shining stars card sketch challenge

shining stars card sketch challenge

by | Oct 23, 2026 | card samples, card sketches, color challenge, die cutting, embossing folders, product of the month, sneak peak, techniques, watercolor

Today’s card uses the Shining Stars product of the month incentive set.

Are you familiar with our Product of the Month incentive? Spend $75 in product and you can get any Product of the Month (POM) that is still available for $5! You can only purchase the Products of the Month one time – (for instance spend $75 this month and you really want the Shining Stars October 2026 POM for $5 – spend another $75 and if the September POM is still available you can get that one for $5 but cannot purchase another October Shining Stars die set because you already got one of those)

This card used the left over watercolor paper from this week’s More Color Monday card using three of the colors from the Stampin’ Up! October Creative Challenge which is a color challenge!

If you missed that post I took a large water painter and brushed the surface of a Fluid 100 watercolor paper with an excess of water. Then I dropped color from three acrylic blocks that I squeezed ink refill bottle drops of ink onto. I allowed the Fluid 100 paper to dry and then die cut the Shining Stars die set from the watercolored paper!

This is also a card sketch challenge #136!

Measurements:
BASE: Hydrangea Hue CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″, 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
Fluid 100 paper: one sheet
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″

Emboss the Basic White layer with the Swirls of Magic embossing folder.
Adhere the embossed layer to the Hydrangea Hue card base.
Cut a scrap of Hydrangea hue to 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ and stamp (SNEAK PEAK) with an upcoming GREAT sentiment set called Friend Like You in Hybrid Black ink.

Using the Dark Hydrangea Hue Stampin’ Blends alcohol marker I flicked the brush tip side off the inside of the cap to make a splatter effect over the layer!

Pop up the sentiment layer on Stampin’ Dimensionals and place on the bottom center of the embossed layer.

Take the watercolor paper and die cut lots of stars from the POM Shining Stars die set.

Adhere a medium and small star onto the sentiment piece.

Adhere more die cut stars to the embossed layer above the sentiment piece!
I LOVE coordinating your embellishments and the In Color Dots are awesome for color coordination!

I added five dots to the card to finish it off in total color coordination! These stars are so much fun! Try your hand at this card sketch challenge and see what little things you can add to your card! Now it’s your turn to create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

PS – Remember that the stamp set is a SNEAK PEAK from the upcoming November Online Exclusives Friend Like You stamp set and will not be available to customers until November but if you want to join my team you can get it in your demonstrator starter kit as a preorder purchase – JUST ONE OF THE GREAT PERKS TO being a Demonstrator and being on my team!

Product List
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Hydrangea Hue 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 167687 ]
[167687]
$14.00
Basic Black Hybrid Stampin' Pad [ 166648 ]
[166648]
$12.00
Barely Blush Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [ 167673 ]
[167673]
$6.00
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [ 133648 ]
[133648]
$5.50
Hydrangea Hue Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [ 167672 ]
[167672]
$6.00
Hydrangea Hue Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [ 167666 ]
[167666]
$12.00
Paper Trimmer
[152392]
$28.00
Stampin' Seal
[152813]
$9.00
Stampin' Seal+
[149699]
$13.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[138995]
$7.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue
[110755]
$6.00
Mini Glue Dots
[103683]
$7.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Blending Brushes [ 153611 ]
[153611]
$17.00
Blender Pens [ 102845 ]
[102845]
$14.00
Water Painters [ 168253 ]
[168253]
$13.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive [ 154031 ]
[154031]
$7.00
Paper Snips [ 103579 ]
[103579]
$12.00
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper [ 149612 ]
[149612]
$9.00
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [ 149653 ]
[149653]
$140.00
Shining Stars Dies [ 168600 ]
[168600]
$5.00
Swirls Of Magic Embossing Folder [ 168179 ]
[168179]
$10.50
2026–2028 In Color™ Dots [ 167546 ]
[167546]
$9.00
winter birthday card

winter birthday card

by | Oct 2, 2026 | card samples, Christmas card ideas, Designer Series Paper, die cutting, embossing folders, In Colors, masculine cards, specialty papers, techniques

Today’s card is a great Dreamy Snowflakes Winter Birthday card with the NEW Winter Dreams Specialty flocked paper in Secret Sea!
So elegant and fun – soft to the touch and great patterns!

