die cutting

Autumnal Thank You with Simon Says Stamp!

August 20, 2026

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon! *I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

Hi friends! I am back today with another floral project, this time with a decidedly autumnal aesthetic. I love a good monochromatic moment, and the solid stamps in the new Sunflower Meadow stamp set are perfect for creating your own, completely custom patterned paper in whatever colors you might fancy! I know that sunflowers are typically a bright and sunny yellow, but I have seen them come in a myriad of shades and thought I would put some of the vast amounts of colored cardstock in my possession to good use by creating lots of warm coral elements. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I stamped lots of different elements from the Sunflower Meadow stamp set onto my coral A2 card front using Nutmeg Pawsitively Saturated Ink. When creating a custom patterned paper like this, I like to start with the largest image, stamping it multiple times on the cardstock and rotating both the stamp and the cardstock to create a seamless effect throughout the panel. After stamping the largest image, I use the same process to stamp the next smallest image, filling in gaps and continuing to rotate the cardstock and the stamp. I continue working my way down the size of my stamps until I reach the smallest image, filling in blank spots. For this particular panel, I wanted to create a gradient of colors without adding any additional ink colors to my project, so I “stamped off” for some of the smaller blooms and foliage, meaning that I inked up the image, stamped once on scrap paper, then stamped the remaining residual ink on the card front, creating an almost shadow effect. I love the different levels of intensity that this technique adds to the background!

Once I had completed the background, I knew that I wanted to accent the autumnal panel with some individual autumnal die cuts, so I cut the petals from the Sunflower Blooms die set from the same coral cardstock used for the A2 card front panel, as well as the foliage and flower center details from some specialty cardstock: chocolate brown glitter cardstock and brushed copper foil cardstock! I also trimmed a strip of the same brushed copper cardstock to help “ground” my focal point on the finished card.

For the greeting, I enhanced the beautiful “thank you” from XL Darling Script Greetings, cut with the same brown glitter cardstock and coral cardstock used previously on the card, by adding a sentiment strip from the Small Thanks stamp set. I stamped the “for thinking of me” using Allspice Pawsitively Saturated Ink on more of the same coral cardstock, then arranged the die cuts and sentiment strip along the strip of copper foil cardstock on my patterned panel. I added a sparkling copper twine bow and some Gilded Sequins for added shimmer and to help fill in any holes in the design. I am so pleased with how this one came out! The elements all work together to create a nicely balanced card.

Well, that’s all for my project today! It doesn’t feel like fall quite yet, but school is starting and the fall feelings are starting too. I foresee lots of warm colors and chocolate brown in my crafty future! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Glowing Hydrangeas with New Simon Says Stamp!

August 19, 2026

Hi friends! Do you love hydrangeas as much as I do? I first saw them when my Grammy and Papa took my mom, my sister, and me on a trip from the land of corn to the Outer Banks, traveling off the beaten path to check out the scenery. We have white “snowballs” here, but the lush, vibrant colors and enormous balls of blooms that are the East Coast hydrangeas are something for which my eyeballs were unprepared. I fell so in love with them that we primarily used deep blue hydrangeas for our wedding floral arrangements 15+ years later, and now have (unsuccessfully) tried to grow them in our front yard. The new Gorgeous Hydrangea embossing folder, die, and stencil suite from the Simon Says Stamp Every Happiness release (click HERE to check out the entire release!) immediately was calling my name! I created not one, but two different projects with this plethora of crafty options, and today’s project features the embossing folder and layering stencils. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I ran an A2 panel of white cardstock through my die cutting machine using the marvelous new Gorgeous Hydrangea folder. The details on this massive bloom are exquisite, but the coordinating Gorgeous Hydrangea Stencils help those details jump off of your project so beautifully! I used Shading Brushes to blend Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Guava, Periwinkle, Iris, Juniper, overlapping some of the colors multiple times to create that ethereal multicolored hydrangea “glow” that so enchanted me as a child.

