Instead of Ironing Blogspot

Simon Says Stamp Wildflowers Sunrise Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 08 May 2026 10:53:45 +0000

Hi everyone,

I have been very busy in my craft room making some ink blended backgrounds which is one of my favourite things to create. I thought I would create a Sunrise Card to fit the theme of the Splitcoaststampers Free for All Friday F4A844 Challenge of Yellow and Black. You can use other colours but yellow and black should be your main two colours. There are no time limits to play Splitcoaststampers Challenges - so play along anytime you wish.

When I was planning my card, I was thinking about that very first warm Summer's Day of the season and how you can just tell at sunrise, that it is going to be beautiful and warm: you anticipate the joy that it give you to feel the heat of the sun's rays on your body after the cold - it just makes you happy and puts you in a good mood 😄

So here is what I made:

I used Bristol Smooth White Cardstock for my ink-blending which is my favourite cardstock to use because it blends so beautifully due to its smooth surface. I masked the sun using a Lavinia Circle Mask and used repositionable tape underneath to hold it in place. I ink blended Ranger Distress Inks in the colours: Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber and Carved Pumpkin. I splattered the panel with clean water to some texture which is a little hard to see in the photo.

I removed the circle mask then went over the sun with Squeezed Lemonade and Scattered Straw to take away the whiteness - then used Mont Marte Pastel Pencils in two yellow shades to add some more colour. It still looks quite white in the photo but it is more of pale yellow in real life.

The silhouette stamp I have had since 2020 but is still available on the Simon Says Stamp website. It comes in a set of 2 and is really HUGE! I stamped it using Altenew Obsidian Black Ink with my Stamping Platform so I could re-stamp it several times to get good coverage - then went over a few small bits that didn't quite stamp properly using an Anko .05 Black Pigment Pen.

The sentiment is by Unity Stamps and dates back to 2009, and was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink. I added a Kaisercraft Black Pearl to the RHS of the sentiment using Art Glitter Glue for good adhesion.

Final touches were adding Stampin' Up - Tiny Bee Trinkets - which were glued on using Art Glitter Glue. These tiny bees were a very recent purchase and were on the Last Chance List but are no longer showing on their website so must have sold out. Now I wish I had bought a second container......sigh.......

The main image panel was layered onto Stampin Up Daffodil Delight Cardstock then Black Cardstock - then finally an American Crafts White Card Base. Finished size is: 6-3/8 x 4-11/16 inches or 162 x 119mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Simon Says Stamps Wildflowers SSS201998, Unity Stamps Feel the Joy IB-254 by Lindsey Spencer

Ink: Altenew Obsidian Black Pigment, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress - Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber + Carved Pumpkin

Accessories: Ink Blending Tools, Stamping Platform, Anko .05 Black Pigment Pen, Kaisercraft Black Pearl BR211, Stampin Up Tiny Bee Trinkets #164714 (retired), Mont Marte Yellow Pastel Pencils, Art Glitter Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Repositionable Tape, Bristol Smooth White Cardstock, Stampin Up Daffodil Delight Cardstock + Black Cardstock, American Crafts White Card Base

Stencils: Lavinia Acetate Circle Masks LAM001

Penny Black Frolic Card - A Guest Designer Post for Critter Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Sun, 03 May 2026 01:23:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Over at the Critter Crazy Challenge Blog, I was offered a Guest Designer Role for the month of MAY after being Becca's (Owner) Eagle Eyes Pick w/Guest DT invite from the March Challenge - so I was very honoured to be asked. The theme is always 'Anything Goes with a featured Critter - real or fantasy', so why not play along yourself and have some fun.

The Challenges always start on the 1st of each month and HERE is a link to May's Challenge #110.

And this is what I made:

As you probably already know, I LOVE featuring critters on my card - they just make me happy - so I pulled out one of my most-favourite Penny Black Cat Stamps called Frolic which dates back to 2009. You just can't help but smile at that happy cat, can you?!!

I stamped the image onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and coloured it using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a Zig Blender Pen. I went over some of the black lines using an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen for any that needed darkening up after my colouring.

Here is a close-up:

The sentiment is by Mama Elephant - Mini Messages - which was first released in 2015 but is still available. This is a fabulous set with a variety of small sentiments and a few small images for lots of different occasions including Christmas so definitely worth picking up. I don't always want to add a separate sentiment panel to my main image and I thought the sentiment I chose meant I could use the card for a variety of occasions. I used my Stamp Positioning Tool for perfect placement.

I diecut the main panel using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares Dies.

The designer papers are by Cocoa Vanilla - Happy Day - which were released in 2023. I love the bright cheery colours in this paper. The cardstock is by Kaisercraft - Wildberry and Blueberry.

I added a matching American Crafts 9.5mm or 3/8" inch wide Organza Ribbon.

I punched some tiny hearts from Wildberry Cardstock using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts. I glued them on using Art Glitter Glue.

Finishing touches were Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to all the hearts and flowers so it looks very sparkly in real life

Once I had completed my card front, I glued it to a White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue. Finished size is 140mm x 140mm or 5-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Thanks Becca for asking me to be a Guest Designer - I really appreciate it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Penny Black Frolic 3972K Wood Mount, Mama Elephant Mini Messsages

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper: Cocoa Vanilla Happy Days A5 Stack - Item # CV-HD011

Accessories: Big Shot, American Crafts Organza Ribbon 9.5mm-3/8" wide, Anko Black .05 Pigment Pen, Stamp Positioning Tool, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Fabric Glue, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Cardstock - Ranger Watercolour + Kaisercraft Wildberry and Blueberry, White Card Base 140mm x 140mm

Dies: Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares L-CC-002 (retired)

Punches: EK Success Arrows Border

Wellington Bear Wedding Anniversary Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:46:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends,

My husband and I celebrated our 37th Wedding Anniversary in April and this is the card that I made for him:

I can hardly believe it is 37 years! I am so lucky to be married to my one true love. He is the nicest and kindest person I know.

The main image and sentiment are by Docrafts from their Wellington Bear Collection which was released around 2013. I love this collection and have made many cards from it over the years. On the card inside, I wrote: "So glad that I am on this ride with you" to tie in with the car theme.

The plaid background designer paper is by Mintay - Garage - and the woodgrain designer paper is by Studio Light - Denim Saturdays. The light blue designer paper is from the same Wellington Bear Collection.

The side panel Navy Blue Cardstock was punched using a Fiskars Threading Water Punch.

The ribbon was attached in two separate elements. I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying. I popped this panel up on scraps of white cardstock.

I also popped the sentiment up on 1mm dimensionals. I punched some tiny hearts from reddy-orange designer paper from the Wellington Bear Collection using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts. I glued them on using Art Glitter Glue.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a White Paper Rose Slimline Australian Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 3-7/8" x 8-3/16" or 98mm x 208mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink: None

Designer Paper: Mintay Garage 12" x 12", Studio Light Denim Saturdays PPDEN103 6" x 6", Docrafts Wellington Bear - Light Blue + Reddy-Orange Paper

Accessories: Multicraft Ribbon SR108J 10mm-3/8" wide, Fabric Glue, Fray Stop, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, 1mm Dimensionals, Docrafts Wellington Bear Card Topper and Sentiment, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Navy Blue + White, Paper Rose Slimline Australian White Card Base

Punches: Fiskars Threading Water Border, EK Success Arrows Border

Stampin' Up Leaf Collection Hello Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:21:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a card that I made for one of the lovely ladies in our Stampin' Up Class that we attend once a month:

I wanted to brighten my friend's day with a card plus a surprise gift that I am including. I do love to send "happy mail" when someone least expects it. Sure, it's lovely to get a birthday card (not that I get very many nowadays) - but it's so nice to receive a handmade card in the mail when you aren't expecting it. I think it's sad that people just send a message on Facebook when it's your birthday. It's like it's a cookie cutter social media task. And to me, it feels so impersonal, robotic and obligatory rather than heartfelt. I have been making a point in the last year to send out Thank You Cards and people really appreciate them.

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to each challenge:

Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A838 - 3 of a Kind - mine is the 3 ink colours as well as the 3 different sized clear gems

Splitcoaststampers - Technique Lover's TLC1004 - Joseph's Coat

Crafty Catz - #709 - Anything Goes

Cardz for Galz - #271 - Embossing Heat or Dry

Just us Girls - Word Week #814 - Emboss

I used the Joseph's Coat Technique which I only learned how to do last year - but it has been around for quite a long time. First, I took a sheet of White Cardstock and randomly coloured splotches of ink all over it using my Ink Blending Tools fitted with a Domed Pad. I used all Stampin' Up Inks in the colours Watermelon Wonder + Delightful Dijon (both retired) and Garden Green (still current). I was really going for an Autumn feel because it is Autumn here where I live in Australia and the leaves are just starting to turn. You don't have to be neat nor blend colours. This is what the panel looked like after adding the inks - and doesn't it look like a hot mess?!!

I then heat-set the panel to make sure it was completely dry before moving onto the next step.

I used a Powder Tool all over the panel then stamped my leaves using Versamark Watermark Ink. The image is called Stampin' Up - Leaf Collection and is one solid stamp. This a retired stamp, but one I absolutely LOVE. I poured on Ranger Clear Detail Embossing Powder and heat-set it. I went over all the panel with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and the embossed image resists the black ink. I would definitely recommend disposable gloves for that part unless you like having black ink all over your hands!

You then wipe over the panel using a piece of paper towel to remove the excess black ink off the embossed image. And then the colourful image seems to magically appear which is why it is called Joseph's Coat. It really amazes me how the ink colours change quite a bit. You would not believe that it was Garden Green Ink as it looks more teal.

