layering stencils

Simon Says Stamp October 2025 Card Kit of the Month!

September 14, 2025

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I have some inspiration to share with you today using the new Simon Says Stamp October 2025 Card Kit of the Month: Fall Vibes! This month’s kit is so unique and full of fun products that you can use to create a ton of different cards using just the contents of the kit! Here’s a sneak peek at the kit’s contents:

Such a unique kit, right? Each different element is so unique, but they work so nicely together! I have two projects to share with you created using the contents of the kit, so let’s get started with the details!

*I have gathered links to all of the products used at the bottom of the post for your convenience, using affiliate links. Thank you for shopping with my links! I truly appreciate your support for my work!*

The “Fall Vibes” theme stuck in my head when brainstorming ideas for these projects, so I decided to keep things decidedly “fall” and stick with a color that doesn’t get a lot of love in my craft room: orange! I have a friend who has the most marvelous pumpkin patch, growing over 75 varieties of pumpkin (more power to her and her green thumb!), so I was inspired by the shades of the round gourds gracing her fields to create a stenciled shaker, as well as take advantage of the gorgeous metallic kraft cardstock from Tim Holtz that was included in the kit.

For my first project, I ran an A2 panel of the gorgeous pumpkin-colored Tim Holtz Metallic Kraft Stock through my die cutting machine using the Modern Loop Embossing Folder included in the kit. Metallic and foil cardstocks work so beautifully with detailed embossing folders like this one; the shining surface of the cardstock seems to enhance the texture of the embossed images to perfection! Next, I heat embossed a greeting from the new A2 Grid Basics stamp set included with the kit onto some Creamsicle cardstock from the kit. I trimmed the embossed image out with my trimmer, but you could use the coordinating dies (which are sold separately). I trimmed the embossed panel down slightly and placed it in the center of a full-sized A2 Creamsicle card front. To frame the sentiment, I used Multi-Medium Matte adhesive to adhere one of the Tim Holtz Photo Frames on the textured foil panel, then added the greeting with some foam adhesive squares. Finally, I added a few Gold Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a bit of extra sparkle!

For my second card, I used Pucker, Clay, Cantaloupe, and Woodsy Pawsitively Saturated Ink to blend the fabulous Pumpkin Patch stencil on a panel of Ivory A2 cardstock from the kit. The generously-sized pumpkins make it easy to add some additional shading details, creating shape and dimension on these pumpkins! The Black Stamp and Stencil Mat included with the kit made super quick work of those layering stencils, as well. Such a useful tool! I used some leftover stamp packaging to create a pocket around the entire panel, then filled it with Sea Star Embellishments, keeping with my overall orange theme. Once I had my flat shaker sealed off, I die cut the detail layer of the previously-released Simple Thanks die from the orange metallic kraft cardstock included with the kit and backed it with a coordinating shade of deep, warm gray cardstock to allow the shiny orange die cut to pop from the colorful background. I popped up the greeting with some foam adhesive, then added a shiny metallic orange twine bow to the card front for a bit of added texture!

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. Who can say no to such incredible value though, right?

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

Pinkfresh Studio “Delights & Doodles” Release Blog Hop

June 13, 2025

Hi friends! I am hopping along with my friends at Pinkfresh Studio today to share their latest release, called Delights and Doodles! This new release is a bit different from their typical style, featuring whimsical critters, treats, and some sweet accessories created with stamps, stencils, and dies! I have a pair of cards to share with you today featuring these new goodies, so let’s get started with the details.

For both of these projects, I kept the color palette sherbet-themed, featuring Lemon Whip, Doe, Warm Buff, Cherry Blossom, and Peach Fuzz inks. The addition of the light brown helps balance out the sunshiny pastel colors! Both projects feature the darling sweet shop from the new Patisserie Pals, which I stamped with Doe ink for the outline, then stamped directly over the top with embossing ink, then added Iridescent Lavender embossing powder to add an ethereal shimmer to the images. I used Cherry Blossom and Warm Buff inks with the coordinating stencils to create a pastel sweet shop, complete with striped awning! The large size of this finished image meant that I could easily cut the image in half to use it for not one, but two projects!

