Playing with Penny Black Products

Hello! Lately, I’ve been easing my way back into the craft room. For the past several years, much of my creative time was shaped by design commitments, and now that those have come to an end, I have the opportunity to slow down and play.

As I’ve been watching Jill Foster’s Penny Black videos, one idea has especially stayed with me: limit your choices so you can enjoy the creative process instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities. That simple shift in mindset has been exactly what I needed. Rather than trying to use every technique or create the “perfect” card, I’m choosing a handful of products and seeing where they lead.

Playing with Penny Black Products

This card combines a Penny Black cling stamp, an embossing folder, stamped images with coordinating dies, and a frame die. The watering can and hydrangea images also gave me another opportunity to practice watercoloring. I wouldn’t say I’ve completely found my creative rhythm again, but I can feel it returning.

    • Dry-emboss a tan A2-size card panel with the Penny Black Texture folder. Add to a card base.
    • Stamp Hydrangeas image onto watercolor paper and color it with your favorite medium. Stamp the watering can image onto watercolor paper and color it with your favorite medium. Once dry, cut the items with the coordinating dies Hydrangeas cut out and watering can cut out.
    • Stamp the Happy Snippets sentiment and cut with a tag die (I used one from My Favorite Things). Add a small jewel/gem to the tag.
    • Use the largest Classy Frames die to cut a frame.
    • Stamp Script (similar cling stamp) onto purple paper with purple ink for a tone-on-tone background. Trim to fit inside the frame.
    • Attach the purple panel to the back of the frame and add the assembly to the card base. Add the watering can and floral to the card with foam adhesive. Add the tag to the can.
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Spellbinders | Americana Quilt Card

Hello! Making this Americana quilt card was an absorbing process, almost like assembling a small paper quilt. I used an older 3″ quilt square die (Flower Mini Quilt by Becca Feeken) from Spellbinders and inlaid red, white, and blue patterned papers to create a classic Americana patchwork. I repeated the process to make a second square. The finished card is 3 1/4″ x 6 1/4″ and is kept simple with a BetterPress sentiment. The result feels nostalgic. This card idea occurred to me after I posted about Red, White, and Blue cards.

Spellbinders | Americana Quilt Card

This card came together easily and became a relaxing project while I was brushing up on my watercolor skills for a different card. I’ve been enjoying revisiting older products, such as the Flower Mini Quilt die set, and discovering new ways to use them. You can see a guest blog post from several years ago that uses this die set and others in the Home Sweet Quilt Collection HERE.

Spellbinders | Americana Quilt Card

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Elizabeth Craft | Rustic Barrel and Roses

Hello! Today I am sharing a card with a rustic garden feel, which combines several Elizabeth Craft Designs die sets. The design features a weathered wooden barrel containing roses and lush greenery, a birdhouse, set on a patterned paper background for added texture. A simple tag tucked into the arrangement finishes the scene. I originally set out to make a Fourth of July scene, but the design morphed along the way!

Elizabeth Craft | Rustic Barrel and Roses

    • Create a 5″ x 7″ card base from textured white cardstock and add a patterned paper panel (49 and Market from a season or so ago).
    • Cut the barrel, birdhouse, and birds with dies in the Floral Foliage 1 set from soft-finish cardstock. Color and assemble as required.
    • Cut the roses and leaves with dies in the Roses set from soft-finish cardstock. Color the leaves and shape. Shape the roses. This video from Elizabeth Craft is a big help in shaping the elements.
    • Cut additional greenery with dies in the Greenery Fillers 01 set (now retired) from soft-finish cardstock. Color and shape.
    • Stamp the sentiment and cut with a tag die. I used a now-retired Stampin’ Up Timeless Tropical stamp and a Taylored Expressions tag die.
    • Arrange and adhere the elements to the prepared card base.

Elizabeth Craft | Rustic Barrel and Roses

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Memory Box | Sweet Summer Card

Hello! Today I am sharing a sweet summer thank you card created with Memory Box die sets, which features an adorable mouse beside a watering can overflowing with colorful flowers. Cheerful summer colors keep the focus on the scene, while a die-cut “thank you” sentiment adds the perfect finishing touch for a heartfelt handmade greeting.

As I mentioned in this post, it’s been a while since I’ve used Memory Box dies, and I was again reminded how much I enjoy their die sets.

Memory Box | Sweet Summer Card

Memory Box | Sweet Summer Card

Additional Memory Box/Poppystamps dies: Simple Thank You (sentiment), Groovy Flower (stems)

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Fourth of July Bicycle Card Scene

Hello! This Fourth of July card was created more as a small scene piece than a traditional greeting card. I built it around the large Spellbinders bicycle die set (the Big Bicycle from Bibi’s Cats and Pugs Collection), combining it with balloon dies and additional elements from other Spellbinders sets.

Fourth of July Bicycle Card Scene

I used patterned paper from Echo Park for the background and a coordinating Echo Park sentiment. The overall design was inspired by an image I saw in a shop window of a garden flag. To accommodate the scene and keep the proportions balanced, I worked in an 8” x 8” format, which allowed the elements to breathe and interact visually rather than being constrained by a standard card size.

The result is less about practicality and more about storytelling in paper form.

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