Birthday Glitter and Sparkle

Hi everyone, today I would like to share the card I made for my husband’s aunt’s birthday. As she is close family I like to make a bigger card than usual, and this Julie Hickey floral stamp is pretty large so perfectly suited to the task at hand. I have previously coloured this stamp with bright, vibrant colours, so I decided this time to ring the changes and go for pastel hues with some metallic glimmer, shimmer and glitter!

I cut a piece of white card 19.5cm x 13.5cm, and stamped and heat embossed the focal image using a fuchsia pink embossing glitter. I coloured the flowers with watered down and mixed pink, red and blue Posca sparkle pens topped with Spectrum Noir sparkle pen, then coloured the leaves and flower centres with watered down gold metallic Posca pen. When dry I added some white Posca dots to the flower centres, stamped the sentiment in Hawthorn Rose VFC, then die cut and attached the dragonfly. I matted the finished panel into gold and pink mirror card  (the pink really doesn’t show up in the photograph!) and a C5 card blank.

Stamps: Julie Hickey - Julie’s Handpicked Blossoms & Blooms; Visible Image Birthday Wishes;

Media: Versafine Clair (Hawthorn Rose); Versamark; WOW! Petalicious embossing glitter; Posca sparkle pens topped- pink, red, blue; Posca pens (gold, white); Spectrum Noir sparkle pen (clear);

Tools: Tattered Lace Cute Critters dragonfly die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Aud Sentiments #338 - Embossing (wet or dry) and/or Flowers + a Sentiment (2nd entry)

Beautiful Blossoms #42 - Anything Floral Goes (2nd entry)

Craft Rocket #137 - Birthday

Crafter’s Cafe (June) - Anything Goes with option Blooms (2nd entry)

Creative Colour Girlz #5 - Flowers (3rd entry)

Creative Moments #283 - Pastels or Brights

A Cut Above (June) - Anything Goes with a Die Cut (3rd entry)

Die Cut Divas (June) - Anything Goes with die cuts (4th entry)

Fab ‘n’ Funky #639 - Summer Flowers (3rd entry)

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #30 - Birthdays (2nd entry) - THEME WINNER

Inkspirational #370 - Leftovers

(My pink and gold mirror card were offcuts)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Things With Wings

Tic Tac Toe #295 - Tic Tac Toe

1

(Floral/Pink/Birthday)

Triple B (June) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (3rd entry)

Unicorn #121 - Flowers (3rd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Birthday Blooms 🌸🌼🌺

Hi everyone, today I’d like to share a card I made for a friend’s birthday. As the weather and life generally has been so dull and miserable recently, I was in the mood to create something bright, cheerful and vibrant! 

I die cut a stitched square of white stamping card then stamped and heat embossed the beautiful floral arrangement by Julie Hickey - I really do think this stamp has wow factor! I coloured the flowers with Zig pens, added some white Posca highlights then topped the two largest flowers with Wink of Stella for added sparkle. I stamped the greeting, then added gold Posca dots to the image and some spatter. When dry I matted onto a purple border and a 6” square card blank.

I was actually quite disappointed by my colouring of the purple flower - I started with the yellow one and was pleased with my shading, but the purple pens wouldn’t behave themselves very well so I ended up with a flatter colour. My Wink of Stella went a bit blobby as well, but never mind … I did my best! 

Stamps: Julie Hickey - Julie’s Handpicked Blossom and Blooms;

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Wink of Stella (clear); Posca pens (white, gold); clear embossing powder;

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo- Stitched square die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Beautiful Blossoms #38 - Anything Floral Goes with optional Mood board

Classic Design Challenge #2 2026 - Blooms and/or Butterflies

Craft Rocket #133 - Flowers (2nd entry)

Crafter’s Cafe #327 - For the Girls

Creative Color Girlz #1 - Anything Hand Coloured Goes (3rd entry)

Creative Moments #279 - Feminine

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #2 2026 - Birthday

Moving Along with the Times #186 - Floral (2nd entry)

Passion for Markers #825 - Shop Your Stash

Triple B (February) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms

Word Art Wednesday #740/741 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Flutterby Birthday 🦋

Hi everyone, today I’m taking a little break from Christmas makes as I needed to make a friend’s birthday card. I decided to try another eclipse card, but this time with a rainbow of butterflies.

