Ode to the Circle Punch (& In Colors)

May 4, 2026Leave a comment

A couplet in honor of the circle punch:

“O steadfast circle punch, quiet hero of the craft,

You press into the spotlight with a single, perfect draft.”

Of all the paper punches I own, the CIRCLE is the one that I reach for the most often. It’s simply a tool that every paper crafter must have on hand, and the only thing better than one circle punch is TWO!

Today I shared a three card ideas using a circle punch, along with a few paper crafting tips that will help you become a better creator in my LIVE CRAFTING VIDEO:

This is the card guests stamped at my Catalog Carnival Open house over the weekend, and it’s so simple to make by using the 1-3/4″ Circle Punch for the sentiment. The butterflies are stamped and cut out with the All Aflutter punch that drops tomorrow in my Stampin’ Store:

Hydrangea Hue All Aflutter Notecard, Fluttering By to Say Hi

Hydrangea Hue (the color of the butterfly card) is a NEW 2026-2028 In Color, and I showed the new ink pad case in the video, which I KNOW you are going to obsess over both the pads & colors, so I made this notecard in every color (clockwise from top left: Barely Blush, Golden Glow, Hydrangea Hue, Crisp Cantaloupe and Peaceful Pine):

2026-2028 In Color All Aflutter Notecards with circle

SIDE NOTE: Join my team in May 2026 and you’ll get all 5 of these In Color Stamp Pads in your Starter Kit FREE!

May 2026 Stampin’ Up!®️ Starter Kit Offer

Don’t need ink? You can choose an additional $35 worth of products for your Starter Kit instead. That’s $160 worth of products for only $99!

Circling back to our circle punch projects, the next card I demonstrated was the “Old Friends are the Best Friends” card featuring the Silly Old Bear Designer Series Paper and more of the new In Colors. This one layered the 2″ circle (Pooh & Piglet) over the 2-3/4″ circle punch:

Silly Old Bear Designer Series Paper Old Friends Card with Circle Punches

And the last card was a “Golden Glow”up of the Moonlit Flora suite as a peek-through card – you’ll want to watch to see how this one is done in the easiest way:

Peek-through card with circle punches and Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper by Stampin’ Up!®️

This is NOT a comprehensive list of ways to use the Stampin’ Up!®️ circle punches, only the very beginning! Check back often this month for MORE sensational stamping with circles as we launch our May products starting May 5th.

Both Silly Old Bear and Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper is included in the Creative Juice Paper Share and tomorrow (May 5th) is the deadline to reserve your share.

Creative Juice Designer Series Paper Share

Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Expand a Sketch for a Scrapbook Page

May 1, 20266 Comments

This handsome dude is my oldest Grandson, and he was recently baptized! It’s rare we can get him to cooperate for photos (age typical), so these pictures are to be TREASURED 😆

When I saw the Freshly Made Sketches #734, I realized that it would make a terrific map for one half of a scrapbook page layout, so I started with the #FMS734, using Lincoln’s dapper face as the focal point:

Secret Sea card stock is a blue/dark gray essential Stampin’ Up!®️ color that is softer than harsh black, and paired with a piece of Nature Walk Designer Series Paper, it let the photos shine. A small crumpled strip of Cajun Craze card stock separates the pictures and gives more earthy texture.

I’m not ready to let the Alphabet a la Mode dies go, even though they are retiring…if you don’t have them yet, GRAB THEM TODAY before they sell out, because they are scrapbooking MUST HAVES!! Make sure you line the card stock with Adhesive sheets before cutting to make the letters/numbers into stickers for your pages!

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Nature Walk 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Cajun Craze 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Adhesive Sheets

Alphabet à La Mode Dies

Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

2025–2027 In Color™ Flat Pearls

ALERT: In honor of National Scrapbooking Day, there will be a 24-hour FLASH SALE on MAY 2, 2026 with 20% off select Scrapbooking supplies:

Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Stampin’ Up!®️ Lovely Arrangements in Beighe and White for a Wedding

Wedding Wish in Beige & White

April 21, 2026Leave a comment

I’m usually a BIG COLOR crafter, but when someone responded to a poll on my Facebook Page and said they needed to make a wedding card, I remembered a neutral combination of Basic Beige & Basic White that had caught my attention and had to give it my own spin!

Stampin’ Up!®️ Lovely Arrangements in Beige and White for a Wedding

Don’t go into shock when you see flowers on my blog…I know it’s unusual, but the Lovely Arrangement bundle is an exceptional stamping investment, as you’ll see more of it this week here and on social media.

To give this wedding card a fancy texture, I used the APRIL 2026 PRODUCT OF THE MONTH – The Eyelet Blooms Die – on the bottom half of the Basic White layer. You can add this to your order for just $5 (while supplies last) once you reach $75, and a new product is added each month!

