Optical Illusion Card

Hey Everybody,

Today I have a very different kind of card for you. it is for an optical illusion challenge.  Janelle's challenge was illusions. You can find it here. I know this looks like I put a square piece of vellum over the circles, but I promise I didn't.

I punched out dark colors with a 1 1/4" circle punch. Then I punched out a light color to go with each dark color circle. The circles in the center were cut in half. The corner circles were cut into quarters. I attached the light colored partial circles to the dark circles. Then I lined the circles up so it looked like a square in the middle. I stamped the sentiment then colored my stamp with a Stampin' Write marker and stamped the accents next to the sentiment.

Keywords: MIX687

Stamps: Paradise Garden

Paper: white, poppy parade

Paper Size: A2

Ink: Blackberry Bliss

Accessories: 1 1/4" circle punch, Blackberry Bliss Stampin' Write marker

Techniques: coloring on stamps, illusions

So, what do you think? Isn't it a cool technique?  I didn't come up with it myself. When I saw the challenge of optical illusions I googled it.  Here are a few videos that can help you if you'd like to do the same card, or something different.

Have fun with it, I did.  

So glad you stopped by today. I pray you had a blessed Easter.  Our Easter was quiet as the kids were celebrating with other side of the family today. We will celebrate tomorrow. I am happy anytime we can get together. I especially like that no one has anywhere else to go so they don't have to eat and run.

If we celebrated Easter Sunday that's what would have happened.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

Easter Sunday 2026

 Hey Everybody,

Happy Easter to You!  Many people say, "He has Risen."  The response is, "He has Risen Indeed." What a joyous day for all of us. Christ overcame death and now we can live with Him forever in Heaven. What a precious gift we've been given. 

Today I have a technique for you that I hadn't done before. The technique is called Spotlight Debossing. Check it out here.

Here are Karen's directions for this technique.

Here's what you need to do:
1. Look through your stash and find 2 pieces of colored cardstock.
2. Choose a shape to cut from both pieces of colored cardstock. I used a rectangle die for mine.
3. Next, choose an embossing folder. Place the larger piece (negative) into the folder and add the other color die cut piece into the negative space on the DEBOSSING side of your folder and run that through your machine.
4. Glue the pieces onto a base, matching up the pattern.
5. Take a black stamp pad or try a dark color, hold it flat against your debossed side and rub until the whole panel is covered with ink. The black will only be on the raised areas so don't push down too hard with your ink pad

I embossed and cut the yellow and pink cardstock, then pulled night of navy ink over both pieces. Next I glued them to the designer series paper and added that to a white card base. I die cut the words and shadow for the words and glued them together. I added them to the card base with dimensionals. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Date: Sunday, March 29, 2026 GMT Views: 219

Additional Info

Keywords: TLC1101

Stamps: n/a

Paper: white, night of navy, daffodil delight, bubble bath, SU Beautiful bokeh designer series paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: night of navy

Accessories: Waffle Flower oversized take care die, Jillian Vance-stitched die arch, SU-sunflower 3D embossing folder, dimensionals

Techniques: Spotlight Debossing

Have you ever done this technique? I'd like to try it again and experiment with different shaped dies.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

An Inspiration Challenge You Can Do At Home

Hey Everybody,

Nancy's challenge today is to use squares and rectangles. You can find her challenge here. 
I cut two different sized squares from designer paper then added a cardstock layer behind it. I did the same with the rectangles. Once the card was together, I added the fussy cut images and the epoxy shapes.

How did I decide where to put the designer series papers?  The rectangle looked like a table cloth we used to use for picnics. So I placed it on my card on top of the cute bugs in the background.  Next I looked for something for the little bee to water. I added that square piece like a diamond. Next I wanted paper that was a bit plain so I could add a sentiment. I chose the plants then fussy cut the lady bug and added her to the card. Lastly, I added the epoxy pieces like the ladybug and the clear epoxy drops that look like dew drops on the leaves.

