18th Birthday Balloons - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

   Have you ever sat down to make a birthday card and you just can't quite believe the number you've put on it??  I experienced that very thing when I was making this card for my youngest the other day.  The whole time I was making the card I was like "how is it possible that I'm using this ridiculous number??!" No sir, that's my baby boy lol!  And it's hard to square that he's 18 but I'm not nearly old enough to have a kid that old lol! Funny how that works isn't it?!

  I combined a few challenges for this one; Seize the Birthday with 'numbers' as the prompt, Stampin' Up! Only challenge with a CASE the Designer (I went with the layout) and the colors from the closed TGIF Challenge

  I started with a Lemon Lime Twist card base, then topped it with a piece of Basic White embossed with the Swirls of Magic embossing folder.  

  Following the sketch I added a piece of retired Zoo Crew DSP in this black and white star pattern.  I had forgotten I had any of this paper left and while it's just scraps there was enough for this design.  Next is a strip of white for the balloons to be set against.

  The balloons are from Balloon Festoon and are stamped in Coastal Cabana and Lemon Lime Twist then the 1 & 8 from the Simple Alphabet set are embossed in black embossing powder for a nice raised shiny look.  The strings are cut in basic Black then they are both popped on dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Memento Black and the ends are flagged and a smaller banner in Coastal Cabana is added to the back before popping it up on dimensionals.

  A few retired adhesive hearts and gems are added 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.

Stamps: Balloon Festoon

Ink: Memento Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Coastal Cabana

Paper: Basic Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Coastal Cabana, Basic White, Zoo Crew DSP (retired)

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies, Swirls of Magic embossing folder (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, black embossing powder, Adhesive-backed Hearts & Flowers (retired), Sunny Day Iridescent Dots (retired)

Buzzy Bee Love - Stampin' Up!® Bee My Valentine

   I'm pulling out an oldie stamp set today for the newest CAS Colours & Sketches challenge!  I'm using the Bee My Valentine stamp set and punch for this sketch challenge and while it may seem out of season you can send 'love you' card any time of the year!!

Joanne has given us this fun layout with the elements clustered up in the top corner.  It took me a few minutes to land on the stamp set but I think the Bee My Valentine set works for it.  I was a little loose with the shapes but the bee is kind of boxy looking and I substituted a heart for the star on the sketch.  

  This one starts with a Pool Party base, then a layer of Berry Burst, then the top layer of Basic White cut with the Perennial Postage dies.

  The Bee My Valentine set and punch have been out for quite a while and it must still be fairly popular for Stampin' Up!® to have kept it for so long.  It's not hard to see why though!  Look at that sweet little thing!

  I stamped and punched out the bee and popped it up on dimensionals at the end of the stamped buzzy path that connects to the sentiment.

 The heart in lieu of a star is punched with the bee builder punch and is the long retired Soft Shimmer Paper in Berry Burst.

  I can't wait to see all the creative ways you come up with to use this sketch.  Be sure to keep your design clean and simple and share it in our challenge gallery!

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: Bee My Valentine

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Memento Black, Pool Party

Paper: Pool Party, Berry Burst, Basic White, Soft Shimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Bee Builder punch, dimensionals, Perennial Postage dies

Just a Note Koalas - Stampin' Up!® Wild Bunch

   I took a few days off from the stamp room and today I was trying to get back into creative mode!  It's a great day to stay inside and stamp as it is hot, hot, hot here in central VA.  I think temps hit above 100° with the heat index around 120° and I was glad to have gotten my walk in early this morning!  Stay hydrated people!!  

 I used the Freshly Made Sketches challenge to get me started.  I like the 2 skinnier panels down the front and wanted to do something other than rectangles for those elements. I started with a piece of Moonlit Flora DSP for the background then added a band of Basic White to follow the sketch.  I die cut 2 ferns; one in Peaceful Pine and one in Soft Sea Foam and added them as my long skinny elements.

  I stamped and colored in 2 koala bears from the Wild Bunch stamp set and fussy cut them and popped them on dimensionals over the ferns.  I stamped 2 of the branches from the Wild Bunch stamp set in Peaceful Pine and colored them in with Soft Sea Foam. After the branches were fussy cut I added them by the koalas feet.

  The sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray and die cut out with the retired Unbounded Love dies.  I wanted to back it with a slightly larger circle but none of my punches or circle dies were the right size so I ended up using the retired Around It All dies for a wonky circle instead.  The sentiment is popped on dimensionals as well.

  A few Basic Gray Classic Dots are added as the final 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.

