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)

Hello Summer Flowers - Stampin' Up!® Summer Happiness Dies

 Do you need a fantastic color combo for creating a card this week?  These colors are so fun and vibrant and perfect for a cheerful hello card or a bright birthday card.  Berry Burst, Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Coastal Cabana are courtesy of the As You See It challenge.  As soon as I saw them I knew I had to turn them into a card!

  I had fun pulling in a bunch of different products for this design.  I started with going through my DSP and finding this retired Melon Mambo pattern from the Friends of the Ocean DSP.  Once a DSP has retired I feel it's so much easier to use a big panel of it.  Am I the only one that feels that way?

 Next I used a strip of Coastal Cabana and die cut the little circle details in it using the Nature's Symphony dies.  The Basic White Spotlight on Nature die cut is where I add more elements.  The sentiment from Cutest Crew stamp set is stamped in Coastal Cabana ink.  

  The flowers are from an upcoming die set called Summer Happiness that will be released with the July 2026 Online Exclusives (it has a coordinating stamp set too!).  I cut 3 in Basic White then again in 3 of the challenge colors to make the centers.  These flower shapes (when the centers are empty) remind me of those classic flower butter cookies that always seemed to be around when I was a kid.  Do you remember those?  Thinking about them gives me dry mouth lol!  Anyway...I added the centers using a dimensional on the back to get them to stick.  

  Lemon Lime Twist leaves are cut for each flower and then the flowers are added around the sentiment. The final detail for this card is the Wink of Stella on the flower centers which doesn't show well in the photo.  Thanks to the As You See It team for a great combo!

  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 in the July 2026 Online Exclusives release.

Stamps: Cutest Crew

Ink: Coastal Cabana

Paper: Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Coastal Cabana, Basic White, Friends of the Ocean DSP (retired)

Accessories: Spotlight on Nature dies, Nature's Symphony dies, Summer Happiness dies*, dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Snail Mail Delivery - Stampin' Up!® Wild Bunch

 Are you ready for some Clean and Simple stamping inspiration?  The CAS Colours & Sketches challenge team is back with a new challenge and this time we are doing a color combo! Suzy has us using Blackberry Bliss, Gorgeous Grape and Garden Green!  Beautiful right colors wouldn't you say?

I decided to really make it a true challenge and not do flowers which were my first instinct!  I always love it when my Design Team friends use colors in slightly unexpected ways so I looked through my stamps and landed on the Wild Bunch stamp set!  I figured a snail can be any color combo I want right?

  Isn't he/she sweet?  The Wild Bunch stamp set is the June 2026 Product of the Month and if you love critter stamps this one should definitely find it's way into your next order!  

  I started with a Gorgeous Grape card base, then did all the fun stuff on a panel of Basic White.  The snail and heart are stamped in the new Basic Black Hybrid ink.  It's really my first time using it for any coloring and besides my pad being a bit juicy I thought it held up nicely to watercoloring.  The snail is watercolored with all three colors.  Then I used my Stampin' Journaling Pen and drew in the snail trail trying to match the line thickness of the image.

  Looking at this now I should have colored the heart in with Blackberry Bliss but it is what it is! Finally I stamped the sentiment above the heart also using the Basic Black Hybrid ink.

  I can't wait to see what you do with these awesome colors!  Be sure to keep your design "clean and simple" as in minimal layers and embellishments and lots of open space.  Link your card up in the CAS Colours & Sketches gallery so we can all  oooohhh and aaahhh over it!

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 (June 2026 POM)

Ink: Basic Black Hybrid, Blackberry Bliss, Gorgeous Grape, Garden Green

Paper: Gorgeous Grape, Basic White

Accessories: water painters, Journaling Pen

Summer Fun - Stampin' Up!® Summer Happiness

 I got my demonstrator pre-order for the July Online Exclusives and the rumors are true....I'm my own best customer lol!  Every release has things that I just need.  'Need' being used here loosely of course!  I ordered quite a bit from this preorder and the products span from summer themed all the way to Christmas so I'm well on my way to enjoying this summer season but also looking ahead to fall and winter.  The upcoming Summer Happiness bundle fills in a bit of a gap in my current products with the variety of images and dies that will work for cards as well as accents for scrap pages.

