Happy Birthday Card with Tips for Easy and Fast Die Cut Coloring!

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm sharing a card to add to my birthday card stash that I've made with more of Honey Bee Stamps previously released products! I've used the beautiful Lovely Layers: Tulips along with a few other favorite sets. If you would like to learn a couple of tips for quick ink blending for your die cuts, read on!

My tip for faster ink blending for your die cuts is instead of inking each individual die cut, take a strip of cardstock and do your ink blending on that! I used a coral ink and a yellow ink and two blender brushes. To get the gradient, I overlapped the two colors in the middle of my 80# white cardstock strip, like this:

Then I just lined up the dies from the Lovely Layers: Tulips and cut them out with my die cutting machine. Easy and fast! If you want a bit more depth, like I did, it was easy to ink on more coral ink along the bottom of the die cuts!

Another quick way to color your die cuts is to begin with colored cardstock! I die cut the Lovely Layers: Tulips leaves and stems and the Lovely Layers: Spring Greenery (I used one of the dies from this set) from green cardstock. I used a darker shade of green ink to quickly add ink to the pieces for more depth.

I used glue to adhere the layers together. Next I adhered a blue cardstock panel to my A2 card base. Then I added the flowers and leaves to my card base with glue and foam dots.

I die cut the bee in the Lovely Layers: Bugs dies from 80# white cardstock and the bee's wings from vellum. I used my Copic markers to easily color the two layers of the bee's body. To get the "fuzzy" look on the bee, I used a black Micron 005 pen and added tiny lines along the black stripes.

I glued the bee layers together and adhered it to the card with foam squares. The sentiment is from the Inside: Birthday Sentiments stamp set and stamped in black pigment ink. I cut it out with the coordinating die and added foam strips to adhere it to the card.

For a bit of embellishment, I dug DEEP into my stash of older products and pulled out my Prills. Who remembers these?! I added dots of glue to the Tulip center and adhered the Prills.  And I can't believe I found where these are still available!  Check the link in the list below.

I really do enjoy pulling out some of my older and favorite products and hope I've inspired you to do the same! Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Thank you so much for using my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!

A Note Just For You

Happy Saturday!  Today I'm sharing the details of my card that features two of Spellbinders Club Kits.  I've used the beautiful BetterPress Plate for April along with the 3D Embossing Folder of the month.

I love figuring out different ways to feature products and I've done just that with the Postage Mosaic 3D embossing folder by cutting it into pieces.

The Postage Mosaic 3D embossing folder is a 5-½" x 8-½" embossing folder that is filled with various shaped "postage stamps" with different images.  After I embossed 80# Neenah with my Platinum 6 die cutting machine, I used my paper trimmer to cut the folder into individual stamps.

I chose three to color with my Copic Markers.

For the background I used the Post Edge Expression BetterPress of the Month.  I love this image and how it can be bold or subtle.  I chose the subtle route and used my BetterPress Letterpress system to press gray ink into Pebble Cotton cardstock.

Note:  I love how the stamp edge and script are two separate press plates!  You also get three sentiment press plates and the coordinating dies to use to cut them out.

I chose a sentiment from the set and pressed the same gray ink onto Porcelain Cotton cardstock.  I cut it out with the coordinating die.  (These cotton cardstocks are currently on sale!)

I adhered the stamped, one with glue, and the others with foam tape.  I added a foam strip to the back of the sentiment to adhere it to the card.

I really love the look of this card with the neutral background and the pops of color on white!  There are many options to choose from in the Spellbinders Club Kits line.  Click HERE to check them out!

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a blessed weekend and Easter.

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In The Garden Of Life, Friends Are The Flowers

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm sharing my spring themed card that features several of Honey Bee Stamps previously released products! I'm loving the opportunity to pull out several of these "older" sets to use to make my card.  Honey Bee has lots of spring themed stamps, dies, and stencils.  Check them out here!

