October Product of the Month: Shining Stars Dies ⭐

October’s Product of the Month is here, and I think this one is going to be SO much fun to create with! Say hello to the Shining Stars Dies.

Stars are one of those shapes that work for just about everything. Birthdays, Christmas, celebrations, congratulations, baby cards, treat packaging and even home décor—there are so many possibilities with this set.

How Product of the Month Works

When you place a qualifying $100 CAD order, you’ll unlock the opportunity to add the Shining Stars Dies for just $7 CAD.

The Shining Stars Dies are available beginning October 6, 2026, while supplies last, so if these are on your wish list, I wouldn’t wait too long!

And remember, Product of the Month is exclusive—you won’t find these dies available for regular purchase.

Shining Stars Dies (168600)

Make your handmade projects the *star* of the show. With 23 dies of varying sizes, you can create cards, decor, treat packaging, and more. The crafting possibilities are out of this world!

So Many Ways to Use These Stars ⭐

I love that this die set goes well beyond card making. The different sizes give you lots of options for layering and creating fun focal points, and those stars would be adorable for:

  • Christmas and birthday cards
  • Gift tags and treat packaging
  • Celebration and congratulations cards
  • Scrapbook pages
  • Banners and home décor
  • Shaker cards and layered star designs

I’m already looking forward to playing with them and sharing some of my own ideas throughout October!

Even More Inspiration When You Shop With Me!

When you qualify for October’s Product of the Month through my online store, you’ll also receive my customer-exclusive Product of the Month PDF Tutorial Collection.

Inside you’ll find 12 different projects created by Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators, all featuring the Shining Stars Dies. It’s a great way to have lots of ideas ready to go as soon as your new dies arrive!

It’s available exclusively to my customers as my thank you for supporting my business.

Inspiration from the Stampin’ Up! Design Team

Need a little creative inspiration? The talented Stampin’ Up! Design Team has created some beautiful projects featuring the Shining Stars Dies, showcasing just how versatile this die set really is.

Take a look at these beautiful projects below!

I hope these ideas inspire you to create something beautiful with your own Shining Stars Dies. Whether you CASE one of these designs or put your own creative spin on them, this paper makes it easy to create stunning projects.


How to Get Yours

It’s easy!

  • Place a $100 CAD (before tax and shipping) order during August.
  • Add the Luxe Foliage Specialty Designer Series Paper to your cart for just $7 CAD.
  • Complete your order through my online store.
  • I’ll send you my exclusive PDF tutorial (around the 25th of the month) so you can start creating beautiful projects with your new paper.

Ready to Add Shining Stars to Your Craft Room?

Place a $100 CAD qualifying order through my online store and you can add the Shining Stars Dies for only $7 CAD.

And, of course, when you shop with me, I’ll make sure you receive the 12-project customer-exclusive tutorial too.

Click here to shop my online store.
Click here to access & view the current catalogs.
Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity!
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Woodland Wishes Wednesday Night LIVE

It feels so good to be getting back into a regular crafting routine — and I’m excited to say that Wednesday nights are officially my new LIVE night!

Join me each Wednesday at 7:00 PM Pacific on my Stampin’ With Leah Facebook page or on You Tube for a little mid-week crafting time.

Watch the Replay

Didn’t catch me live? You can watch the YouTube replay here:

For this week’s LIVE, I pulled out the adorable Woodland Wishes images and created this sweet Christmas card featuring the deer, fox and polar bear. I love these little woodland friends, especially paired with the bright red pattern from the A Stitched Season Designer Series Paper, some Shimmering Stripes 12X12 Specialty DSP, vellum and that fun Multicolor Christmas Baker’s Twine.

Even better, I created this card using all the same materials as the cards in my upcoming Woodland Wishes Card Class To Go! It’s not one of the class projects, but it gives you another idea for using those supplies after class.

Woodland Wishes Card Class To Go

If you love these cute little critters as much as I do, there’s still time to join me!

We’ll be creating a collection of Christmas cards featuring Woodland Wishes, with everything prepped and ready for you to enjoy the fun part — stamping and creating.

Registration closes October 5!

