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.

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 are times when I want a card to feel bold and eye-catching, but I don’t want to overcomplicate the design to get there. That’s exactly the direction I took with today’s killer birthday card. The goal was to create something with strong visual impact while still keeping the layout clean and manageable. I also wanted to play with contrast—pairing a detailed, layered background with a simple focal image. To really show how this comes together, I shared the full process in

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 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

There’s something about a punny birthday card that just makes people smile before they even read the message. For this project, I wanted to combine playful stamped images with a bold layered stencil background — without letting the design feel overwhelming. The goal was to show how you can mix stenciling, ink blending, and Copic coloring in a way that feels cohesive and manageable. I walk through the full creative process in the video, but here on the blog I want to talk more

Sometimes the best cards start with a simple challenge. For this birthday card, I pulled four prompts from my Creative Card Deck  as part of my Draw Four Create a Card  series. What I love about working this way is that it stretches my creativity without overcomplicating the design. When you’re crafting regularly (especially if you’ve been at it for years), it’s easy to fall back on the same layouts. A gentle constraint like this keeps things fresh — and honestly, it often le

Shaker cards are one of those cardmaking styles that many crafters love to look at—but hesitate to make. Between the foam tape, alignment, and fear of things shifting, it can feel like a lot. For this Valentine’s Day project, my goal was to create a borderless shaker card that feels polished and playful, without the usual stress that comes with shaker construction. I wanted this card to focus on design decisions  rather than complicated assembly. Ink blending, faux bleaching,

I recently shared a full turnabout stamping tutorial over on the Miss Ink Stamps blog , where I walked through how I created two Magic Personality Collection cards from one stamped panel using the Cunning Stamp Set (from the Personality Bundle) . That post focuses on the product and the step-by-step process, so today I wanted to take a step back and talk about the why  behind this design and how you can adapt the idea with whatever you already have in your craft room. This po

I recently shared a full, start-to-finish tutorial over on the Miss Ink Stamps blog  where I walked through how to create these Magical House Personality cards  using collage stamping and dies. That post is very product- and process-focused, so today I wanted to take a step back and talk about the thinking  behind the designs instead—the creative decisions, what worked, and how you can adapt this idea using supplies you already own. These projects ended up being one of those

If you love clean & simple Christmas cards  but want to step outside the usual red and green, this project is such a fun way to do it. I used the I Believe Stamp Set from Miss Ink Stamps  and stamped the bold sentiment in pink ink right in the center of the card front, then built the design by stamping the playful underwear images around it in a dark brown ink. All of the images were colored with my Ohuhu Brush Markers , using a nontraditional yet seasonal color palette  pul

Today’s project is all about creating a soft and sweet clean-and-simple Winter Birthday Card using some of my favorite sets from Miss Ink Stamps . I started by stamping the Little Angel images from the Little Angel Stamp Set onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Cardstock and building the snowy backdrop with the Holly Jolly Stamp Set . Once everything was stamped in crisp Memento Tuxedo Black Ink , I brought the scene to life with my Ohuhu Brush Markers , starting with the

Today I’m sharing a fun little “pick-me-up” card I created for Miss Ink Stamps, and I couldn’t resist reaching for the Slugs and Kisses Stamp Set , the Slugs and Kisses Outline Dies , and the Cobblestone Stencil  for this one. I started with a clean top-fold A2 card base made from Neenah Ultra Thick Cardstock , then masked off a circle using one of the Background Basics Stencils  from Penny Black. Inside that masked area, I blended soft gray ink over the Cobblestone Stencil

There’s something about holiday gift tags that always sparks a little extra joy for me. Maybe it’s because they’re small, quick to make, and instantly festive, or maybe it’s because I still remember helping my grandmother make tags for every single present under her tree. She always said the tag was the first “sneak peek” of the gift, so it deserved just as much attention as the wrapping itself. These Snow Wizard Holiday Gift Tags from Miss Ink Stamps brought back that same f

Sometimes the simplest cards are the ones that make me smile the most. I’ve always loved the idea of clean and simple designs that still feel full of character, and today’s project does exactly that. This card features the Stuck Duck Stamp Set  and Air Mail Frame Stencils  from Miss Ink Stamps —a perfect combo for creating something minimal yet playful. I wanted the design to stay crisp and uncluttered but still have a fun focal point, and this little duct-taped duck delivere

Sometimes clean and simple cards can be the trickiest to design, can’t they? You want something elegant and uncluttered—but not flat or boring. That was exactly the challenge I set out to solve with this project. I wanted to create a clean, square card design that still had plenty of interest and texture without relying on layers or busy backgrounds. The solution came in the form of some of my favorite products from Miss Ink Stamps: the Best Sort Stamp Set , Best Sort Outline

Holiday cardmaking is one of my favorite times of the year. But if I’m being honest, sometimes it can start to feel a little...

Halloween is one of my favorite times to create cards because it gives me the perfect excuse to mix spooky with sweet. I love that...

Halloween is one of my favorite times to craft because it gives us the chance to play with both spooky and silly. For this card, I wanted...

When the air starts to cool down and the leaves begin to crunch underfoot, I always find myself reaching for warm colors, cozy themes,...