For my first project, I decided to pair the sweet and whimsical images from Patisserie Pals with some florals and a frame to create a little scene. I die cut the kraft frame from Blanket Stitched Octagons, then popped it up with thin foam adhesive squares on a white A2 card front. I tucked one half of the sweet shop beneath the frame, allowing it to peek out, then added some sweets and the adorable little bunny with foam and liquid adhesive.

To adorn the sweet shop and create an almost Parisian vibe for this neighborhood patisserie shop, I used Warm Buff and Cherry Blossom inks with the Cherry Blossoms stencils, then used the coordinating dies to die cut the foliage and blossoms, adhering the pieces with liquid adhesive. I also die cut a branch from some more kraft cardstock, then added all of the blooms and foliage with liquid adhesive. To create a fuller floral corner with this single Cherry Blossom branch, I used my scissors to snip some of the twigs off and create a custom arrangement in the corner of the octagonal frame. For the greeting, I stamped a sentiment from Patisserie Pals using Doe ink, then added the same Iridescent Lavender embossing powder over the top to create a unique sentiment that stands out beautifully amongst the pastel imagery in the background!

For my second card, I created a sweet ice cream shop using some of the leftovers from the first project! One of my favorite things about Pinkfresh Studio product suites is how many of them utilize the “one and done” idea: all of the images are connected on the same stencil or stamp or die, maximizing your time at your craft desk to create tons of images in one fell swoop! Because the Patisserie Pals stamp and stencil suite created so many images, I was able to use some of the images on the previous project and still have leftovers to use for this project! I also stamped images from the Ice Cream Truck product suite and used the same shades of ink with their coordinating stencils, as well as the Sweet Scoops stencils and dies. I used all of these sweet critters with the leftover patisserie shop (now an ice cream shop!) to create a little scene!

Before I began arranging all of my images, I used the new Petal Grid Press Plate with Cherry Blossom ink to create a lightly textured and patterned background. This delicate pattern is so sweet and fairly neutral; it adds interest behind my scene without overwhelming it. I also used the leftover Blanket Stitched Octagons die cuts to create a Kraft frame to ground my images and make the focal point a bit more central to the card front. I popped up the frame, then arranged the stamped and stenciled die cuts, adhering them with a mixture of liquid and foam adhesives. Finally, I added another greeting from Patisserie Pals, stamped again with Doe ink and embossed with Iridescent Lavender embossing powder.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:

Pinkfresh Studio will give away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog and YouTube channel. They will also be giving away TEN $50 gift cards along the hop. The winners will be randomly selected from the comments, so the more comments you leave along the way, the more chances you have to win!
Winners will be selected and posted on June 20, 2025, on our GIVEAWAY PAGE. Winners must check that page and claim their prize within two weeks.

Here’s the full hop list in case you get lost:

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Altenew January 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

January 9, 2025

Hi friends! I am hopping along with my friends at Altenew to help introduce some of their gorgeous new products from the January 2025 release. You should have arrived here from Agnieszka, and your next stop is Svitlana. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Blog. My mom was in a bad car accident over the holidays and was finally released to my house from the hospital, so I didn’t get to play with as much of the release as I would have liked, but the new Stencil Art: Romantic Roses + coordinating die was too gorgeous to pass up. Let’s get started on the details for my project!

I began my project by blending the Carnival Magic Fresh Dye Ink and Aqua Island Fresh Dye Ink quartets to stencil all of the beautiful images from the new Stencil Art: Romantic Roses. I then die cut the finished images with their coordinating die, which is available separately from the subscription, but can be purchased as a bundle with the layering stencils! The layering stencils are super intuitive, featuring very handy etched outlines so that you can easily line up each individual layer.

