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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Jaguar Graduation - Stampin' Up!® Cap & Gown

   With a graduating high school senior in our house this year I'm going to be making my share of graduation cards and I'm glad I held on to the retired Cap & Gown set.  Not only did I hold onto the stamp set I held onto my retired Bermuda Bay ink pad because it's a perfect match for the school colors!  I ran out of Bermuda Bay cardstock when my oldest graduated a few years ago but the ink pad is going strong and the just retired Summer Splash is close enough if needed (and I have a few sheets left thankfully!).

  I started with a Basic White thick card base then dug around in my retired DSPs and pulled out a black and white pattern from All Together and a Bermuda Bay pattern from Sunshine & Rainbows.  I backed them with opposite colored cardstock and then added the fun stuff.

 The larger sentiment is from Reason to Celebrate and the smaller sentiments are from Banner Sayings.  I tucked a bit of Bermuda Bay glimmer paper under the layers to jazz it up.

  The cap and gown are both stamped in Versamark on Basic White and then embossed in black.  I fussy cut the images and popped them on dimensionals onto the rectangle.

  The 'congratulations' from Sending Salutations is stamped in Bermuda Bay and then fussy cut.  It's popped on dimensionals as well.

  Finally a few Adhesive-backed Sparkle Gems and Adhesive-backed Sequins Trio are added for the last detail.

  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: Reason to Celebrate, Banner Sayings, Sending Salutations, Cap & Gown (retired)

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark, Bermuda Bay (retired)

Paper: Basic White, Basic White, Basic Black, Summer Splash (retired), All Together DSP (retired), Sunshine & Rainbows DSP (retired), Bermuda Bay Glimmer Paper (retired)

Accessories: black embossing powder, dimensionals, Adhesive-backed Sparkle Gems (retired), Adhesive-backed Sequins Trio (retired)

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

Spring Easter Basket - Stampin' Up!® Easter Basket

 After a few warm days here in central Virginia some of my spring bulbs are flowering and the rest are on their way!  It's definitely time to think about spring cards and get ready for all that pastel goodness!  My stampers made this card last week at class and they got a good taste of spring with the Easter Basket bundle!

  This design starts with a Balmy Blue card base, then a piece of Easter Joy Specialty DSP.  This paper is very sturdy with fun metallic accents in cheerful spring colors.  

  The basket is cut out of Crumb Cake and a bit of Shy Shamrock grass is added to the inside.  Next comes filling the basket with all the adorable images in the Easter Basket stamp set.  All of the images are stamped in Basic Gray and then colored in with Blends.  It was fun to mix and match colors so each egg looks a bit different.  After the images are die cut they are added to the basket with the little chick being popped on dimensionals.

  The bunny and a second chick are stamped, colored, die cut and then added to outside the basket which fills in the layout. 

  The sentiment is stamped in Balmy Blue and adhered and a Balmy Blue gingham bow is the final 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: Easter Basket

Ink: Balmy Blue, Basic Gray

Blends: Smoky Slate light, Pretty in Pink light & dark, Lemon Lolly light and dark, Peach Pie light & dark, Balmy Blue light & dark, Shy Shamrock light & dark

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Crumb Cake, Easter Joy Specialty DSP, Shy Shamrock

Accessories: Easter Basket dies, dimensionals, Balmy Blue gingham ribbon, 

Let's Go Good Luck - Stampin' Up!® Match Day

 I wanted to make a good luck card for my son who is going to be trying out for high school soccer this coming week.  He's a bit nervous and I thought he might like to get a little bit of themed encouragement!  I preordered the Wonderful Match suite and intended to use it to scrapbook some of the many years worth of photos I have of both boys soccer days but so far I've only used it to make a few cards!  I'm using the Freshly Made Sketches layout which works perfectly for soccer balls!

  The papers in the Wonderful Match DSP are really fun and make great backgrounds.  I stamped the Let's Go sentiment on a piece of Basic White and added a die cut strip of grass below it.  Two die cut Timid Tiger cones with some white Posca paint pen highlights are added to help hide the fact that I stamped the sentiment off center and was too lazy to re-do it!  

