HSS492 – A Bold Floral Birthday Card

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Hello, friends!

It feels so good to be back! If you’ve noticed I’ve been a little MIA lately, you’re absolutely right. Life has been wonderfully busy with home renovations and family commitments, which has meant my crafting (and blogging!) has taken a bit of a back seat. The good news is things are finally starting to settle down, and I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have my craft room back up and running very soon. I can’t wait to get back to creating and sharing with you more regularly!

Today I’m excited to share my latest project for the Hand Stamped Sentiments Inspiration Challenge HSS492!

The inspiration board immediately caught my eye with its vibrant pinks, warm sunset oranges, bold black accents, and beautiful florals. Rather than recreate one specific image, I pulled inspiration from the overall colour palette and modern floral feel.

For my card, I blended Melon Mambo and Timid Tiger together using a Blending Brush to create a bold ombré background. I absolutely love how these two colours melt into each other—it reminds me of a gorgeous summer sunset!

To keep the focus on the colourful background, I heat embossed the label and birthday greeting from the Exciting Times stamp set in white. The crisp white sentiment really pops against those vibrant colours.

The finishing touch was adding the gorgeous black Floral Flight Accents. Their bold outline design creates such striking contrast and frames the sentiment beautifully without hiding too much of the blended background. A few 2026–2028 In Color Butterflies add just the right amount of sparkle and movement to complete the design.

One of my favourite things about inspiration challenges is that everyone sees something different. Whether it’s the colours, patterns, florals, or overall feeling of the inspiration board, it’s always amazing to see the variety of projects our design team creates.

I’d love to hear what inspires you most from this challenge board. Is it the tropical sunset, the bold black-and-white patterns, or those gorgeous bright florals?

Be sure to hop over to Hand Stamped Sentiments to see the rest of the Design Team’s beautiful creations, and I hope you’ll play along with us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and thank you for sticking with me while life has been a little hectic.

Want to grab the supplies for this card? Shop the links below or head to my shop.


SHOP HERE

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

The join process has changed a bit (sign up for $135 and get a $170 coupon) and you now get a fantastic Welcome Box too. The perks once you’ve joined remain the same.

  • 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.

Join Now!


HSS486 – Zooming into Inspiration!

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It’s time for a new challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments , and this week we have a fun Inspiration Board for HSS486!

From race cars and checkered flags to sports and action-packed scenes, this board is full of energy, movement, and bold colour—and that’s exactly what inspired my card.

I was immediately drawn to the race car and checkered flags, which led me straight to the Ready Set Go stamp set. I wanted to capture that fast-paced, high-energy feel, so I designed my card with strong diagonal layers to mimic speed and motion.

My base is Coastal Cabana, with blended panels to create a racetrack-style background. The repeated “ZOOM!” stamping adds to the sense of movement, while the angled design keeps your eye travelling across the card.

The race car is coloured in Timid Tiger and Poppy Parade—inspired by the bold, vibrant tones from the board. I popped it up for dimension and added a few enamel dots for a playful finishing touch.

🏁 Inspired by the board:

  • Checkered flags → stamped accents
  • Race car → focal image
  • Action/movement → diagonal layout & “ZOOM!” background
  • Bold colours → bright, high-contrast palette

This card would be perfect for anyone who loves cars, sports, or anything fast and fun!

Be sure to check out the full inspiration board and join us for the challenge—I’d love to see what inspires you!

Want to grab the supplies for this card? Shop the links below or head to my shop.


SHOP HERE

Looking for even more inspiration and 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.

Join Now!

Be sure to visit the Hand Stamped Sentiments blog to see all the gorgeous inspiration from the design team—and then join us by creating your own project using this colour challenge.


Ready, Set, Go! – GDP #541

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This Online Exclusive Ready Set Go! stamp set (167537) has been my go to stamp set in my limited crafting time these days.

This week I used it for a great colour challenge by Global Design Project.

This is a fairly simple card – just lots of cardstock layers.

I stamped the race car in Cloud Cover Ink all over the Basic White layer. Then I stamped it again in Secret Sea. I coloured it with Stampin’ Blends ( Daffodil Delight and Timid Tiger), fussy cut it and attached it to the cardfrot using Dimensionals.

