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.


  The patterns in the Moonlit Flora bundle are beautiful, moody botanicals and make a great background to a simple layout.



  The B sides of the DSP are pretty, small patterns that can work for all sorts of themes, not just ferns like this one in the new In Color Golden Glow.  The Fern & Flora stamp set is a mix of images and sentiments.


  The larger fern stamp makes lovely backgrounds or focal images or both like in this third card.  New In Colors Peaceful Pine and Golden Glow are a nice pairing here.  They work well with current In Color Secret Sea.

  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)

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Soccer Birthday - Stampin' Up!® Match Day

   I'm just padding out my birthday card selection with a masculine soccer card today.  The Online Exclusive Match Day bundle and Wonderful Match DSP is perfect for those sports lovers out there.  The Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge has a fun choice board with lots of themes to pick from and soccer was a no brainer this time!


  I used the colors from the just closed Paper Players challenge which is a fun one for a soccer theme.  Daffodil Delight, Smoky Slate and Basic Black.

  I started with a Basic Black card base, then a layer of Smoky Slate then a piece of Wonderful Match DSP in the black and white pattern.  I used my Stampin' Blends to color some of the elements.

  Next I embossed the jersey and soccer ball in black embossing powder.  After they were die cut I used the new white gel pen (coming May 5) to color in bits of the jersey for added details.  This new gel pen works really well and I've been very pleased with it so far!

  A soccer net is die cut in Smoky Slate then the trophy is cut twice once in Basic Black and again in Daffodil Delight and I trimmed out the star and added it to the black trophy.  The star is colored with Wink of Stella which didn't show up in the photo.  I layered all the elements on the card front using dimensionals.

  The sentiment is from a new stamp set coming on May 5 called Balloon Festoon.  I thought the thin font went well with the sketched style of the images and the DSP.  I fussy cut it and popped it on dimensionals.  A few black sparkly gems are sprinkled around for a final touch.

  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: Match Day (Online Exclusive), Balloon Festoon*

Ink: Versamark, Memento black

Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark, Smoky Slate light & dark

Paper: Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Basic White, Wonderful Match DSP (Online Exclusive)

Accessories: Match Day dies (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, white gel pen*, black embossing powder, black gems (retired), Wink of Stella



Friday, April 17, 2026

Fern Illusion Thank You - Stampin' Up!® Fern & Flora

   My customers are the best and many of them have been supporting my little business for years so I always try to show gratitude wherever I can and one of the ways I do that is by sending hand stamped cards when they place an order.  I write a little note on a slip of paper and leave the card blank so they can use it themselves if they wish. So it's happy mail but also useful-in-the-future-mail!  It's not always a thank you card but this time it is because the little sentiment in the upcoming Fern & Flora bundle fit just right!


  I really had fun with all the layers on this design and it was a great chance to play around with the Fern & Flora bundle which will be available May 5.  I pulled the colors from the Painted Illusions DSP which was the February 2026 Product of the Month and as of today you can still get it for $5 when you place an order of $75 or more.  The layout is from a Paper Players sketch challenge from last month; perfect when you want a lot of layers!

  I started with a Basic White thick card base, then a layer of Lost Lagoon which I blended some ink around the edges and added some collage style stamping using the Fern in stamped off Granny Apple Green, the hatch marks in Lost Lagoon and the butterflies in stamped off Pretty Peacock.  

 Next is piece of vellum that is torn on both sides along with a piece of Petal Pink ribbon.  Then is the Painted Illusions DSP cut into a banner shape.  A Stitched Shape circle die cut is the perfect spot to gather the stamped flowers and 2 fern die cuts for the focal point of the card.  I stamped the image in Pretty Peacock and then colored with Blends.  The circle and flowers are both popped on dimensionals.  

  The sentiment is stamped in Pretty Peacock and then tucked under the circle.  I finished with a few Pretty Peacock sequins.

  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 on May 5, 2026.

