ScrapbookPal Design Team: Pinkfresh Studio Darling District

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! I have surely fallen into a pattern of luck! Most of my assignments this year on the Design Team are for Pinkfresh Studio, one of my favorite companies. Of course I love all of their floral designs. I find I have to stretch myself for the non-florals, like this darling set, appropriately called Darling District, including Pinkfesh Studio – Press Plates – Darling District, Pinkfresh Studio – Stencils – Darling District, Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Darling District. There is also a stamp set available, and I will share my faux pas in regards to the stamps! I love the crisp results I get from using press plates and my Spellbinders – BetterPress Letterpress System. I have assumed that the acrylic stamp sets and the press plates in any specific product line are interchangeable. They are… mostly. You can stamp the image, and it will work with the coordinating dies and stencils, OR, you can either “stamp” or foil the image with the press plate, and it matches up the same. However, and probably due to production factors, there MAY be a stamp that is not included in the press plate set, like in this case. If you look at the stamp set, you will see little stamps to use on the awnings of the buildings that say “le petit cafe” and “boutique”. Those words are not included in the press plate set. Not a big deal, unless you but the press plate set expecting them to come with! If you have to choose one or the other, I recommend the stamp set for this design, unless you’re able to get the whole bundle with both.

To fix my oversight, I decided to use Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Texture Paste – Sparkle – 3 oz. on my awnings after I colored them with the stencils. And then I ordered the stamp set!

Pinkfresh Studios have a look to their designs that I tried to follow here. In my mind, I see lots of beautiful, tasteful pastel palettes, a touch of sparkle, loads of details, and lots of white. Sometimes when I design, I try to do something different, to show you another style to use the products perhaps. When I get a new assignment, I try very hard to not look at what has already been done, so I feel I am coming up with unique ideas for you. Here I cut down one of the buildings, and I decorated the inside of the card as well as the front, using a large window to peak in. Also using the sparkle texture paste was something that I thought would be different.

It was a pretty simple card to put together once I started. I used the Pinkfesh Studio – Press Plates – Darling District with silver hot foil in my Glimmer foiling machine. I foiled the buildings and most of the sentiments at once, so I would be able to choose one of the sentiments later. Sometimes if I’m not making a card for a specific person or occasion, I’ll pick the sentiments that physically fits the best on the card. Next, I used the Pinkfresh Studio – Stencils – Darling District to color the image. There was one stencil I skipped – I think it was the 4th one, and just added more details to the windows I believe. I used Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo, Salvaged Patina, and Antique Linen. After I was done adding color, I went back to the stencil with the awnings to add the sparkle texture paste, and let that dry before using the dies to cut out my pieces.

I used the second largest inside frame in the Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Dotted Fancy Frames to cut a large window in the front of a white A2 side fold card. I then used the largest frame to cut out a window in a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 piece of light teal cardstock. I wanted the white card to layer underneath the teal piece. It also gave me a place to attach my cafe. I also cut a white frame, and used my Gina K. Designs – Embossing Folder – Swiss Dot to add texture to that layer.

Before gluing anything, I placed my taller building inside, and positioned it where it could be seen behind the cafe, which I would then attach to just the right side of my window with my favorite liquid glue. I wanted to add a little more detail and color inside the card, so I applied Distress Spun Sugar using a blending brush and a brick layering stencil.

I finished my card with foam squares to layer the front, and Aura Opalescent sequins from Spellbinders.

I hope you try some of these great new designs from Pinkfresh Studios! Thank you for visiting my blog – I appreciate you! My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Pinkfesh Studio – Press Plates – Darling District
Pinkfresh Studio – Stencils – Darling District
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Darling District
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Dotted Fancy Frames
Gina K. Designs – Embossing Folder – Swiss Dot
Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz Layered Stencil – Bricked
Spellbinders – BetterPress Letterpress System
Spellbinders – Glimmer Hot Foil – Silver
Spellbinders – Card Shoppe Essentials – Color Essentials Sequins – Aura Opalescent
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Spun Sugar, Kitsch Flamingo, Salvaged Patina, Antique Linen
Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Texture Paste – Sparkle – 3 oz.
Tsukineko – Memento Full Size Dye Inkpad – Tuxedo Black
Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Pinkfresh Studio Freshly Picked

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! I know it’s a little early to start thinking of summer, but I can’t help it with the flowers and fruit in this yummy collection from Pinkfresh Studios! The collection is called Freshly Picked, and the products include Pinkfresh Studio – Press Plates – Freshly Picked, Pinkfresh Studio – Stencils – Freshly Picked, Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Freshly Picked, and a stamp set (which includes one more sentiment than the press plates). I decided to purchase the press plate instead of the clear stamp set. A press plate will allow you to get a crisp outline of the images using ink, or you can switch it up and use it with foil and your favorite foiling system (Spellbinders – Glimmer Hot Foil System for example). You can also use a press plate and your die cut machine to do dry embossing!