I cut a wavy stitched square of stamping card, and stamped the Visible Image butterflies in a rainbow of colours using Versafine Clair. I then created another eclipse card by die cutting the word birthday, cutting it 3 more times from separate snippets of card, then stacking the sentiment layers. I matted the panel onto a card blank and finished off with a scattering of rainbow coloured gems.

Die cutting the sentiment layers for an eclipse card is a great way to use up snippets - and I even remembered to take a photo of mine (wonders will never cease!). You may notice there are enough word cut outs to furnish two eclipse cards - that’s because I made another one while I was at the table, very similar to my first eclipse card here. I’d already given my first eclipse card away and it was well received, so I thought I’d make another in a different colour to have in reserve for when the need arises. 

Stamps: Visible Image VI Minis (butterfly), Birthday Wishes;

Media: Versafine Clair (Strawberry, Summertime, Cheerful, Grass Green, Blue Belle, Monarch, Nocturne); 

Tools: Craft Addictions UK Wavy Double Stitched Square die; Julie Hickey ‘Birthday’ die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

Colourful Options (December) - Rainbow Inspired (2nd entry)

Double Trouble #205 - Use at least 3 Colours, 2 layers, 1 image

Krafty Chicks #797 - Birthday - TOP PICK

Simon Says (Monday) - Use Dies in DIEcember (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Use Dies in DIEcember - WINNER

Snippets Playground #520 - Use Snippets - TOP PICK

Sweet Stampin’ - Birthdays - TOP 3

Triple B (December) - Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies

Word Art Wednesday #728/729 - Anything Goes

Word Power (December) - Sentiment as Focus

That’s all for today. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Simon Says (Monday) Guest Designer week 3 - Thank You

Hi everyone,

Here I am again for my third week as Guest Designer for the  Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

This week the theme is

*** Thank You ***

The lovely folks over at Simon Says Stamp are generously giving away a FABULOUS $25 voucher to shop at the  Simon Says Stamp Store! All you have to do is take out your crafty supplies, make something following this week’s prompt, and add a link in the Inlinkz  on the challenge blog post!  You can enter 5 times so that's 5 possible chances to win! All winners are chosen randomly, so everyone has an equal chance - good luck everyone!

Here's my card for this week (links to my supplies are below the description).

I recently saw an online video for the ‘faux pyrography’ technique, so I decided to give it a go. I cut a 5 1/2” square of white stamping card and spritzed with water. I then stamped part of my recently acquired Julie Hickey floral stamp in one corner using Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink and spritzed a little more so that the ink would wick out. I dried the panel then over stamped using Nocturne Versafine Clair. I repeated this process with a different part of the stamp in the opposite corner of the card, then highlighted the flower centres and dots by painting with watered down acrylic paint from a gold Posca pen. I cut a stitched square frame from kraft card then distressed it with Vintage Photo DOX and a little more gold paint. I die cut a Simon Says Script Thanks die and shadow using kraft and black card stock then added some gold paint highlights to the kraft sentiment. Finally I assembled the card and matted onto a 6” square white card blank.

Here are links to what I used.

Stamps: Julie Hickey - Julie’s Hand Picked Blossoms and Blooms;

Media: Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink (Vintage Photo); Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Posca pen (gold); 

Tools: Simon Says Stamp Script Thanks shadow wafer dies.

Don’t forget to visit the challenge blog to see the amazing inspiration from the rest of the Design Team.

You have until Monday 8am Ohio time (EST), 1pm UK time (GMT), 2 pm CET to join in.

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (November) - Anything Goes with option Thank You - TOP ROCKER

Beautiful Blossoms #35 - Anything Floral Goes

Card Concept #221 - Give Thanks

(Inspired by the theme: style is Shabby chic / Mixed Media)

Crafty Catz #704 - Anything Goes / Thank You

DL.Art (November) - Anything Goes with option Thanks

Make My Monday #265 - Gratitude/Thankful - SPECIAL MENTION

Male Room #204 - Masculine Floral

Outlawz Festive Friday (November) - I’m Thankful (2nd entry)

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Thank You

Sisterhood of Crafters - Thanks

Sparkles #194 - Thank You

Triple B (November) - Birds, Butterflies and/or Blooms (2nd entry)

We Love 2 Create #11 2025 - Anything Mixed Media/Papercrafting Goes

Word Art Wednesday #724/725 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting my blog today.

