There Is Much To Celebrate With A Turtley Cute Trumpeter PP751

by Joanne James17. August 2025 08:00

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

       

I knew if we were featuring 'critters' on our clean and simple cards this week I would be reaching for those Turtle-y Cute papers again, so I grabbed them and Verena's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches and set to work - take a look:

 

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

It has been all about the celebrations here in the James household this week: following the youngest James Junior's birthday at the start of the week, we had A Level Results Day on Thursday (a university place is dependent on success, so these are important exams). I am delighted to share that Ben's hard work paid off and he got the grades he needed to confirm his place at his first choice university, so we are all thrilled.

I thought this cute trumpeting turtle would be perfect for another congratulations card and I dug into my retired stamp collection again for the perfect sentiment to go with it. I was intrigued by Verena's FMS sketch this week and found the perfect sentiment stamp in the 'Here's To Cheers' stamp set. I stamped the sentiment in Garden Green, then stamped it again in Darling Ducking and fussy cut the word 'celebrate' so that it extended beyond the circle, as in the sketch. I added my sentiment circle in front of my turtle with dimensionals, having glued him directly to my cardbase, along with a few stamped music notes and sparkly enamel dots:

And that's it! Lots of white space, minimal layers and embellishments - clean and simple, done! This is a less-than-conventional take on the FMS sketch for me, putting the turtle behind the circle, but I think it works - what do you think? 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. 

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

Here's a quick recap of our challenge rules:
 
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission.
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL.
4.  Have FUN!

Enjoy your day; we are out and about today; Ben is off to watch the cricket at Edgbaston and Jason is heading out to the water to go paddleboarding - I think I'm tagging along as official photographer! I'll be back soon with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Comments (10) -

Elizabeth Stewart
Elizabeth StewartUnited States
8/17/2025 1:59:26 PM #

Joanne...I was just saying to Ann how much I am loving these turtles! Love how you layered the sentiment with the turtle... so clean!

Reply

jaydee
jaydeeUnited States
8/17/2025 6:25:55 PM #

Joanne, what an absolutely adorable card.  This card just made me smile.  Your trumpeting turtle tickles my fancy! I also love how the circular sentiment echoes the shape of his shell.  Such a fabulous CAS card. hugs, jaydee

Reply

Verena
VerenaCanada
8/17/2025 9:45:47 PM #

Not only does it work, Joanne, it's absolutely adorable! I love that you fussy cut and stamped the sentiment in Darling Duckling. It really makes the Celebrate stand out. And what a great reason to celebrate by the way! Thanks for playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

Reply

Jan Clothier
Jan ClothierNew Zealand
8/18/2025 5:59:25 AM #

So much to love here! I knew you've be utilising those turtles again - I've almost come to love them, at least in your hands! I like how you've used the music notes and dots to extend the idea of music. I also really like that you've used parts of your retired shelves. You know, I'm thinking they're more of a stamping library: ready and waiting for just the right moment of need. Smile
PS Great news about Ben's results. More cause for celebration!

Reply

Christy Stanford
Christy StanfordUnited States
8/18/2025 4:43:31 PM #

He's adorable!  I love how you placed the greeting stamp--it reminds me of a one man band like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins where he's got the bass drum.  Love it!

Reply

elisa
elisaChile
8/18/2025 5:00:33 PM #

great card, beautiful elements , congrats 💐☺️ happy day

Reply

Cécile RIBON
Cécile RIBONFrance
8/19/2025 12:40:22 PM #

Oh! This card is absolute cuteness, Joanne! That turtle is so very sweet and so fun, too. Thans so much for joining us at FMS this week.

Reply

Ann Schach
Ann SchachUnited States
8/20/2025 1:18:18 AM #

Absolutely adorable, Joanne!  You just can't beat a trumpet tooting turtle for cuteness.  I love the sentiment and how it is positioned. The sparkle dots are the perfect embellishments.  What a delightful clean and simple masterpiece!!!

Reply

LeAnne Pugliese
LeAnne PuglieseUnited States
8/20/2025 2:31:52 AM #

Well, there IS a lot to celebrate in your household and this little guy is a perfect way to do it! I love your fun sentiment--it works so well with Mr Turtle!

Reply

Stef Perry
Stef PerryUnited States
8/20/2025 8:45:28 PM #

Wow, congrats to Ben for his achievement!  Your super fun turtle card is a great way to send congratulatory wishes!  I adore the turtle playing the horn and how you added the musical notes.  And the circle sentiment couldn't be more perfect.  Fab card, Joanne!

Reply

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