After I had finished blending the stenciled images, I used the same shades of ink to blend around the outside of my card front, allowing those colors to illuminate not only the flower, but the scenery around it. Once I had finished blending the entirety of the card front, I dotted a silver paint pen in the individual flower centers and added some beautifully sparkling watercolor splatters around the edges.

For the greeting, I kept things simple using the Timeless Thanks die set, cutting the detail layer from some dazzling iridescent pink cardstock and backing it with a vellum die cut shadow layer. I popped those layers up with thin foam adhesive, floating the sentiment over the flower but still allowing those lovely details to shine through. I added a pale blue velvet bow around the stem and some Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit more sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I am just so in love with how this turned out…. it reminds me of a gorgeous OBX sunset. A little ink blending and some gorgeous floral texture does some marvelous work, don’t you think? Thank so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Daisies are the Friendliest Flowers with Simon Says Stamp!

August 18, 2026

“Don’t you think that daisies are the friendliest flowers?” Name that movie!! It’s one of my favorites! I am so excited that I was able to design my newest stamp set for Simon Says Stamp called Daisy Frame (check it out HERE) featuring the friendliest of blooms. I created two different daisy floral arrangements for the stamp set, one with a wreath of daisies and foliage (check out THIS project and THIS project featuring the large wreath!) and for today’s project, I thought I’d turn my attention to the smaller swag included with the set. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I stamped the swag from Daisy Frame using no-line coloring ink on plain white cardstock, then used OLO Markers to color the images in pretty shades of purple and soft green. I used the coordinating dies to cut the finished colored images out and set them aside. Daisies are such a fun floral to color, because the petals are fairly straightforward and don’t curl in on each other, making them great for practicing your shading!

After I had created my pretty daisy swags, I decided to ramp up the feminine factor with some pretry, lacy frames. I die cut the new Petal Point Frames twice: once alone for the medium-sized die cut and another paired with an A2 Rectangles die to create a lovely, lacy frame. I layered the two lacy die cuts on my white A2 card front, adhering the frame around the outside with liquid adhesive and using thin foam adhesive for the center die cut so that they were layered together. The straight edge of the exterior frame keeps the layered frames from being too visually busy.

After I had layered the frames on my card front, I used another layer of thin foam adhesive to add the daisy swags to the top and bottom of my middle lacy rectangle. The double layer of foam adhesive helps those daisies to pop from the layers of white cardstock! I also stamped a greeting from Daisy Frame using Whale Pawsitively Saturated Ink and die cut it with it’s coordinating die, then placed it in the absolute center of my middle lacy rectangle with some more thin foam adhesive. Finally, I added a few Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I just love the crisp white-on-white layers with that pop of vibrant purple, don’t you? It’s so feminine and delicate! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Wildflower Arch with New Simon Says Stamp!

August 17, 2026

Hi friends! I am back with another project featuring some gorgeous new floral dies from the Simon Says Stamp Every Happiness release (click HERE to check out the entire release!). Sometimes the scale of dies doesn’t quite work for things to work together, but these new florals work beautifully together. I chose to cut them all from white cardstock and use my OLO markers to add color to each piece, and I love the effect. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I die cut the new Wildflower Stem, Tissue Petal Stems, and Butterbloom Flowers dies from plain white cardstock. I then used my OLO Markers to color them in a gorgeous trio of peach, bubblegum, and mauve, taking care to add extra deep shadows on the die cuts that would be placed in the back of each flower to give a bit of extra dimension. Once I had colored all of the blooms, I assembled them with liquid and foam adhesive for lots of interest and dimension!

I wanted to create a simple frame around my blooms, so I die cut a new A2 Stitched Arches die from the center of an A2 panel of white cardstock. Behind the blooms, I needed a simple “sky” and a “meadow,” so I used Shading Brushes to blend Sky & Aspen Pawsitively Saturated Inks at the top and bottom of a new panel of white A2 cardstock, allowing the color to fade in the center so that they did not mix together. Once I had finished blending, I splattered the entire blended background with iridescent glitter watercolors for a bit of whimsy and shimmer!