I wanted to show you the beautiful details in this set. Initially I had thought I might watercolor the design, so that’s why I used water color paper with the press plate. As I moved along, I changed my mind, and decided to use the matching stencils that I had purchased. What I noticed using the stencils and ink on the watercolor paper was that the paper sucked up all the ink, and the ink dried much lighter than I wanted it. That’s okay though, because I would eventually use all of the pieces. Back to my Spellbinders – BetterPress Letterpress System to create more images on my favorite white cardstock (like you might use for Copic coloring).

Just look at the details in these prints and stencils!!! That tiny little strawberry flower has 3 parts to it, and it is literally the size of a pencil eraser! It’s incredible the amount of detail these companies are able to achieve! That little white gel pen highlight on the strawberries? That was a stencil cutout on the last stencil. I could have used ink instead, but I wanted to try the pen. The absolute best part is that there is ONE press plate (or stamp) that creates all of the flower and fruit images, and ONE die that cuts them all out, all at the same time!! There is practically no way to mess up and waste time, effort, and paper! Just line up one element, and the others follow.

Now, what to do with all these lovely pieces? Let’s make a background. I’m thinking picnic. I recently picked up the Altenew – Stencils – Watercolor Plaid Builder. I liked how it looks haphazard, but is really a set of two stencils that you can mix and match to make lines, or overlap to make plaid designs. Stencils like this that you can use in multiple ways feel like such a bargain to me!

I decided to make a window on the front of my card, open to the inside of the card, and planned to decorate it with the flowers and fruit. I cut an oval in my card front, and used Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Essentials: Double Stitched Rectangles to cut out my plaid background so that I could add a colored border frame around it. For that, I just used direct-to-paper inking on another A2 sized piece of white cardstock.

As I said before, I made some extra flowers and fruit because I accidently started with watercolor paper. Plus, it’s really so easy using the stencils and dies that do all the pieces at once! Once I got the first card done, I “freshly picked” two more background colors out of the Ranger – Tim Holtz – Distress inks that I had selected for my flowers and fruit.

I assembled the card using Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack, Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack, and Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to attach everything to my A2 white cardbase. I added some no-hole sequins from Spellbinders. I think you can see best with the red strawberry themed card that when you open the card up, the sentiment and strawberry will be on the inside of the card.

I started with the yellow card, and ended up liking the red strawberry card the best! But the three cards hardly took any more time than making the first one. Here’s a reminder that if something works well, make one in every color! Kind of like shoe shopping, am I right? Thank you for visiting my blog. My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Pinkfresh Studio – Press Plates – Freshly Picked
Pinkfresh Studio – Stencils – Freshly Picked
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Freshly Picked
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Essentials: Double Stitched Rectangles
Spellbinders – BetterPress Letterpress System
Altenew – Stencils – Watercolor Plaid Builder
Spellbinders – Woodland Tales Collection – Sequins – Satin Gold
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Saltwater Taffy, Abandoned Coral, Lumberjack Plaid, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Cracked Pistachio, Lucky Clover, Chipped Sapphire
Tsukineko – Memento Full Size Dye Inkpad – Tuxedo Black
Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Spellbinders Checkmate Collection

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! I had the opportunity to play with the new Checkmate Collection from Spellbinders. I encourage you to go to the Spellbinders website to see how they put the chess and checkers pieces together. It wasn’t intuitively obvious for me! When I am creating a new card design, I try hard not to look at the samples, because I don’t want it to influence my creative process. However, I might have spent days trying to get these Spellbinders – Checkmate Collection – Dies – Chess & Checkers pieces together without looking at the website for help!

I really like the fact that you can get the matching stencils for the Harlequin embossing folder. There are five stencils in the set, so you can have a standard two=color checkerboard, or make each stencils a different color, and have four (or more) colors. This makes it incredibly easy to change it up however you want. The fifth stencil is the shadow for each of the chess pieces in the die set. I thought that was unique too, as I don’t think I have any other dies that came with a matching shadow. I really like the concept and hope they come out with more.

I went old school with this card and pulled out my Ranger Ink mini blending tools to get some ink down quickly. It works great with stencils like this (no intricate cutouts). I used Gathered Twigs and Old Paper Distress Oxide inks for a neutral theme. I then splattered the background with Gathered Twigs. I decided where I wanted my chess pieces on the card and then added the King and Queen shadows with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

Looking at the Spellbinders – Checkmate Collection – Clear Stamps & Dies – Well Played Sentiments, I picked “another year? check.” and “checkmate!”. I got stuck on the idea that I wanted a big checkmark, but I couldn’t find one in my stamp or die stash, so I decided to make one. I sketch one on a piece of scrap paper, and then I used that as a template to cut one out of black paper. My husband would have said I’m breaking the rules, and I’m not a rule follower, but I did it anyways, and I love how it came out!