    I'm using the Freshly Made Sketches layout for this card and it's perfect to show off some the fun that this bundle contains!   I started with a Pool Party base topped with a full panel of Pool Party embossed with the recently retired Soft Waves embossing folder.  

  Next I die cut 3 Perennial Postage rectangles to follow the sketch and give my summer items a place to land.  The sun is stamped in Darling Duckling then die cut and is backed with a same shape die cut in just cardstock to give it a little off set layering.

  The sunglasses are die cut from Poppy Parade and the lenses are Black Glimmer paper because why not?  I added some small rhinestones to the edge to add even more sparkle.

  The flip flops are die cut from Balmy Blue and Azure Afternoon.  The straps are the perfect chance to use the Adhesive Sheets as they are very narrow and a bit tricky to glue up.  I wish I had thought of that before getting glue everywhere!  If I can't be a good example I'll just have to be a horrible warning!  All the die cuts are popped on dimensionals.

  The sentiment from Banner Sayings is stamped in Basic Black Hybrid ink on the center postage stamp.  If you like this color combo check out this other card that I made using the same one a while back.

  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 in the July 2026 Online Exclusive release.

Stamps: Summer Happiness*, Banner Sayings

Ink: Darling Duckling, Basic Black Hybrid

Paper: Pool Party, Basic White, Darling Duckling, Poppy Parade, Black Glimmer (retired), Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon

Accessories: Perennial Postage dies, Soft Waves embossing folder (retired), rhinestones, Summer Happiness dies*, dimensionals

Thankful Shimmer Fern - Stampin' Up!® Fern & Flora

  The Moonlit Flora DSP is so pretty that I find myself not wanting to cover it up.  I designed this card to show off the DSP for my recent new catalog open house make and takes as well as to highlight Golden Glow and Peaceful Pine.

  The card starts with a Golden Glow card base, then a rectangle of Moonlit Flora DSP backed with a piece of Peaceful Pine cardstock.

  The fern die cuts pull colors from the DSP.  The smaller one is Soft Sea Foam and the larger is actually Basic White that has been colored with the Peaceful Pine shimmer brush.  The shimmer brushes are so fun with the color matching plus shimmer!

  The ferns are tucked behind the stamped sentiment label and a length of Golden Glow Bordered ribbon.  And it's hard to see in the photo but there are several Dewdrop embellishments above the sentiment for a last 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: Fern & Flora

Ink: Golden Glow, Peaceful Pine

Paper: Golden Glow, Peaceful Pine, Basic White, Moonlit Flora DSP

Accessories: Fern & Flora dies, dimensionals, Shimmer Brush, Bordered Ribbon, Dewdrop Embellishments

In Color Balloons - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

   Last weekend I hosted my annual New Catalog Open House and BOGO Retirement Sale and had a blast seeing so many of my customers.  Along with lots of sample cards, In Color swatches and new products I had several make and takes so that everyone could try out the new products for themselves.  I always try to highlight the new In Colors in these projects and I managed to use 3 of the 5 on this card.

  The Balloon Festoon bundle has been a fun one for me to design with and thought it would show off Hydrangea Hue, Crisp Cantaloupe and Barely Blush nicely.

  This one starts with a Basic White thick card base, then a wide band of Hydrangea Hue stamped in the same color in with the 'Happy Birthday' sentiment.

  The balloons are die cut from the In Color Painted Patterns DSP.  And a quick tip for this is that you can stack your pieces of DSP and cut all 3 balloons at the same time.  Saves a few steps! The Crisp Cantaloupe balloon is popped on dimensionals.  The sentiment is stamped and also popped with a length of Barely Blush Bordered Ribbon layered behind.

