XO

It's time for Just Us Girls Word Week #814: Embossing...which can be dry embossing or heat embossing. If there is another kind, go for it! I did an old technique of inking the background side (debossed) of an embossing folder with distress ink, inserted a white cardstock panel into the folder, then ran it through the Big Shot to pick up the ink on the background and emboss the pattern in white. it took two inkings and passes to really cover that background well. Be sure to explain what you did to emboss your card in case it is not apparent in the photo you submit. Here's my card.

What I used:

• Stampin' Up! Embossing folder
• Spellbinders Embroidered Alphabet dies, Envelope of Wonder flower dies
• Distress Ink pad
• Pretty Pink Posh gems

Don't look too closely because there are flaws...but the overall look (especially in person) is an inked background with the raised white embossed pattern. I die cut the letters, flowers and leaves from ink blended watercolor scrap leftovers from a card I have coming soon. Lots of bright color on my card for spring.

Please join us this week! The team has made a wide variety of ideas for you to check out. You can find the products and techniques used on their blogs, so take a visit.

See you in the gallery!

Carol

The Good Stuff

This card is for the Inspired By Challenge #IB378 Spring Blossoms. I admired the photo there with the pretty pitcher and the soft colors. I decided on three spattered pitchers full of new blooms. I have always loved this kind of "watering can" or "vase" so I decided to go that route.

What I used:

• MFT Freshly Picked dies
• Handmade stencil for background
• Stampin' Up! Classic ink pad
• Cardstock scraps
• White Acrylic paint
• Aqua pen
• Tim Holtz Small Talk sentiment sticker

I did the die cutting and arranging first. Then created a stencil for a soft ink blended background. I watered down some white acrylic paint and spattered the pitchers and adhered it all together. My go-to sentiments are these stickers by Tim Holtz and I can find any and all topics in them.

Hope your spring has begun where you live and that the white stuff is melting away quickly!

Thanks for stopping by,

Carol

Spring "chicken"

It's time for the March Gorgeous Tags Instagram Hop with Easter as the optional theme! This little bunny is dressed up as a freshly hatched chick amongst the other eggs in the garden. The tag could be attached to identify whose Easter basket or present it belongs to or as a surprise for someone special. "Hop" along and see all the tags our group was inspired to make this month.

What I used:

• Chickie stamp set (lost packagine years ago)
• Waffle Flower egg die, A2 Nested Domes dies
• Spellbinders Hello Peeps die set (2021)
• Altenew Obsidian Black ink pad
• Patterned paper and cardstock scraps

You can start the hop at my account on Instagram: @sawithadtomakeit and go from there. We don't see each others' tags until the hop starts, so it's a fun day for us too. It's always on the 5th of the month at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. You can always look it up by using these hashtags: #gorgeousgifttagsMar26 or #gorgeousgifttags.

Happy hopping into spring!

Carol

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I usually make one or two St. Patrick's Day cards a year and this is the first of 2026 for me, plus the first time using this cute walrus die set. For our Just Us Girls Challenge #813: Luck/Green, he and his friend are wishing you lots of luck and wearing green to be sure they won't get pinched. Our team has all sorts of ideas for you. Our special guest this month is Milla. Be sure to check out her blog and those of our team for all the details on their cards.

Here's what I used:

• Spellbinders Shipmates Stitching Die of the Month, June 2025
• Hampton Art Studio G Shamrock talk bubble stamp
• Cardstock and patterned paper scraps
• Stampin' Up! Classic ink pad

This walrus is a riot...it can be anything you want it to be for different occasions and seasons. It is wishing us good luck without saying a word. Its gold buttons are lucky coins, too. This is my take on luck/green for our challenge this week. What will you make?

I appreciate you stopping by and taking a look,

Carol

Breathe

I have admired Penny Black postage style cards for years. After two totally different types of cards didn't work out like I wanted, I went looking in my saved Pinterest cards and stumbled upon this style by PB again. I used what I have on hand and the card below was the result. I am using it for Time Out Challenge #308 for our 12th Birthday Celebration. 

