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

New at SU! ~ Berry Sweet Bag with Online Exclusives

March 18, 2026March 18, 20264 Comments

Let’s take a simple treat bag and give it a little glow-up… or should I say a gussie-up! 🍓

For our March New at SU! Hop, we are turning your attention to the Online Exclusive products that Stampin’ Up! releases every other month—including March! My project started with the Hearts Gusseted Treat Bag and I dressed it up with the Filled with Sweetness bundle and Homemade Sweetness Designer Series Paper, which I’ve been featuring for a few weeks (scroll back through for ideas when you have the time).

This bag is generously sized (4″ x 6″ x 1-1/4″) and could hold a sweet treat like Strawberry Pretzels, a berry cute kitchen towel, or a Berry Burst Ink Pad and spool of matching Ribbon! It’s proof that packaging can be just as meaningful as what’s inside.

The Stampin’ Up!®️ release of new products every other month feels a bit like opening a fresh batch of inspiration on a regular rhythm. If you haven’t already, it’s worth making a habit of browsing those new supplies. You never know when you’ll find a hidden gem that sparks your next project—just like this bundle did for me.

As you hop along, may this inspire you to look at your basics in a new way: The shelf-life of these treat bags extends beyond February with a little love shared anytime during the year in a fresh & fruity way!

Here are the faces of a few of the New at SU! Design Team members from the U.S.A.~ L to R: Amanda (Did You Stamp Today?), Rachel (The Joy of Stampin’ with Rachel), Loni- ME! (Creative Juice by Loni) and Diane (24/7 Inkspiration). We met up at OnStage last week (Stampin’ Up!®️’s convention) to snap a quick photo to say Hi!

Keep hopping to see more Online Exclusive inspiration from those ladies and others… there’s plenty of sweetness ahead! 🍓✨

March 2026 New at SU! Hop: Online Exclusives

Previous Blog Next Blog

1.New at SU! Online Exklusive Produkten !

2.iHeartCards2 (US) – New At SU! Blog Hop – Online Exclusives

3.Stamping Flair (AU) – Cutest Crew

4.247 Inkspiration (US) – Capturing Smiles

5.The Joy of Stampin’ with Rachael (US)- Honey Fun

6.Astrids Papiereuphorie (AT) – Gartenpoesie

7.Did You Stamp Today? (US) – Cutest Birds Hello

8.Creative Juice by Loni (US)- Berry Sweet Bag with Online Exclusives

9.De Kijkkast (NL) – Springtime Scenes Online Only

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Stampin’ Up!®️ has been knocking our ONLINE EXCLUSIVE products OUT OF THE PARK, but we do still offer physical publications three times each year, and they make for wonderful reading material (and shopping lists)! My customers who have purchased recently will receive one of the new May-August catalogs in the mail, but if you don’t have a demonstrator serving you, send me a message with your mailing address and I’ll add you to the list!

Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Twisted Easel Card Love You Berry Much

March 10, 2026March 9, 2026Leave a comment

A card that pops up to say hello always brings a little extra fun to the mailbox. This one does just that with a playful twisted easel fold that lets the sweet strawberry jar take center stage. This is how it fits in the envelope as a flat card:

The trick is to fold your card base from the front lower left corner back along the fold as evenly as you can. If you’d like to score it, mark at 1-1/4″ in from the top right corner and score back to the fold on the opposite corner. As you open it, it twists and props against the raised strawberry on the inside of the card:

I created this card using the Filled with Sweetness Bundle from Stampin’ Up!®️ – which we are playing with for a few days on Creative Juice by Loni – and the little strawberries make it feel like you’ve captured sweetness in a jar! “Love you berry much” seemed like the perfect message for a grandchild. It’s the kind of happy mail that could arrive in a mailbox hundreds of miles away… and still feel like a hug.

This week inside my VIP Facebook Group, we’re having a fun brainstorming session about long-distance grandparenting through snail mail. Many grandparents can’t always be nearby for everyday moments, but a handmade card can travel where we can’t. Imagine a grandchild setting this card on their desk or dresser, the strawberry jar standing proudly like a tiny reminder that Grandma or Grandpa is thinking of them!

Make an order of $50+ (before tax & shipping) from my Stampin’ Store and you’ll receive a set of 19 exclusive papercrafting tutorials (including another great idea for the Filled with Sweetness bundle from me!), a handmade card AND you’ll be invited to join my private Facebook group for my VIP customers!

Handmade cards don’t just carry ink and paper. They carry love, encouragement, and a sweet connection across the miles. 🍓💌

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Revisit for more projects “filled with sweetness” here and on my social media, which will help “squeeze your creative juice”!

