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

Giving thanks - everyone needs a good supply of thank you cards, right? With Thanksgiving later this month for my American friends, November is often a month more than most when we pause to reflect on the things we are grateful for. I could have gone with a card that was similarly seasonally themed, but I decided instead to go with something bold and bright that made the most of this week's Global Design Project sketch - take a look:

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

Bold & Bright, Not Merry - For my vertical stripes, I used a panel of the Merry, Bold & Bright Designer series paper. Part of the Christmas product range, this is a paper pack with designs that really do work all year round and these stripes are perfect for my thank you card.

Many, Many Thanks - I decided to add some tone-on-tone stamping using a selection of the stamps in the 'Timeless Arrangements' stamp set. This set is choc-full of sentiments for all kinds of thank yous; I chose three different sentiments and stamped them repeatedly along the length of the stripes. This is a great way to add interest to a card and using the striped designer paper makes it really easy - no need to stress about accurately cutting your stripes to the same size. 

A Very Big Thanks - I heat-embossed another of the sentiments from the set in (retired) Blueberry Bushel embossing powder onto a vellum circle and decided I had to finish my card with  - a very big thanks, what else?! I added a layered a diecut of the retired thanks die from the Amazing Thanks Dies, slightly offset to reveal some blue beneath my bright green sentiment:

A trio of sparkly enamel dots complete my card. So what do you think? Who would you send today's colourful thank you to? Do leave me a comment below and let me know - 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. 

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

Enjoy your day; our house seems super quiet today, with only the youngest of the James juniors and I in residence - the eldest is still enjoying university life and the hubby is on an extended trip to China and Vietnam. I wonder how long it will be before we are bored with each other's company?! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

TIMELESS ARRANGEMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (24.00)	MERRY BOLD & BRIGHT 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)	VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	BLUEBERRY BUSHEL A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	LEMON LIME TWIST A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
BLUEBERRY BUSHEL CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	POOL PARTY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	LEMON LIME TWIST CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SHADED SPRUCE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	TINSEL GEMS FOUR-PACK (7.50)
BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)

Yay - it's the weekend! Today I'm sharing a clean and simple notecard that was inspired by a few challenges that came together in an interesting way:

The colour scheme at AAA Cards caught my eye and the circular balloon image got me thinking of the SUO Challenges theme of circles and I decided to combine the two. The sketch layout over at Just Add Ink gave me the perfect layout to execute my idea (and is considerably less involved than my winning card last week - thank you ladies for the pick!) - take a look:

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

I wanted a design that exclusively featured circles and I decided to use the Labels Aglow Dies which are all based around tiny diecut circles. I diecut the large round pattern comprising lots of tiny circles twice from thick white cardstock and before I glued them down, I embossed an imprint of the die onto the card base and used my Stampin' Blends in the AAA Cards challenge colours to randomly colour the dots, similar to the inspiration photo. You can see the detail more closely on the photo below:

I finished with a simple sentiment from the 'Ringed With Nature' stamp set which I heat-embossed in white onto a Night of Navy label cut with another of the dies in the set for an extra pop of colour. The Labels Aglow Dies carried over into the annual catalogue from the seasonal catalogue this time last year and are often used for Christmas-themed and seasonal cards, especially as it was bundled with the co-ordinating 'Brightest Glow' stamp set so this is a great way to show how they can be used effectively for a non-festive card too. This is a simple notecard that is great to have on standby for those times when you need to pop a quick note in with something and would work in any colour 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. 

Enjoy your day; following a dry evening and a fantastic fireworks display yesterday evening, I've spent my afternoon sheltering at the side of a wet and windy hockey pitch today - winter has definitely arrived! I'll be back tomorrow with my card for our new challenge over at The Paper Players. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

LABELS AGLOW DIES (31.00)	RINGED WITH NATURE PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (22.00)	NIGHT OF NAVY STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	HIGHLAND HEATHER STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BALMY BLUE STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (9.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)
NIGHT OF NAVY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)	BASICS 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 festive recipe challenge chosen by Jane:

So many lovely things to incorporate! I chose Christmas as my holiday and grabbed the sketch over at Atlantic Hearts for my layout (I flipped my sentiment/foliage panels) - take a look:

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

I added a split panel of Joy of Christmas designer series paper with a panel of white cardstock embossed with the Merry Melody 3D Embossing Folder, adding a wrap of festive red satin ribbon to join them together. I used a sentiment from the 'Christmas Classics' stamp set featuring the beginning of the Christmas carol of the same name and backed this with the square foliage die from the Christmas Classics bundle cut out of retired platinum foil - it has a matt shine that picks out the subtle grey detailing in the designer paper:

Some diecut greenery and a wooden textural element, along with a red ribbon bow, complete my card. I love the texture and dimension on this card - definitely one for hand delivering rather than posting, but so many interesting elements. 

