press plate

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!

VIDEO: Air Mail Inspired Belated Birthday with Pinkfresh Studio!

May 15, 2025

Hi friends! I am up on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube Channel today with this fun “air mail-inspired” project featuring the new Classic Correspondence product suite from Pinkfresh Studio! You can watch the full video below or HERE on YouTube!

If you can’t watch the video or prefer written instructions, I will give a brief rundown of how I created this card!

To begin, I inked up the Diagonal Plaid Press Plate with some Metallic Bronze Ink from Lisa Horton Crafts. This pigment ink works beautifully with press plates and adds a beautiful, subtle shimmer to your projects! While I had my Better Press System out, I used Warm Buff ink from Pinkfresh Studio to press the Classic Correspondence Press Plate onto some Better Press cardstock, then used the trick that I learned from Carissa Wiley to press the gorgeous Floral Square Frame Press Plate into some pearlescent pink cardstock without inking the plate, creating beautiful and intricate texture on the coated cardstock. (I demonstrate this technique in several videos on the Pinkfresh YouTube Channel if you would like to see it in action!)

After I had pressed all of the images, I used the Classic Correspondence Stencils with Cherry Blossom, Peony, Begonia, and Warm Buff inks from Pinkfresh Studio and the fabulous Pinkfresh Studio 1″ Blending Brushes to add a warm, feminine color palette to the mail images from Classic Correspondence. I used the fabulous one-pass die to die cut all of the stenciled images, then die cut the detailed Floral Square Frame image. I also die cut the large Postage Edge Dies from Pinkfresh Studio’s Glitter Champagne cardstock, then trimmed the long edges off of the die cut to use as an accent for my colored cardstock panel. I adhered the glittery postage accent strips so that they were peeking out from around my Tutu pink cardstock piece, adding another touch of sparkle and helping to break up the contrasting patterns on the card.

For the greeting, I used the same Bronze ink to stamp the sentiments from the Classic Correspondence Stamp set, then added clear embossing powder over the top to make the sentiments even more crisp, helping highlight them amongst the busy background. After trimming and die cutting the sentiment components, I used liquid and foam adhesive to adhere al of the elements to the card front, finally adding a few Ballet Slippers Jewels to help fill in some of the bare spots on my card design.

Well, that’s all for my project today! It’s always fun for me to mix and match new and old products, and the goodies from Pinkfresh work so well together even if they’re not necessarily designed to coordinate. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Supplies used (affiliate links used at no extra cost to you-thank you for helping to support my work!):

VIDEO: No-Ink Press Plates with Pinkfresh Studio!

April 24, 2025

Hi friends! I am on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube Channel today with this pretty “blurple” project inspired by the colors of one of my favorite flowers: hydrangeas! You can watch the video HERE on YouTube or below:

Below, I’ve included a quick written rundown of my techniques!

To begin, I used the Pinkfresh Studio 1″ Blending Brushes to blend a superb combination of blue and purple inks in an ombré, creating a soft “blurple” blended background. From light to dark, I blended: Sheer Freesia, Hydrangea, Blue Jay, and Sapphire inks on my plain white A2 panel of cardstock. After I had blended this pretty background, I adhered it with light-tack tape to a panel of thick scrap cardstock, creating a bit of a cushion behind this regular-weight cardstock so that I could use it with the Leafy Lattice Press Plate! Carissa Wiley shared this trick awhile ago, and I have been absolutely obsessed with it since then. After adhering the blended panel to the scrap Bristol cardstock, I used Calico White ink to press the Leafy Lattice Press Plate into my blended background. The extra cushion allows that impression to be nice and crisp in the lighter-weight cardstock, and the white pigment ink creates a subtle pattern and texture.

Once the background had been completed, I turned to the focal point. I have been having fun experimenting with textures on coated cardstocks lately, pairing pearlescent cardstocks with embossing folders, and today I used the Bluebonnet Bliss Press Plate and dies with some stunning periwinkle mirror cardstock that I found in my stash. (I make it my mission to collect interesting “specialty” cardstocks and sometimes have the problem of wanting to hoard them for a long time, so then I forget where I found them!) I impressed the beautifully detailed Bluebonnet Bliss Press Plate into this foil cardstock without inking up the plates, allowing the almost etched impression to be the focal point for my card! I impressed the image twice and then die cut the images out with their coordinating dies.

