Calypso Coral Birthday Card

Calypso Coral Birthday Card

Is Calypso Coral a colour that makes your heart smile?

A group of the Art With Heart Team is hopping through the Stampin’ Up! colours in alphabetical order and week 14 is all about Calypso Coral.

Here is my project, a shabby chic style birthday card (CASED from former Artisan team member, Tammy Wilson) that I specially created for my beautiful friend and longtime partner in crafting crime, Jenny Boffey @jenboff Boffey always makes me smile.

 
I had so much fun going out of my comfort zone to create this birthday card and I’m happy to say my Calypso Coral card definitely made Jenny smile.
 
We even managed to enjoy a sneaky lunchtime glass of bubbles together to toast her birthday!

How to make a shabby chic style birthday card

If you love the romantic, layered look of shabby chic cards, you can easily recreate this style using Stampin’ Up! products and a few mixed media techniques. 

This card uses the Mixed Florals Bundle (Stamp Set and Dies), the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder, the Elements of Text Stamp Set, the Scalloped Petal Pink Ribbon, Calypso Coral Ink, Blending Brush, Mixed Media Florals Dies, and Crumb Cake Cardstock and Ink to create a soft, vintage effect with plenty of texture.

Start by embossing Crumb Cake cardstock with the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder to create a textured panel for your background. Layer this onto a Basic White card base for a clean edge.

Use various stamps from the the Elements of Text Stamp Set and the small floral stamp from the Mixed Florals Stamp Set stamped in Crumb Cake ink to add a script-style text pattern across the panel for a faded, old-paper feel. Use a blending brush 

For the focal panel, stamp the largest floral image and the small floral stamp from the Mixed Florals Stamp Set in Crumb Cake and colour in with the Calypso Coral Stampin Blends. Die cut some Basic White cardstock using the large grass die.

Cut apart the large floral image and the grass die. Layer the flowers, foliage and ribbon together, to create a textured, “garden-style” arrangement. 

Cut a piece of Petal Pink 3/8″ (1 cm) Scalloped Ribbon in half lengthway and add loops of Scalloped Petal Pink Ribbon between the flowers for extra softness and texture.

Finish the card by stamping the sentiment “you make my heart smile” (from the Layers of Beauty Stamp Set) in Pecan Pie ink and layering it across the floral cluster. 

A few Tiny Bee Trinkets embellishments add a final touch of elegance. 

The handmade envelope was created using the Mixed Media Florals Designer Series Paper.

I used another small floral stamp from the Mixed Florals Stamp Set to create the closure on the back of the card. The “Happy Birthday” stamp is from the Birthday Celebration Stamp Set.

Take a look at some more Calypso Coral 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 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 is listed below:

Andrea @andreaksargent

Sharon @sharondaverncreates

Helen @apaperparadise

Rachel Woollard @handstamped_by_rachel

Rosa @hum.and.stamp 

Kate @craftwithkate

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Theresa @teegeeinspirations 

Vicki @vickiboucher

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Cherry Cobbler.I hope you can join us then!



 

 

Rustic Centerpiece Cajun Craze Sympathy Card

Rustic Centerpiece Cajun Craze Sympathy Card

Week 13 of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta Hop celebrates Cajun Craze, a rich, earthy reddish-brown colour that I’ve combined with Petal Pink, Old Olive, Crumb Cake and Basic White.

Unfortunately, I needed to make a sympathy card so I’ve used one of the new July Online exclusive stamp sets, Rustic Centrepiece. I bought this stamp set for the reindeer Christmas stamp, but I love all three of the detailed line art stamps.

Rustic Centrepiece Sympathy Card

After stamping the centerpiece image in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink I used Stampin’ Blends to colour it in.

I used the fine shading lines of the stamped image to guide my colour application, adding darker colours where the lines are and leaving white space or using lighter shades where there are no lines in the stamped image.

The largest of the Textured Notes Dies was the perfect size to frame the stamped and coloured centrepiece image, however as it is designed for American cardstock sizes it does not have the same same aspect ratio as my Cajun Craze card base, created by folding half a sheet of A4 card stock.

To fix this ratio problem I simply adhere my top layer to the cardstock base, ensuring there is an even margin around three of the sides. I then trim off the excess cardstock (approximately 1 cm) from the fourth side of the card base.