I layered the panel onto Stampin' Up Crushed Curry Cardstock with a 1/16" border, then onto Black Cardstock with a 1/8" border which were done using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layer Guides.

The sentiment is also by Stampin' Up - Fabulous Sayings - which you could get for $9 in January once your order was over a certain amount - but it is actually still available when I checked tonight even though it is March. I guess it will be available until sold out. This is a really, really great set and definitely worth getting:

I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black Ink onto Stampin' Up Very Vanilla Cardstock, then diecut it using my Big Shot and a Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities Die. I layered this onto Crushed Curry Cardstock that was diecut using a Spellbinders Scalloped Oval Nestabilities Die. I popped the panel up on scraps of cardstock.

I added 5 x Clear Gems in 3 different sizes around the sentiment - 3 on the top RHS and 2 on the bottom LHS. I used Art Glitter Glue to attach them because this glue dries completely clear. I love how the clear gems look like drops of rain.

Lastly, I attached my card front to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

I think you could use this card for lots of different occasions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Leaf Collection #163610 (retired) + Fabulous Sayings #167972

Ink: Stampin' Up Watermelon Wonder + Delightful Dijon (both retired) + Garden Green, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper: None

Accessories: Big Shot, Ink Blending Tool with Domed Pads, Heat-Gun, Powder Tool, Ranger Clear Detail Embossing Powder, WRMK Perfect Layers Guides, Disposable Gloves, Paperartz Clear Gems, Art Glitter Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Crushed Curry + Very Vanilla + White + Black, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies: Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities + Scalloped Oval Nestabilities

Penny Black Fetching Slippers Masculine Retirement Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:43:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

* I just found out that my card was Top 3 at Crafty Catz Challenge Blog*

** Woo hoo 😀 **

**My card was also picked by Becca over at Critter Crazy Challenges and offered a Guest Designer Role for May - Yippee!**

Last December, we adopted a beautiful 7 years 8 months old Groodle (Golden Retriever - Poodle cross) from a Council pound in a country town several hours away from where we live. He had been surrendered by his family to the pound which is so incredibly sad and had been there for many months. We saw his ad on a Pet Rescue website and I just had such a good feeling about him. I get alot of strong senses about many things and have always been that way since I was little. I guess they call it a sixth sense (?) but it is more than that - and interestingly, my late Father and his Mother (my Grandmother) were exactly the same. My Father and I even used to sometimes have the same dream on the same night which used to be quite unnerving to say the least! I even have senses about someone's imminent passing even when they aren't sick. Anyway, I am digressing.......

So we rang up the Council to find out more about the dog and they told us he was good with children and adults and other dogs and not aggressive in any way nor had separation anxiety. So we made the trip up to see him and oh, he is just the LOVELIEST dog and we couldn't wait to bring him home with us. Tucker is very gentle and has the sweetest nature - doesn't pull on the lead when you walk him - loves being brushed - honestly, we hit the jackpot. He just wants to be cuddled and loved. I also love that he doesn't shed because of the Poodle in him. Here is a photo of Tucker rocking his bow tie:

Honestly, he is just like a teddy bear! And who could resist that adorable face?! We took him to the dog groomer for the first time yesterday and he was brilliant. The lady who groomed him said he was so friendly and relaxed the entire time and made friends with her friend's dog that was already there and they sat on the mat together like they were besties.

Now that we are retired, it means we have the time to put into having a dog plus it is good company for my husband when he is pottering around in the garden or garage - or when any of us is outside. We just adore him and so happy that he now has a fur-ever home. We are his 3rd family and I really can't imagine how sad he must have been when he was given up not just once, but twice 😢

So, I HAD to make a card to celebrate my husband's retirement with a dog on it - it just seemed so fitting for the occasion!

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to each challenge:

Crafty Catz - #708 - Anything Goes
Critter Crazy - #108 - Anything Goes with a featured critter (real or fantasy)
Ellibelle's Corner - I Spy with my Little Eye - Something You Love - I chose dogs
Splitcoaststampers - Ways to Use It WT1055 - Make it Masculine - this is from a while ago and there are no time limits to play their challenges
Crafty Animals - #103 - Anything Goes - Must include an animal but birds, bugs, bees and insects are all OK

The main image is an old stamp from Penny Black - Fetching Slippers - and was stamped onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink. I tried to colour the dog to look similar to Tucker and to also make the fur look curly. I used a mix of Watercolour Pencils and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers + a Zig Blender Pen. Check out those cute bunny slippers! They sure put a smile on my husband's face! Here is a close-up:

I still had my Basic Grey Max and Whiskers Designer Papers on my desk from a birthday card I made the other day for my BIL - see HERE - so I thought I would use them again. I do love these papers - Basic Grey had such unique designs and I really miss them.

I went over the black lines on the main image using an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen to darken up the lines after my colouring. I diecut the image using a Quickutz Nesting Card Templates Die and my Big Shot - then layered it onto some Blue Designer Paper and then onto Dark Brown Cardstock from my stash.

I added the 1/4" wide Grosgrain Ribbon in two separate elements and glued the knot on using Helmar's Fabric Glue. I find that attaching the ribbon elements separately saves some ribbon because I don't have to wrap it around my card and the knot sits flatter and just looks neater and better IMHO.

To do the sentiment, I stamped the banner which is from a very old WPlus9 Basic Banner and Die Set (2013) - and fussy-cut around it using my Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors, which meant I could then diecut the banner from the Blue Designer Paper so I had a layer underneath it. It just looked better that way instead of just having just the banner on white cardstock. I went around the edges with my Anko Black Pigment Brush Pen to hide any imperfections in my fussy-cutting. The sentiment is by Penny Black - a Bear of all Trades - and went perfectly with the image I thought. I stamped it using Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip Ink which is a very dark brown and looked better than using black ink. Yep, retirement is all about "taking it easy". I diecut the banner again from white cardstock and glued that underneath so I could have a little bit of dimension for the sentiment panel.

The centre panel was popped up on scraps of white cardstock as is the main image panel.

The buttons on the RHS are also by Basic Grey from their Granola Collection released in 2008. I sewed matching threads through each button then glued them on using Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive.

The hearts either side of the sentiment were diecut from a Reddish-Orange sheet of Designer Paper using an Impression Obsession - Heart of Hearts Die. This is a well-used but retired die that has seen alot of love over the years because it diecuts many different sizes and styles of hearts - just perfect for anytime you need a heart:

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

As finishing touches, I added Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen to the dog collar plus the hearts.

Finished size is 6" x 4-1/8" or 153mm x 105mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Penny Black Fetching Slippers 2085F + Bear of all Trades 30-108, WPlus9 Basic Banners (2013 - retired)

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip (retired)

Designer Papers: Basic Grey Max and Whiskers 6" x 6" (2009-retired)

Accessories: Big Shot, 1/4" - 6.5mm wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Buttons - Basic Grey - Granola (2008-retired), Matching Sewing Thread, Needle, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive + Fabric Glue, Anko Black Pigment Pen - Brush + 0.05, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers + Blender Pen, Watercolour Pencils, #2 Round Paintbrush, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen, Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors, Cardstock - Ranger Watercolor + Scraps of White Cardstock + Dark Brown

Dies: WPlus9 Basic Banner WP9D-059#-32557 (retired), Quickutz Nesting Card Templates DC0431 (retired), Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts DIE052-I (retired)

Penny Black Love Tail Valentine's Day Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 05:27:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Valentine's Day Card that I made for my daughter:

This is also my card for the following Challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - February - Anything Goes or Romance

Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A833 - Valentine

Critter Crazy Challenge #107 - Anything Goes - with a Featured Critter (real or fantasy)

We Love Stamping - February - Hearts or Anything Goes

The main image is by Penny Black - Love Tail - which is from 2006. I still love this image as much as the day I bought it! I stamped it using Versafine Onyx Black Ink onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock, then coloured it using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers using a Zig Blender Pen for all my blending instead of water. I only recently found out that Zig makes this Blender Pen and this was my first try out with using it. I absolutely LOVE it and it is so easy to use.

I went around the image with a Lyra Sky Blue Watercolour Pencil. First, I scribbled the pencil onto some scrap watercolour cardstock and added some water, then picked the colour up with my #4 Round Paintbrush and smooshed it around so it is very light but takes away the stark white of the watercolour cardstock. I went over the image with an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen to darken up the black lines. Here is a close-up:

I diecut the image using a QuicKutz Nesting Card Templates Die and my Big Shot, then diecut the next size up from Colormates Dark Racy Raspberry Cardstock.

All the designer papers are by Simple Stories - Love and Adore - which first came out in 2016 so are 10 years old.

The sentiment is by Lawn Fawn - Love Letters - and was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink. I diecut the panel using a Lifestyle Nesting Circles Die, then diecut the scalloped circle using a Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Small Circles Die.

The main image panel is popped up on scraps of white cardstock and the sentiment is popped up on the top and RHS with 1mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Pads. The bottom LHS of the sentiment panel is glued flush to the main image panel.

I punched some tiny hearts from Dark Racy Raspberry Cardstock using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch. The leftover punchies look like tiny hearts and are perfect for adding a little something extra to your card. I glued three around the sentiment and two on the main image panel using Art Glitter Glue fitted with a fine nozzle.

