Sending Summer Smiles -- Perfect Picnic Release by Honey Bee Stamps

Hello crafty friends!  Did you see all of the new summertime goodies from Honey Bee Stamps' Perfect Picnic Release?  This release is so fun with lots of summer themed products to make cards for all of your gatherings!  Also, there are two gorgeous floral stamp sets.  I've used one here on my card.  The Summer Smiles florals are so beautiful.  Of course, I love that there are coordinating Summer Smiles coloring stencils and Summer Smiles Honey Cuts too!  Some paper from the new Signature Surfaces paper pad made an awesome background!

Keep reading to see another card I've made with this awesome release!

There are two different ways to get started with the Summer Smiles stencils.  You can stamp the Summer Smiles floral, and then stencil, or you can do as I did and do all of the stenciling first.  Since I knew I was going to use a light colored ink, I just didn't want to risk smearing that stamped ink.

I chose a set of pink inks that are four shades from light to dark.  A set of three inks would work too!  I used a grip mat to hold my white cardstock and began with the first of six stencils and my lightest colored ink pad.  I continued with blending brushes and each shade of ink for each stencil layer.

For the leaves I used three different shades of green ink.  Ink blending these layers is so fun!

I added pink and then green splatters to the flower and the leaves.  I just used some scrap paper to cover up what I needed to.

Next I used the coordinating Summer Smiles dies and cut out the floral image.  I used a white gel pen to add white dots to the flower's stamen.

I stamped two of the sentiments from the Summer Smiles stamp set with black ink and cut them out with the included coordinating dies.

Instead of my typical white embossed background (which I do love!) I found a piece of patterned paper from the new Signatures Surfaces paper pad (a paper organizer is included!) that I think works wonderfully for the background.  After I trimmed the paper to 4-¼" x 5-½" I used Bee Creative glue to adhere the paper to an A2 card base.

Did you know the papers in the Signature Surfaces paper pad were designed by several of us on the Honey Bee Design Team?  And guess what?  The paper I chose is one I designed with an ink smooshing technique!

The Summer Smiles flower and the sentiments are all popped up with foam tape and foam strips.

And a side note!  Did you hear that there is an Instagram Hop to celebrate the Perfect Picnic release?  You can join us on the hop and leave comments for your chance to win one of two Honey Bee gift cards!  You have until July 10, 2026 for commenting for your chance to win.  Click HERE to join us!

This is my card I have for the Hop:

I used these products from the new release for this super sweet, fruity card!

• Fruit Medley stencil set
• Fruit Medley Honey Cuts
• Berry Sweet Summer stamp set
• Berry Sweet Summer Honey Cuts

I hope you've found some inspiration here today for the fabulous Perfect Picnic release!  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope your day is awesome and very crafty!

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

Layered Lush Botanicals: Poinsettia Holiday Card

Hello friends!  The Altenew July 2026 release is available now!  Today I'm sharing this holiday card that features three of the awesome new sets:

• Lush Botanicals: Poinsettia 3D Embossing Folder and Die Set
• Winterberry Poinsettias 3D Embossing Folder
• Holiday Essentials Die Set

I started with the Lush Botanicals: Poinsettia 3D Embossing Folder and Die Set.  This beautiful embossing folder has coordinating dies that you use to die cut the petals of the poinsettia.  I did that first by die cutting some Heart Beat and Forest Glades cardstock.  I die cut the flower center from some Brushed Gold cardstock.  I added a few inks (in the list below) with Mini Blending brushes to give the petals some depth and dimension.

Next I placed the die cut petals into the Poinsettia 3D embossing folder and ran it through my die cutting machine.  I used glue to adhere the layers together.  (This die set has Altenew's ingenious Key Hole system which makes aligning the layers so very easy!). Then I added white paint splatters for a snowy look!

I glued the poinsettia to a white cardstock panel that I embossed with the Winterberry Poinsettias 3D embossing folder.

The sentiment is from the new Holiday Essentials die set.  I die cut the top layer three times and glued the layers together.  I adhered that to the bottom shadow layer that I die cut from Heart Beat cardstock.  Then I added foam adhesive to the back to pop it up on the card.

