Card Making With Fresh Summer Vibes {Simon Says Stamp Always There Collection}

Today's cards are bursting with fresh summer vibes. The Gorgeous Hydrangea Embossing Folder and Strawberry Pint die set are part of Simon Says Stamp's Always There collection. Let's take a look at two cards showcasing these sweet strawberries and elegant hydrangea blooms.

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Today's first card features the Strawberry Pint dies. This set is the perfect mix of detailed. . . without being too fussy and time consuming. It won't take long at all to die-cut a whole batch of summer berries. I cut the berries and leaves from some scraps of watercolor paper that I had previously covered with ink and watercolor. They had great variations of color and blended shades that added a lot of depth and character to the berries and greenery. (Inking or painting colorful sheets to save for later is a great activity when your card making mojo takes a nose dive!) 

I based the color palette of this pink and green cutie on my childhood bedroom. I had fabulous dressers that my mom painted green, with pink drawers in almost these exact shades. They were the best!

Next up, a sweet and simple card with embossing as the star of the summer show! Lightly sanding the embossed texture on white core cardstock really makes this hydrangea come to life. You can also get it with a coordinating stencil to add your own colorful shading and detail to this gorgeous image. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope your summer is filled with warmth and sweetness and crafty goodness all season long! Be sure to head on over to Simon Says Stamp and see all their latest and greatest products and inspiration!

 Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards:

Strawberry Pint dies

Gorgeous Hydrangea embossing folder

(or get it bundled with a coordinating stencil)

Cool Birthday stamp set (for the birthday sentiment)

Bereavement Thank Yous stamp set

Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Spellbinders Playful Stitched Panels dies

Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

Spellbinders 4-inch detail scissors

Did you love today's cards? You might like this post too!

5 Ways to Use Paper Strips for Card Making

Sending Hugs {Simon Hurley for Spellbinders}

It's impossible not to smile at these adorable die-cut animals, from Simon Hurley and Spellbinders. The Sending Hugs collection includes a dog, cat, and bear that you can customize in a variety of ways, depending on the colors you choose! I loved creating these cards for Spellbinders and I hope they brighten your day!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

I love all the fun detail items included with each of these die sets, like the party hat, the gift box, the envelopes and the fancy drinks - so cute! I also love the simple die-cut sentiments. Not in the mood to stamp? No stamping necessary - in fact, although I did some stenciling and inking on some of these cards, I didn't use a single stamp! 

The Birthday Bear set is particularly versatile because you can create a brown bear or a panda! So cute!

Another product in this collection is the Puffy Hearts 3D Embossing Folder and coordinating stencil. This is such a versatile little bundle because the two products can be used together, or each independently, as you'll see on today's cards. In the Congrats Cat card below, I used just the stencil set but in the Darling Dog card I combined the embossing folder and the stencils. 

There are so many more ways to play with this collection but I hope you've enjoyed today's inspiration from Spellbinders and Simon Hurley. I sure loved creating these cards for you! You can find this collection on the Spellbinders website, as well as many other paper crafting stores. Happy crafting! xoxo

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards:

Birthday Bear die set

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Congrats Cat die set

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Darling Dog die set

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Puffy Hearts 3D Folder and Stencil Bundle

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Spellbinders ColorWheel cardstock

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Spellbinders Large Blending Brushes

at Simon Says Stamp

at Scrapbook.com

Wish Big Birthday Card Idea and 40% Off Sale at Impression Obsession

It's theme day on the Impression Obsession blog, and we're celebrating the cards you need all year long, for everyone you know - it's birthday card day! If you need some fresh inspiration for birthday card making, today is just for you - our blog hop is packed with new ideas that you can try out for everyone on your list. 

Today's card features the Birthday Words, Party Hat, and Balloons die sets from Impression Obsession. They all work so well together to create fun and festive birthday cards. Try out this idea with different color palettes to suit just about anyone you need a card for. 

