We have just entered the month of October, synonymous with Halloween and the practice of 'trick or treat'. There are no tricks here though, only treats as far as Stampin' Up! us concerned so here is a round-up of everything happening this month.

FREE SHIPPING TODAY ONLY

First up - free shipping on orders over £60 for today only:

Orders need to be placed before 10.59pm this evening - just click on the image to visit the online store and enjoy the saving. This is a great time to stock up on basics, supplies for Christmas crafting, or a kit or two for Christmas gifting. Remember to add the current hostess code WUN4D92Q for a thank you from me.

STAMPIN' UP! LAUNCHES IN BELGIUM AND IRELAND TODAY

Secondly, Stampin' Up! Has launched into both Belgium and Ireland today! This means that anyone living in those countries can now both order from my online store and are able to join my team - how exciting! This is a great opportunity for fellow crafters in those countries to discover Stampin' Up! products and if they decide they want to join Stampin' Up!, either as a means to receive a discount on their own purchases or because they would like to embrace a new business opportunity, then there's even more good news:

£154 FOR £99 STARTER KIT OCTOBER JOINING OFFER

The Stampin' Up! Starter Kit is on offer this month in all markets: between 4-31 October, the starter kit has an enhanced value of £154! For just £99, you can choose £154 of products from the annual or mini catalogue, the clearance rack, our kits collection or items that are currently available on pre-order too. The starter kit also comes with free postage (and not just today!) and includes free catalogues and other useful business supplies too. There are so many benefits to joining Stampin' Up! right now:

• An ongoing 20% discount on all product purchases, for at least the next 6 months
• See and pre-order new products before they are released to the general market
• An invitation to Stampin' Up!'s exclusive Demonstrator Facebook Group
• An invitation to my Team Facebook Group
• Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events
• The opportunity to build a business that could generate you an income if you wish

Or you could simply enjoy the great offer that is the starter kit itself this month - it's entirely up to you. If you'd like to join my team, then just click here and it will take you to the right place; there is always a 'join me' link in the right-hand column of my blog and if you have any questions or would like to chat through any of the details, just give me a call.

Finally, there are new kits being added to our kit collection today, including a gorgeous Birthday Card Organiser Kit that would make a great gift for yourself or a loved one. I've included a picture above but check out today's other post for more details where I will give a roundup of a few of the newest kits in the collection.

That's all for now - you can see today's creative post here in case you missed it!

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. We are starting a new month and the lovely Michal is our host for October. We are starting the month with a colour challenge: 

For my card today I decided to use the sketch design (but not the colours/inspo photo) over at Fusion for a bright and cheery card that has a distinctly summery feel - take a look:

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

I thought Michal's colour choices were perfect for a bold flower and sentiment, courtesy of my favourite 'Simply Fabulous' stamp set. I stamped them onto a diecut circle and used a sunny Daffodil Delight card base, with a piece of 'Celebrate Everything' gingham paper across the top of the panel. I resisted the urge to add some white baker's twine and finished my flower centre with nothing more than an enamel dot embellishment:

A co-ordinating flower on my envelope and inside complete this easy 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; I'm having a desk day as there is lots of Stampin' Up! news to impart so I've quite a few posts to write - and of course there's shopping to take advantage of today's free shipping offer - yay! I'll be back on Thursday with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SIMPLY FABULOUS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£17.00)

STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)

DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

PUMPKIN PIE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

SHADED SPRUCE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

CELEBRATE EVERYTHING 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£16.50)

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 timely theme challenge for you to work with:

I chose Changing Seasons and the arrival of Autumn as my theme this week. With cooler temperatures and shorter days already making an appearance here in the UK, it seems appropriate. When I think of Autumn, I think of the changing colours of the leaves and that was the inspiration for my card today - take a look:

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

I went with a square card for a change and inspired by a similar layout I'd seen on Pinterest, I created a series of layered circles with my changing colours below and a circle of Crumb Cake above that had a leaf shape cut out with the oak leaf in the Country Wreaths die set, so that the colour showed through the negative space:

My ninth and final circle was  where I stamped my simple sentiment, adding one of the die cut leaves, along with a twine bow and enamel dot as a final embellishment.