Measurements:
BASE: Secret Sea CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Basic White CS: (2) 4″ x 5 1/4″, 3″ square for die
DSP: 2 1/4″ square

Stamp the birthday sentiment I chose the “have a beautiful birthday” from the Poetic Petals stamp set on one of the Basic White CS layers.
Emboss the first Basic white layer with the sentiment with the Dreamy Snowflakes embossing folder.
Take the second Basic white layer and stamp the trio of snowflakes in Secret Sea ink and blend the edges with a blending brush and Secret Sea ink.
Adhere the trio snowflake stamped layer to the inside of the Secret Sea card base.
Adhere the sentiment layer on the front of the card base.
Using the middle square die from the Tile Garden die set, die ciut the 3″ Basic White CS square.

Cut the Specialty paper Winter Dreams to 2 1/4″ square.

Blend the die edges with a blending brush and Misty Moonlight ink.
Adhere the DSP to the Blended die cut square.
Pop up the DSP square on Stampin’ Dimensionals to the top center of the embossed layer.
Adhere the Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes to finish off this lovely winter birthday card!
I made to alternative cards with the extra watercolored paper from the card this past week. I first made the card embossing the Basic White layer before stamping the sentiment so I added the sentiment to a leftover watercolored Fluid 100 paper.
Instead of an embossed layer I used the rest of the watercolored paper for the background layer!
I love all the different versions and these Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes are such a sweet embellishment!

Try making a winter birthday card for your stash – now it’s your turn to create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List
Dreamy Snowflakes Bundle (English) [ 168385 ]
[168385]
$58.50
Dreamy Snowflakes Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 168378 ]
[168378]
$25.00
Poetic Petals Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 168266 ]
[168266]
$20.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper [ 149612 ]
[149612]
$9.00
Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165624 ]
[165624]
$14.00
Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Pad [ 153118 ]
[153118]
$11.00
Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad [ 165285 ]
[165285]
$11.00
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147113 ]
[147113]
$9.00
Paper Trimmer
[152392]
$28.00
Stampin' Seal
[152813]
$9.00
Stampin' Seal+
[149699]
$13.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[138995]
$7.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue
[110755]
$6.00
Mini Glue Dots
[103683]
$7.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Blending Brushes [ 153611 ]
[153611]
$17.00
Blender Pens [ 102845 ]
[102845]
$14.00
Water Painters [ 168253 ]
[168253]
$13.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive [ 154031 ]
[154031]
$7.00
Paper Snips [ 103579 ]
[103579]
$12.00
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [ 149653 ]
[149653]
$140.00
Dreamy Snowflakes Hybrid Embossing Folder [ 168384 ]
[168384]
$40.00
Tile Garden Dies [ 168573 ]
[168573]
$37.00
Adhesive Backed Snowflakes [ 168316 ]
[168316]
$9.00
more color mondays – misty moonlight, secret sea and smoky slate

more color mondays – misty moonlight, secret sea and smoky slate

by | Sep 28, 2026 | card samples, Christmas card ideas, Designer Series Paper, die cutting, fun fold, In Colors, masculine cards, more color mondays, new catalog, techniques, watercolor

Today’s More Color Monday color challenge features hues of blue and silver – Misty Moonlight, Secret Sea, and Smoky Slate.

The Dreamy Snowflakes Bundle is packed full of possibilities with a great stamp set, hybrid embossing folder and lovely snowflake dies!

This is a great watercolored Gate Fold card with added corners to tuck this pretty pocket card in to hold the gate fold closed – love this application! Follow along today for all the details and measurements!

Measurements:
BASE: Secret Sea CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 2 1/8″ and 6 3/8″, 2 1/2″ square
Fluid 100 Watercolor paper: 1-2 sheets
DSP: 2 1/4″ square
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Smoky Slate CS: 3 1/2″ x 4 1/2″