  Each balloon has a rhinestone that has been colored with the matching Blends marker as well as some highlights drawn on with a white gel pen.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Balloon Festoon

Ink: Hydrangea Hue

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Hydrangea Hue, 2026-2028 In Color Painted Patterns DSP

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies, dimensionals, rhinestones, Blends, gel pen, Barely Blush Bordered ribbon 

Beautiful Country Z Fold - Stampin' Up! Beautiful Gallery DSP

 I'm trying to catch up with my stamping book club series of cards and currently I'm behind by 9 books! Yikes I better get to stamping lol!  So today I'm sharing 2 cards inspired by 2 books I've read this year.  I feel ok putting them together as they are books 2 and 3 of a series of 3.  

  The books that inspired these two cards are The Book of Etta and The Book of Flora by Meg Elison.  I read the first book in the series back in 2022 so I was a bit hazy on the details but the premise of books 2 and 3 are that the characters are navigating the world in the aftermath of a devastating illness that wipes out much of the population in book 1. Following the plague, childbirth becomes deadly for both women and infants turning any that do survive into a commodity to be bought and sold, hunted and enslaved and left with very few safe havens in which to live.  The way that different communities spring up and the varied ways in which they decide to treat women was an interesting aspect of these books; women as sacred vs. women as controlled resource.  Can a society function and ultimately thrive when women are treated in such different manners?  

  The desolate and sparsely populated landscapes of both books brought to mind the pretty scenes of the Beautiful Gallery DSP.  So while there were a lot of horrors in both books I wanted to focus on the open countryside that much of the books are set in.  Because no one needs a post-apocalyptic greeting card right?!  lol!

  This Z fold design is perfect for showing off almost a whole panel of DSP allowing you to showcase full scenes like the Beautiful Gallery DSP.

  A few die cuts and labels and stamping for the sentiments keeps these cards quick to make and a great way not to have to choose which part of DSP gets used or not!

  I originally got my measurements from Rachel Tessman.  The only addition that I did on these two cards was to add a piece of DSP on the left under the top flap.  For both of my cards I used a B side of the Beautiful Gallery DSP in a coordinating color/pattern.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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

Stamps: Simply Said (retired), Sending Salutations, Prayers and Promises (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Old Olive

Paper: Cloud Cover, Old Olive, Basic White, Beautiful Gallery DSP

Accessories: Filled With Sweetness Dies, Nature's Symphony dies, dimensionals, metallic dots (retired), Tasteful Label dies (retired)

Purple Sunset - Stampin' Up!® Sunset Coast

     My card today is one I made a few weeks ago for my May customer thank you cards.  I love the Sunset Coast bundle because there are so many ways to use it; focus on the dies, just use the stamps or any number of gorgeous ways in between!  I kept my focus on the stamps and used the dies as accents this time around!

 I stamped the scene on Basic White, added the sentiment and then popped it up on a Crumb Cake base.  I used the seagull, net and shell dies to create accents for the scene.  A few sequins finish off the design. 

 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: Sunset Coast

Ink: Secret Sea, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Strawberry Slush, Crushed Curry

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic White, Balmy Blue, Secret Sea, Strawberry Slush

Accessories: Sunset Coast dies, dimensionals, Sunset Sparkle Sequins

Two-Toned Inlaid Ferns - Stampin' Up!® Fern & Flora

   

  The New at SU blog hop is back with another great hop featuring Two-Toned cardstock!  This fantastic group of international Stampin' Up!® demonstrators is ready to inspire you with all kinds of fun projects ideas using this versatile product.  Hop through with us and let us know what you loved!  The blog hop list is at the end of this post!

  I pulled out my favorite new stamp set Fern & Flora and a whole stack of Two-Toned cardstock for this project!  I loved how these saturated colors look for summer cards and the Two-Toned cardstock gives a lot of bang for the buck as you get 2 colors in one sheet with the backside being a lighter version.  Think the "stamped off" version.

   I started with cutting two 5/8" x 4" strips of 5 colors of Two-Toned cardstock; Cajun Craze, Strawberry Slush, Timid Tiger and Daffodil Delight.  I adhered them to a piece of 4" x 5 1/4" Basic White cardstock using one on the darker side and the second on the lighter side and trimmed off any white areas.  Next I layered the Fern & Flora dies across the strips and die cut them out.