Looking for other crafting inspiration? Check out all my past class PDFs in my shop:

Looking for even more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team! We have a new Starter Kit! You get an fabulous Welcome Box and a $165 coupon for just $135.

  • Save 15%+ 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.

And don’t forget — Wednesday at 7:00 PM Pacific is my new regular Facebook LIVE time. I’m looking forward to having a regular time each week to craft and share some new ideas with you.

Click here to shop my online store.
Click here to access & view the current catalogs.
Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity!
Click here for more information about joining my Online Monthly Technique Club. Earn even more goodies by joining a club!
Click here to learn more about joining my Ink Pad Pals Team. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products!
Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, and Facebook!
Please subscribe to my newsletter, too! Click here and enter your email. When you include your birthday you will even be added to my birthday card mailing list 🙂


GDP567: Happy Halloween with Harvest Hues

Halloween isn’t a big thing in my house anymore now that the kids are grown, so when I saw that this week’s Global Design Project challenge was Halloween, I had to work a little magic! 🎃

For #GDP567, I decided to keep things bright, fun and definitely more cute than spooky.

I started with the Harvest Hues Mix & Match Ephemera Pack, which turned out to have just what I needed. That happy little jack-o’-lantern and the candy corn pieces gave me an instant Halloween theme without needing a Halloween stamp set.

For the sentiment, I pulled out the Simple Alphabet Stamp Set and stamped a big, bold halloween. I love being able to create exactly the words I need with an alphabet set!

I kept the background mostly white but added lots of texture by embossing with the Swirls of Magic EF. A few little pops of orange and some Shimmering Stripes Specialty DSP tucked behind the sentiment strips finished everything off.

Sometimes a challenge really does make you look at the supplies you already have in a completely different way—and I think this one turned out pretty darn cute!

I hope you’ll join us over at the Global Design Project and create something for the Halloween theme this week. Be sure to share your project using #GDP567 so we can see what you create!

✂️Supplies Used:



When you place a $65+ order with me I will also send you this fabulous 17 project PDF Tutorial . This bundle is filled with inspiration and is a FREE gift from me to say thanks for your order!

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

A colorful welcome box featuring the word 'WELCOME' in multiple languages including 'BIENVENUE', 'WILLKOMMEN', and 'WELKOM', with a light pink background and playful circles.

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 15%+ 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.

Graphic promoting a team invitation with the text 'Join My Team The Ink Pad Pals' on a pink watercolor background.
Text graphic with the phrase 'Happy Stampin'!' in a stylish font and the name 'Leah' below, set against a pink watercolor background.


A woman with long hair smiling at the camera, wearing glasses, set against a blurred background of greenery.
Logo for 'Stampin With Leah' featuring a colorful bird illustration on a pink watercolor background, with the tagline 'A Place for Creative Inspiration'.

HSS498 – An Autumn Inspiration Challenge

It’s time for another challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments , and this week we have a gorgeous Inspiration Challenge for HSS498!

There was SO much to love in this inspiration board — pumpkins, sunflowers, falling leaves and all those warm autumn colours. I decided to pull out the rich oranges, yellows, greens and natural tones for my card.

For my focal point, I used the Harvest Hues Mix & Match Ephemera. I love having these little pieces on hand when I want to create without pulling out a whole collection of stamps and dies. The leafy wreath gave me all the autumn colour I wanted and made such an easy focal point.

I paired it with a warm neutral background and added lots of texture with the beautiful Sunflower 3D embossing folder. I love how the tone-on-tone embossing adds interest without competing with the wreath.

A simple sentiment, a few little pops of orange and that gorgeous metallic bow finished everything off.

I think my favourite thing about an inspiration challenge is that there really is no “right” way to interpret it. You might be drawn to the pumpkins, the sunflowers, the little squirrel, the colours — or something completely different!

Be sure to head over to Hand Stamped Sentiments to see what the rest of the Design Team created for HSS498, and then I hope you’ll play along with us. I’d love to see what catches your eye in this week’s inspiration!


Woodland Wishes Card Class To Go

I’m so excited to be offering a Woodland Wishes Card Class To Go! It’s been a little while since I’ve offered one of my Card Classes To Go, and I’m very happy to be getting back into the swing of things.

