Fab-Ewe-Lous Sheep & Free Ship LAST DAY

December 12, 20252 Comments

Some cards leap off the desk and insist on being created -this one was definitely in that category!

When the new Wooly Friends bundle arrived on my porch (available to customers beginning January 6th), the sheep all but marched themselves to my craft table. I paired them with December’s Product of the Month, the True Blue Florals Designer Series Paper (which you can add to any $75 order for just five dollars). The rich blues felt like the perfect stage for these fuzzy little scene-stealers.

To give the sheep their soft, pettable charm, I stamped them on All-Season Velvet specialty paper. It adds a texture that turns the card into something people instinctively want to touch, the way you might absentmindedly run your fingers over a cozy blanket.

My card follows the Global Design Project Sketch #gdp526, the lambs as the 3 circles drawing the eye:

Today is an especially good day to treat yourself to some craft supplies: It’s the last day of Stampin’ Up!’s free shipping offer on orders over $75, which makes this the perfect moment to tuck a few favorites into your cart and scoop up that $5 paper special along the way. BONUS: If you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you can also shop the PP product sale, with past kits, refills and add-on dies included!

Consider this your gentle nudge to craft something that makes you smile. These little wooly faces certainly did the trick for me.

Spa Day Thanks a Million Card

November 10, 2025November 10, 2025Leave a comment

This week’s Global Design Project #522 (a sketch) and TGIF Challenge #550 (colors) both inspired this bright, cheerful card—perfect for sending gratitude for a little pampering!

I started with the Lasting Linen background stamp, which adds such a beautiful, subtle texture to the card base. That coral tone-on-tone pattern instantly gives it a warm, woven feel. Then I reached for the Branching Out dies to create the layered frame. I love how the stitched edges give a crisp, polished look while still feeling handcrafted.

The fun part was building the little “spa scene” in the center using the Notes & Totes bundle—those bottles and tubes are just too cute! I couldn’t resist adding a touch of copper and a tropical hibiscus for a splash of personality. The sentiment, “Thanks a million,” comes from the NEW Banner Sayings bundle, which includes a punch with 3 different banners, and sayings to match any occasion.

Together, these elements make a card that feels fresh and happy—just right for anyone you want to thank in style. It’s always so satisfying when different Stampin’ Up! sets play together this well!

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Go Nuts Birthday Treat Card

October 27, 2025Leave a comment

If having a sweet tooth is wrong, I don’t want to be right! Admittedly, I do *attempt* to control it, but peanuts are healthy, right? Even in a bit of caramel and nougat?

“Festive Treats” is the TGIF Challenges theme this week- this birthday treat fits for #tgifc548

Here’s a 90-second tutorial, then I’ll write the measurements below:

Card Base: 11″ x 6″, scored at 4-1/4″, 5-1/2″, 6-3/4″ and 8″

Card layer (front and inside: 5-7/8″ x 2-7/8″ with 1/2″ strips to stamp on.

Looking for more treat stamping to share with a sweet tooth? Check out the Candy Bar Books or Gingerbread Cookie Christmas Gifts featured earlier this month on Creative Juice by Loni.

Just 4 days left to take advantage of the Starter Kit Special! Smart Stampers won’t let this amazing shopping deal pass by (with the opportunity to get a discount on your stamping supplies, birthday and holiday gifts through April, 2026!) This offer EXPIRES OCTOBER 31, 2025!

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Joy-ful Color & Sketch Mash-up

October 10, 2025October 10, 2025Leave a comment

Some punny jokes begin with “What do you get when you mix a ____ with a ____?” but in paper crafting, MAGIC happens when you are given two different starting points, like a color palette and a sketch!

This card was born by marrying the Global Design Project Color Challenge #gdp517 with the Freshly Made Sketch Challenge #FMS707 …AND combining the Abundant Joy Paper Pumpkin Add-On dies with with the Traditions of Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper! No stamping required for this project 😉

Hang in there…even though the Traditions of Christmas DSP is backordered right now, Stampin’ Up!®️ is rushing to have it re-printed and re-stocked mid-November. Meanwhile, get your Christmas Cards started by subscribing TODAY for the October Cozy Christmas Paper Pumpkin kit AND remember to include the optional Abundant Joy Add-On Dies (which coordinate with the October/November/December kits) to your next order!

October 10th is the last day to subscribe for the Cozy Christmas card kit, and the dies are darling on their own, with just a bit of pretty paper, and using a bit of glimmer paper for the JOY makes the season sparkle:

Next time you are needing some creative inspiration to strike, pick a color palette and card sketch and make your own mash-up!