Stamps: Wild Bunch (retired July 2026 Product of the Month)

Ink: Basic Gray, Peaceful Pine

Blends: Basic Black light, Gray Granite light & dark, Soft Sea Foam dark, Barely Blush dark

Paper: Moonlit Flora DSP, Basic White, Soft Sea Foam, Peaceful Pine

Accessories: Fern & Flora dies, dimensionals, Unbounded Love dies (retired), Around It All dies (retired), Classic Matte Dots (retired)

A Better World - Stampin' Up!® Nature's Symphony Dies

   I've neglected using the Natural Hues Specialty paper since I got it back in the spring but it works perfectly on today's card!  I made another card for my stamping book club series and this paper is a pretty close match to the background of the book cover!

   The book that inspired this card is The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris.  This book is set in Georgia shortly after the end of the Civil War.  Soldiers are returning home from war, newly freed slaves are trying to build a life away from the plantations and people are struggling with the changes in their way of life and in the middle of it all is George Walker and his wife Isabelle.  Longtime citizens of Old Ox, Georgia they've never quite fit in and when George decides to hire former slaves Landry and Prentiss to work on his farm an unlikely friendship forms and trouble comes to all of them.  

  I loved the bold colors of the cover and wanted to pull those in as well as the the texture of the background.  I used a piece of the Natural Hues Specialty paper for the card front.  Then used a slightly smaller piece and then lightly drug my Crumb Cake ink pad across it to highlight some of the texture in the paper.

  To make the leaves I blended Real Red, Cajun Craze and Timid Tiger in a random pattern on a piece of Basic White.  Next I flicked drops of water (a tie in to the title!) across the panel and let it dry before cutting out the leaves with the Nature's Symphony dies.

  I think this sentiment from the Fern & Flora stamp set goes well with the book theme because we definitely see some of the characters strive to make the world a better place despite all that is against them. The sentiment is stamped in black on a label from the Filled with Sweetness (also a book tie in lol) die cut label.  The label is popped on dimensionals with a length of copper ribbon tucked underneath.  A sprinkling of copper sequins is the 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.

Stamps: Fern & Flora

Ink: Real Red, Cajun Craze, Timid Tiger, Crumb Cake, Basic Black Hybrid

Paper: Natural Hues Specialty paper, Basic White

Accessories: Nature's Symphony dies, Filled with Sweetness dies, dimensionals, copper ribbon (retired), Neutrals Adhesive-backed Sequins (retired)

Ferdinand and the Flowers - Stampin' Up!® Wild Bunch

   So do you remember the Ferdinand book with the sweet bull who didn't want to fight the other bulls and sat in the field and smelled the flowers? Here is the hand stamped card version lol!  The sweet bull from the product of the month Wild Bunch stamp set looks as content as can be sitting in his field of flowers!

  A challenge started me down this road of bull and flowers.   The Color Dare team has challenged us to use Browns & Blacks plus 2 colors of our choice.  I've used Pecan Pie, Ivory, Basic Beige, Black and Calypso Coral and Barely Blush are my 2 additional colors.

  I started with a Barely Blush card base, then a piece of Paper Medley DSP in a sweet little flower pattern.  I added a narrow scrap of Calypso Coral cardstock along the edge of the DSP.

  I wanted to echo the little flowers on the DSP so I cut a bunch out using the Summer Happiness dies.  I changed out the centers to mix and match.  The flowers are all popped on dimensionals.  I tucked the sentiment flag among the flowers as well.

  The bull is stamped in Hybrid Basic Black ink and then colored him in with Blends markers.  After he was fussy cut I sat him among the flowers then finished off the details.  A little bit more black was brought in with a baker's twine bow and a bit more brown with some Pecan Pie Opaque Faceted Gems.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Wild Bunch (POM June 2026)

Ink: Basic Black hybrid

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Ivory, Barely Blush dark

Paper: Barely Blush, Calypso Coral, Basic White, Paper Medley DSP

Accessories: Summer Happiness dies, dimensionals, black bakers twine, Opaque Faceted Gems (retired)

Love in Gray Tones - Stampin' Up!® Hope Love & Joy

   My card today is another one in my stamping book club series in which I use a book I've recently read as inspiration for a  hand stamped card.  I'm mostly using the covers as inspiration but if something is a standout part of the book that would work well on a card then that will be used too.  I'm trying to catch up on my list and I think this was the book that kind of held me up in the creative department; I almost skipped doing it!  I used the Hope Love & Joy bundle to pull this one together.

  All this gray doesn't really scream 'love' does it?  Well like I said this was a bit of a tough card to make based on the book, even the cover doesn't give you much to work with.  I kept with the gray tones of the cover and there was a lot of love in the book but also a whole lot of terrible-ness too.

