Secret Sea Layers of Beauty Birthday Card

Secret Sea Layers of Beauty Birthday Card

Welcome to Week 3 of the brand new 2025-26 AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop!

For the first five weeks of our AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop we are introducing the five new 2025-26 In Colors in alphabetical order and this week we are showcasing Secret Sea.

Secret Sea is a very dark blue-grey-green neutral colour that works beautifully with both warm and cool tones. Here’s a graphic I created to show how Secret Sea compares to the other dark blues and, grays and greens in the Stampin’ Up! range.

For this week’s project, I was inspired by the colour combination in the Boho Vibes DSP and so I’ve paired Secret Sea with Mossy Meadow, Petal Pink, and a pop of Cajun Craze for contrast.

Secret Sea provided the perfect dark background to highlight the stunning floral imagery in the Layers of Beauty bundle.

For this card I didn’t use the masks included in the bundle. I stamped the floral and leaf images from the Layers of Beauty stamp set in Secret Sea and then coloured the images using Stampin’ Blends in:

  • Petal Pink (flowers)
  • Cajun Craze (floral centres and smaller flowers)
  • Mossy Meadow (leaves and foliage)

Once coloured, I die cut the entire panel using the coordinating Layers of Beauty dies and then cut the large floral image into three smaller pieces. 

I layered the die cut pieces back onto a Secret Sea base to create a beautiful tone-on-tone effect with added dimension. You can really see the shadow and lift in the close-up photos!

TOP TIP – I used my Secret Sea Stampin’ Blend to colour the white cardstock edges of the die cut flowers and leaves.

To tie everything together, I used a splatter effect across the background – created by flicking watered-down Whisper White craft ink with a brush – for added texture.

The “Happy Birthday” sentiment comes from the Simply Said stamp set. I stamped it in Versamark Ink, heat embossed with WOW white embossing powder onto Cajun Craze card stock. 

I backed the sentiment with Petal Pink cardstock to help it pop against the darker tones of the Secret Sea cardstock.

A bow of natural linen thread and a scattering of Petal Pink opaque dots adds softness and ties in with the colour palette.

The Petal Pink embellishments are from the Muted Palette Dots, which are part of the Boho Vibes Suite Collection. 

Secret Sea is definitely a keeper in my craft stash. I love how it allows warmer tones like Cajun Craze and Petal Pink to shine.

Don’t forget to hop through the rest of the Art With Heart team to see more stunning Secret Sea projects!

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 copy any of the Insta handles below into a new search window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.

Next in our Hop is Michele @taylormadedesigns58. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

The full list of this week’s InstaHop are listed below:

Michele @taylormadedesigns58

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Andrea @andreaksargent

Vicki @vickiboucher

Leanne Mitchell @createwithleanne2 

Theresa @teegeeinspirations

Kate @craftwithkate

Rachel W @handstamped_by_rachel

Rachel P @rachelpalmieristampin

Rosa @hum.and.stamp 

Helen @apaperparadise

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

If you live in Australia, you can find and purchase the products I’ve used for my card in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

I’ll be back next Wednesday night with Week 4 of our 2025 – 2026 AWH Colour Creations Insta hop when we will be showcasing Strawberry Slush, another of the 2025 – 27 InColours.

I hope you can join us then.

 

Darling Ducking Mixed Florals Cards

Darling Ducking Mixed Florals Cards

Welcome to Week 2 of the brand new 2025-26 AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop!

For the first five weeks of our AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop we are introducing the five new 2025-26 In Colors in alphabetical order and this week we are showcasing Darling Ducking.

Here’s a graphic I created to show how Darling Ducking compares to the other yellows and light greens in the Stampin’ Up! range.

My two cards this week both use the Online Exclusive Mixed Florals bundle along with two fabulous new background stamps I’ve used to hand make my own patterned background: the Painted Stripes stamp set and the Stripes & Dots stamp set.

Card one is a birthday card with a striped background created using the Painted Stripes stamp set. 

I love these bold stripes of yellow created using just the one stamp!

The daffodil and baby’s breath image is also one stamp coloured using Stampin’ Blends in Darling Ducking and Old Olive.

The white circle layer is die cut using the largest Spotlight on Nature Circle dies.

Card two uses the dotted stamp from the Stripes & Dots stamp set. This stamp can be used as either one single stamp set or split into four different stamps than can used in a variety of ways.

I’ve simply repeated the dotted stamp to create the spotty background layer.

This thank you card was coloured using the same Stampin’ Blends in Darling Ducking and Old Olive.

Both cards use sentiments from the Greetings for All Mix & Match Ephemera Pack, 2025–2027 In Color Flat Pearls and White Bakers Twine.

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 copy any of the Insta handles below into a new search window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.