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Branches Through a Window for #gdp514

September 16, 2025September 15, 2025Leave a comment

There was one piece of Silent Snowfall Specialty Designer Series Paper left on my desk after cutting and mailing all the September paper shares, then I saw the Global Design Project sketch for the week, and imagined looking out a window on a quiet winter afternoon…

Here’s the prompt for the #gdp514 sketch:

Rummaged through more patterned paper for some worthy “wallpaper” and found the back side of one of the Autumn Toile papers would be perfect (isn’t the “front” or “back” irrelevant? The FRONT is whichever you want to use!).

Once it was adhered to the front, I cut the smaller arch from both layers, then added a dark wood window casing by cutting out two nested arches. In this picture you can really see the detail through the window:

The Silent Snowfall paper has a snowflake pattern dry embossed into it, so I heat embossed some random snowflake dots from the Branching Out stamp set over the debossed side to break up the repeating pattern and help it feel more natural and random. Once it was dry, I used a brayer to roll Cloud Cover ink over the top – the inlaid snowflakes are deep enough they don’t get any ink inside. I know that we don’t have a large Cloud Cover ink pad: You can use the refill to ink up an empty stampin’ spot, or use a piece of felt as the ink pad by squeezing some ink onto it.

Once the branches were stamped over the snowflakes, that layer was adhered to a 4″ x 5.25″ Cloud Cover card inside (8″ x 10.5″ when open), with the fold on the right:

This “card-in-a-card” design allows you to catch a few snowflakes on your tongue as you continue to unfold the greeting!

Finally, you open the inside to find a large area to write all the details a friend would love to hear from you.

Tomorrow, I’ll be mashing up the Branching Out bundle (there is a set of dies that coordinate with the stamp set) with another new bundle from the 2025 Sept-Dec Mini Catalog, and you’ll want to add it to your cart when you see how essential it is.

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Farm’s Best Tractor Card

August 11, 2025September 5, 2025Leave a comment

The Tractor & Co. stamp set was on my desk when I saw the Global Design Project color challenge:

And that’s how I got to this:

But let me back up (pun intended):

I’ve been making samples for Fall StampFest (spoiler alert!) and while I was doing some “research” on social media, these bright colors – Darling Duckling, Poppy Parade & Pool Party – scrolled by, and then I couldn’t really get any work done until I pulled the colors out and put it onto paper, so-to-speak.

Plaid, cornfields and tractors MUST go together, but I also love a peek of the torn leafy Darling Duckling Designer Series Paper, just beneath the farm vehicle.

But my FAVORITE detail is the blue ribbon! Can you tell what I used to make it?

The ribbon medallion is made with the TIRE DIES!

Pull in a sentiment from the “More than Autumn” stamp set and the card is worthy of grand prize at the county fair, don’t you think?

Another winning opportunity: Darling Duckling is a 2025-2027 IN COLOR, thus the ink, card stock and the patterned paper are all on sale for 15% off during August 2025!

When you are ready to make a tractor card of your own, you can add all the supplies you need to your cart here:

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Dino-Mite Card (and a Secret to Quick Cards)

August 9, 20252 Comments

Today’s creation is proof that you don’t need a craft room full of supplies (or a time machine to the Cretaceous period) to make something “dino-mite.” This cheerful congratulations card came together in minutes using the Celebrations Expressions Memories & More card pack from Stampin’ Up! and the adorable Darling Dinos stamp & die bundle.

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know I love a good sketch challenge to get the creative juices flowing. This design was inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #698. When you’ve got a great sketch, half the work is already done for you!

The Recipe for Easy Cardmaking

Card Base: Balmy Blue cardstock, because the white background of the cards need a contrasting color to stand out.

Panels: I cut down three different cards from the Celebrations Expressions pack to fit the sketch—two with fun, hand-painted patterns and one with bright, festive banners. Pre-printed designs are the secret sauce for fast crafting: no stamping, coloring, or choosing a color palette required – it’s done for you!

Focal Point: That sweet brontosaurus is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink directly onto Balmy Blue card stock and simply colored with Stampin’ Blends.

Finishing Touches: A few Starburst Sequins add sparkle, and a simple “CONGRATULATIONS” sentiment was trimmed from the card pack itself. Easy-peasy.

Leftover 1″ squares of the pre-printed cards pull the party all the way to the inside of the card:

Why Memories & More Packs Are a Game-Changer

If you’ve never crafted with Memories & More cards, think of them as your personal cardmaking shortcut. They’re designed for pocket scrapbooking, but their patterns, colors, and ready-to-use sentiments make them perfect for quick cards, too. In this project, I didn’t have to stamp the sentiment or create background layers from scratch—they were already there, waiting to be trimmed and glued in place.

