Simon Says Stamp | Creating a Transparent Bauble

Hello there, it's release day over at Simon Says Stamp and I have a card to share using the new Bitty Baubles Stamp Set. The set is made to have characters inside the baubles/ornaments and so I thought it would be fun to try and colour it so that the bauble looked transparent (apart from the bunny and candy inside!). I used a dark blue card base and coloured the bauble blue too, to make it somewhat look like the background is showing through. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off by stamping the bauble from the Simon Says Stamp Bitty Baubles Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I then stamped the bunny and candy image inside. It was coloured using Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area) and then fussy cut out using scissors. 

To neaten up the edges, I went around them with a Copic Multiliner Brush Pen. This "paints" the edges black and makes it so that you cannot see the white of the cardstock. I took a panel of Altenew Crafty Necessities: Ultramarine Cardstock and added ink blending to the edges. I used Altenew Azurite and Jet Black Fresh Dye Inks. 

I stamped the sentiment onto the panel once dry using Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. I then adhered DMC Gold Diamant Thread to the back of the bauble and adhered the bauble to the panel using thin foam squares. The thread was wrapped around the back of the panel and secured, and then the panel adhered to a white A2 sized card base. To finish, I added white gel pen highlights (as well as using a white Polychromos Pencil) and dots on the bauble and embellished with Spellbinders Gold Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

COPIC MARKERS: Bunny - W3, W1, W0. Candy - R89, R37, R35/C2. Background of bauble - B39, B69, B29, B24. Bow - R89, R39, R37, R35, R32. 

I am not sure how successful it is in terms of it looking transparent as the blue shades are just slightly off, but I like how the card turned out anyway! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Altenew | Jaycee's Swatching System

Hello there, it's release day over at Altenew and there are lots of new products in the shop! I will have cards to share on Saturday for the blog hop, but for today, I wanted to share Jaycee's Swatching System! This is a collaboration between Altenew and Jaycee Gaspar to create and organise swatches of our products. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

There are large swatches, medium swatches, small swatches and slim swatches! I am using the slim swatches today but I am hoping to get my hands on some of the others too as I would love to incorporate them into my system as well! 

The swatches fit inside the Altenew Swatch Book Album (A7 - Beige) which is the cutest little binder! The system support both stamping of ink and ink blending of inks and you can also use them for cardstock swatches too. There are stamps to make the swatches, stencils to make the swatches and dies! So you can mix and match what works best for you! 

I started off my swatches by printing off the Altenew Swatch Page Printables onto 80lb Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock. I then cut the pages in half (you get 3 sets of 3 on each 8.5" x 11" sheet) and used the Altenew Swatch Page Die to die cut them out. It cuts three swatch sheets in one go. You simply line up the printing holes with the die holes to get perfect placement. 

I then took the first stencil from the Altenew Swatch Page Alignment Template and placed on my Sticky Mat. 

The swatching sheet then fits inside perfectly! You don't have to use the Sticky Mat here but it is helpful to keep everything in place!

I then placed the second stencil on top, with the openings lined up with the etching lines on the first stencil (you can also use these etching lines to line up the stamps too, if using that method). These openings line up one by one, not all four in one go. 

I used the corresponding ink and a Mini Blending Brush to blend ink inside the stencil opening. I added a darker saturation of colour on the left side and faded lighter on the right, so that I know how light and dark the ink can be. 

I then moved the opening down to the next set of etched lines and repeated the process with the next shade of ink, and then carried on until all four were done. Now I know exactly what each of the four shades of ink are like in that collection. 

The sheets can be added to the binder as is but there are also dividers that you can create using the Altenew Swatch Page Divider & Tabs Die Set to separate the colours and products. I cut mine from white cardstock and then stamped on top using the Altenew Slim Swatches Stamp Set. I haven't been able to get all my ink swatches done yet, but of course, I had to start with my beloved purples! 

As mentioned, I will be back on Saturday to share the cards that I have made for the release but until then, I hope you will check out the release. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what products I used for the system Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Altenew | November 2026 Inspiration Challenge

Hello there, I am delighted to be hosting the Altenew Inspiration Challenge this month. Every month, Altenew have an inspiration challenge and a DT member or guest picks a photo and creates a project based on the colours in the photo. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

We then encourage you to create projects based on that colour palette too! The photo that I chose is of a white hydrangea in my garden. 

