Sometimes the simplest cards can have the most charm, and this one-layer thank you card is the perfect example. I wanted to create a clean and simple design that still felt playful and eye-catching, so I paired the adorable critters from the Animal Notes Stamp Set with the postage stamp image from the Sticky Notes Sayings Stamp Set . With just a little masking and thoughtful placement, this easy design turns a plain card front into something fun, colorful, and full of person

There’s something so satisfying about creating a card that has that “wow” factor the moment it’s opened, especially when the design is much easier to make than it looks. That’s exactly what I love about this Trifold Hidden Door Fun Fold Card. It has the charm and dimension of an interactive card, but the structure is simple enough that beginner and intermediate cardmakers can enjoy making it without feeling overwhelmed...

Creating layered mixed media backgrounds can be one of the most rewarding parts of cardmaking—but it can also feel like one of the easiest ways to ruin a project. When there are lots of bright colors, textures, and stamped details involved, it’s easy for the focal image to get lost in the background. That’s exactly the challenge I wanted to solve with today’s mixed media castle card.

There’s something about spring projects that always pulls me toward soft colors, delicate patterns, and interactive designs—and this card checks all those boxes. I wanted to create something that felt a little extra special when displayed, but still approachable enough that you could recreate it with supplies you already have on hand. That’s where this lantern pull-up fun fold design really shines. It looks intricate, but once you understand the structure, it becomes a layout

Hi Crafty Friends! Today I have a fun stencil technique video for you! I played with the Whodunnit stamp set from the March 2026 release from Miss Ink Stamps along with the April 6x6 Free With Purchase Stencil and the April 4x4 Thank You Stencil (both from Miss Ink Stamps) to create two cards which both feature a boho inspired color palette. The first card features an interior scene and the second is a clean and simple birthday card. I hope that you enjoy!

There’s something really satisfying about creating a card that looks polished and complete… without adding a single layer. I’ll be honest—one layer cards used to feel a little limiting to me. I love dimension, texture, and all the extras. But over time, I’ve come to appreciate how much impact you can create with just thoughtful stamping and simple coloring.

Sometimes the best cardmaking ideas come from looking at your supplies a little differently. That was exactly my goal with this project—I wanted to see how far I could stretch a few die sets and turn them into something completely new. Instead of using each set as intended, I mixed elements together to create a shaped shaker card… and this adorable little pig backpack design came to life.

I’ve been in one of those “use what I already have” moods lately… you know the kind where you start digging through your cardstock scraps and suddenly feel like you’ve discovered a hidden treasure. That’s exactly where this card began. I had a pile of colorful scraps on my desk and wanted to turn them into something cheerful, playful, and a little unexpected—and these adorable Juju characters from The Rabbit Hole Designs were the perfect fit.

There’s something about spring that makes me reach for bright cardstock and floral dies almost automatically. After months of cooler tones and holiday themes, I’m always ready for color again. This handmade card started with that exact feeling — I wanted something fresh, layered, and cheerful, but still balanced enough to feel polished instead of busy. If you’ve ever looked at a detailed floral die set and wondered how to keep it from overwhelming your card front, this projec

Sometimes the challenge in cardmaking isn’t what to use—it’s how to make what you already have feel fresh and interesting. I wanted to explore how stencils can do more than just add a background… how they can actually create depth and guide your entire design. For today’s project, I created two clean and simple handmade cards using stencil techniques in completely different ways. One leans soft and floral, while the other goes bold with a rainbow clover design. I walk through

Sometimes the best backgrounds come from the supplies you already have—you just need to look at them a little differently. That’s exactly what happened with today’s card. I started with the Stay True Stamp Set  and instead of using the sentiments as a focal point, I challenged myself to turn them into the background. The result is a bold, encouraging handmade card that feels layered and detailed, but is actually built on a very simple idea. Creating a Background with Sentimen

Have you ever pulled out a product that was clearly designed for one season… and wondered, could this work for something completely different?  That was exactly my thought when I reached for this train die set ( Christmas Train Die Set ). It’s one I would normally associate with winter and Christmas cards—but with a few thoughtful changes, it turned into the sweetest little Easter scene. And honestly, this is one of my favorite ways to craft—finding new life in supplies I alr

Every once in a while I like to look at a die set and ask myself, “What else could this do?”  Not just what it was designed for, but how it might be used in a slightly different way. That curiosity is exactly what inspired today’s project—a handmade shaped card created with dies  instead of a traditional rectangle card base. For this project, I used the Shabubu Head Mini Album Die Set  from Scrappy Boy Stamps to build a playful character-shaped card. The die set is designed f

Every now and then I like to create a card that has a little extra movement and dimension, but still feels approachable and practical to make. Fun fold cards are perfect for that. They add visual interest without requiring a lot of complicated techniques, and they’re a wonderful way to showcase beautiful patterned paper. For today’s project, I designed a nautical-themed accordion fun fold card  using pieces from the Seaside Memories Collection from Paper Rose Studio . The go

Sometimes the most interesting cards come from letting a few creative constraints guide the process. For today’s project, I pulled four prompts from my Creative Card Deck  for my Draw Four Make a Card  series and challenged myself to see where they would lead. The prompts gave me a technique, a color direction, and even a design rule—which meant the creative decisions were mostly made before I even picked up a stamp. The result is a spring hello card featuring a spotlight st

There’s something extra fun about working with a brand-new release. Fresh images always spark new ideas, and I find myself experimenting with layouts, backgrounds, and color combinations that I might not normally reach for. When the March release from C. C. Designs arrived on my desk, I immediately started thinking about how each stamp set could shine in a different way. Instead of creating cards that all looked similar, I challenged myself to let each stamp set lead the desi

There’s something about spring that makes me reach for bright colors, playful images, and interactive card designs. After the gray days of winter, I always feel inspired to create projects that feel cheerful and a little whimsical. Shaker cards are perfect for that—they add movement, texture, and just a bit of surprise when someone opens the envelope. For this card, I wanted to combine a fun spring theme with a layout that lets the focal image really shine. The adorable bee f

Layered die sets are one of my favorite ways to build quick focal points for handmade cards. They give you that polished, dimensional look without having to do a lot of complicated stamping or coloring. But sometimes those layered pieces can feel a little… flat. The shapes are great, but they can look a bit one-dimensional if you leave them exactly as they come off the die. That’s exactly the idea I wanted to explore with today’s card. I used the Chocolate Easter Bunny Die Se

There’s something about Easter cards that makes me want to lean into softness and structure at the same time. Pastels. Clean lines. A little nostalgia. When I sat down to create this picket fence Easter card, I knew I wanted it to feel fresh and cheerful—but also intentional. Not fussy. Not overworked. Just layered in a way that feels thoughtful. This design pairs beautifully with the companion tutorial I created for CutCardStock, but here I want to share more of the why  be

Sometimes a card idea starts with a character, and other times it starts with a background. For this project, it was really the combination of both. I wanted to create a playful Alice-themed belated birthday card  that felt whimsical and storybook-inspired, but still kept the design clean and simple  so the focal image could shine. One challenge many cardmakers run into is figuring out how to create a background that feels interesting without overpowering the stamped image. I