Place drops of ink from the ink refill bottles on three different acrylic blocks, one for each color: Misty Moonlight, Secret Sea and Smoky Slate.
Take an entire sheet of Fluid 100 Watercolor paper and water the entire surface with the wide Water Painter brush.
Pick up color from the ink resevoir on the acrylic blocks and dap onto the wetted Watercolor paper surface, allow the paint to run and drift with the water – add more water if the ink color is not running freely.
Pick up another color and do the same dabbing color into the white wet space on the watercolor paper allowing the ink to drift and blend into the surrounding areas.
Continue to dab color and fill in the white space adding more water as needed and more color to balance out the space.
When you like the result you can allow to dry which will take a very long time or you can drop a paper towel onto the surface to soak up the excess ink and water (keep in mind these two processes will give two completely different results allowing to dry naturally will provide more vivid color but takes patience and a lot of drying time or faster results with the paper towel and drying with the heat tool after is far faster but the paper towel will take away a lot of the ink color and give you a more muted effect.
I was ok with the more muted effect because I picked strong dark colors, so I blotted the excess and dried with the heat tool!
I stamped the border stamp in the three ink colors on the 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic White layer and added the two smaller snowflake images in Misty Moonlight ink and Secret Sea ink.
I added the inside sentiment in Misty Moonlight ink at the top center of the paper.
Adhere this layer to the inside center panel of the card base.
Cut the Secret Sea and Winter Dreams Specialty DSP in half diagonally.
Adhere the DSP to the Secret Sea matte diagonal.
Cut the watercolor paper to 1 7/8″ x 5 1/4″ twice.
Adhere the strips of watercolored paper to the outside gate fold panels.
Keep in mind that he diagonal cuts are longer than the Gate fold side panels to which we are going to attach them to so be mindful not to add glue to the bottom inside tip of the triangle as it will hang over the edge of the card panel.

Place a thin strip of Multipurpose glue to the outside and bottom edge of the triangle – DO NOT place glue on the bottom inside tip leave about 1/2″ glueless.

Adhere the triangles to the bottom corners of the two gate fold panels with the diagonal edges on the inside of the gate fold panels.
Cut a 4 1/2″ segment of the Gold and Secret Sea Satin Ribbon and fold in half and lay at the top of the Smoky Slate layer.
Cut a 1 1/4″ x 4″ strip of watercolor paper from the inked watercolor paper and stamp the snowflakes in the three colors over the surface.

Adhere over the ribbon at the top of the Smoky Slate layer.

Stamp the Merry Christmas sentiment in the center in Secret Sea ink.

Cut a large snowflake from the Dreamy Snowflakes die set and adhere to the center over the ribbon and watercolor paper.

I initially added Basic Rhinestone Jewels to finish off the card. I did not think they added enough contrast and thought the pocket card needed a little more stamping – let me know if you like the more plain version or the stepped up one!

This is the simpler version photographed.
I decided to step up the pocket card by adding a few stamped snowflakes on the sides and the center bottom.
I decided to make one more change…

I added the new Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes in Secret Sea for the embellishment as I thought the embellishments needed some contrast color.

What do you think?

Sometimes you think you are done with a card and you look at it and realize that it needs just a little more or a tweek here or there – that is what this card was telling me! Ever have that little voice tell you something needs just a little more!!

Now it’s your turn to create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List
Dreamy Snowflakes Bundle (English) [ 168385 ]
[168385]
$58.50
Dreamy Snowflakes Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 168378 ]
[168378]
$25.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165624 ]
[165624]
$14.00
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$14.00
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper [ 149612 ]
[149612]
$9.00
Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad [ 165285 ]
[165285]
$11.00
Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [ 153124 ]
[153124]
$6.00
Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [ 165281 ]
[165281]
$6.00
Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Ink Refill [ 131159 ]
[131159]
$5.50
Paper Trimmer
[152392]
$28.00
Stampin' Seal
[152813]
$9.00
Stampin' Seal+
[149699]
$13.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[138995]
$7.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue
[110755]
$6.00
Mini Glue Dots
[103683]
$7.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Blending Brushes [ 153611 ]
[153611]
$17.00
Blender Pens [ 102845 ]
[102845]
$14.00
Water Painters [ 168253 ]
[168253]
$13.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive [ 154031 ]
[154031]
$7.00
Paper Snips [ 103579 ]
[103579]
$12.00
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [ 149653 ]
[149653]
$140.00
Dreamy Snowflakes Hybrid Embossing Folder [ 168384 ]
[168384]
$40.00
Adhesive Backed Snowflakes [ 168316 ]
[168316]
$9.00
Secret Sea & Gold 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Satin Ribbon [ 168317 ]
[168317]
$9.50
beautiful gallery watercolor gate fold card

beautiful gallery watercolor gate fold card

by | May 30, 2025 | card samples, die cutting, fun fold, In Colors, new catalog, techniques

Happy Friday! I am back in PA after settling my youngest in New England for a summer internship and after spending the day cleaning up dry wall dust that is EVERYWHERE! I took a much needed crafting break and created this gate fold watercolor card! Hope you like it!