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 love the range of colours, from greens through to yellows, oranges red and rust - a great showcase of Stampin' Up! cardstock too! What do you think of today's card and what does Autumn mean to you? Do leave me a comment below, as always I'd love you to share your thoughts. Or you could even play along with this week's challenge!

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 tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

COTTAGE WREATHS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£49.50)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	OLD OLIVE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CRUSHED CURRY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	REAL RED A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CHERRY COBBLER A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CAJUN CRAZE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	CRUMB CAKE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BRUSHED METALLIC ADHESIVE BACKED DOTS (£8.50)	VERY VANILLA A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

Happy World Card Making Day everyone! No cardmaking for me today as both the James Juniors were hosts at their respective school open days this morning then one played hockey and I took the other to the theatre to watch 'An Inspector Calls'. I thought I'd pop by with a quick post to share a card that was inspired by the challenge over at AAA Cards that I made last week and have finally found time to blog.

I love the bright colours of the inspo photo and went with the option of dots & spots too for today’s no-stamping card - take a look:

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

I used the Dots and Spots die for my background and cut it in each of the colours, so that once I’d put my Coastal Cabana panel onto my white card base, I could use some dots in the remaining colours to fill in some of the holes.

I added a layered diecut sentiment from the Amazing Thanks dies popped up on some dimensionals to complete my card:

That’s it - done! A perfect quick thank you and no stamping required!

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 card for this week's Paper Players challenge where I am the hostess this week. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

DOTS & SPOTS DIE (£30.00)	AMAZING THANKS DIES (ENGLISH) (£26.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	COASTAL CABANA A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	POPPY PARADE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	DAFFODIL DELIGHT A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
MELON MAMBO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

Today I have my card for the new challenge over at Festive Friday. 

The challenge that we are celebrating this week is 'Farmer's Day' which is on October 12th. 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 gingham, die cut, kraft card and a thank you sentiment, along with the sketch layout over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and the colour palette over at Color Throwdown this week and this is what I came up with:

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

Timber Texture - For my base layer, I added some texture to my kraft 'frame' using the Timber 3D embossing folder. I really like the effect of the added texture, which adds to the rudtic feel of my card. 

Cottage Wreath - The star of today's card is the autumn wreath, decorated with acorns (and pumpkins) courtesy of the Cottage Wreaths bundle. There are some great standalone wreath dies in this set, but today I chose to diecut one of the stamped versions, full of leaves. I went neutral and decorated my wreath, before finishing with a gingham bow cut from the Country Gingham DSP pack:

A Throwback Trio - I did use a trio of retired products on today's card - did you spot them all? They were Misty Moonlight cardstock for my layers, a piece of Harvest Meadow DSP for the central panel as the blue design coordinated perfectly and finally my pumpkins were cut using the retired Seasonal Swirls Dies, which I rediscovered when I was hinting for retired pumpkin goodies for the pumpkin speed stamping challenge a couple of weeks ago! Some things will always have a use in the craft space, right?! 

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 Challenge Design team:

Ann Schach
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Melva Peters
Jaydee
Diane Evans
Joanne James

Enjoy your day; mine is going to be a busy one and it includes a visit to the hairdressers for an overdue colour. I might be happy to grow old(er) gracefully but go grey in the process - I'm afraid not! I'll be back tomorrow with another quick project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

COTTAGE WREATHS BUNDLE (ENGLISH) (£49.50)	TIMBER 3D EMBOSSING FOLDER (£9.50)	STYLISH SHAPES DIES (£28.00)	KRAFT 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) PAPER PACK (£5.75)	VERY VANILLA A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	LINEN THREAD (£4.75)
PUMPKIN PIE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	GINGHAM COTTAGE 12" X 12" (30,5 X 30,5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£28.00)	SOFT SUEDE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	CRUMB CAKE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Today we have Valerie's final sketch challenge: 

Feel free to flip or rotate the sketch when making your card. I thought this was a great sketch and perfect to enable me to play along with a few other challenges too: the ladies over at Just Add Ink have a 'Choose 2' challenge this week, at Less is More the theme is 'friendship' and since over at CAS on Friday the theme is Christmas, I am playing there too! So - to my card:

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

Masked Merriest Moments - I decided to properly rise to the challenge over at Just Add Ink this week and would use not just two but all three of their options! For my foliage and masking, I used the Merriest Moments stamp set - one of my all-time Christmas festive favourites. I used a circle framelit to cut a circle of masking paper, then stamped a selection of festive foliage around the edge, masking the individual pieces too to create a sense of depth and dimension. Once the masking paper was removed, I stamped my sentiment in the clear circle in the centre and used a thin (retired) gold hoop embellishment to outline the edge of my masked circle, then added some diecut red berries and a poinsettia to the front of the hoop - I like the subtle depth that this gives and pop of additional colour amongst the greens of the foliage:

Words of Friendship - My festive friendship sentiment comes from the 'Christmas To Remember' stamp set - a set of sayings perfect for this time of year. I used another two to add detail to the inside of my card, along with a little more festive foliage decoration:

Simple as that! I wish in hindsight I'd taken step by step photos of the construction process for this card, because whilst easy to explain contained a fair number of steps to achieve the desired effect. I really like the finished card though and I know that when one of my oldest, dear friends who I don't see often, but is always in my thoughts, receives this card she will love it 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 and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£22.00)	MERRIEST MOMENTS PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	MERRIEST FRAMES HYBRID EMBOSSING FOLDER (£37.00)	BASIC WHITE A4 THICK CARDSTOCK (£8.25)	CHERRY COBBLER CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	REAL RED CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
GARDEN GREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	SHADED SPRUCE CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	EVENING EVERGREEN CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

Here's my second card for today! This one was inspired by both the colours and inspiration photo over at Color Throwdown and uses the sketch over at Try Stamping on Tuesday for my layout:

Another card with a dark background - this time courtesy of some (retired) Pretty Peacock cardstock - the perfect base for some vibrant sunflowers - take a look:

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

I used an embossed tree ring for the centre of my card and added my quartet of sunflowers, coloured with a combination of Stampin' Write and Blends markers, and some diecut green leaves around this. I added a heat embossed sentiment with some twine and enamel dots for extra touches of gold. Whilst it's tricky to see on the main photo, I did add in the option of stencilling to the card base, by using some tone-on-tone blending through a stencil made from one of my Sunflower Dies - you can see it a little better on the photo below:

I also used my (retired) Pretty Peacock Blends to colour the edges of my stamped sunflower images to remove the harsh white border against my background. I haven't used the oldie-but-goodie 'Celebrate Sunflowers' stamp set in ages, but it is so perfect for this time of year as summer fades all too quickly into autumn. Another thank you card that will be winging its way to one of my lovely customers this month!

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 for our new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SUNFLOWERS DIES (£31.00)	CELEBRATE SUNFLOWERS CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)	BRUSHED METALLIC ADHESIVE BACKED DOTS (£8.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)	SIMPLY ELEGANT TRIM (£7.00)	EARLY ESPRESSO CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)
DAFFODIL DELIGHT STAMPIN' BLENDS COMBO PACK (£8.50)	GARDEN GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	EARLY ESPRESSO A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SOFT SUEDE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	REGALS STAMPIN' WRITE MARKERS (£30.00)	VERSAMARK PAD (£9.00)
METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)

Happy Monday everyone! I managed to spend some quality time in my craft room over the weekend and as a result of trying to overcome my 'crafting hiatus' I've a couple of extra cards to share with you today! The first one uses Karren's layout over at Freshly Made Sketches this week and the fabulously bold Colour Inkspiration colour palette:

I really wanted to make the most of the bright blue and mango of the inspiration photo, so I went with a bold use of colour - take a look:

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

I used one of my (retired) stencils to add some tone-on-tone colour to my Starry Sky card base, then added a cluster of Meadow Dies flowers to the right hand side in the challenge colours, having added a light touch of Starry Sky ink to my cornflower and embellished my Mango Melody flowers with some sparkly rhinestones.