I thought about adding a ribbon or some rhinestones but didn't really have the right colour to match so just left the card as-is; I guess I am just keeping it simple.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a White Kaisercraft Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

As a final touch, I added some Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to the hearts and flowers as well as the tiny hearts.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Penny Black Love Tail 3608J Wood-Mount (2006), Lawn Fawn Love Letters LF1292

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Papers: Simple Stories Love and Adore 6" x 6" #7614 (2016)

Accessories: Big Shot, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers + Blender Pen #999, #4 Round Paintbrush, Lyra Sky Blue Watercolour Pencil, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, 1mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Pads, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Stamping Platform, Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen, Cardstock - Black + Scraps of White + Colormates Dark Racy Raspberry, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies: All retired - QuicKutz Nesting Card Templates DC0431, Lifestyle Nesting Circles, Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Small Circles Nestabilities S4-117

Punches: EK Success Arrows Border (retired)

Penny Black Where's Dinner Masculine Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 06:34:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends,

My Craft Room has been a whirlwind of activity lately making cards for the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Design Team AND for family birthdays - but I am loving being more creative and spending LOTS of time in my Craft Room now that my husband and I are officially retired. Woo hoo! We both have lots of hobbies so it is great to be able to just have more time to read, relax and create and not have the constraints of doing that around a work schedule. My husband's friends were already retired so it means they can catch up more often.

So onto the Birthday Card that I made for my brother-in-law:

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

Crafty Catz Challenge #706 - Anything Goes
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - February - Anything Goes or Romance
Critter Crazy Challenge #107 - Anything Goes with a Featured Critter Real or Fantasy

Of course, if you have been around my blog for a while, you will already know that I adore Penny Black Stamps, so I couldn't wait to ink up this super-cute (but puzzled) dog. I have had this stamp forever and it is a wood-block one and was designed in the year 2000. I find that the Margaret Sherry critter stamps just don't seem to date and I still love them as much as when I first bought them.

I stamped the image onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink, and coloured him using a mix of Watercolour Pencils and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and my #2 Round Paintbrush. The sentiment is from a Penny Black Set - Make a Wish.

The image panel was diecut using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares Dies. Note that I popped up the panel a little on scraps of white cardstock.

All the designer papers are old - Basic Grey - Max and Whiskers - which are from 2009. I love Basic Grey Designer Papers and really miss them as they were really different to other brands.

The Mustard Cardstock and Dark Brown Cardstock on the card base were trimmed to 1/16" and 1/8" respectively using my WRMK Perfect Layers Guides.

The dry embossed panel across the middle was done using a Crafts Too Bone and Paw Print Embossing Folder. I have had this folder for a long time so is no doubt retired.

I added some Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen to the candle flame and the glow around it.

The top RHS embellishments are 3 x Dark Brown Candi Dots with diecut stars glued on top. Just having the Dark Brown Candi Dots seemed to disappear into the busy background - so I came up with the idea of adding the stars which were diecut from papers from the Max and Whiskers pad. The stars are by Memory Box - Hearts and Stars. The Candi Dots were popped up on 2mm Self-Adhesive Foam Pads.

I left the rest of the card unfussy - although I thought about adding a dark brown ribbon across the centre, however, I was in a rush and glued the main image down so it was too late. I guess it looks OK without it (?). I just love ribbons and find it hard to NOT put them on my cards!

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is: 5-7/8" x 5-7/8" or 138mm x 138mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Penny Black Where's Dinner 1705J Wood-Mount, Sentiment - Penny Black Make a Wish 30-052 Clear Set

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper: Basic Grey Max and Whiskers 6" x 6" (2009) - retired

Accessories: Big Shot, Crafts Too Bone and Paw Print Embossing Folder (retired), Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, Lyra + Derwent Watercolour Pencils, #2 Round Paintbrush, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Dark Brown Candi Dots - Choc-a-Mocha, We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, 2mm Self-Adhesive Foam Pads, Cardstock - Mustard + Dark Brown + Scraps of White, Ranger Watercolor Cardstock

Dies: Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares L-CC-002 (retired), Memory Box Hearts and Stars 98755 (2014) - retired

Stamperia Hortensia Birthday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 11:11:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Birthday Card that I made for my sister-in-law:

I used some gorgeous Stamperia Hortensia Designer Papers for my card. These papers were released in 2020. On one of the 12" x 12" sheets, there are four 6" x 6" individual card fronts and I simply trimmed one of them out but did cut it down a bit so that I could have some cardstock layers and then pop it onto a white card base. I needed the finished card to be able to fit in my square envelope.

I used Versamark Watermark Ink to stamp the sentiment which is from the Stampin' Up Layering Leaves Stamp Set, then heat-set it using Ranger Detail Gold Embossing Powder. I went around the edge of the designer paper using a Versamark Watermark Pen fairly roughly so that when I heat-set it with the Gold Embossing Powder, it looked a little distressed.

I layered the image panel onto Pale Pink then Rose Pink Cardstock. I watered down some Jo Sonja Pale Gold Acrylic Paint then used my Fan Brush to splatter the panel. It looks so gorgeous in real life.

The Pink Organza Ribbon was attached in two separate elements, and the bow itself was made using my Bow Easy. I glued the bow on using Helmar's Fabric Glue. I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

The pink butterfly above the sentiment is by Mintay - Lilac Garden - from their paper diecuts. I glued down just the centre so I could bend the wings up a little. The colours on the diecut matched the pinks in the designer papers so perfectly, it was just meant-to-be. I added some Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen to the pink butterfly, the white butterfly and a little on the hydrangeas.

I glued the panel onto a White Card Base.

As a finishing touch, I added 3 x Kaisercraft Rose Pearls but added a dot of Art Glitter Glue underneath so they didn't slip down like they seem to over time (for me anyway).

Finished size is 5-11/16" x 5-11/16" or 143mm x 143mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Layering Leaves #161277 (retired)

Ink: Versamark Watermark Ink Pad + Pen

Designer Paper: Stamperia Hortensia 12" x 12", Mintay Lilac Garden Paper Diecuts MT-LIL-LSC

Accessories: Heat-gun, Powder Tool, Fan Brush, Jo Sonja Pale Gold Acrylic Paint, Bow Easy, Pink Organza Ribbon 3/8" / 9mm wide, Fray Stop, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Helmar's Fabric Glue, Kaisercraft Rose Pearl SB786, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Pen, White Card Base, Cardstock - Pale Pink + Rose Pink

Kaisercraft Flower Shoppe Birthday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 06:39:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Well, January has started super-hot. Yesterday it was 46 deg C here - 115 deg F - and quite a few plants looked bleached when we looked at them today. We had 46 deg C the other week as well. I feel sorry for those in the NW of Victoria where it was a record 48.9 deg C - 120 deg F. I also feel sorry for the birds and other wildlife and wonder how they cope? Sigh.....I can't WAIT for some cooler days - AND nights!

So, I have been very busy in my Craft Room over January keeping out of the heat and making some Fan Club Design Team Cards for Splitcoaststampers - and other cards for family members.

One of my all-time favourite releases by Kaisercraft is Flower Shoppe which was released around January 2021. I just adore the soft colours plus I love anything with flowers on it. So I whipped up this Birthday Card which I will be giving to my niece:

Lately, I have been making smaller square cards - around 4 to 4-1/4" - spurred on by Ardyth Percy-Robb's small square cards. If you don't know who Ardyth is, do a search on You-Tube for her Channel - and I have no doubt that you will be incredibly inspired by Ardyth's cards. She is so clever and creative.

I am entering my card in the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A831 of Feeling a Little Square where you can either make a square card or a card with square elements

Crafty Catz - #705 - Anything Goes

The main image is from the matching Flower Shoppe Collectables which I layered onto some matching designer paper, then onto Stampin' Up Crumb Cake Cardstock. Both of these were diecut using my Big Shot and Nesting Arches Dies.

The hanging baskets just had grey and white flowers and I wanted them to have a bit more life - so coloured some of the flowers with a blue and a peachy coloured Pastel Ohuhu Alcohol Marker. I bought a set of these Alcohol Markers in a Black Friday sale last year, and gosh, I do love them and the quality is amazing!

I fussy-cut the butterfly using my Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors from one of the designer papers and glued down just the centre so I could bend the wings up. I guess, in hindsight, the butterfly looks quite large compared to the rest of the scene - but I didn't think about it until after I had adhered it.

The sentiment is also from the Collectables. I diecut some hearts from one of the designer papers using an Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts Die. I added Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to all the flowers, the butterfly and the hearts on the sentiment. It's amazing how when you just add a bit of sparkle to your card, it really "lifts" the card.

The bottom panel was punched using an EK Success Scalloped Scallops Border Punch. I added some White Twine from Stampin' Up then popped the panel up on scraps of white cardstock.

Finished size is: 4-1/8" x 4-1/8" or 104mm x 104mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink: None

Designer Paper: Kaisercraft Flower Shoppe 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Paper Pad + matching Collectables

Accessories: Big Shot, White Twine - Stampin' Up Baker's Twine Essentials Pack #155475, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Ohuhu Pastel Alcohol Markers, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors, 1mm dimensionals, Cardstock - Scraps of White + Stampin' Up Crumb Cake

Punches: EK Success Scalloped Scallops Border

Dies: Nesting Arches, Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts DIE052-I (retired)

Stampin' Up Wonderland Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 06:52:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing my final Christmas Card that I made this Christmas season:

I pulled out one of all-time favourite Stampin' Up Sets called Wonderland which is retired but certainly one I could never part with.

To make my card, I ink-blended a piece of Bristol Smooth White Cardstock with Stampin' Up inks using Ranger Ink Blending Tools and Domed Pads. The lighter blue is Soft Sky - sadly retired - and the other inks are Misty Moonlight and Night of Navy which are still current. I did splatter the panel with some clean water just to add some a bit of extra-something to the sky.