I added a few gold sparkles from the Metallic Gold & Silver Gem Sparkles set.

Be sure to check out the entire July 2026 release over on Altenew's website.  It is filled with holidays and non-holiday products for your card making fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a good one!

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

Sending A Lot Of Merry Your Way -- Spellbinders

Hi friends!  For this month's Spellbinders Club Kits, we are having a bit of "Christmas in July" fun!  I've used three of the amazing kits to make this card here.  The star of this card are these adorable penguins from the Small Die Of The Month Club Kit, Snow Much Fun.  Read on for more details!

These Club Kits will be open for new subscribers on July 6.  You can preview each Club Kit until then.  But, if you are a current subscriber, you can add one or cancel one now!

First I began by die cutting colored and white glitter cardstocks (colors are in the list below) with the dies in the Small Die, Snow Much Fun.  There are two dies to cut out hills.  I made three hills--one from white glitter cardstock and two from white cardstock.  I glued the back hill to the card and used thin foam adhesive for the other two.

These were super easy to put together!  After I adhered the layers with glue I set them aside to work on the other card elements.

The embossed background layer on my A2 card was made with the Festive Greetings 3D embossing folder.  This 3D folder for July is just so very versatile for all of our Christmas cards!  I'd love to emboss gold or silver metallic cardstock to make a beautiful and elegant card!

The sentiments are from July's Clear Stamp + Dies Club Kit.  There are 13 sentiments and 3 snowflake stamps in the Cue The Merry stamp set.  Of course, each stamp has a coordinating die to cut it out.

I added a bit more sparkle with diluted shimmer watercolor and a paint brush.  Then I used some Nuvo glitter accents just along the top of the white cardstock hills.

Be sure to check out all that the Club Kits from Spellbinders has to offer.  What I love is that you can cancel at any time.  Scroll to the bottom of this page to read all of the FAQs, which should answer any questions you have.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day!

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

Sneak Peek of the Perfect Picnic Release by Honey Bee Stamps

Hello crafty friends, and happy July 1!  Today I'm super excited to be sharing with you a sneak peek of Honey Bee Stamps' available now, Perfect Picnic release!  The Perfect Picnic products will be available on July 6, after the end of the release party on Honey Bee's YouTube channel.  This release is filled with all things yummy for summer, plus a gorgeous floral stamp set and a summer fruit stamp set.  Stayed tuned--I think you're going to love it!!

These are the new products I've used on my card:

• Lovely Layers: Perfect Picnic Honey Cuts
• Picnic Blanket Builder stencil set
• Summer Picnic paper pad
• Stacked With Joy stamps and Honey Cuts

As you can see from my photo, I've used some paper from the new Summer Picnic paper pad to add a grass layer underneath my picnic scene.  Trust me, you will love the gorgeous papers in this pad!  I will certainly be ordering another paper pad for my stash!!

The Lovely Layers: Perfect Picnic Honey Cuts not only has a die for the blanket, but also dies for all of the yummy picnic food you see + more!  I started out by die cutting my chosen pieces from white cardstock.

Next I used the Picnic Blanket Builder stencils and used blender brushes to ink on Spun Sugar and Kitsch Flamingo Distress Oxide inks.

I also used the flower section of the Picnic Blanket Builder stencils to add flowers to the napkin die cut layers.

For all of the other fun pieces I used my Copic markers to color them.  It was fun choosing what colors to used for the breads and the basket!  Of course, you could also die cut your pieces from colored cardstock and/or use your ink blending brushes too.

For the wine bottle label and the book pages, I really wanted to have a hint of words.  I thought about handwriting on them, but, I truly didn't think I'd be pleased with that!  Can you relate?  I searched through all of my Honey Bee sets and found the perfect stamp!  It's in the Postmarked: Holiday stamp set (retiring and at a great price!) to lightly stamp a hint of words with Hickory Smoke Distress ink.  I really like how it turned out!

After I assembled the layers with Bee Creative glue (there's an awesome layering guide, of course) I adhered a few things to the basket and plate with foam adhesive and/or some glue.