Next in our Hop is Kate @craftwithkate. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

The full list of this week’s InstaHop are listed below:

Kate @craftwithkate

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Vicki @vickiboucher

Andrea @andreaksargent

Helen @apaperparadise

Rachel W @handstamped_by_rachel

Leanne Mitchell@createwithleanne

Rosa @hum.and.stamp 

Cathy @whatcathymade 

If you live in Australia, you can find and purchase the products I’ve used for my card in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

I’ll be back next Wednesday night with Week 3 of our 2025 – 2026 AWH Colour Creations Insta hop when we will be showcasing Secret Sea, another of the 5 brand new InColours.

I hope you can join us then.



Cloud Cover Beautiful Gallery and Sunrise Sailing Cards

Cloud Cover Beautiful Gallery and Sunrise Sailing Cards

Welcome to Week 1 of the brand new 2025-26 AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop!

For the first five weeks of our AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop we are introducing the five new 2025-26 In Colors in alphabetical order: Cloud Cover, Darling Ducking, Secret Sea, Strawberry Slush and Timid Tiger.

Here’s a graphic I created to show how Cloud Cover compares to the other light blues, greens, blue/greens and grays in the Stampin’ Up! range.

Card one is a birthday card I made for my friend, Liz. It features a piece of the stunning Beautiful Gallery 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper, Cloud Cover cardstock and Secret Sea cardstock (another 2025-26 In Color).

The DSP is so stunning I let it do most of the work and decided to simply frame it like a painting.

The Secret Sea Embellishments come from the 2025–2027 In Color Flat Pearls and the frame was created using the largest and second largest Textured Notes Dies.

Inside the card I’ve stamped a sentiment from the You Are Remarkable Stamp Set and the “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set.

Card two is a CASE of a the sample card Stampin’ Up! have on their website to showcase the brand new Sunrise Sailing Bundle. I’ve used ink on both the inside of my embossing folder as I embossed and sponge daubers on the embossed scene to add White Ink and Secret Sea Ink to the Cloud Cover sailing scene.

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This bundle includes a Two-Step Stampin’ set (allowing you to layer two or more images to create one final image with extra texture and dimension in the colours you want) and the Sunrise Sailing Hybrid Embossing Folder.

Hybrid Embossing Folders include dies that fit inside special ridges in the embossing folder for one-step cutouts with dimension that can be used separately or together for a variety of looks and styles.

For both cards I made matching envelopes using a strip of Cloud Cover striped DSP from the brand new Florals in Bloom 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper on the back of the envelope flap.

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 copy any of the Insta handles below into a new search window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.

Next in our Hop is Andrea @andreaksargent. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

The full list of this week’s InstaHop are listed below:

Andrea @andreaksargent

Kate @craftwithkate

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Claire @clairedalycreates

Michele @taylormadedesigns58

Helen @apaperparadise

Theresa @teegeeinspirations

Rachel P @rachelpalmieristampin

Rachel W @handstamped_by_rachel

Vicki @vickiboucher

Cathy @whatcathymade 

If you live in Australia, you can find and purchase the products I’ve used for my card in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.

I’ll be back next Wednesday night with Week 2 of our 2025 – 2026 weekly AWH Colour Creations Insta hop when we will be showcasing Darling Ducking one of the 5 brand new InColours.

I hope you can join us then.



New Annual Catalogue, New Online Exclusives, New Kits and a Starter Kit Special!

New Annual Catalogue, New Online Exclusives, New Kits and a Starter Kit Special!

Hello crafty friends!

Today is an exciting day at Stampin’ Up! with the new 2025-26 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue going live! There are so many beautiful products in the brand new catalogue.

 

You can view and download a digital version of the new catalogue here. Or get in touch with me for your very own physical copy of the new catty if I haven’t already sent you one.

May Online Exclusives and Two New Kits

In addition to the new 2025-26 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue going live, there are two new kits and a heap of Online Exclusives added to the store today.

You take take a look at these gorgeous new products in my online store here.

Starter Kit Special

Want more products for free?

The Starter Kit Special includes:

  • $303 worth of products for only $169!
  • Your choice of ANY products, including BRAND NEW releases in the 2025–2026 Annual Catalogue and May Online Exclusives
  • Ongoing 20 – 25% discount on Stampin’ Up! products
  • Early access to new products
  • Opportunities to attend Stampin’ Up!’s OnStage and Creativity Now events

To find out more about the starter kit, contact me.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the first of our AWH Colour Creations 2025-2026 Insta hop where we will be showcasing Cloud cover, one of the new 2025-2026 InColours.

I hope you can join me then.

Enjoy 2 x Rewards on National Scrapbooking Day

Enjoy 2 x Rewards on National Scrapbooking Day

Hello crafty friends,

Today is National Scrapbooking Day and to celebrate Stampin’ Up! are offering 2x rewards on all purchases for 2 days only (2–3 May).

This offer applies to all orders of $35 AUD or more.

To claim your 2x rewards today and tomorrow you can place an order by visiting my online store here.

I’ll be back next week when the new 2025–2026 ANNUAL CATALOGUE goes live, the May Online Exclusives are released and two new kits will be added to the kit collection.

We’ll also be starting our 2025-25 AWH Colour Creations Insta Hop with one of the brand new Incolours, Cloud Cover.

I hope you can join me then.