I used my favorite glue and foam squares to bring this A2 sized side fold card together. Thank you for checking out my card! My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Spellbinders – Checkmate Collection – Dies – Chess & Checkers
Spellbinders – Checkmate Collection – Clear Stamps & Dies – Well Played Sentiments
Spellbinders – Checkmate Collection – Stencils – Layered Harlequin
Spellbinders – Checkmate Collection – 3D Embossing Folder – Harlequin
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Hickory Smoke
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad – Hickory Smoke, Gathered Twigs, Old Paper
Ranger Ink – Mini Ink Blending Tool
Tsukineko – VersaFine Ink Pad – Onyx Black
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Altenew Garland Grace

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! Today I have a pretty birthday card (for someone special – me!) made with the new Altenew – Build-A-Garden: Garland Grace and Altenew – Dies – Build-A-Garden: Garland Grace Add-On. I have proven time and again not to be trusted with a pair of scissors, so I always get the extra add-on die set if available. I am not a fan of fussy cutting! But if you are, you could totally skip that and just get the Garden Grace Build-A-Garden bundle without the die add-on. The bundle includes the stamp set, stencils, and the best part: another mini blending brush for your collection! I love these brushes!

When I got this set, I had the idea to color this flower arrangement in a gradual blend of pinks, purples, and blues. This was not an original idea of course… I borrowed it from my lovely Virginia Bluebells that have just finished flowering. The ones on my property start off as pink, transition to a beautiful light purple, and finally open up as a periwinkle blue. They are absolutely gorgeous, and worth a trip along the Shenandoah River next Spring!

I stamped the floral arrangement on white cardstock with VersaMark ink, and then added WOW! – Embossing Powder – Super Fine – Metallic Silver, and melted it with a heat gun. I followed the stencil coloring for the bigger flower, and then used multiple colors on the smaller flowers, from pinks to Shaded Lilac, and then Tumbled Glass. I thought it came out so pretty! I also thought the bigger flower could use a bit more shading, so I went back to the first stencil, and added shading around the edges with Worn Lipstick and Shaded Lilac inks, using my Altenew – Mini Blending Brush.

I used the Altenew Garland Grace Add-On Dies to cut out the flower arrangement. This is a gorgeous larger design, and would easily fill a 5×7 card, but I decided to stick with a standard 4.25 by 5.5 inch card. That meant I’d have to cut something off somewhere. I loved how the smaller flowers came out, so I cut some of the larger flower off.

Once I had the positioning figured out, I added Dusty Concord Oxide ink to the bottom of the card, on the diagonal. It’s so easy to get a rich color with the Distress Oxides without much effort. I also decided to layer a frame behind the front of the card using the darker Villainous Potion.

I chose the “happy birthday” sentiment from the stamp set, stamped again in the VersaMark ink onto vellum, and added silver embossing powder. The vellum alone wasn’t thick enough, so I ended up layering on top of a piece of white cardstock for stability.

I put together my card, but it didn’t feel quite done. I added Spellbinders – Splatter Effects – Sparkle, and that helped a bit. I used Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack to attach the floral piece and sentiment to the card. It was nice, but I still felt something was missing. Some sequins? Butterflies? Hearts? I know! A bee! And I know the prefect bee – the Altenew – Dies – Bubbly Bumble Bee! But a regular yellow and black bumble bee detracted too much from the flowers. Then I made a vellum bee, but he was a bit too inconspicuous. I made another bee with vellum wings, a sparkle paper white body, and silver stripes and legs. I thought that was much better, and added the interest and dimension that I felt completed this card.

I hope you try this gorgeous Garland Grace set from Altenew! Thank you for visiting my blog – I appreciate you! My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Altenew – Build-A-Garden: Garland Grace
Altenew – Dies – Build-A-Garden: Garland Grace Add-On
Altenew – Dies – Bubbly Bumble Bee
Altenew – Mini Blending Brush
Spellbinders – Splatter Effects – Sparkle
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Spun Sugar, Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad – Worn Lipstick, Dusty Concord, Villainous Potion
Tsukineko – VersaMark Watermark – Stamp Pad
WOW! – Embossing Powder – Super Fine – Metallic Silver
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Pinkfresh Studio Floral Tale

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! There was a saying when I grew up – “Reading is Fun*damental!” So is this set which includes Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Floral Tale and Pinkfreah Studio – Stencils – Floral Tale! Just think of all the ways you can use it – books are everywhere and encompass all things, and of course can be very fun. They’re prevalent in schools and places of religion, and used for leisure activities. They can be used to represent comfort or knowledge, stories of our lives, stories of adventure, bedtime stories, or songs like Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page”. So many things! I plan to be using this die set over and over. To start, I wanted to make a card that had the look and feel of old… not super old, but maybe a card my mother would have saved. I wanted a soft, muted palette and intricate details. Pearls for sure.

