Throwback Thursday: Free as a Bird with Fresh In Colors

If you’ve been crafting with me for a while, you know Free as a Bird is one of my all-time favorite retired Stampin’ Up! stamp sets. This week, I dusted it off for Throwback Thursday and gave it a fresh twist with the 2025–2027 In Color Designer Series Paper, the 2025–2027 In Color Flat Pearls, and the crisp White ¼” Ribbon.

To bring it all together, I reached for the Spotlight on Nature Dies and created a pretty circular focal point for my sweet bluebirds. The color combo of Darling Duckling, Poppy Parade, and Pool Party comes straight from the Global Design Project #509 color challenge – and it’s perfect for a bright, happy friendship card.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  • Cut a Basic White card base (4 ¼” x 11”, scored at 5 ½”).
  • Cut a Darling Duckling DSP layer to 4” x 5 ¼”.
  • Add a 1 ¾” x 5 ¼” strip of Pool Party cardstock across the card front. Stamp the sentiment in Memento Black.
  • Tie a piece of White ¼” Ribbon and make a bow on the right hand side. Adhere this DSP/ribbon layer to the card base.
  • Die cut a circle from Basic White using the Spotlight on Nature Dies, adhere to the card front using Dimensionals.
  • Stamp the bird image from Free as a Bird in Memento Black on Basic White and color with Pool Party, Poppy Parade, and Darling Duckling Stampin’ Blends. I also used a little bit of light Crumb cake for the branch. Fussy cut.
  • Adhere the birds to the circle with a bit of glue in the center and Mini Dimensionals on the two branch ends.
  • Finish with Darling Duckling 2025–2027 In Color Flat Pearls for a cheerful touch.

Stampin’ Tip: If you don’t have the Free as a Bird stamp set, you can substitute any branch-and-bird image for a similar look – the key is in the color palette and layout.

🛍️ Shop the Supplies:


The DSP and dots are also on sale this month!! Make sure to grab all the In Color items during this sale – you can find ALL the products on the In Color Sale Special page ( or click the image below).

Don’t forget – you’ll earn Stampin’ Rewards on your purchase too!

📹 Want more inspiration? Be sure to follow me on YouTube or Facebook for tutorials, lives, and more!

👉 Looking for other ways to stamp with me?

If you are local – join my in person card class!

Looking for even more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team!

  • Save 20%+ on your orders.
  • Get free access to my monthly card class tutorials.
  • Enjoy our monthly team meetings with stamping fun and collaboration.

Contact me to find out more or see the details on my website.

See you next week for another Throwback Thursday creation!

➡️ Subscribe to my newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/f1809c680508/subscribe-to-stampin-with-leahs-newsletter


Throwback Thursday: Revisiting the Nests of Christmas Paper Pumpkin Kit

I love revisiting my Paper Pumpkin kits, especially when they coordinate so perfectly with current products! This week, I pulled out the Nests of Christmas Paper Pumpkin kit from October 2024 and created three brand-new alternative cards using the coordinating Nests of Winter 12×12 DSP and the stunning Gold Striped Mesh Ribbon.

  • Die cut a Basic White and a Shaded Spruce Everyday Arch that can layer together. Glue them together and then glue to a Pool Party layer ( either a piece from the Paper Pumpkin kit or a 4″ X 5-1/4″ layer of Nests of Winter DSP).
  • Tie a piece of Gold Striped Mesh Ribbon around this layer and attach to a Thick Basic White card base.
  • Stamp the sentiment using Shaded Spruce Ink on one of the extra labels from the kit ( or cut your own with Stylish Shapes dies). Attach to the card front using Dimensionals.
  • Fussy cut a bird on a branch and an extra branch from the Nests of Winter DSP and glue to the card front ( tuck the ends under the sentiment label).
  • Embellish with Iridescent Foil Gems.

🛍️ Shop the Supplies:


🧵 BONUS: I have TWO full Nests of Christmas Paper Pumpkin kits available — directly from me (not Stampin’ Up!). These are $35 CAD each (+ shipping if needed). If you’re in Canada, contact me directly to arrange local pickup or mailing.

✨ You can also catch my original unboxing + 2 alternatives on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EOk43pdpPY&list=PLfZU8O6t1_SEy0Vv9A1Xf0ykL-5hp7djD&index=8

In addition to this sweet winter card, I created 3 other alternatives. Each of these uses bits from the Paper Pumpkin kit added on to a card stock base rather than creating the cards as intended. Let’s take a look at each of the new cards!

Don’t forget – you’ll earn Stampin’ Rewards on your purchase too!

📹 Want more inspiration? Be sure to follow me on YouTube or Facebook for tutorials, lives, and more!

👉 Looking for other ways to stamp with me?

If you are local – join my in person card class!

Looking for even more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team!

  • Save 20%+ on your orders.
  • Get free access to my monthly card class tutorials.
  • Enjoy our monthly team meetings with stamping fun and collaboration.

Contact me to find out more or see the details on my website.

See you next week for another Throwback Thursday creation!

➡️ Subscribe to my newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/f18https://www.stampinup.ca?09c680508/subscribe-to-stampin-with-leahs-newsletter