Search


Simple Handmade Camping Card | Catherine Pooler Designs April 2026 Trial Mix Release
There’s something about themed cards that can feel a little intimidating—especially when you start thinking you need to build a full scene to make it work. I wanted to challenge that idea with this card and show how you can create a clean and simple camping card that still feels complete, polished, and full of personality.

Rick Adkins
Apr 15


Stamping and Coloring Techniques to Add Depth to Clean and Simple Birthday Cards
There’s something really satisfying about a clean and simple card that still feels full of life and dimension. I love designs that look polished and thoughtful—but don’t require a ton of layers or complicated steps to get there. This birthday card is a perfect example of that balance. It started as a simple idea, but with a few intentional techniques, it turned into something that feels a little extra special.

Rick Adkins
Apr 9


Clean & Simple Spring Card Idea with a Flower Cart Design
There’s something about spring that always pulls me back to clean and simple cardmaking. Maybe it’s the fresh colors or the feeling of starting new again. Hi friends, it’s Rick, and today I’m sharing a card that came together with that exact mindset—light, cheerful, and easy to recreate. This little flower cart design is one of those ideas that works beautifully for a Mother’s Day card or a simple spring hello, and I love how just a few thoughtful choices can make it feel spe

Rick Adkins
Apr 9


Quick & Easy Mother’s Day Card with Dies | Soup-er Cute Idea
Sometimes you just need a card that comes together quickly but still feels thoughtful and polished. That was exactly the goal behind today’s clean and simple Mother’s Day card. I wanted something that let the focal image shine, kept the design uncluttered, and still had a little personality—and this sweet soup theme checked all the boxes.

Rick Adkins
Apr 8


Three Clean and Simple Cards with Unity Stamps: Comfort Companion, Pecking Order, and Sourpuss Scholar Sets
Sometimes I just want to sit down at my craft table and actually finish something—no overthinking, no complicated layers, just simple, satisfying cardmaking. That was exactly the goal behind these three clean and simple cards. I pulled out a few fun stamp sets from Unity Stamps and challenged myself to keep the layout easy, repeatable, and quick… while still letting each card have its own personality.

Rick Adkins
Apr 7


One Layer Bunny Card with Easy Alcohol Marker Coloring
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.

Rick Adkins
Apr 2


Easter Card Parade: 15 Creative Card Ideas & One Cute Treat Box
There’s something about Easter crafting that just feels extra joyful—maybe it’s the soft spring colors, the sweet little characters, or the excuse to pull out all the pastels! Over the last few months, I’ve been creating and sharing a variety of Easter projects, and today I thought it would be fun to bring them all together in one place. Think of this as a little Easter card parade—full of inspiration, ideas, and hopefully a spark to get you creating with what you already hav

Rick Adkins
Mar 31


The Rabbit Hole Designs March 2026 Release: Dog Cards Shaped Card Tutorial and JuJu Clean and Simple Design
There’s something about a new release that instantly gets my creative wheels turning—but what I’ve learned over time is that it’s not about using everything , it’s about finding a few ideas that really spark something and exploring them in different ways. That’s exactly what I did with these three cards. I leaned into a mix of clean and simple designs and one playful shaped card, and honestly, it felt like the perfect balance of creativity and intention. Letting the Design Do

Rick Adkins
Mar 28


Clean and Simple Easter Cards: Easy Layout Ideas with Pattern Paper and Die Cuts
I always love a project that lets me stretch my supplies a little further—and these cards were exactly that. I sat down with a handful of products from Paper Rose Studio and challenged myself to create four clean and simple Easter cards using the same core supplies. What surprised me most was how different each card felt with just a few small changes in layout and layering. If you’ve ever felt like your cards start to look the same, this is such a fun way to break out of that

Rick Adkins
Mar 25


One Layer Floral Cardmaking Tutorial with Ink Blending and Copic Coloring
I recently shared a full step-by-step tutorial over on the Unity Stamps blog featuring this soft, one layer floral encouragement card using the Slow Bloom Society Stamp Set . In that post, I walk through the entire process from start to finish. But here, I wanted to slow things down a bit and talk through the why behind the design—those little creative decisions that really make a card come together. If you’ve ever finished a card and thought, “Okay… but why does this actual

Rick Adkins
Mar 19


One Layer Card Design Ideas Using Stamps, Stencils, and Ink Blending
There’s something really satisfying about creating a beautiful handmade card without adding layers, foam tape, or lots of extra pieces. These clean and simple one layer cards are a perfect example of how a thoughtful design can do all the heavy lifting for you—no bulk required. For these MOM-themed cards, I wanted to focus on keeping things soft, polished, and approachable while still incorporating a few favorite techniques like stamping, ink blending, and Copic coloring. I w