The “Thinking of You” sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set. I stamped it twice, first covering the top and then the bottom line of the sentiment with a post-it note, to lay out the sentiment in a single line. 

These are all of the products I used to make this card.

Take a look at some more Cajun Craze 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 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.

Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

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

Sharon @sharondaverncreates

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Kate @craftwithkate

Vicki @vickiboucher

Helen @apaperparadise

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Andrea @andreaksargent

Rachel @rachelpalmieristampin

Rachel Woollard @handstamped_by_rachel

Rosa @hum.and.stamp

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Cajun Craze.

I hope you can join us then!



Bubble Bath Bookcase Card for a Special Bookclub Birthday

Bubble Bath Bookcase Card for a Special Bookclub Birthday

Week 12 of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta Hop celebrates Bubble Bath, a soft pink colour that I’ve combined with Fresh Freesia, Old Olive and Pecan Pie.

And as I needed to make a birthday card for one of our bookclub members who is celebrating a very special birthday, I took the opportunity to create a personalised bookcase card with matching bookmark.

I love how Stampin’ Up! products allow me to really personalise my cards for the recipient.

For The Books Mid Century Bookcase Card

The inspiration for this card came from a gorgeous circular mid century bookcase card created by UK demonstrator, Elizabeth Shannon. As the large circular dies Elizabeth used are now retired I decided to make my own version of her bookcase card using the Everyday Arches Dies instead.

To create the cardbase I cut an A4 sheet of Pecan Pie cardstock in half, then scored and folded it at 10.5cm. I then slightly offset the left hand cutting edge of the largest Everyday Arches Die so that it did not cut the fold of the card base when run through the cut and emboss machine to create an arched shaped card.

On the other half of the A4 sheet of Pecan Pie cardstock I used the largest and the second largest Everyday Arches Die to die cut the outer “frame” of the book case. The offcut smaller arch was then used for the inside of the card, along with an arch cut from Basic White cardstock for the message.

I then used stamps and dies from the Birthday Celebration Bundle to create the sentiment on the inside of the card.

The shelves of the bookcase are 5mm strips of Pecan Pie cardstock attached with white adhesive foam strips. I used the Pecan Pie Stampin’ Blend to colour the side of the adhesive strips and the shelves of the bookcase.

The birthday girl has a little black dog who she adores so I stamped the dog face stamp from the “She’s the Greatest” stamp set and adhered it over the top of the face of the cat stamp. Using one of the Stampin’ 0.4 Journaling pens I shortened the tail of the cat, creating a wee dog to sit inside the book case.

The journaling pen also allowed me to hand draw a vase of the correct proportions for the bunch of flowers from the “She’s the Greatest” stamp set.

This cute little pot plant on the top shelf also comes from the “She’s the Greatest” stamp set. All of the books and the pair of reading glasses are all from the “For The Books” stamp set and I have to admit there was a lot of fussy cutting for this card!


The matching envelope is made from Country Woods 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper with a closure created using one of the stamps from “For The Books”.

For The Books Personalised Bookmark

This matching bookmark was super easy to make and personalise using the “For The Books” stamp set and the Stampin’ 0.4 Journaling Pens.

I’ve used the journaling pen to add the list of book club members who are gifting the present to the birthday girl!

Take a look at some more Bubble Bath 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 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.

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

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Andrea @andreaksargent

Vicki @vickiboucher

Rachel Woollard @handstamped_by_rachel

Kate @craftwithkate

Rosa @hum.and.stamp

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Cajun Craze.

I hope you can join us then!



Two Blueberry Bushel Birthday Cards

Two Blueberry Bushel Birthday Cards

If it’s July, it must be birthday card making time at my place! With eight birthdays to celebrate for immediate family members in July, the only month busier for family birthdays is December and you can imagine what a hoot that is!

Week 11 of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta Hop celebrates Blueberry Bushel, a rich blue colour that I’ve used this week to make birthday cards for my brother and my father.

One card showcases the darker side of Blueberry Bushel, while the other card showcases its softer side.

I wonder which card will be your favourite?

Everyday Skies Trifold Angle Card

It’s hard to believe my dad is turning 86! A number like this deserves a special card, so I decided to use this stunning design in the Everyday Skies DSP to create an elegant Trifold Angle Card with matching envelope.

This Everyday Skies DSP design pairs Blueberry Bushel with Azure Afternoon, Balmy Blue, Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Misty Moonlight and a touch of  Petal Pink. 

