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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


Small Town Big Stories: Create a Storytelling Scene Card
There’s something I really enjoy about a good scene card: it gives the recipient a little story to discover. Instead of simply placing a stamped image on a card front, you can combine characters, a setting, color, and a sentiment to create a moment that feels like it could belong in a much bigger story. That was the idea behind this card for the new C. C. Designs release and today’s Cards, Coffee, and Stars Hollow Instagram Hop. I wanted these two characters to feel like they

Rick Adkins
Sep 26


Pink Fresh Studio The Simple Things Release Blog Hop
There is something I really enjoy about creating cards around everyday objects. A teapot, a little jar, a cup, or even a simple shelf can become the starting point for a card that feels warm and personal. That was exactly my thought when I started working with the new The Simple Things Release from Pinkfresh Studio. For this release blog hop, I wanted to explore the same general collection of images in two different ways—one card using traditional stamping and another using a

Rick Adkins
Sep 25


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


A Scenic Route Through Fall: Coloring, Layers, and Card Design
I love when a stamped image does more than simply decorate a card—it gives the card a place, a feeling, and a little story. That is exactly what happened with this fall scene featuring the Fall for the Scenic Route Stamp Set from Unity Stamp Company. The boardwalk winding through the colorful trees immediately gave me that feeling of taking a quiet autumn walk, and I wanted the finished card to let that scene take center stage.

Rick Adkins
Sep 17


What Happens When Fall Stamps Meet a Spooky Halloween Background?
One of my favorite parts of making seasonal cards is finding ways to use familiar images in a slightly unexpected way. For this Halloween card, I wanted to move beyond the traditional orange-and-black color combination and create something that felt spooky without being overly dark. The result combines fall imagery, a starry background, bold pattern paper, and a sweet little Halloween character for a card that has plenty of detail while still feeling clean and layered.

Rick Adkins
Sep 13


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


No Tricks Just Treats: An Easy Halloween Cardmaking Tutorial
Halloween cards are the perfect excuse to play with bold color, fun pattern, and a little bit of spooky personality! For this card, I wanted to create something that felt festive and layered without becoming too busy. The result is a design that combines simple stamping, die cutting, and pattern paper mixing in a way that still feels clean and easy to follow. I especially love how a few well-chosen strips of patterned paper can do so much of the design work for you...

Rick Adkins
Aug 30


4 Color Blocking Techniques for Easy Fall Cardmaking
I love when a cardmaking idea looks completely different simply because I change the way I arrange my cardstock. That was the inspiration behind these four fall cards. For this project, I wanted to take a traditional autumn theme and give it a brighter, more playful feel, so I reached for a combination of Pop Tone cardstock colors from CutCardStock rather than sticking with the usual collection of deep oranges and browns. The result is four cards that use the same stamped ima

Rick Adkins
Aug 25


How to Create a Handmade Birthday Card with Die Cutting Pattern Paper & Stamping
I love a birthday card that feels cheerful and a little bit unexpected, and this rainbow unicorn card definitely falls into that category! For this project, I combined die cutting, pattern paper, and stamping to create a card that has plenty of personality without requiring a complicated cardmaking technique. The fun part is that the same design principles can be used with supplies you already have, even if unicorns and rainbows aren't your thing. My goal with this card was t

Rick Adkins
Aug 19


Handmade Patriotic Floral Card with the Where Freedom Blooms Stamp Set from Unity Stamps
There is something timeless about combining florals with patriotic colors. While stars and stripes are classic symbols of Independence Day, adding flowers creates a softer, more elegant look that works well beyond a single holiday. It's a style that feels appropriate for celebrating service members, honoring loved ones, or simply expressing appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy.

Rick Adkins
Jul 13


Masculine Thank You Card Tutorial with Colored Pencils and Torn Edge Details
Masculine cards always seem to spark the same conversation in the crafting world: why are they so much harder to design? I think a lot of us naturally reach for florals, soft colors, and embellishments, so when it comes time to create a masculine thank you card, it can feel a little outside our comfort zone. That’s exactly why I wanted to make this project. I wanted to create a handmade thank you card that still felt warm and creative while using a more rustic color palette a

Rick Adkins
May 25


How I Created Three Different Handmade Cards from One Simple Layout
One of the easiest ways to make cardmaking feel less overwhelming is to stop reinventing the wheel every time you sit down to craft. I think a lot of cardmakers assume that creating multiple unique cards means starting from scratch with every design, but honestly, some of my favorite projects happen when I focus on one strong layout and simply explore different ways to interpret it.

Rick Adkins
May 25


Clean and Layered Handmade Card Tutorial with Pattern Paper and Alcohol Markers
There’s something about cute and whimsical cards that instantly makes me smile, and this one was especially fun to create because it combines several of my favorite things—playful stamped images, bold pattern paper, bright coloring, and a clean layered design that still feels polished and detailed.

Rick Adkins
May 21


How to Create Watercolor Look on Cards with Crayola Markers
One of the biggest misconceptions in cardmaking is that you need expensive supplies to create beautiful results. Today’s friendship card is proof that simple, inexpensive markers can still create soft, vibrant watercolor effects that feel polished and professional. I used Crayola Markers along with a watercolor brush to color the adorable image from the Honey Bear Stamp Set from C. C. Designs, and I honestly love how playful and storybook-inspired the finished card turned out

Rick Adkins
May 18


3 Easy Cardmaking Ideas Using Stencils for Stunning Results
If you’ve ever pulled out a stencil, made a card, and thought… “well, that looks fine,” but not exciting, you’re definitely not alone. Stencils are one of those tools that can either feel incredibly versatile—or a little limiting—depending on how you use them. So for today’s project, I wanted to challenge that idea and show how just a few small shifts can completely change the outcome.

Rick Adkins
May 2


Turn Pattern Paper into Simple but Beautiful Backgrounds
Pattern paper is one of those supplies that many of us love to collect, but it can sometimes be tricky to know how to use it in a way that feels polished instead of overwhelming. I often find myself reaching for patterned papers when I want to create a card with lots of visual interest but still keep the design clean and balanced. That was exactly the inspiration behind today’s card.

Rick Adkins
Apr 29


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


Simon Says Stamp Stay True Stamp Set Card with Turnabout Stamping Technique
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

Rick Adkins
Mar 20


Unity Stamps Puddles to Petals Cardmaking Tutorial: Ink Smooshing and OLO Marker Coloring
There’s something about a rainy-day image that feels especially fitting for an encouragement card. Maybe it’s because we all walk through “stormy” seasons from time to time. When I saw the sweet bird holding that rainbow umbrella from the Puddles to Petals Stamp Set from Unity Stamps , I immediately knew I didn’t want this to be just a cute card—I wanted it to feel hopeful. Today’s handmade clean and layered encouragement card is all about combining stamping techniques in a

Rick Adkins
Feb 26
