Catalog Changes for Stampin' Up! And A Mystery Challenge Card

 Hey Everybody,

Here is some news about catalog changes for Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! Future Changes You Will Love!

Starting in May, 2026

A Simpler Catalog Experience—Now Three Times a Year!

Beginning in May, 2026 Stampin’ Up! will introduce a brand-new catalog format designed to make browsing and shopping more enjoyable than ever.

Instead of one large annual catalog and several mini catalogs, there will now be three beautifully designed catalogs each year, each one complete and current on its own.

New catalog schedule:

• January – April
• May – August
• September – December

Each catalog will include brand-new products plus customer favorites like stamps, inks, papers, tools, and adhesives. No more flipping between the Annual Catalog and the Mini Catalogs to find what you need.

The card I have for you today is a challenge card, of course.  

Our challenge was buildings. I chose this beautiful paper from Stampin' Up called Beautiful Gallery.

 165196

BEAUTIFUL GALLERY 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) DESIGNER SERIES PAPER

$12.50

- 48 sheets: 4 each of 12 double-sided designs
- 6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm)

I wanted a masculine card and this fit the bill. I followed a tutorial called, Crossover Gate Fold Card   by Jeanie Stark's Mystery Monday Stampin. That can be found here.

I stamped my sentiment on white paper and added it to the front. The inside reads, One gentle step at a time is enough. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: F4A836

Stamps: Unity Stamps-Where Butterflies Wait

Paper: white, lost lagoon, Beautiful Gallery designer series paper-Stampin' Up

Ink: mossy meadow

Accessories: Copper clay gems

Techniques: Crossover Gatefold card

You know, the layout of the card is simple, yet interesting. When I saw it, I wanted to include it in my ideas of card layouts for a future class.  I want to see what it would look like with other designer series paper that doesn't have a scene on it.

What do you think? Would you make this card? What ideas do you have for this layout? What might you use for stamps if you didn't use a scene like I did?

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

Blue, Blue, Blue-Faux Cyanotype

 Hey Everybody,

Today I'm sharing two cards that are blue. They are technique cards. This technique was new to me. It is called Faux Cyanotype.  It is a photography technique but someone figured out how to do it for card making. The challenge for this technique can be found here.

Check out the video here to see how it is done. 

Sabrina's challenge is Faux Cyanotype. This was a fun technique to learn. I cut a square from my masking paper and placed it on my white cardstock. I used a stipple brush to add in to the square. Then I stamped the square with the image and faded jeans ink. The masking paper ripped my paper so I had to cut out the square and add it to another cardbase. I added misty moonlight paper behind it, then stamped Happy Birthday.

Keywords: TLC1097 Faux Cyanotype

Stamps: Country Road-Stampin' Up

Paper: white, misty moonlight

Paper Size: A2

Ink: Distress Oxide-faded jeans, SU-misty moonlight

Accessories: masking paper, stencil brush, square die

Techniques: Faux Cyanotype

Our challenge was to make a card with our favorite color. My favorite color is blue. When I'm with my granddaughter it's pink and purple because we have to match. LOL She doesn't like me to be different than her.
I loved the faux cyanotype technique from Monday so I tried it again but this time I used a circle instead of a square. I also used a different image. I learned from last time to touch my masking paper to my pants a few times so it wouldn't rip my paper! I like the effect of the deckled circle with this technique. This card will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: ABC24F6 favorite color

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Fishing Basket, Unity Stamps-Where Butterflies Wait

Paper: white, blueberry bushel

Paper Size: A2

Ink: balmy blue

Accessories: SU-Deckled circles, stipple brush, masking paper-SU

Techniques: Faux Cyanotype

I did the same technique two times and for one I used a square and one I used a circle. The square card had a layer behind the image. The circle card did not have a layer. What do you think?  Which one do you like best?

I think I like the square one best because of the layer of color behind the image. I think it makes it stand out more.

I enjoyed looking for stamps that were more realistic instead of the typical images I use on cards. I tend to use those types of images for masculine cards.

What do you think? Do you have some stamps that would look good with this technique? Do you think you'll give it a try?  I hope so. It was so much fun learning something new.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

Easter Is On Its Way

Hey Everybody, I have three Easter cards for you today. With Easter about 3 weeks away, I thought I'd better get moving and make a few cards. Our challenge today was to make a Pop Up Z Fold Block Card. You can find Mary's card and directions here. Garden Poetry Sneak Peek Pop-Up Block Fold with Video by Stamps-n-lingers at Splitcoaststampers Once I put the card together I gathered already colored images from last year and added them to my card with dimensionals. The large bunny is on a wobbler so he will wobble. I think this might go to my granddaughter.

Keywords: TLC1096

Stamps: Assorted colored images from my stash

Paper: pretty in pink, Easter Joy-Stampin' Up designer series paper

Ink: memento tuxedo black

Accessories: Copic Markers, dimensionals, dies, wobbler

Techniques: Pop Up Z Fold Block Card

For my second card, I used a very old die called, Top Note Die. It was one of my favorite dies back in the day. It's one of the big, thick dies we used to have. I remember making all sorts of 3D items with this die. I was so sad when it retired. I did keep it so I could continue to use it.

Our challenge was large sentiments. I stamped the greeting in memento tuxedo black ink. I used white paper and cut the top note die. Then I embossed it with my egg embossing folder. I ran my lemon lolly ink over the embossing so it could be easily seen. I colored the eggs and cut them out. I layered it on the Echo Park designer paper.