I then stamped the trees using Night of Navy ink using 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation to add some depth. I lightly went around the image using a bit more of the Night of Navy ink but not all the way around so I could leave the lighter areas.

I splattered the scene with some watered-down Schminke Opaque White Watercolour Ink and a Fan Brush. I glued on some Stampin' Up Loose White Snowflakes which are from late 2024 but are no longer available. I used Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to glue them on which is a really strong adhesive.

I then layered the panel onto Stampin' Up Misty Moonlight Cardstock and trimmed it to 1/8" using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layer Guides.

The sentiment was stamped using Night of Navy ink. I used my Stamping Platform so I could get perfect placement, plus I needed to re-stamp it a few times to get a good impression. I diecut it using a Spellbinders Labels Trio Die and my Big Shot.

To add some sparkle, I did dots of glue with my Quickie Glue Pen and sprinkled on Hero Arts Prisma Glitter.

Once I had finished my card front, I layered it onto a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi glue.

I wish you could see the sparkle - it looks so pretty in real life.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Wonderland #140365 (retired)

Inks: Stampin' Up Soft Sky (retired), Misty Moonlight and Night of Navy

Designer Paper: None

Accessories: Bristol Smooth White Cardstock 250gsm, Stampin' Up Misty Moonlight Cardstock, Schminke Opaque White Watercolour Ink, Fan Brush, Ranger Ink Blending Tools and Domed Pads, WRMK Layer Guides, Stamping Platform, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, Quickie Glue Pen, Hero Arts PG104 Prisma Glitter, Stampin' Up Loose White Snowflakes #164128 (retired)

Dies: Spellbinder Shapeabilities Labels Trio S3-147 (retired)

Docrafts/Papermania Noel Paper Tole Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:56:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing another Christmas Card that I made recently:

One of my favourite cards to make is paper-tole or diecut decoupage. If you are no stranger to my blog, you probably already know that fact. There is just something so satisfying about creating them.

I used a Papermania/Docrafts Card Kit that I had in my stash which I bought at a Craft Show here in Australia prior to COVID - so that's a while ago.

All the elements came already diecut so it was a simple process to just pop them out ready to put together. It was quite fiddly and getting the letters in NOEL perfectly lined up was certainly a challenge - but I love how the finished card turned out. I used 0.5mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Pads to put all the elements together and even so, the card has quite a bit of height so I was glad I was hand-delivering it to my sister-in-law and not posting it.

I added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to the red poinsettia, holly berries and the word NOEL - alas, not captured by the camera but it really added so much life to the card to have that bit of sparkle.

Finished size is: 6" x 6" or 150mm x 150mm.

I hope you all had a great Christmas. We had my brother and partner + adult daughter over for Christmas lunch. It was both happy and sad as it was the first Christmas without our Mum. The last couple of years of her life were very difficult because her dementia made her very combative - and even though she came for Christmas Day from her nursing home for a few hours, Mum could no longer communicate so she was there - but not really, if you know what I mean. My Dad passed away 30 years ago so Mum lived a long time without him - so I take comfort in knowing that they are back together again.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink: None

Designer Paper: Docrafts/Papermania

Accessories: Docrafts/Papermania Noel Card Kit (retired), 0.5mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Pads, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Tombow Mono Multi Glue

Stampin' Up Snowy Scenes Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 10:46:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing another Christmas Card that I made during this Christmas season:

The great thing about the Stampin' Up Snowy Scenes Designer Series Paper is that you can cut out all these awesome snowglobes to use on your cards - so I spent quite a bit of time fussy-cutting all the different ones out. I went around the edge of the "glass" with Stampin' Up Pool Party Ink to hide any imperfections in my cutting. I popped the snowglobe up on dimensionals.

The dry embossing was done with my Big Shot and a Cart-Us Snowflake Embossing Folder (sorry, I don't know the exact name) using Stampin' Up Pool Party Cardstock.

The strip of designer paper on the LHS is from the same Snowy Scenes dsp.

The sentiment is from a recently retired set Stampin' Up - Greetings of the Season - and was stamped using Stampin' Up Garden Green Ink. I diecut it using an old favourite die of mine called Spellbinders Labels Trio which I have had forever so long retired. I popped up the sentiment a little using scraps of white cardstock.

As finishing touches, I added 3 x Silver Glitter Cardstock Punched Snowflakes to the snowglobe base with a tiny Molossi Red Rhinestone in each centre - plus two tiny Molossi Blue Rhinestones to the snowflakes on the snowglobe.

Finished size is: 5-5/8" x 4-1/16" or 144mm x 104mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Greetings of the Season #164325 (retired)

Ink: Stampin' Up Garden Green + Pool Party

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Snowy Scenes #164333 12" x 12"

Accessories: Big Shot, Stamping Platform, Molossi Rhinestones - red + blue, Cart-Us Snowflake Embossing Folder, Silver Glitter Cardstock, Stampin' Up Pool Party Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Cardstock + White Card Base, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Dimensionals

Punches: Snowflake

Dies: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Labels Trio S3-147 (retired)

Stampin' Up Nests of Winter Christmas Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 10:51:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

First up, I wanted to share some awesome news! A couple of months ago, I was approached by the team at Splitcoaststampers to see if I would like to be a part of their Dirty Dozen Design Team. I have been a part of Splitcoaststampers since 2008 and My Gallery on there has 511 cards which I started uploading before I even started blogging. Everyone there has always been so encouraging and helpful and I just love being a part of their community - plus they introduced me to Stampin' Up. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be offered a spot on their Design Team!

Once we discussed how it would all work and the commitment needed, I said a resounding "YES". The tenure is for six months. How it works, is that if you are a PAID Fan Club member of Splitcoaststampers, you get certain privileges like your uploaded cards show up straight away in your Gallery instead of being delayed until Admin approves your card - and you can take part in the Monthly Fan Club Challenges. Being a paid member means you are contributing towards the cost of running their website and I've been a member for many years. If you are not a paid member, the Fan Club Forum, Fan Club Challenges and Fan Club Galleries are hidden from view. The main proviso for being on the Design Team is that you do not use any counterfeit products - which I never do anyway - but other than that, I can use whatever I have - old products, new products, retired products etc.

The Monthly Fan Club Challenges go live on the 15th of each month - and I and the rest of the Design Team get a month prior to the 15th to create our projects with the theme for that particular month - and have to upload them by the 15th so that Fan Club Members have a Fan Club Gallery full of projects and ideas to inspire them when the Challenge goes live. The monthly themes are set by the Dirty Dozen Admins and I already have all the themes for my six months. I started in December and will finish up in May 2026.

One proviso is that I am not allowed to share my projects anywhere online until my six months is up so I will have LOTS to share after May 2026. I feel so excited to be a part of the team and I just love that I am learning new techniques and styles of cardmaking that are taking me out of my comfort-zone. I have felt so inspired by my other Team Members too as we all have different ways of creating, interpretations of the monthly themes and our own unique flair.

****************************

So, onto sharing one of the Christmas Cards that I made this season:

I made multiples of this card to give to family and friends and did them production-line style. I saw a similar card on Pinterest a while ago but there was no link or name so no idea who made it. In any case, I did add my own spin to the design to change things up a little.

First up, I diecut the birds on the branches from the Stampin' Up Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper using my Big Shot. I love how Stampin' Up has brought out papers that you can diecut images from because it is a great timesaver when you want to make multiples.

To do the background, I used a Blending Brush on Bristol Smooth White Cardstock to add Stampin' Up Pool Party gradually fading to white. I made the ink a little darker on the RHS. I used my Pool Party Reinker with a little water added to splatter the background using a Fan Brush. I did the same with Kuretake Pale Gold Watercolour Paint. I really like how the splatter just lifted the background from being a little plain. I was in a bit of a hurry so dried my panels with a Heat-Gun.

Here is a different angle so you can see the splatter better:

I stamped branches from the Stampin' Up Golden Greenery Stamp Set - sadly retired - using Versafine Olympia Green Ink. I stamped off first to make the lighter branches and full strength for the darker ones.

Next, I glued on the diecut image using Tombow Mono Multi Glue. This panel was matted onto Pool Party Cardstock then Cherry Cobbler Cardstock. I added some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to the berries for some sparkle.

The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Greetings of the Season Stamp Set - another retired set - but a fabulous one if you can pick it up second-hand. Here is a photo of it:

I stamped both the MERRY and Christmas using Versafine Onyx Black Ink - but separately so I could cut out the MERRY which is popped up on a little scrap of white cardstock.

On a couple of the cards that I was hand-delivering, I added 3 x small Gold Pearls but didn't think to take a photo beforehand. I didn't want to post cards that had pearls on them because I wanted a flat card.

Lastly, I glued my card front to a Kaisercraft White Card Base.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Greetings of the Season #164325 (retired) + Golden Greenery #164331 (retired)

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black + Olympia Green, Stampin' Up Pool Party

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Nests of Winter #164183

Accessories: Big Shot, Stamping Platform, Kuretake Starry Watercolours - Pale Gold, Fan Brush, Blending Brush (Amazon), Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Canson Bristol 250gsm/110lb White Cardstock, Stampin' Up Cardstock - Pool Party + Cherry Cobbler, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Heat-gun

Dies: Stampin' Up Winterly Tree Tops #164065 (retired)

Craft Creations Poinsettia Basket Decoupage Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 06:11:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Christmas Card:

This is also my card for the following Challenge:

Neglected Stuff Challenge 12/25 - where the idea is to use your neglected stuff plus you have to state what you used. I used the decoupage image (5+ years old), designer papers from 2016 and the border punch.