This card is fairly busy, with some patterned paper and layers. Here are a few tips when creating a card that's got a lot going on:

• Limit your color palette just a little. Four or five colors is plenty on a card like this. Tie in the colors between the hat, balloons, and sentiment to create a cohesive flow. (Multiple shades of one color also help with this. . .like the two shades of pink I used on this card, plus the yellow patterns, tie in with the yellow balloon.)
• Make the sentiment STAND OUT. I added two layers to the birthday words - using the white as a highlight layer behind. Adding white gel pen details also helps to the sentiment to stand out. (And for repetition of color again, notice those black stars, and black/white twine to bring it together.)
• Lastly, add DIMENSION. Popping the hat up on foam adhesive gives it some distance from the balloons, creating a foreground and background. 

And now, I know my friends have lots more birthday inspiration to share, so go check out what they've created for you! And then, be sure to head to the Impression Obsession shop for some AMAZING deals, during the Closing Sale.

Don't Miss These Important Details:

• We are so sad that Impression Obsession is closing their doors at the end of 2024. Keep shopping the awesome sales, and grab everything on your wish list while you still can! (No items will be restocked.) 
• Although there won't be any more new releases, we'll still be sharing blog hops with awesome inspiration, card making ideas and all the sale info through December, so stay tuned!

Don't Miss a Stop on the Hop!

IO blog

Dina Kowal

Giovana Smith

Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Laura Williams (you are here!)

Robin Clendenning

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Shop the Supplies on Today's Card!

Birthday Words dies

Party Hat dies

Balloons dies

Gel Roll 10 white pen  

*affiliate link at Simon Says Stamp

Platinum 6 Die Cutting Machine

*affiliate link at scrapbook.com

Looking for more birthday card making ideas? 

Check out this idea too!

Exploding Envelope Card 

 

Eeek! Birthdays Are Scary! {Cute Card Idea for a Halloween Birthday}

Who's got October birthdays to celebrate?! Today's card is all sweet, and not really spooky but it's a fun play on Halloween birthdays. Featuring the Monster Birthday stamp set from Impression Obsession, this card is playful and fun with lots of bright colors. It's part of our two-day Halloween blog hop, which is packed with inspiration and the latest info on the closing-sale at IO! 

First, let's hit the important details on today's card. I paired the ADORABLE Eeek die, (cut from glitter foam) with the Birthday Monster stamp set - a great set for Halloween cards, birthday cards, or Halloween-birthday cards! Plus those balloons and cute eyeballs are perfect for year round cards. (Here's a TIP: Think about other stamp images you have, that would be adorable with those crazy faces on them!) On today's card I used wiggle eyes for added dimension, and colored the teeth with a white gel pen, to really make them pop. 

Now, onward to some business. . . .

Don't Miss These Important Details:

• Have you been to the IO website lately? We are so sad that Impression Obsession is closing their doors at the end of 2024. Keep shopping the awesome sales, and grab everything on your wish list while you still can! Everything is at least 40% off right now (including the newest releases.) Plus, check the sale section for steeper sales! 
• Although there won't be any more new releases, we'll still be sharing blog hops with awesome inspiration, card making ideas and all the sale info through December, so stay tuned!

Don't Miss a Stop on the Hop!

IO blog

Dina Kowal

Giovana Smith

Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Laura Williams (you are here!)

Robin Clendenning

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Cue the Confetti and Sprinkles for These Two Birthday Card Ideas!

Hello friends! Let's get the sad news out of the way first . . .have you heard that Impression Obsession is closing at the end of this year? The good news though is that we still have inspiration to share, sales to shop, and one more new release in a few days. Please continue to support this beautiful small business in the coming months, and enjoy the amazing sales that have already begun! 

Okay, now - onward to today's super fun cards! 

First up, a celebration shaker card! Happy face balloons and sprinkle shakers . . .the best possible ways to celebrate a birthday!