I selected colors from the Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks. Old Paper, of course, then soft pinks and yellows. I chose my favorite good quality smooth white cardstock. The stencils made it so easy. One thing I had to get used to was that you don’t stamp anything first. There is no outline stamp to line up the stencils. You just begin coloring with the first stencil. You can see that there is a triangle at the top of the book, and two more in the middle of the stencils. These are the keys that you line up the other stencils with, and eventually the die. I used Old Paper, Aged Mahogany, and Lisa Horton Crafts Cloud 9 Metallic Solid Gold for the book. I thought of those old books that had gold on the edges of the pages. For the flowers, I added Tattered Rose and Worn Lipstick, along with the Aged Mahogany. All three of these pinks are available in Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Mini Oxide Ink Pads – Kit 13. I finished the flowers and leaves with Squeezed Lemonade, Shabby Shutters, and Peeled Paint. A very smart and crafty woman once suggested to make more pieces than you think you need – “It’s only paper”. So I made another set of flowers with yellows, including Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, and Dried Marigold. I then had plenty of pieces to choose from while arranging my final layout.

Thinking about the background, I used a piece of water color paper and the “ink smooshing” technique to create an old time none-the-worse-for-wear background. I embellished it with the lovely cover plate die, Pinkfresh Studios – Dies – Petal Trellis Coverplate. I wanted to bring out the gold edges on the book, so I layered this background over a gold piece of cardstock. I used the same gold cardstock to cut an oval frame from Spellbinders – Stylish Ovals Collection – Dies – Essential Stylish Ovals to use as an anchoring point for my book.

I applied Glossy Accents to the ribbon bookmark. It added shine and dimension, and a touch of sophistication. It’s all in the tiny details!

I chose a sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio – Clear Stamps – Heartfelt Chapters, stamped with Versamark Ink, embossed in gold, and then used the coordinating Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Heartfelt Chapters.

I assembled the card using Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack, Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack, and Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to attach everything to my A2 white cardbase. A few pearls from Honey Bee Stamps – Pearl Stickers – Merry Moments were the perfect final addition.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I can’t wait to see how these sets are used by you! My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Floral Tale
Pinkfresh Studio – Stencils – Floral Tale
Pinkfresh Studio – Clear Stamps – Heartfelt Chapters
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Heartfelt Chapters
Pinkfresh Studios – Dies – Petal Trellis Coverplate
Spellbinders – Stylish Ovals Collection – Dies – Essential Stylish Ovals
Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Mini Oxide Ink Pads – Kit 13 (Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick, Aged Mahogany, Barn Door)
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, Dried Marigold, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Old Paper
Lisa Horton Crafts – Cloud 9 Metallic Ink Pad – Limited Edition 3 Pack – Silver, Gold, Copper
Tsukineko – Versamark Watermark – Stamp Pad
Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set
Altenew – Micro Blending Brush Set
Ranger Ink – Mini Ink Blending Tool
WOW! – Embossing Powder – Super Fine – Metallic Gold Rich
Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents, 0.5 oz.
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle (with precision tip)
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack
Honey Bee Stamps – Pearl Stickers – Merry Moments

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Lawn Fawn A Mole Lot of Love with Heart Blooms

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! Out with Christmas, in with Valentine’s Day! And what is more fitting than a new Lawn Fawn stamp set featuring …moles!? Well, probably lots of things, but these guys are pretty cute, and sure to be the most unique card your Valentine will receive! The Lawn Fawn – Clear Stamps – A Mole Lot of Love comes with coordinating dies (Lawn Fawn – Lawn Cuts – A Mole Lot of Love) and stencils (Lawn Fawn – Coloring Stencils – A Mole Lot of Love), and also an add-on stamp set that I did not use for this card. I have a ton of moles in my yard. They don’t seem to look anything like these guys up close, but they don’t really bother anything, (except my tulip bulbs) and I tell myself that they are providing underground aeration to my grass. Forget about that, let’s get into this adorable card!

