A Sketch Challenge and What is Hybrid Ink?

 Hey Everybody,

Today begins Stampin' Up's Earn Double points for purchases. This is for three days, April 15th-17th.  Instead of earning 10% you get 20% credit on a $20 or more order. Check it out here.

Here is our challenge for today. You can check it out here.

I cut a 3" square then used my punch to make fancy corners. I stamped the little guy with the new Stampin' Up! black hybrid ink. I water colored with my water brush and inks smooshed on my glass mat. This was a fun way to easily layer the colors of the bird. I layered the card and added the sentiment on the reverse side of my designer series paper. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: SC1108

Stamps: Unity Stamps-A Little Ruffled, SU basic black hybrid

Paper: white, night of navy, SU Floral Charm designer series paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: Distress Inks-mustard seed, dried marigold, spiced marmalade, rusty hinge

Accessories: water brush, SU triple punch

Techniques: watercoloring

The Basic Black Hybrid Stampin’ Pad is an all-purpose ink pad for coloring stamped images with Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers AND for watercoloring! That’s right! Gone are the days of using different black inks for specialty coloring techniques—the Basic Black Hybrid Stampin’ Pad can handle them all. Simply stamp your image in this ink, wait for it to dry, and confidently color it in with zero bleeding. Features a felt ink pad with permanent, acid-free ink in our unique color formulation of black.

DETAILS
- 1 ink pad
- Color: Basic Black
- Works with alcohol markers AND watercoloring
- Permanent ink
- Acid free
- Refill available (sold separately)

HYBRID STAMPIN’ PADS
- Are the ultimate ink pads for craft stamping and coloring techniques.
- Are bleed-resistant to alcohol markers and watercolor.
- Have a high-quality permanent ink for an amazing color experience.
- Are great for both beginners and experts!

*This ink pad will be available May 5th with the new catalog.

166648    BASIC BLACK HYBRID STAMPIN' PAD    $12.00

I wouldn't get rid of my Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad which is used when coloring with alcohol markers. Nor would I get rid of my Stazon black ink which is used for Watercoloring. I'd use those inks up before purchasing the hybrid ink unless you are tired of trying to remember which ink you use for which process.

I found this pad was difficult to open by lifting the lid. When I opened it like the new magnetic ink pads, it worked well.  To open the new magnetic ink pads, hold the top of the case and roll the lid to the right and lift.

 Well, that's it for today. I get to see my Mia Mia and my buddy Si Guy tonight. I'm babysitting and can't wait! That's what grandmas live for, watching the grands without parents around! LOL

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

2X Rewards and Another Challenge Card

 Hey Everybody,

I'm back to card making. Woohoo!  

Our Alphabet challenge was color of a gem for the letter G. My favorite color is blue so I used different colors of blue. I love sapphires so I used navy and stamped it off for the clouds.

I stamped the leaves with peaceful pine then added the flowers with hydrangea hue. These are two of the two new in-colors for Stampin' Up.

 Then I used my blending brush to color the sky. I stamped off several times for the clouds. Then I stamped the birds and sentiment in navy ink. I added gems to three flowers and the ribbon to the field of flowers.

I got extra credit for adding gems to my card. LOL-just kidding.

I love how the ribbon divided the clouds from the field of flowers.

Double Stampin’ Rewards From Stampin’ Up! April 15-17!!

  Stampin’ Up! just announced that they’ll be offering DOUBLE Stampin’ Rewards on all orders of $20+ placed between April 15-17!!  Here are the details:

• Earn double rewards (2x rewards) for three days only, starting April 15, 2026.
  • Sales Period:  April 15–17
  • Offer begins April 15, 2026 at 12:01 AM (MT)
  • Offer ends April 17, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (MT)
• This offer applies to ALL products (excluding existing Paper Pumpkin subscriptions).
• All orders qualify once the rewards threshold of $20 is met.
• To participate, you must have a Stampin’ Up! account and be opted in to Stampin’ Rewards.
  • You can find more details about Stampin’ Rewards and find a link to opt in/join the program here.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Get your lists ready and get your orders placed from April 15-17 to earn double Stampin’ Rewards from Stampin’ Up!!

You can find the online store right here to get started on your order.

April 10-May 11 Paper Pumpkin

                                      

Well, that's it for today. If you have any questions, let me know.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

19 Years of A Blog-WOW!

Hey Everybody,

 Check it out, my very first blog post! Yup, you read that correctly, April 10, 2007.

I can't believe it's been 19 years of blog posts! So many things have changed along the way.

WooHoo First Post  

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

So, here it is my first post on my own blog! Wow not sure I'm ready for this, but here goes!
Today was a fun day of stamping with my upline. We share lots of ideas, laugh, stamp and enjoy each other's company. We also made some cards. I will have to learn how to post things to this blog. For now I'm happy that I can begin to share my love of stamping.

One thing is we're not decorating mini paint cans. LOL I remember when those and lunch boxes were popular. I found my post about the lunch box I made for a friend.  Back then Stampin' Up had lots of different colors of craft inks that you could use on metal and other surfaces. Check it out.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Stampin' on a Lunch Box

I had fun making this lunch box for a dear friend. I stamped craft ink right on the tin. Then I sprinkled dazzling diamonds on it and heat set it. Then I sprayed the lunch box twice with clear acrylic spray and left it outside for a while. Then I added the paper, then the ribbon. I put mod podge on the paper a the ribbon to seal it and attach it to the tin. The paper also has snail adhesive on it as well. I love the way this sparkles. I don't think I've seen this done before where someone stamps right on the lunchbox.
Hope she likes it.

