and would like to save on postage and add to my order, do get in touch.

Happy Monday everyone! We are another week closer to Christmas, so no surprises that today I'm sharing a card for the occasion! I took my inspiration from the crate of pinecones on the Hand Stamped Sentiments  inspiration photo below:

I diecut some pinecones and greenery using the Christmas Pinecone Dies and snipped a section to frame my sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set - take a look:

I used a piece of retired Painted Christmas designer series paper for my background; I love the fresh feel of this paper, and the white background allows the detail of the diecut pinecones to really shine:

A few sparkly gems complete my card. This card took longer to make than it took to write my post; those Christmas Pinecone Dies take a little bit of time to cut and assemble, but I think it was worth it. Plus I've still got enough leftovers to make another 2-3 cards - bonus! I'm also linking today's card up over at the Alphabet Challenge Blog, where they are currently on 'P is for Peace' - the world could definitely do with some of that at the moment, for sure.

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:

CHRISTMAS PINECONE DIES (42.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (20.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's my turn to host this week and I have a festive colour challenge for us to work with:

Red, green and gold is one of my favourite festive colour combinations so I wanted to see what you would all make with it this week. You can add any other colour of your choice; for today's card I added a little Old Olive and using Jen M's square layout over at Freshly Made Sketches made a traditional Christmas card to add to my growing stash - take a look:

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

The sketch layout was perfect to showcase a large panel of designer series paper, so I chose a vibrant holly pattern from the Joy of Christmas paper pack. I used the slanted panel to feature my bold sentiment from the 'Joy To You' stamp set, which I stamped in Real Red onto a white panel cut with one of the Scalloped Contour Dies to which I added a holly and pine diecut embellishment:

I wrapped my panel of DSP with some gold simple elegant trim (great for saving bulk on cards that need to be mailed at this time of year) and added a bow to my foliage to complete my card. This card actually came together quite quickly once I'd decided on my elements; the paper does much of the hard work with such a busy pattern, it really doesn't need much else. So what will you make with this week's colour combination? Whilst these colours are my festive favourites, you don't have to make a Christmas project with them - the choice is yours!

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 had a super busy day yesterday, with a flying overnight visit for my university-loving daughter and a hockey match for the youngest of the James Juniors. My laundry service has gone into overdrive once more, so today will be spent ironing and baking and hopefully squeezing in a little crafting to finish a few projects that are in bits on my desk. I'm usually one of those people that makes one thing at a time, but since I've had to snatch a quick 30 minutes here and there over the last couple of days, I've started several things and am yet to finish a single one! Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to share one of them. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

JOY TO YOU CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	JOY OF CHRISTMAS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	CHRISTMAS CLASSICS DIES (35.00)	SCALLOPED CONTOURS DIES (33.00)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

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 'World Hello Day' which is on November 21st. 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 bright colours, patterned paper, envelope and hello/hi sentiment along with the layout over at Sketch Saturday and this is what I came up with:

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

Believe it or not I actually started out making this card with the little 'hi' sentiment from the 'Just My Type' stamp set. I decided since it was so tiny, it would either need a very clean and simple layout or a bold and colourful background - as you can see, I went for the latter! I used some retired 'Sunshine and Rainbows' paper in panels for my background, then picked out the colours and images to create a little embellished focal point around my sentiment using other stamps in the set and a few additional diecut pieces from the Give It A Whirl Dies:

Cute, right?! Just the kind of note to brighten someone's day - although they might need sunglasses when they take it out of the envelope, with not a drop of black and white in sight!

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:

JUST MY TYPE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	GIVE IT A WHIRL DIES (37.00)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	PETAL PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	MISTY MOONLIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)
MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

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

I went along the bottom left to top right diagonal with gold metallic/holly/vanilla and using the fab layout over at Try Stamping on Tuesday (no optional plaid I'm afraid) I made a festive Christmas card that also has a direct nod to the Global Design Project #GDP419 theme this week - take a look:

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

I just love the Shining Brightly speciality designer paper - the vanilla and navy colour scheme with embossed gold is so luxurious and perfect for fancy Christmas cards and packaging - and this paper did kind of inspire my TTT board this week, so I couldn't not feature it on my card. I used a panel of the foliage pattern on the lower portion of my card, then added a simple gold border to neaten the join of my paper to my layered foliage cut using the Christmas Classics Dies that I used to decorate the upper portion of my card. I used a combination of Very Vanilla, gold foil and distressed gold paper for texture and visual interest, finishing with some pearls and gold elegant twine trim:

My sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' sentiment was my direct nod the #GDP419 board - 'Tis The Season had me instantly singing 'Deck The Halls With Boughs of Holly, 'Tis The Season To Be Jolly, Fa La La La La ...' (I hope that's not given you an earworm!) for my simple banner greeting. I love this gold and vanilla colour combo - so elegant. What is your favourite festive colour combo? Do leave me a comment below - 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 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. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (49.50)	SHINING BRIGHTLY 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (9.50)	GOLD FOIL SHEETS (4.75)	DISTRESSED GOLD 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PAPER (4.75)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)
METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)	IRIDESCENT PEARL BASIC JEWELS (7.00)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Nancy is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

I thought these colours would work perfectly for a Christmas card, but feel free to use them any way you choose. Here's my card for today:

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

Those bright red 'NOEL' letters will by now be familiar to my regular readers - the 'Joy of Noel' stamp set is my number one stamp set this Christmas. I added them to foam adhesive sheets before diecutting with the co-ordinating die. For today's card I've paired them with the other die set in the suite, the Christmas Classics Dies, and added them to the holly decorative label that I cut from Mossy Meadow. I added a little Boho Blue ink to my Basic White card base with a blending brush and added some Real Red (retired) glittered enamel dot berries to the stems for a pop of festive colour. Check out the sparkle when they catch the light:

This is one of those cards that really is so quick and easy - I think the simple design is really effective though and the label really draws the eye to those fabulous letters.

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! colour 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 soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS DIES (35.00)	JOY OF NOEL PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	MOSSY MEADOW A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BOHO BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)
BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)

Today I'm sharing a card using Jen T's fabulous layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week:

This is a sketch with so many possibilities! I decided to make a contemporary Christmas card using one of the Christmas tree designs in the Merry Bold & Bright designer series paper pack - take a look:

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

I'm also playing along with my friends at Just Us Girls again this week who have my favourite festive colour combo, red and green, as their inspiration this week. I would ordinarily go with something much more traditional, maybe Real Red and Shaded Spruce (my all-time favourite festive combo!) however the contemporary Christmas tree design in the Merry Bold and Bright designer series paper pack changes things up and pairs Lemon Lime Twist with Poppy Parade and a little white. My card was actually designed around the sentiment in the first instance, as I wanted something that would build across the three strips of the sketch and I love the way the text on the 'Joy to You' stamps gets bolder as it builds. I used both retired Stitched Stars Dies and Stitched Triangle Dies to create my accent trees; you could punch these but I like the addition of the stitched detail:

An unusual colour combination, but I actually rather like it; so much so I made two cards whilst I was at it! Here's a peek at the inside too where I added another of the stamps from the 'Joy To You' set and added a leftover strip of paper to decorate:

Perhaps this one needs a warning on the envelope to wear sunglasses on opening!!

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'm having a day of catching up with lots of little jobs today - the sun is shining, so I'm feeling motivated! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

JOY TO YOU CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (23.00)

MERRY BOLD & BRIGHT 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)

LEMON LIME TWIST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (10.00)

POPPY PARADE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)