To make the matching envelope I used a C6 Basic White envelope, layered with some of the Everyday Skies DSP. As this is a 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper it is too small to handmake a full envelope for this sized card, so add the DSP to the front of the envelope is an easy compromise. 

I’ve used stamps and dies from the Birthday Celebration Bundle, the Stylish Shapes dies and the the You Are Remarkable Stamp Set, to create the 86 on the front of the card as well as the sentiments on the panels of the card.

The back panel of the card has been left blank for a handwritten birthday message.

I seriously cannot stop using the Everyday Skies DSP – it is perfect for so many different card styles and occasions.

Sunshine Vibes Birthday Card

This birthday card for my brother uses the half circle stamp from the Sunshine Vibes stamp step to create a modern graphic looking card in Blueberry Bushel, Pecan Pie, Night of Navy and Early Espresso. I’ve also used some of the smaller stamps in the stamp set to add details to the stamped half circles.

To line up the circles I drew pencil lines as a guide, stamping out from the centre and then I layered 5mm strips of Basic White Cardstock over the top of the stamped images to tidy the card up. Here’s a “work in progress” image of the card.

A few Neutrals Adhesive-Backed Sequins add a touch of bling, while the layered and white heat embossed “Happy Birthday” sentiment comes from the the Beautiful Butterflies Stamp Set.

Take a look at some more Blueberry Bushel 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 window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.

Next in our hop is Rosa @hum.and.stamp. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

Here’s the full list of this week’s InstaHop:

Rosa @hum.and.stamp

Kate @craftwithkate

Helen @apaperparadise

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Rachel Woollard @handstamped_by_rachel

Cathy @whatcathymade  – you are here!

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Bubble Bath,

I hope you can join us then!

 

 



Simple Stamping Blackberry Bliss Peaceful View Thank You Card

Simple Stamping Blackberry Bliss Peaceful View Thank You Card

Welcome to week ten of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta hop!

This week we’re celebrating Blackberry Bliss, a bold and dramatic, rich, deep purple hue.

Cardmaking doesn’t get any simpler than my card this week! I’ve used a large background stamp (Peaceful View) to stamp a sheet of DSP to create a peaceful sunrise/sunset scene.

My simple stamping card is so quick and easy to make, showcasing Blackberry Bliss with this stunning sheet of Thoughtful Journey 6″ x 6″ (15.2 x 15.2 cm) Designer Series Paper DSP. It’s simply perfect to use as a background for the Peaceful View Stamp set.

Taking my colour inspiration from the DSP, I’ve combined Blackberry Bliss with Petunia Pop and Basic White. The “Thank you” sentiment is from the Simply Said stamp set, heat embossed in white on a strip of Blackberry Bliss cardstock.

This is a tent fold card with a Basic White card base, so it stand up beautifully for display. 

More Peaceful View Inspiration with Everyday Skies DSP

Although these cards don’t feature Blackberry Bliss, I just wanted to show you how lovely the Peaceful View stamp looks when stamped onto various sheets from the Everyday Skies DSP.

Simply chose two of the colours in the DSP to layer behind the DSP and your card will look coordinated every time!

 

Take a look at some more Blackberry Bliss 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 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.

Here’s the full list of this week’s InstaHop:

Andrea @andreaksargent

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Helen @apaperparadise

Kate @craftwithkate

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Rachel Woollard @handstamped_by_rachel

Vicki @vickiboucher

Sharon @sharondaverncreates

Cathy @whatcathymade  – you are here!

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Blueberry Bushel.

I hope you can join us then!

 

 



Berry Burst Birthday Cards Using the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape

Berry Burst Birthday Cards Using the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape

Welcome to week nine of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta hop!

This week we’re celebrating Berry Burst, a bold, vibrant fuchsia-pink with rich magenta undertones, sitting somewhere between a deep pink and a bright raspberry. Originally introduced as part of the 2017–2019 In Color collection, Berry Burst was brought back in 2023 and is now part of the core colour range in the Brights collection.

I’ve made two cards for this week’s blog, both featuring the the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape and the Extraordinary Flora Bundle that die cuts out the flowers from the washi tape. Such a time saver!

A Personalised Birthday Card Using the Party Dies Bundle

It was my youngest niece’s 7th birthday this week and she loves pinks and purples so I took the opportunity to make a personalised birthday card for her in Berry Burst (with a matching envelope).

