January Card Class #4: Flower Bouquet For You Card

This flower bouquet card was fun to design!  I used a Petal Pink cardstock card base and stamped the corner, also in Petal Pink, with the flower cluster from the 2026 Virtual Card Making Retreat bundle (still available)!

I matted the Lovely and Beautiful DSP with Crumb Cake cardstock.  To make the bouquet cone, I cut a 6.5" Cricut circle and then cut it half.  I folded the half circle into thirds and then filled it with the die cut flower bunches from the Virtual Card Making Retreat bundle (after coloring the leaves with Old Olive Stampin' Blends).

The sentiment and dies are from the Beautiful Butteflies bundle, available on last chance HERE!

Tropical Birthday Card

When I saw the SUOC #392 Sketch Challenge, I knew it would be perfect for my attempt at using the Simply Beautiful dies to make a tropical card.  Here's what I made, using the Beach Boardwalk suite as my color inspiration:

Here's the sketch:

I started with a 4" x 5 1/4" White Willow panel and began blending Lemon Lolly ink near the bottom.

Next, I added some Peach Pie (since I don't have Timid Tiger).

Above and blending into the Lemon Lolly area, I added Pool Party and then blended the top with Petunia Pop.

The last thing that I did (but it didn't photograph well) was to flick water onto this panel with a water painter to splatter the blending.

I used Granny Apple Green and Pool Party Two-Tone cardstock, plus Petunia Pop and Lemon Lolly cardstock.  The sentiment, stamped with Secret Sea, is from the LAST CHANCE Beautiful Butterflies stamp set.

I would love to know what you think of my take on this sketch and/or the color comb!  Does it give you tropical vibes?  Thanks for stopping by!

January Card Class #3: Easel Fun Fold Card

This easel fun fold card was, well, FUN to make at this month's card class!  We started with a standard A2 top-fold card of Petal Pink cardstock, then scored the center.  We added two pieces of Lovely and Beautiful DSP to accommodated the fold.  We made sure to only adhere the bottom of our large die cut flower (Simply Beautiful dies). 

We stamped the sentiment in Calypso Coral and the pretty outline floral from the upcoming Virtual Card Making Retreat bundle in Petal Pink.  That panel was raised with Dimensionals so that it would stand prettily on a desk.

A few Pearlized Faceted Circles (self-adhesive gems) finished off this pretty card.  I'm looking forward to sending it to someone special!

Speaking of someone special, would you like to come create and connect at one of my upcoming Sip & Stamp kit togethers?

January Card Class #2: Fresh Freesia Floral Card

At Sunday's card class, three of the four cards used the gorgeous Lovely and Beautiful suite.  (I LOVE that the front sides of each paper has gold foil accents!)  The first card we made with this collection used Fresh Freesia and Old Olive.

 It's hard to tell from the photo, but I blended Old Olive ink onto the card front and then flicked water from a water painter to give it an interesting texture.  The pretty flowers and leaves were die cut from the Simply Beautiful dies.  Adding Fresh Freesia ink with a blending brush adds such pretty dimension and texture!

I stamped the sentiment and the inside of the card with this pretty outline floral stamp from the exclusive Virtual Card Making Retreat stamp set in Fresh Freesia and added a skinny strip of Lovely and Beautiful DSP. 

Thank you to Kim McGillis for this pretty card sketch/idea!  If you attended card class and/or are a customer of mine, you will receive instructions including measurements to recreate this card design.  It is definitely one that I will be using again!  Please share if this card inspires you to create something!  Get inky, friends!

January Card Class #1: "Sew" Glad We're Friends

Each month I hold a card making and scrapbooking class in my basement studio in the tri-state area (message me if you'd like more info), and our first card this month used the fun Hobby Haven DSP.

I precut the sewing DSP with the largest frame from the Beautifully Celebrated dies.  We added it to the front of a Coastal Cabana Two-Toned cardstock card base.  The dress form is a Cricut cut from Pecan Pie Two-Toned cardstock.  We added a white ribbon bow, some Earth Matte dots, and a sentiment banner stamped in Coastal Cabana with a sentiment from Beautiful Motifs stamp set. 

I always start my card class with a quick and easy card and then progress to more advanced cards.

I'm "sew" thankful you're here!  Save the date for February's card class on 2/8!
 

Angled Gatefold Card

On Thursday evenings, I go live on my Inky Scrapper Facebook page at 7:30 PM, and last Thursday, I created this angled gatefold card with the Lovely and Beautiful DSP and Simply Beautiful dies (with some input from my viewers).

This card is easier to make than you might think!  The pretty paper does all the work with a little scoring and cutting.

After the live video, I added a piece of Calypso Coral Two-Tone cardstock to the back to keep it sturdy.

 

Happy National Houseplant Appreciation Day!

Did you know that January 10 is Happy National Houseplant Appreciation Day?  I have a green-ish thumb and love all of my house plants. (I often want to be a gardener, but then end up in my craft room instead.)

This cozy paper is from the Hobby Haven DSP, which also includes adorable coordinating die cuts. That little bookshelf, perfectly matches the DSP, so I popped it up with dimensionals foam tape.  The sentiment is from the beautiful motive stamp set, stamped in Mossy Meadow (which matches the card stock base.)

