Category Archives: Handmade Cards

#TGIFC430 — Inspiration Challenge

Hello and welcome to a new TGIF Challenge! This week, we’re being inspired by the photo below. I love inspiration challenges, because I can choose anything about it that I like, including the theme, the colors, or even the layout. For my project, I simply focused on travel and where I’d like to go … to Hawaii swimming with the turtles. I’ve recently been busy designing a bunch of cards… Read More »

Stampin’ Sunday – Tips

Welcome to the July Stamping Sunday Blog Hop. This month, our theme is “Bish, Bash, Bosh” or tips (for us Americans – haha.) Our creative design teammate Mikaela Tithridge from the U.K. came up with this great idea. It should be a lot of fun! I can’t wait to see what the team dreams up!!! I decided to focus on tips/techniques for easy watercolor stamping. I used the Tropical Leaf… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday — CASE a Fancy Friend

For this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday, our theme is to CASE a fancy friend. I love this challenge, but it’s also a little intimidating. The entire design team is made up of artisan alumni! So it was not only difficult to pick just one person, but also difficult to pick just one project! I ended up selecting another US artisan, Elizabeth Price. I’ve always admired her work and love her… Read More »

#TGIFC428 — Color Challenge

Hello, and welcome to a new TGIF Challenge! This week, we have a color challenge including Basic Black, Lemon Lolly, and Sweet Sorbet. I have to admit that initially, I was a little stumped. But while I was playing with the June “Welcome Inn” Paper Pumpkin Kit, inspiration hit!!! I love the little vase stamp from that kit and really wanted to use it more. The beauty of Paper Pumpkin… Read More »

Color Fusers Blog Hop — July 2023

Welcome to the Color Fusers Blog Hop for July 2023. This month, we have a bright and beautiful color combination of Azure Afternoon, Daffodil Delight, and Pumpkin Pie. Why haven’t I used Azure Afternoon more before this? It’s absolutely gorgeous! For my project, I used the (#162253) Translucent Florals Bundle. It’s a new bundle coming out in the next Mini Catalog this September. I had pre-purchased it for Stampin’ Up!’s… Read More »

Coming Soon: Translucent Florals Bundle

Last Saturday, Stampin’ Up! hosted a super fun online event for demonstrators called Creativity Now. This annual event just keeps getting better. It included four hours of crafting, presentations previewing new products, and behind the scenes videos from the home office. It was such a nice change of pace to just sit back, relax, and let others teach while I got to follow along and craft. Creativity Now is open… Read More »

#TGIFC426 — Inspiration Challenge

Welcome to a new TGIF Challenge! This week, we have an inspiration challenge using the photo below. I think it could be interpreted to include cupcakes or anything party related. I also think the focus could be on the colors, layout, or cherries. I decided to use the Circle Saying Stamp Set (which includes a cupcake stamp) to make a birthday card for my brother-in-law. He loves cupcakes, especially red… Read More »

Exploring In Color – Paper Pumpkin Kit

Paper Pumpkin Kits are so fun, especially if you have limited time to craft and want to bang out a bunch of great cards. The monthly kits have unique and varied themes. The examples above use the May Explore In Color Kit. I absolutely LOVE this kit! If you haven’t heard of Paper Pumpkin, check out my blog page. I love that I can choose which kits I want to… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday – Stripes or Spots

For this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday, we have a theme of stripes or spots. It’s a broad theme allowing lots of creative interpretation. I decided to incorporate both into my project by using some striped Granny Apple Green paper from the Brights 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper pack and a dry embossed spotted background using one of the Basics 3D Embossing Folders (an Online Exclusive.) To see all the… Read More »

#TGIFC424 — Sketch Challenge

Welcome to a new TGIF Sketch Challenge. I love sketches! It makes designing cards so easy. For this card, I used a combination of products including the Patchwork Pieces Dies (for the background), Timeless Arrangements Bundle (for the flowers), and Bottled Happiness Stamp Set (for the bottle.) I also used the Go To Greetings Stamp Set for the sentiment, because I always need birthday cards. I make them for family,… Read More »