Stampin’ Up!®️ Filled With Sweetness Vellum Thank You card

A Jar Card Filled with Thanks

March 7, 2026March 9, 20262 Comments

There’s been a bunch of FRESH products drop for March, so let’s create a pull-out card shaped like a jam jar from one of my favorites: the Homemade Sweetness products!

Just because the Ladybug Picnic embossing folder is backordered, don’t fret! The rest of the products ARE AVAILABLE: The Filled with Sweetness stamp and dies are bundled together to save you 10% and the Homemade Sweetness Designer Series Paper, ribbon and embellishments are all ready to come home to your craft room!

The jar is large enough to create a good sized card – this card is about 4-3/8″ square – and the die cuts a front and back of the card as the same time, with a fold in the middle, so you can make it into a card. I stamped the jar on vellum, die cut it out (including a slit in the top of the jar, and there is a die for that!) then sealed the open side and bottom with tear and tape to create a pocket.

I stamped the jar on vellum with Jet Black StazOn ink (so it dries fast and doesn’t smear), and added the die that makes the slit in the top of the jar as I cut out the card. Fold it in half and seal the open side and bottom with Tear & Tape adhesive, and remember to adhere the top of the jar to the back so the card slides in easily – it’s the part that’s behind the fruit and tag at the top in the photo above!

The Designer Series Paper is 2-7/8″ x 7-1/2″, folded in half and adhered to the checkered jar cover. When you open up the card, there is space to write your note of appreciation:

TIP: Because the jar stamp is so large, and can easily stretch out of shape, lay the die on your desktop and “fit” the stamp into it, then lay your clear F BLOCK on top. Then when you stamp, you know the die will cut it out properly!

Take a moment to explore all the NEW ARRIVALS and add the products to make this fun card to your card below!

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Christ-Centered Easter Card, Empty Tomb Card, Stampin' Up! Reason to Celebrate and Seasonal Celebrations

Empty-Tomb Easter Card

March 2, 2026March 2, 2026Leave a comment

As we come to the end of our Reasons & Season week, I have one ultimate #celebrationcombination card for you, and it’s the VERY BEST REASON to celebrate: The Life, Atonement and Resurrection of the Savior of the World!

In my first-Monday-of-the-Month LIVE crafting video, I demonstrated this “Empty-Tomb” card which testifies of the greatest gift we have ever received:

I am grateful to combine more than just two stamp sets, but also my love of paper crafting with my testimony of Jesus Christ. Because of His life, sacrifice and resurrection, we can have HOPE for better things to come! We can repent of our sins and strive to become the person He wants each of us to be. Without Easter, there would be NO joy at Christmas!

For this card, you can use any picture that shows your gratitude for Christ’s atonement. This is the picture I printed depicting a risen Christ speaking to Mary which I used in the first card, but perhaps you have another illustration that strikes your heart-strings. Obviously, there were no cameras to mark this event most central to the history of all creation, but I appreciate those who attempt to capture the awe and reverence of the moment.

In this video, I share tips and tricks to make this card simple to prepare, stamp and assemble:

Thank you for visiting, for saving your favorite project of the past week (scroll through to see them all), and for supporting my Stampin’ Up!®️ business in many ways.

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Wishing you PEACE in CHRIST and joy in stamping ~ Loni Spendlove

Daffodil Card Stampin’ Up!®️ Reason to Celebrate and Seasonal Celebrations

Another Wonderful Year Daffodil Card

February 28, 2026February 28, 2026Leave a comment

Day number 6 for our Reasons & Seasons #celebrationcombination week using the Stampin’ Up!®️ Reason to Celebrate and Seasonal Celebrations stamp sets, which were designed to stamp bold images with sensational sentiments together.

Some of these occasions which occur at the beginning of the year aren’t given the attention they deserve. For instance, have you ever thought of sending NEW YEAR cards instead of Christmas cards? While I haven’t shared a New Year card with this set here on my blog, my VIP Facebook Group did get to see the card I created for the turning of the year! When you make an order from my Stampin’ Store, you’ll be invited to join the VIP group, which gets EXTRA inspiration shared with them.

Let’s move on to the combination card, which could be for a birthday, and anniversary or any yearly celebration:

Yellow and Purple are complementary colors, so when I was considering what colors to pair with this daffodil, Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape popped into mind!

Remember the die we used on the missing middle Special Day card earlier this week? It also makes a lovely scalloped edge for a focal point! I also grabbed the background die from the same Lovely Arrangement die set to create a peek-through background from the Garden Green layer.

TIP: The perfect size for the Gorgeous Grape rectangle inside the scallops is 3-1/8″ x 1-15/16″ and yes, that is an unusual measurement, but it perfectly layers over the circles! The Basic White layer is 3″ x 1-13/16″ (or one tick over 1-3/4″)

Adding a circle for the sentiment embossed in white mirrors the scallops and pulls the purple in one more time.