This card uses three new products I’ve ordered from the 2025-26 annual catalogue: the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape, the Extraordinary Flora Bundle and the Party Dies Bundle (Includes the Party Alphabet and Party Banners Dies)

Here’s a peek at the inside of the card and the matching envelope. I went a bit nuts with the flowers, but when you’re turning 7 is there really such a thing as too many flowers?

Using Partial Die Cutting to Create a Folded Banner Card

For Eve’s card, I wanted to do something a little different—a banner shaped card that still opened like a traditional folding card.

The solution? Partial die cutting using the Nested Banner Dies.

I started with a piece of A4 Basic White cardstock, cut in half lengthways and folded in half to create a tent-fold card base. Then I placed the large banner die on top, making sure the top edge of the die slightly overhung the folded edge so the die wouldn’t cut all the way through at the top fold.

Next, I ran it through my die cutting machine, but only partially. I positioned the top cutting plate so it stopped just short of the fold line, allowing the die to cut through the sides and bottom while leaving the top fold intact.

The result is a banner-shaped card base that opens like a regular card but looks anything but ordinary!

I used both Party Banners Dies together to create a gold foil frame—a great way to add shimmer without wasting a full sheet of foil.

I then layered an embossed white panel (embossed using the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder and die cut using the Party Banners Dies), die-cut Berry Burst letters, and added cascade of colourful die cut floral embellishments from the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape to bring it all to life.

Berry Burst Birthday Card #2

While I was die cutting the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape I was having so much fun I decided to make another birthday card. After all, it’s always handy to have a stash of birthday cards on hand. This birthday card features the Unbounded Beauty Designer Series Paper and its colours perfectly match the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape.

I’ve stamped the “Happy Birthday” sentiment from the Simply Said Stamp Set and die cut it using circles from the Stylish Shapes dies. Like I did with Eve’s birthday card, I used the Gold Foil from the Brushed Silver & Gold Foil Specialty Paper (on sale now in the Last Chance Products) to add some bling.

I had so much fun creating these very feminine Berry Burst cards using the Extraordinary Flora Washi Tape!

Take a look at some more Berry Burst 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 window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.

Next in our hop is Rachel Palmeri @rachelpalmieristampin. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

Here’s the full list of this week’s InstaHop:

Rachel Palmeri @rachelpalmieristampin

Helen @apaperparadise

Vicki @vickiboucher

Rosa @hum.and.stamp

Kate @craftwithkate

Andrea @andreaksargent

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Cathy @whatcathymade 

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Blackberry Bliss.

I hope you can join us then!

 

 



Basic Gray and Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder Cards

Basic Gray and Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder Cards

Welcome to week eight of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta hop!

This week we’re celebrating one of our neutral colours, a mid-coloured gray called Basic Gray and I couldn’t resist using a brand new Online Exclusives embossing folder to make my cards.

Introducing the Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder

The new the Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder is huge! It measures 6″ x 8-1/2″ (15.2 x 21.6 cm) so once I embossed and coloured my cardstock I had enough to make 2 cards.

I used my Stampin’ Up! Brayer to coat the inside of one side of the embossing folder with Basic Gray before embossing a piece of Basic White Cardstock. 

I then used Stampin Up! blends in Darling Duckling, Old Olive and 200 to colour the sunflowers before cutting the embossed cardstock and layering it onto Basic White Cardstock and a Basic Gray card base.

These side photos show just how much texture is in the cards!

The sentiment on the slimline card is from the You Are Remarkable Stamp Set, Stamped in Basic Gray.

The sentiment on the square card is from the Greetings for All Mix & Match Ephemera Pack. I made a matching envelope for this card using the The Lovely Garden 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper.

This Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder is wonderful for making quick and easy cards and I can’t wait to play with it more. It will be available for purchase from July 1, 2025.

Take a look at some more Basic Gray 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 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.

Full list of this week’s InstaHop:

Kate @craftwithkate

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Vicki @vickiboucher

Claire @clairedalycreates 

Helen Reeve @apaperparadise

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

 

We’ll be back next Wednesday when we are showcasing Berry Burst.

I hope you can join us then!

 



Balmy Blue Gift Bag and Birthday Card

Balmy Blue Gift Bag and Birthday Card

Welcome to week seven of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta hop!

