Technique Tuesday - Spotlight fun

Welcome to another edition of Technique Tuesday - today I am playing with the Spotlight technique.

Todays card design was inspired by playing along to a few challenges:

Colourful Options has a bright Lemongrass Mood board. 

Tic Tac Toe challenge #tttc298 played the I for the win this time with Sparkle / Twine / Butterfly / Free square is my technique / Border / Yellow / Markers

Festive Friday World Photography challenge #FF0215 …I chose black, white and a smile sentiment

I’m getting inky with The Butterfly Flight hot foil bundle, Nature’s Symphony stamp set, Stylish 

Shapes dies, Artisan Garden sketched DSP, Wink of Stella and Daffodil Delight blends and retired black gems.

Spotlight technique is a great way to add a pop of colour without having to colour the whole project. 

Here’s a quick process video:

Final design is a cheerful ‘you make me smile’ card to send out to someone as a thank you for being a friend. 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love 

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Minimalist Monday Vibes

Welcome to another edition of Minimalist Monday vibes - trying to keep my design to clean and simple criteria. 

Design inspired by playing along to a couple challenges 

Color Dare challenge #713 colour palette I’ve chosen Soft Sea Foam, 

Fresh Freesia and Lemon Lolly. 

Just Us Girls Anything Goes Stencil week #JUG833 - I’m using a brick stencil.

Getting inky with July POM Begonia Belle and Golden Glow shimmer brush, retired brick stencil and antique pearls along with my colour palette inks. 

Also had a chance to play with my new toy - picked up a sticky mat to keep my project in place while blending or using a stencil. Works way better than painters tape which always seemed to rip my paper when I would lift it off. 

Love the pink & yellow colour combo with this flower. The brick wall stencil lis a nice backdrop and I added some splatters with the Golden Glow shimmer brush and a few pearls. Lovely thank you card ready to go our to someone.

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Fun Fold Friday

Welcome to another edition of Fun Fold Friday. Today’s card was from part of a fun fold swap with the Stamp2Cr8 team so not sure of its official name.

Products used in the project: True Blue Floral DSP December 2025 POM, Stitched Shapes Dies, Mini Corrugated embossing folder, Friendly Foliage stamp set, Metallic Gem dots, blue ribbon. 

Measurements on photo

Quick video of it opening 

Fun little fold that shows off your pretty DSP nicely! 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Whimsical Wings & Things Wednesday.

Today’s design was inspired by a few challenges:

Global Design Project color palette #GDP553 Peaceful Pine, Barely Blush and Timid Tiger. 

CASE-ing Tuesday sketch  -#569 

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #tttc295 left row floral, pink, birthday! 

Getting inky with retired Papillon Potpourri and the coordinating butterfly punches, Greeting For All ephemeral pack, Artisan Garden DSP, Peaceful Pine, Barely Blush and Timid Tiger blends.

Turned out so pretty 🤩 Love how the orange pops against the black polka dot! 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Monday’s Masculine Vibes

Welcome to another edition of Masculine Monday vibes - they say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach so what’s better than a DONUT themed I love you a hole bunch punny card? 

Today’s card design was inspired by playing along to the Inspires By …. Donuts #IB393 along with the sketch layout.

Played another round of Tic Tac Toe challenge #tttc295 with a middle row of pink, squares, and CAS design.

I’m getting inky with an old Paper Pumpkin stamp set from the Sprinkled With Love kit, the Stylish Shapes dies, Dotted Circles 3D embossing folder, Strawberry Slush & Pretty In Pink gems along with Bubble Bath, Highland Heather and Calypso Coral inks. 

Yummy donuts 🍩 I do not have a donut stamp so I made my donuts using a 3/4” circle punch and a cropodile punch out of white cardstock and then blended colour onto them and hand drew sprinkles.

 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Sweet Saturday Share

Welcome - today’s Sweet Saturday was fun playing with new goodies! My design was inspired by a couple challenges.

Stampin’ Up! Only challenge - colour challenge Crumb Cake, Misty Moonlight and Real Red #SUOC403

Global Design Project Case the Designer #GDP552 - I was inspired by the Woodgrain texture and the 2 stacked images in the sketch. 

I’m getting inky with Wild Bunch stamp set, Tree Ring embossing folder, Everyday Arches, Boardwalk Fun dies, Rhinestones coloured with blends, Crumb Cake, Misty Moonlight and Real Red inks and blending brush. 

