Too Glam to Give a Clam – A Monochromatic Mermaid Card

Today I’m sharing the card I created for my StampNation PenPal for August. This month’s challenge was all about GREEN, and I decided it was the perfect excuse to dive under the sea and play with an entire palette of gorgeous aqua and green tones!

For my focal image, I chose this beautiful mermaid from the Sweet November Stamps “Mermees So Emotional” stamp set. I had so much fun coloring her in soft minty greens and aquas, keeping everything very monochromatic while still adding lots of depth and detail.

To create her underwater home, I tucked her into a pretty ticket-edged frame die from Whimsy Stamps. Behind her, I added lots of flowing underwater foliage using Catherine Pooler Designs’ Under the Sea Cover Plate Die. I kept all of those elements within the same aqua-green color family so the mermaid would remain the star of the scene. I also added some wavy kelp using the Catherine Pooler "Jellyfish Layered Stencil" and Minted ink.

Of course, I couldn’t resist adding some splatters throughout the background for a little extra bubbly texture and movement. The finished scene feels soft, cool and dreamy—just like being beneath the surface of the ocean!

This card also happened to work perfectly for a recent episode of Craft Roulette. Here’s how I incorporated all four parameters:

• Project: 4x8 Card
• Colors – Excited: Green represents life, growth and energy
• Element – Cold or Chilly: The cool ocean/sea water
• Random – Stitches: The stitched detailing around the ticket-style frame

I finished the card with the fun sentiment, “Too glam to give a clam.” It was just too perfect for this gorgeous mermaid!

I absolutely love how this monochromatic card came together. Playing with different shades of green and aqua was such a fun challenge, and I love how all of the layered underwater details still allow that fabulous mermaid to shine.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this inspires you to choose one color family and see just how much depth and interest you can create with it. Happy crafting!

~ Ally ~ 

Oh So Merry ~ Catherine Pooler & Sizzix

Sometimes the simplest cards are the most fun to make! For today’s Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix release card, I really wanted the fabulous alphabet dies from the “Oh So Merry” Thinlit Dies to be the stars of the show.

I started by creating my own custom cardstock colors using Spruce, Sage, Buttercream and Rose Petal inks. I simply inked up pieces of cardstock with each color and then die cut all of the different letters from those beautiful coordinating swatches. I love how the different letter styles, sizes and little stitched and pierced details give the sentiment so much personality!

Once all of my letters were cut, I played around with the arrangement until I had my fun “Merry and Bright” greeting. I adhered everything onto a kraft-colored cardstock panel that I had lightly splattered with some Sage ink for just a little extra texture and interest.

That’s it! No fancy embellishments or complicated techniques—just some pretty ink colors, a great set of alphabet dies and a little bit of playful arranging. I love how these whimsical letters really do all the work on this card.

Such a simple and cheerful holiday card, and definitely one of those designs that would be easy to recreate in all kinds of different color combinations!

You can shop Catherine Pooler Designs here: https://shop.catherinepooler.com?aff=49

Happy holiday cardmaking!

~ Ally ~ 

Copper-Kissed Autumn Greetings

Today I’m sharing another card featuring the beautiful “Autumn on Main” Collection from Catherine Pooler Designs. I kept the design for this card fairly simple, letting those gorgeous fall colors—and plenty of copper shine—take center stage!

I began by stamping three of the maple leaves from the “Fall Flourishes” Stamp Set and heat embossing them with Copper embossing powder. I love how the metallic embossed lines give the leaves such a warm, elegant look.

Next came all that glorious autumn color! I blended Tiara, Tiki Torch, Rockin’ Red, and just a touch of Cranberry Fizz ink across each leaf. I allowed the colors to overlap and blend together so every leaf had its own fiery mix of yellows, oranges, and deep reds.

To add a little extra texture, I splattered the leaves with some water and then added a sprinkling of the new Copper Shimmer. The shimmer catches the light beautifully and coordinates perfectly with the copper embossing.