This week we’re celebrating another beautiful blue, the soft and dreamy Balmy Blue. My colour combination is very monochromatic, inspired by the beautiful blue tiled patterns in the Mediterranean Blooms DSP.

Screenshot

This is the sheet of DSP I chose to make my gift bag and matching card.

Making an origami folded paper handbag

I saw a beautiful origami folded bag online recently created by Mikaela Titheridge @thecraftyoinkpen, however she did not provide any instructions for the folding of the bag. So I searched online and found instructions for making this style of bag using 6×6 inch DSP and I simply sized it up for 12×12 inch DSP. There are plenty of online tutorials to make this particular origami fold, in both written and video format.

I created this card for a special friend whose birthday we celebrated this week because she loves blue!

Like Mikaela, I used the Everyday Arches Dies to make the top flap of the handbag. The die was too long for the back of the bag so ran it through my die cutting machine twice, moving the die up to achieve the desired length.

I scored and folded the die to make a 1cm wide top section of the flap and cut a matching 1cm wide handle from night of Navy and Balmy Blue cardstock, glued together.

I also used the Everyday Arches dies to make a matching card. The paper tassels on the front of this card (made using the Birthday Celebration Dies) match the bakers twine tassels I’ve made for the origami handbag.

The inside of the card is stamped in Night of Navy ink using a sentiment from the Everyday Arches Stamp Set and floral embellishments die cut using the Birthday Celebration Dies.

The tassels on my handbag are made using Balmy Blue bakers twine from the Baker’s Twine Three Color Pack and White bakers twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack.

To make your own tassel follow these steps.

  • Cut a piece of cardstock roughly 5 cm tall and wrap the baker’s twine around the cardstock about 13 times.
  • Slide a separate piece of twine under the looped twine at the top edge of the cardstock and tie it tightly. This will become the loop you can use to hang or attach the tassel.
  • Slide the wrapped twine off the cardboard carefully. Cut through the loops at the opposite end from where you tied the top.
  • About 1 cm below the top tie, wrap another piece of twine several times around the tassel to form the neck. Tie it off securely and trim any excess. Even out the ends of the tassel by trimming the bottom.

The front flap of the handbag is embellished with a Balmy blue dot from the Rainbow Adhesive-Backed Dots and I used small adhesive magnetic discs to create a resealable closure for the bag.

Supplied needed to make this project yourself

You can make this project with any type of DSP, however if you’d like to make the same bag as me these are the supplied I used.

  • Mediterranean Blooms 12″ x 12″ (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Designer Series Paper
  • Balmy Blue cardstock
  • Night of Navy cardstock
  • Everyday Aches Dies
  • Everyday Arches Stamp Set
  • Night of Navy Classic Stampin Pad
  • Rainbow Adhesive-Backed Dots
  • Birthday Celebration Dies
  • Tear & Tape Adhesive 
  • Baker’s Twine Three Color Pack
  • Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack

Take a look at some more Balmy Blue 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 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

Rachel W @handstamped_by_rachel

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Vicki @vickiboucher

Helen @apaperparadise

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

Our AWH Colour Creations team will be back next Wednesday, 25th June, showcasing Basic Gray.

I hope you can join us then!



Azure Afternoon Thankful Garden  Birthday Cards With Two Colouring Alternatives

Azure Afternoon Thankful Garden Birthday Cards With Two Colouring Alternatives

Welcome to week six of our Art With Heart 2025-26 Colour Creations Insta hop!

This week we’re celebrating the vibrant and cheerful Azure Afternoon — a bold, bright blue that just sings on a handmade card. It also happens to be one of my favourite colours in the Stampin’ Up! palette.

Blending Brushes with Masks or Stampin’ Blends?

Using blending brushes and Stampin’ Blends actually makes looks like I’ve used an assortment of different blue inks to create my hydrangeas.

Both cards start with half a A4 sheet of Basic White cardstock (folding in half) and topped with a layer of black and white striped DSP from the Lovely Garden 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper.

The hydrangeas on both cards are from the Thankful Garden stamp set, stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento and die cut using the Thankful Garden dies.

Layering Masks and Blending Brushes

Card one is a vertical Happy Birthday card that uses the blending brushes and the Thankful Garden Decorative Masks to softly colour the petals and background.

Here’s a close-up so you can see the detail. All three layers of the hydrangea are coloured using Azure Afternoon. The black stamens at the centre of the card are a tiny stamp in the Thankful Garden stamp set. 