Hugs,

Total Eclipse

Hi everyone, today I would like to share a birthday card I made, which is my first attempt at the ‘eclipse’ technique. I have admired eclipse cards for a long time, and was particularly inspired by this card made by my bloggy friend Sarn. I never really had a suitable sentiment die and have coveted the Julie Hickey birthday die for a while, so when I saw it at Port Sunlight craft fair it just had to be mine! Here is my first attempt, using a different stamp from the same set as Sarn used on her gorgeous eclipse card.

I die cut a stitched square of white card and stamped the floral image using Hawthorn Rose Versafine Clair. I then die cut the sentiment from the stamped panel, plus three more birthday die cuts from white card. I attached the die cuts, stacking them up in the aperture created by the first die cut, with the inked one on top. I stamped the word ‘HAPPY’ then matted the panel onto a card blank and added a few teeny scattered gems. This technique is actually really easy once you get the hang of it, and I do think this is the perfect die to execute it. I also bought the matching ‘happy’ die so have already had a play with that too! 

Stamps: AALL & Create #985 Flower Smudge; Uniko Christmas Sentiments (the word ‘happy’);

Media: Versafine Clair (Hawthorn Rose, Nocturne);

Tools: Julie Hickey Birthday die; Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched square die;

Other:  clear crystal gems from my stash.

Challenges I would like to enter:

AAA Cards Challenge #303 - 1 + 1

(Birthday + flowers)

A Place to Start (November) - Anything Goes with option Something New (2nd entry) - TOP  SPROUT

As You Like It - Favourite Embellishment (and why) - TOP 3

(I love crystal gems as they are easy to use and just add a little sparkle)

Crafts Galore Encore # 141 - Anything Goes (2nd entry) - DT FAVOURITE

Creations In Pink #86 - Anything Goes in Mainly Pink

Dragonfly Dreams (November) - Feminine 

Fab ‘n’ Funky #625 - Clean and Simple (2nd entry) - TOP 3

Girlz Rebel #46 - Something Beginning With B - TOP 3

(Birthday, bloom)

Heart’s Quest Celebrations of Love #11 2025 - Birthday (2nd entry)

Make My Monday #264 - Birthday Card with at least one flower - TOP 3

Outlawz Twisted Thursdays (November) - All About Words

Word Art Wednesday #724/725 - Anything Goes (2nd entry)

That’s all for today. Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Sending Hugs

Hi everyone, today’s card is a complete u-turn from yesterday, from a sepia vintage vibe to a vibrant and bold contemporary card! I’d like to share my first make with a gorgeous new-to-me stamp set by  Julie Hickey, which I bought at Port Sunlight. I’ve admired this vibrant large floral stamp for a long time, so when I saw it on a stall along with some sample cards, I just had to have it! It strikes me as really versatile.

I die cut a stitched square of white card and stamped different parts of the stamp in opposite corners, then coloured it with my Zig pens. I applied some white Posca accents to the flower centres and added sparkle to the larger flowers with Wink of Stella, then stamped the sentiment. To finish I added some gold Posca accents and spatter, then attached the finished panel to a card blank. This is another very sparkly card which sadly the picture doesn’t pick up at all!

Stamps: Julie Hickey - Julie’s Handpicked Blossom & Blooms; Uniko Simply Said Blocks II;

Media: Versafine Clair (Nocturne); Kuretake Zig Clean Color watercolour pens; Wink of Stella (clear); Posca pens (white, gold);

Tools: Hunkydory Moonstone Duo-Stitched Square die.

Challenges I would like to enter:

613 Avenue Create (October) - Anything Goes - TOP ROCKER

Addicted to Stamps & More! #504 -  Any Occasion (2nd entry)

Ally’s Angels #99 - Anything Goes 

Beautiful Blossoms #34 - Anything Floral Goes 

Crafts Galore Encore #140 - Anything Goes 

Creative Aunts #106 - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers #310 - Anything Goes

Ellibelle’s Garden Party (October) - Anything In or From a Garden 

Simon Says (Wednesday) - Clean and Simple 

Triple B (October) - Birds, Blooms and/or Butterflies (3rd entry)

Word Art Wednesday #722/723 - Anything Goes (4th entry)

Take care, and thanks for visiting.

Hugs,