Once the leaves were dry, I die cut them and arranged them around a simple white die cut panel. I added the “Autumn Greetings” sentiment from the “Autumn Greetings” Stamp Set, also embossed in Copper, and added a few more Copper Shimmer splatters to tie everything together.

For the finishing touch, I layered the panel over a piece of rich Cranberry Fizz Cardstock. That deep burgundy background really makes the glowing autumn leaves pop!

I love how something as simple as a few beautifully ink-blended leaves can make such a bold seasonal card. The combination of those warm Catherine Pooler ink colors with all that copper sparkle just feels like autumn! 🍁✨

~ Ally ~ 

A Little Autumn Harvest

Hello crafty friends! Today I’m sharing another card featuring goodies from Catherine Pooler Designs, and this one actually started with a leftover piece from a previous project. I love finding ways to use those little bits and pieces on my craft desk—especially when they inspire an entirely new card! For my previous card, I had inked cardstock with Uptown Ink and die cut the delicate scripted “Harvest” from the Harvest Duo Word Dies. Rather than toss away the negative portion that remained, I knew I wanted to find a way to incorporate it into another design. 

I started my card by die cutting a piece of white cardstock with one of the Scallops & Dots Dies to create that sweet scalloped edge. Next, I positioned the shadow die from the Harvest Duo Word Dies toward the lower right corner and die cut it directly from the scalloped panel. I tucked my leftover Uptown-inked negative die cut behind that opening and then backed the entire panel with white cardstock. I love how this gives the greeting such a clean, almost inlaid appearance while still allowing that gorgeous deep teal Uptown color to really stand out.

With my sentiment in place, it was time to add some autumn color! I used all three of the adorable little leaf images from the Autumn Greetings Stamp Set, stamping them in Aquatini, Orange Twist, Tiara and Uptown Inks. I kept the leaves dancing loosely down the center of the card to create a playful trail of fall color without overwhelming the large scripted greeting.

For one final little touch, I added splatters of the new Copper Shimmer across the background. Those tiny sparkling copper flecks add just enough shine when the light catches them and pair so beautifully with the warm autumn ink colors.

I really love how this simple card came together—and even more that it started with a leftover die-cut piece from another project! It’s always fun when something that could have landed in the scrap bin becomes the inspiration for a whole new card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope this inspires you to take another look at those negative die cuts and crafty leftovers sitting on your desk—you never know what your next card might begin with!

Happy crafting! 🍂✨

~ Ally ~ 

Harvest Hugs | Catherine Pooler Designs “Autumn on Main”

Today I’m sharing another card featuring the beautiful new “Autumn on Main” Collection from Catherine Pooler Designs! For this card, I wanted to play with some unexpected Autumn colors and pair those fresh aquas and greens with the gorgeous warmth of the new Copper Shimmer. I love how striking these colors look together!

I started by creating my own fun marbled, watercolor effect background paper using Melon Ice, Aquatini and Uptown inks. I dabbed and layered the inks to build up lots of variation and texture, allowing the colors to blend and mingle together. Once I was happy with my background, I added a splattering of the new Copper Shimmer for a little sparkle and warmth. Those tiny copper flecks look so pretty against all of that turquoise and green!

Next, I took a piece of Catherine Pooler’s Favorite White Cardstock and painted it completely with Copper Shimmer. Once it was dry, I die cut the beautiful new “Willow Silhouette” Die from my handmade metallic cardstock. I absolutely love how this turned out! Painting the cardstock first gave me a gorgeous custom copper paper with lots of beautiful shine and texture.

For the greeting, I reached for the new “Harvest Duo Word Dies.” I die cut the delicate scripted “harvest” word and colored it with Uptown Ink, then layered it over the coordinating white shadow die cut. That deep teal really helps the sentiment stand out against the colorful background.

I wanted to turn my greeting into “harvest hugs,” so I did a little selective stamping with one of the sentiments from the “Autumn Greetings” Stamp Set. I stamped just the word “hugs” in Uptown Ink and cut it out with its coordinating die. I love being able to stretch my sentiment stamps by using just a portion of a greeting!

