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A Wink of Christmas Cheer: Two Santa Cards with Colorful Blended Backgrounds
One of my favorite things about Christmas cardmaking is discovering how much personality I can bring to a single stamped image just by changing the colors and background. For these two handmade Christmas cards, I used the A Wink of Santa Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company to create a pair of festive designs that share the same focal image but have very different looks. Both cards have a clean and simple style, but the colors, masking, and placement of the sentiments give each

Rick Adkins
2 days ago


It's No Mystery: Make a Unique Masculine Card with Miss Ink Stamps
Masculine cards can be a fun opportunity to step outside the usual flowers and pretty patterns and try something with a little personality. For this project, I wanted to create a clean and simple square card that tells a story without needing lots of embellishments or a complicated background. The vintage detective, glowing street lamp, and trail of footprints work together to create a little mystery, while the sentiment, “It’s no mystery, you’re the best!” gives the design a

Rick Adkins
2 days ago


Simple Stamping and Alcohol Marker Coloring for Christmas Cards
There’s something I love about a Christmas card that feels classic without requiring a lot of complicated techniques. Sometimes, a charming stamped image, a little coloring, and a well-balanced layout are all you need to create a handmade card that feels special. For this project, I used the Dashing Deer Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company to create a festive card featuring a sweet deer, a brightly colored present, and a greeting wishing the recipient a Merry Christmas and Hap

Rick Adkins
4 days ago


A Little Foil, a Lot of Fall: Hello Card
I love when a card can feel detailed and special without requiring a complicated layout. For this fall hello card, I wanted the color, shine, and imagery to do most of the work. The combination of Therm-O-Web Deco Foil card panels, Copic coloring, and a simple layered design gave me exactly that. There are several techniques happening here, but the finished card still feels cohesive rather than busy.

Rick Adkins
Oct 5


4 Handmade Card Ideas Using Stamping Coloring & Die Cutting
World Card Making Day is one of those occasions that reminds me why I enjoy this hobby so much. It isn’t really about making the most complicated card or using every new technique—it’s about sitting down, playing with paper and ink, and finding a design that makes you want to keep creating. For this project, I challenged myself to make four handmade cards that feel related without making them look exactly alike.

Rick Adkins
Oct 3


Just Saying Boo: 3 Clean and Simple Halloween Cards to Make This Season
I’ve always enjoy making clean and simple cards because they prove that you don’t need a complicated layout, lots of layers, or a desk full of supplies to create something that catches the eye. Sometimes a single stamped image, a little color, and a thoughtful background are all it takes. For these three Halloween cards, I decided to keep things especially simple by making them one layer cards. I used the same focal stamp from the Unity Stamps Purranormal Activities Stamp Set

Rick Adkins
Oct 2


Making Spirits Bright: A Christmas Card with Unity Stamps
I love a Christmas card that looks detailed and thoughtfully layered without requiring a complicated card design. This Making Spirits Bright: A Christmas Card with Unity Stamps came together by combining a strong stamped focal image, patterned paper, and a few simple layers that let the coloring take center stage. The Holiday Hustle Stamp Set immediately gave me the playful holiday character I wanted, while the Where Winter Lingers Paper Pack provided a soft, vintage-inspired

Rick Adkins
Oct 1


5 Ways to Use One Halloween Stamp Set for Handmade Cards
I love finding ways to stretch a stamp set beyond the first card idea that comes to mind. It’s easy to look at a new stamp set, choose one image, create a card, and then move on to the next project. But what if that same stamp set could give you five completely different handmade cards? That was the idea behind this Halloween cardmaking project.

Rick Adkins
Sep 30


One Winter Design: Three Completely Different Looks
One of my favorite ways to stretch a cardmaking idea is to stop changing the layout and start changing the color story. It is amazing how different the same stamped image can look when you move from cool colors to warm colors, or combine warm and cool shades in a balanced palette. That was the idea behind these three winter cards featuring the Knit Wits Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company. Rather than creating three completely different designs, I kept the basic card structure

Rick Adkins
Sep 24


One Layer Big Impact: A Fall Cardmaking Tutorial
There’s something I really enjoy about a one-layer card. With no die-cut layers, patterned paper, or extra embellishments competing for attention, the stamped image has nowhere to hide. Every bit of coloring, placement, and detail becomes part of the design. That was exactly the approach I wanted for this fall card using the Acorn Almanac Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company. Instead of building the card with multiple layers, I let the beautiful botanical image do most of the w

