Expand a Sketch for a Scrapbook Page

May 1, 20267 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

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

Dinosaur Quarter Fold Card

August 18, 2025August 15, 2025Leave a comment

Some cards just make you grin from the moment you start cutting paper. This one certainly did—because honestly, how can you not smile at a trio of darling dinos in perfectly coordinated colors?

For this design, I paired three of the 2025-2027 In Colors—Timid Tiger, Cloud Cover and Secret Sea —with a fresh pop of Old Olive. The bold contrast gives each dinosaur its own “personality,” while the embossed background panels add texture without overwhelming the scene.

But wait- there is more to discover as you dig in to this fun-fold card! We call it a “Quarter Fold”:

It’s a greeting card that works for all ages—kids will love the creatures, and adults will appreciate the wink of whimsy. It’s easier to make than you think: 2 card bases (one long, one wide) overlap each other, and close like the top of a box. To help you create your own, I’ve got a tutorial to download and print so you can refer to it anytime~

Download Dino Quarter Fold Tutorial

Working with In Colors is one of my favorite ways to keep my cards looking fresh without overthinking. Stampin’ Up! has done the color-coordinating work, so all I have to do is choose my favorites and let the creativity flow. With the August 2025 In-Color sale, even dinosaurs know to nod YES to new colors!

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Hibiscus Flowers for Kindness Thank You Card

July 14, 2025July 5, 2025Leave a comment

Cleaning off my stamping surface, I found pieces for a card I had started to make showing how lovely Secret Sea and Cloud Cover card stock pair together. Since I had already embossed the background with the Happy Hibiscus Hybrid Embossing folder and stamped the background on the large label, all I had to do was stamp some Hibiscus flowers in Strawberry Slush (also a Stampin’ Up!®️ 2025-2027 In Color).

You can get TWO shades of the same color by stamping off the bold flower filler stamp onto a scrap paper once before stamping it inside the outline (stamped in full strength ink of same color). Do the same for the leaves!

TIP: If you haven’t created an ink spot with a Cloud Cover Ink refill and uninked stampin’ spot (because the ink formula didn’t work correctly for a full-sized foam ink pad), YOU CAN STAMP OFF WITH SECRET SEA for an in-between color, as shown in the leaves on this card. I also used VERSAMARK ink on the Cloud Cover label, which turns the stamped images a shade darker.

To make the background pop a bit, I softly sponged some Whisper White craft ink over the raised images. Top off the card with an elegant Cloud Cover bow and some Rhinestone Jewels in the center of the flowers.

One more suggestion: Make four of the same cards at one time! Why four? For this card, you’ll use two full sheets of Cloud Cover for the card bases, one full sheet of Secret Sea card stock for the 4 backgrounds and almost a full additional sheet of cloud cover for the large label: It makes the best use of your supplies, and takes LESS time to create four of the same cards than to come back later and make the same card another time!

Thank you for ordering the supplies from my Stampin’ Store – you are supporting a home-based business and allowing me the time to bring you more creative ideas!

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Keep your creative juices flowing! 🍊🧡– Loni Spendlove

Welcome New 2025 In Colors

May 9, 2025May 12, 2025Leave a comment

Before we get to colors, a quick reminder that tomorrow afternoon (May 10th) is my Annual Open House & BOGO SALE in Hurricane, UT. This only happens once a year, so you won’t want to miss it:

Meet the New Stampin’ Up! In Colors for 2025–2027

One of the most anticipated moments in the Stampin’ Up!®️ community is the annual debut of the trending HUES —and this year’s collection does not disappoint. These five colors offer a mix of fresh energy, soft sophistication, and playful charm that will breathe new life into your projects.

I appreciate that they work well together, as shown by this bold-striped card to mail to someone (like a teacher) who may be taking a well-deserved summer vacation:

The die cut images and stamps from the Notes & Totes bundle evoke a relaxing day on the beach!

As always, the In Color lineup includes ink pads, cardstock, Designer Series Paper, Stampin’ Write (water-based) AND Stampin’ Blends (alcohol-based) markers, embellishments, and more—so you can match your materials perfectly for a polished finish.

Shop all 2025-2027 In Color Products

There is ONE small glitch, but don’t worry…we have a workaround! CLOUD COVER will NOT have a coordinating Ink Pad, and here’s why:

One more option: For my card, I used a VERSAMARK stamp pad to add the floral background across all the colors. Versamark ink is like a watermark: It makes the color you are stamping on just a deeper tone of the same color-

Also, I may have already been through an entire package of those flat pearls, and we are only 3 days into the new catalog year…

Ready to start crafting with the 2025–2027 In Colors? You can begin collecting them here, and sign up for my newsletter to receive a new COLOR COACH, which includes 3 color combinations for all 51 of our amazing colors (153 combinations in all)!

IF YOU LOVE THE COLOR COACH, from June-October, each month you place an order of $50 or more, you’ll receive a set of 10 tutorials USING THE COLOR COACH, just like this one (a freebie for Basic Beige):

Download Basic Beige Color Tutorial

MAY ORDERS OVER 50+ will also receive a set of tutorials, but not focused on color. June – October customer gift tutorials will be color-palette centered.