For $55, you’ll receive the supplies to create a beautiful collection of cards along with the class instructions, and we’ll craft together during my live class. You’ll just need to provide your own colouring tools, inks and adhesives.

The registration deadline is October 5th, so don’t wait too long if you’d like to join me!

REGISTER HERE: https://form.jotform.com/leahdixon41/woodland-wishes-online-card-class

Want to Make This Card?

Shop the links below or head to my shop. You can also scroll down for a printable set of instructions so you can recreate this card yourself.


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.



GDP566 Sketch Challenge – Autumn Birthday Wishes

Two of my favourite things came together for this week’s Global Design Project challenge — a sketch challenge and autumn!

For #GDP566, I reached for the September Product of the Month DSP. I’ve been loving this paper for my September birthday cards. The warm autumn colours are so pretty, and I especially love how the metallic leaf pattern adds a little extra something without making the card feel too busy.

I followed the GDP sketch fairly closely, layering the patterned paper over a Secret Sea card base and adding the lighter panel for my sentiment.

The flowers were fussy cut from another sheet of the POM DSP – the perfect way to carry the colours through the card. I love how they frame the sentiment without covering up too much of that gorgeous DSP!

For the greeting, I used a sentiment from Exciting Times, then finished everything off with a few 2025–2027 In Colour Flat Pearls.

Simple layers, beautiful autumn colours and a sketch to get me started — definitely my kind of card!

And if you’ve been thinking about joining this week’s Global Design Project challenge, you still have one day left to play along! I’d love to see what you create for #GDP566.

✂️Supplies Used:



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

A colorful welcome box featuring the word 'WELCOME' in multiple languages including 'BIENVENUE', 'WILLKOMMEN', and 'WELKOM', with a light pink background and playful circles.

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 15%+ 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.

Graphic promoting a team invitation with the text 'Join My Team The Ink Pad Pals' on a pink watercolor background.
Text graphic with the phrase 'Happy Stampin'!' in a stylish font and the name 'Leah' below, set against a pink watercolor background.


A woman with long hair smiling at the camera, wearing glasses, set against a blurred background of greenery.
Logo for 'Stampin With Leah' featuring a colorful bird illustration on a pink watercolor background, with the tagline 'A Place for Creative Inspiration'.

GDP565 | Metallic Christmas Wishes with Hot Foil

It’s time for another Global Design Project challenge, and this week we are playing with METALLICS! ✨

If you’ve been following along lately, you probably already know that I am a little obsessed with hot foiling right now, so this challenge was right up my alley!

For my #GDP565 card, I decided to keep the colour palette almost completely white and let the beautiful metallic details do all the work.

I started with a Basic White card base and added another layer of Basic White embossed with the Swirls of Magic 3D Embossing Folder. I absolutely love all of the swirls, stars and tiny details in this folder. It adds so much texture while still keeping the card clean and elegant.

The real star of this card, though, is that fabulous Christmas Wishes focal image! I used the A Christmas Wish Hot Foil Die to add the gorgeous metallic foil to Basic White cardstock. I love how dramatic the large sentiment looks against the white-on-white background—and the shine is even prettier in person!

I carried a little more metallic detail through the card with the gold striped 3/8″ mesh ribbon, a few gold adhesive backed dots and a sweet bow. A smaller “From Me to You” sentiment heat embossed in gold finishes everything off without competing with that beautiful focal image.

This is exactly why I am having so much fun with hot foil right now. You really don’t need a complicated card design when you have a gorgeous foiled image, lots of texture and just a little bit of shine!

Be sure to pop over to the Global Design Project to see what the rest of the Design Team created for this week’s metallic challenge. There are always so many fabulous ideas!

And then we would love to have you create something featuring metallics and join us for #GDP566!

✂️Supplies Used:



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

A colorful welcome box featuring the word 'WELCOME' in multiple languages including 'BIENVENUE', 'WILLKOMMEN', and 'WELKOM', with a light pink background and playful circles.

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 15%+ 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.

Graphic promoting a team invitation with the text 'Join My Team The Ink Pad Pals' on a pink watercolor background.
Text graphic with the phrase 'Happy Stampin'!' in a stylish font and the name 'Leah' below, set against a pink watercolor background.


