Around the Holidays with Catherine Pooler Designs & Sizzix

Christmas crafting is getting a fun and modern twist with the newest collaboration between Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix! This festive release includes stamps, dies and stencils designed with the innovative Sizzix Stencil & Stamp Tool in mind. The tool makes it easy to line up your images and create repeatable patterns with consistent spacing.

For today’s card, I used the fabulous Holiday in the Square Stamp Set. This set is filled with playful holiday images, including bows, holly, stars, stripes and graphic shapes. I arranged the images into a colourful patchwork pattern that reminds me of wrapped presents and a cozy Christmas quilt.

My colour palette included Cotton Candy, Party Dress, Rockin’ Red, Melon Ice, Grass Skirt and Uptown inks. I love how the traditional reds and greens look alongside the softer pink and bright Melon Ice accents. The combination gives the card a cheerful, contemporary Christmas feel.

The Stencil & Stamp Tool made creating this pattern so much easier. Once each stamp was positioned, I could repeat the placement and build the design one colourful section at a time. I finished the card by mounting the stamped panel with a wide white border of a square card base, allowing the bold pattern to remain the star of the design.

The Holiday in the Square Stamp Set also has its own coordinating die set, giving you even more ways to use these festive images on cards, tags, gift packaging and other holiday projects.

This exciting Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix Christmas collection will be available soon in the Catherine Pooler shop. Be sure to watch for all the release details!

Happy Holiday stamping!!

~ Ally ~ 

StampNation Weekend Challenge: By the Sea

This weekend’s StampNation Challenge is taking us “By the Sea!” For this challenge, create a project inspired by the ocean, the beach, seaside vegetation, ocean animals, or anything connected to water. You could even incorporate water into your creative process by watercoloring with inks!

For my card, I created a playful underwater birthday scene featuring the adorable sailor otter from the “Ahoy Matey” stamp set. I surrounded him with colourful fish, coral, seaweed, bubbles, and other fun treasures from beneath the waves.

 

The “Under the Sea Cover Plate Die” was used to create the fabulous ocean frame. Behind it, I blended Blue Raspberry, Boardwalk, Mardi Gras, and Uptown inks to make my own vibrant, ocean-inspired background. I love how all those beautiful blues and aquas bring the underwater scene to life!

I also added some pretty "Party Blues" enamel dots for a few darker ocean bubbles! Everything image and piece of the scene was colored using Copic Markers.

Now it’s your turn to dive into your crafty supplies and create something inspired by the sea. We cannot wait to see your “By the Sea” projects in the StampNation gallery!

~ Ally ~ 

Start Every Day with a Splash!

Hello, crafty friends!

I'm back today with another card featuring one of the beautiful new SN Gals, and this time it's the stunning SN Gal Oceanne from Sweet November Stamps! Isn't she gorgeous? I just love her flowing hair and graceful pose—it makes her the perfect centerpiece for a tall, slimline-style design.

To create her underwater world, I paired Oceanne with the seafloor image from the Mermee #3 stamp set. The detailed coral and ocean floor make such a fun backdrop while still allowing our lovely mermaid to shine.

Everything was colored with Copic Markers, but one of my favorite parts of this card is how I created the background. I colored all of the corals and the seafloor first, then used my Copic Airbrush System to softly spray shades of blue over the entire scene. This ties everything together beautifully and gives the illusion that all of the elements are sitting beneath the water's surface.

Once the background was complete, I popped Oceanne up on foam adhesive to give her a little extra dimension. I love how she almost looks like she's floating through the ocean! I finished the card with the sentiment, "Start every day with a splash!", which perfectly captures the fun, carefree feel of this design.

This was such a fun scene to create, and I can't wait to color up Oceanne again in even more underwater adventures!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy crafting! 💙🧜‍♀️

~ Ally ~ 

Hang Loose Birthday Vibes with the New "Give Me a Sign" Collection!

There's a brand-new crew of cuties arriving at Sweet November Stamps this Saturday, and they're bringing all the personality! The new "Give Me a Sign" digital collection features six adorable little friends, each showing off a fun, expressive gesture that's perfect for celebrating friendships, birthdays, encouragement, and so much more.

For today's card, I couldn't resist using "Shaka Brah." That huge smile and classic shaka hand sign instantly made me think of my nephew, so this became his 11th birthday card!

To create a tropical backdrop worthy of his laid-back vibe, I masked off the image before stamping the palm fronds from the "Aloha Wees" clear stamp set all around him. The leafy frame really helps draw your eye to that happy face while adding fun island vibes. Everything was colored with Copic Markers, and I finished the scene with a warm sunny glow behind him. The bright blue patterned paper ties everything together and keeps the card feeling cheerful and full of summer energy.

Whether you're making birthday cards, sending a little encouragement, or just sharing a smile, the "Give Me a Sign" collection is packed with personality and so much fun to color.

The entire "Give Me a Sign" crew is now available to download from the Sweet November Stamps shop. I can't wait to see which expressive little friend becomes your favorite!

Happy crafting! 💙🌴

~ Ally ~