  Next I embossed the panel using the Fern & Flora embossing folder. Using some Old Olive Two-Toned cardstock I cut matching ferns one in the darker side and the other 2 in the lighter side.  The ferns were then adhered inside the openings for a nice inlaid look.  I finished off the card with some gold accents and a sentiment label also from the Fern & Flora bundle.

  This easy technique ends up giving you a second card if you use the original die cut ferns from the striped panel.  I added mine to the front of a Basic White card base embossed with the Fern & Flora embossing folder.  A simple sentiment and more gold accents finish off this 2 for 1 card!

  I hope you'll incorporate some Two Toned cardstock in your next project!  See more ideas by following the rest of the hop in the links below!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the current supplies used to make these cards can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Fern & Flora

Ink: Old Olive

Paper: Basic White thick, basic White, Two-Toned: Cajun Craze, Strawberry Slush, Timid Tiger, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive

Accessories: Fern & Flora dies, Fern & Flora embossing folder, Adhesive-Backed Metallic Gems, gold thread (retired)

Wild Party Animal - Stampin' Up!® Wild Bunch

   Now if cute animal stamps are your thing you don't to want to wait to place your next Stampin' Up!® order!  The Wild Bunch stamp set is this months Product of the Month and is available for just $5 with a $75 order while supplies last!  Let me tell you, this set is adorable and besides the 4 sweet animals there are sentiments and accent stamps too!  

  How cute is this little party koala??  I'm using colors that I gave to my customers for a color challenge; Peach Pie, Pretty Peacock and Petal Pink.

  I started with a piece of retired Country Lace DSP for the background then used strips in my colors for stamping and embossing.  The Peach Pie strip is embossed with an upcoming new embossing folder called Swirls of Magic.  The Pretty Peacock piece is stamped with the checkerboard pattern and the Petal Pink with the heart.

 I stamped the koala in Basic Gray then colored it in with Blends along with the party hat.  I fussy cut the images and then adhered them to a die cut label from the Filled With Sweetness die set.  The sentiment is stamped and tucked under the edge of the label.

Each colored strip is embellished with a gem in one of the colors and the pompom on the hat is highlighted with Wink of Stella.

  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 (June 2026 POM)

Ink: Basic Gray, Petal Pink, Pretty Peacock

Blends: Smoky Slate light & dark, Barely Blush light, Petal Pink dark, Pretty Peacock light & dark

Paper: Basic White, Pretty Peacock, Petal Pink, Peach Pie (retired), Country Lace DSP (retired)

Accessories: Filled With Sweetness dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Low Profile Dots (retired), 2024-2026 In Color Dots, Faceted Gems (retired)

Panther Graduation - Stampin' Up!® Cap & Gown

 It's still graduation season and I have another card from the giant stack that I have made lately.  When you have a kid graduating you tend to know a lot of other kids graduating and that requires a lot of cards lol!  I try to customize the colors for the school to change things up.  This red and blue was a nice change of pace from the teal of previous cards!

  I again used my trusty retired set Cap & Gown along with the current set Sending Salutations.  I started with a Blueberry Bushel base then a layer of Basic Black topped with a stamped panel of Real Red.  The graduation cap is stamped in a random pattern for the background.

  A Blueberry Bushel band added a but of detail behind the Basic White Spotlight on Nature die cut circle.

  The cap and gown are both stamped in Versamark on Basic White then embossed with black embossing powder.  I fussy cut them and popped them on the circle with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and then embossed in gold.  The four corners are embellished with Gold Low Profile 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: Sending Salutations, Cap & Gown (retired)

Ink: Real Red, Versamark

Paper: Blueberry Bushel, Real Red, Basic Black, Basic White

Accessories: Spotlight on Nature dies, dimensionals, black embossing powder, gold embossing powder, Low Profile Dots (retired)

All Star Father's Day - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

   There is a lot of great inspiration out there right now for masculine cards.  I'm playing along with several challenges today for another Father's Day card.  The colors are from TGIF Challenges, the layout is from Sketch-n-Scrap and the general theme of masculine is from The Paper Players.  