I added some awesome patterned paper from the Summer Picnic paper pad to my A2 card base.

Next I glued the Picnic Blanket to the card.  Then I used my scissors to trim off the parts hanging beyond the edges of the card.  Then I used ½" x ¼" Honeycomb Foam pieces to adhere the other items to the blanket.

The sentiments are from the Stacked With Joy stamp set.  After I stamped them with black pigment ink, I cut them out with the coordinating Stacked With Joy Honey Cuts.

This was SUPER fun to make and it makes me want to go on a picnic.  However, it is SO hot where I am and it's not so fun to be outdoors, haha!  I'll just stay inside and make more fun picnic cards with the new Perfect Picnic release!

Keep your eye out for more sneak peeks this week!  If you'd like to see some of the process of me making this card, please join me on my Instagram where, later today, I'll have a fun reel for you.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful and crafty day!

Here's all the links to the new products.  Thank you so much for using my affiliate links to shop!

Chinoiserie Thank You Card

Hi friends!  I'm so happy to be a part of an Instagram Hop happening today for My Pretty Things new release called Life InDex.  There are lots of fun products for your memory keeping and these can also be used in your card making too!  I've used the gorgeous Chinoiserie Stamp set with coordinating stencils and dies.

If you don't know about My Pretty Things, this is a small company owned by Erin Thompson.  She also hosts the most awesome craft retreat.  The Nashville Craft Retreat is held annually in Franklin, TN, which is just outside of Nashville.  Erin also has crops and virtual retreats that you should check out!  I've been to the Nashville Craft Retreat this year and the previous three.  It is SO much fun and you get to learn new things and bring home so much swag and products from her sponsor companies!  Information about and registration for the 2027 retreat is open now!

First I stamped the Chinoiserie images.  Then I used a few pink and green inks in my stash to color these with the Chinoiserie stencils and blending brushes.  A brand new tool, available from My Pretty Things, are these awesome blender brushes that I used with the inks and stencils!

I seriously would not recommend these if I did not like them.  I know there's lots of choices we have for ink blending brushes, but I definitely recommend these!

When I finished the stenciling, I cut out the images with the coordinating Chinoiserie dies.  I used glue and some foam adhesive to adhere them to a 4" x 5-¼" pink cardstock panel.  Then I added foam tape to the back of the panel to adhere it to my A2 card base.

The sentiment is one of two included in the Chinoiserie stamp set.  I stamped it with black pigment ink and cut it out with the coordinating die.  A few foam squares were used to adhere the sentiment to the card.

I added some pretty and so sparkly sequins from the Chandelier Shaker Mix.

I hope you will join me over on the Instagram Hop.  There will be a prize of a $25 gift certificate given away to two lucky commenters!  If you can't join the hop, then I hope you will check out the new release and all of the other fabulous products in the My Pretty Things shop.

Sending Sunshine Just For You -- Spellbinders

Hi, friends!  Today I'm sharing this card that features Spellbinders' beautiful Tassel Flowers and Ladybugs die set.  This is another gorgeous die set in a line designed by Susan Tierney-Cockburn for Spellbinders.

I die cut the yellow and green cardstock with the dies in the Tassel Flowers and Ladybugs die set.  Each of the larger flower layer dies has a number imprinted on it so you will know how many times to die cut that layer.

I added some shading to the die cuts with coordinating green and yellow inks.  Then I watched the instructional YouTube video for assembling this beautiful flower.  These are way easier than you might think!

I die cut the cute little ladybug in the Tassel Flower die set from white cardstock.  I colored it with a red Copic and a black pen.  Then I shaped it with a stylus.

I used my floral shaping tools to shape each layer and then glued all of the pieces together.

Next I embossed white cardstock with the Nature's Botanical Wreath 3D embossing folder (sold out at Spellbinders but available at the link provided and the one below).  I trimmed it to 3-¾" x 5", added foam tape to the back, and adhered it to an A2 card base.

To adhere the Tassel Flower to the card, I used glue and a few small foam squares (behind two of the flowers to prop them up).