I've used these sets to create my card:  Lovely Layers: Branch and Leaves, Lovely Layers: Spring Birds, Lovely Layers: Nest, Whimsical Spring Flowers, My Favorite Flower stamps and Honey Cuts, and Horizon Slimline Borders (to make a cloud stencil).

I wanted a cloud background for my scene, so I used the cloud die from the Horizon Slimline Borders to die cut printer paper and create my own cloud stencil. Then I used a blender brush to ink light blue ink along the edges of the cloud "stencil". I trimmed it 4" x 5-¼" and glued it to an A2 card base.

The layers of the Lovely Layers: Branch and Leaves are die cut with two shades of green cardstock and white cardstock. I inked the branches with Gathered Twigs and Ground Espresso Distress Oxide inks.

All available cardstock colors are in the list below.

Next I die cut one of the flowers from the Whimsical Spring Flowers Honey Cuts from white cardstock and die cut the flower centers from yellow cardstock. I used a darker yellow Copic marker to color the center of the flowers, then I glued on the die cut yellow centers.

I glued the leaves and flowers to the branches, then adhered them to the card with glue and a few foam squares near the branch tips.

I die cut the Lovely Layers: Nest from white cardstock and inked on more of the brown Distress Oxide inks with a blender brush to color it. I wanted the eggs to have a speckled look so I sprayed some Distress Oxide Sprays onto small pieces of Bristol Smooth cardstock. I used these sprays: Villainous Potion, Salvaged Patina, Saltwater Tarry, and Kitsch Flamingo. When the pieces were dry I die cut the eggs with the die included in the Lovely Layers: Nest set. Then I glued them into the nest.

Yes, I realize that birds would not have a nest of assorted colored eggs. But, hey, it's almost Easter! Haha!

I die cut the sweet bird from the Lovely Layers: Spring Birds from colored cardstocks and glued the layers together. I used foam dots to adhere it to the card.

The sentiment from the My Favorite Flower stamp set is stamped with black ink and cut out with the coordinating die. (I love this sentiment!)  I used foam strips to adhere it to the card.

You can kind of see the sparkled from the clear sparkle pen I added to the eggs and flower centers. I love to add sparkles any time I can!

What older spring themed sets do you have?  I hope I've given you inspiration to get them out and show them some love!  Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

Thank you, always, for using my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!

Altenew 11th Anniversary Blog Hop Day 1 + Giveaway (over $3,600 in Total Prizes)

 Happy 11th anniversary to Altenew!!  I have been a huge fan of Altenew's for many years and I'm so thrilled to be joining in the Day 1 blog hop to celebrate one of my most favorite companies!

Please keep reading to learn more about the awesome prizes to be awarded by not only Altenew, but also lots of different sponsors of this hop!  Please be sure to leave a comment here, and at each stop on the hop, for your chances to win!  I have the hop list below, but if you'd like to start at the beginning, please head over to the Altenew Card Blog.

To celebrate Altenew's milestone, I've used one of my favorite type of products:  layering stencils!  I can't believe how you can get such beautiful images from this Stencil Art: Romantic Roses stencil set!

I'll try keep my descriptions of my card brief, as I know you want to keep hopping along the way!  If you have questions, please use the "contact me" form in the left column of my blog.

To color the beautiful images of the Stencil Art: Romantic Roses stencils, I used two Fresh Dye Ink collections:  Cherry Blossom and Green Fields; Mini Blending Brushes (my most favorite brushes ever!) and a Large Blending Brush to color the inks through each layer of stencil.  (Tip: Using a Large Blending Brush to color the first layer made it super easy and fast!).  All products are in the list at the end of my post.

When I got to the script stencil that is also in the Romantic Roses set, I decided I wanted to used some of Altenew's gorgeous Pearl Shimmer Relief Paste and custom color it with pink ink.  It's so simple to do!  First smoosh the Pink Diamond ink pad onto your craft mat.  Then used a pallet tool to scoop out a bit of the Relief Paste and mix it into the ink!