  Finally I stamped the soccer balls in Versamark and embossed them in black.  They are nice and shiny though it doesn't show in the photo.

  Since the sketch is supposed to be clean and it's for a teenaged boy I didn't add any other embellishments.

  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 Stampin' Up!® March 2026 Online Exclusive release.

Stamps: Match Day*

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

Paper: Wonderful Match DSP*, Basic White, Granny Apple Green, Timid Tiger

Accessories: Match Day dies*, black embossing powder, dimensionals, Posca White paint pen (non-SU)

Bear Hugs - Stampin' Up!® Valentine Kisses

  Here's another card that was meant to be made by my stampers at my January class and they only got to make it last week.  It was to be a Valentine's Day card but I added the option for a happy birthday sentiment on the inside for those that were already set on their Valentine's day cards.  These bears are just adorable and I love how you can give them different items to hold!

  I wanted this one to be more of a card without the red/pink "in your face" Valentine's Day theme so I stuck with a nice blue color palette.  Secret Sea is used for the base as well as the Hearts of Love embossed panel.

  The colored stripes are each stamped with one of the tiny accent stamps in the Valentine Kisses stamp set.  They make for a nice pop of color behind the bear.

  The bear is stamped in Pecan Pie and then colored with blends.  My stampers had to the choice to used colored pencils and blender pens if they like that type of coloring instead.  We gave him a sweet little Cherry Cobbler heart to hold and then popped him up on dimensionals above the stamped sentiment.

  Since I was trying to keep this one from being too froofy (technical term) all the embellishment that was added is a baker's twine bow.

  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: Valentine Kisses (Online Exclusive)

Ink: Secret Sea, Blueberry Bushel, Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana, Pecan Pie

Blends: Pecan Pie light & dark, Ivory

Paper: Secret Sea, Blueberry Bushel, Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana, Basic White, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Valentine Kisses dies (Online Exclusive), Hearts of Love embossing folder, dimensionals, blue baker's twine (retired)

Soccer Match Birthday - Stampin' Up!® Match Day

   My card today is a preview of an upcoming bundle that will be released in early March with the next batch of Online Exclusive products!  I was really excited to see the Wonderful Match Suite and all the soccer/football possibilities!  Both my boys have played soccer since they were very little so we have a ton of soccer seasons under our belts along with all the photos and memories! Hopefully having this suite will kick start some scrapbooking of those fun memories but for now I started easy with a card to just play around.

  I was inspired by the card sketch at Scrap-n-Sketch but instead of a tag I swapped a banner and I hope that's ok!  I wanted to mimic the shape of the flag stamp and I the tag shapes I had just weren't right.

  I started with a Basic Black card base then a layer of A Wonderful Match DSP in this fun turf/goal netting pattern.  I added the band at the bottom with Basic Black and Azure Afternoon with the birthday sentiment embossed in black.

  The banner is Basic White and is cut with the Party Banners dies.  I stamped the flag directly onto the banner and added the #1 to it. The ball and jersey are stamped and die cut.  I colored the jersey, flag and added a bit of shading on the ball with Stampin' Blends. The jersey is popped on dimensionals.

  My favorite thing on this card is the silver whistle!  Isn't it cute?  I used a bit of retired Brushed Silver paper and added some black baker's twine for the cording.  The whistle is popped on dimensionals also.  I added a sneaky glue dot just under the sleeve of the jersey to press the twine into so it would stay in place and not flop off the side of the card.

  I'm excited to continue to use these suite products and I hope you don't get tired of soccer themed cards!

  Thanks for sharing!  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 early March 2026 in the Online Exclusives.

Stamps: Match Day*, Simply Said

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

Blends: Balmy Blue light & dark, Azure Afternoon light

Paper: Basic Black, Basic Black, Azure Afternoon, A Wonderful Match DSP*, brushed silver paper (retired)

Accessories: Match Day dies*, dimensionals, Party Banners dies, black embossing powder, black baker's twine