For the greeting, I silver embossed a sentiment from the new Woodland Friends set and die cut it with it’s coordinating die. A simple, somewhat small sentiment nestles perfectly amongst my meadow of wildflowers! I popped up the arched frame on my blended panel with some thin foam adhesive, then arranged the blooms and foliage within the window, adhering the die cuts with both liquid and foam adhesive for maximum dimension. I tucked the greeting in a bare spot amongst the blooms, adhering it with a double layer of foam adhesive. Finally, I added some Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for additional sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I just love when different products are scaled so perfectly that they work together seamlessly, like they were designed to do so! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month for September 2026: Simply Shabby!

August 17, 2026

Hi friends! I have some projects to share with you today using the brand new Simon Says Stamp September 2026 Card Kit of the Month (click HERE to see the details for the entire kit!). Here’s a sneak peek at the fabulous contents of the kit:

This kit is packed with spectacular products: gorgeous floral embossing folder (with stencils AND dies!), marvelous sentiments, a huge background stamp set with even more gorgeous sentiments and coordinating dies, inks, blending brush, cardstock…. it’s absolutely chock full of fabulous goodies to make crafting super easy and even more fun! Individually, the contents of this kit would retail for nearly $100, but you can get your own for only $44.99 while supplies last (click HERE) or $39.99 for kit subscribers! (Click HERE to see how to become a subscriber!)

When I first started crafting, I absolutely fell in love with the shabby chic style that seemed to be everywhere: distressing, huge junk bows, tons of layers. It took me a minute to determine that it wasn’t 100% my style, however much I loved it. Fast forward to now, with 16 years of cardmaking under my belt, and I have discovered that those styles that I love that I can’t quite pull off traditionally can still be adapted to fit my own, slightly cleaner aesthetic. I used my favorite combination of blue and white to create this pretty pair of cards using lots of goodies from the kit. Let’s get started with the details!

I took advantage of the spectacularly detailed embossing folder for both of my projects, employing two different ink swiping techniques to create different effects!

For my first project, I ran an entire A2 panel of some cornflower blue cardstock through my die cutting machine using the new Morning Glory Vibes Embossing Folder. I also die cut a few individual blooms from the same blue cardstock using the Morning Glory Vibes dies, then ran them through the die cutting machine with the embossing folder as well. To help enhance some of the stunning details, I swiped my Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink pad directly over the raised areas of the full embossed panel and the individual blooms, which creates a two-tone background that showcases those gorgeous details to perfection. After heat embossing and cutting a sentiment from Beyond Measure, I added it to a strip of pearly white cardstock with some thin foam adhesive. I tucked the embossed flowers around the greeting, then enhanced them with some vellum Leafy Sprig die cuts. Finally, I finished things off with some white gel pen dots and sparkling Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems! Isn’t that blue and white color palette simply divine?

My second project uses the same gorgeous Morning Glory Vibes, this time with a reverse color palette. I ran a panel of the same cornflower blue cardstock through my die cutting machine with the embossing folder, then trimmed it down and flipped it over so that the pattern was debossed into the cardstock rather than embossed up. I swiped my white pigment inkpad directly over the flat areas, creating a white background with a blue floral pattern. It’s so fun to see the difference between the two techniques!! I also stamped the crackled background from the new Simply Shabby set, included with the kit, using white pigment ink on an A2 panel of the same blue cardstock. I added some thin strips of pearly white cardstock above and below the debossed strip, then popped up the greeting from Simply Shabby using thin foam adhesive. Finally, I added a few Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems some sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today!

The Simon Says Stamp Card Kits are such an incredible value; the value of the individual elements of each kit equals far more than the $44.99 price tag, so you’re getting incredible bang for your buck. If you are consistently interested in the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month, you can sign up HERE to become a subscriber for an even bigger discount on these carefully curated products. As always, Simon also makes each individual element of the kits available a la carte, so that you can pick and choose what you would like to purchase if buying the entire kit isn’t really your thing. Options galore! Who can say no to such incredible value though, right?

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!