For this special challenge, we are CASEing Stef Perry's beautiful card. Stef has a definite gift of coloring as you can see in the challenge graphic and on her blog, Perry Papercrafts. Thanks Stef, for creating this card for our challenge!

Verena Shapiro, of Simple Stamper on Instagram, agreed to be our Guest Designer for this challenge as winner of challenge #303. Her card is a beautiful CASE of Stef's card, isn't it? The team has also created lots of ideas for you as well, so be sure to visit their pages, too. 

I went with Stef's colors, two flowers and textured background. Here are the products I used:

• Memory Box Enchanting Poppy Stems dies
• Spellbinders Embossing Folder of the month for January '23
• The Greetery Postage Dies
• Concord & 9th Seaside Postage Stamp Set, Mini Ink Pads
• Altenew Obsidian. Black Ink Pad
• Foam Tape

It was fun creating a large postage stamp. I masked off the edges and created a background first. Then I die cut and ink blended the flowers and stems. After assembling them, I adhered them to my postage stamp and stamped the cancellation mark, word and 25 cents in the corners. I embossed a panel with the floral pattern and attached it to the A2 card base. Last, the postage stamp was popped up on foam tape onto the card front.

Waffle Flower Crafts is our generous sponsor for this special challenge, offering a $25.00 gift card to their store to the winner of this challenge. That winner will be invited to be our Guest Designer in a future challenge.

Here are some details to keep in mind (See full list of rules on challenge Time Out sidebar):

• Upload your project using the Inlinkz by 5:00 GMT (London), 12:00 Noon EDT (New York) on Wednesday, March 18th.
• Be sure your link is a direct link to your NEW project, not just a generic link to your blog. No back linking.
• Be sure you are actually following the challenge theme and explain in your post how your project fits the challenge. 
• Per our challenge rules, combining of challenges is limited to a total of 5, including ours. A total of 5 entries per challenge is allowed.

Can't wait to see your cards in the gallery!

Carol

Thanks a Hole Bunch

Well, there was a hole bunch until they were eaten while hot!! That's how long they last at our house! Paper donuts are as fun to make as the cake kind and I made these for Inspired By Challenge IB377 Sweet Caterpillar. I was inspired by the donuts (obviously) and the sketch. 

What I used:

• The Stamp Market Donuts stamps and die cuts
• Gina K Premium Dye ink pad
• Versamark ink pad
• Silver  embossing powder
• White embossing powder
• Concord & 9th ink pads

Choosing the colors for the donuts and their sprinkles is always fun with this set. I wanted to cover the rack with lots of them, but I wanted to follow the sketch, too. I heat embossed the rack in silver then arranged my completed donuts. Of course all I can think about is going and getting some real ones that are made to order close by my house. #duckdonuts

Well, I am off to distract myself from donuts for the moment. We'll see how successful I am at that. Hope your Sunday is a Funday!

Carol

Just Because

Here is my card for Woodblock Wednesday February 2026 using just one stamp repeatedly. It is a longtime favorite of mine from my days of Stampin' Up! and I have made very different cards each time I use it. I have about fifteen Elfa (brand) drawers of wood stamps and either can't part with many of them or still use them from time to time. I decided that it was about time to give this wood stamp some attention again.

What I used:

• Stampin' Up! Blended Bloom stamp, Classic ink pads
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology Small Talk sticker sentiments
• Altenew Obsidian black ink pad
• Ranger Oxide ink pads

First I stamped the flower image several times on aqua cardstock and once more on a white scrap of cardstock. Then I started using different sizes of ink blending brushes to add color to this flower. I'm not very good at it, but watercoloring is even more daunting to me. I fussy cut the flower after coloring it, then popped it up on thicker foam squares to give it dimension on my card.

Happy spring whenever it hits your area...it is back to very warm temperatures here for a couple of weeks after some really cold weeks. I'm ready for spring, aren't you?

Thanks for visiting!

Carol