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Clean & Layered Valentine Card Using Pixi Dust Designs Dies
There’s just something extra special about a clean and layered Valentine card, especially when it has a little touch of magic mixed in. For today’s card, I’m sharing a Valentine’s Day design created with Pixi Dust Designs , and it came together beautifully using the Magic World 6×6 Paper Pad as the starting point. I adhered a piece of patterned paper to a top-folding A2 card base to instantly set the tone, then reached for the Vintage Scroll Die Set . Cutting the scroll piec

Rick Adkins
12 minutes ago


Pop Up Block Fun Fold Valentine Card Using Pattern Paper, Dies & Stamps
Fun fold cards are one of my favorite ways to add that wow factor to a handmade card without making things complicated—and today’s Pop Up Block Fun Fold Valentine card is a perfect example of that. This design looks interactive and impressive, but it’s built with simple folds, layered pattern paper, and a few well-chosen dies and stamps. If you enjoy creating cards that fold flat for mailing but pop open with a little surprise, this fun fold design is one you’ll want to kee

Rick Adkins
23 hours ago


How to Use Pattern Paper to Create a Custom Color Palette for Cardmaking
One of my favorite ways to remove the guesswork from coloring stamped images is to let my pattern paper do the heavy lifting —and today’s Warm Wishes clean & layered card is a perfect example of that approach. If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to decide which Copic markers to use, this technique is a total confidence booster, especially for beginner to intermediate cardmakers. For this card, I started with a holiday-themed pattern paper pack and used it to create a non-holida

Rick Adkins
2 days ago


Clean and Simple Card with The Rabbit Hole Designs Stamps
Clean and simple cardmaking is one of those styles that looks effortless—but when done well, it feels thoughtful, polished, and full of intention. This encouragement card using The Rabbit Hole Designs Balloon Animal No. 1 Stamp Set is a great example of how a few well-chosen techniques can create a soft, uplifting design without overwhelming the eye. From the airy cloud background to the no-line watercolor balloon animal, every element on this card was chosen to support the

Rick Adkins
3 days ago


All the New My Sweet Petunia Tools Put to the Test
I recently had the chance to unbox and test several of the newest tools from My Sweet Petunia , including the MISTI LITE , Petunia Platform , Power Mag , and Mini Pawn Magnets , and I couldn’t wait to put them through their paces using supplies from my own stash. I tested the MISTI LITE with both clear and red rubber stamps and tried stamping on card fronts, envelopes, inside a book, and even paired it with stencils to see how versatile it really is. I love testing tools in

Rick Adkins
4 days ago


Fun & Snarky New Year Card with Resolutions are Rubbish Pissy Kitty Stamp Set
If you like to kick off the New Year with a little sass (and a lot of personality), this card is going to be right up your alley! For today’s project, I created a 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" square New Year card featuring the Resolutions are Rubbish Pissy Kitty Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company , and honestly… this kitty says exactly what we’re all thinking. I started with a top-folding square card base using Neenah Ultra Thick Cardstock , then stamped the image onto Neenah Classic Cr

Rick Adkins
5 days ago


Easy Clean & Simple Christmas Card | Baby’s First Christmas
There’s something so special about creating a clean & simple baby’s first Christmas card , and this project felt especially fitting for my Gingerbread Greetings Video Series for December 2025. For today’s card, I used the Baby’s 1st Christmas Stamp Set from The Rabbit Hole Designs to stamp the presents, toy train, and box car images onto Hammermill Smooth 100 lb Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink . I kept the look soft and sweet by coloring everything with my Copic m

Rick Adkins
6 days ago


Clean & Layered Valentine Card with the Girl Wizard Mug Die
Clean and layered cards are one of my favorite go-to styles, especially when I want something quick but still full of personality. For today’s Valentine card, I kept the layout simple while letting the whimsical details shine using products from Pixi Dust Designs. I started with a top-folding A2 card base and added a strip of patterned paper from the Magic World 6x6 Paper Pad along the bottom. That one little layer instantly adds interest without overpowering the design, mak

Rick Adkins
Dec 24


Creating a Whimsical Mini Slimline Card with the Ommm…My Gosh Stamp Set
For today’s card, I had so much fun playing with the Ommm…My Gosh Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company and turning it into a cheerful mini slimline card with lots of personality. I started by stamping the adorable yoga lady onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80 lb Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink , then colored her in using my Triblend Markers . I chose marker colors to coordinate with the pattern papers I had pulled, which always makes the finished card feel extra

Rick Adkins
Dec 23


From Mini Album to Slimline Card | A Coffee Themed Gift Card Holder
One of my favorite ways to stretch my supplies is by looking at dies with fresh eyes, and today’s project is a perfect example of that. This shaped slimline card gift card holder started with the Coffee Mini Album Die Set from Scrappy Boy Stamps , but instead of building an album, I used the pieces to create a fun coffee-themed card base. I pulled colors directly from the Dreaming of Coffee 4x9 Pattern Paper Pack , cutting the album pieces from coordinating cardstock so eve

