Halloween on Main is Almost Here!

There’s something spooky, sweet and oh-so-fun coming to Catherine Pooler Designs! The new Halloween on Main Collection is almost here, and it’s packed with goodies perfect for celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving and all those cozy fall occasions in between.

One of the stars of the release is a gorgeous new addition to the Spa Ink family called Made Me Blush. This soft, muted red-violet is lighter than Sparkling Berry and brings such a fun and unexpected twist to traditional Halloween color combinations. Just imagine pinky-purple pumpkins, spooky florals and playful Halloween backgrounds! There are also new Party Red-Violet Enamel Dots that coordinate beautifully with the new ink and add the perfect little finishing touch to your projects.

The collection also introduces the adorable Happy Feels Bundle, designed for creating the sweetest little treat boxes. The new Happy Feels Box Die can be dressed up for Halloween using the You’ve Been Boo’d Stamp Set and Dies, featuring ghosts, candy, spider webs and other spooky-cute details. Switch things up for Thanksgiving with the Many Thanks Stamp Set and Dies, filled with images and sentiments perfect for sharing a little gratitude. Decorative tags and labels make it easy to customize these little boxes for whatever occasion you’re celebrating.

And of course, there’s plenty of patterned paper to bring everything together! The Moonlit Manor 6x6 Patterned Paper and Frightfully Delightful 12x12 Patterned Paper are perfect companions for all those Halloween treat boxes, cards and spooky projects. Fill the boxes with candy, a tiny gift or another fun surprise and you’ve got an adorable handmade treat ready to share.

As an extra treat, Catherine Pooler Designs is offering the Witchy Wardrobe Stamp Set FREE with a $50 purchase through September 4—no code needed. The Halloween on Main Collection hits the CP Shop on August 26, and I can’t wait to start sharing some of the projects I’ve been creating with these fun new goodies! 🎃👻🧙‍♀️

~ Ally ~ 

Fall Wonderland – An Autumn Birthday Scene

There’s something so magical about a woodland scene in the Fall, and the brand new “Fall Wonderland” digital stamp collection from Sweet November Stamps is filled with the cutest little critters enjoying the season! From badgers and moles to moose and more, this collection is packed with adorable characters that are perfect for creating all kinds of cozy Autumn cards.

For today’s card, I used the mini collection featuring the Moose, Mole and Beaver and combined them to create this fun woodland birthday scene. I paired my trio with the “Spring Background” digital image, which worked beautifully for building the forest setting behind them. With a few Fall-inspired colors, that springtime woodland quickly transformed into a crisp Autumn day!

I colored all of the images using a variety of Copic Markers. To help create a little more depth and make the critters really stand out in the foreground, I masked off all three characters and pulled out my Copic Airbrush System. I sprayed the entire background with a dusty blue Copic shade, giving the sky and distant trees a softer, hazier appearance. I love how that simple step helps push the woods into the distance while keeping our adorable Moose, Mole and Beaver front and center.

To finish everything off, I added the sweet birthday greeting from the clear stamp set “Birthdays are the Best.” I love the combination of that bright Autumn landscape, the pile of colorful leaves and those adorable woodland friends. It turned into such a fun and cheerful Autumn birthday card—perfect for celebrating someone with a Fall birthday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~ Ally ~ 

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 ~