I cut scraps of the reverse side of the DSP to create the little banners, and then used the leftover pieces as little banners on the inside of the card.

If you look closely, you can see that I distressed the front panel, the bottom of the deck, cut, bookshelf, and the white inside panel with pecan pie ink. 

If you have house plants, be sure to tell them how much you love them today!

Birthday Spa Layout

Recently my sister, my sister-in-law, my girls, and my niece all got together to celebrate my mom's 80th anniversary with our traditional spa day but with an incredible twist- an overnight at a local spa.  We had such a great time together! 

I used the Hobby Haven DSP and a sketch from the Creative Design Team to put this layout together quickly.  All of the accents are die cuts from the DSP collection.  I did stamp the title and used a little Pecan Pie ink with a blending brush to add a little texture/interest.  If you look closely, you can see that I added more texture/interest on the Pecan Pie cardstock accents by embossing them with my Birch Wood 3D embossing folder.

I know Mom loved having all of us girls together for some uninterrupted girl time!  

If you're interested in some uninterrupted crafty girl time, come to one of my classes!  I'd love to have you join my Inky community (if you're not already with another Stampin' Up! demonstrator)!

A December to Remember Layout

As I reflected on all of the fun of December, I added my favorite photos to a folder on my phone and then ordered prints.  I had fun scrapbooking these memories before the year ended!

PRO TIP: If you're not sure what color goes best, take a picture with each to help you compare.  Either Shaded Spruce or Pretty Peacock looked nice with my photos, but I preferred the blue background more than the green. 

If you'd like to get your photos off your phone and into albums that you and your family can enjoy, I would love to show you how!

Thank You Cards

Who else needs thank you cards?  Our basic white note cards and envelopes are the perfect size (5.5” x 3”) for a sweet message. 

I decorated the fronts with 5.5” x 3” pieces of Elegant Pine Snowflakes DSP (Use up what you have!), then a piece of beautiful Lovely & Beautiful DSP (5.25" x 2.75"), With You in Mind stamp set/Old Olive ink, and dies from the upcoming Virtual Cardmaking Retreat (kits still available; live on Jan. 22 & 23 but then available via replay).  I finished off each one with a few Pearlized Faceted Circles adhesive gems (gold gems would also be gorgeous).

PRO TIP:  Die cut the foliage sprigs from the center of the DSP panel- the floral DSP will cover the cut outs!

I will be using the Lovely and Beautiful suite in my January card and scrapbooking classes on 1/11, so let me know if you'd like to know more (in person/local and virtual options are available).  

Remember that the January-April Mini Catalog and January Online Exclusives products will be available tomorrow!  You can find them HERE.  Thank you for being part of my Inky community!

Weekend Adventures Scrapbooking Workshop Layout #3

For the third layout from this workshop kit, I went completely off script and did not cut the papers according to the directions and made my own layout instead.

Of course I’m using flip-flops to be able to add more photos to the layout to share more of our Alaskan adventure.

Don’t be afraid NOT to follow directions!

Weekend Adventures Scrapbooking Workshop Layout #2

During this holiday break, it has been so nice to have both our daughters home and to have TIME together (and of course in my studio)!  I had a lot of fun creating the three layouts in the Weekend Adventures scrapbooking workshop kit, and here are the cut pieces for layout #2.

I followed the directions pretty closely but had to had some stamped branches from the Branching Out stamp set with Old Olive and Crumb Cake ink.

In addition, I stamped my title in Cajun Craze with the alphabet set from the 2025 Virtual Album Retreat.  I love mixing and matching old/new product to stretch my supplies!

PRO TIP: As you use your alphabet stamps, but the used, inky letters onto a larger block.  That way, when you're done stamping, you can clean all of the letters at once.  That saves time because I invariably clean a letter, put it back on the carrier sheet, and then realize that I need it again.  With this method, I can grabby the inky stamp and reuse it as many times as needed before cleaning them all at once and then putting them back properly.

Also, I love to use flip flaps to include more photos without needing more space!

PRO TIP:  I use a free app on my phone, called LiveCollage, to add two photos to one 4x6 space to get two 3x4 photos when I get them printed.  I try to keep 3x4 flip flaps in stock!

January Gift with Purchase (Tutorial PDF)

Anyone who places an order of any size with me during the month of January (HERE) will receive a PDF tutorial to create this fun birthday card!  

I made mine for my Mom's 80th birthday last month, and I love how it turned out!  I used the Lovely and Beautiful DSP with Fresh Freesia, Darling Duckling, Old Olive, Petal Pink,  and White Willow cardstock and the coordinating ink colors with the addition of Peach Pie.  

PRO TIP: Use Tear Tape to adhere your ribbon.  Make sure that the ribbon extends all the way across the bottom of the bottom box to look more professional.

The outside sentiment is the Branching Out stamp set. The inside stamps are all from the Aug. 2024 Paper Pumpkin (Time for Cake & Make a Wish).  I love how the addition of the blending brush made the candles really glow!

I think that Mom liked it!  Again, you will receive instructions to recreate this card style with any order placed with me this month HERE.  Thank you for your support!

Projects of the Month January Sneak Peek!

Happy 2026!  I have a Projects of the Month sneak peek to share with you today!

 Here are the details of how to receive these three exclusive projects tutorials:

Contact me for more info or place a minimum $50 order HERE.  Thank you!