Measurements:
BASE: Timid Tiger CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 2 1/8″ in from each end
Fluid 100 paper: (2) 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
Basic White CS: scraps for die cuts and
sentiment strip and 4″ x 5 1/4″ inside layer

I used a retired block (sorry I forgot that we had retired the I acrylic block) but you can use any size you have on hand!
I added color to the top third of the block by pressing the ink pad directly onto the acrylic block.

I applied Timid Tiger ink directly onto the middle of the acrylic block (it is ok to overlap a darker ink color but you will contaminate the ink pad if you stamp a lighter ink color over an existing darker color!)
I applied Poppy Parade to the bottom of the acrylic block.
I sprayed the acrylic block with water from a Stampin’ Spritzer and placed the two pieces of Fluid 100 paper together and stamped the block of ink directly onto the middle of the papers. I held the block in place for a few seconds to allow the water and ink color to penetrate the fluid 100 Watercolor paper.
Score the base card 2 1/8″ in from each side of the 8 1/2″ side of the card. Fold inward until the two sides meet in the middle – this is called a gate-fold card.
I added the 4″ x 5 1/4″ Basic White layer to the inside of the card.
I stamped an image from the Gallery Blooms stamp set to the bottom of the Basic White layer for a little added interest!
I adhered the Fluid 100 papers right up to the inside edges of the gate fold.

I die cut two images from the Beautiful Motifs die set in scrap Basic White cardstock and adhered one to each side of the gate fold.

I stamped a thank you sentiment from the Beautiful Motifs stamp set in Timid Tiger to the left hand side of the 1″ x 5 1/2″ Basic White strip and added some flower images from the Gallery Blooms stamp set in Crushed Curry to the right hand side.
I adhered only the left hand side of the sentiment piece so that the card will still open.
I adhered three 2025-2027 In Color Flat Pearls in Timid Tiger to finish off the first version of this card.

I decided to add a little sparkle and depth to the card by adding a splatter technique by tapping the brush tip side of the Poppy Parade Stampin’ Blends over the card front.

I brushed the leaves and petals of the two die cuts with Wink of Stella and the wet brush moves a little of the ink color over the dies as well as added a fine sparkle that is gorgeous but subtle and it does not show well in these photos but trust me it is amazing!
Such a fun card and I am glad to be home and crafting again!

Try this fun fold and some of the techniques I shared and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List
Beautiful Gallery Suite Collection (English) [ 165217 ]
[165217]
$139.25
Beautiful Motifs Bundle (English) [ 165206 ]
[165206]
$45.75
Beautiful Motifs Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 165198 ]
[165198]
$18.00
Gallery Blooms Bundle [ 165213 ]
[165213]
$53.00
Gallery Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set [ 165211 ]
[165211]
$19.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper [ 149612 ]
[149612]
$9.00
Timid Tiger 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 165626 ]
[165626]
$14.00
Timid Tiger Classic Stampin' Pad [ 165278 ]
[165278]
$9.00
Stampin' Glass Mat Studio (Imperial) [ 163987 ]
[163987]
$60.00
Paper Trimmer
[152392]
$28.00
Bone Folder
[102300]
$8.00
Stampin' Seal
[152813]
$8.00
Stampin' Seal+
[149699]
$12.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[138995]
$7.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue
[110755]
$6.00
Mini Glue Dots
[103683]
$7.25
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Paper Snips
[103579]
$12.00
Blending Brushes [ 153611 ]
[153611]
$15.00
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine
[149653]
$130.00
Beautiful Motifs Dies [ 165205 ]
[165205]
$33.00
Clear Block F [ 118483 ]
[118483]
$19.00
Clear Block I [ 118488 ]
[118488]
$13.00
Poppy Parade Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154958 ]
[154958]
$11.00
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [ 141897 ]
[141897]
$9.00
2025–2027 In Color™ Flat Pearls [ 165192 ]
[165192]
$8.50
Stampin' Spritzer [ 126185 ]
[126185]
$6.00
onstage 2025 beautiful butterflies swap card

onstage 2025 beautiful butterflies swap card

by | Mar 5, 2025 | card samples, card swap, online exclusives, techniques

I signed up for three special swaps for the upcoming 2025 OnStage event in Raleigh, North Carolina and then it sold out before I had the chance to sign up – I am so sad – I went last year with my sweet friend Barb and we had so much fun and I learned so much. Oh well my friend Michael that I met last year at OnStage is hosting the special swaps and this sweet man allowed me to send him my swap cards and he did not take my name off his lists! So this is one of the special cards I designed for the Demonstrator’s Choice Swap that I am in.
I chose components from some of my favorite new sets: Everyday Arches dies, Beautiful Butterflies bundle and the Elements of Text which is slowly becoming one of my new favorite background sets!