  You might be looking at the title of this post and wondering where the Balloon Festoon bundle comes in...not a balloon in sight right?!  The only stamping on this card besides the sentiment are the stars stamped on the Smoky Slate card base, those come from the Balloon Festoon bundle.  You don't have to use a traditionally masculine stamp set to make an effective guy card!   And a sentiment can be the focal image!

  On the other side of the stamping I used a panel of Nature Walk DSP in a distressed Night of Navy pattern.  To bring in a pop of the Granny Apple Green from the color palette I added a band of retired Dandy Designs DSP.

  The next elements are the skinny strips going horizontal.  I used a piece of retired Country Lace DSP in a subtle Smoky Slate striped pattern.  I topped it with a length of retired Denim ribbon with the end trimmed to match the DSP.

  The sentiment from a retired Paper Pumpkin set is stamped in Night of Navy and trimmed down.  I adhered the strips with dimensionals to a Stitched Shape die cut square and then backed it with a larger die cut square.

  Next, to jazz it up and add some sparkle I punched out 2 sizes of stars from Granny Apple Green glimmer paper and arranged them around the sentiment.

  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: Balloon Festoon, Many Manly Occasions (retired Paper Pumpkin)

Ink: Night of Navy, Smoky Slate

Paper: Smoky Slate, Basic White, Nature Walk DSP, Dandy Designs DSP (retired), Country Lace DSP (retired), Granny Apple Green Glimmer Paper

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, star punches (retired), Denim ribbon (retired)

Red & Blue Birthday - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

   My card today is another one in my stamping book club series where I make a card inspired by a book I've recently read.  I'm a bit behind as I finished this book in February!  I need more hours in the day to read all I want and to stamp all I want lol!  I'm using the book covers as inspiration but not necessarily the story so I won't be ending up with a stack of cards with "murder mystery" as the theme.  Because who do you send those too? lol!  

  This card is inspired by the book I Have Some Questions for You  by Rebecca Makkai.  It's a bit murder mystery meets revisit the past kind of book.  Bodie is a film professor and podcaster who has to confront events of her past when she is invited back to her high school to teach a class. Bodie at first feels that she has put the past behind her but being back on campus turns everything on it's head.  There are many unanswered questions surrounding the murder of her former roommate during their senior year.  Was the wrong man put in prison? Who else could have done it? What was Bodie's own role in the events that led up to the murder? 

  I really liked the shadowed letters of the title as well as the colors so that is what I used to build my card.  The background is blended ink using Poppy Parade, Tahitian Tide and Blueberry Bushel.  

  I used the retired Playful Alphabet die set and cut 2 sets of Happy Birthday, one in Basic White the other in Basic Black.  I adhered them together with the Black letter peeking out just a bit to create the shadow effect I liked from the book cover.  I played around with my placement and then decided where I wanted the balloon to go and then stamped the string in Memento Black.

  Next I trimmed down dimensionals to fit the letters and popped them up using a ruler and my grid paper to get a straight line.  The balloon is stamped in Tahitian Tide, die cut and popped up as well.

  I added the stamped sentiment at the bottom and then embellished with some retired sequins and one Wonderful Stars puffy sticker on the balloon.

   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: Poppy Parade, Blueberry Bushel, Tahitian Tide (retired), Memento Black

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies, Playful Alphabet dies (retired), dimensionals, Wonderful Stars Puffy Stickers (Online Exclusive), sequins (retired)

Biggest Fan Father's Day - Stampin' Up!® Match Day

   The CAS Colours & Sketches team is back with a new challenge for you!  This time we are working with a sketch from Rachel that has so many possibilities with the fun tag element!  

 Since the World Cup is about to start and we are a soccer family and Father's Day is coming I decided to combine the two with this great sketch!