Rick Adkins
Mar 18


Clean & Simple Character Card with Copic Coloring | Shamy Stamp Set from C. C. Designs
Sometimes the best cards are the ones that let a single element do most of the work. When I’m working with a fun character stamp, I often find that a clean and simple layout is the best way to highlight the image without competing with it. That was exactly the goal behind today’s card—creating a playful, comic-inspired design that feels polished while still being easy to put together. For this project, I leaned into a character-focused design with Copic coloring and just a

Rick Adkins
Mar 16


Let the Cards Fall Where They May | Spotlight Stamping Technique
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

Rick Adkins
Mar 14


Hand in Hand Stamp Set Card | March 2026 Unity Kit of the Month Inspiration
There’s something so special about creating a wedding card by hand. It feels different. Slower. More intentional. When I sat down to work with the Hand in Hand Stamp Set from the March 2026 Kit of the Month ( US Subscription ) ( Canada Subscription ) at Unity Stamps, I immediately knew I wanted to keep the design clean and heartfelt. Weddings don’t need a lot of “extra.” They need meaning. This card is a reminder that simple stamping and thoughtful coloring can create somet

Rick Adkins
Mar 5


Clean & Layered Scene Card with The Rabbit Hole Designs Quirky Bird Stamp Set
Sometimes the best cards start with a single image that makes you smile. When I pulled out the Quirky Bird 2 x 3 Stamp and Die Set from The Rabbit Hole Designs , I knew I didn’t want to overcomplicate things. That little bird has so much personality on its own. Big wings. Bold beak. Slightly dramatic expression. It didn’t need a busy background competing for attention — it needed space to shine. So today’s handmade card became a lesson in restraint, balance, and building a

Rick Adkins
Mar 1


Squawk Talk Stamp Set Tutorial: Stenciled Backgrounds Made Easy with The Rabbit Hole Designs
Sometimes a card just needs a little attitude. I don’t always reach for bold sentiments, but when I do, I love pairing them with a clean and simple card design that lets the personality shine. That’s exactly what I had in mind when I pulled out the Squawk Talk Stamp Set & Dies Bundle from The Rabbit Hole Designs. That slightly unimpressed bird? Perfect. The “attitude is everything” sentiment? Even better. Instead of building something busy, I focused on strong contrast, int

Rick Adkins
Feb 28


How to Create a Soft Emboss Resist Friendship Card with Heat Embossing and Ink Blending
Sometimes the hardest part of cardmaking isn’t the stamping or the blending… it’s deciding where to start. For this handmade friendship card, I let my Creative Card Deck do the decision-making for me. I pulled four prompts: Occasion: Friendship Color Prompt: Soft/Subtle Technique: Heat Embossing Design Rule: Use Something Neglected That combination immediately gave me direction. Instead of staring at my supplies wondering what to create, I had a framework. In the video,

Rick Adkins
Feb 14


Stamping Techniques for Spring Cardmaking: Using Pattern Paper and Ephemera with Confidence
Spring cardmaking always puts me in a lighter, more playful headspace—but if I’m being honest, it’s also the season where I see a lot of cardmakers second-guess themselves. Pattern paper feels too busy . Ephemera feels hard to control . And suddenly, what should be a joyful creative session turns into overthinking every choice. So for these three spring cards, I leaned into a simple goal: let the pattern paper and ephemera do the supporting work, not the competing work . The

Rick Adkins
Feb 8


Clean and Simple Birthday Card Using the Shear Surprise Stamp Set from Unity Stamps
There are days when I want to sit down at my craft table and just make a card —no overthinking, no pulling out every supply I own, and definitely no complicated steps to remember. This birthday card came together on one of those days. I wanted something cheerful, a little playful, and easy to repeat when my birthday card stash starts running low. Clean and simple cardmaking has always been my go-to for that reason, and this sweet sheep image from Unity Stamps felt like the pe

Rick Adkins
Feb 6


How to Create a Clean and Simple Handmade Card with Ink Blending and Heat Embossing
Clean and simple cards are a little bit like good Southern cooking — they look easy on the surface, but there’s some intentional decision-making happening behind the scenes. This card started with a bold, sassy sentiment and a desire to let color do the heavy lifting without adding layers or bulk. Sometimes the best designs come from asking one simple question: How can I make this feel finished without making it complicated? That question guided every choice in this project,

Rick Adkins
Feb 1