The main image is by Craft Creations - Poinsettia Basket - which is diecut decoupage aka paper tole. I popped all the pieces out then trimmed any little daggy bits around the edges of each piece - then layered them together using 1mm Dimensionals. I added some Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details Glitter Glue to the centres of the poinsettias.

The image was layered onto Kaisercraft Forest Cardstock. All the layers were trimmed to either 1/16" or 1/8" using my Perfect Layers Guides.

The designer papers are by My Mind's Eye - Comfort and Joy - which are long-retired. I adore this collection and it has been one of my all-time favourite Christmas Collections.

I added a scalloped border to the centre panel using a Fiskars Scallop Border Punch and the Forest Cardstock - but it pretty much blends into the background: oh well..... I probably should have popped this panel up in hindsight. I have had this border punch for many years and it was probably the first border punch I ever bought.

The sentiment is by Kaisercraft - Cockatoo Carols - which was released in 2023. All Kaisercraft paper pads have a bunch of sentiments at the back so very handy. I popped the sentiment up on 1mm Dimensionals.

Once I had completed my card front, I glued it to a white card base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 4-7/8" x 6-7/8" or 123mm x 174mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink: None

Designer Paper: My Mind's Eye Comfort and Joy 12" x 12" (2016-retired), Sentiment by Kaisercraft Cockatoo Carols 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" Pad (2023)

Accessories: We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details (retired), 1mm Dimensionals, Craft Creations Ltd Poinsettia Basket 3D Diecut Decoupage DCD546, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Forest + White Card Base

Punches: Fiskars Scallop Border

Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey Sympathy Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:21:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends,

I needed to make another Sympathy Card - this time for a friend whose Dad suddenly passed away:

I seem to have needed quite a few Sympathy Cards recently. My husband and I are of the age where our friends have elderly parents so I have made a couple of extras for my stash. I always think that a handmade Sympathy Card is so much nicer than a bought one - and I especially like to be able to write my own message appropriate to the recipient's circumstances taking into account whether they are religious or not. Some of the messages on the inside of bought cards makes me cringe!

I kept things very simple as you don't need to add much to the beautiful Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey Designer Series Paper. I stamped the foliage on the LHS with Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow Ink three times using one of the stamps from the Darkroom Door Nature Walk Stamp set. I used my Stamping Platform for all the stamping for perfect placement and in case I needed to re-stamp.

The sentiment is from an old sentiment set by Stamp-It Australia released in 2008 and was also stamped using Mossy Meadow Ink. This sentiment set is one that I have used countless times over the years. Stamp-It Australia no longer make stamps for cardmaking. I think someone was going to take over that side of the business some time ago now but the sale fell through which is such a shame.

I layered the image panel onto Anko Cream Cardstock then Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow. I trimmed the panels to 1/16" and 1/8" respectively using my WRMK Perfect Layers Guides.

As a final touch, I added a single Basic Grey Green Rhinestone next to the sentiment. I added a tiny dot of Art Glitter Glue under the rhinestone to make sure the rhinestone stayed put. I thought the rhinestone finished the card nicely.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 4-1/8" x 6" or 105mm x 150mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stamp-It Australia siset014 (sentiment) - retired, Darkroom Door Nature Walk DDRS194

Ink: Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Thoughtful Journey 6" x 6"

Accessories: Stamping Platform, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Basic Grey Green Rhinestone, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layers Guides, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow + Anko Cream (KMart)

Stamperia The Owl's House Christmas Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:32:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Christmas Card that I made using some gorgeous papers by Stamperia - The Owl's House:

Challenges:

This is also my card for the following Challenge -

Allsorts - #836 - Christmas or Anything Goes

No stamping on this card - just layering papers and some diecutting.

The main image was trimmed from the 8" x 8" paper pad then layered onto White Cardstock.

The snowflake side border as well as the woodgrain paper on the card base are also from The Owl's House collection.

The Snowflakes were diecut from Silver Glitter Cardstock using my Big Shot and Impression Obsession Small Snowflake Set. This is another set that I have had for years and one of my favourites. I glued down the centres so I could bend up the snowflake arms for a bit of dimension, then added a Kaisercraft Silver Rhinestone to the centres.

The Silver and White Twine is from KMart (Australia) and came in a set but is no longer on their website.

Finishing touches were adding Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush to lots of areas on the card including the flames in the fireplace. Shame it isn't visible in the photo - but it looks so pretty in real life.

Finished size is 4-15/16" x 4-15/16" or 125mm x 125mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: None

Designer Paper: Stamperia The Owl's House 8" x 8" pad (2025 release)

Accessories: Big Shot, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Silver and White Twine (KMart), Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Kaisercraft Silver Rhinestones, Silver Glitter Cardstock, White Cardstock, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies: Impression Obsession Small Snowflake Set DIE 100-F (retired)

Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender Pocket Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 10:27:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends 😀

Today I am sharing some Pocket Cards using Stampin' Up's Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper. I followed a tutorial by Patti Dolan from You-Tube which you can see here:

I changed the measurements to suit Australian-sized cards.

I made a bunch of cards for my stash but gave one to my sister-in-law as a Get Well Card. It is always good to have some cards on hand with a neutral sentiment that can be used for a variety of occasions which is why I just used the "Hello" sentiment on all my cards.

The first card uses Pretty Peacock Cardstock which I think looks gorgeous with the Perennial Lavender Designer Series Paper:

The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up Simply Said Mix and Match set which is still current in the catalogue. This is a great little set to add to your stash as it has a variety of sentiments and styles of fonts.

I stamped it onto white cardstock using Versamagic Ocean Depth Ink as it was the only ink that I had that matched. Ideally, I would have liked to use Stampin' Up Pretty Peacock Ink but I haven't added that ink to my stash yet. I diecut the circle using my Big Shot and a Lifestyle Nesting Circle Die. I then layered that onto Pretty Peacock Cardstock that I diecut using a Spotlight on Nature Circle Die, then popped it up on dimensionals. These Spotlight on Nature Dies are a great set to get because it has a 12 different decorative circle dies.

The floral insert is removable and here is a photo of the card with the insert removed:

And here is a photo of the insert:

The diecut butterflies are from a recently retired Stampin' Up Set called Sketched Butterflies. I used some Metallic Teal Thick Paper which I bought from KMart (Australia) but I can't see it on their website anymore. It came in a pad that has lots of different colours and is really good quality. I glued just the body of the butterflies down so I could bend the wings up.

When you open up the floral designer paper, you can see that I added some white cardstock so I could write my message:

Now, here is another colourway:

I used the same Perennial Lavender Designer Paper. The sentiment was stamped using Versacolor Violet Pigment Ink and I used a different Stampin' Up Spotlight on Nature Circle Die to diecut the Purple Cardstock. The butterflies were diecut from White Glitter Cardstock.

Here are 2 photos of the insert:

And here is another colourway:

I, again, used the Perennial Lavender Designer Paper. The sentiment was stamped using Versacolor Violet Pigment Ink. The butterflies were diecut using Mauve Glitter Cardstock. They look a bit more pink in the photo for some reason.

It was really fun to sit down and make a bunch of these cards so I could get to understand how this different fun-fold works. I do struggle with cards that are different to the norm so if I make a few of them, it makes it easier for me to understand them - especially if I want to make them again in the future. I ended up making 6 cards so it will good to have them on hand for all the family birthdays that happen just after Christmas when I find it harder to be creative 'cos I am soooooo tired from all the festivities.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Card No. 1 -

Stamps: Stampin' Up Simply Said #163756

Ink: Versamagic Ocean Depth

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" #162593

Accessories: Kaisercraft Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Big Shot, Cardstock - SU Pretty Peacock + White, Metallic Teal Paper (KMart)

Dies: Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), SU Spotlight on Nature #163580 + Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired)

Card No. 2 -

Stamps: Stampin' Up Simply Said #163756

Ink: Versacolor Violet Pigment

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" #162593

Accessories: Kaisercraft Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Big Shot, Cardstock - White + Purple, White Glitter Cardstock

Dies: Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), SU Spotlight on Nature #163580 + Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired)

Card No. 3 -

Stamps: Stampin' Up Simply Said #163756

Ink: Versacolor Violet Pigment

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Perennial Lavender 12" x 12" #162593

Accessories: Kaisercraft Trimmer, Dimensionals, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Big Shot, Cardstock - White + Purple, Mauve Glitter Cardstock

Dies: Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired), SU Spotlight on Nature #163580 + Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired)

Impression Obsession Halloween Hill Mixed Media Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 06:42:00 +0000

Hi everyone 😊

Today I am sharing a Halloween Card:

ETA: I just learned that I made the top 3 over at Craftycatz! Woo hoo!

I really enjoy making Halloween Cards because it gives me the perfect excuse to play with inky backgrounds to create atmosphere for that type of card.

This is also my card for the following Challenges:

Crafty Catz Challenge #703 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Halloween

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #766 - Halloween/Anything Goes

I love to blend inks on Bristol Smooth White Cardstock because they just blend like a dream. First up, I created a mask for the moon from Mylar Film by diecutting a circle from it. Mylar Film is what some stencils are made from and I bought a pack of sheets on EBay. You can buy different weights and the one I bought was 190 micron. I attached it to my cardstock using Repositionable Adhesive. The good thing about the Mylar Film is that you can wipe off the ink and reuse it.