This is a very detailed die, and I’ve found that a good “sandwich” for my Cut & Emboss machine is as follows (from the bottom up):

Platform #1, Platform #2, Cutting Plate #3, card stock, DRYER SHEET (helps pull all the small pieces off), Eyelet Die, Cutting Plate #3, card stock “shim” on top, if your machine needs a little more thickness to get a firm cut through the card stock.

Once it was layered on the Basic Beige card stock base, I stamped “Congratulations” from the Reason to Celebrate stamp set and layered on the flowers and leaves. Flat pearls (retired) were added to the center of the flowers for a bit of bling:

Stampin’ Up!®️ Lovely Arrangements Beige and White Wedding Card

What do you think of this color combo? I think it’s suck an elegant look and will be fabulous for a bride & groom.

I appreciate your orders from my Stampin’ Store and look forward to mailing you a card to say THANK YOU for your order!

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Crafting Together is Better

April 18, 2026April 16, 2026Leave a comment

Because I have an events tab at the top of my website, I forget that you may not be seeing all the chances to gather and create together, so let’s do a quick overview of what’s coming up~ click on any of the images or links for details!

Decorate 4 Spring Sugar Cookies and stamp 3 cheerful cards in Hurricane, UT on Tuesday, April 28th! Register by 4/24

The VIRTUAL ALBUM RETREAT will be held from April 29th-May 1 and there is just enough time to order your BIG BOX OF GOODIES to have it arrive before the event! But if it arrives later, you can always catch up because it will be recorded. Complete 10 spreads (20 pages) with plenty of product left over to create more and learn new Scrapbooking tips & techniques from the comfort of your own home.

Saturday, May 2nd is my ONCE-A-YEAR Catalog Carnival and BOGO Sale in Hurricane, Utah. Drop in (open house style) between 1 and 4 pm with a friend to shop, stamp and snack…my treat!!

The Designer Series Paper Share has helped crafters sample new patterned paper, without breaking the bank! You’ll receive SEVENTY-NINE 6″ x 6″ pieces of ALL the DSP dropping in May for just $29 (if you pick it up from me) or $36 shipped to you…but reserve your share quickly (by May 5th) to avoid potential backorders.

Coming Summer 2026…check back soon (click EVENTS tab at top):

Happy Mail Card Class
Mini Album Class
Kit Together Event
Color My World Class

Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Ewe Are Loved Interactive Slider Card

April 17, 2026April 16, 2026Leave a comment

The Wooly Friends bundle is back in stock and it’s time to get into SHEEP-shape stamping!

It was time to make some gray sheep (this card will be going to my sister-in-law in Ireland, where they have plenty of sheep, but not enough sunshine), so I chose a white background with subtle pink dots from the overlooked Mixed-Up Patterns Designer Series Paper. These patterns offer backdrops for your stamping that don’t overwhelm and aren’t specific to one suite or stamp set.

When you pull the tab on the right, the lamb on the left slides over to snuggle against the other one…

Make your own: First, stamp and punch all your pieces and layer the DSP onto the Garden Green card stock, then slice a 3″ slit about 1″ from the bottom in the center of the panel.

The mechanism is very simple: Just a strip of card stock with a 2″ x 1″ piece of card stock attached at the end. This slides through the slit on the front, then create a “channel” for the tab to slide through on the back using Adhesive Foam Strips:

I’m pointing to where the card stock sticks through from back to front. You’ll attach your sheep to that tab on the front with dimensionals.

Final step is to add details! I added now retired Brass Butterflies, but we have some new butterfly embellishments coming in the 2026-2028 In Colors next month.

Since today (Friday, April 17, 2026) is the last day of our 2x Rewards promotion, you may want to add the supplies you need to make this adorable card (links below).

Double rewards is BETTER than Free Shipping because if you’ve OPTED IN for rewards, you normally receive 10% of your total purchase back to spend on your next order (or save for a large investment, like the Cut & Emboss machine)…so DOUBLE REWARDS is 20% back! Note: Minimum order to earn Rewards is $20.

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Inside Flip Flap Homemade Sweetness Mini Accordion Album Stampin’ Up!®️

New at SU! ~ Flip Flap Brag Book for Grandma

April 15, 2026April 15, 20263 Comments

If you’ve seen the Flip-Flaps in the Stampin’ Up!®️ store and wondered “What are those for?” you’ll be happy you popped in to visit the April New at SU! Blog Hop! These demonstrator artists from around the world have created a variety of projects to help you discover how much FUN Flip-Flaps can be in paper crafting.

Flip Flaps were originally designed to be used on Scrapbook layouts to give you the opportunity to add more photos to a page ~ check out this video from last year so see how they extend your memory keeping options!