Irresistible Blooms Thank You

It has been a busy month! My family was recently in Southern California to watch my son’s graduation, and we finally got the opportunity to meet my daugther-in-law’s mom and family! Sam and Josie just got married last November, but due to various circumstances, the parents kept missing each other. The kids’ wedding was small (at the courthouse), so Josie’s mom decided to host a small family reception last weekend… Read More »

#TGIFC422 — What Would You Do…

Happy Friday! This week’s TGIF Challenge is “What would you do … with a Navy Blue background?” Fun, right? Personally, I LOVE navy blue’ it’s one of my very favorite colors. Also, the new Countryside Inn Designer Series Paper (DSP) has several beautiful prints with Night of Navy backgrounds, so this challenge was easy!!! I created a slimline card that fits in a legal envelope. (I miss the retired slimline… Read More »

Stamping Sunday Blog Hop – New Beginnings

Hello and welcome to the May Stamping Sunday Blog Hop. This month, our theme is new beginnings. This is perfect for a couple reasons. First, our whole blog hop is getting a make-over! We have a new logo and more members; in fact, we’ve combined two previous Stamping Sunday groups into one. Our new schedule is to hop the third Sunday of each month. The second reason why this theme… Read More »

#TGIFC420 — Sketch Challenge

Welcome to a new TGIF Sketch Challenge! I love sketch challenges, because they encourage me to try new layouts!!! For this one, I focused the majority of the card the Countryside Corners Bundle and Countryside Inn Designer Series Paper. I love all the blue tones in this suite and knew they would be perfect for my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day. She loves blue and white! I also figured that the… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday — Color Celebration Challenge

For this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday, we are having a Color Celebration Challenge. The designers are picking color combinations to celebrate Stampin’ Up!’s Color Refresh. My project features the Timeless Arrangements Bundle with a color combination of Berry Burst, Blackberry Bliss, and Wild Wheat. To see all the designers’ projects this month, keep an eye on the Stampin’ Fancy Friday Facebook and Instagram pages. We’d also love to see your creative ideas! Be sure… Read More »

Color Fusers Blog Hop — May 2023

Welcome to the May Color Fusers Blog Hop. This month, we are celebrating the new 2023-2025 In Colors! These five colors will be available for the next two years, and they are designed to complement Stampin’ Up!’s 40 Core Colors to keep the entire color palette fresh and on trend. For my project, I decided to focus on two of the In Colors — Moody Mauve and Pebbled Path. They… Read More »

#TGIFC418 — Inspiration Challenge

This week’s TGIF Challenge was inspired by the picture below. While it didn’t necessarily need to be a baby card, for the first time in a VERY long time, I actually had a reason to make one! My nephew and his wife are expecting!!! It’s all very exciting, because they are the first of their generation in our family to have a baby. I wanted to choose colors that the… Read More »

#TGIFC416 — Sketch Challenge

Happy Friday!!! For this week’s TGIF Challenge, we are using the sketch below. I particularly love the rainbow background, which inspired me to create an underwater “rainbow” of blues and greens. This card features the Beauty of the Deep Bundle (#161237) from the upcoming 2023-2024 Annual Catalog available to purchase on May 2, 2023. It was a must have for me being an ocean and water-lover. I paired it with… Read More »

Stampin’ Fancy Friday – Character Challenge

For this month’s Stampin’ Fancy Friday, we are designing projects with characters, including animals, people, and basically anything with a face. I didn’t really have a lot of choices. My stash doesn’t typically include cutesy stamp sets with characters. But then I remembered the Taco Fiesta stamp set! It includes little face stamps!!! To see all the designers’ character projects, keep an eye on the Stampin’ Fancy Friday Facebook and Instagram pages during April.… Read More »

Sip, Sip Hooray Birthday

Recently, I was browsing through my stash of retired stamp sets and I came across the Sip, Sip Hooray stamp set. I realized it was PERFECT for my daughter’s big 25th birthday this year. (I had already made her a “rainbow cats” card, but she loves my cards, so I decided to make another.) Since this birthday is a big milestone, my daughter decided to rent a BRB in Temecula… Read More »