Next the sentiment was stamped in Secret Sea on a layered banner. The flags were stamped in Secret Sea, fussy cut and glued down.

Finally, I embellished with some Timid Tiger Flat Pearls.

All of this got layered onto Daffodil Delight, Timid Tiger and finally a Cloud Cover card base.

I think this one has just a little bit of a retro look to it.

🏎️ Perfect For:

  • Kids’ birthdays
  • Teen birthdays
  • Masculine cards
  • Race fans

🛍️ Shop the New Online Exclusives

The Ready Set Go! stamp set (167537) is part of the Online Exclusives collection — available only while supplies last.

👉 Browse all the new Online Exclusives in my shop here:
https://www.stampinup.ca/?demoid=2189587

Don’t wait too long — these exclusive releases tend to zoom away quickly!

It would be great if you could play along with us. If you do, use the hashtag #GDP541 and tag me too!

Want to stamp with me?

Make sure to sign up for my newletter (link below) to learn about upcoming classes. I am in the middle of moving right now – so no classes in March. I can’t wait to host you all in my new studio once the move is complete.


New Product Alert – Ready, Set, Go!

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🏁Start your engines because this one is going to zoom out of the Online Exclusives section! 🏎️💨

The brand new Ready Set Go! stamp set (167537) is officially available — and I could not wait to create with it!

This set is perfect for kids, teens, race fans, and those hard-to-make masculine birthday cards. I paired it with Afternoon Azure and Two-Tone Secret Sea cardstock to create a bold and fun race car themed fun fold.

🏎️ Zoom-Worthy Fun Fold Birthday Card

This design looks impressive but is actually very simple to put together!

✂️ Measurements & Supplies

🟦 Card Base (You’ll Need 2 Pieces)

Afternoon Azure Cardstock

  • Cut 2 pieces at 5 ½” x 8 ½”
  • Score each at 4 ¼”
  • Fold on the score line

After folding:

On the other folded piece, cut off the bottom panel measuring 2 ¾” x 4 ¼”

On one folded piece, cut off the top panel measuring 2 ¾” x 4 ¼”

🔹 Important Assembly Step

Apply adhesive to the back of one full panel and glue the two card bases together so they become one sturdy card base with two opening flaps.

This creates that fun layered effect when the card is closed — and a full writing panel when opened!

🏁 Stamped Front Panels (No DSP Used)

Instead of Designer Series Paper, I stamped directly onto cardstock for a custom look.

Two-Tone Secret Sea Cardstock

  • Cut 2 pieces at 2 ½” x 4″
  • Stamp your checkered flags and “Zoom!” background images
  • Adhere to the front flap panels

I love how stamping directly on the Two-Tone cardstock gives depth and keeps the design cohesive.

📝 Inside Panel

White/Neutral Cardstock

  • Cut 1 piece at 4″ x 5 ¼”
  • Stamp your sentiment and small accents (like the mini checkered flags)

🎨 Why I Love This Combo

Afternoon Azure gives that bright, energetic pop that feels fast and fun.
Two-Tone Secret Sea adds richness and contrast, making the orange race car really stand out.

And I kept it clean and bold:

  • No DSP
  • No ribbon
  • No embellishments

Sometimes simple stamping makes the biggest statement!

🏎️ Perfect For:

  • Kids’ birthdays
  • Teen birthdays
  • Masculine cards
  • Race fans
  • Fun fold lovers

This stamp set makes creating for boys so much easier — and that’s always a win in my books!

🛍️ Shop the New Online Exclusives

The Ready Set Go! stamp set (167537) is part of the Online Exclusives collection — available only while supplies last.

👉 Browse all the new Online Exclusives in my shop here:
https://www.stampinup.ca/?demoid=2189587

Don’t wait too long — these exclusive releases tend to zoom away quickly!

If you make this fun fold, I’d love to see your version. Tag me or share in the comments!

Want to stamp with me?

Make sure to sign up for my newletter (link below) to learn about upcoming classes. I am in the middle of moving right now – so no classes in March. I can’t wait to host you all in my new studio once the move is complete.