 

Stamps: Rolling Waves

Paper: white, poppy parade, SU-Cute as a Bug designer series paper

Ink: Blackberry Bliss

Accessories: scissors, SU Ladybug and Epoxy shapes

Techniques: fussy cutting

Our next challenge can be found here. This is an inspiration challenge so the idea is to pick something from the site and make a card with it as a reference.  Here is the inspiration for my card. 

Here is my card.  I kept my buildings in browns and grays and used a blending brush to color clouds in the sky. I wanted this to look more like a masculine card since it will be used at the hospital. I stamped the sentiment below the buildings. This will be on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Stamps: Sunny Studio-Charming City, Unity Stamps-Windowsill Woodlands

Paper: smoky slate, basic beige

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedo black

Accessories: Copic Markers, blending brush, cloud cut out

Techniques: coloring, ink blending

This is a new stamp for me. I realized that with all of the stamps I had, I didn't have any type of buildings. This is from Sunny Studios and the sentiment is from Unity Stamps in the set called Windowsill Woodlands.  I may do another card and make it more colorful like my inspiration piece.

You know the reason I love doing these daily challenges is because it helps me use my stamps and it challenges me to think of specific things for cards. Often times I'm using older stamps which might lead me to dies or sentiments I haven't used in a while.  These keep me going through my stamps looking for stamps to use for challenges which enables me to see what I have and it helps me remember what things might go together for a card.

It also enabled me to see that I could use a cityscape for masculine cards. This is a quick and easy card to make.

So try this for a challenge. Find something in your house and use it for your inspiration for a card. It could be a photo, wall art, clothing, dishes, a plant, anything at all.  

Then look through your stamps and see what you have that is similar to your item in some way. It could be the color inspires you, or the shape or the writing or pictures on the item.

It's a fun way to get ideas for cards that might be more out of the box for you.  It's fun to see where you start with your inspiration and where you end up with how your card looks.

I hope you give it a try.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

Challenges of Aesop and Alphabet

 Hey Everybody,

The two challenge cards I have for you today are The Alphabet Challenge. This week we are making cards for the letter I. The second card is for The Ways To Use It Challenge. We were to use one of the animals from Aesop's Fables on our card.

The alphabet challenge is for indigo and iridescent. I stamped with starry sky then masked the flowers and added the shaded spruce stems. I stamped the sentiment and added starry sky paper behind it. I added the iridescent gems and stamped the butterflies. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Stamps: SU-Bright Wishes, SU Painted Lavender

Paper: white, starry sky, blue designer paper give to me

Paper Size: A2

Ink: starry sky, shaded spruce

Accessories: post-it note, scissors, iridescent gems

Techniques: masking

Sabrina's challenge for the Ways To Use It Challenge can be found here.  
I chose to make one of Aesop's animals, the mouse. I also stamped individual letters for Happy. I stamped the image and colored it with copic markers. I highlighted the bubbles with white gel pen and paper glaze. I added the image panel to a piece of designer paper that I was given. That was added to a starry sky card base.

I wanted to learn how to color bubbles so I looked at a few You-Tube videos. It is the first time I've explored how to color bubbles. Usually I just color them lightly or add a clear get over the top of them.  This time I used Copic Markers of pink and blue then covered the bubbles.

Do you ever do that when you're stamping? Look at images or videos on line to see how something is colored, shaded or drawn?  I love doing this to learn new things as I create cards or scrapbook pages.

Stamps: Stampin' Up-Alphabet & Bubbles, House Mouse-Blowing Bubbles, SU-Rolling Waves

Paper: white, starry sky, designer paper given to me

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedo black, gorgeous grape

Accessories: copic markers, Aleene's paper glaze, white gel pen

Techniques: Coloring

Is there a stamp you have that you want to know more about? Maybe an animal or building that you could learn how to shade? Maybe you could use a new coloring tool? You could also look up different ways to use the coloring things you have.

