lauralooloo: stencils

Showing posts with label stencils. Show all posts

Monday, June 8, 2026

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

Congrats Cat die set

Darling Dog die set

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

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Fall in LOVE with the Heart to Heart Release at Simon Says Stamp!

The holiday decor is put away (well, maybe...) so it's time to start thinking about Valentine's Day card making. All of today's cards and products can be used for Valentine's Day, but they can also be used for anniversary, thinking of you, or just to say hello to a friend. It's all part of the latest release from Simon Says Stamp, called Heart to Heart, and you might just LOVE it!

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!

We'll start off with Locket of Love. I used the new stamp set, as well as the coordinating stencil. The stencil makes it easy peasy to add color to the jewelry pieces in the set, and the sentiments are really pretty too!

I added some dimensional glaze and glitter to the pearls, and I spritzed over everything with Simon Hurley Solar Spray (in Royal Flush.) It adds a subtle but very pretty metallic sheen and splatter to the card in person.

Next up, a clean and simple card - again, this might be a Valentine, but it would be a super sweet anniversary card as well. It features the new Hearts Aplenty die, and I paired it with the Love You sentiment from the Locket of Love stamp set.

And lastly - this might be the perfect Valentine or all occasion card for your bestie! This card uses two new products. First, the absolutely ADORABLE Groovy Wishes stamp set, which includes lots of words to mix and match. (They offer coordinating dies too!) Second, something used in a surprising way . . .the Falling Snow background die. Flipped upside down, I decided the falling snow reminded me of champagne bubbles, or maybe a lava lamp, perfect for this groooovy card!

I hope you'll stop by Simon Says Stamp today to check out the entire Heart to Heart release. It's packed with products and inspiration to get back to crafting, now that the holiday season is behind us. Wishing you a very crafty January and a beautiful new year! xoxo

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards
(all sold at Simon Says Stamp)

Groovy Wishes stamp set

(or grab the bundle with coordinating dies!)

Falling Snow die

Locket of Love

(or grab the bundle including dies and stencils!)

Hearts Aplenty die

Simon Hurley/Ranger Solar Spray

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Merry & BRIGHT Winter Card Ideas with Stencils {NEW from Simon Says Stamp}

Stencils are a beautiful way to add texture to the background of your cards, and a creative way to make a relatively flat (and therefore easy to mail) card with lots of personality. Today's cards are packed with crisp, cool winter vibes - but thanks to the versatility of stencils, you can take this idea and recreate it in any color palette you choose!

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 cards feature the Large Snowflake Cutouts stencils from Simon Says Stamp. This set includes two large snowflake stencils (and bonus. . . Simon also sells a coordinating die for even more creative possibilities!) Here's the magic about card inspiration - if this wild winter color palette isn't your thing, then try this idea in whatever winter shades rock YOUR fuzzy socks off. Already have a snowflake stencil? Try it with what you have, or play around with a completely different stencil.

The Large Snowflake stencils include two different styles. Let's look at the two stencils first, and then I'll show you the difference. The stencil on the left has a large rectangle of negative space, (which happens to be the exact size of a standard card.) For the Merry and Bright card, I laid the stencil down on my cardstock and added shades of blue and green ink (with my favorite blending brushes.) This leaves the snowflake white but fills the card base with color.

The second stencil has more of a circle format, creating a white snowflake with color only around the edges. This one is perfect for overlapping snowflakes, as I did below. On both cards I added sentiments from the Plaque Slides Christmas stamps, and the coordinating Plaque Slides dies. (I trimmed the little slides off the sides of the rectangle one above, which just adds to the versatility!)

Both of these card ideas will be simple to pop in the mail, and will be perfect for Christmas or basically any other occasion this winter season! Love that!

Lastly, here's a collage-style card that shows a layering idea with the snowflake stencil. It's a bit more subtle and it demonstrates a way to fill some white space using a stencil. I hope these cards have inspired you to take a look at the stencils in your stash, (or you know. . .do a little bit of shopping for something new!)

Today is release day of the Sugar and Spice collection at Simon Says Stamp. Man, is this collection packed with all sorts of great winter items, but also some super cute products to use all year long. I'll be back on Saturday with some more projects to share but in the meantime head on over to Simon Says Stamp and check out the entire collection!

Shop the Supplies on Today's Cards:

Large Snowflake Cutouts Stencils

(also available: Large Snowflake Wafer Die

also available: stencil/die combo!)

Plaque Slides Christmas Stamps and Plaque Slides Dies

(also available: just the stamps

or just the dies)

Large Blending Brushes

I absolutely love these large blending brushes.

They are super soft and apply ink to cardstock really smoothly!

Platinum 6 die-cutting machine

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Pumpkin Kisses and Harvest Wishes Card Making Idea

Welcome to Day 2 of the Halloween blog hop at Impression Obsession! We're celebrating all things spooky and sweet from the IO shop. Today's card features a simple stenciled background, and a perfectly plump little pumpkin!