For the horizontal element of the sketch, I layered a diecut 'Sending' in silver foil on white with the remainder of the sentiment stamped and heat embossed in silver directly onto the cardbase. I finished the inside of my card and the corner of my envelope with a collage of stamped images in co-ordinating colours from the 'Quiet Meadow' stamp set:

A liberal interpretation of this week's FMS sketch for me, although the shapes are clearly visible - I just love this card! 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 '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 shortly with card number two. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

SENDING DIES (ENGLISH) (£31.00)	MEADOW DIES (£36.00)	SILVER FOIL 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) SPECIALTY PACK (£9.50)	STARRY SKY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	STARRY SKY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)
MANGO MELODY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	MANGO MELODY CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)	BASIC GRAY A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	QUIET MEADOW CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£20.00)	RHINESTONE BASIC JEWELS (£5.75)	VERSAMARK PAD (£9.00)
METALLICS EMBOSSING POWDERS (£17.00)	BLENDING BRUSHES (£11.75)

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 my favourite, a sketch challenge for us to work with:

I decided to go with another Christmas card today and spent some time fussy cutting a host of cute and cuddly animals, gnomes and toadstools from my Storybook Gnomes designer series paper to create a sweet festive scene - take a look:

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

If you don't mind a little fussy cutting, this card comes together really easily. I added a panel of patterned paper to my Balmy Blue card base, then built my little scene for the horizontal element. The gnome and toadstool can be cut out with the Gnomes Dies - only the remaining animals require fussy cutting. Here's my completed lineup:

 A sprinkling of (retired) adhesive snowflakes, a simple stamped sentiment from the 'Kindest Gnomes' stamp set and a little stamping on the inside completes my card:

I am also linking up today's card over at Alphabet Challenge Blog where they are currently on 'M is for Magic', so my magical gnome and friends should fit right in!

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; we are having a day of catching up with homework, ready to start the new school week. I managed a little crafty time yesterday so I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used: 

STORYBOOK GNOMES 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£11.25)

KINDEST GNOMES CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£23.00)

BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)

BALMY BLUE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)

PACIFIC POINT CLASSIC STAMPIN' PAD (£7.50)

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for my favourite, a sketch challenge:

I love a good sketch, but I don't mind admitting this week's card was a struggle! Too little craft time and a chaotic craft room are not a good mix, so with my card making deadline looming, I was feeling the pressure. A few failed attempts and I decided therefore that simple would be best. I had seen the inspiration photo earlier in the day over at The Card Concept (there are actually two now for their second challenge of the month - fun!) and whilst I wasn't inspired by the travel theme, I loved their first inspo photo of brightly coloured stylised prints and the one for Bali was the inspiration for my card design today. The bold colours on a dramatic black background with bright pink floral accents led me to grab another of the designs in the 'Celebrate Everything' designer series paper pack and pull together a simple clean and layered Christmas card - take a look:

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

I cut a panel of this brightly patterned paper, double mounted it onto Polished Pink and Shaded Spruce, and added it to a Basic Black cardbase. I added a sentiment from the 'Candy Canes Christmas' stamp set that seemed to fit this bold, fun design and accented it with a couple of diecut holly leaves (taken from the retired Poinsettia Dies, as they were just the right shape and style). I added some detail to the embossed lines with a Shaded Spruce marker to echo the holly design on the paper and finished with a trio of large red glittery enamel dot berries, taken from my stash:

So what do you think? Are you a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas colour schemes or do you like to break the mold every now and again and go with something more contemporary? I admit a black card base is not my usual Christmas card 'go to', but I think it works. I'm not sure I'm going to win any awards with this one (haha!) and the design team over at As You See It have created some AMAZING cards with this sketch, so you should definitely check those out. One thing's for sure I love the 'Celebrate Everything' designer series paper pack - this is definitely the paper that keeps on giving!

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 sketch challenge, you are welcome to rotate or flip a sketch. You can replace shapes used such as substituting a circle panel for a square panel. However, we must be able to still see the basis of the original sketch in your finished product.

Enjoy your day; I'm off to a funeral - the wet and gloomy day definitely is reflective of that mood. I am hoping to be back in my craft room tomorrow though, so will hopefully be ready to share another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

CELEBRATE EVERYTHING 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER (£16.50)	SWEET CANDY CANES CLING STAMP SET (ENGLISH) (£21.00)	BASIC BLACK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	GRANNY APPLE GREEN A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	SHADED SPRUCE A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)	POLISHED PINK A4 CARDSTOCK (£8.75)
BASIC WHITE A4 CARDSTOCK (£9.75)