thank you card

Simon Says Stamp Rainbow Splash with an Autumn Twist!

September 25, 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! Amidst the fantastic STAMPtember releases and fun surprises, Simon Says Stamp has added to their Rainbow Splash product line. (Click HERE to see the full range of products!) These products, introduced a a couple of years ago during STAMPtember, are intended to be as user-friendly as possible, making them excellent options for both beginner stampers and seasoned stampers alike! They feature simple designs, a fabulous rainbow color palette in both ink and coordinating cardstock, and useful tools that will enhance your crafting experience. During the 2026 STAMPtember Mega Simon Says Stamp release, (click HERE to see the entire release!), Simon added some beautiful new fall- and winter-themed products that are simple enough for a beginner crafter to be able to enjoy, as well as unique enough that a seasoned crafter like myself can create something lovely! I created this autumnal thanks card using a couple of the new stamp and die sets, as well as some other tricks to make the card feel like “me.” Let’s get started with the details on my project!

To begin, I stamped several images from the diminutive-but-very-useful So Very Thankful stamp set from the Rainbow Splash line using Rainbow Splash Black Ink. Because this ink is alcohol marker-friendly, I was able to add some simple coloring to these line images, keeping the colors very autumnal with reds, oranges, and some deep olive green. I mixed colors that I would not normally try to blend for the leaves, and I love how they came out! Autumn leaves are truly a rainbow of colors, sometimes within one leaf, and I love that the markers were able to smoothly blend into one another. Once I had finished coloring all of the images, I used the coordinating dies to cut each image out.

Next, I stamped the sentiments from Flourish Phrases on white cardstock using Emerald Rainbow Splash Ink and used the large coordinating “thanks” die to cut out the larger greeting, cutting the smaller strips with my guillotine trimmer. I also used a blending brush to blend more Emerald ink on my white card front, then splattered that background with some coppery metallic watercolors for a quick touch of texture!

Once my card front had dried, I began assembling all of the die cuts. I placed the sentiment die cuts first, adhering them with thin foam adhesive squares over the blended and splattered area, then arranged the pumpkin and foliage in a cluster around the sentiment components, creating a little swag. The final touch for this simple and elegant card was a burlap twine bow tucked amongst the pumpkin and leaves!

I wanted to also mention that there are a few of the Pinkfresh Studio STAMPtember collaboration stamp sets left! (Click HERE to see the stamp set!) Here’s a fun shaker project that I made with the product suite:

My secret to blending pink ink on that minty green cardstock: Simon Says Stamp Pastel Pigment Inks! The opaque pigment inks sit nicely atop the colored cardstock without muddling the colors together as a transparent dye ink would. I was even able to layer dye ink over the top of the blended pigment ink for a layered effect!! If you missed out on the dies and stencils, you can still purchase the fabulous stamp set with it’s gorgeous imagery and poignant sentiments for a limited time! I will have all of the supplies that I used to create this elegant shaker card in the link list below.

Isn’t that such a fun technique? I can’t wait to try it out with other projects!

Well, that’s all for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Simon Says Stamp Exclusive STAMPtember Collaboration: Concord & 9th!

September 19, 2026

Hi friends! I am back today with another absolutely fantastic, highly-anticipated collaboration set reveal from crafty superstar Concord & 9th! Concord & 9th continues to wow the crafty community with each release, creating innovative and bold designs and exquisitely curated color products. This STAMPtember collaboration release (click HERE to check it out!) is a perfect representative of their bold style, allowing us tons of creative options. Here’s a sneak peek:

This exclusive, limited edition Incredibly Grateful collaboration stamp set and coordinating dies are gorgeously bold, with tons of options for customization. I chose to put that spectacular colored cardstock from Concord & 9th to good use and created a pair of coordinating-but-not-matching projects that are a colorful homage to the end of summer. Let’s get started with the details on my projects!

In order to create the vibrant stamped colors on both of these vividly colored cardstocks, I had to use a secret weapon: white pigment ink. I’ve shared projects of this nature before, and I am super stoked about how beautifully these came out. The theory is basically this: the white pigment ink stamped first creates a barrier between the colored dye ink sinking down into the cardstock. It goes back to the color mixing that you learned in grade school, in which red + green = brown, yellow + blue = green, blue + red = purple, etc. The same holds true for colored cardstock and ink. Stamping these colors, particularly the yellow and green, on these vibrant pinks would simply create mud or not be visible at all, but with that first layer of white pigment ink, you can create a barrier to prevent those transparent dye inks from sinking down into the cardstock and losing their vibrancy!