I wanted to create a beautiful glowing, somewhat mixed media background using the script stencil included with the Stencil Art: Romantic Roses. I began by blending multiple layers of color from the Aqua Island Fresh Dye Ink on the edges of a panel of white A2 cardstock, then used the script stencil to add some interesting pattern and texture to the blended background. I love the subtle tone-on-tone effect that the script stencil adds to the background!

I arranged the floral stenciled die cuts in a corner swag on the blended card base, adhering them with multiple layers of foam adhesive. For the greeting, I used one of the sentiments from the One Go: Solid Sentiment Strips Press Plate, which I created using Rhodolite ink from the Carnival Magic ink quartet, then die cut with the Coordinating Die. Finally, I pulled in some of the peachy undertones from the stenciled flowers with a few of the new Creamrose Pearl Dots, adding additional shimmer and texture ot the card front.

Well, that’s all for my project today. Now for some fun giveaway information!

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by January 15th for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on January 17th, 2025. The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog.

Here’s the full hop list in case you get lost:

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Peachy Keen, Jelly Bean!

July 5, 2024

This post was sponsored by Simon Says Stamp. Thanks, Simon!

Hi friends! I have a pair of pretty peach projects to share with you today using some more new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp Sunny Vibes release. When I opened my release package, I immediately gasped when I saw the delicate and lovely Beautiful Blooms layering stencil and coordinating stamp set. I love a good floral, as we all know, and I love beautiful typography, so the combination of both of these elements into one product suite just plain makes me giddy! I used both products to create a pair of peachy keen cards, so let’s get started with the details!

For both of my projects, I used elements from Beautiful Blooms Bundle along with Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Melon, Blush, and Sage to create a lovely peach color palette. The stamps from the Beautiful Blooms Bundle coordinate beautifully with the stenciled images in the layering stencils, but you can easily using them separately to create a whole host of unique looks!

For my first card, I began by blending all of the layers from the Beautiful Blooms layering stencil using Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Melon, Blush, and Sage and blending brushes. I then used Blush and Sage inks to stamp the coordinating detail layers from the Beautiful Blooms stamp set directly over the top of the blended images. The detailed stamps are not an absolute necessity, but they really do help to elevate the pretty floral designs! I also blended and stamped some more flowers and foliage on a separate sheet of white cardstock, then used some sharp scissors to fussy cut them. (I have hopes that dies will be forthcoming for these pretty flowers!)

Once I had finished fussy cuttign the individual flowers and foliage, I arranged them around the central “hugs” sentiment and popped them up with some foam adhesive squares. I also stamped and fussy cut the “thinking of you” sentiment from the Beautiful Blooms stamp set and nestled it amongst the floral design. Finally, I added a few shimmering coral gems for a bit of additional shine!

For my second card, I used the lovely individual floral stamps from the Beautiful Blooms stamp set to create a pretty, custom patterned paper background. I began by die cutting a panel of super pale peach cardstock using the Nested Domed Arches die. I then used the individual flower and foliage stamps with Melon Pawsitively Saturated Ink to create a floral pattern, starting with the largest flowers and working my way down to the smallest, filling in gaps and creating small floral bouquets. Once I had finished the floral pattern, I used a blending brush to blend some more Melon ink around the edges of the arch die cut and added a glittering copper frame cut using the new Nested Domed Arches Frames. One can never have too many frame dies, in my opinion, and these graceful arches are so trendy and on point right now!!