A woman with long hair smiling at the camera, wearing glasses, set against a blurred background of greenery.
Logo for 'Stampin With Leah' featuring a colorful bird illustration on a pink watercolor background, with the tagline 'A Place for Creative Inspiration'.

HSS497 Sketch Challenge – Holly Jolly Christmas Card

It’s time for another challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments , and this week we have a fabulous sketch challenge for you!

I love working with sketches because they give you a starting point without telling you exactly what your finished card needs to look like. You can follow them quite closely, flip them, change the shapes or simply use them as inspiration.

For HSS497, I stayed fairly true to the original layout, but filled those circles with some festive Christmas favourites!

I pulled out the Holly Jolly Branches Bundle for this card — a bundle I have been having so much fun creating with lately!

Be sure to head over to Hand Stamped Sentiments to see what the rest of the Design Team created with this week’s sketch. Then pull out your favourite supplies and play along with HSS497 — I’d love to see what you create!


If you love the Holly Jolly Branches Bundle too, it is also the featured bundle for my upcoming Holly Jolly Branches MEGA Stamp Camp, happening October 3 & 4!

We’ll be creating 10 Make ’n Take projects, with live video tutorials, printable PDF tutorials, a bonus tutorial and more. And don’t worry if you can’t join us live — the videos will be recorded so you can watch whenever it works for you.

See all the Holly Jolly Branches MEGA Stamp Camp details & register here

Want to Make This Card?

Shop the links below or head to my shop. You can also scroll down for a printable set of instructions so you can recreate this card yourself.


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.



Coast to Coast Creators: A Little Christmas DSP

It’s time for another Coast to Coast Creators Blog Hop, and this month we’re celebrating the brand new September–December 2026 Mini Catalogue!

There are so many fun new products in this catalogue, but I couldn’t resist creating with the A Little Christmas 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper. Those sweet little Christmas mice are just too cute!

For my card, I really let the DSP do the work. I fussy cut the adorable mice, cookie jar, bow and gingerbread cookies directly from the patterned paper a ready made little Christmas scene. The large vellum circle behind the images gives everything a place to land while still allowing all those fun little details to shine.

I paired the patterned paper with Lost Lagoon and Cherry Cobbler, which gives the card a slightly softer take on traditional Christmas colours. The ‘Softly Woven 3D’ embossed Lost Lagoon background adds lots of texture without competing with the busy little scene in the centre.

A few gold embellishments and a little bow of twine add just enough extra detail. I finished the front with the “wishing you a festive season” sentiment, heat embossed in white on Cherry Cobbler cardstock.

And because I had those adorable little gingerbread cookies sitting on my desk after all that fussy cutting, I couldn’t resist adding a couple to the inside too!

A Little Christmas DSP

This is exactly the kind of Designer Series Paper I love — not only are the patterns beautiful for backgrounds and layers, but there are also so many images that can become the focal point of a card.

If you enjoy fussy cutting, papers like this give you so many possibilities without needing a coordinating stamp set or dies. Just grab your Paper Snips and start cutting!

Be sure to continue along the Coast to Coast Creators Blog Hop to see what everyone else has created with products from the new September–December Mini Catalogue. I always love seeing how differently we use the same catalogue for inspiration!


Want to make this card?

You can! I have a full list of supplies below and a printable recipe card.

🛒 Ready to shop the current supplies? Head to my store: https://www.stampinup.ca/?demoid=2189587 or use the items links below:


Here is a printable recipe card – with supplies and instructions:

When you place an order with me, you’ll earn Stampin’ Rewards on your purchase, a $65 order with get you the Crafty Collaborators PDF Tutorial and a $100 order qualifies you to purchase the Product of the Month ( for just $7) and I will send you a 12 card Creative vault Tutorial featuring project made with the Product of the Month too!

👉 Looking for other ways to stamp with me?

You can watch my You Tube channel – new videos coming after my move is complete.

You can find tutorials in my Payhip Shop.

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.

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


GDP564 CASE the Designer: A Playful Cat Birthday Card

It’s time for another Global Design Project challenge, and this week we are CASEing the Designer for #GDP564!

