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 ~ 

Wishing you Happy Trails Ahead ~ New Release from Catherine Pooler on it's Way!

Today I’m sharing a card featuring the brand new Trail Mix release from Catherine Pooler Designs — and it’s full of all the cozy, outdoorsy vibes! 🏕️

This card highlights the adorable Happy Trail-ers stamp set, and I just couldn’t resist creating my own custom patterned background using all of the fun camping images. From the sweet little campers to the campfires, trees, and chairs, this set is perfect for building playful outdoor scenes!

I stamped out all of the images and colored them with my Copic Markers, keeping a bright and cheerful color palette to match the fun, retro feel of the campers. Once everything was colored, I arranged the images to create a full background — it’s such a great way to stretch your stamp sets and create something totally unique!  I also added a quick brushing of some Pistachio ink across the entire panel.

To tie everything together, I added a strip of the new Trail Mix patterned papers along the side. I love how the bold plaid brings in all those same colors and really frames the card design.

For the sentiment, I used the sweet “Wishing You Happy Trails Ahead” sentiment in "Mardi Gras" ink and popped it up on foam adhesive for a little dimension. It’s the perfect finishing touch for this happy, outdoorsy card!

In addition to a brand new Party ink color, "GETAWAY", we are also retiring a few inks this time.  check out the SALE section of the shop for the list of ink colors retiring... HERE.  Only until supplies last.

You can also get a FREE 3x4 stamp set called "Gone Camping" with your purchase of over orders of $50.  Use the code: CAMPING to get this FREE.  While supplies last. 

This release is packed with so many fun elements for creating camping and adventure-themed projects — I think it’s going to be a favorite for summer crafting!

🛍️ The Trail Mix release goes live in the Catherine Pooler shop on Wednesday, so be sure to check it out!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  StampNation members get the opportunity to shop TOMORROW at 12 noon EST.  This release goes live to the public on Wednesday at 9am EST.

Happy shopping!

~ Ally ~ 

🎉 Bright & Happy with New Catherine Pooler Designs Colored Cardstock 🎉

We're kicking off the "Year of Color"!! I’m so excited to share this bright and happy card featuring the brand new Colored Cardstock from Catherine Pooler Designs — and let me just say, this release is SO good!

This new cardstock line includes 34 gorgeous colors, thoughtfully curated from the Party, Spa, and Neutral color palettes. For this card, I leaned fully into the fun and energy of the Party Colored Cardstock, and I absolutely love how vibrant and cohesive everything looks together.

To create the bold background, I used the brand new Simple Strip Die, which makes cutting perfectly even cardstock strips quick and easy. It’s such a great staple die and perfect for showing off all those beautiful colors side by side.

I chose to highlight these fun Party colored cardstock colors: Catching Rays, Martini, Aquatini, Sixteen Candles, Party Dress and Rockin' Red. 

For the florals, I reached for the Petals & Paisley Die to cut all those fun layered flowers and leafy accents. This die set is packed with detail and adds so much playful texture to the card. I finished the design with a greeting using the Scripted Sentiment Die, which adds just the right touch of elegance over the colorful strips.

Of course, no card is complete without a little sparkle ✨
I added a hint of Stickles for subtle shine and finished everything off with a few Crater Lake Sequins for that extra pop and dimension.

🛍 Release Info
Everything goes live in the Catherine Pooler Designs shop on Wednesday!
✨ StampNation members get early access and can shop Tuesday at 12:00 noon EST — don’t forget to take advantage of that perk!

This new Colored Cardstock is such a fantastic addition to the CPD lineup, and I can’t wait to create more projects mixing and matching across all three palettes. Thanks so much for stopping by today — happy crafting! 💖

~ Ally ~ 

Catherine Pooler ~ You're the Bee's Knees!

Today I’m buzzing with excitement to share a sweet card featuring goodies from the brand new Hey There Honey release from Catherine Pooler Designs! 🐻🍯

This card highlights the charming Bear Hugs stamp and coordinating die set—how adorable are those playful little bears?! I used the Nested Hexagon Dies to create a fun, honeycomb-inspired layout, layering them over a panel from the Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice patterned paper pack.

For the coloring, I reached for a warm palette using Catherine Pooler inks—some of which are brand new! I used Amber and Honeycomb (hello, beautiful golden tones!), along with Whipped Honey, Sand Castle, Over Coffee, and Quartz to bring the scene to life.

Whether you're a fan of sweet sentiments, punny wordplay, or just love crafting with cuddly critters, this release is definitely for you.

🛍️ StampNation members shop EARLY – they shop TODAY! Don’t miss out on these bear-y sweet new products!

Happy crafting! 💛🐝

~ Ally ~

Catherine Pooler ~ Boldly Blue Birthday

Happy Friday!  StampNation is having a birthday this month! To celebrate, I made another fun birthday card for this Weekend Challenge. 

The challenge is to make a card or project featuring the color BLUE.

For my card, I used some fun Catherine Pooler Designs products. 

I began by created my background.  I took the fun "It's a Jungle Out There" stencil and a whole bunch of blue CP inks; Dress Blues, Daydream, On The Lake, Oh Boy! and Minted and created a jungle themed back drop. I used a blending brush to add some soft Dress Blues ink to all the edges.  I splattered some silvery white and gold metallic inks across the panel to finish it off.

Next I stamped one of the monkeys from the "Going Bananas" stamp set in Rich Cocoa Memento ink.  I colored him in using Copic Markers.  I fussy cut him out.

I then die cut out the "Marvelous Layered Word Die" backing it with the solid layer inked with Dress Blue ink.

To finish off the sentiment I stamped out the wording from the "Hey There Marvelous" stamp set using Dress Blue ink and fussy cut them out.