I mounted the floral arch onto a panel of slightly darker peach cardstock using some foam adhesive, then turned my attention to the sentiment. I die cut the detail layer of the new I Hope You Smile Today from that same slightly darker peach cardstock, then mounted it on a vellum die cut shadow layer. I popped the greeting up over the glittering arch frame using some more foam adhesive, then using a coordinating peach alcohol marker to create a silky peach accent bow. I tucked the bow beneath the sentiment die cut, then added a few peach gems for one last sparkling touch!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! I love layering stencils; they’re such fun to customize with unique color combinations, and even more fun to use with the coordinating detail stamp set! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Altenew June 2024 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 6, 2024

Hi friends! I am taking part in Altenew’s June 2024 Release Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Michelle Short, and your next stop is Svitlana Shayevich. You can find the full hop list at the bottom of this post, or you can go to the Altenew Blog. This month’s new release (check out the full release HERE) is filled with beautiful new florals (of course), fabulous textures and Press Plates, and some truly stunning new Fresh Dye Ink families! I have two sweet and delicate cards to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

The new Botanical Brilliance Fresh Dye Ink families are some of my most favorite that have been released so far. The soft blush, buttery yellow, and fresh greens work so perfectly together as well as with other color families. I used all three color families for both of my cards today to create these very soft, ethereal, dreamy cards.

For my first card, I began by heat embossing the exceptionally beautiful and meandering floral arrangement from the new Build-A-Garden: Branching Roses onto a white, A2 card front using some gold pearl embossing powder. I then used the included coordinating layering stencils to blend Peachy Glow, Golden Honeycomb, Strawberry, Dusty Pink, Blush Rose, Pistachio, Misty Sage, and Mossy Meadow Fresh Dye Inks from the new Blushberry Bliss, Sun-Kissed Delights, and Jade Dreams Fresh Dye Ink families. I love these gentle colors, made even more subtle with a light hand while blending. After I had finished blending the images with the stencils, I used a larger blending brush to lightly blend Strawberry and Dusty Pink inks from the Blushberry Bliss ink quartet around the edges of the panel. The resulting panel is so soft and dreamy!

After I had finished creating the panel, I stamped some of the sentiments from the Build-A-Garden: Branching Roses stamp set onto some white cardstock using Raspberry Sunset ink from the Blushberry Bliss ink quartet, then stamped directly over the top with embossing ink, then added some more gold pearl embossing powder to create custom colored embossed sentiments. I fussy cut the larger sentiment with my sharp scissors, then used my trimmer to trim down the sentiment strip. I adhered the sentiment strip to a slightly larger piece of gold pearl cardstock, which coordinated nicely with the pretty gold pearl embossing. I popped up the greeting pieces with some foam adhesive, then added a smattering of Ethereal Stones Rhinestones from Trinity Stamps and a white silk ribbon to truly complete the feminine aesthetic of this card.

For my second project, I continued this airy feminine theme with the Craft-A-Flower: Japanese Anemone and older Rustling Leaves Press Plate and coordinating die. I began by die cutting all of the elements of the new Craft-A-Flower: Japanese Anemone from white cardstock, then used blending brushes to blend Strawberry, Dusty Pink, Pistachio, and Misty Sage inks from the new Blushberry Bliss, Sun-Kissed Delights, and Jade Dreams Fresh Dye Ink families to “color” them. The lovely soft colors of the inks were made even softer with the light ink blending, creating the prettiest pale pink anemones! I also used the Mossy Meadow ink from Jade Dreams to impress the leaf images from the Rustling Leaves Press Plate and die cut them with the coordinating die.

For the background, I wanted to keep the softness of the flowers but still add some minimal texture behind my floral bouquet, so I inked up the Rustic Burlap Press Plate with Strawberry ink and ran it through my Better Press system. The soft pink helps make the textured pattern a bit more visible than simply running the plate through without inking. I arranged the florals on the textured background and adhered them with both liquid and foam adhesive for lots of different textures and heights, then added a letter press greeting from the Rustling Leaves product suite, inked up with darker Green Opal ink from the Jade Dreams ink family to help it stand out amongst the florals. Finally, I added a few shimmering iridescent gems for a bit of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. Now for some fun giveaway information!

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by June 12, 2024 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on June 14, 2024.
*The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog.

Here’s the full hop list:

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!