On to my little jar of joy project!

The brag book every grandmother needs, this mini-accordion album is another adorable project using the Filled with Sweetness Bundle and one you could create for Mother’s Day gifting this year!

Stampin’ Up!®️ Homemade Sweetness Mini Accordion Album, Filled with Sweetness

I die cut a lining for the front and back of the jar from the Homemade Sweetness Designer Series Paper to make it more sturdy and adhered to the first 3″ x 3″ Flip Flap to the heart jar cover on the inside:

Stampin’ Up!®️ Mini Album using Homemade Sweetness Designer Series Paper, Filled with Sweetness bundle and Flip Flaps

After that, I used 6 more Flip Flaps (seven total for the album and there are 12 in each pack). Simply fold over the self-adhesive flap and adhere it to the next one so that all the squares are stacked on top of each other. The last Flip Flap will need to be adhered to the back cover with Tear & Tape adhesive.

You can add photos to both sides and I added a few inserts/additions fussy cut from the patterned paper and one using the Wooly Friends Bundle:

The album is almost as cute as my grandkids, don’t you agree? If you are ready to make a few of these for Mother’s Day, you’re in luck ~ starting today (4/15) through Friday, you can earn double rewards! (Check your account to make sure you are OPTED IN to earn rewards)

April 2026 New at SU! Blog Hop: Flip-Flaps

Previous Blog Next Blog

1.Furry Cat Designs (UK) – Envelope Mini Book

2.Did You Stamp Today? (US) – Nature’s Symphony Mini Album

3.Creative Juice by Loni (US)- Flip Flap Brag Book for Grandma

4.247 Inkspiration (US) – Sweet Old Friends

5.scraphexe (DE) – Flip Flaps

6.De Kijkkast (NL) – Happy Mail-card with lovely Arrangements

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If you love these products, check out other ideas I’ve shared previously using the Homemade Sweetness Suite such as this Vellum Jar Thank You card and a berry sweet gift bag from our March N@SU! hop.

Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Stampin’ Up!®️ Waterside Retreat Shadowbox Card

Shadowbox Cards (& Paper Pumpkin Peek)

April 7, 2026Leave a comment

I’m revisiting an oldie, but a goodie: This classic shadowbox card is easy to make with any scenery-inspired Designer Series Paper and when it’s removed from the envelope, pops out to stand up!

Shadowbox card with Stampin' Up! Boardwalk Fun

What could be better than spun sugar (a.k.a. cotton candy) to celebrate any special occasion? This Strawberry Slush shadowbox is created from the same Beach Boardwalk Suite I spotlighted last week and it’s now on the LAST CHANCE list, so don’t hesitate!

To help you learn how to make a shadowbox card, I’ve made a tutorial video you can watch (you’ll find it as you scroll down) and features a sneak peek at the Waterside Retreat Suite coming in May, which coordinates with the April Paper Pumpkin Kit. As the PP kit will have it’s own unique stamp set, consider it an extension of the Waterside Retreat suite, with additional sentiments & images that will complement the suite. You REALLY DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS and must subscribe by April 10th:

This is the card I demonstrated in the how-to video:

There is room to write a message on the back of the card, and a fun anchor & rope detail on the front:

Naturally, I had to make a few more versions:

For the landscape shadowbox cards, you’ll score two pieces of 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ card stock at 1/2″ and 1″ from both short sides, but if you want to make a portrait card (as shown below), score at 3/8″ and 3/4″ on the long sides:

Watch this video and you’ll be stamping shadowbox cards in no time:

As I mentioned in the video, I also have a Designer Series Paper Share in May where you can get a 6″ x 6″ piece of EVERY pattern dropping next month! Sign up early, as there may be backorders delaying orders (crossing my fingers we don’t have a problem)

Reserve a Paper Share

While the Waterside Retreat suite is also a preview, you can order other supplies from my Stampin’ Store to create shadowbox cards, such as the previously mentioned Beach Boardwalk Suite, Cute as a Bug Suite and much more!

Shop Now

Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Make a Date with Creativity

April 3, 20266 Comments

Do you have a standing appointment on your calendar for creativity? Not a someday, not a “when-I-have-time”, but a regular, reliable pause where ink meets paper and you focus on the divine act of making something from scratch.

One of the things I love most about Paper Pumpkin by Stampin’ Up!®️ is that each month, a fully coordinated, all-inclusive kit arrives at your door like a little box of possibility. No supply hunting. No decision fatigue. Just open the box and begin your date with creativity!

Here’s the part that might surprise you… the creativity doesn’t end when the kit is finished.

For this card, I used the stamp sets from the March 2026 “Fluttering Garden” Paper Pumpkin kit to create something entirely new for the Freshly Made Sketch challenge #FMS730. I wanted to see how far I could stretch those detailed stamps, and it turns out—they fly beautifully.