  

  A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara was one tough read but I'm glad I stuck with it.  Honestly I think parts could have been edited down for length but I thought it was an excellent book.  This book is truly about the most heartbreaking things but also about the love of found family and the strength one draws from being loved and supported whether you think you deserve it or not (please read some more thorough reviews as some readers may be triggered by themes in this book).  The story follows 4 friends as they meet in college then go through early adulthood and into middle age and their support, love, distance, and pride of each other.  The story circles around Jude who doesn't talk much about his traumatic past or the accident that has left him broken and scarred in ways his friends only learn about in small bits and pieces over decades. I chose to have my card focus on the love that is shown in so many ways in this story.

  The card base is Basic Gray and then a piece of retired Country Lace DSP is used in the background.

I stamped the 'fill the world with' at the top and then 'love' 3 times down a panel of Basic White and then stamped the heart 3 times on scrap  and used Blends to color them in gradients.  After they were die cut I popped them up in lieu of the 'o's. Before adhering the white panel to the card front I cut a Heartfelt Hexagon punched piece in half and tucked that at the top and bottom.  The top and bottom are highlighted with some retired silver adhesive 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.

Stamps: Hope Love & Joy

Ink: Basic Gray

Blends: Smoky Slate light & dark

Paper: Basic Gray, Basic White, Country Lace DSP (retired)

Accessories: Hope Love & Joy dies, dimensionals, Heartfelt Hexagon punch (retired), silver dots (retired)

Lighthouse Congratulations - Stampin' Up!® Sunset Coast

   The Sunset Coast bundle along with the Scenic Coast DSP were highlighted at my new catalog open house a few weeks ago and it did not disappoint.  Sometimes you just need to let the dies and DSP shine (literally!) and let them do the heavy lifting for a design!

    This one starts with a Balmy Blue card base, then a 3" wide piece of Scenic Coast DSP is added to the middle of the card front.  Using a 3" piece gives you 2 cards from one of the 6x6 pieces and let me tell you you want to use larger pieces of this DSP because you want to get the gorgeous shine of the pattern in all its glory.  The iridescent details on the these papers is beautiful and really gives the effect of the water shimmering.  

  The next element is the Gorgeous Grape die cut lighthouse.  The big circle opening and the fact that I made this panel shorter really lets more of the DSP show through.  It's popped up on dimensionals.

  A few well placed die cuts in the fencing and seagulls completes the scene.  And a simple stamped sentiment keeps the attention on the lighthouse.  A few Sunset Sparkle Sequins adds some some shimmer for the finishing touch.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Sunset Coast

Ink: Blueberry Bushel

Paper: Balmy Blue, Gorgeous Grape, Basic White, Blueberry Bushel, Scenic Coast DSP

Accessories: Sunset Coast dies, Sunset Sparkles Sequins, dimensionals

Stitched Christmas - Stampin' Up!® Stitched Stocking

 Christmas in June??? Why not?  Planning ahead for handmade Christmas cards is the only way I can get enough made without driving myself crazy come December.  I won't be making a big Christmas card push just yet so don't unfollow me for being out of season. Getting a few cards in the storage box gives me a little peace of mind! I'm using the Stitched Stocking bundle which will be available in the July 2026 Online Exclusive release.

  I needed to make a card using the sketch challenge that I gave my to customers this morning and I thought this Christmas stocking kind of fit the larger element of the layout.  What do you think?

  Maybe a little big lol!  But it was fun to put this card together using the quilt inspired Stitched Stockings bundle.

  I started with a Peaceful Pine card base, such a wonderful Christmas green!  Then a panel of Basic White cut with the retired Stitched Rectangle dies and embossed with the retired Beautiful Pattern embossing folder.

  The stocking is die cut in several layers with the bottom being just the stocking shape. The top layer of the stocking is the part that has all the wonderful patchwork and stitched details.  Both layers are in Cherry Cobbler.  The cuff is also separate and is in Basic White. Before adhering the cuff I added a loop of Peaceful Pine Bordered ribbon.

 This bundle is part of a suite which includes A Stitched Season DSP.  I used a plaid pattern to cut the star detail and added it to the stocking.

 A little Christmas tree and some holly leaves and berries colored with Wink of Stella are fun accents and a little tiny sentiment from the long retired Itty Bitty Christmas is the final piece.

 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 in the July 2026 Online Exclusive release..

Stamps: Itty Bitty Christmas (retired)

Ink: Peaceful Pine

Paper: Peaceful Pine, Basic White, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Real Red, A Stitched Season DSP*

Accessories: Stitched Stocking dies*, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, circle punch, Beautiful Pattern embossing folder (retired), Stitched Rectangle dies (retired)