I love all of the Lawn Fawn critters, but honestly did not think I needed the stencils, because I always thought of coloring them with Copic markers. Talk about a *real* game changer! Now that there are many brands with mini and micro blending brushes, the stencils are a “must have”. They make ink blending on these little guys so very easy. I also used some texture paste with them, and I love the effect! Since I wasn’t quite sure where I was going with this card initially, I started by stamping and ink blending. I used Distress ink in Brushed Corduroy and Tattered Rose for the moles, applied through the stencils with Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set and Altenew – Micro Blending Brush Set. The noses got a dab of Copic Sketch Marker E29, also through the stencil. I love all of these small brushes, but my go-to favorite seems to be the Altenew 7mm brush. The stencils gave me the idea of having the flowers coming up from snow, instead of dirt, which is what I think they intended with this tiny stamp. After I colored the flowers with the coloring stencils I added Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Grit Paste – Snowfall with a palette knife (or use your finger). I thought I should have die cut the flowers first before applying the snow grit paste, but as long as the paste is dry, it worked fine adding it on, and then running it through my Big Shot to cut it out. I also tried it by cutting out the die first. You’ll need to use a grip mat to hold it in place to apply the paste if you do cut it out first.

Initially, I thought of having my moles sitting under the Lawn Fawn – Lawn Cuts – Heart Blooms flower, but decided to have them snug and cozy underground, because there would be snow on the ground, after all. I used Spellbinders – Stylish Ovals Collection – Dies – Essential Stylish Ovals to make them a little burrow.

To go with my late winter theme, I applied Distress Oxide Ink in Stormy Sky with a blending brush for part of the background, and then used another new Lawn Fawn stencil, Lawn Fawn – Stencils – Outline Hearts, to add some interest to the tan (Spellbinders Fawn) background on the rest of the card. This was done with Distress Ink Antique Linen. I ended up covering up most of it, but I still think it added some texture instead of just having plain tan cardstock.

I assembled the Lawn Fawn – Lawn Cuts – Heart Blooms piece for the “above ground” focal point. At first I had selected Mint cardstock, but I ended up switching it out for Rainforest. The mint was too washed out against the sky. I used the smaller heart dies for the cardstock, and layered them on vellum hearts cut from the larger heart dies.

I also stamped and die cut a few of the dirt mounds without the flowers on brown paper, and used a thin layer of Ranger Ink – Texture Paste – Transparent Matte to give the dirt in their burrow some texture. I cut a piece of red (Wild Berry) cardstock for a frame, and used Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack, Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack, and Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to attach everything to my A2 white cardbase.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope 2026 is off to a good start for you! My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Lawn Fawn – Clear Stamps – A Mole Lot of Love
Lawn Fawn – Lawn Cuts – A Mole Lot of Love
Lawn Fawn – Coloring Stencils – A Mole Lot of Love
Lawn Fawn – Lawn Cuts – Heart Blooms
Lawn Fawn – Stencils – Outline Hearts
Spellbinders – Stylish Ovals Collection – Dies – Essential Stylish Ovals
Pinkfresh Studio – Dies – Nested Rectangles Diagonal Stitch
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad – Stormy Sky, Festive Berries
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Rustic Wilderness, Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Tattered Rose
Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Archival Ink Pad Stack – Black Soot
Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Grit Paste – Snowfall – 3 oz.
Ranger Ink – Texture Paste – Sampler – 3 Pack – Transparent Matte
Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set
Altenew – Micro Blending Brush Set
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle (with precision tip)
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack
Copic Sketch Marker E29

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Honey Bee Sweet Season Mugs

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but it sure is getting chilly here in Northern Virginia! When I saw this set of adorable character mugs from Honey Bee Stamps, I could almost taste the homemade hot chocolate that my mother would have ready for us after sledding! Back then, I’d have to share with my sister and friends. Today, I decided to pick my one favorite design and make a (paper) cup of hot cocoa just for myself! Honey Bee – Cling Stamps – Sweet Season Mugs is a fabulous stamp set that includes four fun mugs (Santa, reindeer, snowman and gingerbread man) and several sentiments. I love that Honey Bee uses real red rubber to make their stamps, ensuring that they will last for years to come. In my experience, they are a much better investment than the clear photopolymer cling sets. All of that stamps have coordinating dies in the Honey Bee – Honey Cuts – Sweet Season Mugs set. On a whim, I decided to splurge and get the Honey Bee Stamps – Pearl Stickers – Merry Moments because I was drawn to the colors. I ended up using the pearls to select my colors for this card (had to add the orange nose!)

For my snowman mug, I didn’t want to just leave him white… I thought that might be too much white with the white marshmallows on top. I am not ashamed to say that my Copic Marker skills are still in the beginner category – okay for some small details, but probably not the best to show off on the focal point of my card. After I used my Copic Sketch Markers (YR04, YR16, R35, YG11, E35, E37) to color in the details of the mug, I hemmed and hawed about messing up the rest of the mug by trying to blend Copics. I had an idea to mask off all the parts that I had just colored, and use a blending brush and a lighthanded application of Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass. It looks a little darker in the photo, but it really is a nice light shade of blue in person.

