Welcome to Week 23 of the Art With Heart Team’s 2026–27 Colour Creations InstaHop!
A group of our team is working through the Stampin’ Up! colours in alphabetical order, and this week we’re showcasing Flirty Flamingo. This cheerful pink is a lovely colour for a birthday card.
For my project, I’ve paired the Words & Wishes Bundle with the stunning Beautiful Ordinary Life 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper, using a Double Door Fancy Fold to show off the paper.
A colour combination inspired by the paper
Designer Series Paper is often my starting point when choosing colours for a card. The Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP gave me this combination:
Flirty Flamingo
Lost Lagoon
Pretty Peacock
Daffodil Delight
Timid Tiger
Basic White
I love the mix of warm pinks and yellows with Lost Lagoon and Pretty Peacock. The cooler colours balance the brighter shades, while Basic White gives the layers a crisp finish.
A fancy fold for showcasing DSP
The Double Door Fancy Fold is a great design when you want to showcase several panels of beautiful paper. I’ve created a template below if you’d like to make your own.
The larger flap opens from the left, while the smaller square flap opens from the right. They overlap when the card is closed, creating a layered front, then reveal more of the design as you open them.
I’ve paired the watercolour stripes with a softly blended design from the Beautiful Ordinary Life DSP. Using two coordinating patterns adds interest to the overlapping panels, while the Flirty Flamingo border draws your eye to the birthday cake.
It’s a lovely way to make the paper part of the experience of receiving the card, with something new to enjoy at each turn.
Cake, leaves and a little sparkle
The cake from the Words & Wishes Bundle makes a sweet focal point for this birthday card. I coloured it using Stampin’ Blends to coordinate with my paper-inspired palette.
Die-cut leaves in Lost Lagoon and Pretty Peacock frame the cake and bring those deeper colours into the focal point. The embossed detail on the leaves adds lovely texture and contrast against the pink cake.
For the finishing touch, I coloured Basic Rhinestones with Flirty Flamingo Stampin’ Blends. I’ve added them around the leaves and along the cake’s icing for a little birthday sparkle.
Colouring rhinestones is such a simple way to create coordinating embellishments using supplies you already have.
A matching handmade envelope
To complete the set, I made a custom-sized white envelope and decorated the flap with matching striped DSP, finishing it with a coordinating “happy birthday” banner.
Making your own envelope is a lovely finishing touch for a card that doesn’t fit a standard envelope, and the matching paper gives a little hint of what’s inside!
Take a look at some more Flirty Flamingo 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.
I’m having a little break for next few weeks, so I’ll see you again in November!
A cute Christmas mouse on the front, a whole festive scene inside! This week’s card has a little surprise waiting beneath its baker’s twine bow.
Welcome to Week 22 of the Art With Heart Team’s Colour Creations hop. We’re exploring the Stampin’ Up! colours in alphabetical order, and this week it’s Early Espresso.
This rich chocolate brown makes a beautiful base for my Christmas shadow box card, created using the A Little Christmas Suite Collection. Paired with crisp Basic White, festive reds and greens, and touches of soft blue, it gives the card a warm, cosy feel.
The shadow box frame is constructed from basic white card stock, sitting inside a card base made with Early Espresso Two-Tone Card stock.
A mouse with Christmas on its mind
How cute are these mice!
On the front, a little mouse looks up beside a stack of presents and an open red box filled with tiny candy canes. I love how the detailed die cuts bring these simple shapes to life, right down to the folds in the box and the ribbon on the gifts.
The Basic White panel, cut using the Perennial Postage Dies, provides a clean backdrop for the scene. A “Merry Christmas” sentiment and three Christmas Epoxy stars finish the panel, while the Multicolor Christmas Baker’s Twine ties the card closed like a little gift.
Untie the bow for a Christmas surprise
Open the card and there’s a miniature Christmas scene tucked inside a white shadow box frame.
The Christmas tree image is from the A Little Christmas Designer Series Paper and makes a lovely backdrop for the scene. I fussy cut presents from the same paper, arranging them around the tree and along the front of the frame to create extra depth.
Another little mouse, wearing a cosy hat and holding a gift, sits at the front, with a candy cane peeking up behind it. A wreath with a soft blue bow decorates the top corner.
I love the way the mouse, wreath and presents overlap the white frame. It makes the scene feel as though it’s spilling out of its little Christmas box!
On the inside cover, red bow-patterned Designer Series Paper surrounds another Basic White postage-edge panel. The sentiment, “Sending little moments of joy & cheer”, feels just right for this little Christmas world, with plenty of space left for a handwritten message.
Colouring the Christmas mice
I coloured the mice using light and dark Stampin’ Blends in Barely Blush, Old Olive, Crumb Cake and Pecan Pie, together with the Deep combo pack.
For the hats, candy canes, presents and other festive details, I took my colour inspiration from the A Little Christmas Designer Series Paper, using Lost Lagoon, Old Olive, Pool Party and Real Red.
Taking colour cues from patterned paper is one of my favourite ways to create a coordinated project. Here, the paper does double duty, providing both the Christmas tree backdrop and little presents to fussy cut and layer.
A suite full of little details
This project uses all five products from the A Little Christmas Suite Collection:
*Christmas Mice Photopolymer Stamp Set
*Christmas Mice Dies
*A Little Christmas Designer Series Paper
*Multicolor Christmas Baker’s Twine
*Christmas Epoxy Shapes
From the tiny candy canes to the cheerful mice, there are so many details to enjoy in this suite. And Early Espresso provides a lovely, warm foundation for them all.
Wouldn’t this be a fun little Christmas surprise to receive?
Take a look at some more Early Espresso 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.
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.