I absolutely love the purple/blue ones (of course!) but there is something so pretty about white flowers! As you can see, there are some flecks of pink on the flowers, so I have used those as one of my colours too! 

Although Altenew do have products with hydrangeas, I decided to use the Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Calla Lily Layering Die Set instead for my project, keeping the flowers white, with the shadows in pink. I die cut the layers first from wite cardstock and then added ink blending in the shadows using Altenew Baby Pink Fresh Dye Ink and a Mini Blending Brush. 

I added ink blending to the stems and leaves using Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Inks - Grass Field, Shadow Creek and Mountain Pine. The stems and leaves were adhered flat to an A2 sized card base made from Altenew Crafty Necessities: Jet Black Cardstock using Altenew ClearFix Glue. 

I adhered the layers of the flowers together and then adhered them to the card. For some shine, I splattered Altenew Iridescent Shimmer Ink Spray on top and set it aside to dry. I stamped the 'just because' sentiment from Altenew One-Go: Friendship Flowers Stamp Set onto more Jet Black Cardstock using Altenew Embossing Ink. 

I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using Altenew Black Instant Dimension Foam Tape. To finish, I added a few white gel pen dots. 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I hope you will be inspired by my colour combination and play along! All the details for the challenge are here. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Spellbinders | Create Your Way Everyday with Simple Copic Colouring

Hello there, I am delighted to be over on the Spellbinders Blog today sharing a card using the Thanks in Bloom Press + Foil Plate from the Create Your Way Everyday Collection. This collection was released alongside the new Glimmer II Hot Foil System and this was the first card I made using the new glimmer machine.

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

As you can see from the peek above, I kept my card very simple. I hot foiled the Spellbinders Thanks in Bloom Press + Foil Plate onto a panel of white cardstock using Spellbinders Matte Gold Glimmer Hot Foil Roll. The image was cut into an arch using the Spellbinders Essential Arches Etched Dies and coloured very simply using Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area). The sentiment is from the Spellbinders Signature Sentiments Press + Foil & Die Set. 

With regards to the new Glimmer II, I think it is fab! I will say that there was a problem with my old machine and it wasn't foiling properly, so in comparison, this one was always going to better but I do think having the whole platform heat up, rather than it being a coil underneath, makes for a better foiled impression, especially with larger plates. It is helpful not having a docking station now, as I know a lot of us did struggle with that. I am, however, still getting used to having to unplug it each time I run it through my die cutting machine and remembering to plug it back in afterwards, but I am sure I'll get used to it soon! Otherwise, I think it is great! 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

COPIC MARKERS: Petals - RV55, RV52, Y11. Leaves and stems - YG17, YG23, YG01. 

For more photos and step by step instructions on how I made the card, please head over to the Spellbinders Blog. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 

Hero Arts | Home for the Holidays

Hello there, today I have two cards to share using the Hero Arts Home for the Holidays collection that was released back in July. As you can tell, I am a little behind with releases at the moment, but sometimes it is nice to not rush the releases each month and to use them at a later date. So I hope you don't mind seeing the inspiration at a later date too! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

The main focus of the collection are the wreath dies. There is a large wreath and a little one (I used the large one today and the little one here) and also accessories for the wreath. I decided to use the accessories for a separate card instead, creating a little winter village! 

I started off my first card by using the Hero Arts Front Door Layering Stencils. I wanted my door to be black, as that is what I have in real life! It is quite tricky to achieve that in ink blending with four different layers but I tried my best, using just one ink - Altenew Jet Black Fresh Dye Ink. It was then cut into an arch shape using the Spellbinders Essentials Arches Etched Dies. 

I created an arch shaped card base and adhered the door panel on top. I then die cut the large wreath from the Hero Arts Winter Wreath Die Set from Spellbinders Peridot and Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock. I cut the top layer twice and the bottom layer once. I added ink blending to them with Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Inks and then adhered them one on top of another before adhering to the door. 