The Ranger Distress Inks that I used are: Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Seedless Preserves, Hickory Smoke and Black Soot - making sure that the RHS was lighter where the moon was. I removed the mask and used a Tim Holtz Layering Moon Mask and Hickory Smoke Ink to add some detail on the moon - then inked over it very lightly with Mustard Seed Ink. I used my Heat-Gun to dry off the panel.

The back diecut is an old die by Impression Obsession called Halloween Hill. I have had this die for many years and it has always been a favourite of mine. I used Anko Black Cardstock which I bought in a pad of neutral tones from KMart (Australia). I inked up some scrap white cardstock with Mustard Seed and added that to the windows of the house - then used Wild Honey for the pumpkin face.

The front diecut is by Memory Box - Graveyard Landscape which dates back to 2012. I popped the diecut up on several layers of scrap black cardstock so that it gave the illusion of depth.

The white ghosts are another die by Memory Box - Ghastly Ghosts - from 2013. It's a really fun die because it diecuts 5 different sized ghosts.

The sentiment is by Hero Arts - Happy Halloween - and is from 2012. I stamped it using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-set it using Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder. I used a Powder Tool on the Black Cardstock before stamping so that I didn't get any stray dots of embossing powder. I popped the sentiment up on Stampin' Up Black Dimensionals. These black dimensionals are so handy for adding underneath dark cardstock. I added a tiny self-adhesive Pale Orange Molossi Rhinestone either side of the sentiment but added a dot of Art Glitter Glue to the rhinestone because this pack is old and the glue dot isn't all that sticky.

To add more atmosphere to my card, I used some White Cobweb to the sky and gravestones adding tiny dots here and there with my Art Glitter Glue to stick it down. This glue dries clear so is perfect for when you use it for something that would otherwise be glaringly obvious! I bought the White Cobweb from my local supermarket.

I used a White Pastel Pencil to add some white highlights to the bottom of the moon and on the black diecuts.

As final touches, I added some sparkle to the pumpkin, house and moon using a Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, adding several layers for extra-sparkle.

I layered the scene onto Colormates Dark Terracotta Cardstock then onto Anko Black Cardstock - then glued my card front onto a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 5-5/16" x 4-1/4" or 151mm x 108mm

Hope you like my card! I had so much fun creating it 😀

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Hero Arts Happy Halloween CL353 (2012-retired)

Ink: Versamark Watermark, Ranger Distress - Dried Marigold, Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Hickory Smoke, Black Soot

Accessories: Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Repositionable Adhesive Tape, Stampin' Up Black Dimensionals, White Cobweb (Woolworths), Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Mylar Film - 190 micron, Blending Tools + Foam Pads, White Pastel Pencil, Molossi Pale Orange Rhinestones, Heat-Gun, Powder Tool, Stampin' Up White Embossing Powder, Cardstock - Bristol Smooth White 250gsm/110lb + Colormates Dark Terracotta + Anko Black/White, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Stencils: Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Layering Moon Mask THMSK01

Dies: Impression Obsession Halloween Hill DIE029-P (retired), Memory Box Graveyard Landscape #98375 (2012-retired), Memory Box Ghastly Ghosts #98701 (2013-retired), Lifestyle Nesting Circles (retired)

Sympathy Card using Porta Craft Embossing Folder

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 10:41:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

My SIL's Mum passed away aged 95 so I have been working on several Sympathy Cards to pass on to family members:

It's a very simple card but it's amazing how long it can take to come up with something that is understated and unfussy!

This is also my card for the following Challenges (click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge Blog):

Neglected Stuff Challenge - 10/25 - which is all about using your neglected supplies - mine is the embossing folder, stamp set and heart punch

I found a rectangular embossing folder in my stash that had a border around it so thought that I could turn it on its side so that I could have some white space on the bottom and top of my card. I have had this Porta Craft Embossing Folder for ages and probably picked it up from a Craft Show here in Australia.

I used a Stamping Platform to stamp the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black. This sentiment is from an old set by Wendy Irving and is one of my first ever clear stamp sets and dates back to at least 2010.

I punched a heart using a very old Carl Heart Duo Punch. This punch pre-dates dies! I added some Designer Dries Clear glue to the heart and added some Opal Glitter which has a very soft and gentle sparkle to it which I thought was appropriate for a Sympathy Card.

This panel has had the RHS corners punched using a We R Memory Keepers 1/2" Corner Chomper. I added the 3/8" wide White Organza Ribbon in two separate elements - and the bow itself was made using a Bow Easy. I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.

I glued the panel to my card base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue that has also had the RHS corners punched with the same Corner Chomper.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Wendy Irving Expressions Clear Set J6412.01 (ret)

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper: None

Accessories: Big Shot, Porta Craft Embossing Folder #107638 (ret), Celebrations of Australia Crystal Opal Glitter Superfine .008, Knight Smooth White Cardstock, White Organza Ribbon 3/8" wide, Fray Stop, Bow Easy, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Stamping Platform

Punches: Carl CP-8 Heart Duo Punch (ret), WRMK 1/2" Corner Chomper

Stampin' Up Love and Sympathy Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 11:01:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a couple of Sympathy Cards that I made:

I ink-blended the retired Stampin' Up ink colour - Soft Sky - onto Knight White Cardstock using a Blending Brush. I wanted the ink to fade from blue at the bottom to white which is easier to achieve using a soft bristle brush. I bought a bunch of them really cheap on Amazon and they work brilliantly.

I punched the two bottom corners using a We R Memory Keepers 1/2" Corner Chomper.

The white rose is a two part die by Frantic Stamper called Long Stemmed Rose which I have had forever. I just checked their website and it is still available so if you want one, you need to get in quick because Frantic Stamper are closing very soon due to Fran retiring. I glued the top layer to the bottom layer using Designer Dries Clear Adhesive which has a very fine tip on it so it made it easier for putting tiny amounts of glue where it was needed. Isn't this rose gorgeous?!!

The sentiment is by Stampin' Up - Love and Sympathy - which is a retired set. I used a Powder Tool on my white cardstock then stamped it using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-set it using Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder. I didn't want to use gold or silver embossing powder because I wanted something more subtle and the Liquid Platinum was perfect for what I needed.

I diecut the sentiment using an Oval Die from the Nellie's Multi Frames Oval 4 set then glued it on using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

The ribbon is from my stash and is 1/4" wide and was tied using my Bow Easy. I glued it on using Helmar's Fabric Glue then added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying. I had to add a tiny glue dot to each tail to hold them down as they wanted to stick up and look weird.

I attached the panel to my White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue then punched the two bottom corners using my Corner Chomper.

Lastly, I added 3 x Kaisercraft Pearls in the colour Bliss.

And now, here is the Pink version:

The main differences are:

I used Ranger Distress Oxide Inks for the ink blending in the colours Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry. The ribbon is 1/4" wide Pink Organza - and the tiny Pink Pearls are by Prima.

I had to take this picture indoors as it was too windy and my card would likely end up in the neighbour's swimming pool - so it isn't quite as bright as it should be.

So, which colour do you prefer? I thought that I might make another one but use a really light purple. I think it is wise to have a few Sympathy Cards on-hand because I always seem to lose my creativity spark when I need one in a hurry.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and for any comments you care to leave.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Card #1

Stamps: Stampin' Up Love and Sympathy #122797 (retired)

Ink: Versamark Watermark, Stampin' Up Soft Sky (retired)

Designer Paper: None

Accessories: Big Shot, Powder Tool, Heat-gun, Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder, Stamping Platform, Satin Ribbon 1/4" wide (stash), Bow Easy, Fray Stop, Glue Dots, Knight White Smooth Cardstock, Blending Brush (Amazon), Kaisercraft Pearls - Bliss SB718, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Helmar's Fabric Glue

Punches: WRMK 1/2" Corner Chomper

Dies: Frantic Stamper Long Stemmed Rose (set of 2) FRA-DIE-09113, Nellie's Multi Frames MFD047 - Oval 4

Card #2

Stamps: Stampin' Up Love and Sympathy #122797 (retired)

Ink: Versamark Watermark, Ranger Distress Oxide Spun Sugar + Picked Raspberry

Designer Paper: None

Accessories: Big Shot, Powder Tool, Heat-gun, Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder, Stamping Platform, Pink Organza Ribbon 1/4" wide (stash), Bow Easy, Fray Stop, Knight White Smooth Cardstock, Blending Brush (Amazon), Prima Pearls, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Helmar's Fabric Glue

Punches: WRMK 1/2" Corner Chomper

Dies: Frantic Stamper Long Stemmed Rose (set of 2) FRA-DIE-09113, Nellie's Multi Frames MFD047 - Oval 4

Stampin' Up Sketched Butterflies Thank You Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:49:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a Thank You Card for a nurse who works at my local GP clinic:

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

Allsorts Challenge Blog - #830 - I Spy Something Beginning with B or Anything Goes if you find the former too complicated

Can You Handle the Pressure (Dry/Heat Embossing) Challenge - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Balloons

I pulled out a recent purchase from Stampin' Up: Sketched Butterflies - but just used the accompanying Sketched Butterflies Dies on my card. This bundle was on the Last Chance List but is no longer available. My Stampin' Up Demonstrator - Rachel - did a class back in March using this bundle and I just loved them and couldn't add them to my cart quick enough when I got home after class 😀 Just as well that I did because they disappeared a week or so later!

To make my card: I watered down some Ranger Distress Inks in the colours Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade and Evergreen Bough then added some white paint from a White Posca Pen to the colours to make pastel shades - then used a paintbrush to paint them onto 300gsm/140lb Watercolour Paper. I made sure I had plenty of variation in the tones. I then diecut the butterflies using the 2 different butterflies - one is the base and the top is the detailed die.

