Seasonal Sympathy {and breaking all my rules}

It's never fun to need sympathy cards and I wish this one in particular wasn't needed, but here we are! A dear friend lost her mom a few weeks ago and is now awaiting the passing of her sweet dad! None of the cards I had in my stash seemed fitting for this time of year so I decided to make something new, a little more fitting of the season. Also, I'm breaking a few of my "rules" for sympathy cards, so come along as I dive into the creation of this card.

To begin, I created the background by cutting a 4 by 5 1/4 inch piece of Powder Green cardstock and embossed it using a cable knit embossing folder from Gemini Junior. I'm having a hard time locating it, so maybe it is discontinued. I added some Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray for depth and interest and set it aside to dry.

Next, I die cut all of the foliage, berries, and pinecones using some assorted sets. The brown leaves, the broad, thick leaf and pistachio colored leaves are all from the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die. The brown leaves are colored with Creamy Caramel ink from SU!, the broad leaf is colored with Stormy Sea (PTI) and Handsome Hunter ink from SU!, and the pistachio colored leaves are colored with Mint Julep (PTI) and Handsome Hunter (SU!). The large leaf cluster is from the Into the Blooms: Christmas Sprigs Die and is colored with Stormy Sea and Handsome Hunter.

I used the Into the Blooms: Pine Die for the pinecones. They are colored with Chocolate Chip ink (SU!) and then the berries are from the Into the Blooms: Bold Berries Die. I colored them with Antique Linen Distress Oxide ink with a touch of brown (whatever was left on a sponge dauber). I spritzed everything with a combination of Frayed Burlap Distress Spritz, Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray (linked earlier) and Antique Linen Distress Oxide Spray.

I set all of the foliage and things aside to let them dry. I die cut the middle size included in the new Love to Layer: Polished Points Die from Vintage Cream cardstock and stamped the sentiment. It is my go-to sympathy sentiment and is from the Vintage Garden Stamp Set. I stamped it with Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink and added some ink splatters with the same ink. I used a sticky note to cover up the main portion of the sentiment and then just splattered it everywhere else.

I felt the sentiment needed something extra, so I rummaged through my mini sentiment stamp sets hoping to find an accent that was fitting. I made some modifications to the original saying; it said Sending Prayers For A, so I just used a sticky note to cover up the unnecessary bits and then heat embossed it in gold. The sentiment is from the Just Sentiments: Get Well Mini  Stamp Set. 

I added the sentiment panel to the background using foam squares and off-set it near the bottom right. I knew I was going to need more room on the left side for the foliage, berries, and pinecones. 

I arranged them using foam squares and liquid glue until I was satisfied with the arrangement. I added some Rock Candy Glitter and Shimmer Spray-Sparkle. Now, if you've been around awhile, you will know that I generally don't add glitter to my sympathy cards. I decided to add it to this card to give it the snowy look I was going for. So, here I am breaking my rules! ha ha! I also usually don't like to add sequins, but I did add a trio of sparkling clear sequins around the sentiment.

I think they just work on this seasonal, winter design! I adhered the entire background to an A2 top-folding Vintage Cream card base using liquid glue. I did stamp an inside greeting and added a few extra berries and leaves to the inside, but I forgot to take a pictures. I am definitely trying to be more prepared and stamp the inside of my cards as I make them and not wait until I NEED them. This really came back to bite me during Christmas....I didn't even get around to stamping on the inside of many of them and I felt bad. 

Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Baby It's Cold Outside

Hello and welcome! I'm sharing a fun wintertime card using a variety of products! I fell in love with this sweet Snuggle Snowman and immediately purchased the die! It arrived when I was busy with other projects and deadlines, but I made some time to use it. I got it out of the package and was ready to get crafty, but got called away for other motherly duties. ha ha! Anyway, I ended up setting it aside and then inadvertently threw it away. I was so sad, but I bought another one and it arrived the other day. I couldn't wait to spend some time creating this card. I saved a snippet of wrapping paper from Christmas to use as my inspiration, but I didn't want it to necessarily be Christmas-themed.