I’ve loved these bold stamps for striking images paired with celebratory sentiments, haven’t you? Because they are flat, there is no coloring required, though I’ve done a bit of fussy cutting, as there are no dies to coordinate with the images…but they are super easy to cut out!

Your comments fuel my creativity, so please pause and say hello!

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One more card left- see you MONDAY! ~ Loni Spendlove

Graduation Diagonal Fold Card with Arch Slide Lock

February 27, 2026Leave a comment

Do you have a favorite card fold or sketch that you go back to time and time again? I’m going back to this diagonal fold with a double arch that you can slide in to lock because it’s so versatile for the Reasons & Seasons mashups I’m sharing this week!

Stampin’ Up!®️ Graduation Card using Seasonal Celebrations and Reason to Celebrate stamp sets

This fold was one I used for the Anniversary card created for a swap in January with the same two stamp sets, so I thought you would appreciate seeing how you can get more uses from it.

By layering two arches together (one on top of the other, separated by black stampin’ dimensionals on just the lower diagonal section) you create a locking mechanism: simply slide the top diagonal piece between them when you close the card:

Here are a few tips:

Make TWO cards at the same time: Score a full sheet of card stock in half both directions (lengthwise and widthwise) before cutting, then cut it diagonally and you’ll have two card bases.
The top layer (the one I embossed) is a 4″ x 5.25″ piece of card stock. Emboss first, then cut it diagonally to make the layers.
You could use two of the same size arches to create the lock, but I like the look of a larger arch behind the smaller arch, even though you only see half of it when it’s locked.
Remember to add an adhesive sheet to the back of your silver foil sheet *before* die cutting the star- peeling off the backing to stick it on is much easier/cleaner than using liquid glue! Use your embossing buddy on the points of the star that stick beyond the arch and those points won’t stick to the card.

When the card is open, I did include a Congratulations sentiment, and you can just ink up the “grad” part of the longer Graduation sentiment to get the shorter word.

This card is red & black because that’s the color of both the high school and local university, but you can use the colors for the school you are celebrating, obviously.

Another reason to celebrate is ready to be called into action and make this milestone memorable!

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If you’ve enjoyed the #celebrationcombination cards shared this week using the Stampin’ Up!®️ Seasonal Celebrations and Reason to Celebrate stamp sets, please leave a comment and I always appreciate the support when you shop my store.

Easter Celebrations

February 26, 2026Leave a comment

The Creative Juice Celebration Combination Card # 4 is for Easter, and I am following the Global Design Project “Case the Designer” Challenge! This is Leah’s card that we can CASE = Copy And Selectively Edit (or CASE = Create And Share Everything). #gdp536

Combining the Stampin’ Up!®️ Reason to Celebrate and Seasonal Celebrations stamp sets (which are designed to work hand-in-hand), this is the card I’ve designed to meet the challenge, which continues our #celebrationcombination week,

The camera doesn’t pick up the shimmer and shine on both the specialty papers used for the bunny and the backgrounds, but it surely does make it pretty!

Another combination I love is Eyelet (embossing folder) and Gingham (ribbon) ~ it’s a classic that is always springtime fresh.

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Hope you are enjoying all the ways to mix these two stamp sets together for all the occasions that are happening during the first part of the year ~ go back to see what you’ve missed and return tomorrow for more! ~ Loni Spendlove

Stampin’ Up!®️ St. Patricks day Shamrock card with Reason to Celebrate and Seasonal Celebrations

St. Patrick’s Celebration Combination

February 25, 2026Leave a comment

In March, GREEN isn’t just a color… It’s a mood. A wink. A tiny paper parade. 🍀 And NOW is the time to set the stage!

For this card in my Celebration Combination series, the Stampin’ Up!® Reason to Celebrate and Seasonal Celebrations stamp sets to create a St. Patrick’s Day design that feels happy-go-lucky! The IN COLOR of the season is SHY SHAMROCK (one of those 2024-2026 In Colors retiring soon) which pairs perfectly with Shaded Spruce.

The shiny stripes are from the Pleasant Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper and add the bling on this card, inside and out!

This greeting card isn’t just about St. Patrick’s Day…it can simply say:

“I’m lucky to know you.”
“You brighten my day.”
“Wishing you luck in reaching your goals.”
“Friends are the best kind of good fortune”

I couldn’t resist coordinating! When the card says “Lucky,” you may as well lean in and wear the theme. 😉

By mixing sentiments from Reason to Celebrate with the versatile imagery in Seasonal Celebrations, we can commemorate big holidays, small wins, ordinary weekdays, and everything in between.

The best celebration isn’t a holiday on the calendar. It’s remembering a person you love. 🍀💚