To finish the card, I layered my marbled panel onto a little peek of Uptown-colored cardstock before adding it to my white card base. The combination of those cool jewel-toned colors, the crisp white and all that beautiful copper shine makes this such a fun take on an Autumn card.

StampNation members can shop the new Autumn on Main Collection today! Everyone else can join in tomorrow when the entire collection goes live in the Catherine Pooler Designs shop at 9am ET.

You can shop Catherine Pooler Designs here:
https://shop.catherinepooler.com?aff=49

Happy crafting! 🍂🩵✨

~ Ally ~ 

Grateful for You | Autumn on Main

Today I’m sharing a more masculine-inspired Fall card featuring some fabulous new products from Catherine Pooler Designs’ “Autumn on Main” Collection. I love how this card proves that Autumn designs don’t always have to be filled with traditional oranges, reds and yellows—the monochromatic gray palette paired with touches of copper gives this one such a cool, modern feel!

The star of today’s card is the adorable new “Fall Silhouette Dies.” This set includes three different silhouette designs featuring some beautiful seasonal foliage—a maple leaf, a saw-toothed leaf, and a grouping of oak leaves and acorns. They’re such a fun way to add Fall imagery to a card while keeping the overall design clean and graphic.

I began by die cutting the different Fall Silhouette Dies several times down one side of a panel of Hoodie cardstock. I love how the circular designs create an almost patterned effect as they trail down the card front.

For the layer underneath, I used another piece of Hoodie cardstock and had a little fun with some splattering! I added the gorgeous new Copper Shimmer, along with splatters of white and black acrylic paint. My goal was to have all of that beautiful texture and sparkle peek through the open areas created by the leaf dies. Once the die-cut panel was layered over top, the splattered background became a really fun feature within each silhouette.

The Copper Shimmer is especially striking against the Hoodie cardstock. Depending on the light, you get these little flashes of warm metallic copper mixed in with the black and white speckles. It adds just enough shine without taking away from the masculine feel of the card.

To finish everything off, I chose the “Grateful for You” greeting from the new “Autumn Greetings” Stamp Set. I white heat embossed the sentiment onto coordinating Hoodie cardstock and then cut it out with its matching die. I popped the greeting up over the Fall silhouettes for a simple finishing touch.

I really love the understated look of this one! The tone-on-tone gray cardstock keeps it clean and masculine, while those little pops of Copper Shimmer bring in just the right amount of warmth for an Autumn card.

The new “Autumn on Main” Collection is almost here! StampNation members get to shop early tomorrow, and the collection opens to everyone on Wednesday. 🍂🧡✨

~ Ally ~ 

Copper Blessings | Catherine Pooler Designs “Autumn on Main”

There is just something about creating Fall cards that makes me happy—the warm colors, beautiful leaves, rich metallics and all those cozy Autumn details! Today I’m sharing a card featuring the brand new “Autumn on Main” Collection from Catherine Pooler Designs. This collection is packed with everything I love about the season: gorgeous leaves, harvest-inspired images, pumpkins and gourds, bold patterned papers and some really fabulous new dies!

For my card, I reached for the beautiful “Fall Flourishes” Stamp and Die Set. This set includes five wonderful Fall images—a maple leaf, an oak leaf, a stem of wheat, an acorn and a chestnut—and I couldn’t resist using every single one!

I stamped all of the images and colored them with my Copic Markers, building up lots of layers of color to give them plenty of dimension. I especially love how the greens, yellows, oranges and reds blend together on those beautiful Fall leaves. They really became the stars of the card!

For the background, I began by die cutting a piece of kraft cardstock with the “Tuffed Cover Plate Die”. I love the subtle stitched texture this adds without competing with all of those colorful images.

Next, I used the “Around the Loop Nested Dies” to create a modified oval opening in the center of the panel. Before popping the panel up onto my white card base, I blended a little Spiced Ink along the inside edge of the oval. That touch of warm color helps define the opening and adds even more depth to the design.