I love the different layers of intensity these layering masks give to the flower!

Card Coloured With Stampin’ Blends

Card two is a horizontal card that uses Stampin’ Blends in Azure Afternoon and Old Olive for a more vibrant, hand-coloured look.

Here’s a close-up so you can see the detail.

On both cards the extra Old Olive leaves behind the flowers are die cut from Basic White card stock that I’ve then coloured using blending brushes, adding extra detail with the dark Old Olive Stampin’ Blend.

The Azure Afternoon twine is from the Pack Your Bags Twine 3-Pack and the sparkling embellishments are Rhinestone Basic Jewels coloured using the dark Azure Afternoon Stampin’ Blend.

The cute little “Happy Birthday “sentiment is from the Charming Duck Pond Stamp Set which is on sale right now in the Last Chance section of the website. The Azure Afternoon layer behind the sentiment is die cut with the Textured Notes Dies.

Take a look at some more Azure Afternoo 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 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

Rosa @hum.and.stamp 

Rachel P @rachelpalmieristampin

Vicki @vickiboucher

Leanne @createwithleanne2 

Rachel W @handstamped_by_rachel

Andrea @andreaksargent

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

Our AWH Colour Creations team will be back next Wednesday, 18th June, showcasing Balmy Blue.

I hope you can join us then!



Timid Tiger Pop-up Birthday Card

Timid Tiger Pop-up Birthday Card

Welcome to week five of our Art With Heart 2025-26 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 the final of the new InColors, Timid Tiger.

Here’s a graphic I created to show how Timid Tiger compares to the other oranges, peaches and yellows in the Stampin’ Up! range.

With a name as delightful as Timid Tiger, I couldn’t resist taking this colour very literally and making an interactive pop-up Timid Tiger birthday card.

Here is a closer look at the front of the card…

With the belly band on, holding the card closed…

And the surprise pop-up tiger inside the card!

How to make a pop-up card using dies

For my colour combination I decided to Timid Tiger with Basic Black, Basic White, Peach Pie, Pretty Peacock and Lost Lagoon. I love this colour combination!

I don’t own a tiger stamp so I designed this card using the dies I had on hand, making it up as I went along. These are just some of the dies I used to make the card, however you can easily substitute with other products you own for this type of project.

My tiger’s feet are die cut with two of the Everyday Arches Dies.

The tiger’s face is die cut with the large oval from the Impressions abloom Dies and the Everyday Arches Dies. The ears are two circles from the Cheers & Sips Dies and the nose is the larger heart from the Spring Corners Dies.

The tiger’s stripes are cut from Basic Black Cardstock using paper snips and the mouth and eyes are drawn using one of the new Black .04 Stampin’ Journalling Pens. Create and decorate the tiger’s face and ears before gluing it inside the card and do not adhere the ears to the face until the pop-up has been glued into place.

To make the tiger’s face pop up simply score the face down the centre (through the nose) and then score again approximately 2 cm (1 inch) in on both the left and the right side of the face.

Once these lines are scored add glue to the left and right sides of the outer score lines and adhere the tiger’s  face to the inside of the card, aligning the centre of the tiger with the centre fold of the card.

Finally, adhere the ears behind the head (before the glue sets) and then add the layers of die cut foliage and grass.

The foliage and grass uses dies from the Mixed Florals Dies and the Umbrella Days Dies.

The Mini Alphabet Dies are perfect for creating custom sentiments to fit any card! Always remember to add and adhesive sheet to the back of the cardstock BEFORE die cutting the letters out. This turns the letters into repositionable stickers and eliminates the need for messy glue.

This pop-up card stands up perfectly for display.

Take a look at some more Timid Tiger 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 window to follow the Instagram hop at any point.

Next in our Hop is Rachel P @rachelpalmieristampin. Be sure to check out her gorgeous project/s.

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

 

Rachel P @rachelpalmieristampin

Vicki @vickiboucher

Rachel W @handstamped_by_rachel

Kirsty @crafty.littlemiss

Andrea @andreaksargent

Kate @craftwithkate

Theresa @teegeeinspirations

Helen @apaperparadise

Cathy @whatcathymade – you are here!

Our AWH Colour Creations team will be back next Wednesday, 11th June, showcasing Azure Afternoon.

I hope you can join us then!



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