Keywords: CAS887

Stamps: Easter Blessings

Paper: white, gold glimmer, Echo Park-Bunny + Baskets designer paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedo black, lemon lolly

Accessories: cross die, Top Note Die-Stampin' Up, egg embossing folder

Techniques: dry embossing, direct to paper inking, coloring

My last card is a new to me, House Mouse stamp. A good friend gave this to me. She was clearing out some things and knew I loved House Mouse stamps. Notice here I used soft colors for the image and cut the sentiment out of designer series paper called Easter Joy from Stampin' Up.

Our Challenge is to use daffodil delight, pretty in pink and misty moonlight. The challenge can be found here.
CC1093 The Pretty Daffodil Moonlight (2/24/26) by stampin'nana at Splitcoaststampers
I stamped and colored the image with Copic Markers. I die cut the image and several designer series paper frames. Lastly I rounded the corners on the card base and added the sentiment.

Looking at this card reminds me of my early days of stamping when one of the few tools I had was a corner rounder.  After I got that tool, almost every card I made for weeks had rounded corners! LOL  That's what you do when you get a new tool, right?

Keywords: CC1093

Stamps: House Mouse-Jelly Bean Break

Paper: daffodil delight, white, SU-Countryside Inn designer series paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedo black

Accessories: curved rectangle dies, Daily Bread Designs-Happy Easter Die, Copic Markers

Techniques: coloring, die cutting

As you can see there are three very different Easter Cards here. There are also very different layouts for the cards. For me it's always exciting to make a card. I usually know the colors I'll use or the paper I'll use but I never know what my card will look like until I finish. 

I rarely have a finished picture of my cards in my brain when I start. It's the kind of thing that just develops as I go.

Is that how your cards are made, or do you have a picture in your mind of the finished card before you even begin to stamp?  I love that we're all so different in how we stamp and assemble our cards.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

Two Unity Cards

 Hey Everybody,

Our challenge is to make a card regarding our legacy. I'd like people to remember me for encouraging others with cards with God's Word or a card just to encourage or make someone smile. I stamped this image and colored it with Copic Markers and a zig pen. I used direct to paper to drag ink onto the card base to mimic the woodgrain of the bird house. Then I added the sentiment which is one of my favorites. One of my favorite pastors used to say this each time he preached before we left. He was so genuine when he said this. It always brings a warm feeling and a smile when I see or hear it.

Keywords: MIX682

Stamps: Unity Stamps-Soul Restoration

Paper: crumb cake, soft suede

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento rich cocoa, crumb cake, pecan pie, early espresso

Accessories: Copic Markers, Zig clean color real brush, dimensionals

Techniques: direct to paper, stamping, coloring

Our challenge was the site, Essential Stencil, found here.  
The inspiration for my card is this card.

I stamped with memento tuxedo black ink then colored with a the blender marker and a water brush. It was a nice way to soften the colors that I used. I brushed color on my glass mat and used the blender marker and the water brush to apply the colors. I cut the image panel and designer paper panel with the arched dies. Then I added them to the peach pie card base. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: IC1055

Stamps: Unity Stamps-Where Butterflies Wait

Paper: white, peach pie, lawn fawn plaid

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedod black

Accessories: water pen, clear wink of stella, Karin brushmarker pro markers, Jillian Vance-Stitch Dot Arched backdrop dies

Techniques: coloring and watercoloring

These two stamp sets are from Unity Stamps. I really am impressed with their line of images and sentiments. These stamps are just perfect to encourage those in the hospital. The sentiments are so thoughtful.

I really love the one on my second card. It says, One Gentle Step at a Time is Enough.

This company produces stamps and sentiments that are so real and honest. Sometimes I choose the stamps for the sentiments and other times it's the images and sentiments.

How do you choose your stamps and sentiments?

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Sue

Dry Embossed Backgrounds

 Hey Everybody,

I'm back again with another way to add a background to your cards.  This time we're going to look at embossing for your background.

Here is the first card.

I used a piece of watercolor paper that my granddaughter made and dry embossed it. I added the glimmer washi tape to the watercolor panel. I put washi tape on white cardstock then punched it out with the two heart punches. I stamped the sentiment and fussy cut it. I added the hearts to the card with adhesive and the sentiment with dimensionals.

I think the dry embossing adds so much texture to this background. This card was for a sketch challenge. It was an easy sketch to do.  I covered pieces of white paper with the glimmer washi tape then punched out the hearts for my card.

Sabrina's challenge was to use black.

                                       

I added ink to the debossed side of the white paper. Then I used direct to paper and dragged my black ink pad across the design until I was satisfied with the color. Lastly, I added my sentiment. This will be used for a BRAK birthday for next month!  The dry embossing on this background is the star of the show. That's why I added just a sentiment and no other image.

 I chose to do a card using the Blackout Embossing technique. The tutorial can be found here. 

On this card I've done dry embossing and stenciling. Notice that the stenciling isn't on the whole card, and it's not the same intensity. It fades in and out. That provides more interest. Behind the stenciled image panel I've dry embossing with jungle leaves to add to the parrots on the card.

On this next card, I've used designer series paper and dry embossed with tiny leaves that almost match the flowers in the paper.

This last card shows how I stenciled a part of the stencil onto the background with versamark ink, then used gold embossing powder to heat emboss my background.  The stencil is similar to fish scales and really shows up well heat embossing in gold embossing powder.

Once again you can see how using stenciling or dry embossing on a background shows off your card. It also allows you to just add a sentiment if you want to. You don't always have to have an image on your card front.

Think about the embossing folders you have. How can they add to a card front ?  Pick one from your stash. What can you pair it with? Will you add an image, just a sentiment or designer paper?

It's a simple way to make a background to go with your cards. I hope you give it a try.

Blessings,

Sue