Rick Adkins
Dec 22


Clean & Simple Christmas Card Using a Nontraditional Color Palette
If you love clean & simple Christmas cards but want to step outside the usual red and green, this project is such a fun way to do it. I used the I Believe Stamp Set from Miss Ink Stamps and stamped the bold sentiment in pink ink right in the center of the card front, then built the design by stamping the playful underwear images around it in a dark brown ink. All of the images were colored with my Ohuhu Brush Markers , using a nontraditional yet seasonal color palette pul

Rick Adkins
Dec 20


Create Your Own UNIQUE Custom Backgrounds with Stencils
One of my favorite ways to keep cards clean yet interesting is by layering stencils to create something completely custom—and this card is a perfect example of how fun that can be. I started with the Torn Paper 4 x 8 Stencil from The Rabbit Hole Designs , lightly tracing the shape onto white cardstock before adding color around the outside of the design. After lining the stencil back up and masking off the colored areas, I layered the Oh Duck 6 x 6 Stencil right over the to

Rick Adkins
Dec 19


You Know You're Old When You Want Socks For Christmas Card | Pixi Dust Designs
There’s something about a clean and simple Christmas card that really lets a fun focal image shine, and this Santa sock made me smile from start to finish. I cut all the parts for the Santa Sock from my scrap cardstock using the Snowman and Santa Sock Die Set from Pixi Dust Designs , which is perfect for using up those leftover bits we all seem to collect. A little ink blending around the edges added just enough depth, and once everything was assembled with liquid adhesive,

Rick Adkins
Dec 19


Sweet Donut Card with a Simple No Tool Shiny Glaze
Today’s card is a clean and layered donut card that’s sweet, playful, and has just the right amount of shine—without any messy glazes or specialty tools. I used the Mouse Sprinkle Donut Die Set , Fairy Tale Phrases Die Set , and the I Love Theme Parks 6 x 6 Pattern Paper Pack from Scrappy Boy Stamps to create this fun storybook-style design. The colorful patterns paired with soft pinks and browns give this card a cheerful, polished look that works beautifully for birthdays

Rick Adkins
Dec 17


Clean & Simple Fairy Birthday Card with Masked Ink Blending
There’s just something so magical about fairy images, and this Clean & Simple birthday card came together beautifully using the Twinkleheart Stamp Set from Unity Stamps Company . I stamped the fairy image twice onto Kraft 110 lb smooth cardstock , which instantly adds warmth and softness to the design. The images were colored with my TriBlend markers , then enhanced with colored pencils to add a bit more depth and detail—especially in the hair and wings. Keeping the colorin

Rick Adkins
Dec 17


One Layout Three Cards with Rainbow Village
Sometimes the easiest way to spark creativity is to start with one solid layout and let your supplies do the rest of the work. For today’s clean & layered cards, I used the same basic layout on all three designs and simply tweaked a few details to give each card its own personality. The Rainbow Village 6 x 6 Pattern Paper does so much of the heavy lifting here, adding instant color and interest without feeling busy. Pairing those patterns with the Rainbow Village Birds Embos

Rick Adkins
Dec 15


Let It Snow Stamp Set: Winter Hi Card with Colored Pencils
There’s something so magical about pairing soft winter colors with colored pencil coloring, and this Winter Hi Card came together beautifully using the Let It Snow Stamp Set from C. C. Designs . I stamped Elisa onto Neenah Desert Storm Cardstock with Memento Rich Cocoa Ink and colored her with colored pencils, which really brings out the cozy, storybook feel of this sweet winter image. After fussy cutting her out, I created a softly shaped background using Chunky A2 Scall

Rick Adkins
Dec 15


Discover the Wonders Beneath: Clean and Simple Ocean Card with Fin-Tastic!
There’s something so calming about ocean-themed cards, and this one really lets those sweet underwater images shine! For today’s project, I used the Fin-tastic Stamp Set from The Rabbit Hole Designs to create a playful coral reef scene filled with coral, seaweed, tiny fish, and seashells. I stamped everything in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink onto Hammermill Smooth 100 lb Cardstock and brought the images to life with my Ohuhu Pastel Brush Markers . The soft, cheerful coloring k

Rick Adkins
Dec 13


Create a Majestic Birthday Card with the Author & the Queen Collection
I had so much fun putting together this elegant birthday card featuring the The Queen Stamp Set from Scrappy Boy Stamps! I started by stamping one of the fabulous Queen images onto Neenah Ultra Thick Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink , then brought her to life with my Ohuhu Brush Markers . I matched her colors to the gorgeous patterns in The Author and The Queen 6x6 Paper Pack , which added that perfect royal flair. After cutting her out with the coordinating The Quee

Rick Adkins
Dec 12


Penguin Mug Gift Tag | Cute Gift Card Holder with Pixi Dust Designs
There’s something so charming about turning a simple die set into a gift that feels extra-special, and this penguin mug gift card holder tag came together so sweetly using the Penguin Mug Die Set , Tag Accessories Die Set , and Stitched Scallop Slimline Die Set from Pixi Dust Designs . I started by cutting all the pieces for the penguin mug, then added soft ink blending to give the die cuts a little depth and warmth. To create the tag base, I used partial die cutting with t

Rick Adkins
Dec 11
