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Mother’s Day Card with The Rabbit Hole Designs Paisley Bandana Layering Stencils
There’s something about soft florals and delicate background patterns that always feels perfect for Mother’s Day cards. I wanted this card to have a clean and layered look while still feeling warm and detailed, so I focused on combining a subtle stenciled background with a brightly colored floral image. Sometimes a card only needs one strong focal point and a little supporting texture to feel complete, and this design was a good reminder of that.

Rick Adkins
1 day ago


Interactive Cardmaking Tutorial: Master the Twist & Pop Mechanism for Clean and Simple Handmade Cards
There’s something really special about a card that surprises you when you open it. As a cardmaker, I’m always looking for ways to create that little moment of delight—especially for occasions like Father’s Day, where masculine designs can sometimes feel a bit limiting. This Twist & Pop card is one of those designs that looks impressive but is actually very approachable once you understand the structure. And honestly, it’s become one of my favorite ways to elevate a clean and

Rick Adkins
2 days ago


Handmade Card Idea: Simple Shaped Gift Card Holder Video Tutorial
Sometimes a gift card is exactly what you need… but it can feel a little impersonal on its own. I’ve been reaching for ways to dress them up without adding a lot of extra time or complexity, and this coffee cup shaped gift card holder has quickly become one of my favorite solutions. It’s fun, practical, and perfect for anyone who loves coffee (which, let’s be honest, is a lot of people!).

Rick Adkins
5 days ago


New Release Inspiration: Masculine Cardmaking Tutorial with Wild & Free Stamp Set and Guy Themed Sentiments
There’s something about masculine cards that always nudges me to think a little differently. I don’t reach for more “stuff” or extra layers—instead, I tend to focus on texture, contrast, and strong focal points that feel intentional and clean. For this card, I wanted something that felt bold but still easy to recreate with supplies already sitting on my desk.
I also find that masculine designs are the perfect place to lean into playful sentiments and unexpected details. A

Rick Adkins
May 2


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


Easy Spring Shaker Card Tutorial for Beautiful Handmade Cards
There’s something about a shaker card that instantly makes a project feel extra special. The movement, the sparkle, and the little surprise inside all add a fun interactive element that catches the eye right away. But if you’ve ever felt intimidated by shaker cards, you’re definitely not alone. They often look much more complicated than they really are, and that can make them feel out of reach—especially if you’re newer to cardmaking. For this Spring Hey Shaker Card, I wanted

Rick Adkins
May 1


This 3D Gift Card Holder Box Has the Cutest Surprise Inside
Sometimes a gift card can feel a little impersonal, even when the thought behind it is meaningful. That’s exactly why I love creating handmade gift card holder boxes like this one. By turning a simple gift card into part of an interactive handmade project, you instantly make the gift feel more thoughtful, memorable, and fun to receive. For this project, I created a 3D book-style gift card holder box with a playful boy band theme, and the hidden pocket inside adds that extra s

Rick Adkins
Apr 30


Bright Blooms and Bold Hugs: A Clean and Simple Floral Card
Bright colors and layered florals come together beautifully in today’s Floral Hugs Card, creating a design that feels both cheerful and polished. Using Yellow Jacket DCS Discount Card Stock, Hydrangea Purple DCS Discount Card Stock, and Cougar White Smooth CardStock 110 lbs from CutCardStock, this card features a vibrant bouquet of die-cut blooms arranged over a crisp white background for a fresh, clean look.

Rick Adkins
Apr 23


Easy Mother’s Day Gatefold Card Idea for Beautiful Handmade Cards
Today’s project features a clean and simple tea-themed Mother’s Day gatefold card created with products from Pixi Dust Designs. Using the My BEST-TEA Die Set, You're A Cute Tea 6x6 Paper Pad, and Lemon Shaker Bits, this design combines soft pastel colors with a sweet teapot and teacup focal point for a card that feels cheerful and heartfelt.

Rick Adkins
Apr 22


Soft Florals Heartfelt Messages: Two Elegant Cards with PinkFresh Studio
There’s something so comforting about soft florals and thoughtful sentiments, and these two floral cards showcase that beautifully with products from PinkFresh Studio. For the sympathy card, the delicate blooms created with the Golden Poppies Die Set and Golden Poppies Stencils form a graceful floral spray that climbs up one side of the card front, leaving plenty of clean white space for the sentiment.

Rick Adkins
Apr 21


Clean and Simple Hello Card Tutorial with Custom Colored Die Cuts
When I sit down to create a clean and simple card, I’m always looking for that sweet spot where the design feels polished and eye-catching without becoming complicated. That balance is exactly what inspired today’s clean and simple hello card tutorial with custom colored die cuts. By combining layered die cuts, custom ink-blended cardstock, and plenty of white space, this card has a bright spring feel while still staying simple enough for beginner to intermediate cardmakers t

Rick Adkins
Apr 17


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


16 Easy Cardmaking Tips to Upgrade Your Die Cut Birthday Cards
There’s something about die cut cards that can feel a little… flat. You start with a great idea, cut all the pieces, put it together—and it’s nice, but it doesn’t quite have that finished, polished look you were hoping for. I’ve been there more times than I can count. I walk through all 16 tips in the video so you can see exactly how everything comes together, but here I want to share the design thinking behind those choices so you can start applying them to your own cards ri

Rick Adkins
Apr 13


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


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


Stretch Your Dies: Little Pig Backpack Shaker Card Idea
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.

Rick Adkins
Mar 30


Slimline Friendship Card Tutorial with La Bu Who Dies and Stamps from The Rabbit Hole Designs
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.

Rick Adkins
Mar 29


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


Pixi Dust Designs Fancy Box Die Set: Flip Top Gift Box Tutorial
There’s something really special about creating a handmade gift that feels just as thoughtful on the outside as it is on the inside. For this project, I wanted to design a simple, polished gift box that could hold a small treat—something quick to make, but still beautiful enough for a meaningful occasion like Mother’s Day. I also wanted to solve a common problem many of us run into: how to package a small gift in a way that feels intentional without spending a lot of extra ti

Rick Adkins
Mar 25