The sentiment is one from the La Dolce Vita Sentiments set (currently at clearance price!). I had already pressed it from a previous crafting session and it was left over.  All I needed to do was add a foam strip to the back to adhere it to the card.

These dimensional flower dies are so gorgeous.  If you worry about mailed them, I just save these special cards for hand delivery.  Thanks so very much for stopping by!

I appreciate those of you that use my affiliate links to shop (never any additional cost to you)!

Silly Seagulls Summertime Card -- Simon Says Stamp

The newest release by Simon Says Stamp, Shine On, is available now!  This release has some fun seasonal  products and lots more for your year round crafting!

My card today features the adorable Silly Seagulls die set!  Also new is the Tall Happy Cover die that I had the seagulls peaking through for a fun feel to my card.

I created a quick ink-blended beach feel, sunshiny background with my blender brushes and some gorgeous inks from Simon's Pawsitively Saturated Ink line.  I have them all linked in the list below.

Next I die cut the most adorable Silly Seagulls dies from white cardstock and added a bit of color with my Copic markers.

I die cut the Tall Happy Cover die three times from white cardstock and glued the layers together.  I set a large stamp block on top of the layers while it dried.

I used two sentiments from the new Chill Vibes stamp set to add a fun sentiment inside the card.  I had also thought that a birthday sentiment would be perfect to go with the summertime vibes of the front of the card.

Next I trimmed the ink blended panel to 4" x 5-¼" and adhered it to a coordinating blue layer.  Then I glued these to my A2 card base.

Before I glued the stacked Tall Happy Cover die cut to the card, I positioned the three Silly Seagulls to be peaking out around the sentiment and added dots of glue to hold them in place.

I totally adore how my card turned out with the cute seagulls peaking around the sentiment.  Be sure to check out the totally awesome new Shine On release products and see if you find some goodies for your crafty times!

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

You're So Tweet Friend!

Happy Wednesday, friends!!  Today I'm sharing this sweet card that features Honey Bee Stamps adorable Tweeties stamp set and coordinating Tweeties dies.  I've nestled the bird house in this set into branches from the Lovely Layers: Oak Branch dies.  Read on for the details!

First I stamped the images from the Tweeties stamp set onto white cardstock with Intense black ink, an alcohol marker safe ink.  After I colored them with my Copic markers I cut them out with the coordinating Tweeties dies.

I used a white gel pen to add a few white highlights to the birds and birdhouse.

Next I die cut white cardstock with the dies in the Lovely Layers: Oak Branch set.  I cut each piece twice.  Then I colored them with some Copic markers.  I used Bee Creative Glue to adhere the layers together.

Before I adhered the images to my A2 card base I used a couple of blending brushes to add blue ink to the card.  I like to leave some open white spaces when I do this so it will have the appearance of light clouds in the sky.  I added just a bit of green ink to the bottom of the card.  There was enough green ink on my blending brush that I didn't even need to pull out an ink pad!

I used foam tape and glue to adhere all of the images to the card.  I did not add glue to the leaves of the Oak Branch with the bird house.  I like the easy dimension you get by not gluing everything down!

I stamped the sentiment from the Tweeties stamp set with black pigment ink.  After I cut it out with the coordinating die, I popped it up with a foam strip.

This card is so adorable and totally perfect to let someone know how sweet you think they are!  Bonus:  it was super easy to make!!

I sure do appreciate you stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful and crafty day!

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

You're Always In Style -- Alex Syberia Designs

Hey, friends!  Did you hear??  Earlier this month the announcement was made that I'm now on the amazing Alex Syberia Designs design team!  I'm so thrilled!  She is an individual owner of this company and has the most gorgeous designs!  Please check out her fabulous designs here.

I'll be sharing reels over on my Instagram a few times a month, and when I can, I'll have a corresponding blog post, like today!

This sweet card features these awesome products:

• Chic Bows stencil set
• Fancy Shoes Press Plate & Die Set
• Chic Shoes die set (bows on shoes)
• Shoes Sentiments Press Plate & Die Set
• Nested Scallop Frames Die Set

I used Distress Oxide inks with the Chic Bows stencils and blending brushes to create a pretty pink ombre effect.