I also added a bit of clear glitter to the marshmallows – because – it’s the holidays! More glitter always! Now that my focal point was finished, I went on to the background of my card. I had also purchased the Honey Bee Stamps – 3D Embossing Folder – Frosted Filigree. This folder is soooo pretty and detailed. It’s a nice 5×7 size folder, but I wanted to stick to a smaller, A2 sized card. I realized that if I turned the folder sideways, I could get a 5 1/4 inch by 4 inch piece for the background with just a tiny 1/8 inch frame of the base card color. Still thinking glitter and sparkles, I reached for my Ranger Tim Holtz Mica Spray Stain swatches. When I purchased mine several years ago, they came in seasonal sets of 3 different sprays. Now, ScrapbookPal sells them individually! And, at the typing of this post, they are ON SALE! I again went to the Honey Bee Stamps – Pearl Stickers – Merry Moments for color inspiration, and chose the Distress Mica Spray Stains in Frosty Mint, Wonderland, and Juniper Berry I highly suggest making swatches of all of your sprays, especially the mica ones that look different when they are settled out on your shelf than they do after you shake them up and spray them. I never used to use my Mica sprays until I swatched them!

I used a piece of watercolor paper, spritzed it lightly with water on both sides, and ran it through the embossing folder first. Then I used the mica sprays, randomly spritzing 2 squirts of each of the lighter colors, and 3 squirts of the darker Juniper Berry color. To get the colors to blend, I spritzed lightly with water again. Then I just walked away! I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was when I returned and it was mostly dry! I couldn’t have planned it any better if I tried! The raised swirly bits and snowflakes seemed to hold a darker concentration of the color, and really stood out beautifully. I had thought that I would have to add some ink on top for definition, but honestly didn’t want to do anything more and end up messing it up! I finished drying it completely with my heat tool, but you could also just wait and let it air dry.

The greetings (I love the tiny little “sweet” stamp!) were stamped in VersaMark embossing ink and dusted with white embossing powder before being heat set. I wanted to give the greetings a landing space on the card. I tried a few things, and then decided a snowflake die would be great. I couldn’t find one that was the right size in my stash, but I did find this poinsettia cutout from Sizzix – Tim Holtz – Thinlits Dies – Vault Seasonal Sketch. I used a glittery paper to diecut my “snowflake” wannabe.

The last step was to use Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack and Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack, and Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to attach everything to my A2 white cardbase, and add the Honey Bee Stamps – Pearl Stickers – Merry Moments.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I know through first had experience that the thought of going through the holidays without a special loved one can be overwhelming. I try to find joy in little things like cardmaking, time with friends and family, and random acts of kindness. Please ask for help if you need it. Have a blessed season, however you choose to celebrate. My supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Honey Bee – Cling Stamps – Sweet Season Mugs
Honey Bee – Honey Cuts – Sweet Season Mugs
Honey Bee Stamps – 3D Embossing Folder – Frosted Filigree
Honey Bee Stamps – Pearl Stickers – Merry Moments
Sizzix – Tim Holtz – Thinlits Dies – Vault Seasonal Sketch
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Tumbled Glass
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Mica Stain – Frosty Mint, Wonderland, Juniper Berry
Tsukineko – VersaFine Ink Pad – Onyx Black
Tsukineko – VersaMark Watermark – Stamp Pad
Gina K. Designs – Embossing Powder – Detail White
Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set
Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents
Lawn Fawn – Glitter – Prisma
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle (with precision tip)
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack
Copic Sketch Markers – YR04, YR16, R35, YG11, E35, E37

ScrapbookPal Design Team: Spellbinders Pasta Friends

Hello ScrapbookPal friends! I’m so very happy to be back as part of the Design Team! I love sharing my cards in hopes to teach and inspire others, but most of all, I love the challenge that it brings to me! I can honestly say that I’ve never walked into my craft studio and said “I think I’ll make a fun, punny pasta card today!”. But here we are! And wouldn’t you know that Spellbinders has released a beautifully coordinated collection of products for all of us carb lovers out there! I used the Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – 3D Embossing Folder – Al Dente, Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – Dies – Pasta Friends, and the Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – Clear Stamps – Stay Saucy. There is one more die set in the collection to add to the fun, the Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – Dies – Ingredients Buddies! That die set includes a tomato, a clove of garlic, a meatball with sauce, and a cheese wedge, all as adorable as the Pasta Friends!

As I was contemplating my design, I decided I wanted the pasta shapes on the Spellbinders Al Dente folder to be more of a pasta color, and the background to be darker. To achieve this effect, I planned on inking the flat side of the embossing folder… the side where the shapes are depressed into the folder. This would place the ink on the background, and keep the pasta shapes the color of the paper. At first I tried this using cream colored cardstock, and inking with Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Antique Linen. As I thought through the design, I decided I would rather have my little ravioli pasta friends be a pasta color, and have the entire background appearing to be tinged with marinara. Not to worry, I’ll use that first “practice” piece of cardstock for something else. On to the next idea… let’s get some variations in the marinara sauce. Starting with a piece of white cardstock, I used a large blending brush to apply Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Tattered Rose and Fired Brick. Then I inked the embossing folder with Aged Mahogany, and ran it through my die cut machine.