Although this card has a bunch of layers it is not difficult but I have some paper saving tips to make this – so follow along!

Measurements:
BASE: Coastal Cabana CS: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ piece for die cut
Lemon Lime Twist Layer: 4″ x 5 1/4″
Basic White Layer: 3 3/4″ x 5″
scrap for sentiment piece
Fluid 100 paper: 5″ x 7″ sheet

I choose three consecutive arches dies and cut the middle arch out of the center of the Lemon Lime Twist layer and then adhered that layer to the Coastal Cabana card base.
I cut the smallest consecutive die chosen from the center of the Basic White layer and adhered it to the Lemon Lime Twist layer on the card front.
I die cut from the Coastal Cabana layer the largest consecutive die chosen and adhered it over the die openings on the card layers on the card front.
I stamped the circle text image from the Elements of Text stamp set in the center of the Basic White Everyday Arches die in Coastal Cabana ink.
I adhered the Basic White Arch die to the Lemon Lime Twist die and adhered both of them to the Coastal Cabana Arches die on the card front.
I used some of the left over watercolor Fluid 100 paper that I created for the Beautiful Butterflies More Color Mondays card from my February 3rd blog post.
I colored the Fluid 100 paper with Blending brushes in Azure Afternoon, Coastal Cabana and Lemon Lime Twist and then splattered the paper with water from a Stampin’ Sprintzer and a water painter.
I then die cut smaller butterfly dies from the Beautiful Butterflies die set.
At the time I created that early February post I had a lot of scrap watercolor paper left over so I cut smaller butterflies from the scraps and this is what I designed to use up all those spare die pieces!

I used three smaller butterfly detail dies and one medium background butterfly die for each swap card.
I adhered one of the small detail butterflies to the background butterfly and adhered all three dies to the top portion of the Elements of Text stamped die piece.

I stamped the sentiment in Coastal Cabana ink and then colored the background of the paper in Lemon Lime Twist with a Blending Brush.

I fussy cut the words out to adhere to the card
at the base of the Basic White Everyday Arches die.
I added Iridescent Adhesive-Backed Discs to the card in the green hue to coordinate with the card.
After evaluating the card I decided I wanted a little more color on the sentiment piece to balance out the color used in the top of the card. So I removed the sentiment piece and brushed the edges with a Blending Brush and Coastal Cabana ink leaving some of the Lemon Lime Twist background peeking through.

This finished out the card and created a nice balance of color and textures on the card.
Hope they like my swap card!

Now go and create some artwork of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie

Product List
Beautiful Butterflies Bundle (English)
[164615]
$59.25
Everyday Arches Bundle (English)
[164630]
$45.00
Elements Of Text Cling Stamp Set
[164774]
$26.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[159276]
$13.00
Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[131297]
$11.50
Lemon Lime Twist 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
[144245]
$11.50
Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper
[149612]
$9.00
Azure Afternoon Classic Stampin' Pad
[161663]
$9.00
Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad
[147097]
$9.00
Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad
[147145]
$9.00
Paper Trimmer
[152392]
$28.00
Bone Folder
[102300]
$8.00
Stampin' Seal
[152813]
$8.00
Stampin' Seal+
[149699]
$12.00
Tear & Tape Adhesive
[138995]
$7.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue
[110755]
$6.00
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
[144108]
$4.25
Stampin' Dimensionals
[104430]
$4.25
Paper Snips
[103579]
$12.00
Blending Brushes
[153611]
$15.00
Small Blending Brushes
[160518]
$14.00
Stampin' Spritzer
[126185]
$6.00
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine
[149653]
$130.00
Beautiful Butterflies Hybrid Embossing Folder
[164614]
$42.00
Everyday Arches Dies
[164629]
$29.00
Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs
[161954]
$7.00