  So I originally had the elements right on a Basic White thick card base but I realized after I had adhered everything that the card opened the wrong way!  Duh!  So I cut the front off and trimmed it down a bit and added it back to a Basic White base that opened the correct way!  What can I say, sometimes my card base creases are just too good lol!

  For my tag elements I layered a Basic Black one behind the A Wonderful Match DSP tag.  Some black baker's twine is used for the string.

  The jersey and sentiment are both stamped in Memento black.  The jersey is colored with Blends then die cut and added to the card with dimensionals.  The sentiment is fussy cut and also popped on dimensionals.

  I couldn't resist using a few retired black Adhesive-Backed Sparkle Gems to add a little bit of shine.  

  I can't wait to see how you use this great layout for your CAS designs.  Remember to keep it clean and simple, minimal layers and patterns with a clean look and lots of white space.  

  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: Match Day (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Basic Black, A Wonderful Match DSP

Accessories: Match Day dies, (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, baker's twine, tag punch (retired), Adhesive-Backed Sparkle Gems (retired)

Father's Day Fern - Stampin' Up!® Fern & Flora

   The Fern & Flora bundle is a great pick for making Father's Day card for those nature loving dads out there.  Grab a masculine color combo like this one and start layering elements!

  Crumb Cake is a great neutral base for these masculine colors; Cloud Cover, Night of Navy and Peaceful Pine.  I pulled out my pack of Florals in Bloom DSP for the subtly striped piece in the background.  I was kind of surprised this one hasn't hit the Last Chance list yet as it has a lot of the recently retired In Colors but it's perfect if you want a mix of florals and simple patterns on the B side.  

  I embossed a piece of Peaceful Pine with the Fern & Flora embossing folder and backed it with a Basic White panel.  It's popped on dimensionals and then the stamped and die cut ferns are layered on top.  The stamped fern uses Peaceful Pine ink and then is colored in with the Soft Sea Foam Blends markers.  The stamped fern is also popped on dimensionals.

  The sentiment is from the Balloon Festoon stamp set and is stamped in Night of Navy and then trimmed down.  It's adhered over a strip of retired ribbon.

  The final touch are some retired Boho Blue 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: Fern & Flora, Balloon Festoon

Ink: Night of Navy, Peaceful Pine

Blends: Soft Sea Foam light & dark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic White, Night of Navy, Peaceful Pine, Soft Sky, Florals in Bloom DSP

Accessories: Fern & Flora embossing folder, Fern & Flora dies, dimensionals, Night of Navy Bordered ribbon (retired), Boho Blue dots (retired)

Simple Sunset Scene - Stampin' Up!® Sunset Coast

   The weather in central Virginia is heating up so it's high time that all the summer themed stamps get some attention.  The Sunset Coast bundle is perfect for coastal scenes that will make you want to head straight for the beach.

  I pulled these colors from a challenge a few weeks ago and for the life of me I can't remember which one.  Maybe I follow too many challenges??!  Nah, that's a silly thought!  If you recognize the colors please let me know so I can give credit.

  I started with a Coastal Cabana base and then did all my stamping on a piece of Basic White.  The larger bit of water is stamped in Coastal Cabana, the inset water is Crisp Cantaloupe.  The sun is Pumpkin Pie and the clouds are Melon Mambo.

  The clouds are stamped and die cut with the 2 one the edges popped on dimensionals.  

  The sentiment is stamped in Memento Black and I added a few Sunset Sparkle Sequins.  Told you this was a super simple card!  Whip up a few of these so you're ready for some summer card sending occasions!

  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: Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Memento Black

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Basic White

Accessories: Sunset Coast dies, dimensionals, Sunset Sparkle sequins

Enjoy the Balloons - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

 The Balloon Festoon bundle is perfect for all kinds of celebration cards.  I've used it mainly for birthday cards lately as I have done on this card today.  The color combo is a pretty pastel one using two of the new In Colors; Hydrangea Hue and Crisp Cantaloupe along with Lemon Lolly.