I spread the tinted Relief Paste through the script stencil at the top left and bottom right corners of a white cardstock panel.  I had plenty of paste leftover and didn't want to waste it.  So I decided to create a couple more of the sweet sprigs but spread the paste through the stencil layer with the buds.  First I stenciled the green stems, then die cut the pieces, and then added the relief paste.

When the stenciled script panel was dry, I used the large blending brush to ink on a bit of Pink Diamond ink around the edges.  I glued it to my card base that is 5" x 6".  Yes, an odd size, but I will mail the card in a 5" x 7" envelope and it will be just fine!

I used glue and foam tape to adhere the flowers to my card.  I tucked the branches around the roses, trimming off bit of the branches that were hidden behind the flowers.  I was able to use all of the small trimmed bits to fill in around the roses, securing each one with glue.

The sentiment is from the Wings & Petals Silhouette stamp set.  I love that there is a coordinating die for this sentiment!

Now for the best part!  The giveaway information!  Take a look at all of these amazing sponsors!

Giveaway Info:

Over $3,600 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 11 lucky winners. There are also 35 awesome companies/crafty friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:

Altenew: 11 x $50 Gift Certificate Altenew Academy: 17 x Online Card Class ($39.99 value each) Artistry by Altenew: 5x $20 Gift Certificate Glassboard Studio: 3 x $50 Gift Certificate Creative Scrapbooker Magazine: 3 x Creative Scrapbooker Magazine 1-Year Subscription ($44.9 value each) Stamp-n-Storage: 1 Ink Pad Carousel for Altenew Fresh Dye Inks ($129.75 value) Online Card Classes: 5 x Online Card Class ($25+ value each) Gina K. Designs: $100 Gift Certificate Lawn Fawn: $100 Gift Certificate Honey Bee Stamps: $100 Gift Certificate Pink and Main: $100 Gift Certificate Brutus Monroe: $100 Gift Certificate Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine: $100 Gift Certificate My Favorite Things: $100 Gift Certificate Jennifer McGuire Ink: 1 Share Handemade Kindness Goodies Bag Amy Tangerine: 1 Sticker Assortment Pack ($75 value) Ranger Industries: $75 Gift Certificate Michelle's Cards & Stamps: AUD $100 Gift Certificate LDRS Creative: 2x $30 Gift Certificate MarkerPop: 2x $25 Gift Certificate Trinity Stamps: $50 Gift Certificate A Cherry On Top: $50 Gift Certificate Simon Says Stamp: $50 Gift Certificate Alex Syberia Designs: $50 Gift Certificate Newton's Nook Designs: $50 Gift Certificate Pretty Pink Posh: $50 Gift Certificate My Craft Room: $50 Gift Certificate Krafters Cart: $50 Gift Certificate Concord & 9th: $50 Gift Certificate Scrapbook.com: $50 Gift Certificate Pinkfresh Studio: $50 Gift Certificate Bumbleberry Papercrafts: £25 Gift Certificate Picket Fence Studios: $25 Gift Certificate Ink Blot Shop: $25 Discount Code Creative Chick Co.: $25 Gift Certificate Auzz Trinklets N Krafts: AUD $25 Gift Certificate

Anniversary Special Offers:

04/14/2025 - 04/17/2025: Get a FREE brand-new Lace 3D Embossing Folder (worth $11.99) on orders over $89 from 04/14/2025 at 12:01 AM EDT until 04/17/2025 at 11:59 PM EDT. The free gift will be automatically added to eligible orders—while supplies last. Shop here:

04/14/2025 - 04/18/2025: Get FREE U.S. Shipping on orders over $29 (no code needed) or $10 off International Shipping with code ALTENEW@11 at checkout from 04/14/2025 at 12:01 AM EDT until 04/18/2025 at 11:59 PM EDT. Shop here: https://altenew.com/collections/all-altenew

BLOG HOP LIST:

Be sure to leave comments by April 29, 2025 for a chance to win one of 76 prizes! To make the hop more exciting, start your comment with "Hi from (city or country where you're from)!" 76 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs listed below and will be announced on the Altenew Blog on May 4, 2025.