Let's talk about this background first . . .I've used the Retro Ovals stencil a few times now, and each time it's had a completely different look. Gotta love a super versatile product like this! This two-step stencil allows you to make a two-color background without any hassle. Line up your first stencil and ink orange across it. Then, simply line up the second stencil to coordinate (the small ovals) and ink with gray. After that, I lightly rubbed additional orange ink across the panel to create less contrast. The rest of this card is pretty simple. A stamped sentiment, stamped pumpkin, a few gel pen details, plus a heart and some washi tape. Quick and simple, and sweet as can be for fall!

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! (No items will be restocked.) Everything is at least 40% off, including the newest releases. Plus, check the sale section for steeper discounts!
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

Laura Williams (you are here!)

Robin Clendenning

Angela Bode

Anna Wight

Monday, September 23, 2024

Check Out These Cute Nordic Christmas Card Ideas {With Teal and Pink!}

Hello friends! Today's cards are cute, cozy and colorful for Christmas and winter. The cold weather critters in the Nordic Christmas stamp set, from Impression Obsession have the sweetest details, and you'll love mixing and matching these images for your card making this season!

Today's first card starts with a stenciled background. The Retro Ovals Stencil is a two-step stencil. It makes it simple to create a two-color background, but for today's card I created a tone on tone look, using shades of teal ink for both parts of the pattern, and applied onto teal cardstock.

For both of today's cards I used marker to color the images, but I kept it pretty simple and clean. I wanted to add some shading, but also keep them light and bright against the patterned backgrounds. Speaking of backgrounds, on this card I used the darling Nordic Patterns 6x6 paper pack. The colors are just what I love! Shades of aquas, pinks, and red. Perfect for Christmas, winter, and also. . .awfully cute for Valentine cards too!

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 30% off right now (EVEN THE SEPTEMBER RELEASE!) and check that sale section for steeper sales!
Although September is the last new release, for the next few months 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

Giovana Smith

Jeanne Streiff

Laura Fulcher

Laura Williams (you are here!)

Robin Clendenning

Anna Wight

Dina Kowal

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Two Summertime Card Ideas With Colorful Fruity Drinks {New From Impression Obsession}

Fill up a drink and let's toast to the SUMMERTIME! I think I'm just as excited as my kids that school is OUT FOR SUMMER! Today's handmade card ideas are full of summer sunshine and fruity drinks. Raise your glass to this cute new stamp set from the latest release at Impression Obsession!

Today's first card starts with my favorite stencil set, the A4 Window Stencils. This card features the six circles (yes, those circles are all one stencil.) I love how this creates a landing spot for smaller stamped images like these fruity drinks from the Alphabet Sayings - Summer stamp set. To create this look, ink up the stencil with some warm pinks, yellow, and orange inks letting them all blend into each other just like a sunset. Then, pop those drinks up with foam tape, a simple sentiment, and some bling!

Next up, here's a different look for these summer drinks. A trio of die cut Cute Scalloped Rectangles, each with a splash of watercolor, becomes the landing spot for these watercolored drinks. Watercoloring stamped images can be really fun when you let go of your perfectionism and just give them a quick zhuzh of color!

The designers at Impression Obsession are celebrating the June release with a blog hop that's jam packed with inspiration just for YOU! I hope you'll hop around and see what everyone else has been creating. And then, pop back here tomorrow for the second day!

Catch Every Stop on the Blog Hop!

IO Blog

Laura Williams <<you are here!>>

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Happy Graduation: Make These Two Cards for Your Favorite Graduates!

It's Theme Day on the Impression Obsession blog today, and we're celebrating the graduates in our lives with graduation themed card ideas. We've got LOTS of ideas to share with you, to inspire your card making projects for your favorite grads! Whether its a preschool graduation, all the way up through an adult graduate - you'll find an idea just perfect to celebrate their accomplishments.

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

Today's first card begins with a stencil set I've been sharing quite a lot lately. The A4 Windows Stencils from Impression Obsession includes 4 different stencils - today's card features the four-square stencil. After inking the squares, it creates the perfect landing spot for the stamped starry square images, plus a die-cut graduation cap. I finished up the card with a stamped sentiment, some white gel pen details, and a bit of patterned paper.

Next up, another card with the cute die cut grad cap. For extra pizazz, consider cutting part or all of the cap from glitter cardstock - so festive and fun! HERE'S A TIP! Trying to find the perfect patterned paper for your grad card? Create your own by stamping graduation sentiments across a cardstock panel. The tiny stars in this stamp set are the perfect filler for any awkward blank spots.

To make your grad cap stand out, consider adding a shadow layer underneath, in a contrasting color. I used a matte silver cardstock so that the dark cap on dark cardstock would still POP.

Don't forget, the IO designers all have lots of great graduation inspiration for you today! Be sure to check out all the ideas and then get crafting on your own grad projects.