  No crazy techniques or anything on this one.  I used the Forever Plaid embossing folder for texture on the background in Basic White so that the colors would really pop.

  The balloons are 3 different sizes with the 2 largest in cardstock and the smaller Crisp Cantaloupe one cut from 2026-2028 In Color Painted Pattern DSP.

  Dimensionals are used to pop the 2 top balloons and Basic Black cardstock is used for the string die cuts.

  The sentiment is stamped in Hydrangea Hue and backed with a bit of black and white polka dot Paper Medley DSP.

  A few Pearlized Faceted Circles bring a bit more of the Crisp Cantaloupe to the card as a finishing touch.

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  Thanks for looking!  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

 Stamps: Balloon Festoon

Ink: Hydrangea Hue, Lemon Lolly

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Hydrangea Hue, Lemon Lolly, 2026-2028 In Color Painted Pattern DSP, Paper Medley DSP

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies, dimensionals, Forever Plaid embossing folder, Pearlized Faceted Circles

Smiles for Father's Day - Stampin' Up!® Capturing Smiles

   This time of year is full of hand stamped card worthy events so I'm trying to keep up with them all and working ahead a bit for the ones I need.  Usually I'm a last minute stamper but I'm trying to be more organized by looking ahead on the calendar.  Up next for me is Father's Day and I thought the fun camera and film strip in the Capturing Smiles bundle would be a great masculine card.

 I started with some 2026-2028 In Color Painted Patterns DSP in a striped Peaceful Pine pattern.  I wanted to use some of the small nature scenes in the stamp set and the green was a good starting point.

 Next I cut 2 of the film strips and added stamped hearts, the sentiment and a beach scene and camping scene after coloring them with Blends markers.

  The camera is stamped on Balmy Blue cardstock with Memento black ink.  I used the Balmy Blue Blends dark marker to highlight a few areas of the camera image and then die cut it.  The lens and lens heart were stamped and die cut and added to the camera.

  I dug around in my retired sentiments to find one that that fit the vibe of the card and came up with Many Manly Occasions from the May 2016 Paper Pumpkin.  I stamped it in Timid Tiger and and trimmed it down to fit the space.  This could easily become a birthday card with a quick change of the sentiment too if you're stuck on a masculine birthday card idea!

  A few retired Faux Glass Dots are a nice simple embellishment to finish this card.

  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: Capturing Smiles (Online Exclusive), Many Manly Occasions (retired- Paper Pumpkin)

Ink: Memento Black, Timid Tiger, Peaceful Pine, Balmy Blue

Blends: Timid Tiger light & dark, Peaceful Pine light & dark, Balmy Blue light & dark

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Balmy Blue, 2026-2028 In Color Painted Patterns DSP

Accessories: Capturing Smiles dies (Online Exclusive), dimensionals, Faux Glass Dots (retired)

More Jaguar Graduation - Stampin' Up!® Cap & Gown

   The week of graduation activities has concluded and we have a high school graduate on our hands and summer has officially started!  I have to say I won't be sorry to delete all of the school related apps and notifications!  I ended up making several more graduation cards that I thought I would share all together instead of individually as you'd probably get sick of seeing them across multiple days!  I won't go into 'how to" details but the supplies are listed below each card.

Stamps: Cap & Gown (retired), Sending Salutations

Ink: Bermuda Bay (retired), Versamark

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White, Gold Glimmer (retired), 2024-2026 In Color DSP (retired), All Together DSP (retired)

Accessories: Party Banner dies, Forever Plaid embossing folder, dimensionals, gold embossing powder, star punches (retired)

Stamps: Cap & Gown (retired), Reason to Celebrate, Balloon Festoon

Ink: Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired), 

Paper: Basic White, Basic Black, Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (retired), Gold Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: dimensionals, star punches (retired)

Stamps: Cap & Gown (retired), Sending Salutations

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired), Summer Splash marker (retired)

Paper: Basic Black, Basic White, Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (retired), Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Deckled Rectangle dies (retired), black embossing power, Sunny Day Iridescent Dots (retired)

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

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