Once the background was in place, I arranged all five of my Fall Flourishes images around the oval, overlapping and layering them to create a full harvest-inspired cluster. The wheat tucked behind those colorful leaves adds such a pretty bit of texture!

Of course, this card needed a little sparkle, so I pulled out the new Copper Shimmer and added splatters across the kraft background and some of the Fall images. The warm copper shine is absolutely perfect with an Autumn color palette.

For the finishing touch, I used the “Harvest Duo Word Dies” to create the large “Blessings” sentiment. I die cut the word from beautiful copper metallic cardstock and paired it with the coordinating white cardstock shadow layer. I love how that shiny sentiment stretches right across the center of the card and ties in perfectly with the Copper Shimmer splatters.

I absolutely love how this card turned out! It has all those rich, warm and colorful elements that make Fall crafting so much fun.

The new “Autumn on Main” Collection will be available in the Catherine Pooler Designs shop on Wednesday, but StampNation members get to shop early on Tuesday!

You can shop Catherine Pooler Designs here: https://shop.catherinepooler.com?aff=49

Happy Fall crafting, everyone! 🍁🌾🧡

~ Ally ~ 

Back to COOL with Sweet November Stamps

It’s time to head back to school, and the new First Day digital stamp collection from Sweet November Stamps is filled with adorable images for creating cheerful classroom scenes! The collection includes a variety of sweet students, a teacher, a crossing guard and plenty of school-themed accessories, including desks and lockers.

For my card, I combined Eliza, Kenny, Lainey, Tanner and Mrs. James with the Teacher’s Desk images to create a busy first-day classroom scene. One of my favourite things about working with digital stamps is being able to resize, arrange and layer the images until the scene looks exactly the way I imagined.

Once everything was printed, I coloured the entire scene with a rainbow of Copic Markers. I had so much fun choosing different colours for each child’s clothing, backpack and shoes. All those bright details give every student their own personality and capture the excitement of arriving at school for a brand-new year.

I kept the classroom background simple so the colourful characters would remain the focus, adding a soft green chalkboard wall, a neutral floor and a few subtle shadows beneath everyone’s feet. The playful “Back to COOL!” greeting was the perfect finishing touch for this happy school scene.

The new First Day collection offers so many possibilities for back-to-school cards, teacher appreciation projects, lunchbox notes and scrapbook pages. I can’t wait to create even more school adventures with these adorable characters!

Happy Saturday all!

~ Ally ~ 

Merry and Bright in Non-Traditional Holiday Colors

Today I’m sharing another festive card featuring products from the Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix collaboration. For this design, I stepped away from traditional holiday reds and greens and created a soft, modern woodland scene using warm peach and vibrant pink tones.

I began by securing the Star on Top layered stencils in the Print & Pattern Tool. For the first stencil layer, I softly blended Clay Mask ink over the trees and added a light layer of Pucker Up ink toward the treetops. I repeated the same color combination with the second stencil layer, using a heavier hand to deepen the shades and bring definition to the overlapping trees.

To coordinate the greeting with the background, I created a separate ink-blended swatch using the same Clay Mask and Pucker Up combination. I then die cut the large “Merry” greeting using the new Oh So Merry Dies. I love how the blended cardstock carries the color palette into the sentiment while the playful lettering adds a bold focal point.

To complete the greeting, I stamped “and bright” from the Warm Winter Wishes Sentiments stamp set and added it on a slim banner beside the die-cut word. A splattering of Pearl Shimmer across the background added the perfect finishing touch of snowy sparkle.

I absolutely love the cheerful, non-traditional colors on this holiday card. The combination of peach, pink and shimmer gives the winter trees such a warm and whimsical feel!

You can find these products in the Catherine Pooler shop!

~ Ally ~ 

Warm Winter Wishes with CP & Sizzix

Today I’m sharing a cool and cozy winter card featuring the “Around the Holiday” stamp set from the Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix collaboration. This playful set includes a variety of graphic holiday images that work together beautifully to create a bold, repeating pattern.