To give you an idea. I took distress inks and smudged them onto my glass mat and spritzed water on them. Then I used my paint brush to watercolor my image.  I haven't used my distress inks like that before. Now I know it's not a new technique. People do this all of the time. I however, had never done it before and I had lots of fun shading an animal on my card.

Well, I'll see you again soon.

Blessings,

Sue

Stampin' Up! What's New For April

 

Hey Everybody,

Stampin’ UP! NEW Product of The Month is Here, Two New Kits and An Updated Last Chance List!

I wanted to let you know about some NEW things available. 

First off – being April – we’ve got a NEW Product of the Month available for you to pick (for just $5) when you place an order of $75 or greater!  Check out the Eyelet Blooms Die!

Give your card fronts and crafts a dainty touch with the Eyelet Blooms Die. Create delicate backgrounds with a hand-stitched look or layer pieces for a classic finish that works for any occasion. It’s eyelet magic for every card.

The Eyelet Blooms Die is the exclusive Product of the Month for April 2026! Only available until stock runs out—don’t wait to get yours!

Here are the details:
– April 2026 Product of the Month
– 1 die
– Largest die: 4-3/8″ x 6″ (11.1 x 15.2 cm)
– Use with a Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine (sold separately)

So – get your order of  $75+ order in in APRIL and you’ll be eligible to purchase this cool new DIE set for just $5!

As a way to tempt you – check out our TWO new Kits – they’ll help you get to that $75 order level – easy peasy!

Our first new kit for April is the gorgeous Painted Skies Kit!

If beautiful sunsets are your thing, the Painted Skies Kit is calling your name. Create vibrant, hand-painted–style skies with scenes featuring lighthouses, palm trees, and rolling ocean waves as your artistic focal points. Friendly greetings, gratitude themes, and celebratory sentiments add just the right finishing touch.

What’s in the box:
– 9 cards (3 each of 3 designs) and 9 printed envelopes. Finished cards are 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″
– Sentiments printed in Dutch, English, French, and German
– Precut paper pieces
– Sequins
– Step-by-step instructions
– Adhesive

Featured colors: Balmy Blue, Blueberry Bushel, Crushed Curry, Flirty Flamingo, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Hydrangea Hue, Melon Mambo, Night of Navy, Petal Pink, Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Strawberry Slush, white

Our second kit for April is the Sunniest Stories Scrapbooking Kit!

Think of the Sunniest Stories Scrapbooking Kit as a little treasure box for your memories. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to create six meaningful spreads, including pockets, photo frames, printed sentiments, lined pages for your stories, and plenty of fun accents. This kit is full of creative possibilities and the perfect place to honor the moments that make your heart feel full!

What’s in the box:

– Makes six two-page scrapbook spreads – page size: 12″ x 12″
– Sentiments printed in English, French, and German
– 12 sheets of single-sided Designer Series Paper
– 4 sheets of precut images and phrases
– 4 sheets of cut-apart designs
– 20 colored and patterned 4″ x 6″ cards
– 1 sheet of printed stickers
– 8 yards (7.3 m) of Tear & Tape Adhesive
– 100 Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals
– 50 Mini Glue Dots

Featured colors: Azure Afternoon, Basic Beige, Basic Black, Calypso Coral, Darling Duckling, Night of Navy, Petal Pink, Shaded Spruce

I think you need to head over to the Kits Collection to check out ALL the kits that are currently available – that’s the best way to see EVERYTHING!

Or – if you want to just go get the new kits – here they are!

Painted Skies Kit – 167822

Price: $18.00

Add to Cart

 

Sunniest Stories Scrapbooking Kit – 167824

Price: $38.00

Add to Cart

Supply List

Finally – we’ve got NEW Items in the Last Chance Products category in the Online Store.

You can find all the Last Chance Products in the online store here: Last Chance Products.

Just note that products remain on the list until they’re gone – and when they ARE gone – they are FOR SURE GONE.  Going on the list means Stampin’ Up! will NOT re-stock them! 

That's it for today. See you again soon.

Blessings,

Sue