After I trimmed the panel to 4" x 5-¼" I glued it to an A2 card base.

Next I used some opaque black foil and the Fancy Shoes Press Plates.  These can be used with both the BetterPress Letterpress System and the Glimmer Hot Foil System (or other similar foiling machines).

I added pretty stripes and dark pink color to the shoes' insides with two Copic markers.  Then I cut them out with the included dies.

The cute bows are from the Chic Shoes Die Set.  I blended Picked Raspberry and Spun Sugar Distress Oxide inks onto the pieces and then glued the layers together.

The shoes are adhered to a die cut vellum Nested Scallop Frames piece with thin foam squares.  I added more thin foam squares onto the vellum, behind the shoes to adhere the piece to the card.

I hot foiled the sentiments from the Shoes Sentiments Press Plate & Die Set, cut them out with the coordinating dies, and then popped the sentiments up with foam adhesive.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous weekend and lots of crafty time too!

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

Let's Make A Vintage Bug Car Card With A Stenciled Lakeside Scene

Hello crafty friends!  Today I'm sharing this fun masculine card that features Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers: Vintage Bug Honey Cuts.  I haven't had a chance to play with this fun little set and it makes a fantastic card for a guy!  Fun fact:  my very first car was a VW Beetle that was a pale yellow, had a stick shift, crank windows, and no AC!!  In Texas!!!  Good thing I was super young to be able to handle that heat!  Hahaha!

I've paired the Lovely Layers: Vintage Bug with a favorite older Lakeside Scene Builder die and the coordinating At The Lake stencil set.

I planned on this being a 5" x 7" card and placed the Lakeside Scene Builder die onto my card 5" x 7" white cardstock panel to create space for the Vintage Bug below the lake.

To color the lake scene, I used various inks (in the list below) in my stash to color through each of the six At The Lake Stencils using ink blending brushes.  Note: I stenciled the sky directly onto and, at the top of, my A7 card base.

I die cut the canoe and oar (in the Lakeside Scene Builder set) from white cardstock and colored the pieces with Copic markers.

Then I used glue to adhere the die cut and stenciled piece to my card.

Next I die cut blue, black, white, and silver cardstocks with the dies from the Lovely Layers: Vintage Bug set.  The base layer of the Bug is cut from white cardstock and this allowed me to use a blue Copic marker to add color for the windows.  After adding a bit of blue ink shading with a blender brush, I used glue to assemble the Bug.

The sentiments are from the Hooked On You stamp set.  I stamped them with black pigment ink and cut them out with the coordinating dies.  Some foam adhesive strips pops them up on the card.

I totally love this lake scene with the Lakeside Scene Builder and the At The Lake Stencils!  The Vintage Bug fits right in, I think!  Change up the sentiments for lots of other occasions for the guys!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope it's a good and crafty day for you!

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

Way To Gator Done!! -- Simon Says Stamp

Hello friends!  Today I'm sharing another card I made using products from Simon Says Stamps' Always There release!  This one, that's so sweet and easy to make, features the super cute Mr. Snappy stamp set (that name! love it!) and the Star Champion embossing folder.

There are three adorable gator images in the Mr. Snappy stamp set.  One that grills, another builds, and the one I chose, the happy one!  I stamped the gator, and the balloon, in alcohol marker safe black ink and colored both with my Copics.

There are coordinating Mr. Snappy dies available, but I don't have them so I easily used my scissors to cut them out.  Then I added foam tape on the back of both pieces.

I stamped the sentiments, two of the eight included in the set, with black pigment ink.  I used my paper trimmer to cut them into rectangles and added foam tape to the back.

For my A2 card, I added a white cardstock layer that I embossed with the Star Champion embossing folder.  This folder would be so fabulous for many occasions such as graduation, birthdays, anniversaries, and lots more!!

After I glued the embossed panel to my card base, I removed the backing from the foam tape on the Mr. Snappy images and adhered them to the card.

