As I've been waiting for the May-August 2026 catalog to go live I've enjoyed making samples using the new Fern & Flora bundle. I loved the sketch over at Just Add Ink and thought the ferns would work well for the smaller circle elements. This is what I came up with.
Did You Stamp Today?
Amanda Mertz ~ Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator ~ didyoustamptoday@gmail.com
Friday, May 1, 2026
Moonlit Thanks - Stampin' Up!® Fern & Flora
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Bright Balloons - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon
I don't know where the last 2 weeks have gone but it seems they have flown by and we are back again for the next CAS Colours & Sketches challenge! We have a fun and bright color combo this time around. You can use neutrals on your design but make sure that the challenge colors are the most prominent and you keep it clean and simple!
I decided to do a celebratory card with these fun colors and used the new Balloon Festoon bundle (coming May 5!) for a birthday card.
This card couldn't be more simple and is a perfect way to use up some DSP scraps! It starts with a piece of Basic White in which 3 of the smallest balloon shapes are cut out of it using the Balloon Festoon dies. Then I dug through my stash of DSP to find a pattern in each of the 3 colors and adhered them on the backside of the Basic White panel. That panel is adhered to a Flirty Flamingo card base which you can't see.
The sentiment is stamped in Memento black and some retired sequins are added as the final touch.
I told you it was a simple card! I hope to see your card in the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge gallery. You have until May 11 to try out these fun colors!
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with a * will ba available on May 5, 2026.
Stamps: Balloon Festoon*
Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Basic White, Made With Love DSP, Friends of the Ocean DSP (retired), Gingham Gala DSP (retired)
Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies*, Adhesive-backed Sparkle Sequins (retired)
Monday, April 27, 2026
All Occasion Nature - Stampin' Up!® Nature's Symphony
I'm sharing the third and final card my stampers made at my last class. I do a lot of seasonal cards at class for upcoming holidays so it's nice to add in one that can be an all occasion card for whatever my stampers might need that isn't associated with a season or holiday. We used the Nature's Symphony bundle for this one and used the Reason to Celebrate stamp set to add a sentiment of their choice or they could add one at home if they'd rather.
I had noted down this color combo a while back and I'm not sure where it's from but I thought it was a bit different and would work for an all occasion card. The card base is Secret Sea, then a layer of Soft Sea Foam embossed with the Soft Waves embossing folder which is currently Last Chance and on sale as of today. Don't wait if you haven't gotten this one yet! A narrow strip of Calypso Coral is added to the Soft Sea Foam layer.
The branch is stamped in Soft Sea Foam and is die cut along with another branch in Fresh Freesia. The branches are tucked together then adhered with dimensionals then added to the card front. Using dimensionals to put the two branches together eliminates or reduces the need for glue or snail adhesive which can be hard to apply to the small leaves and the leaves with the die cut details. The sentiment is stamped in Secret Sea and then the end is flagged before it's popped on a dimensional.
A Secret Sea Bordered Open Weave ribbon knot is added to the stems with a glue dot. And finally a few Flat Pearls in Secret Sea are added.
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.
Stamps: Nature's Symphony, Reason to Celebrate
Ink: Secret Sea, Soft Sea Foam
Paper: Secret Sea, Soft Sea Foam, Fresh Freesia, Calypso Coral, Basic White
Accessories: Nature's Symphony dies, dimensionals, Soft Waves embossing folder, Secret Sea Bordered Open Weave ribbon, 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls, dimensionals
Sunday, April 26, 2026
Berry Sweet Banner - Stampin' Up!® Filled With Sweetness
Today's card is another one my stampers made at my last class and uses the Filled With Sweetness bundle along with the Party Banners dies for a sweet card to let someone know you love them.
The card base which you can't see is Basic White thick and that is topped with a piece of Basic White embossed with the Ladybug Picnic embossing folder.
The Party Banners dies and Misty Moonlight cardstock are used for the banner which will be a base for the other elements. The little heart is stamped in the corners and Strawberry Slush ribbon is wrapped around with a knot added. The label shape is die cut twice, once in Crushed Curry the second in Basic White. The ends are trimmed from the Basic White one, the sentiment stamped in Strawberry Slush and then put back together with the Crushes Curry label for a seamless 2 colored look.
The berries are stamped and colored with blends and once they are die cut are paired up with one of the jam jar images from the Homemade Sweetness DSP. My stampers got to choose from the different images in the DSP to make the card their own. Those that chose the Peach jam swapped the Crushed Curry Label for Calypso Coral. The berries and jar are popped on dimensionals as is the whole banner.
The finishing touches are a few Strawberries & Dots embellishments on the banner and some white gel pen highlights on the berries.
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the current supplies used to make this project can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.
Stamps: Filled With Sweetness (Online Exclusive)
Ink: Strawberry Slush, Memento black, Misty Moonlight
Blends: Misty moonlight light & dark, Strawberry Slush light & dark
Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Misty Moonlight, Crushed Curry, Homemade Sweetness DSP (Online Exclusive)
Accessories: Filled With Sweetness dies (Online Exclusive), Party Banners dies, dimensionals, Strawberry Slush Faux Linen ribbon, Strawberries & Dots embellishments, Ladybug Picnic embossing folder (Online Exclusive)
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Hello Spring Birds - Stampin' Up!® Cutest Crew
My stampers made this design at my last class with the super popular Cutest Crew bundle. This set has gone in and out of stock since February and it should be back again soon so if you haven't gotten it yet the wait won't be much longer. Cute it is indeed! I paired it up with some fresh spring colors for a sweet hello card.
