Hello x 4 - Stampin' Up!® Round About Messages

 Sometimes ideas for CAS cards are hard to come by and sometimes you have several ideas and aren't sure which is the better card to share!  The latter was my dilemma with this newest CAS Colours & Sketches challenge!  So I'm sharing one card today and I'll post the second in a few days and you all can decide which was the better way to use this sketch!

    As I'm in the first weeks of having both of my boys away at college I'm making an effort to create cards that might be well received by them (ie keeping the frills and fluff to a minimum lol!).  Clean and simple challenges are perfect for this focus and I am embracing it!  I used the just about to be released Round About Messages stamp set for this design.

  I constantly collect color combos and mark them down with swatches in a notebook so whenever I'm in need of one I can page through and see what jumps out at me.  This is one of those combos and I think it's a fun one for a masculine feel.

  The card base is Basic White thick, then a layer of Basic White is die cut with retired Textured Notes dies for a tiny bit of detail along the edges.

 Next I stamped the 'hello!' in Versamark on a 1 inch wide strip of each of the four colors then embossed them in white.  I trimmed the edges down to crisp angles and then popped them with dimensionals on the card front following the sketch.  

  A few retired Faux Glass Dots are a clean embellishment to help bring the eye down the card.

  I can't wait to see how you use this sketch!  Be sure to keep your design clean and simple with 'white' space and minimal layers and patterns.  Share in the challenge gallery so we can all oooohhh and aaaahhh!

  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 starting September 1, 2026 in the Stampin' Up!® Sept.-Dec. catalog.

Stamps: Round About Messages*

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Golden Glow, Pumpkin Pie, Coastal Cabana, Pretty Peacock

Accessories: white embossing powder, dimensionals, Textured Notes dies (retired), Faux Glass Dots (retired)

Back to School Owl - Stampin' Up!® Adorable Owls

   Even if my kids are now in college I'm still doing back to school cards for them!  I dug back into the archives for this cutie!  Adorable Owls was a Sale-a-Bration reward back in 2023 and I'm glad I hung onto it!

  I started with a Granny Apple Green card base, then a layer of Misty Moonlight and then a layer of Homemade Sweetness DSP in this fun notebook paper pattern.

  The retired Just A Note bundle is also one that I've kept because I just love the fun office stationery and the notebook paper dies.  They were a great pairing with the owl.  The Learn & Grow stamp set is a good current substitute if you're looking for a similar "school" type stamp set. I used the notebook paper die on a piece of Basic White to create a spot to add all of my other elements.  The Misty Moonlight banner embossed with the sentiment, the stars and glimmer paper heart paper clip as well as the owl.  

  I colored the owl with Blends and then fussy cut him.  He's popped on dimensionals.  I thought it ended up being a cute back to school card!

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: Adorable Owls (retired SAB), Just a Note (retired)

Ink: Versamark, Memento black

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Ivory, Real Red light & dark, Daffodil Delight dark, Pumpkin Pie dark, Azure Afternoon dark

Paper: Granny Apple Green, Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Homemade Sweetness DSP, Daffodil Delight, Real Red Glimmer (retired)

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, Just A Note dies (retired)

Round About Hello - Stampin' Up!® Round About Messages

   Sometimes it's the basic stamp sets that you can have the most fun with!  I've been having a ball playing around with the upcoming new set called Round About Messages.  No coordinating dies, no big focal images, just some fun greetings and small accent images that you can do a lot with!

  My colors for this card come from the Color Hues challenge where we're to use yellow and orange.  Now I couldn't come up with a Christmas card using these colors like my friend Nancy who is on the Color Hues Design Team (seriously give her props!!) but I chose to use the cheerful colors for a fun hello card using the Round About Messages stamp set.  Now that I've got 2 kids in college I've got to double my card production to send them!

  I used a 2 inch circle punch with Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight cardstock and punched 3 of each color.  Then I cut each circle in half and starting in the center of a piece of Basic White cardstock I alternated the colors to form full circles.  The other half circles are added to the sides and then I trimmed off any overhang.  That panel is adhered to a Basic White thick card base.

  I stamped the 'hello' in black and the sun image in Daffodil Delight then fussy cut each of them.  They are popped on dimensionals in the center circle.  And finally to add some shine I gave each half circle a Shiny Sequin.  

  I'm so glad I gave these colors a try and while I did stress about about getting the circles lined up "just so" I think it turned out really cute and uses minimal tools or extras!

  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 Sept. 1 in the Stampin' Up!® Sept.-Dec. 2026 catalog.

