Who says a poinsettia die can’t be used to make a sunflower? Not me!
Welcome to Week 21 of the Art With Heart Colour Creations Blog Hop. This week we are showcasing Darling Duckling, a warm golden yellow that is perfect for creating cheerful sunflowers.
I’ve seen a few talented crafters use the Pretty Poinsettia Dies to create sunflowers, so I thought I would give it a go too.
My colour combination is:
Darling Duckling
Old Olive
Mossy Meadow
Early Espresso
Pecan Pie
Copper Foil
The Pretty Poinsettia Dies were used to create the two layered Darling Duckling sunflowers and much of the surrounding foliage. I used the Help Me Grow Dies for the flowerpot and the Early Espresso sunflower centres, cutting these pieces from the Wood Grain Wonders Designer Series Paper to give them plenty of natural texture.
For the background, I simply had to use the beautiful sunflower-patterned paper from the Radiant Foils Specialty Designer Series Paper. Its copper foil details add a lovely glow and complement the warm, earthy colours of the card perfectly.
The happy birthday sentiment is from the Lovely Arrangements Stamp Set. I stamped it in Early Espresso onto Darling Duckling cardstock, layered it onto Old Olive cardstock and added it to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
A double Linen Thread bow tied around the flowerpot adds the finishing touch.
I love discovering unexpected ways to use my crafting supplies. The Pretty Poinsettia Dies might have been designed for Christmas projects, but with a change of colour and a little imagination, they can create the most cheerful sunflowers too.
Have you ever used a die to create something completely different from its original purpose?
Take a look at some more Darling Ducking inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Next week we are showcasing the dark brown neutral, Early Espresso.
A group of creative friends from the Art with Heart team are back with our Annual Heart of Christmas blog hop. Follow through the blogs each Monday night until the end of November for Christmas card inspiration.
This week, I have created a collection of elegant Christmas cards featuring my current favourite combination of techniques and products: hot foiling, heat embossing and gold foil.
These techniques work beautifully together to add layers of shine and texture without overwhelming the design. The hot-foiled details provide a delicate metallic finish, while the gold heat embossing and Gold Foil add further depth and a touch of Christmas luxury.
My colour combination is Basic White, Basic Beige, Old Olive and Gold Foil. I seem to be reaching for these elegant neutrals a lot lately. Basic White and Basic Beige create a soft foundation, while Old Olive and Gold Foil add traditional Christmas warmth, shine and sophistication.
The Flourish & Frames Hot Foil Dies were used to create the beautiful foiled details. I paired these with the Festive Cheer Bundle and the Lovely Stripes Embossing Folder, which introduces subtle texture and helps bring the different elements of each card together.
The Delicate Dreams Specialty Designer Series Paper adds a subtle variegation to the Old Olive foliage. Gold Foil backed with an adhesive sheet was used for selected die-cut elements, while sentiments stamped in Versamark ink and heat embossed with Gold Metallics Embossing Powder complete the coordinated metallic look.
Although several techniques and finishes have been combined, limiting the designs to a restrained colour palette keeps the cards balanced and cohesive.
It’s hard to capture the gorgeous shine of all the gold touches, hopefully this portrait shot gives you a better idea of how it shines in real life.
I used some leftover pieces to decorate the inside of my card.
Take a look at some more Heart of Christmas inspiration!
Now it is time to continue our Heart of Christmas Blog Hop and see what the next talented member of the Art With Heart Team has created.
Next in our blog hop is Judy May. Click on the link below to see her beautiful Christmas project.
If the next button link is not working or you’d like to see the entire list of participants, go to Sharon Davern‘s blog.
Welcome to Week 20 of the Art With Heart Colour Creations Blog Hop for 2026–27. This week, we are sharing projects featuring Daffodil Delight.
Daffodil Delight is such a bright and cheerful yellow, and tonight I’ve paired it with gleaming gold foil to create a special 60th birthday card.
The floral focal point was created with the new Garden Silhouette Hot Foil Die. After foiling the image, I coloured the flowers using Light and Dark Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends. The two shades add depth and dimension while allowing the beautiful gold outlines to remain the star of the design.
I also used the Flourish & Frames Hot Foil Dies to add more elegant foiled details to the card with a hot foiled gold and Basic black label layer for the feature “60”. It is very hard to capture the amazing shine in photographs, but the gold foil looks spectacular as the card moves and catches the light. The best photo I have of the foil was taken upside down!
To embellish the card, I added Gold Adhesive-Backed Dots and some delicate Gilded Wings Accents. The Gilded Wings Accents are currently on the Last Chance list, so you may want to order them soon if they are on your wish list.