This is a simple layout but I included 2 super easy "techniques" on it to add interest. The Coastal Cabana layer not only has the little bird tracks stamped on it but the edges have been roughed up by running the paper snips blade along them for an easy way to add texture.
The second "technique" is the paper pleating on the Granny Apple Green layer. The 1/2" wide strip is folded back on itself all the way down the length of it and then adhered with a strip of tear and tape on the Made With Love DSP in the sweet Bubble Bath flower pattern.
A Spotlight on Nature circle die cut is used for the sentiment. The birds are also stamped in Memento Black and then colored in with Blends,. I love these fresh spring colors! The birds are die cut then popped on 2 layers of dimensionals over the pleated "grass".
A few new Sunset Sparkle sequins are added to the sentiment circle for the finishing touch.
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with a * will be available May 5.
Stamps: Cutest Crew (Online Exclusive)
Ink: Memento Black, Coastal Cabana
Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark, Bubble Bath light & dark, Summer Splash light & dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark
Paper: Coastal Cabana, Basic White, Granny Apple Green, Made With Love DSP
Accessories: Cutest Crew dies (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, Sunset Sparkle Sequins*
Friday, April 24, 2026
Ferns x 4 - Stampin' Up!® Fern & Flora
I joke around that I am not great at stamping in the wild aka stamping away from my stamp room and the fact that I only got one card done at the Stampin' Up!® After Hours stamping event at OnStage really just proves it. Maybe I can blame being tired after an already long day of fun or that I had a really hard time corralling the teeny tiny die cut pieces for the card I started with but I came home with the project packet mostly intact. I decided to wait until I could order the new In Colors to finish up the set of cards and I'm really glad I did. The projects are lovely and really show the Fern & Flora bundle well. This suite of products will be available soon in the May-August 2026 catalog.
And this last card which is the one I started with originally that was all I could complete at the event. This one has a healthy dose of the new Dew Drop embellishments for a finishing touch! See those little die cut flowers? They were what defeated me that night I think lol. But I love the finished card and the different fern die cuts.
I hope you'll take a look at the Moonlit Flora suite when it become available on May 5.
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the products used to make these cards can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with a * will be available May 5.
Stamps: Fern & Flora*
Ink: Peaceful Pine*,Golden Glow*, Secret Sea, Berry Burst
Paper: Moonlit Flora DSP*, Secret Sea, Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Golden Glow*, Peaceful Pine*, Mossy Meadow, Berry Burst, Gold Foil
Accessories: Fern & Flora dies*, dimensionals, Dew Drop embellishments*,
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Lovely Notecard Set - Stampin' Up!® Lovely & Beautiful DSP
Just a quick post today between classes to show this sweet but quick set of notecards using a 6x6 one sheet wonder template. If you went to the Stampin' Up! OnStage event in March you've got this template in your make and take packet so don't overlook what you can do with it. This is a really fun way to make a set of coordinating cards. I pulled all the colors for the flowers and ink from the Lovely & Beautiful DSP. One sheet of 12x12 can be cut down to make 4 sets of cards using this template. And if you've had your eye on the Simply Beautiful dies get them before they are sold out as they are on the Last Chance list. The English version of the stamp set is sold out but the French one is still available if you only want the flower images and don't care about the sentiments.
The note cards come 20 in a pack with matching envelopes so that makes this one sheet wonder project even easier.
I used a few colors of coordinating cardstock to make the flowers and leaves. The Simply Beautiful dies were used to stamp the flowers. And some additional gems and ribbon gives this set a nice cohesive look.
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the current products used to make these cards can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with a * will be available on May 5, 2026.
Stamps: Sending Salutations*, Simply Beautiful (retired),
Ink: Old Olive, Fresh Freesia, Calypso Coral
Paper: Basic White Note Cards, Old Olive, Fresh Freesia, Calypso Coral, Petal Pink, Peach Pie, Lovely & Beautiful DSP
Accessories: Simply Beautiful dies, dimensionals, Pearlized Faceted Gems, Old Olive Specialty RickRack
Monday, April 20, 2026
Big Celebration - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon
My birthday (or celebration/congratulations) card today is another sneak peek at the upcoming Balloon Festoon bundle which will be available on May 5. I zeroed in on the die set as soon as I saw it in the catalog. The are balloon dies from small to large! Think of the Party Banner dies but in balloon shape! The largest is almost 6" tall by almost 4 1/2" wide so that's a nice big size for banners or scrapbook pages or any other project you want balloons for, not just cards! I used the largest one on an angle for this card.
My colors today are from another closed challenge; the Color Hues fuchsia and navy which I translated to Berry Burst and Night of Navy in Stampin' Up! colors.
The card base is Night of Navy then I cut the large balloon from Berry Burst. The spots are stamped in Versamark then embossed with clear embossing powder which doesn't show up well in the photo but just stamping with colored ink would give a similar look. I angled the balloon and trimmed off the overhang from the edges.
I used the balloon stamp and stamped it in Night of Navy with a Basic White string.
The 'celebrate' is stamped in Night of Navy with the Simple Alphabet stamp set and then the letters were fussy cut and popped on dimensionals.
I added a bakers twine bow to the large balloon and then a single retired Iridescent Adhesive-backed Disc to the last 'e'. It gives a little bit of shine to go with the shine of the embossed dots.
Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?
All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE. Items marked with a * will be available on May 5, 2026
Stamps: Simple Alphabet (Online Exclusive), Balloon Festoon*
Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark
Paper: Night of Navy, Berry Burst, Basic White
Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies*, dimensionals, white baker's twine, clear embossing powder, Iridescent Adhesive-Backed Disc (retired)