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

"Best of the Best" Vintage Dealers

Thousands of Passionate Hobby Fans Trek to the Strongsville Sports Collectors Convention Every Year

Fans of the hobby gather at SSCC each year for one of the most important 3-day events in rare and vintage sports cards and memorabilia. Thousands make the trek to see the top dealers, authenticators and auction houses all in under one roof, as well as gathering with friends from around the country who share a passion for the "stuff."

This is where I've spent the last 3 days helping my son, Ben at his booth. Whew, I'm glad it's over. That's a lot of standing, walking and being in one place.  We both enjoy the people and watching kids take up the hobby of collecting cards no matter what type they like. One thing I love as a proud Mama is to watch Benjamin deal with young kids. He educates them about the cards they want, and the cards they have. He shows them how to look up cards to see what they've recently sold for. He also gives kids great deals! We love seeing parents with their kids sharing a hobby. It's mostly dads with daughters or sons, but we've seen moms too. We saw so many dads and sons of all ages enjoying 'the hunt' for a new card together. We had so much fun with this. I have to say it takes a lot out of you, but it's wonderful to spend time with my son too.

Tomorrow I'll begin a week of card classes and get back to card related blog posts. For now, I think I'll curl up in my bed for some rest. Until tomorrow. Blessings, Sue

Color Challenge With New Products Available in May

Hey Everybody,

Our challenge today was a color challenge. It was to use daffodil delight, poppy parade, coastal cabana and gorgeous grape. Dessert was to use a punch or die. You can find this challenge here.  

I dry embossed white cardstock with the SU Fern & Flora 3D Embossing folder then pulled the ink pads across the debossed side on a diagonal. 

I die cut the lighthouse from black cardstock and cut it square then added it to the right side of my background.

I stamped the sentiment and fussy cut around it so you could see the background. The inside was stamped with a sentiment which was fussy cut and then the water reflection and sun were stamped.

Keywords: CC1098

Stamps: SU Sunset Coast

Paper: white, black

Paper Size: A2

Ink: poppy parade, daffodil delight, coastal cabana, gorgeous grape

Accessories: scissors, Sunset Coast Dies, SU Fern & Flora 3D Embossing folder

Techniques: dry embossing, direct to paper, die cutting

Here is the stamp/die bundle I used for this card. This set will be available May 5th in the new catalog.

The Fern & Flora 3D embossing folder I used will also be available May 5th.  I love this type of embossing folder because it can be used for masculine or feminine cards.

There you have it, a little preview of a couple of the new things from the May-Sept. catalog.

Don't forget catalogs will be available in class or sooner if you want to stop by to get one. Just let me know you are coming and I'll have it ready for you.

As always, thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

Colored Pencils Challenge

 Hey Everybody,

Our Clean and Simple challenge today is to use colored pencils. You can find that challenge here.    I stamped with Memento tuxedo black ink then colored my image with Prismacolor colored pencils. I used my blender pencil to blend the colors. I die cut the image panel then die cut a second oval. The background paper is called Beautiful Bokeh. The ovals were added to the designer series paper with dimensionals. I stamped the sentiment and added it to the card with dimensionals. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital. Keywords: CAS892 Stamps: Sweet-N-Sassy Poppies & Greetings Paper: white, highland heather, SU-Beautiful Bokeh designer series paper Ink: memento tuxedo black Accessories: scallop oval dies, Prismacolor colored pencils, Prismacolor blender pencil, small and large oval punches, dimensionals Techniques: coloring with pencils, die cutting This is what a colored pencil blending pencil looks like. they are very inexpensive and make a difference on your image. Do you use colored pencils on your images? I try to but find I often reach for my Copic Markers. Take a look at your stamps. What would you use for this challenge? Sometimes when I have smaller areas to color I will reach for colored pencils which are easier to control in small areas.   Thanks for stopping by today.  Blessings,  Sue

Dry Emboss Alcohol Resist Technique

 Hey Everybody,

Sorry I missed yesterday. We celebrated Easter yesterday then Tim and I watched our two grands while the kids went to the last Monster's hockey game downtown.  There were 8 who went all together. Sounds like they had a blast. It was a very long day for us.

Ben and Rachel and Brianna and Mike have tickets for 1/2 of the games. It comes with a great dinner in a special dining area. They have great food where you grab a plate and go through the line for your main meal. Then after the second period you go back for an appetizer, dessert and coffee.  There is popcorn the whole time plus beverages.

It's very loud and stimulating with noise, and lights like any game would be. When they take Mia, they stay in the dining area with her. It's similar to a bar with lots of TVs to watch the game.  The food is out so you can eat and drink the whole time too.

Now to the card for today.  Our challenge from Nancy was to choose one of three former featured stampers. That challenge can be found here.

I chose this as my inspiration from Lori Craig's incredible gallery. You Can't Resist by stamp_momma at Splitcoaststampers
                                         

The tutorial for the background technique can be found here. 

I didn't have a compressor so I used my spritzing tool with stampin' Write markers, then colored over the top of the embossing folder with my assorted copic markers after heat embossing. I colored the birdhouse and added the sentiment below it then added it to the background with dimensionals. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: FS999 BVC26.

Stamps: Unity Stamps-Soul Restoration

Paper: glossy, white, parakeet party

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedo black, secret sea, versamark

Accessories: heat tool, clear embossing powder, copic markers, dimensionals, SU-Stone and Vine 3D embossing folder

Techniques: Dry Emboss Alcohol Resist, coloring

Stampin' Up Stone & Vine Embossing Folder can be found here. 

Here is the Unity Soul Restoration Stamp Set. I love these stamps for my Card Minitries.

Well there you have it, another new technique. I hadn't done this before but liked it and would like to try it again. I want to think about what I could use instead of a compressor.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

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