Jean Manis - Right as Rain

Watercolored Chickens for Spring

Hello! Spring is in the air, and what better way to celebrate than with a fun, interactive card? I used products in the Art Impressions Matchbook series to create a miniature scene featuring watercolored chickens and their coop. With the playful sentiment Spring Chicken, it’s perfect for sending a little joy!

The Art Impressions Matchbook series has many different options. You can see an intro video here.

- Stamp Chicken images in VersaFine ink on Arches Cold Press watercolor paper; heat set.
- Watercolor the images with watercolor markers. I used a combination of Tombow markers, Zig markers, and a Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencil. You can read more about watercoloring stamped images here. In addition to the markers linked below, I used two new Zig marker colors —Mid Yellow 501 and Yellow Ochre 505—purchased from Paper and Ink Arts (a small business dedicated to the calligraphy industry).
- Once dry, cut the images with the coordinating dies included with the Chicken set.
- Cut matchbook from patterned paper with the MB Template. Add watercolored Chicken elements.
- Stamp Chicken sentiment on white cardstock, trim, and add to scene.

While I primarily create die-cut cards, watercoloring offers a refreshing change of pace. This relaxing, low-tech approach engages the brain differently, often activating the right hemisphere, which is associated with creativity, intuition, and fluid thinking. Since watercolor flows and blends in organic ways, it encourages spontaneity and adaptability, making it a fun and freeing way to add a hand-painted touch to my cardmaking!

Mixed Media Birthday Card | Newton’s Nook

Hello! Birthdays are all about fun, friends, and of course—presents! Today, I am sharing a card featuring an adorable Newton’s Nook stamped image featuring two playful cats, a happy pup, and a stack of brightly colored packages. To add to the celebration, I created a cheerful balloon-filled background with a stencil.

- Ink Bristol cardstock with a light ink color – I used Tumbled Glass Oxide. Add balloons through the Bokeh Balloons stencil. I used darker inks at the top and lighter towards the bottom.
- Stamp the Sky High Celebrations sentiment in black ink on the stenciled panel. Cut panel with A2-size Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle die and add to a card base.
- Stamp Sky High Celebrations image with VersaFine ink on Cold Pressed Watercolor paper and heat set. Color with medium of choice. I used Zig and Tombow markers: Zig Dark Gray 95, Zig Orange 70, Zig Mustard 67, Zig Sand 601, Tombow Purple 665, Zig May Green 47, Zig Persian Blue 32, Zig Yellow 50, Tombow N15 Black, Tombow Burnt Sienna 947, Zig Medium Beige 76, Zig Geranium Red 29, and Tombow Dusty Rose 772.
- Add additional color with Derwent Inktense pencils: Poppy Red, Neutral Gray, Yellow.
- When dry, cut image with the coordinating die set.
- Add image to card base with foam adhesive.

Note: The Sky High Celebrations stamp set and coordinating die set can be purchased directly from Newton’s Nook and Frantic Stamper.

I shared another birthday card HERE that showcases the other image on the Sky High Celebrations set.

Lawn Fawn | Cozy Winter Raccoon Card

Hello! There’s nothing cozier than a warm cup of cocoa on a chilly winter day—unless, of course, it’s a cute woodland critter enjoying one too! For this winter-themed friendship card, I used a delightful die set to create a raccoon all bundled up in a scarf and earmuffs, holding a steaming mug of cocoa. This card is perfect for sending warm winter wishes to a friend!

- Cut Honey Bee patterned paper with A2-size die in the Large Stitched Rectangle Stacklets and add to card base.
- Cut raccoon with dies in the Woodland Critter Huggers set from a variety of cardstock colors.
- Cut scarf, cocoa, and earmuffs with dies in the Winter Add-On set.
- Assemble raccoon and winter accessories. Note: place the piece of the scarf that goes around the neck on the raccoon body to determine placement of eyes, nose, and cheeks. Additionally, I chose to place the scarf ends on top, rather than placing one of the ends behind, in order to reduce bulk.
- Stamp Simply Summer sentiment on to white cardstock and cut with banner die. The sentiment “Have the Coolest Day Ever” comes from a summer-themed set, but it works perfectly for a winter card, too. By looking beyond a product’s intended use, you can get even more versatility out of your stash.
- Add assembled raccoon to card front with foam adhesive and the sentiment with dot adhesive.
- Embellish background with snowflakes cut from white glitter foam. Additionally, I added a white heart to the red mug, which I cut with a die in the Speech Bubbles set.

I shared a summer-themed card featuring a fox created with the Woodland Critter Huggers set HERE.

Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock

Hello! Spellbinders has just launched ColorWheel, a collection of 48 vibrant cardstock colors in 100 lb weight—perfect for die-cutting and cardmaking! Along with this release, Spellbinders has introduced products to create a swatch deck and organize your favorite color palettes. Today, I’m sharing my own swatch deck and two curated palettes that I’m excited to use in future projects!

To create the Swatch Deck:

- - - Using dies in the Color Swatch Petal set, cut white cardstock for the colors you want to include in your deck.
    - Stamp the cardstock color names with the Color Swatch Names set.
    - Add swatches by cutting cardstock colors with the Swatch Layer die in the Color Swatch Petal set.

To create the Swatch Wheel:

- - - - The collection also includes the Color Swatch Wheel die set to create custom color palettes to reference.
      - Cut the Color Swatch Wheel base from white cardstock.
      - Stamp palette choices with the Color Swatch Names set.
      - Add swatches cut with the Swatch Layer die in the Color Swatch Wheel set.

Purr-fect Handmade Cat Cards

Hello! Cats have a timeless charm that makes them the purr-fect subject for handmade cards. Whether playful or cozy, feline friends bring personality and warmth to your designs. These cards make wonderful choices for occasions like birthdays, Halloween, thank-yous, or just-because moments. Join me as I share a roundup of cat-themed creations from my blog archive. Click on the card image to be taken to the original post for additional details.

These two birthday cards feature stamped and watercolored cats, complemented by die-cut elements for a fun and whimsical celebration.

This larger birthday card showcases a die-cut cat wearing sunglasses with a “Happy Birthday” message, making it the perfect statement piece for any cat lover.

This “just because” card features a delightful small watercolored scene of cats, created with the Art Impressions Matchbox series.

These Halloween cards feature cats in their spooky best—one with die-cut elements to create a playful cat and pumpkin scene, and the other showcasing a watercolored cat ready for the season.

These two stamped and watercolored cat cards feature playful scenes, both created using Newton’s Nook stamps, known for their charming cat imagery. One captures a relaxed beach scene, while the other sets the stage in a cozy library.

There’s something irresistibly charming about cats on cards. They bring a playful and timeless appeal to any design! I hope this roundup has inspired you to use cats as a theme in your own creations. While putting this roundup together, I realized that many of my cat cards feature stamped images that I’ve colored. I own several silhouette cat dies and have used them on a number of cards (although none are included in this roundup). While silhouettes create a bold and classic design, most cats aren’t a solid color, so stamping and coloring allow for more variety and detail. Do you have favorite cat stamps or dies? Is there a cat-themed set on your wish list?