I also bought the beautiful Eyelet Layer Frames, but thank heavens I didn't throw them away! ha ha! To begin this card, I die cut the largest frame included in the set using Seafoam cardstock. I set it aside to do the embossed layer. I pulled out an older embossing folder that I've had for a few years called Pine Bouquet from SSS, but it looks like it's retired. I cut the panel down so it would fit inside the frame. I added some Seafoam Ink over the top using a blender brush to add some dimension.

I attached it to the lace frame piece using foam squares and then added it to a top-folding A2 card base. I die cut all of the pieces for the snowman and got to work assembling it. I took all of my color cues from the wrapping paper, which was fun, because I don't think I would have come up with the hat combination on my own. I glued a red pom-pom from my stash to the top for some added whimsy.

I die cut the eyes and nose twice; once so they could be placed back inside the holes, and again to go over the top for some added dimension. I wanted to add Glossy Accents to those pieces and it's always easier when they are raised a bit. Everything for the snowman himself was cut from white and then I just added some black marker to the eyes and Canyon Clay ink to the carrot nose.

The scarf is cut from Pure Poppy with some Scarlet Jewel blending for depth and contrast. I glued it to the body using foam squares and added the hat with liquid glue. I did add some ink splatter to the body as well for that snowy look. Once the eyes were dry, I added a dot of white gel pen to each one.

The wrapping paper had the snowman holding a bunch of greenery, ,so I got to work creating some. I used the Into the Blooms: Swag Die and cut the pieces from white cardstock. I didn't cut anything that was too holiday or Christmas-y, like holly. I colored the pieces with Stormy Sea ink and then Garden Green and Handsome Hunter from SU! I gave them all a spritz or two of Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz.

While those were drying, I attached the snowman to the embossed panel using foam squares. I tucked the greenery around him using liquid glue and foam squares. The snowflakes are cut from the Build-a-Hat die and the smallest one is from the Bring Home the Holidays Die. I added some blue pearls to the center of each snowflake.

I just love this sentiment and thought it would be perfect for this card. It is from the Just Sentiments: Winter Wonderland Stamp Set and is heat embossed in white on a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock. I added it using strips of foam tape. The finishing touch is some Rock Candy Glitter which I made sure to add to the top of the pom pom for a realistic snowy look! I had so much fun creating this card and I'm so glad this cute snowman is finally here to stay! ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Project Inspiration {You are Snow Loved}

Hello friends! It's my turn for the Project Inspiration features for Papertrey Ink and my first one of 2026! It has been insane around here and we have had ZERO snow for WEEKS; in fact, it's only snowed once at all! I decided to channel some snowy vibes for today's project using a variety of favorites!

I pulled out some older favorites, mixed them with the new and had a lot of fun bringing this card to life! I've made a goal for 2026 to send out at least one card a week, so this one will be fun to send (if we ever get snow).

This card comes together in six easy steps, but I will break each step down for you with detailed instructions!

Step 1: Cut an A2 panel of Spring Rain cardstock. Use the Simple Stitch Crochet-Small Stencil Collection with Spring Rain ink. Add some Blueberry Sky ink around the four corners. Add the pierced detail using the Cover Plate: Stitched Snowflakes Die. Attach it to a top-folding A2 card base.

Step 2: Cut the snowflake border from white cardstock using the Cover Plate: Let It Snow Die and attach it to the background using foam squares.

Step 3: Cut the hat pieces using the Build-a-Hat Die from Spring Rain cardstock and a few details from Vintage Cream Felt. Add some Blueberry Sky ink around the edges.

Step 4: Cut the greenery from white using the Into the Blooms: Swag Die and color the pieces with Stormy Sea and Pinefeather ink. Spritz the pieces with Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz and allow them to dry. Tuck them around the hat using foam squares.

Step 5: Heat emboss the sentiment on Blueberry Sky cardstock and white powder using the Just Sentiments: Snow Mini Stamp Set. Cut it using the Just Tags Die and attach to the hat using foam squares.

Step 6: stamp a sentiment on the inside using the Inside Greetings: Winter Wonderland Stamp Set. Add sequins, adhesive pearls, Shimmer Spray-Sparkle, and Crystal Stickles for snowy details!