Stamps: Round About Messages*

Ink: Black, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: 2" circle punch/die, dimensionals, Shiny Sequins (retired)

Rising Sun Sailboat - Stampin' Up!® Sunset Coast Dies

      Having a decent stash of masculine birthday cards is always in the back of my mind when creating and I find clean and simple cards the perfect time to focus on those guy cards I might soon be needing.  The Sunset Coast bundle can be used for layered, embellished and over the top "Wow" cards but it can also be great for some clean lines and simple layouts.

 The Addicted to CAS challenge theme of water was my starting point for this card.  I started with a Basic White thick card base, then added a layer of Scenic Coast DSP.  I chose the b side instead of the shimmery side because I liked the uniform color of the water to anchor the center of my card and keep the focus on the mail elements.

  Next I cut 2 of the sunburst dies, one in Crushed Curry and the second in another of the Scenic Coast DSP b sides in a Crushed Curry pattern.  I adhered the cardstock sun to a piece of Basic White and trimmed off the excess.  Next I added the DSP rays from the other die cut to the openings of the cardstock sun using the Basic White backing to give some support to the circle and it was easier to put the glue on the white than the DSP.

  I die cut the sail boat and waves from Secret Sea cardstock and trimmed the boat down and popped it on dimesionals just in front of the sun.  The waves along with the Banner Sayings sentiment are adhered under the boat.  No embellishments or extras on this clean and simple card.

 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: Banner Sayings

Ink: Secret Sea

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Secret Sea, Crushed Curry, Scenic Coast DSP

Accessories: Sunset Coast dies, dimensionals

Woodland Trio Christmas - Stampin' Up!® Woodland Wishes

   I've got a sweet little Christmas card to share today!  I'm mixing some current products with a few things that will available soon in the Stampin' Up!® Sept.-Dec. 2026 catalog.  The sweet little animals in the Woodland Wishes stamp set are so cute and just look how nice they are with red and green Christmas colors!

  The layout is from Freshly Made Sketches and is a nice sketch for grouping some smaller images/die cuts together.  The colors (red, green, brown) are from the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown which I don't tend to play along with until I get new Christmas supplies each year but they always have cool challenges!

 I started with a Cherry Cobbler base (which you can't see), then added a piece of the upcoming Timeless Christmas DSP to cover the card front.  I love this tone on tone polka dot pattern, useful for not just Christmas cards!  Next I die cut the Cherry Cobbler scalloped strip with the upcoming Home for Christmas dies.  The sentiment is stamped in Peaceful Pine on the light side of a strip of Peaceful Pine two-toned cardstock.  Look at how well it matches the polka dots!  I love having a light and regular shade of all my cardstock colors; it doubles the amount of shades to work with which is always a good thing in my book!

  Next I stamped, colored and fussy cut the animals with Blends and then added them to the card front.  The fox is popped on dimensionals.  The card needed a bit of sparkle so I die cut a few little stars out of gold glimmer paper with the Home for Christmas dies.

  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 Sept. 1, 2026.

Stamps: Woodland Wishes (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black, Peaceful Pine

Blends: Ivory, Peacan Pie, Cajun Craze, Pecan Pie, Bronze

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Peaceful Pine Two-Toned, Gold Glimmer (retired), Timeless Christmas DSP*

Accessories: Home for Christmas dies*, dimensionals

Woodland Bear - Stampin' Up!® Woodland Wishes

   I love when seasonal sets can be used out of season!  It really makes you feel that you're getting more bang for your buck when you can use a Christmas stamp set in July to make a non-Christmas card.  I'll have both boys away at school this fall so I've got to beef up my college kid card stash.  The little bear in the Woodland Wishes set was calling my name!

  Thanks to Freshly Made Sketches for the fun square layout to show off this chubby little guy!  I pulled out some scraps from the retired Autumn to Remember Scrapbooking Workshop kit and coordinating Sweet Days of Autumn DSP as the colors seemed to be just what I had in mind!

  The card base is Basic White thick, then a layer of Cajun Craze, then the Sweet Days of Autumn DSP.  The Bear is stamped in Memento and then colored with Blends.  He's cute out with a Stylish Shape square die and is backed with a layer of Cajun Craze.  The square is popped on dimensionals.

  For the narrow strip I used another scrap and trimmed the ends.  The sentiment is from the Reason to Celebrate stamp set and is stamped in Memento and punched out with a retired 3/4" circle punch.  I layered the sentiment over a baker's twine bow.

  To finish off this boy friendly card I added a few of the leftover wood grain heart accent pieces from the kit.  

  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: Woodland Wishes (Online Exclusive), Reason to Celebrate

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Ivory

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Cajun Craze, Autumn to Remember DSP

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, wood accents (retired), Copper Clay baker's twine (retired)

Let's Go Dukes! - Stampin' Up!® Football Fan

    If you are looking for a football themed stamp set for scrapbooking, cards, invitations or party accessories then the Stampin' Up!® Football Fan stamp set fits the bill!  In addition to some great images you've got some fun sentiments to go along with the sports theme!  I hadn't inked up my set yet so I thought I would get ahead of the fall season and make a card for the college football team we cheer on; the JMU Dukes.  It's my husband's alma mater so we always gear up in our purple and gold and get a good "Goooooo Dukes!" in!  