I die cut the bow from Spellbinders Lavender ColorWheel Cardstock and added ink blending on top with Altenew Enchanted Garden Fresh Dye Inks. It was adhered to the top of the wreath. I die cut the berries from Altenew Moonstone Cardstock and adhered them to the wreath too. To finish, I stamped the 'Merry Christmas' from the Hero Arts Season's Greetings Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card. 

I kept the second card very simple! I die cut the houses from the Hero Arts Winter Wreath Accessories Die Set from Spellbinders Fairy Tale, Lavender and Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock. I cut the different parts apart (roof and door) from the houses using scissors, so that I could mix and match! I then cut the berry die from Spellbinders Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock. 

I wanted to make them look like little wreaths hanging on the doors, so I punched a teeny tiny hole in the middle (not quite centred but actually I don't mind that!) using a handheld punch and adhered them to the doors. I also added vellum to the back of the houses to show through the windows. The trees were die cut from Spellbinders Peridot and Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock. 

I created an arch shaped card base using the Spellbinders Spellbinders Essentials Arches Etched Dies and then stamped the 'Season's Greetings' sentiment from the Hero Arts Season's Greetings Stamp Set on top using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. I like to have two of these types of sentiment sets -  I keep one as is (all one stamp) and I cut the other I cut up into separate sentiments, that way I can get more from my sets! The trees were adhered to the card using liquid glue and the houses with thin foam tape. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I really like the shape of arched cards and I think they work particularly well for these designs. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Spellbinders | Dear Santa Envelopes

Hello there, today I have two cards to share using some dies from the Dear Santa Collection that was released back in July. I shared a look at the Dear Santa Kit here. Today I am using two die sets, plus a new sentiment press plate (as well as an older one!). 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

The Spellbinders Happy Post Envelope Etched Dies can be used to create either an open or closed envelope. As you can see, I used in both ways on my cards! There are also two wax seal options in the set too - a star and a heart. Such a cute detail! 

I started off with the first card using the open envelope. I die cut the envelope from Spellbinders Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock and the letter inside from Spellbinders Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock. I assembled it using Bearly Art Glue and then adhered it to a white US A2 sized card base using thin foam squares. 

I die cut the foliage from the Spellbinders Festive Floral Mix Etched Dies from Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. I used Tutu for the poinsettia and smaller flower, Blush for the bud flowers, Rainforest and Peridot for the leaves, pine frond and holly, Waterfall and Teal Topaz for the other pine frond and foliage, and Classic White for the flower centres. 

I adhered them to the card using Bearly Art Glue. I hot foiled the Spellbinders Holiday Banner Greetings Press + Foil Plate onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Opaque Black Glimmer Hot Foil Roll and the Spellbinders Glimmer II Hot Foil System. It was die cut out using the coordinating die and I adhered the 'Merry Christmas' one to the card (cutting off the other banner edge). To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

My second card uses the same Spellbinders Happy Post Envelope Etched Dies but this time with the envelope closed. I cut it from Spellbinders Chiffon ColorWheel Cardstock and the wax seal from Spellbinders Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock, using Classic White for the string/ribbon. 

It was assembled and adhered using Bearly Art Glue. I die cut the Spellbinders Festive Floral Mix Etched Dies from Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. I used Blush and Classic White for the small flower, Blush for the flower buds, Peridot for the flower bud stem, Rainforest for the holly, and Waterfall and Teal Topaz for the other foliage. 

I used the envelope as a guide for the placement of the foliage, adhering them down using Bearly Art Glue. I then adhered the envelope on top with thin foam squares. I hot foiled the Spellbinders Merry Messages Plate onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Silver Glimmer Hot Foil Roll. It was die cut out and the 'season's greetings' one adhered to the card. To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I really love this colour combination for Christmas! Although I do like traditional red and green, I do tend to favour more non-traditional colours. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Hero Arts | Have a Cool Yule

Hello there, I hope you are well! Today I have a card to share using the Hero Arts Have a Cool Yule Die that was released as part of the Vintage Vinyl collection. I have paired it with a newer snowflake press plate for a clean and simple card! 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by creating the background. I pressed the Spellbinders Winter Peace Press + Foil Plate onto a panel of Spellbinders Fairy Tale ColorWheel Cardstock. I made sure to add a shim (a piece of scrap watercolour paper) into the Spellbinders Letterpress Betterpress System as the ColorWheel cardstock is standard cardstock and you need a bit more thickness to get a good impression. 