Stamps: Fern & Flora*

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Granny Apple Green

Blends: Petal Pink dark, Pretty in Pink light, Granny Apple Green light & dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Lost Lagoon, Vellum, Painted Illusions DSP (POM 2/2026), Basic White, Granny Apple Green

Accessories: Fern & Flora Dies*, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, Petal Pink ribbon, (retired) Adhesive Backed Sequin Trio (retired)

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Nature's Symphony Mini Album - Stampin' Up!® Nature's Symphony

 


  The New at SU blog hop is back this month with projects made using Flip Flaps!  We are an international group of Stampin' Up!® demonstrators sharing creative ways to use your supplies.  This month we are showing you fun ways to use Flip Flaps.  The hop list is at the end of my post so check out all the great ideas and leave some comment love!

  I'm not a scrapbooker nor do I tend to make 3D projects very often so when I saw we were to use Flip Flaps this month I just figured I would use one or 2 on a card to make a fun fold or shaker card.  But then I remembered an idea that used the Flip Flaps to make a mini album and thought that would be a fun way to use these photos I had tucked away.  


  I looked through my current papers and decided on the Nature Walk DSP to build my album.  The cover measures 10 1/2" x 6 1/2" - scored at 5 1/4" for the center fold.  The spine which I just used a piece of the same pattern but on the flip side is measured at 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" - scored at 3/4".

  I decorated the front and then started on the inside.

  I created a pocket out of another pattern of Nature Walk DSP to hold the journaling tag.  I embellished the front of the pocket as well.  The pocket measures 3 1/2" x 5" with the 2 short sides and one long side  scored at 1/2" to create the pocket. The journaling tag measures 3 3/4" x 4 1/2".


  Next I decided which photos were going where, added them and more DSP and embellishments to the Flip Flap pockets and peeled off the adhesive and stacked the pockets on top of each other starting from the back and working my way to the front.  I used 4 4"x6" and 2 3"x3" Flip Flaps. 


 I made this quick video showing each page and how the Flip Flaps are used for the photos and journaling.  This was a really fun project and a nice step outside my normal comfort zone.  This mini album comes together really quickly and is very simple to customize to whatever set of photos you want to use.



  Have fun hopping through with the New at SU! team!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  All of the current products used to make this card can be be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Nature's Symphony

Ink: Old Olive, Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock, Crumb Cake

Paper: Nature Walk DSP, Crumb Cake, Basic White, Old Olive, Lost Lagoon, Pretty Peacock

Accessories: Nature's Symphony dies, Secret Sea Bordered Ribbon, Crumb Cake baker's twine, Faux Bronze Pentagons


Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Dog Trio - Stampin' Up!® Cutest Crew

 The CAS Colours & Sketches challenge team is back today with a brand new clean and simple challenge!  Deborah has given us a fun layout to create with this time.  So many ways to use these 3 circles!  


  I used them to highlight some of the adorable pups in the Cutest Crew stamp set.  The dogs are just the right size for this layout.


  This one is about as simple as you can get!  I started with a Basic White thick card base and then added 3 wonky circles in Secret Sea, Peaceful Pine and Cherry Cobbler.  

  Next I stamped the row of dogs on a piece of Basic White using Memento Black ink.  I colored in 3 of the dogs with Blends and then fussy cut them and popped them on the circles with dimensionals.

  The simple birthday sentiment is stamped in Memento below the dogs and 2 scored lines are made above the dogs to finish this CAS design.

  I can't wait to see the creative ways you come up with for this sketch.  Be sure to share it in our challenge gallery but keep it Clean and Simple (CAS).

  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 on May 5, 2026.

Stamps: Cutest Crew (Online Exclusive), Banner Sayings

Ink: Memento black

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Basic Gray light & dark, Ivory, Golden Glow dark*, Peaceful Pine light*

Paper: Basic White thick, Secret Sea, Peaceful Pine*, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: dimensionals, Around It All dies (retired)