It’s hard to believe we’ve reached Week 50 of our 2025–26 AWH Colour Creations hop, finishing with one of the retiring 2024–2026 In Colours Summer Splash.
I wanted to create something a little interactive, so I made a side latch card featuring the beautiful Florals in Bloom 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper.
Inspired directly by the DSP, my colour combination pairs Summer Splash with Timid Tiger, Cloud Cover and Secret Sea.
The side latch mechanism keeps the card closed and adds a lovely dimensional focal point. I’ve simply layered die cut circles using the Stylish Shapes dies, however any die cut or punched shape will work.
The circular latch is layered with Summer Splash centre panel with the sentiment from the Cutest Crew stamp set. The slightly larger die-cut circles in Secret Sea hold the foliage and “lock” the card.
To add texture and movement, I used the Help Me Grow Dies to create layered foliage in Summer Splash and Secret Sea. These were tucked behind the circle latch to frame the sentiment and add interest.
Finally, I added a few Timid Tiger 2025–2027 In Colour Flat Pearls for a subtle pop of shine. They bring everything together without overwhelming the design.
Take a look at some more Summer Splash 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 handles in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
We kick off our 2026-27 Colour Creations hop next week, starting with the brand new 2026–27 In Colours:
Barely Blush
Crisp Cantaloupe
Golden Glow
Hydrangea Hue
Peaceful Pine
I can’t wait to start creating with these fresh new shades.
Thanks so much for following along this year. See you next week for a brand new colour journey.
This week for the Art With Heart Colour Creations Blog Hop we’re celebrating the soft and soothing Soft Sea Foam, one of those colours that pairs beautifully with just about anything, but really shines when combined with neutrals and soft florals.
For my card this week, I’ve CASED a beautiful design by the Stampin’ Up! Artisan, Tammy Wilson (Stamps Paper Scissors). I absolutely loved her layout, colour combination and layered textures, and knew it would be perfect for showcasing Soft Sea Foam.
I’ve added my own twist to her card, using current products that I own: Perennial Lavender 12″ x 12″ DSP, Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder, Simply Said Stamp Set (all currently reduced and in the Last Chance section of the website) as well as the Nested Essentials Dies and the Help Me Grow dies.
The base of my card starts with a Basic White layer embossed with the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder. Over this, I added torn pieces of Crumb Cake Designer Series Paper from the Perennial Lavender 12″ x 12″ DSP and a sweet string of bunting made with the Nested Essentials Dies.
I created a string of little flags from the Crumb Cake check pattern in the from the Perennial Lavender 12″ x 12″ DSP, tying them together with linen thread (I pierced holes in the bunting flags using the Take My Pick tool).
The star of the show is the Soft Sea Foam foliage and Petal Pink flowers, both die cut using the Help Me Grow Dies. For a little sparkle, I finished the flowers with Iridescent Pearl Basic Jewels.
The sentiment is kept bold and simple to contrast the soft background. I heat embossed the “Happy Birthday” sentiment from the Simply Said Stamp Set in white onto Basic Black cardstock.
Take a look at some more Soft Sea Foam 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 handles in a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop: @whatcathymade.
Thank you for joining me for Week 49 of Colour Creations. We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing our last colour for the 2025/26 Insta hop: Summer Splash. After that we will be starting all over again, beginning our 2026/27 hop with the new InColours.
Confession time… this week didn’t quite go to plan 😅
I finished my first card and thought “love it!”… then realised I hadn’t actually used Smoky Slate at all. Oops. That one ended up using a DSP that featured Gray Granite and Basic Beige!
So… take two!
Card two brings it back to the colour we are showcasing this week: Smoky Slate. The DSP design combines Smoky Slate with Basic Gray.
I used the Beautiful Gallery papers on both cards to create simple strip layouts, layered on a simple card stock layer and Basic Black card bases for that rich, moody contrast.
Just trim, space and layer. Sometimes the easiest techniques create the most striking results.