  A great companion bundle to use with the Football Fan stamp set is the soccer themed Match Day.  The whistle, cone, grass and trophy die cuts along with more sports theme sentiments expands the mix and match opportunities!  

  The Just Us Girls challenge of "play" along with the just closed Freshly Made Sketches layout were inspirations for this design.  I started with a piece of Wonderful Match DSP for the background.  A strip of Gorgeous Grape and narrow strip of Golden Glow draw the eye to the main elements.

  It's been a long time since I've done a "polaroid" style element on a card and the running player seemed like a perfect image to use.  I started with creating the frame by using a rectangle shaped piece of Basic White then using a square die to cut out the inside.  

  The player is stamped on a piece of Basic White that is slightly larger than the opening in the frame.  I stamped the image again on a sticky note and fussy cut it to create a mask so I could lightly blend a bit of Pool Party ink around the player for a nice crisp background.  The image is colored in with Stampin' Blends and then the the frame is added and the whole thing is popped on dimensionals.

  I wanted to use some of the fun "accessory" stamps so I used the pennant, ball and fan hand to add a little cluster at the corner of the "photo".  I added the gold strips to the pennant and highlighted the gold on the player with my Golden Glow Shimmer Brush for some fun sparkle.

  The final touch are some 2026-2028 In Color Dots in the corner and on the fan hand.

  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: Football Fan (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black, Gorgeous Grape, Golden Glow, Pool Party

Blends: Highland Heather dark, SU500, Pecan Pie dark

Paper: Wonderful Match DSP, Basic White, Gorgeous Grape, Golden Glow

Accessories: Square die, dimensionals, 2026-2028 In Color Dots

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)

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)

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)

Masculine Balloons - Stampin' Up!® Balloon Festoon

   The CAS Colours & Sketches challenge team is back with a new challenge to get you inspired for clean and simple designs.  This time is color combo!  Rachel has given us Night of Navy, Gray Granite and Balmy Blue.  Perfect colors for a masculine card if you need a place to start for the men in your life!  As you can see that's how I used them!  

  I always need a little help getting a guy card started so that's what I went with so I could beef up my stash of birthday cards.  And the Balloon Festoon bundle was a great pairing!

  I simply cut a few balloons in graduated sizes in the challenge color, added a little bit of stamping to the blue ones and embossed the Gray Granite one with the Beautiful Pattern embossing folder.

  I adhered them to a Basic White panel with the top two being popped on dimensionals.  I trimmed off the over hang and then hand drew the string with a marker.

  The sentiment from the Banner Sayings stamp set is stamped in Night of Navy at the bottom.  The whole panel is then adhered to a Basic White thick card base.

  Head over to the see the CAS Colours & Sketches design team inspiration and add your creation using these colors to the gallery.  Make sure to keep it clean and simple with minimal layers and patterns and lots of open 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: Balloon Festoon, Banner Sayings

Ink: Balmy Blue, Night of Navy

Paper: Night of Navy, Gray Granite, Balmy Blue, Basic White, Basic White thick

Accessories: Balloon Festoon dies, dimensionals, Beautiful Pattern embossing folder

Soccer Field Birthday - Stampin' Up!® Match Day

  Hopping on quickly to share a fun birthday card using the Match Day bundle along with the Alphabet Challenge to use B for "balls".  This one could have quickly gone off the rails but I figure they are looking for sports related balls and not the other kind and really who wants a card like that anyway??!  

 

  I started with a Granny Apple Green card base, then a panel of the same but I cut some of the grass die cuts in Garden Green and adhered them in stripes.  A scrap of Basic Black highlights the edge of the 2 Granny Apple Green fields.

  

  The Match Day stamps and dies are so fun to use to make clusters of elements so I cut a few soccer balls, stamped and colored some flags and then added in a shiny gold trophy to group around the birthday sentiment.

 

  You could make endless versions of this by changing the colors around and mixing and matching the dies and stamp sets.

  A few gold Metallic Gems are added to play off the gold of the trophy.  