Next up was to create my main characters, filled with ricotta of course. Paper ricotta. I cut the ravioli shapes using the Spellbinders Pasta Friends dies. I cut two layers of the smaller “face” part, as I wanted that part to appear thicker. I used a blush Copic Marker, number R20, to color a small scrap piece of cardstock for the cheeks and mouth, and layered that inside my “pasta”. I inked my raviolis with the Distress Oxide Antique Linen, and used a touch of Distress Tea Dye ink to add depth the the edges.

I used my favorite black cardstock from Ranger/Tim Holtz for the arms, legs, and bow tie of my ravioli. I colored another bow with Aged Mahogany, and then used Ranger Ink Glossy Accents to make it shine. I used more of the dies to cut out leaves, the olive, and the chef hat from white paper. The leaves and olive were colored with the green Distress Inks listed below. The Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set is fantastic for inking small dies lkike the leaves and the olive, and you get three different sized brushes in the set, at a great price. I used a piece of scrap silver paper for the fork.

To add a little more interest to the card, I went back to that first piece of cream colored cardstock that I had embossed in the beginning but decided not to use. Some of the Italian words in the sentiment set were small enough to fit on the embossed ravioli pasta shapes. I stamped them onto the spare background that I made, and then fussy cut them out to add to the card. The raviolis and sentiment strip were attached to the card front using Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack and Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack. I used Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to add the arms, legs, hat, and other details. I created a thin black frame with black cardstock, and used Fired Brick ink to color the larger, red frame.

Thank you for reading my blog post. I hope you like this card and are inspired enough to step away from your Christmas Card Production Line and create a fun card to send to your favorite Italian! All of the supplies are listed below, and available at ScrapbookPal.com!

Products used in this project, available at ScrapbookPal.com:
Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – 3D Embossing Folder – Al Dente
Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – Dies – Pasta Friends
Spellbinders – Buon Appetito Collection – Clear Stamps – Stay Saucy
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad – Antique Linen
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad – Tattered Rose, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Tea Dye, Shabby Shutters, Crushed Olive, Forest Moss
Tsukineko – VersaFine Ink Pad – Onyx Black
Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
Spellbinders Mini Blending Brush Set
Ranger Ink Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Cardstock Black Matte
Ranger Ink – Glossy Accents
Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Bundle (with precision tip)
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares Variety Pack
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin Foam Squares Variety Pack
Copic – Sketch Marker – Blush – R20

Altenew Bloom & Grow Instagram Hop

Hello creative friends! I am participating in another event from Altenew, called the Bloom & Grow Educator Instagram Reel Hop. The hop starts on Instagram from @altenewllc, so be sure to begin there and follow along! This blog post describes the steps I used to create my card. There’s a quick 2 minute reel over on my Instagram account !

The creative challenge was to use Altenew Foil Plates or Press Plates with a Spring theme, or Spring colors. It’s kind of like a writing prompt for crafters! I often enjoy making cards when I am given a direction to get me started, especially if I’m feeling unmotivated.

I purchased the Spellbinders BetterPress System for myself for Christmas this year, and the Altenew Blossoming Bouquet Press Plate was the first press plate I purchased. I wanted something that would really highlight the beautiful, crisp image transfer that this system offers. I knew I wanted a floral, so Altenew was my first choice. They do florals the best in my opinion! I had the idea to mirror the pattern, filling most of the card with the deisgn. This led me to choose a larger, 5×7 format for my design. It took me some trial and error to get the pattern to repeat exactly how I wanted it. I used a piece of paper to cover up the part of the pressplate that I didn’t want to transfer, and tried to stop rolling it through my Sizzix BigShot diecut machine in the right spot, at the halfway point. I anticipated using some kind of a band in the middle, possibly a sentiment strip, to cover up where the two images would meet, so it didn’t need to be perfect.

That was the hard part, and the most work for this card. Next, you just need to choose a medium to color your flowers and leaves, and you’re almost done!

I love how the Altenew inks coordinate so easily with each other. I chose the Blushberry Bliss Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube set for the flowers, using the lightest 3 colors on the larger flowers, and the darker three on the smaller flowers.

I am by no stretch of the word an “artist”. I can’t draw a straight line, or a circle. I have no sense of shadows or depth. Unless I’m tryin gto copy someone else’s work, I just try to get some obvious shadows and then add more color wherever. The above photos show the greens from the Jade Dreams set, starting with Misty Sage and then adding in Mossy Meadow and Green Opal here and there. I really like how there colors coordinated with the Blushberry Bliss set!