Our inspiration card was created by the talented Janneke Dijkstra de Jong, and there were so many fun little details in her design that caught my eye. For my card, I was inspired by the clustered focal point, layered elements, little tag, black twine and all that beautiful white space in Janneke’s original design.

A creatively designed card featuring colorful embellishments, including a yellow tag with the text 'JUST BECAUSE', surrounded by patterned hearts and flowers on a white background.
A handmade birthday card featuring playful cat illustrations, a 'happy birthday' message on a pink background, and a yellow ribbon that reads 'HAVE THE BEST DAY'. The card is decorated with floral designs and a black and white patterned element.

I went with a sweet group of cats for my focal point and created a fun birthday card with a playful mix of pink, yellow, black and white. I love how the little pops of black ground all those softer colours.

I also carried over the layered look from the inspiration card with my pink birthday tag, sentiment strip and patterned pieces tucked behind the cats. The black twine was another detail I definitely wanted to keep—it adds just the right bit of contrast.

And how cute are those tiny butterflies?

One of my favourite things about CASE the Designer challenges is seeing how completely different cards can grow from the same starting point. Sometimes it’s the layout that inspires you, sometimes the colours, and sometimes it’s just one tiny detail that sends you in a completely different direction.

Be sure to head over to the Global Design Project to see what the rest of the Design Team created for #GDP564. I can’t wait to see how everyone CASEs Janneke’s beautiful card this week!

✂️Supplies Used:



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

A colorful welcome box featuring the word 'WELCOME' in multiple languages including 'BIENVENUE', 'WILLKOMMEN', and 'WELKOM', with a light pink background and playful circles.

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 15%+ 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.

Graphic promoting a team invitation with the text 'Join My Team The Ink Pad Pals' on a pink watercolor background.
Text graphic with the phrase 'Happy Stampin'!' in a stylish font and the name 'Leah' below, set against a pink watercolor background.


A woman with long hair smiling at the camera, wearing glasses, set against a blurred background of greenery.
Logo for 'Stampin With Leah' featuring a colorful bird illustration on a pink watercolor background, with the tagline 'A Place for Creative Inspiration'.

Festive Friday: Graceful Evergreen Deer Christmas Card

It’s Festive Friday, and I’m sharing a Christmas card featuring the brand new Graceful Evergreen Deer Bundle.

I have to admit, I am a little obsessed with hot foiling right now, so of course I had to add some shine to this card! I used gold hot foil for that gorgeous deer and red hot foil with the Magical Christmas Hot Foil Dies for the sentiment.

I kept the rest of the card crisp and mostly white, with Secret Sea and touches of gold. The little snowflakes in the winter sky were heat embossed in gold for just a bit more sparkle.

For the background, I die cut the arch from the Basic White layer before embossing it. I adhered the embossed outer piece flat to the card base and then popped the stamped arch back into place with Dimensionals. I love the texture this adds while still keeping the card fairly clean and simple.

Those little Secret Sea snowflake embellishments are new too — and you’ll be seeing them again in my upcoming Holly Jolly Branches MEGA Stamp Camp!

Another Christmas card ready for my stash — and I’m pretty sure there will be lots more hot foil coming! 😊

🛒 Want to recreate this card?
Head to my online store or contact me today to grab your supplies.

✨ Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:


📦 Want to create more with me? I’m currently in the middle of a reno so not offering in person classes, however I have an online stamp camp and all my past classes are available in my shop:

Looking for even more ways to enjoy stamping? Join my Stampin’ Up! Ink Pad Pals team! We have a new Starter Kit! You get an fabulous Welcome Box and a $165 coupon for just $135.

  • Save 15%+ 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.

❤️ Thanks for crafting with me!
Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a Festive Friday!

Click here to shop my online store.
Click here to access & view the current catalogs.
Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity!
Click here for more information about joining my Online Monthly Technique Club. Earn even more goodies by joining a club!
Click here to learn more about joining my Ink Pad Pals Team. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products!
Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, and Facebook!
Please subscribe to my newsletter, too! Click here and enter your email. When you include your birthday you will even be added to my birthday card mailing list 🙂