It's hard for me to put away all of the Christmas stamps and dies, so it's always fun for me to keep using them in different ways until winter is over.

As I was editing these photos, I realized how cute it would have been to use the heart that is included in the hat die somewhere on the hat to reinforce the sentiment. *****ETA: I DID end up adding the heart and I love how it turned out! I added the picture at the bottom of the post.

I love the detailing that the distress spritz adds to the greenery with little effort.

I had so much fun creating this card and I hope it snows soon so it can get sent! Thanks for fluttering by!

I ripped off the snowflake from the felt pom pom and then added the heart with a foam square and reapplied the snowflake! It looks SO much better like this!

 

Happy New Year {PTI Designers' Favorites}

Happy New Year, friends! We've made it to 2026, which seems so crazy to me! The Papertrey Ink Design Team and guests are participating in a fun Designers' Favorites Instagram Hop to share our personal favorites from 2025. You can head there to participate in the hop, but I also wanted to share my favorites here, too! I purposely didn't pick any of the cards that were featured in my Top Nine from Instagram, even though some of them are other favorites. I just wanted some fresh things to share, if that makes sense.

One of the things that is special about each of these cards, with the exception of one, is that I remember who I gave each one to and why. 

The first card I'm sharing is one of my favorites because of the beautiful scripture verse and the flowers. This was when the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die was first released and little did I know then, but this has become a well-loved favorite and I have used it for every season since, including Christmas! You can see one of my favorite Christmas cards that uses them HERE.

You can read all about how I created this card from the original post HERE.

My second card is just so bright and cheery and uses a bee-theme, which I always love AND the beautiful Into the Blooms: Wild Wood Die and the Cover Plate: Hexagon Die. You can read all about this card HERE. I still have this card and I know this will be one of those that is hard to part with.

This particular card was made just-for-fun and not part of a release. It isn't solely PTI products, so I was hesitant to share it on the hop, but it IS one of my favorites, so I said, why not? ha ha! You can read all about this card HERE. This is one of those cards that I want to make again because I love it so much!

This particular card was a favorite on Instagram this year, but didn't make it in the top nine. This is one of those pleasant surprises that I didn't think people would respond to like they did. I really like it and I enjoyed making it, so it makes me happy when you like it too! You can read all about this card HERE.

I mentioned earlier I didn't want to include any Christmas cards, mostly because so many always end up on my Top Nine. I decided to share one favorite that didn't make it on the top nine. I was telling my daughter when I was writing out Christmas cards that I look at the photos of my cards way more than the actual cards, but when I see them in real life, they just look SO much better. This is one of those cards that just sparkles and shines and photography just can't capture that. You can read all about this card HERE. 

I want to thank each of you for your sweet support this year and always! I love this community so much; it's hard to find kindred spirits in our everyday life, so I truly appreciate you all so much! Happy New Year! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Merry Christmas 2025

Merry Christmas! I want to wish each of you a wonderful day! I hope your day is filled with joy and happiness surrounded by those you love! I'm happy to be here today to share the last Christmas card of the year! This one is similar to my Thanksgiving card, but with a few tweaks! I used a wood veneer cardstock for that card and when I purchased it, I noticed there was another variety as well. I went ahead and bought it thinking I would be using it all season long, but obviously that didn't happen! ha ha! This particular variety is White Birch and I just love it! I also paired it with the Tinaldo Wood Grain cardstock that Betsy used during the Christmas Gallerie release!

Now, all of this embossing reminded me how I used to emboss on velvet paper YEARS ago, back when embossing folders first came out. It has fallen out of my memory because velvet paper became hard to find, but I'm SO glad I remembered it, because it is now EASY to find! ha ha! I was especially happy to find some with an adhesive backing because it's used for the inside of jewelry boxes. You can find the paper I used HERE, but I also bought THIS variety for other projects. 

To begin, I die cut the outer portion from that white birch paper using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflakes Die and the star center. Of course, you KNOW I HAD to save the precious scrap, so stay tuned for something made with that! ha ha! Now, I had originally planned on having the next layer be cut from the velvet layer, which I DID, but didn't end up using, SO....that means another scrap that will NEED to be used as well! Instead, I cut it from the woodgrain paper I linked at the beginning of the post.  