I added ink blending towards the top of the panel, fading out to the colour of the cardstock at the bottom, using Altenew Enchanted Garden Fresh Dye Inks (Wisteria, Hydrangea & a little Ultraviolet at the top). It was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base using tape runner adhesive. I die cut the Hero Arts Have a Cool Yule Die from white cardstock for the base/shadow, and Spellbinders Lilac ColorWheel Cardstock for the word. I cut the word three times. 

I added ink blending to the top layer, using Altenew Ultraviolet Fresh Dye Ink, an adhered the layers one on top of another, using liquid glue. It was then adhered to the card. I die cut the holly leaves from the Spellbinders Parcel & Post Christmas Decorations Etched Dies from Spellbinders Waterfall & Teal Topaz ColorWheel Cardstock, and the berries from white. They were adhered to the flourish on the 'e'. To finish, I added Star Dust Stickles to the berries and embellished the card with Spellbinders Silver Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Unfortunately, the photos don't do the card justice at all! It is so much prettier in real-life! Thanks so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day! 

Spellbinders | Snow Globe Scenes

Hello there, I'm delighted to be over on the Spellbinders Blog today sharing a card using the new City Skating Scene Etched Dies that are an add-on to the already released Snow Globe Etched Dies that Simon Hurley and Spellbinders released back in 2023. In the new collection, as well as the skating scene, is another scene (Holiday Truck Scene), as well as some fun rectangle dies and a background type die. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

The peek above shows the Spellbinders Skating Scene Etched Dies inside the Spellbinders Snow Globe Etched Dies. In my original card that I made back in 2023, I masked off a moon and I really liked how that looked, so I did it again for this card. However, in hindsight, this scene is higher up in the snow globe, so the buildings do cover a lot of it. I used Distress Inks for the sky, adding in white gel pen dots for the snow. I also added ink blending on the ice rink and tree to blend in a bit with the scene. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

You can find more details on the card in the blog post here, including a photo step by step tutorial. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Pinkfresh Studio | Take Good Care

Hello there, today I have a card to share using new products from the Gather & Bloom October 2026 Release. I already shared one card here using the release, and today I have another to share that is part of an Instagram hop. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my card by placing the Pinkfresh Studio Dragonfly Floral Frame Stencils onto a panel of white cardstock, one by one, and adding ink blending using Pinkfresh Studio Inks and 1/2" Blending Brushes. The set creates a floral frame with the dragonfly inside, but I am just using the dragonfly itself today. 

I used Turquoise and Paradise inks for the body and wings of the dragonfly, and Detail Black ink for the eyes. It was then die cut out using the Pinkfresh Studio Dragonfly Floral Frame Coverplate Die. I die cut the dragonfly again twice, from white cardstock, and adhered them behind the inked one for dimension. 

I took a panel of white cardstock and die cut three circles from the Pinkfresh Studio Double Stitched Circles Dies into it. I placed it on top of a card base and lightly drew around the inside of the circles with a pencil so that I knew where to stamp inside the openings.

I then masked off the circles, one by one, erased the pencil lines and then stamped the floral image from Pinkfresh Studio Heirloom Cottage Stamp on top using Pinkfresh Studio Detail Black Hybrid Ink. The aperture panel was then adhered on top of the A2 sized white card base using thin foam tape. 

I lightly curled up the dragonfly's wings and then adhered it to the card using Pinkfresh Studio Precision Clear Craft Glue. I stamped a sentiment from the Pinkfresh Studio Autumn Sips Stamp onto black cardstock using Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card. To finish, I embellished with Pinkfresh Clear Drops: Ice. 

SUPPLIES:

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

If you would like to follow along with the hop, please head to my Instagram page here and Pinkfresh Studio's here. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!