How adorable is this little Koala? He pairs great with the Boardwalk Fun palm trees and the Tree Rings embossing folder! Cute little birthday card for someone special! 

I couldn’t resist giving him a bobble head! 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Happy Graduation

Welcome! So happy you are here to share a fun card with you  - it’s graduation season and I love making cards for people who are heading into the new adventure of adulthood!

Today’s card design was inspired by playing along with a couple of challenges 

Atlantic Hearts sketch challenge #AHSC686 I flipped mine to landscape.

Addicted to CAS word challenge of frame - I framed my sentiment with the Everyday Arches die.

Tic Tac Toe challenge #tttc294 for a double row of graduation, gold/black, vellum, patterned paper, gems.

Getting inky with the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP, Everyday Arches dies, Forever Plaid 3D embossing folder, Beautifully Adorned ephemera, Greetings for All Mix & Match ephemera, Barely Blush and Peaceful Pine blends,  Antique Pearls and Gold Acrylic pen.

A pretty little congratulations for the grad card. I love the Gold and Black pops against the soft Barely Blush pink. I used the blender pen for the pearls. Used the gold acrylic pen and blender pens to splatter specks of gold, pink and green.  

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life 

Technique Tuesday - Shadow Blocking

Welcome to another edition of Technique Tuesday - today I am playing with the shadow blocking technique. A quick and easy technique that adds some depth and dimension to your design.

My colour palette was inspired by Hand Stamped Sentiment’s colour challenge #490 - the palette was just the push I needed to play with my Delicate Dreams DSP. So palette is bit different shades of the challenge being Mossy Meadow, Hydrangea Hue and Crumb Cake/Bronze. 

Getting inky with the Delicate Dreams DSP, Earthen Tones Metallic DSP, Greeting for All mix and match ephemera, Floral Spray embossing folder, Streaked Dots and bronze twine.

Technique is simple - cut your DSP in 1 inch squares, choose a dark solid neutral that coordinates best with your DSP - I have chosen the bronze metallic DSP as the Delicate Dreams has bronze accents. Arrange your DSP in a 12 block pattern grid you like and than adhere the solid card stock to the DSP at an offset angle to form your shadow block. Repeat with all 12 squares. Then add to your card front - I popped my squares up on dimensionals for an added pop of shadowing. Complete your card design accents such as sentiment and embellishments. 

Video picks up the shine of the metallic accents best.

This technique is a great way to showcase your pretty paper and let it do all the work. Such a pretty result for a sympathy card. 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 
Live, Laugh, Love
Be Totallyawake4-life 

Monday Funday

Welcome to Monday Funday on the blog - trying for a minimalist Monday vibe but clean and simple is not my strong suit although this was a quick card to put together.

Todays card design is inspired by playing along with a couple challenges:

Shout out to the Colour INKspirational challenge #CI211 - a gorgeous combo of Bubble Bath, Hydrangea Hue, Peaceful Pine and Misty Moonlight.

Case-ing Tuesday Sketches #CTS568 from page 46 in the May-August 2026 catalog.

I’m getting inky with the Artisan Garden DSP, Greetings for All mix and match ephemera, Beautifully Adorned ephemera pack, Bubble Bath ink, a Blender brush and Stampin’ blends in the Bubble Bath, Hydrangea Hue, Peaceful Pine and Misty Moonlight. Pink sequins gems.

Think the Artisan Garden DSP might be my all time favourite to date - and I am a border of pretty paper! I used Whisper White for my 2 strips and blended with the Bubble Bath for a softer background and added shading at the bottom of the vases using my blends. The two vases are fussy cut from the DSP. The Congratulations is from the Greetings for All ephemera popped up on dimensionals.

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Laugh, Love

Be Totallyawake4-life

Sneak Peek Saturday

Welcome to sneak peek Saturday. Today I am sharing a sneak peek from the upcoming July Online Exclusive from Stampin’ Up! 

Showcasing the DSP, stamp set and dies from the Violet Dreams suite paired with the new 20206-2028 In Colors Hydrangea Hue, Peaceful Pine and Golden Rod and the clear epoxy drops from the Ladybug Garden epoxy shapes.

The flowers are so pretty and I love the I appreciate you sentiment - perfect for sending a paper hug in the mail to someone special in your life 🤩 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 

Live, Love, Laugh

Be Totallyawake4-life