After finishing the “background”, and not spending any time on the larger flowers that would be covered, I printed two more designs with the BetterPress System on watercolor cardstock. After coloring, I decided to just layer the two larger flowers, as those were the only ones that I really needed to cover up on the background, due to the extra impressions from mirroring the design.

Being around Valentine’s Day, I decided to make this card for my husband who very recently passed after a long illness, hence the “hey love” sentiment (created with Mossy Meadow ink, diecut with Versatile Greetings Die Set). I decided the sentiment was too large to squeeze in to the center of the card, as I orginally planned, so I placed near the bottom, and added a simple vellum band in the center of the card to cammoflage the place where the designs came together. A few Altenew Antique Gold sequins, and we’re done! This card panel was trimmed to 4.75″ x 6.75″ and layered onto a 5″x7″ card with foam tape.

I like this card design because you can replicate it with very few supplies, and things you already have on hand most likely: 1. A larger floral stamp, press plate, or foil plate, 2. Inks or markers to color, and 3. Any sentiment and embellishments you choose. The challenge is in the mirroring, and what to do to make the image cohesive in the middle!

Thank you for stopping by my blog – I appreciate you! Give yourself permission to take care of yourself today and spend time doing what fills your heart! When your heart is full, there is more to give to others!

Altenew products used:
Altenew Blossoming Bouquet Press Plate
Altenew Versatile Greetings Die Set
Altenew Fresh Dye Ink Mini Cube sets- Jade Dreams, Blushberry Bliss, Sun-kissed Delights
Altenew Sequins – Antique Gold


Altenew 2025 February Inspiration Challenge

Hello creative friends! It’s been a while since I’ve had the energy and motivation to be creative. I happened to see this Inspiration Challenge, and it was just what I needed to let myself reengage with the hobby that I love. Here is the link to this challenge on the Altenew Blog if you’d like to participate as well! And I hope you do!

First of all… come on! Who could resist a plate of delicious macarons and cappucino? Add in that beautiful teal blue plate, and you have a fantastic and interesting color palette, sure to catch your eye! The inspiration for this card came from the challenge, as well as the first floral Press Plate that I purchased for my new Spellbinders BetterPress System – the Altenew Blossoming Bouquet Press Plate. Please let me apologize for the lighting in the photos… it’s winter, and I just can’t catch a good time with the sun out! Everything thing looks a little dark no matter how much artificial light I try!

I wanted to use something different to ink the press plate. I didn’t think black would be the best for this design. I used a Lisa Horton Crafts Metallic Pigment Ink Cloud 9 ink pad in Solid Gold. I’m sure the Enchanted Gold or Antique Gold Pigment ink pads from Altenew would work just as well if you have them.

I placed the Altenew Blossoming Bouquet Press Plate on my BetterPress base, and inked it up with the gold pigment ink. Then I taped a piece of watercolor paper to the clear top plate, and ran it through my die cut machine. I left the watercolor panel taped in place while I colored the flowers and leaves.

I used Dew Drops and then Teal Cove to watercolor the flowers. The method I used was to press the mini ink cube onto my craft mat to squeeze out some ink, pick up the ink with a waterbrush, and then paint the flowers. The center of the flowers were colored with Peachy Glow. For the leaves, I used Grass Green and Firefly. After I finished coloring the flowers and leaves, I reinked the press plate, still in place in my BetterPress base, placed the cover plate on top (with the watercolor paper still taped in place) and ran it through my die cut machine again. This restamped the gold ink, making the outline crisp and clean again after the watercoloring.

Next I fussy cut the image. I noticed the flowers and leaves made an oval shape, so I cut an oval out of white to carry that theme, and give me a place to put the sentiments. I colored a piece of white cardstock with the Teal Cove ink to use for the Fancy Hugs Die, and chose a subsentiment from the Bad Days Happen Stamp set. To add some background texture and movement, I used the Dotted Waves Debossing Cover Die with a piece of colored cardstock, and layered than on a piece of cream textured cardstock from my stash. The light blue pearl embellishments were added for more dimension.

Thank you for stopping by my blog – I appreciate you! Give yourself permission to take care of yourself today and spend time doing what fills your heart! When your heart is full, there is more to give to others!

Altenew products used:
Altenew Blossoming Bouquet Press Plate
Altenew Dotted Waves Debossing Cover Die
Altenew Bad Days Happen Stamp set (sentiment)
Altenew Fancy Hugs Die
Altenew Fresh Dye Ink – Dew Drops, Teal Cove, Peachy Glow, Firefly, Grass Field

Also used:
Lisa Horton Crafts Metallic Pigment Ink Cloud 9 Solid Gold

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Christmas Droplets (blue)