After adding a couple of white gel pen lines to the balloon, I was finished!

Now you see how quick and easy this card was with Mr. Snappy!  Perfect for many celebrations!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Happy crafting!!

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

Perfect Peonies Thinking Of You Card

Hello crafty friends!!  Today I am sharing this Copic marker colored card that features Honey Bee Stamps absolutely gorgeous Perfect Peonies stamp set and coordinating Perfect Peonies Honey Cuts.  It's been a while since I colored an image and I really enjoyed taking my time with this and just enjoying the process!

First I stamped this image from the Perfect Peonies stamp set with Bee Creative Intense Black ink which is safe to use with alcohol markers.  I used a BV31 Copic marker to "under-paint" the shadow areas of the petals where my darkest marker would be.  I finished the coloring with just a touch of Y11 over the lightest marker shade.  These are the colors I used for the flowers, buds, and leaves (I always color dark to light and have listed the markers in the order used):

• flower and buds:  BV31, R14, R22, R43, R32, R11, Y11
• leaves: G29, YG67, YG17, YG25, YG03

With my coloring complete, I cut the images out with the coordinating Perfect Peonies dies.

Next I die cut some vellum three times with the leaf stem from the Lovely Layers: Spring Greenery dies.  I used YG17 and YG25 to color the back of the vellum.

For the layers on the A2 card base I first die cut paper from the Garden Party paper pad with the largest die in the Antique Layering Frames set.  I lightly inked the edges with a coordinating beige ink with a blending brush.  I used Bee Creative glue to adhere the piece to the card base.

The smaller layer is die cut with the oval die in the Antique Layering Frames set and paper from the Hive Hues Garden Party cardstock pack.  I also lightly inked these edges with a coordinating ink.  I added foam tape to the back of the piece to adhere it to the card.

I decided on an arrangement for the Perfect Peonies image and the vellum leaves.  First I glued the leaves to the card and adhered the peony image with foam tape.

The sentiment is one of several in the Perfect Peonies stamp set.  After I stamped with black pigment ink, I cut it out with the coordinating die and adhered it with foam tape.

I think this sentiment is perfect for the tone and "feel" of this card!  Do you enjoy coloring?  I really hope I've given you some inspiration today to sit down, relax, and enjoy a good coloring session!  Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you back here next week!!

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

Hula-ing Over To Say Hello. -- Spellbinders

I'm back today with another card, this time featuring three of Spellbinders June Club Kits!  This card features an exclusive die set, Aloha Hula, that's only available with the subscription to the All-Clubs Crate Membership!  This membership has an approximate $315 value.  From the Spellbinders' website:

All-Clubs Crate Members will now receive:

• 15% off select Spellbinders products, everyday  
• 1 (one) Free Shipping Coupon to use every month. 
• Glimmer & BetterPress have been combined into one Press & Foil Plate, and you'll still receive a roll of foil (or similarly valued complementary product)
• Additional Crate Exclusive die or Press & Foil Plate that will only available during the monthly club window. 
• 10 - 8.5 x 11 sheets of ColorWheel Cardstock that coordinates

Now, on to my card details!

The blue sky background is created with Breeze cardstock embossed with the awesome June 3D Embossing Folder, Island Style.  The tropical look of this fabulous embossing folder will be good for lots of summer/vacation type cards!  Next I hand cut the grassy layer from Rainforest cardstock and glued it to the embossed layer.

I cut various colored cardstocks with the dies from the Aloha Hula set (All-Clubs Exclusive).  I didn't even add any shading at all! (Not often that happens! Haha!). I did color the torch flame with my Copic markers though.  (The available cardstocks I used are in the list below.)

I love the Fawn cardstock color to give this hula dancer the perfect tan!  Oh, another spot of Copic marker is on the flower centers of the leis around her neck and waist.

The sentiment is another one included in the June Clear Stamp + Die set, This Way To Rainbows.  After I stamped it in black ink, I cut it out with the coordinating die.

This Aloha Hula girl is so cute and it would be super fun to make this an interactive type card by putting her grass skirt on a swinging element!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have lots of crafty time planned!

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