Category Archives: Handmade Cards

Stamping Sunday Blog Hop — Kaleidoscopic Depths

Welcome to the Stamping Sunday Blog Hop for July 2024. This month, our theme is Kaleidoscopic Depths — colors from under the sea. Our focus is on color and where we draw inspiration. When I think of the sea, I think of snorkeling and scuba diving. Some of my fondest memories are from trips to Hawaii, Tahiti, Turks & Caicos, and Cancun swimming in the ocean depths with brightly colored… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday – Color Combinations

This month, our theme for Stampin’ Fancy Friday is color combinations! Inspiration is everywhere including the beautiful samples in the Stampin’ Up! catalogs, nature, advertisements, social media, … literally anything. All the designers are selecting color combinations and telling what inspires us. To see all the designers’ projects, keep an eye on the Stampin’ Fancy Friday Facebook and Instagram pages throughout the month. We’d also love to see any of your projects using our… Read More »

#TGIFC480 — Color Challenge

Happy Friday! It’s a new month and that means a new color challenge at TGIF Challenges. This time, we have a color combination of White, Black, and Real Red. It’s funny how I’ve had two color challenges in the same week with black and white! What a crazy coincidence. I tried to think outside the box on this one and used the Beach Day Stamp Set and coordinating Dies! I… Read More »

Creativity Now — Sneak Peeks

A little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend Creativity Now. This is a super fun online event that Stampin’ Up hosts annually for demonstrators. It includes lots of hands on crafting, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes presentations. And what’s even better is that my mom drove into town to join me!!! We love attending Stampin’ Up! events together; she’s my little crafting buddy!!! All the… Read More »

#TGIFC478 — Chalkboard Technique

Hello, and welcome to a new TGIF Challenge! This week, our theme is using the chalkboard technique. I haven’t used this technique for quite a while, and it’s one that has always been a favorite, so it was fun to be reminded. I also happened to watch a Crafty Carrot Collective tutorial by Susan Wong, where she made a waterfall card and it really inspired me! This is an old… Read More »

Stamping Sunday Blog Hop — CASE the Catalog

Welcome to the June Stamping Sunday Blog Hop. This month, our theme is CASE the Catalog. (CASE means to Copy And Share Everything.) The Stampin’ Up! catalogs are great inspiration to jump start your creativity! The current annual has a bunch of great templates on page 22, as well as color theory information on pages 132 and 133. There’s also great examples on just about every page of the catalog.… Read More »

#TGIFC476 — Color Challenge with Country Birdhouse

Hi friends! It’s time for a new TGIF Color Challenge. This week, our color combo includes Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, and Azure Afternoon. Hmm … I’m afraid it’s not a combo I would have ever selected on my own. I had to put A LOT of thought into this one!!! But then it occurred to me that birds are blue, flowers can be orange, and well hey, a birdhouse could… Read More »

#TGIFC474 — Inspiration Challenge

Happy Friday! We have a new inspiration challenge at TGIF Challenges this week using the photo below. Since I’ve been creating a lot of flower cards lately, I decided to switch things up and use the basic layout of the sketch below, but with leaves. My card features the Leaf Collection Background Stamp as well as the Sweetly Scripted Stamp Set and Sketched Butterflies Bundle. As you can see, the… Read More »

Stamping Sunday — Something Old, Something New

Welcome to the May Stamping Sunday Blog Hop. This month, our theme is “Something Old, Something New.” We can interpret that to mean old and new products or even a wedding-themed project. So this should be fun! I decided to mix old and new products, because I have so many fun, new things to play with, and I was dying to try them out! I ended up combining the Country… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday — CASE a Fancy Friend

For this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday, our theme is CASE a Fancy Friend! CASE means Copy And Share Everything. So in other words, pick a project you really admire, copy certain elements that inspire you, and add your own twist or style to make it different. We have this challenge once a year and I find it really hard! There are so many amazing designers in the Fancy Friday group,… Read More »

#TGIFC472 — Sketch Challenge with Flowers of Beauty

Happy Mother’s Day!!! I’m posting this a little late, because I didn’t want my Mom to see it before she opened the actual card. I made it for this week’s TGIF Sketch Challenge below, featuring the new Flowers of Beauty Bundle. It’s a gorgeous bundle that you’re going to love! Isn’t this sketch darling? I love the idea of creating a window with a window box planter. It was so… Read More »

Color Fusers Blog Hop — May 2024

Welcome to the May Color Fusers Blog Hop! This month, our color combination includes Pebbled Path, Bubble Bath, and Moody Mauve. All these colors are on the cool side of the color wheel, which I confess is the opposite of the warm colors I typically gravitate towards. But that’s the beauty of challenges! They push me to try new things, and you know … I totally LOVE the end result!… Read More »

#TGIFC470 — Projects with Pockets

It’s Friday, and that means a new TGIF Challenge! Our theme this week is “projects with pockets.” Pockets are fun, and you can use them to add interactive elements, such as removable tags, hidden messages, and even surprises. For my project, I used the new Spotlight On Nature Bundle from the 2024-2025 Annual Catalog going live May 1, 2024. During OnStage last month, I signed up for an After Hours… Read More »

Stamping Sunday Blog Hop — Technique Triumphs

Welcome to the April Stamping Sunday Blog Hop. This month, our theme is Technique Triumphs. I love techniques, so it was actually hard to pick just one! You know I love watercoloring, so I thought I’d focus on some non-traditional ways to add watercoloring to your projects. My card features the Paper Florist and Gorgeously Made Dies. Both are big favorites and they’re retiring at the end of this month,… Read More »

#TGIFC468 — Sketch Challenge

Happy Friday and welcome to a new TGIF Sketch Challenge. I love our sketch this week! It’s so different because all the focus is on the lower portion of the card, and it really inspired me. I decided to use the new Seaside Wishes Bundle from the upcoming 2024-2025 Annual Catalog. This bundle immediately caught my eye, as I’m sure you would have guessed. I’m known for loving all ocean-themed… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday — Technique Focus

For this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday, we are focusing on techniques! One of my favorite stamping techniques is “watercolor stamping.” I love the look of watercoloring in general, and this technique makes it super easy! It’s a great way to create a “wow” card without a lot of effort. (I’ll explain how.) My card features the Textured Floral Stamp Set and coordinating dies, one of my favorite bundles. To see… Read More »

Color Fusers Blog Hop – April 2024

Hello and welcome to the Color Fusers Blog Hop for April 2024. This month, our color combination includes Parakeet Party, Granny Apple Green, and Calypso Coral. This combo makes me think of Spring and new growth. Looking through my stamp stash, I noticed the perfect set to go with this combo — Planted Paradise! It’s one I haven’t used before and it was so much fun!!! Whether you just started… Read More »

#TGIFC466 — Simple Gift Sets

Welcome to a new TGIF Challenge! We have an extra Friday this month, so it’s a bonus challenge to design simple gift sets. Designing simple cards isn’t something I usually do, but I immediately thought of the Meandering Meadows 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper. It’s so pretty, I feel like all I need to do is glue it on a card base and add a sentiment. For these cards,… Read More »