Thank you so much for using my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!

Adorable New House-Mouse Sets Are Here!

Happy Friday, friends!  Today I'm sharing two cards I made with two of the new House-Mouse stamp sets from the Creative Day Collector Bundle available at Spellbinders.

The new sets I've used are the Top Notch Birthday set and the Creative Day set.  Both cards were super easy to make once I had my coloring finished.

I stamped both of the sweet images with Copic marker safe black ink.  What makes these images so easy to color is that the artist has shown us where the shadows would be with the tiny dots that are stamped.

After I colored the images with my Copic markers, I trimmed the pieces and matted each one with a black cardstock layer.  For the first card, I chose two of the three sentiments included in the Top Notch Birthday.  I stamped the sentiments on the bottom front of an A2 card base.  Then I glued the matted image to the card.

I tied a piece of black and white bakers twine around the card and this card was finished!

This next card features the sweet Creative Day stamp set.

This is such a cute and clever image.  I didn't realize it when I first saw the set, the the little mouse has created a pop-up card!  I love the little snippets of paper lying around.

I added shading to the "ground" by inking on some very light gray ink with a blender brush.  I adhered the matted panel to my A2 card with a background I made with the Argyle Plaid 3D embossing folder.

So, are you a fan of these House-Mouse sets?  While I don't tend to gravitate towards the "critter" stamps, I think these are absolutely adorable!!

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

Thank you for using my affiliate links to shop all things Spellbinders (never any additional cost to you)!

Altenew April Release Blog Hop + Huge Giveaway ($300 in total prizes!)

Hello friends!  I'm thrilled to be joining in the blog hop to celebrate Altenew's amazing April 2025 release!  My card features the Arched Foliage Craft Your Life Project Kit.  Read on to see how I got two cards from one stamp!

This hop is filled with lots of awesome inspiration for the Altenew April release.  The link for each stop on the hop is below.  If you would like to start at the beginning, please head over to the Altenew Card Blog.

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The Craft Your Life Project Kit subscriptions are my most favorite among all of the subscriptions that Altenew offers.  I love that the kit includes a stamp set with coordinating dies, a simple coloring stencil, and a 3D embossing folder!  All of my favorite things in one kit!

This months Arched Foliage Craft Your Life Project Kit includes a large, beautiful arched foliage stamp that I cut into two pieces to make two cards!  This stamp would also be gorgeous on scrapbook layouts! 

As I do most of the time, I used the Arched Foliage Simple Coloring Stencils to color the image before I stamped it.  I like to do this so I eliminate any chance of smearing the black ink.  It's actually very easy!

This is when the awesome Stampwheel 2.0 came in handy with its larger size.  I removed the side piece and had plenty of room to use the stencils with my Mini Blending Brushes and the inks from the Green Meadows Fresh Dye Ink set.

I have to say that I seriously debated on whether or not to stamp over the stenciling.  Just look at how beautiful it is without the stamping!

As you can see, I finally decided to go ahead and stamp the Arched Foliage.  I laid the stamp over the stenciled image, making sure it was lined up top-to-bottom and side-to-side.  Pick up the stamp with the Flip Plate.  PRO TIP:  Place the packaging acetate over the stenciled image, ink up the stamp, and stamp onto the acetate.  This is a great way to make sure your stamp is lined up with the stenciled image!  If it's lined up, then remove the acetate and stamp directly onto the stenciled panel.

The Arched Foliage is just as beautiful with the stamp!

I planned on where to cut the Arched Foliage into two pieces and used my paper trimmer to cut it apart.

The Foil Leaf stencil was inked with Misty Morning Fresh dye ink, trimmed and then matted with a piece of Sweet Leaf Crafty Necessities Cardstock for the background.