I wanted to add a bit more life to the butterflies so splattered on the same ink colours but in full strength as well as some White Posca Pen, then some watered down JoSonja Pale Gold Acrylic Gouache Paint. To add some subtle sparkle, I coloured the top butterflies with a Uniquely Creative Clear Glitter Brush - alas not picked up by the camera. I only glued down the centre of the top detailed butterfly so I could bend up the wings for dimension. I added some tiny matching Self-Adhesive Rhinestones to the butterfly centres. Even though the rhinestones are self-adhesive, I added a tiny dot of Designer Dries Clear Art Glitter Glue fitted with a fine tip to make sure they didn't fall off or move. I have learned from past experience that they just don't stay put - the glue dot just isn't strong enough especially when alot of my rhinestones are quite old and seem to have lost a bit of their stickiness over that time.

The dry embossing is a Stampin' Up embossing folder called Eyelet. It is a 3D folder so I sprayed the white cardstock with water using my Ranger Mister so it wouldn't crack when I put it through my Big Shot. Isn't this embossing folder gorgeous?! It is still current so go grab one!

I used a 3/8" WRMK Corner Chomper to punch the two bottom corners of the embossed panel then glue the panel to a Uniquely Creative White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue. I punched the two bottom corners of the card base using a 1/2" Corner Chomper.

I had so much trouble with the sentiment. I seemed to spend hours messing it up. First, the scrap of white cardstock that I stamped it on was lousy quality and when I heat-embossed it, it turned out really flat. So I tried better quality and it turned out fine - but because I was originally using a two part sentiment, I kept stamping the 2nd one crooked despite using a Stamping Platform. When I finally got it right, I used an oval die to diecut it and messed up the diecutting several times. In the end, I figured I should just use a different sentiment. I don't know why I didn't just do that before I messed up countless times - but sometimes you just don't know till you are at the point of giving up - however, I find it hard to give up on something because I am always so determined, sometimes to a fault 😏

So, I used a sentiment which is from a free stamp set that came with a UK Cardmaking and Papercraft Magazine ages ago and it worked out perfectly first time around. I stamped it using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-embossed it with Ranger Superfine Detail Gold Embossing Powder. I used a Powder Tool before stamping to take care of any stray embossing powder.

I diecut the sentiment using a Lifestyle Nesting Rectangle Die then cut an angle on the RHS. I layered the sentiment onto diecut Kaisercraft Gold Foil Paper and adjusted it to the right and down which added a tiny border. I popped the sentiment up on Kaisercraft Double-sided Foam Pads but added a little bit of Tombow Mono Multi Glue to add a bit of extra adhesion to the dry embossing.

Lastly, I bent up the wings which you can see in this photo:

I decorated the card inside later on but it was too late to photograph it as the sun was setting and it was dreary. It's always hard to photograph cards in Winter let alone later in the day - plus I wanted to write in the card and have it sitting on my handbag for giving to the nurse first thing tomorrow so I didn't forget to take it to my appointment with her. They have forecast a ton of rain here tomorrow so I figured that I was unlikely to be able to photograph it in the morning and was also worried that I might forget it altogether!

The great thing about the card is that you could use it for many different occasions just by changing the sentiment.

Finished size is 105mm x 148mm which is a standard A6 card in Australia - or 4-1/8" x 5-13/16" if you go by imperial measurements.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Sincere Sentiments - SC Design by Simmone Clay (free with magazine)

Ink: Ranger Distress Picked Raspberry + Squeezed Lemonade + Evergreen Bough, Versamark Watermark

Designer Paper: Kaisercraft Foil Paper Pad FC220

Accessories: Big Shot, Stampin' Up Eyelet Embossing Folder #163414, Ranger Mister, 300gsm/140lb Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper, Uniquely Creative Clear Glitter Brush UCE1811, Molossi Pink + Blue Rhinestones, Franceville Gold Assorted Rhinestones, White Posca Paint Pen, JoSonja Pale Gold Acrylic Gouache, Paint Brush, Powder Tool, Heat-Gun, Ranger Superfine Detail Gold Embossing Powder SFJ06961, Stamping Platform, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Designer Dries Clear Art Clear Adhesive, Uniquely Creative White Cardstock + Card Base

Punches: We R Memory Keepers 1/2" + 3/8" Corner Chompers

Dies: Stamping' Up! Sketched Butterflies #163491 (retired), Lifestyle Nesting Rectangles L-CC-006 (retired)

Stampin' Up Rock Star Birthday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 11:51:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends 😀

I made another Masculine Birthday Card - this time for my husband's birthday. My husband plays guitar in two bands so it was a no-brainer to use the very cool Stampin' Up Rock Star Stamp Set for his card:

ETA: I just learned that I was top 3 over at Make my Monday! Woo hoo!

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

Make My Monday - #257 - Masculine Card

A Perfect Time to Craft - #8 August - Anything Goes

It's such a shame that Stampin' Up retired this Rock and Roll Bundle so quickly. It only appeared in the January - April Mini Catalogue in 2024 and I thought it might carry over into the new catalogue in May - but it didn't. I think it is so unique and I will no doubt keep it forever like The Open Sea.

I stamped one guitar onto a sheet of Stampin' Up Bright and Beautiful Designer Series Paper then fussy cut it out. I thought the stars on the paper looked really cool for the body of the guitar. I stamped the guitar again onto Smoky Slate Cardstock and fussy-cut the pick guard, neck and head. I stamped another guitar onto Lost Lagoon Cardstock and fussy-cut it as well. I went around all the cut edges using an Anko Black Brush Pen to hide any imperfections in my trimming.

Once I had all my pieces stamped out, I then layered all the various pieces together and I am so pleased with how they turned out. I often forget that I can stamp images onto designer paper to paper-piece my projects. I should put a reminder note on the wall in front of my craft desk.

Here is a close-up of the guitars:

The designer paper on the card base is also by Stampin' Up - Rock and Roll. I roughed up the edges using a Uniquely Creative Edge Distressing Tool then screwed up the paper a couple of times to add some creases then ink-blended around the edges with Stampin' Up Basic Gray Ink as well as a few other places to make it all grungy. I added a few rips to the paper and I just love how it turned out.

I glued the designer paper to Lost Lagoon Cardstock then onto Basic Black Cardstock leaving about an 1/8" border of each. I also ink-blended around the cardstock using the same Basic Gray Ink.

I stamped the sentiment using Versamark Watermark Ink and heat-embossed it using Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder. I used a Powder Tool first so I could get a cleaner image. I then diecut the sentiment using the giant pick from the Rock Star Dies. Doesn't it look amazing!!

The LHS guitar is popped up on a scrap of white cardstock and the RHS guitar is popped up on 3 layers of scraps of white cardstock - then glued to the designer paper using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

The stars were diecut using Stampin' Up Summer Splash Glitter Cardstock which I thought matched the Lost Lagoon Cardstock really well. The lightning bolts coming out of the bottom of the guitars were diecut from Kaisercraft Silver Glitter Cardstock.

I was so pleased with how my card turned out. It took a while to get there because originally I had three guitars and I had paper-pieced a number of them before I was happy with what I ended up using. Sometimes a card comes together really quickly and other times, you try various things and you are just not quite happy - then you pivot, and bam, it works out and you love what you have ended up with. But you learn along the way and that's a good thing especially if you want to make another card with the same stamp and die set.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Rock Star #162696 (retired)

Ink: Stampin' Up Basic Gray, Versamark Watermark

Designer Paper: Stampin' Up Rock and Roll 12" x 12" #162695 (retired) + Bright and Beautiful 6" x 6" #161449 (retired)

Accessories: Stampin' Up Summer Splash Glitter Cardstock #163771 (retired), Kaisercraft Silver Glitter Cardstock, Kaisercraft Trimmer, Ink Blending Tool + Domed Pad, Heat-gun, Powder Tool, Stampendous Detail White Opaque Embossing Powder DP100, Uniquely Creative Edge Distressing Tool, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Fussy-cutting Scissors, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Lost Lagoon + Smoky Slate + Basic Black, Scraps of White Cardstock

Dies: Stampin' Up Rock Star #162705

Pion Design Mister Tom's Treasures Vintage Car Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:31:00 +0000

Hi blogging friends 😄

I continue to be very busy in my Craft Room whipping up masculine cards for all those birthdays our family has in August plus one for Father's Day in September. This time, I pulled out my Pion Design Mister Tom's Treasures Designer Papers which I bought on clearance not too long ago. They are from 2016 and I really love them because they are just a classic design. None of the men in our family are into fishing, play sport, gaming or drinking so I am always after designer papers that aren't any of those things.

Pion Design closed at the end of 2023 and I really, really miss them. Their vintage-inspired papers were so unique and it really left a hole in the market.

Anyhow, onto the first of my 3 cards:

This card is also for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

A Perfect Time to Craft - August - Challenge #8 - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Challenge #699 - Anything Goes

This card is for my husband for Father's Day which is in September here in Australia. The vintage car was trimmed from one of the Pion Design Mister Tom's Treasures designer papers then layered onto Kaisercraft Shadow Cardstock. I ink-blended around the edges using Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink and my Ink Blending Tool which was fitted with a Domed Pad.

On a whim, I decided to stamped around the edges of this main panel using Antique Linen Distress Ink and two stamps: Uniquely Creative Longhand and Kaisercraft Vintage Clocks. You can see a close-up of the stamping here:

I really like how that simple bit of stamping just added something to the whole vintage-vibe that I was trying to create.