To begin my first card, I placed my A2 panel of vivid mid-pink cardstock in my MISTI and began stamping the scalloped rectangle background from Incredibly Grateful with Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink. The MISTI is very important for this technique, unless you are an excellent re-stamper! I then stamped the same image again directly over the top of the white rectangle with Mocha Pawsitively Saturated Ink. I repeated this process with each subsequent image, filling in all of the openings with their appropriate images and stamping each first with white pigment ink to create that barrier. I then used Pawsitively Saturated Inks in shades of Taffy, Cheeky, Honey, Eucalyptus, and Juniper to stamp all of the images. I think my favorite color on this bright medium pink cardstock is the sunny yellow! That particular color would simply have darkened the pink cardstock without that white barrier, but with it, it remains vivid.

After I had finished stamping the card front, I decided to also stamp an extra Taffy flower on a separate piece of the same mid-pink cardstock, again using the white pigment ink as the first layer. I used scissors to fussy cut the image. I used some vibrant magenta foil cardstock and vellum to die cut the pretty “thankful for you” sentiment die set. I love that there are so many additional options included with the coordinating dies… so much value in this stamp and die combo! I popped up the sentiment and the extra flower with some thin foam adhesive squares, then added some Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a little sparkle and a deep maroon twine bow for texture!

My second card uses the individual flower and foliage images from Incredibly Grateful to create a little bouquet without the adorable scalloped frame. I love that there are so many creative options with this set. I used the same technique as above, stamping the white pigment barrier first and then stamping again directly over the top with the colorful dye inks. This time, I used a darker shade of pink cardstock, almost a magenta, and that really helped those lighter-colored dye inks to pop! After I had stamped all of the images, I used a blending brush to blend Taffy ink in the top corner of my stamped card, adding some sparkling splatters in the blended area. I think it looks like raindrops!

For the greeting, I used some more of the incredible dies to die cut embossed sentiments, creating a fabulous custom sentiment. You have tons of options for greetings with the Incredibly Grateful set!! I stamped both greetings with white pigment ink (an homage to white pigment ink today!) and added iridescent embossing powder over the top to make those crisp letters pop! A few Taffy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and another maroon twine bow finishes everything off. Both of these cards would be fairly flat and easy to mail!

Well, that’s all for me today!

Important note: these fabulous and exclusive STAMPtember collaboration sets are limited edition, meaning that once they sell out, they won’t be restocked. Don’t wait on these! You won’t want to miss out! Click HERE to see all of the remaining STAMPtember collaboration sets, and if there’s a company coming up that is a favorite of yours, be sure to add your email to the “notify me” box so that you know as soon as it’s available!

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

So Grateful For You in Acrylic Paint with Simon Says Stamp!

September 11, 2026

Hi friends! I know that we are in the midst of the STAMPtember collaboration fun and all of the surprises, but I have another piece of inspiration to share with you using some new goodies from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember collection! **Reminder: the limited edition exclusive collaboration sets (check them out HERE) will not be restocked once they sell out, but the STAMPtember collection (check it out HERE) will be restocked if/when they sell out!** I have been so enjoying playing with different mediums on different materials than simply plain white cardstock lately, pairing colored pencils with colored cardstock, acrylic markers with ceramic and canvas, and for today’s project, I decided to pair my acrylic paint markers with a panel of kraft cardstock for a striking and bold project, softened with a lovely and feminine color palette. Let’s get started with the details on my project!

I began my project by stamping several images from Today & Every Day onto two different panels of kraft cardstock using Simon Says Stamp White Pigment Ink. Similar to when I work with pencils on colored cardstock, I like to use the white pigment ink with the acrylic markers simply because it blends into the opaque paint smoothly and seamlessly. I then used acrylic paint markers to add simple coloring to the stamped images, keeping the coloring very basic to create almost a block print effect.