Both cards feature the “Thinking of you” sentiment from the Friendly Foliage Stamp Set on the front of the card, with a matching sentiment and image inside (also from the Friendly Foliage Stamp Set) to tie everything together.
These artistic, slightly moody landscapes felt perfect for sympathy cards. They feel calm, reflective and perfect for sympathy or thinking of you cards.
And sometimes a happy mistake just means you get to make two cards instead of one!
Take a look at some more Smoky Slate 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 copy any of the Insta handles below into a new search engine 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 is listed below:
Kate @craftwithkate
Helen @apaperparadise
Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss
Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here.
Thank you for joining me for Week 48 of Colour Creations. We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Soft Seafoam I hope you can join us then.
For week 47 of the Art With Heart Colour Creations we’re celebrating Shy Shamrock, a soon to be retired 2024-26 InColour.
I’ve paired “something old” (the soon to be retired Shy Shamrock cardstock, Shy Shamrock ink and the Beautiful Patterns 3D Embossing Folder) with something new (the Capturing Smiles Bundle and the Help Me Grow Bundle), both March Online Exclusives products.
The background layer is embossed with the Beautiful Patterns 3D Embossing Folder and to enhance the texture, I used a blending brush to gently add Shy Shamrock ink over the raised design.
This simple technique really brings the pattern to life, highlighting all those gorgeous details without needing extra layers.
For the focal point, I stamped, heat embossed in silver and die cut several layers of black cardstock to create the cutest vintage camera, using the Capturing Smiles Bundle, heat embossing it on Basic Black cardstock.
The delicate flowers from the Help Me Grow Bundle are die cut in Pretty in Pink cardstock and I’ve added some Pretty in Pink ink with a blending brush.
This fresh green of the Shy Shamrock background layer and die cut leaves contrasts well with the softness of the Pretty in Pink flowers and the Basic Black camera with Silver embossing , all layered against an embossed layer of Basic White.
As the sentiments in the Capturing Smiles bundle are more suited to scrapbooking, I finished the card with a simple “hello” sentiment from the Help Me Grow bundle.
I also added a few Pretty in Pink embellishments from the soon to be retired Strawberry Slush & Pretty in Pink Gems.
Take a look at some more Shy Shamrock 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 copy any of the Insta handles below into a new search engine window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.
Next in our Hop is Helen @apaperparadise. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.
The full list of this week’s InstaHop is listed below:
Helen @apaperparadise
Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss
Kate @craftwithkate
Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here.
Thank you for joining me for Week 47 of Colour Creations. We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Smoky Slate. I hope you can join us then.
Week 46 of the Art With Heart Colour Creations features Shaded Spruce, and I couldn’t resist using the brand new Online Exclusive A Wonderful Match Suite Collection from Stampin’ Up!
The A Wonderful Match Suite Collection was the perfect excuse to create something bold, fun and full of movement… so I designed a double pop-up step card with a soccer theme.
From the front, this card looks fairly simple with bold striped layers, a large soccer ball focal point and the word GOAL across the top.
But when you open it up, the magic happens.
The card folds out into a dimensional scene with:
A layered grassy step
A raised goal with net detail
A “Match Day” banner
And a full soccer field across the base
To keep the card fully closed I made a simple belly band from some of the Match Day DSP. This is what the card looks like from the front once the belly band has been removed.
I love how the A Wonderful Match Suite Collection pairs Shaded Spruce with Granny Apple Green and Garden Green. It’s a rich, bold colour combination, ideal for sporty or outdoor themes.
This card can easily be customised by using different sentiments to create cards for:
Birthdays
Team celebrations
Kids cards
Soccer lovers of any age
I hope this inspires you to try a fun fold and have a play with this fantastic new suite.
Take a look at some more Shaded Spruce 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 copy any of the Insta handles below into a new search engine 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 is listed below:
Kate @craftwithkate
Andrea @andreaksargent
Helen @apaperparadise
Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss
Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!
Thank you for joining me for Week 45 of Colour Creations. We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Shy Shamrock. I hope you can join us then.