The centre panel was dry embossed using my Big Shot and a free Mini Embossing Folder that came with a UK Papercraft Magazine. I also ink-blended the panel with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Both the top and bottom designer paper are by Authentique - Manly - which is from 2020.

The sentiment was also trimmed from the same Pion papers, ink blended with Antique Linen Distress Ink then popped up on scraps of white cardstock. I added some Inque Boutique Brads to each corner. This pack of brads has a variety of tarnished metal colours and suited the vintage theme really well. Lastly, I glued my card front to a Cream Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

And here is a pic of the inside:

Both the sentiment and vintage car are by Stampin' Up from a retired set called Guy Greetings. I stamped them using Stampin' Up Night of Navy Ink and used a Stamp Positioner so I could stamp the images several times.

Here is my 2nd card:

The vintage car is again from the Pion Design Mister Tom's Treasures Designer Paper. I layered the car onto some Pion Design Brown Designer Paper then onto Kaisercraft Grey Cardstock which has brown tones in it and matched really well. I stamped around the Vintage Car using the same stamps and ink as my first card.

The centre strip of designer paper and the sentiment is from Mister Tom's Treasures - Borders. The top designer paper is Pion Design and the bottom is by Authentique - Manly. I again added Antique Linen Distress Ink to all the edges. I added the Inque Boutique Brads to each corner which are a lovely burnished copper colour and matched the car perfectly. I glued the card front to a Cream Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Here is a pic of the inside:

I used the same Stampin' Up set as Card #1 but used Ranger Archival Potting Soil for the stamping.

And now for Card #3:

Everything was done pretty much the same as the previous two cards. The Dark Brown Cardstock is from my stash. The top and bottom designer paper is by Authentique - Manly. The centre strip of designer paper is by Pion Design.

I forgot to add the brads before I glued the card front to my Cream Card Base - oh well......

Here is a pic of the inside:

I used Stampin' Up Early Espresso ink for the stamping.

It was really good to do three cards using the same layout and mostly the same supplies so I could get them done as soon as I could as I have a few more masculine cards to do yet.

Finished size of all three cards is 5-3/4" x 3-15/16" or 146mm x 100mm.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Card #1:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Guy Greetings #137178 (retired) - card inside, Uniquely Creative Longhand UC1832, Kaisercraft Vintage Clocks DD904

Ink: Ranger Antique Linen Distress, Stampin' Up Night of Navy (card inside)

Designer Paper: Pion Design Mister Tom's Treasures (2016), Authentique Manly #MAN010 6" x 6" (2020)

Accessories: Big Shot, Embossing Folder - free with magazine, Ranger Ink Blending Tool + Domed Foam Pad, Inque Boutique Brads, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Shadow + Scraps of White + Cream Card Base, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Stamp Positioning Tool

Card #2:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Guy Greetings #137178 (retired) - card inside, Uniquely Creative Longhand UC1832, Kaisercraft Vintage Clocks DD904

Ink: Ranger Antique Linen Distress, Ranger Archival Potting Soil

Designer Paper: Pion Design Mister Tom's Treasures (2016), Authentique Manly #MAN010 6" x 6" (2020)

Accessories: Ranger Ink Blending Tool + Domed Foam Pad, Inque Boutique Brads, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Grey + Scraps of White + Cream Card Base, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Stamp Positioning Tool

Card #3:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Guy Greetings #137178 (retired) - card inside, Uniquely Creative Longhand UC1832, Kaisercraft Vintage Clocks DD904

Ink: Ranger Antique Linen Distress, Stampin' Up Early Espresso

Accessories: Ranger Ink Blending Tool + Domed Foam Pad, Cardstock - Dark Brown + Scraps of White + Cream Card Base, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Stamp Positioning Tool

Stamperia Sea Land Masculine Birthday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:06:00 +0000

Hi everyone 😄

I have loads of masculine birthdays coming up in August so I have been very busy in my Craft Room. I had some very old stripey Wendy Irving Designer Paper in my stash which I pulled out to make a card and was thinking that I would colour up a Penny Black Dog Stamp to match it. I just happened to pull out a Stamperia Sea Land 12" x 12" Paper Pad when I was looking for some other masculine papers and popped the paper pad on top of the stripey paper - and then realised they matched so perfectly that I thought I was absolutely meant to use them together for a card. And here is what I created:

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to the Challenge:

Love those Pretty Papers - July - Anything Goes with Optional Theme of Birthday. Note that they want to see LOTS of your paper and not just a tiny scrap

Crafty Catz - #699 - Anything Goes

The main image was trimmed from one of the Stamperia papers and layered onto some Brown Cardstock from my stash. I went around the edges with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink and my Ink Blending Tool fitted with a Domed Pad. I popped up the panel on scraps of white cardstock.

The Wendy Irving Designer Paper is called Relax and is from their Urban Dude Collection and dates back to 2007. You can't get this paper anymore from my search on the internet. All I know is that it is Australian. I layered the paper onto Brown Cardstock and went around the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I really wanted to do a Carrick Bend Knot with the twine on the bottom panel. The Carrick Bend Knot is a sailor's knot and I thought it fitted the whole theme of the card. I used two strands of the twine instead of one because it looked better. The designer paper on this panel is by Kaisercraft - High Tide - and if you look closely at the paper, the rope on it looks very similar to the Carrick Bend Knot. I went around all the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I glued my twine on using Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive and just trimmed the ends of the twine flush with the panel as it was far easier than tucking them underneath and having so much bulk.

I layered the bottom panel onto Brown Cardstock and punched the bottom with a Fiskars Threading Water Border Punch - then popped the panel up on scraps of white cardstock. If you are no stranger to my blog, you will know that I use this border punch ALOT for masculine cards.

The sentiment is from the High Tide Designer Paper. Kaisercraft always have lots of sentiments in the back of their small pads which comes in very handy when you want a matching sentiment. I again went around the edges with Antique Linen Distress Ink then popped the panel up on scraps of cardstock.

As a finishing touch, I added some Stampin' Up Adhesive-Backed Swirl Dots which I thought matched really well.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 6" x 6" or 150mm x 150mm.

This card will be going to my brother-in-law who retired to Tasmania and his house overlooks the sea.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: None

Ink: Ranger Distress Antique Linen

Designer Paper: Wendy Irving Relax J5111.01 12" x 12" (from Urban Dude Collection - 2007), Kaisercraft High Tide 6-1/2" x 6-1/2", Stamperia Sea Land 12" x 12"

Accessories: Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Ink Blending Tool + Domed Pad, Stampin' Up Adhesive-Backed Swirl Dots #163464, Twine (stash), Square White Card Base, Cardstock - Brown + Scraps of White

Punches: Fiskars Threading Water Border

Stampin' Up Silly Goose Birthday Card

noreply@blogger.com (Jocelyn aka JoBear2) — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 10:54:00 +0000

Hi everyone 😀

I have taken a break from making Thank You Cards to make a Birthday Card for my daughter's birthday:

Challenges:

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined links to take you to their blog:

Crafty Catz Challenge #697 - Anything Goes

Alphabet Challenge Blog - F is for Feathers (my feathers are on the goose)

My daughter really loves playing "The Untitled Goose Game" which is a really fun video game that was developed in Australia. So it really was a no-brainer to use the adorable Stampin'Up Silly Goose Set to make a card for her birthday.

I stamped the image onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink. I coloured the image with a mix of Lyra + Derwent Watercolour Pencils + Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. I used my Zigs to add some blades of grass underneath the goose. Of course, after I had done that, I noticed that there is a stamp in the set that you can use to stamp grass. I hadn't really noticed it before for some reason! Isn't that goose just so adorable?!

I re-stamped the image and cut out just the balloon and went around the edges with an Anko Black Pigment Brush Pen to hide the white edge - then popped up the balloon on a 0.5mm foam pad. I went over all the black lines of the goose etc. with an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen to darken then up after my colouring.

I diecut the image using a My Favorite Things Inside and Out Stitched Rectangle Stax Die - then glued it to some designer paper. I rounded the corners using a We R Memory Keepers 1/2" Corner Chomper.

The sentiment was diecut using an old retired Spellbinders Labels Trio Die. This is another die that I have used countless times over the years.

All the designer papers are by Echo Park - Happy Birthday - which were released in 2017. I didn't use any cardstock for my layers - they are all designer papers.

The bottom panel was punched using a Fiskars Scallop Border Punch. The ribbon is from my stash and was originally purchased from KMart some years ago now.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Uniquely Creative White Card Base. Final touches were Stampin' Up Dazzling Details Glitter Glue to the balloon and the party hat and three x Aqua Couture Creations Gemstones.

Finished size is: 4-1/8" x 5-3/16" or 105mm x 148mm.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up Silly Goose #160734 (retired)

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper: Echo Park Happy Birthday 6" x 6" (from 2017) (retired)

Accessories: Big Shot, Lyra + Derwent Watercolour Pencils, Kuretake Clean Color Real Brush Markers, #4 Round Paintbrush, Ribbon (KMart), WRMK 1/2" Corner Chomper, 0.5mm Self-Adhesive Doublesided Foam Squares, Ranger Watercolour Cardstock, Stampin' Up Dazzling Details Glitter Glue, Couture Creations 3mm + 4mm Aqua Gemstones, Anko Black Pigment Brush + 0.05 Liner, Uniquely Creative White Card Base, Tombow Mono Multi Glue

Punches: Fiskars Scallop Border (retired)

Dies: My Favorite Things Inside and Out Stitched Rounded Rectangle STAX MFT-0848 (retired), Spellbinder Shapeabilities Labels Trio S3-147 (retired)