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.

Enjoy your day; we are hoping to attend the annual fireworks display at school this evening, assuming it stops raining and we are spared from the worst of Storm Ciaran - keep your fingers crossed for me! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (49.50)	JOY OF CHRISTMAS 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)	MERRY MELODY 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (10.25)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	TEXTURAL ELEMENTS (7.50)	REAL RED & GARDEN GREEN 3/8" (1 CM) RIBBON COMBO PACK (7.00)

Today's post is a quick one to share a super clean and simple Christmas card for a few challenges that I wanted to play along with this week: at CAS on Friday we need to feature an animal and I also took the opportunity to play along with my friends over at Just Us Girls for what feels like the first time in ages (hello ladies!) as they are on 'CAS Week - use only the centre of your card' to make my annual card featuring the retired 'Have A Hoot' stamp set and this cute family of owls - take a look:

I stamped my image and added some blended Balmy Blue ink to the centre of my card base, then stamped the image a second time and coloured it with my Stampin' Blends. I then fussy cut the second image (I seem to have 'mislaid' my Peek A Hoot Dies since I last used them, which is rather unfortunate - I'm sure they must be here somewhere!) and popped it up on dimensionals:

Isn't that little owl on the end of the branch, jumping for joy, just the sweetest?! A few clear rhinestones added a touch of festive sparkle to complete my clean and simple card - not forgetting the inside too:

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

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. We have a third Tuesday in the month so Patricia has designed a retro-double for us, featuring a retired colour palette and a sketch we've used previously: 

These colours were perfect for autumn so for my card today I decided to feature the 'Season of Chic' stamp set and co-ordinating Chic Dies - take a look:

I blended all three colours and added some autumnal stencilling using one of the Abundant Beauty Decorative Masks into the triangles. I tied some twine to define the triangle borders and added a couple of diecut leaves as a focal point:

Inking my sentiment in two colours added a little extra interest and completed 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. 

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:

ABUNDANT BEAUTY DECORATIVE MASKS (10.00)	SEASON OF CHIC PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (26.00)	CHIC DIES (35.00)	CAJUN CRAZE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)	CAJUN CRAZE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	CRUSHED CURRY A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)
CRUSHED CURRY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)	LINEN THREAD (4.75)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

Today I'm sharing a card that I made at the weekend that was just for fun as I wanted to play along with a few challenges:

I still had the (retired) 'Well Defined' stamp set out on my desk having made this card and another of the sentiments in the set was just perfect to make a card inspired by the current Time Out Challenges quote:

I used the palette over at Color Throwdown - I love the balance of bright orange with pale blue and cream - and the pumpkin inspiration over at Just Add Ink - to create my pumpkin-packed, card full of thanks - take a look:

I saw this card by Martin Stone last week and loved the idea of a bold sentiment overlaid on a slimline card, so decided to use the same design principles for my card. I added a light stencilled houndstooth pattern in Balmy Blue to my vanilla card base, followed by a panel featuring a selection of layered stamped and diecut pumpkins and overlaid this with my bold fussy cut 'gratitude' sentiment.

I used the retired set 'Sophisticated Serifs' which is very similar in size and style to the current online exclusive 'Classic Letters' stamp set. I added the rest of my sentiment that paired with this along with a few extra pumpkins inside my card:

This card took a little while, but I love the finished look and the combination of the bold sentiment on the front and detail inside that for me really does some up what gratitude is all about. I do like to send thank you cards, so these are the kind of cards that there are never enough of and I will definitely be sending this to a worthy recipient.