The sentiments on both cards are a few of many that are included with the Arched Foliage stamp set.  The dies for the large main sentiments are included in the Arched Foliage Die Set.

My second card features the beautiful Arched Foliage 3D Embossing Folder for the background.  To add even more depth to the embossed piece I used a brayer to ink on Lost Shadow Distress Ink onto the more smooth side of the embossing folder.  Then I added my paper to the folder and ran it through my die cutting machine.

All of the card elements are adhered with Instant Dimension Foam Tape.  I added a bit of bling to each card with some enamel dots from the Green Meadows Enamel Dots set.

Thank you for stopping by my blog--you are so appreciated!!  Be sure to leave a comment here and at each stop along the way for your chance to win an awesome prize!

• Giveaway info: 

  • • $300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by April 17th for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on April 19th, 2025.

  • The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog. 

    Check out lots more beautiful April Release inspiration by clicking each link:

Thank you so much for using my affiliate links to shop the products I've used today (never any additional cost to you)!

Springtime Inspired Birthday Card with Cherry Blossoms and a Bluebird!

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm sharing my springtime inspired card that features a few of my favorite previously released products! My inspiration comes from the gorgeous cherry trees I saw in full bloom on my recent trip to Oregon for the Honey Bee Stamps 10th Anniversary Retreat! These trees won't grow where I live and I had never seen them in real life! I was awed!

If you are wondering about my inspiration for the bluebird, while I was sitting in the dental hygienist's chair last week, I saw one outside the window!

It was a 'no-brainer" to use the beautiful Lovely Layers: Cherry Blossom set today!

I began by taking three pieces of Bristol Smooth cardstock and having some ink smooshing fun! I smooshed Mowed Lawn and Twisted Citron Distress Inks onto my glass craft mat and spritzed them with some water. I pressed one piece of Bristol into the inks. Then I dried it with my heat tool and repeated the steps 2-3 more times.

For the two remaining pieces of Bristol, I used Picked Raspberry, Kitsch Flamingo, and Spun Sugar Distress Inks and went through the steps mentioned above for one panel. I decided I wanted a lighter pink panel and pressed the remaining cardstock into Kitsch Flamingo and Spun Sugar Distress Inks.

I used the dried inky panels and the Lovely Layers: Cherry Blossom to die cut all of the layers in the set. I used glue to adhere the layers and set the piece aside.

Next I die cut white cardstock with the dies from the Lovely Layers: Spring Birds Honey Cuts. I used a light and medium blue ink along with two brown inks to color the layers. I glued them together according to the Layering Guide.

I die cut white cardstock with the largest die in the Decorative Star Layering Frames die set. Then I used a blender brush to ink on blue ink. Then I pressed the ink pad onto my craft mat, sprayed a bit of water into the ink, and used a paint brush to splatter the diluted ink onto the panel.

When the Decorative Star piece was dry, I glued it to an A2 card base that I layered with the Spring Medley 3D embossing folder. I trimmed the overhang off with my scissors.

I stamped the sentiment from the Celebrating You stamp set with black ink and cut it out with the coordinating die. I added foam tape dots and squares to the sentiment, Cherry Blossom branch and Spring Bird to adhere them to the card.

I'm so thrilled to have finally seen Cherry Blossom trees!  I hope you are finding lots of inspiration around you this spring.  Thanks so much for stopping by!!!

Thank you for using my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!

A Sweet Garden Scene With Kitties!

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm sharing details of how to make this sweet kitty card that features the new Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers: Cats along with another favorite, Lovely Layers: Sweetheart Roses. I can just visualize these sweet kitties prowling around in a beautiful springtime garden and was inspired to make this card!