Inside the card, I stamped a sentiment from the Framed All Around Stamp Set, which is also on the Last Chance list. I decorated the inside with a leftover strip of foiled card stock and another butterfly from the Gilded Wings Accents. Using the leftover foil strip was an easy way to carry the design through to the inside while ensuring none of that beautiful foiled card stock went to waste.
I love the combination of Daffodil Delight, Gold Foil, black and white for a milestone birthday. It feels joyful, celebratory and just a little bit glamorous, which is perfect for a 60th birthday card.
Take a look at some more Daffodil Delight inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Next week we are showcasing another yellow, Darling Ducking.
A group of creative friends from the Art with Heart team are back with our Annual Heart of Christmas blog hop. Follow through the blogs each Monday night until the end of November for Christmas card inspiration.
This week’s card is a fancy fold I designed as my “Make and Take” project for when I caught up with some of our Art With Heart team members at an event in the Adelaide Hills a few weeks ago.
My Neutral Noel Single Step Card, features a dimensional Christmas village in a warm, earthy colour palette of Pecan Pie, Mossy Meadow, Basic White and gold.
I love a fancy-fold card that creates plenty of impact when it is displayed. This single step design provides several different levels for building a scene, so the houses and trees appear to stretch into the distance.
This is what it looks like when laid flat.
The Welcome Noel Bundle was perfect for creating my little Christmas village. I used the coordinating stamps and dies to build rows of houses and trees across the different sections of the card.
The detailed Pecan Pie house on the back panel has been layered over Gold Timeless Metallic Specialty Paper, giving the windows and door a lovely warm glow. More touches of gold appear in the die-cut stars surrounding the large Merry Christmas sentiment.
Although the card has plenty of dimension when standing, the design folds down for placing in an envelope. I also added a Basic White panel to the back of the card, providing plenty of room to write a personal Christmas message.
Free Single Step Card Tutorial
Because I created this project as a “Make and Take” I have a FREE PDF tutorial to share with you so you can make this card yourself.
Welcome to Week 19 of the Art With Heart Colour Creations Blog Hop. This week we are showcasing Crushed Curry, a rich golden yellow that brings warmth and energy to any project.
For tonight’s cards, I’ve used a brand new Stampin’ Up! kit: the Floral Promenade Kit.
The Floral Promenade Kit features stunning watercoloured flowers in a bright, cheerful colour palette. The pink, purple and yellow blooms look particularly beautiful against the Kraft card bases and layers.
The kit pairs Crushed Curry with Basic Black, Gorgeous Grape, Melon Mambo and Old Olive, all set against Kraft and Basic White. How good does Crushed Curry looks with these colours!
The kit contains two different card designs, and I thought both were so beautifully designed that I made them exactly as shown in the instructions.
The first design features a floral frame surrounding the large “comfort” sentiment. There’s only a few touches of Crushed Curry in this card, however I love the way the flowers contrast with the Kraft panel underneath.
The second design has a lot more Crushed Curry, layering the water coloured flowers over a white decorative panel on a Kraft card base. The oversized “loved” sentiment creates a strong focal point, while the smaller script sentiment completes the message.
After completing the two original designs, I used more of the kit components to create a third card with a simple easel mechanism.
I added one extra score line to the front of the Kraft card base and folded it back on itself. The decorated floral panel was then attached to the folded section, allowing it to stand upright when the card is open.
I also added a layer of Crushed Curry cardstock behind the floral panel. This narrow golden border draws attention to the Crushed Curry flower and makes the watercoloured design stand out even more strongly against the Kraft base.
Inside the card, I raised the large pre-cut “comfort” sentiment on Stampin’ Dimensionals. This acts as the stopper that holds the easel upright when the card is displayed.
It is a very simple variation that requires only one additional fold and a piece of Crushed Curry card stock, but it gives the original kit design a completely different look.
Another exciting feature of the Floral Promenade Kit is the adorable new Premium Stampin’ Spot.
This is the first Stampin’ Up! kit to include the new-style ink spot. From now on, Premium Stampin’ Spots will replace the original Stampin’ Spots in kits.
The updated case feels like a miniature version of a full-sized Classic Stampin’ Pad and is such a lovely addition to the kit.
The Floral Promenade Kit is beautiful exactly as designed, but it also provides plenty of possibilities for alternative projects. My easel card is just one easy way to step up the supplied components without needing lots of additional products.
Take a look at some more Crushed Curry inspiration on our Insta Hop!
Our blog hop is now an Instagram hop but the good news is that you don’t need to have an Instagram account to view all of the other projects!
Simply go to my Insta handle in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Next week we are showcasing another yellow, Daffodil Delight.