To accent the background and further enhance the feminine feel of this card, I die cut some Midnight Navy Glitter Cardstock from Pinkfresh Studio using the Fancy Edgers dies, backing the glittery, lacy strip with some pearlescent white cardstock for added shimmer and contrast. I placed the strip on the blended and pressed card front with liquid adhesive, then added the impressed Bluebonnet die cuts with liquid and thin foam adhesives. For the greeting, I stamped the “hugs” from the Basic Sentiments Stamps suite, using Hydrangea and Blue Jay inks to create an ombré sentiment. I popped the sentiment pieces up using thicker foam adhesive squares, then added a white pearlescent bow die cut created using the Wrap Around Elements dies (which are now discontinued– a twine bow would also work here!) to create the look of a hand-tied bouquet. Finally, I added a few Iridescent Dew Drop embellishments to fill in some of the blank areas on the card.

Well, that’s all for my project today! If you haven’t tried using your Press Plates without ink to add gorgeous texture, I hope this project inspires you to try it out. The impressed texture is exquisite and lends such an air of sophistication to your projects. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Altenew April 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

April 10, 2025

Hi friends! I am hopping along with my friends at Altenew today to celebrate and share inspiration using their latest release for April 2025 (which you can check out HERE). You should have arrived from Dana, and your next stop is Therese. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Blog. The Anniversary release is always fantastic, and each year Altenew releases an extra large stamp set that is super special and unique. This year’s Flourishing Bouquet is no different. I have three different projects to share with you today using a vibrant

*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!*

This trio of projects was inspired by a dress from my daughter’s closet, featuring a unique plum, fuchsia, mustard, and gold color palette. I selected Acai Berry, Mangrove Root, Sicilian Amber, Rubellite, and Golden Honeycomb Fresh Dye Ink from my ink wall, as well as some shimmering gold pigment ink from my ink stash to add some sparkle. I also pulled several shades of cardstock from Altenew’s Crafty Necessities line, including Cosmic Berry, Rubellite, and Sicilian Amber and some pearlescent gold cardstock that coordinated beautifully with the other colors in the palette.

For my first project, I used Lisa Horton Crafts Solid Gold pigment ink to impress the the Floral Serenade Press Plate into some Sicilian Amber cardstock, backing the colored cardstock panel with a piece of inexpensive but thick watercolor cardstock to add some extra padding and allow the pattern to impress into the thinner colored cardstock. I matted the tone-on-tone patterned panel with an A2 piece of Cosmic Berry cardstock to add a frame, then used a sentiment created with one of the greetings from the Flowering Hedge Registration Press Plate, Cosmic Berry Cardstock, and more gold pigment ink. I also impressed a sentiment strip onto some pearlescent gold cardstock without any ink, allowing the deep impression on the coated cardstock to create the crisp sentiment. I framed the greeting with some die cuts created using the new Zero Waste Oval Serenity Dies, arranging them in clusters around the large sentiment, finally finishing the project off with some gems and a pretty plum ribbon bow.

For my second project, I created a piece of wall art that will be gorgeous adorning the wall in my daughter’s new bathroom! I first stamped the huge floral arrangement from the new Flourishing Bouquet stamp set onto a panel of cardstock using Permanent Mist Gray ink and the Stampwheel 2.0. The Stampwheel 2.0 has a removable panel, allowing you to work with extra large stamps, giving you tons of versatility and options for creativity! I stamped the image with the pale gray ink, then used the layering stencils and ink blending tools to blend Acai Berry, Mangrove Root, Sicilian Amber, Rubellite, and Golden Honeycomb Fresh Dye Ink, creating a vibrant floral panel. To add some definition between the petals and to add veins to the foliage, I added some shiny gold paint pen lines; the shine and shimmer is just divine! I matted the 6.5″ x 8.5″ panel with some slightly larger Acai Berry cardstock, then added a full 8″ x 10″ Pearlescent Gold cardstock backer. I placed the image in a crisp white frame, and I can’t wait to hang it on the wall in my daughter’s “big girl” bathroom!