To create my garden scene I chose light pink and light green cardstocks and die cut the roses, bush, and leaves from the Lovely Layers: Sweetheart Roses. I die cut the planter pot from white cardstock. Then I used blender brushes and coordinating inks to shade the flower layers, the shrub and leaves to add a bit of depth. I used glue to adhere the layers together. (Be sure to download the Layering Guide found in the product description on the website.)

To add shading to the planter, I used three gray Copic markers: C3, C1, and C00. After I glued the layers of the planter together, I added glue to the bottom of the Sweetheart Roses to adhere it to the planter.

Next I chose two of the kitties from the Lovely Layers: Cats and die cut them from white and a light gray cardstock. For the gray kitty I added shading with a blender brush and gray ink. I colored parts of the other cat with an E40 Copic marker. Again, I used glue to adhere the layers together.

Now that I had the card elements all colored and ready for the card, I was really stuck on what to do for a background!!! Does that happen to you?

After much muddling through ideas, I thought that a soft inked background would pair best with the focal images. I used a blending brush to lightly add green ink for the "grass". This was the same light green ink I used on the Sweetheart Rose bush. Then I inked on a very light blue ink for the sky. I really like how this turned out!!!

I used foam dots to pop up the Sweetheart Roses and the gray cat.  Tip: I love these foam dots and only used these! I just use my non-stick scissors to cut them into smaller pieces!

I glued on the white cat and adhered the Sweetheart Roses and the gray cat. The sentiment is from the Pet-tastic Stamp Set and stamped in black pigment ink. I cut it out with the coordinating die. To adhere it over the Sweetheart Rose bush, I added a small piece of a foam strip on the left side and glue to the rest.

I'm actually shocked that I made a card with softer colors that I like! Hahaha!! I hope you like it too! Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful and crafty day! 🩷

I so appreciate you using my affiliate links (never any additional cost to you)!

Celebrating Honey Bee Stamps' 10th Anniversary Card

Hello, crafty friends! This time tomorrow I will be headed to the airport to go to Oregon for Honey Bee Stamps' 10th Anniversary Card Making Retreat! I'm so excited! As you may guess, this trip is what inspired my card for today!

I pulled out what was one of my very first Honey Bee purchases! I still love the Busy Bees stamps and Honey Cuts, and good news, these are still available!

I think that the Busy Bees stamps and Honey Cuts are timeless, as these pair perfectly with newer products!

The background for my card is an A2 card base. First I used a blender brush to add blue ink to the card for the sky. Then I used the hill die from the Horizon Slimline Borders Honey Cuts to die cut green cardstock. I glued this to the bottom of the card base.

Next I stamped the grass from the new Dog Gone Amazing stamp set with green ink onto the hill. Then I stamped two of the dogs from that set with Intense Black ink and colored them with my Copic markers. I cut them out with the coordinating Honey Cuts.

My next step was to stamp all of the flowers, leaves, and some bees from the Busy Bees stamp set with black ink. I repeated the stamping onto more white cardstock since I knew I would want extra. After I colored them with my Copic markers, I cut them out with the coordinating Busy Bees dies.

I decided on an arrangement for the flowers, then adhered some with foam and glued some to the bottom of the card. I used my scissors to trim anything hanging off the edge of the card. I used glue to tuck the leaves here and there around the flowers.

I die cut the 1 and 0 from the Bee Playful Numbers die set four times from white cardstock and once from black. I used glue to adhere the layers together.

I stamped the sentiment from the Celebrating You with black ink and die cut it with the coordinating die.

Next I adhered the Dog Gone Amazing pups with foam squares. Then I put a butterfly from that set onto a stamp block and stamped it with Intense black ink. Then I colored them with a few blue and yellow Copic markers.

To finish up, I glued the number 10 on the card. I added foam strips to the right side of the sentiment and glue to the left to adhere it.

Then I placed the cute little Busy Bees here and there on the card.

If you would like to see some photos from the retreat, then be sure to follow me on my Instagram!  I hope to have time to share some of the fun!

Thank you so much for stopping by! You are most appreciated!

Thank you for using my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!