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

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

ABUNDANT BEAUTY DECORATIVE MASKS (10.00)

BLENDING BRUSHES (13.00)

VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

BALMY BLUE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

Today it's Sunday and time for this week's new challenge over at The Paper Players! It's the turn of the fabulous Claire to host this week and since it's the fifth Sunday of the month she has a bonus tic-tac-toe board challenge for us to work with:

I went across the middle of the board with patterned paper/diecut/enamel dots and used the layout over at Sketch Saturday to showcase another of the beautiful autumn leaf papers in the All About Autumn paper pack - take a look:

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

I cut a slanted banner of the design featuring autumnal horse chestnut leaves and added it to my Cajun Craze card base. I used a sentiment from the retired stamp set 'Lighthearted Leaves', an old favourite of mine, as it seemed to fit the theme of my card perfectly:

I added a couple of narrow strips of copper foil and a vellum leaf accent (cut using my retired Stitched Leaves Dies) for a little added texture and a trio of copper enamel dots to complete my card. 

All in all pretty simple, but a lovely celebration of autumn leaves - so I'm sharing with the ladies over at TGIF Challenges 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:

Enjoy your day; I hope you all enjoyed the extra hour in bed - I will be using my extra time today to do some gardening! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ALL ABOUT AUTUMN 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (14.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (28.00)

BRUSHED METALLIC ADHESIVE BACKED DOTS (8.50)

VELLUM A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

CAJUN CRAZE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

Today I've a quick card for a couple of challenges:

I couldn't resist the sketch over at Atlantic Hearts and decided to pair it with the word prompt over at Inkspirational - take a look:

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

When I first saw the sketch I was so tempted to reach for my Shining Brightly DSP, but since by blog friend LeAnne beat me to it(you can see her fabulous card in the Atlantic Hearts gallery) I decided that I would use one of the frosty, snowy paper designs from the Winter Meadow pack and pair it with the perfect 'cold' sentiment from the retired stamp set 'Well Defined':

I added some ribbon to the border edge and used some silver twine to tie a snowflake embellishment for a finishing frosty touch. 

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 evening and I'll be back tomorrow with my Paper Players project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

WINTER MEADOW 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (11.75)

BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (8.50)

SILVER & WHITE 1/2" (1.3 CM) SHEER RIBBON (8.50)

SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (7.00)

NIGHT OF NAVY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

MISTY MOONLIGHT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (8.50)

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 'Remembrance Day/Veterans Day' which is on November 11th. 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 red, black, poppies and sympathy and this is what I came up with:

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

I don't have any current product featuring poppies, so I had a rummage in the retired box and decided that the Sunday Stamps sketch layout would be perfect to showcase some of the beautiful Peaceful Poppies designer paper that I have been hoarding. I used one sheet using the reverse for my background and then a fabulous poppy print for the central panel. A simple sentiment from a retired Sale-A-Bration set called 'Heal Your Heart' completed the front of my card:

Isn't that paper gorgeous? I used another stamp from the same set on the inside, along with some stamped poppies from the retired 'Painted Poppies' stamp set:

I also added this stamp to the front of my envelope and decorated the flap with more of that pretty paper. Too good to hoard and as the flower of remembrance these poppies are fitting for a sympathy card.

No visual summary of the key products used on today's project as they are all retired except for the basic cardstock. 

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'!

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

I went on the diagonal from top left with metallics/free/leaves-foliage and took inspiration from the dried leaves and purple tones of the book in the Card Concept inspiration photo for my clean and layered card - take a look:

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

I am loving the photo prints in the All About Autumn paper pack - they truly are so evocative of the season. For today's card I chose a pattern of dried leaves which co-ordinates with Moody Mauve perfectly. I heat-embossed my sentiment and edged it with a snippet of copper foil and to incorporate a little more of the copper metallic once I'd diecut my panel of designer paper using the largest rectangle in the Nested Essentials Dies set, I cut an extra piece of the pattern that is actually on the reverse of the leaf image as it features a distressed copper embossed design - you can see the shine a little more closely below:

I added a background panel that I'd run through my diecutting machine with the (retired) Stitched Greenery Die for a little added interest and detail. Quite a simple card, with lovely warm autumnal tones of mauve, brown and copper - time to wrap up warm and go romping through the autumn leaves methinks!

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. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

ALL ABOUT AUTUMN 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) SPECIALTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (14.00)

NESTED ESSENTIALS DIES (32.00)

SENDING SMILES PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (21.00)

MOODY MAUVE A4 CARDSTOCK (9.50)

METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (17.00)

VERSAMARK PAD (9.00)