I used the Print & Pattern Tool to line up and stamp the images across a piece of white cardstock. The tool made it easy to build the pattern evenly while alternating the different squares. For a soft tone-on-tone winter palette, I stamped the images using Glacier and Stone Blue inks. I love how the two shades add subtle variation while keeping the background cohesive and frosty.

Once the patterned panel was complete, I layered it onto a narrow piece of dark navy cardstock and adhered it to a Stone Blue cardstock card base. The simple layers help frame the stamped design and add a little extra contrast.

For the greeting, I selected the beautiful “Warm Winter Wishes” sentiment from the “Warm Winter Wishes Sentiments” stamp set. I stamped it in dark blue ink, die cut it into a circle and popped it up over the bottom corner of the patterned panel.

This card was so much fun to create, and the Print & Pattern Tool made building the repeating design quick and easy. The “Around the Holiday” stamp set is perfect for creating winter cards, holiday backgrounds, tags and so much more!

The new CP and Sizzix products are available now in the CP Shop!

~ Ally ~ 

 

A Glamorous Christmas on Ice

Hello, crafty friends! Today I’m sharing another festive project from the new Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix collaboration. This card features the fabulous new “On Ice” Die Set, which includes a beautiful ice skate along with poinsettias, greenery and other seasonal embellishments.

I began with a bold Glam cardstock card base—the rich purple shade creates such a striking backdrop for the crisp white skate. I added a black sole, a shiny silver blade and bright Rockin’ Red laces to give the skate plenty of dimension and personality.

To create the festive floral clusters, I die-cut the poinsettias and greenery from Melon Ice, Martini, Sixteen Candles, Rockin’ Red and Sage cardstocks. I love how these vibrant Catherine Pooler colors give the traditional Christmas florals a fresh and playful look. The flowers and leaves were tucked around the skate to create movement while keeping the skate as the main focal point.

For the finishing touch, I selected the “Merry Christmas” greeting from the new “Warm Winter Wishes Sentiments” Stamp Set. I heat embossed it with white embossing powder directly onto the Glam background, creating a clean and elegant sentiment that coordinates beautifully with the white skate.

The “On Ice” Die Set is perfect for winter birthdays, Christmas cards, skating-themed projects and so much more. This colorful skate is ready to glide straight into the holiday season!

~ Ally ~ 

A Rich and Layered Holiday Wreath

Hello, crafty friends! Today I’m sharing another festive card created with the new Catherine Pooler Designs and Sizzix collaboration. For this project, I used the gorgeous Holiday A-door-nment Die Set, a delightful collection featuring a large wreath base, extra leaves, berries, a layered bow and playful star accents. It is perfect for creating cozy Christmas cards, gift tags and beautiful seasonal décor.

To create the wreath, I first made my own watercolor-inspired paper using Sage, Eucalyptus, Spruce, Matcha and Succulent inks. Once the paper was dry, I die-cut the main wreath and several additional leaves, giving me a lovely assortment of greens with natural variations in color and texture. I layered the extra leaves around the wreath to make it feel especially full and dimensional, then added small white splatters for a snowy finishing touch.

For a bright pop of traditional holiday color, I die-cut the berries from Rockin’ Red cardstock and scattered them throughout the greenery. The large layered bow became the star of the design, with its bold red pieces and elegant gold cardstock accents. I love how the metallic details define each section of the bow and add a touch of holiday shine.

The greeting comes from the new Warm Winter Wishes Sentiments Stamp Set. I chose the ornate circular “Merry” sentiment and heat embossed it in gold, then tucked it behind the bow so it appears to be hanging in the centre of the wreath. The gold embossing coordinates beautifully with the bow accents and the thin metallic layer framing the card panel.

I absolutely love how rich and layered this card turned out! The mix of watercolor textures, dimensional greenery, vibrant red details and touches of gold gives this classic Christmas wreath a warm and elegant feel.

~ Ally ~ 

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 ~