Next up, how FUN is this guy!? The Little Monster stamp set includes an outline and solid shape for this monster cutie - on this card, I only used the solid. The Sprinkles & Confetti stamp set pairs so perfectly with Little Monster to make a fun birthday card, that kids and adults will love!

Today is Team Favorites Day on the Impression Obsession blog. It's the day we celebrate some of our favorite cards and products from this month's release. Be sure to stop by all the designer blogs to see what they're sharing today!

Please continue to support Impression Obsession in the coming months as we look ahead to our last release, and enjoy the awesome sales happening even now. (Everything in the store is already 30% off!) 

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards:

Little Monster stamp set

Monster Colors 6x6 paper pack

Sprinkles & Confetti stamp set

These Sunshine Card Ideas Will BRIGHTEN Your Day! {Impression Obsession}

Today's cheerful sunshine card ideas have some unexpected pops of color that are sure to brighten anyone's day. Featuring new designs by Lindsay Ostrom, for Impression Obsession, these creative and quirky sunshine and cloud stamps will add big personality to your handmade cards and crafts. Let's look at some card making  ideas with simple watercoloring, and fun color combos that might be perfect for your next crafty projects!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart! 

Both of today's cards begin with a simple watercolor panel. Here's a tip: Feel like doing something crafty, but not in the mood to make a card? Whip up some background panels that you can pull from for your next project. Watercolor takes some time to dry, so its nice to do that part ahead of time. I used watercolor paper, and some liquid inks + water to add a "blob" of color as a starting point. 

Next, I grabbed some inky scraps of paper and stamped the suns and clouds, fussy cut those cuties and assembled my cards. (I also added some colored pencil to the sunshine on the above card.) 

Sunshines are such a versatile card making image. They're perfect for almost any occasion, from get well and encouragement cards, birthday, thanks or just a card to say HELLO. Pair these sunshines with any sentiment - I used a couple from the new Happy Mail stamp set, and then finish off with some gems, washi or paint splatters. 

Don't be afraid to try some quirky color combinations on cards like this. The sunshine stamps have such fun personality, they play nicely with creative color and mixed media. 

Surprise Someone With This Fun Fold {Exploding Envelope} Birthday Card!

Let's make a super cute handmade fun fold card that's perfect for birthdays and celebrations! Today's card starts with an envelope - but the surprise is that the envelope IS the card! Whether you like to make envelopes with a scoring board, a metal die, or a template and scissors, you can make this fun fold birthday card today!

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

There are lots of ways to make your own envelopes to coordinate with handmade cards. Created from cardstock, patterned paper, or recycled magazines, the possibilities (and sizes) are endless. Scoring boards are a great option for creating envelopes, as well as die cutting, and stencils/templates that make a variety of envelopes. Once you cut out your envelope shape, you're all set to make this fun fold exploding envelope card!

I like to use my scoring board for envelopes. You'll find my simple envelope tutorial, using a scoring board, HERE. Start there to learn how to make the base of this envelope card.

Whether you start with a scored, die cut, or hand cut envelope - you'll do everything except adhere the envelope flaps together. And that, my friends - is your card base! How simple is that? Let's take a look at some ideas for decorating your exploding envelope card.

Think about the surface of this new card base as one whole shape - don't just decorate the center, decorate the flaps too. To create this idea, die cut a rectangle to make a little pocket in the center for a gift card. This becomes your focal point to decorate around. Add all your favorite stamps and dies to embellish. I started with some stamped stars in the background. Then I added die cut and stamped balloons and gifts to fancy it up! 

When you're all done with the inside, simply fold it up (remember, no glue!) and add a ribbon or twine to hold the envelope closed. Add a fun tag and some more stamping or embellishing if you'd like. 

Looking for MORE Exploding Envelope inspiration? 

You might love these cards too!

Graduation Exploding Envelope

Springtime Floral Exploding Envelope

Click to see the inside!

Easter Exploding Envelope