The outer frame is embossed using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflakes Embossing Folder and then the inner portion is embossed using the Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder. Once the embossing was done, I used Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink with a sponge dauber to add the color to the raised areas.

I forgot to mention that it is best to adhere the wood veneer paper to a piece of cardstock before die cutting. It is thin and has a tendency to curl, so this eliminates that problem. I also took the adhesive back off the velvet paper and adhered it to cardstock as well. I cut it using the Capsule Basics Die and then embossed it with the same Rosemal Reflections embossing folder. I was thrilled to find that the Capsule Filigree Borders glued to the velvet paper worked great; I was worried it might be finicky.  I had originally planned on tucking this layer under the outer frame, but ended up not wanting to cover up ANY of the velvet! It is added over the top using foam squares.

During full reveals of the Christmas Gallerie Collection, I mentioned I made a BUNCH of the Bigger Holiday Botanicals. I still have a bunch left, so I added one of the holly varieties and the wax flower using foam squares. I can't seem to stop with the label/sentiment combo, so that is what I did again for this card. 

I heat embossed the label using the Little Linked Labels Stamp Set and then cut it using the Little Linked Labels Die. Once that was done, I dry embossed it using the Little Linked Labels Embossing Folder . I adhered it over the stems of the holly and wax flower using foam squares. 

It's a little bit hard to see in the photo because of the lighting, but I heat embossed the Merry Christmas sentiment on the same veneer paper using the Capsule Quick Tags Stamp Set. I added it over the top of the label using additional foam squares.

I added a bow that was cut from white and then inked up with Pure Poppy ink. I also added the "hardware" that was cut using the Hang It Up Die from Antique Gold cardstock.

I created a shaped base using the same shortbread die and glued it with liquid glue. I didn't dare add ANY glitter for fear of it sticking to the velvet paper. I will probably experiment when I have more time, but for now, I didn't dare risk it! I had so much fun creating this card! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Claus and Claus Toy Co.

Christmas is fast approaching and I'm putting the finishing touches on gifts and projects! I discovered that these cute boxes are the perfect sizes to hold the handwarmers I made for the Christmas Gallerie release. I made three sets, so I needed one more box to package them up! I had so much fun putting this one together with all of the fun colors and details!

To begin, I die cut the main box using the Arch Box Large Die from Sweet Blush cardstock. I used the Market Place No. 3 Die to cut out the window from one of the panels of the box and then assembled it using ScorTape. I set it aside and got to work on the store front.

I die cut the outline and window openings from Sweet Blush cardstock. I die cut all of the details from Pure Poppy and Mint Julep cardstock. I glued all of the pieces on using liquid glue.

I used the Market Place Holiday Festoons Die for the wreaths, bows, and strand of "lights". I die cut the wreaths from white and then colored them with blender brushes and New Leaf ink. The bows are cut from Pure Poppy and the "lights" are cut from white and then I used pearls for the individual bulbs. I just love how it turned out! I used the same pearls for the centers of the wreaths and on the building for additional charm.

The name of the shop: Claus and Claus Toy Company" was heat embossed using gold powder using the Market Place Holiday Stamp Set. I cut it using the included die with building and then adhered it to the store front using foam squares. The entire store front is added to the arch box using liquid glue.

If you saw THIS post, then you would have seen how I created a base for the box so I could add the bottle brush trees. I used the smallest die included in the Capsule Basics Die and cut it from Pure Poppy cardstock. I cut the Filigree Border from Antique Gold cardstock and adhered it with liquid glue. Once that was done, I was able to attach the box using hot glue.

I also attached the trees with hot glue and then gave them ornaments using the same pearls, but the larger sizes. The front is also dusted with some Sno Flock! I had so much fun putting this box together! The handwarmers have already been tucked inside and given to the recipient! Now we just need some snow and cooler temperatures to warrant needing hand warmers! ha ha! But seriously.....LET IT SNOW! 

Thanks for fluttering by!

Merry Christmas!