 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), Reason to Celebrate

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Real Red light & dark

Paper: Granny Apple Green, Garden Green, Basic White, Gold Foil, Black Glimmer (retired)

Accessories: Match Day dies (Online Exclusive), Spotlight on Nature dies, dimensionals, Metallic Gems

Simple Birthday - Stampin' Up!® Simple Alphabet

  If you don't have an alphabet stamp set in your collection then I highly recommend the Simple Alphabet set!  I've used it for a number of cards and I am always pleased with the results.  I find it easy to line up, quick to fussy cut if that's your thing and super cute if you want to use the letters in a less structured way.  I used the Simple Alphabet set to create my own birthday greeting in a bright color palette for the Addicted to CAS challenge prompt of 'birthday'.  It would be great for scrapbook titles, personalized cards and whatever else you could use an alphabet stamp set for!

  The card base is Basic White thick and then a layer of Azure Afternoon.  All the fun happens on the top panel of Basic White.  I spelled out 'happy birthday' with the Simple Alphabet set and in a fun group of colors.  I didn't line up the letters perfectly straight and overlapped some edges for a less formal look.  This playful look goes nicely with the bright colors.  And yes, my first go at this I didn't give myself enough room for all of the letters in birthday.  But making mistakes is all part of creating!

  I used the Addressed to You stamp set to stamp the little bunch of balloons in Memento black and then colored them with Blends markers.  I added small highlights using a white gel pen.  The whole panel is popped on the card front with dimensionals.

  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: Simple Alphabet (Online Exclusive), Addressed to You (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Memento Black, Poppy Parade, Darling Duckling, Pool Party, Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon

Blends: Darling Duckling, Poppy Parade, Azure Afternoon

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Azure Afternoon

Accessories: white gel pen, dimensionals

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

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)

Moon Man Birthday - Stampin' Up!® Moon & Back

   I'm a few days late in posting for the new CAS Colours & Sketches challenge but I've got a card to share with you today.  I was supposed to get back home from the Stampin' Up!® OnStage event in California on Sunday night but my connecting flight through Dallas got cancelled and they couldn't re-book my flight until Tuesday.  So a bit of unexpected time in Texas threw off my plans for stamping on Monday!  Oh well, I guess you can't help what the weather does.  A silver lining of the looooooong layover was that I got to spend the day on Monday with my friend and downline in Dallas and we stamped and created and chatted and that made an annoying travel situation so much better!  

  Check out the sketch:

  Didn't Joanne give a fun layout to work with?  The little notched space gives room for a lot of different possibilities!

  The Moon & Back stamp set is a new one in the Online Exclusives and I thought a sweet little space scene might work well with the layout.

  

  I started with a Basic White thick card base, then a square of retired Everyday Skies DSP with the notch made with a circle punch.

  The moon man is stamped in Basic Gray then colored in with Stampin' Blends.  The sentiment is from Banner Sayings and is stamped in Night of Navy on a skinny strip of Balmy Blue.  It's popped up on dimensionals following the sketch.

  I added a few punched stars using the Peaceful Garden Glimmer paper as well as adding Wink of Stella to the moon man's face mask.

  I hope you'll check out the Design Team samples and then add your creation to the gallery!  Remember to keep it Clean and Simple; minimal layers, lots of white space and uncluttered.

  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: Moon & Back (Online Exclusive), Banner Sayings (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Basic Gray, Night of Navy

Blends: Smoky Slate light & dark, Balmy Blue dark, Real Red dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Balmy Blue, Peaceful Garden Glimmer paper, Everyday Skies DSP (retired)

Accessories: circle punch, dimensionals, Wink of Stella

Game Day! - Stampin' Up!® Match Day

   A week or two ago I shared a soccer card that I made for encouragement for my 17 year old when he was trying out for the high school team.  I'm happy to report that he made the team and today's card is one that I'll give him before their first game tomorrow!

  I loosely used the SUO Challenge layout.  I flipped the sketch to accommodate the size of the net and I also didn't tuck the soccer balls behind as shown in the sketch but I wanted to definitely give credit for my inspiration.

  The background is a piece of A Wonderful Match DSP, then the net die cut in Basic White.  Next I added the die cut soccer balls on the corners.  The sentiment is stamped in Summer Splash and is trimmed to flag ends.  It's popped on dimensionals.

  The flags are stamped but the one facing to the right done with the mirror image stamping technique. This is a great technique to use when you have an image that you want to duplicate and have it face the opposite way.  Check out this video to see how it's done.

After the flags were stamped I colored, die cut then added them to the card by the soccer balls.  the final detail which I think is really fun and gives a nice bit of shine are the tufts of grass that are popped on mini dimensionals at the base of the goal.  I used some retired Festive Glimmer paper which was a perfect match!

  Hopefully the Jags can come away with a win the first game to set them up for a great season going forward!

  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, Summer Splash

Blends: Summer Splash light & dark, Crumb Cake light & dark

Paper: A Wonderful Match DSP, (Online Exclusive), Basic White, Basic Black, Festive Glimmer Paper (retired)

Accessories: Match Day dies (Online Exclusive), dimensionals