Because I also have team members whose promotions I want to recognize, I created a second set of cards from the same card pack:

No stamping on this one! Just the Memories & More cards and coordinating card stock paired together so the celebration can get started quickly.

Give yourself the tools to create happy mail whenever the occasion pops up—because a handmade card always makes the celebration a little brighter.

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

It May Sound Corny…

August 2, 2025Leave a comment

…but I’m poppin’ by to say HI!

Rifling through my specialty paper, the In Color 2024-2026 Glimmer Paper caught my eye (because it *is* very sparkly)! I wanted to use it, because these colors are on the last-chance list (and discounted), so the #tgifc536 color challenge gave me the perfect excuse:

Peach Pie brought to mind the popcorn I picked up at Costco earlier in the day, and the “Poppin’ By” stamp set was chosen for my stamping project.

The Shy Shamrock glimmer paper gives just the right amount of bling for the background layer, but I didn’t want to waste the part I covered up, so my tip is to use your Paper Trimmer (or a punch!) to cut a section out of the center to use on another project, and no one will be the wiser:

Here’s to being a bit “corny” and crafting a cute card of your own this weekend with the same color combo!

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Secret Garden Gate-Fold Thank You Card

June 28, 2025June 27, 2025Leave a comment

This week’s TGIF Challenge #tgifc531 is “Garden Gates” and I wanted to create a gratitude card that felt like you were walking into a Secret Garden:

After I created my card, I went back to the TGIF post and realized Wendy Weixler and I both had a similar idea for building the gate, but how delightful that both are unique!

The first type of card I thought of was the appropriately named “Gate Fold” card, so I had to think it through. I ended up cutting my gate in half, so you could enter the garden:

There are only 3 days left of the Suite BOGO Sale, so I chose to use the Impressions Abloom bundle and Designer Series Paper from the Floral Impressions Suite. Each piece of our suites also qualify for the sale, just remember that the lowest price suite or suite product will get the 50% discount!

Now enter the secret garden:

I used the arch die cut from the larger gate (cut for the front) on the inside, and let the profusion of flowers bloom on all sides!

Fun fact: The Secret Garden classic children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett was one of my favorite reads as a child, and though I’m a huge musical nerd, I DON’T really love the Secret Garden musical play. The book is definitely best (and there are a few decent movie adaptations).

This card just gives all the wonder of finding a secret garden behind a locked gate!

Now, if you’ve procrastinated, here’s your reminder to shop the SWEET Suite BOGO Sale.

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

A Sketch to Show a Palette

May 5, 2025May 15, 2025Leave a comment

As I prepare for my annual Stampin’ Soiree & BOGO Sale this Saturday (featuring a NEW Stampin’ Up!®️ Catalog and Online Exclusives), I wanted to make a few samples with some of the fresh products coming tomorrow, May 6th! Since multi-tasking is the only way this one-woman show can get things done, I chose a simple sketch, which doubles as a way to show the color palette, and used it for my lunchtime live crafting video, too:

The first card I demonstrated was inspired by the #tgifc523 color challenge of Petnunia Pop, Balmy Blue and Daffodil Delight:

Starting simple – no mat on this card (though you certainly could add one), I stamped flowers from a new Online Exclusive bundle, Impressions Abloom on top of the 3-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ panel, then added 1-3/16″ squares of the colored card stock to the bottom:

When crafting from a sketch, give yourself some freedom to make changes! I didn’t add the palette to the Poppin’ By card, but used the darling filmstrip die to add the border at the bottom:

My favorite thing about this set is probably the tennis shoes you could add to the bucket of popcorn:

Moving along, let’s take that sketch and turn it SIDEWAYS, which is what I did for the Notes & Totes bundle from the new catalog, which I paired with the 2025-2027 In Colors (from bottom to top: Secret Sea, Timid Tiger, Cloud Cover, Darling Duckling & Strawberry Slush):

And finally, I used some Celebration Expressions Memories & More Cards to make this Happy Birthday card, and my friend Barb’s Million Dollar Stamp Set Layered Thoughts, this time putting the color palette below the main panel:

To see me create two of these cards (and share some tips), watch this:

If one of these new items or colors is something you must have, visit my Stampin’ Store starting on May 6th to make an order, or click on the Stampin’ Supplies link under any card you love.

See all these samples IN PERSON – and MORE – at the Stampin’ Soiree, Saturday May 10th in Hurricane, UT. It’s FREE and open-house style, so plan to drop in with a friend between 1-4 pm!

One more announcement: If your wish list is long, the best value for Saavy Stampin’ Shoppers is the STARTER KIT, and starting tomorrow, May 6th, you can choose MORE in your starter kit, with no strings attached!