I discovered that my favorite way to color the hummingbirds is with blending brushes and ink pads. No need to be particular… JUST START BLENDING! The soft gradients give them a delicate, natural look and once you fussy cut them out, they look lovely.

The real gift of a monthly kit like Paper Pumpkin is that it builds your confidence while quietly expanding your skills. First, you follow the included designs. Then, you start to experiment with a new layout or color palette… until one day you realize you’re not just assembling—you’re creating.

I used two of the Nesting Essentials dies to create dual frames for this card, and the card colors are Very Vanilla, Pretty Peacock, Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive and Crisp Canteloupe (a returning In Color).

Having a monthly crafting ritual is grounding is grounding and you’ll find a Paper Pumpkin subscription is the mail you anticipate the MOST! The April kit, “Lakeside Retreat,” is available to subscribe to through April 10th. It includes a Peaceful Pine ink spot (an early release of a NEW IN Color!) and coordinates with the Waterside Retreat Suite which will be available in the May-August catalog:

Subscribe to Paper Pumpkin

It’s a flexible subscription, with the ability to skip a month or cancel at any time (but why would you?).

Stay tuned for some sneak peeks of this suite and the optional “Wonderful Scenes” Add On dies that coordinate with the April, May and June Paper Pumpkin Kits!

One more detail to point out on my hummingbird card: Add a wash of WINK OF STELLA GLITTER BRUSH over the wings for gorgeous shimmer & shine!

The best way to keep creating… is simply to begin.

Your Ticket to Crafting

March 30, 2026Leave a comment

I’ve been sharing Sunshine & Smiles with the Beach Boardwalk Suite for a few days here AND on my social media (FB & IG) ~ today’s projects include a card, a scrapbook layout and announcements for upcoming EVENTS where I hope to see your face!

I love the sheet of tickets and tags included in the Beach Boardwalk Designer Series Paper because they can be stamped to evoke a “winning” feeling for any celebration, like you won a drawing 🎟️ or a stuffed animal in a boardwalk game! On the inside of this card, I added one more ticket to remind the recipient that life is quite the adventure:

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW, this Beach Boardwalk paper also comes in a different package with a sticker sheet, all ready to preserve the memories of a day at the park, carnival, beach or fair on a scrapbook page or complete album:

If you have a tropical vacation planned, a summer party or camp, pick up these products soon! And if you crave crafting adventures in southern Utah, here are the next few events I’m hosting ~ click on the images to learn more on the Facebook Events, or click the button to register!

Register for Cookies & Cards Class

The Catalog Carnival & BOGO SALE is Open House style, so just bring a friend and drop in for all sorts of fun freebies and snacks at 350 S 400 W ~ it’s a ticket to create!

VIEW UPCOMING EVENTS ANYTIME: CLICK THE “CLASSES & EVENTS” LINK IN PINK BAR ACROSS THE TOP

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Happy Birthday: Enjoy the Ride!

March 25, 2026March 24, 2026Leave a comment

When our kids were all teenagers, we took a trip to Magic Mountain in California where the ONLY thing we rode were the ROLLER COASTERS! We were on a mission to ride them all and just before the park closed, we checked off the last one, and it was a memory that was stirred when I saw the Beach Boardwalk Suite by Stampin’ Up!®️

This was the card I created to swap at OnStage (our company convention) in Long Beach a few weeks ago. As someone who loves the swoop and speed of a roller coaster (and BRIGHT colors), it’s just my style:

Wouldn’t that be a fun birthday card to send to a friend who enjoys a day at an amusement park? And for the person who prefers a slower ride, here’s a color-block Ferris Wheel birthday card using the same sentiments and the soon-to-be-retiring 2024-1016 In Colors:

I started with four 2″ x 3″ rectangles and cut them in half diagonally, then arranged them to meet off center on a 4″ x 5″ panel and trimmed off the excess from behind. For the ticket “edge” detail, die cut the arrow (with circles running down the center) then cut it in half lengthwise and tuch both pieces under the starburst panel.

You can cut 6 little “buckets” from one die and adhere them to the Ferris Wheel with just a tiny dot of liquid glue. TIP: Use the putty-end of the Take Your Pick Tool to pick each bucket up and place on the glue you’ve added to the wheel.

I have appreciated how these colors together create a feeling of celebration, and I’ll miss Petunia Pop and Pretty in Pink the most. Make sure you’ve got the ink refills and card stock you need to continue using these colors!

Would you ride a roller coaster or a ferris wheel? And which card would you make first?

These are the supplies you need for the Roller Coaster Card (plus any embellishments you want) and thanks for shopping my store! Your support allows me to share more inspiration with you.

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