For my final project, I paired the same color palette with the new Flowering Hedge Registration Press Plate. These layered Press Plate sets are super user friendly, creating a multi-colored image with the help of the included, pre-printed acetate panel that makes lining the images up a breeze. I used Mangrove Root, Sicilian Amber, and Rubellite Fresh Dye Ink with each layer, impressing the images onto thick Betterpress cardstock. I used the coordinating dies to die cut the gorgeous floral frame, popping it up on some Cosmic Berry cardstock with foam adhesive. I used another gold and plum letterpress sentiment from the Flowering Hedge set, placing it in the center of the floral frame with a double layer of foam adhesive. I embellished the greeting pieces with some leftover Zero Waste Oval Serenity die cuts created with Cosmic Berry, Rubellite, and gold shimmer cardstock. Finally, I added a touch more sparkle with some more coordinating gems!

Well, that’s all for my projects today. Isn’t that color palette scrumptious?

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 April 17th 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 April 19th, 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 11th anniversary to Altenew!

Altenew December 2024 Blog Hop + Giveaway!

December 11, 2024

Hi friends! I am hopping along with Altenew today to celebrate their December 2024 release! You should have arrived here from Therese, and your next stop is Cathy. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Blog! It is feeling like winter outside today, which is a perfect backdrop for this serene and icy blue card using some of the gorgeous new Fresh Dye Inks and the new Build-A-Garden: Dreamy Dahlias product suite. Let’s get started on the details for my project!

To begin, I stamped the bold and beautiful floral image from the new Build-A-Garden: Dreamy Dahlias product suite. This large-scale image creates a breathtakingly detailed and generously-sized floral arrangement, which you can stamp perfectly and easily using the new Stampwheel 2.0! I stamped the image using the lightest shade of blue from the new Tranquility Fresh Dye Ink quartet, then stamped directly over the top again with some sticky embossing ink and covered the entire image with gorgeous Iridescent Blue embossing powder. The combination of the colored ink base layer with the translucent, iridescent embossing powder creates an absolutely magical finished effect. Subtle, but oh so lovely.

After I had heat embossed the entire image, I used the coordinating stencils from the Build-A-Garden: Dreamy Dahlias product suite and the beautiful blues in the Tranquility Fresh Dye Ink quartet to add stenciled details to this lovely monochromatic floral image. Chinoiserie is having a moment right now in home decor, and so I was channeling that blue and white imagery with the tranquil blues on this card! After I had finished stenciling all of the layers, holding my cardstock and stencils down using the sticky mat from the Stampwheel 2.0 to make stenciling super simple and quick, I used the coordinating Add-On Die to cut the intricate floral arrangement out.

To create a simple background, I decided to add a touch of texture to my white card front using the new Terrazzo Press Plate on some plain white cardstock. Now, I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my “specialty” cardstock, so when working to create a background whose function is mainly to add a touch of textural interest behind my focal point, I like to use a hack that I learned from the incredibly talented Carissa Wiley. Rather than use a panel of the expensive letterpress cardstock, you can place a panel of “scrap” cardstock (I use inexpensive watercolor paper that I don’t like for watercoloring but works beautifully for this technique!) behind your panel of white or colored cardstock, tape them together using light-tack tape, then use them in your Better Press Letter Press system like you would for a normal press plate. This technique impresses the pattern into your plain cardstock, allowing you to stretch the uses for your Press Plate system even further!

I blended the lightest shade from the Tranquility Fresh Dye Ink quartet around the edges of the textured panel, then mounted my floral die cut with foam adhesive, trimming off any excess that might be hanging over the edges. I also created a sentiment with one of the greetings included with the Build-A-Garden: Dreamy Dahlias product suite, stamping it first with the darkest color from the ink suite and then again with embossing ink, covering it with the same Iridescent Blue embossing powder to create that magical shimmer and shine. I popped up the greeting with some foam adhesive, then added a white bow and some sparkling embellishments for added texture and interest!

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 December 17th 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 December 19th, 2024.
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!