Rick Adkins
Sep 21


A Little Birdie Told Me to Try an X Fold Card
I’ll admit it: sometimes the best card designs start with a little nudge to try something different. That was definitely the case with this birthday card featuring the Pretty Bird Stamp Set from Miss Ink Stamps. I wanted to create something cheerful and colorful, but I also wanted the card itself to provide some of the interest. That led me to the X Fold Fun Fold Card. The finished design has a little more going on than a standard card, but the individual techniques are all a

Rick Adkins
Sep 19


From Stamped Mum to Fall Showstopper: Coloring Techniques for Handmade Cards
here’s something about a large floral stamp that makes me want to slow down and really play with color. For this fall card, I used the Heirloom Mum Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company’s September 2026 Whit-Kit Card Kit, and instead of relying on a complicated card layout, I let the coloring become the star of the design. The sentiment, “Holding you close from here,” adds a heartfelt touch that makes this card appropriate for sending a little encouragement when someone you care

Rick Adkins
Sep 10


Give Your Halloween Cards a Foiled Glow Up
I love when one cardmaking technique can take a familiar stamped image and make it feel completely different. That was the idea behind these four Halloween cards. I wanted to play with the spooky images from the R.I.P. Stamp Set from Unity Stamps, but instead of simply stamping and coloring them, I decided to experiment with Deco Foil Transfer Gel Duo and see what would happen when I brought foil into the mix. The result is a collection of dramatic Halloween cards with plenty

Rick Adkins
Sep 9


Llama Love: Build an Encouraging Handmade Scene Card
Learn how to combine stamp sets to create a cheerful handmade scene card! In this cardmaking tutorial, I’m sharing how I used stamping, ink blending, die cutting, colored pencils, and alcohol markers to create an encouraging llama card—and how you can adapt the same scene-building ideas with supplies you already have.

Rick Adkins
Sep 7


This Halloween Cow Is Ready to Get Spooky!
There’s something about a Halloween card that makes me want to reach for my markers and have a little fun. For this card, I knew I wanted the stamped image to do most of the talking, so I kept the overall design clean while adding enough layers and details to make it feel special. The result is a playful Halloween card featuring the Cowstume Party Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company, with plenty of room for coloring and a few simple details that really bring the finished desig

Rick Adkins
Sep 6


A Birthday Card with a Spooky Twist: Halloween Easel Card
I have always enjoyed making cards for people whose birthdays fall close to a holiday because it gives me an opportunity to combine two themes in a way that feels personal. This Halloween birthday card started with that idea: instead of making a traditional Halloween card or a traditional birthday card, I wanted something that felt like both. The result is a clean and simple easel card with spooky imagery, an orange focal point, and just enough Halloween detail to make an Oct

Rick Adkins
Sep 5


A Little Spooky A Little Sassy: An October Birthday Card
There’s something I really enjoy about making birthday cards for people born in October. You can take all those familiar Halloween colors—purple, orange, black, and a little bit of sparkle—and turn them into something that feels festive without making the card entirely about Halloween. That was exactly the direction I took with this card featuring the Bagged & Bothered Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company. The slightly grumpy cat, bold colors, and cheeky sentiment gave me the p

Rick Adkins
Sep 3


Special Delivery! A Fun Stamped Birthday Card with Colorful Mail
There is something especially fun about creating a handmade card that tells a little story before the recipient even reads the sentiment. When I started working with the Surprise Mail Stamp Set from the Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember® release, I knew I wanted the mailbox to be the center of attention. From there, the colorful envelopes, gift, and scattered pieces of mail became a playful way to build a birthday scene that feels cheerful without becoming overly complicated. Some

Rick Adkins
Sep 1


Give Your Halloween Cards a Frightfully Fun Fold
Sometimes a Halloween card needs more than a spooky stamped image to make an impact! For this project, I wanted the card base itself to become part of the design. That is what I love about a diamond stair step fun fold card—it gives you multiple layers, angles, and surfaces to work with, creating a dimensional handmade card before you even begin decorating it. For this Halloween design, the combination of the bold black cardstock, patterned paper, and adorable character image

Rick Adkins
Aug 31


Five Ways to Make Your Halloween Card Backgrounds Spooktacular
One of my favorite things about Halloween cardmaking is that the background can do so much of the storytelling. You do not always need a complicated scene, a huge collection of supplies, or hours of coloring to create a card that feels festive and fun. For this project, I challenged myself to create five different spooky Halloween backgrounds for handmade cards, each with its own personality. Some are bright and playful, some are dark and dramatic, and some are wonderfully me

Rick Adkins
Aug 29