After I had finished coloring both images with the colorful paint markers, I added some simple white lines to the foliage to add a bit more shape and detail to the simple flowers. Images like those in the Today & Every Day stamp set are great for use with this very simple coloring technique, because their illustration is very open and simplistic, which fits the aesthetic of this basic coloring technique nicely. I die cut one of the images using the coordinating dies, as well as a greeting that I had created with white pigment ink and white embossing powder on the second panel of kraft cardstock.

Before adhering the die cuts to the panel, I used my T-square and a white paint pen to create a very simple frame around the flat painted panel. I love the effect that this easy and quick step has on the finished project; it draws your eye to the focal point without adding any additional bulk or color. I popped up the sentiment with a double layer of thin foam adhesive, then tucked the floral stem behind the greeting with a single layer of foam adhesive. Finally, I added a blush colored bow created with thin ribbon as well as some Peachy Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for added sparkle. Super simple card, but the effect is so unusual and, I think, so pretty!

Well, that’s all for my project today! I think that opaque paint on the neutral cardstock is such a fun technique and so striking. I can’t wait to try it again on a new project! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Starry Thanks with New Simon Says Stamp!

July 10, 2026

Hi friends! I haven’t been feeling 100% this week, so my time at my desk has been a bit limited. However, sometimes you don’t need to spend tons of time working to create a lovely handmade card if you have the right tools. A cover plate die like the Falling Stars die from the Simon Says Stamp Always There release (click HERE to see the entire collection) and a large scale sentiment die cut really does a lot of the heavy lifting for you! Let’s get started with the details on this simple and elegant thank you card.

To begin, I die cut the new Falling Stars cover plate die from some sparkling silver glitter cardstock, making sure to reserve the small die cut stars for another project (remember THIS card?). I backed the starry die cut with a panel of plain black cardstock, creating maximum contrast between the star windows and the background.

To keep things super simple, I decided to add a large-scale sentiment die cut. I die cut the newer Timeless Thanks, cutting the detail layer from white cardstock and backing it with a shadow die cut, cut from more So Very Black cardstock. I layered the two die cuts together with liquid adhesive, then popped it up on my starry backdrop with thin foam adhesive squares.

Whenever I have a large, simple sentiment, I like to add a smaller sentiment strip to personalize the message a bit more. I die cut the new Glow On EZ Strips using the EZ Strips Rectangles cover plate die, which cuts all of the sentiments from the EZ Strips card in one fell swoop! I selected one that worked nicely with the starry theme of the card front, then adhered it with more foam adhesive, tucking it beneath the large sentiment die cut. The super sparkly card front didn’t need any extra embellishment, though I did think of adding some shimmering gems.

Well, that’s all for my project today! I love when a few die cuts, some sparkly paper, and a little dimensional adhesive can come together to create a quick and unique card. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

Midnight Hellebores with Colored Pencils and Simon Says Stamp!

July 8, 2026

Hi friends! I have a detailed, dramatic card to share with you today featuring a gorgeous new embossing folder from the Shine On release (click HERE to see the full release!), called Peony Trio Embossing Folder. To my eyes, these lovely blooms reminded me of hellebores, so I decided to go with a dramatic lavender bloom on a deep navy backdrop. While I usually reach for my alcohol markers to color embossing folders, I decided to use my colored pencils with colored cardstock to create this bold and dramatic project. Let’s get started with the details!

To begin, I ran the Peony Trio Embossing Folder with an A2 panel of Soft Navy cardstock. I think there is something so magical about adding the detailed and intense embossing to richly colored cardstock! To capitalize on the deep blue background, I used colored pencils to add detailed coloring to the embossed images. The opaque colored pencils pop so beautifully on the deep blue backdrop.

After I had finished adding color to the blooms and foliage, I added some details with opaque acrylic paint markers to the flower stamens and some dots to the hellebore petals. Pairing the opaque coloring mediums with the deep blue cardstock is so striking to my eyes!

For the greeting, I kept things simple so that the coloring would continue to be the star of the show. I die cut the detail layer of the Giggle Thank You from some pearlescent white cardstock and layered it on a vellum shadow layer with liquid adhesive. I popped the sentiment die cut up with some thin strips of foam adhesive behind the solid die cuts to hide it. Finally, I added some Opal Pawsitively Dazzling Gems for a little extra sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today! Don’t you just love the look of the colored pencils on colored cardstock? It reminds me of pastels! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!