I adhered everything to the card and then added some iridescent sequins for some bling and shine.

Come and join StampNation for all the fun.  We have 3 different subscriptions.  Give the single month subscription and come and check us out.  We have quarterly events and exclusive CP Shop codes and freebies every year!  We even get FREE shipping every once and awhile!

Hope you'll come and play along!

~ Ally ~

Catherine Pooler ~ Let's Party

Happy Friday!

StampNation is having a birthday this week!  We're turning 14!  Yup... it's been around for 14 years!

To celebrate, we're having a little challenge over at StampNation!  

The challenge is to make a birthday card.

So I pulled out the newest Catherine Pooler ink color, Blue Raspberry. I also pulled out Something Blue, Melon Ice, Garden Party, Limoncello, and Tiara.

I started by making my background.  I used the "Block & Script Birthday Background" stamp set. 

Then I pulled out the "Birthday Cake Remix" stamp set.  I stamped and die cut all of the elements of the 3 layer cake.  I also used some "Halo Embossing Powder" to create the frosting layers.

For the sentiment, I used just the letter die shapes of the "Party Word Die" and used 5 of my ink colors.  I wanted a little "let's" word so I pulled that word from one of the sentiments for the "Fall Finds" stamp set.

For the finishing touch, I used some Star Dust Stickles to add some dots of sparkle!

Come and check out more about StampNation if you are not a member... click below...

Hope you'll come and party along with us!

~ Ally ~

Sweet November Stamps ~ Happy Fall Y'all

Happy Wednesday!  Today's card features the suave new "SN Gal Olive" stamp set from the latest clear Fall stamp release from Sweet November Stamps.

Today's card was made for a Craft Roulette episode a few weeks back.   It got sent to my StampNation PenPal for October hence why I'm late posting this.  I didn't want to spoil the surprise!

The parameters were as follows:

The four parameters that the wheel gave us for Episode #237 were:

• Project: Pop Up Card (my gal is mounted on some according pieces of paper and springs up)
  
• Colors: Trick-or-treat Colors (I went with pinks, browns and oranges)
  
• Element: Boutique (she appears like someone who might have just shopped in a boutique - her trendy purse!)
  
• Random: Jewelry (she's wearing a necklace)

Here's a little close up...

The images I used for my card include "SN Gal Olive" and the new "Background Builder: City Sidewalks" clear stamp sets.

This was so fun to create!

I hope you check out Craft Roulette!  We watch and play every Friday.  Join us over on the YouTube channel at 6:10pm CST.  You can play along with us too and submit a card using that week's parameters on your project.  PLUS you have a chance to win some amazing prizes for our Spin Sponsors for participating!

See you there!

~ Ally ~

Catherine Pooler ~ Wintery Mix Release is Coming!

Exciting news from Catherine Pooler Designs this week!  Two new shimmery shades are joining the Metallic Ink family this week on November 1st along with our Wintery Mix Mini Collection! These fresh colors are perfect for holiday crafting and will bring even more versatility and sparkle to your projects. Be sure to check them out and add them to your collection!

The Metallic Pigment Inks are designed to work seamlessly with stamps and dies, allowing you to add shimmer without the extra steps of traditional embossing powders or foiling. Whether you're designing cards for special occasions or adding extra flair to your scrapbooks, these inks are a must-have for bringing a touch of luxury to your handmade projects.

I highly recommend that you purchase an ink refill when you purchase your metallic ink pads as these pads use a lot more ink and need re-inking more often then your average ink pad.

Check out all of our metallic ink pads  listed below!  We have 7 fabulous colors!

More sneak peeks to come!  PLUS StampNation members get early ordering TOMORROW at 12 noon!

See you tomorrow!

~ Ally ~

Catherine Pooler ~ Vintage Holiday Wishes

Happy Monday everyone!  We have a brand new Catherine Pooler Designs holiday collection coming to the shop!  This collection is called Holiday Magic and has two main bundles plus a whole lot more!

Today I'll be sharing projects featuring products from the "Greenery of the Season Bundle"... again!

We're going to start with the stunning "Greenery of the Season" stamp set.  I wanted to create a soft, rustic feel so I kept my coloring subtle and added some distressed touches.

I first chose my paper.  I found a creamy white cardstock with a natural fibre and speckle in it.  I also found a medium toned kraft cardstock too.

I started by die cutting the kraft cardstock with the "Scallops & Dots Dies" die.  Then I took some Versamark ink and stamped some inner orange slices stamp from the "Greenery of the Season" stamp set.  It's a subtle tone-on-tone effect of the orange slice detail.

Next I took a piece of water color paper and stamped all of my greenery.  I used some Icing on the Cake ink to stamp all of those out.  Next I used the following ink colors and water colored in each element: Seafoam, Eucalyptus, Rouge, Tiki Torch, Tiara, Buttercream and Samba.

I die cut out all of my greenery pieces using their coordinating dies, "Greenery of the Season Dies".

I die out an oval shape using the "Around the Loop Nested Dies" from the natural creamy cardstock, stamped on a greeting using Icing on the Cake ink and added a soft Sand Castle kiss of ink on the oval too.

I used a little dab of Icing on the Cake ink and some water and dyed my cheesecloth for a touch of texture to add.

I just adore this card!  I think it's my favorite of all my makes for this collection.

Mare sure you join Catherine and Erika for all the live action!

You can check out these lovely ladies over on the Catherine Pooler Designs Facebook page or on their YouTube channel.

In honor of the anniversary of September 11th, this collection will go sale on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10th instead of the normal Wednesday reveal.

If you are a member of StampNation, you will be able to purchase your Holiday Magic goodies EARLY.  Sign into the CP Shop using the same email you use for StampNation and the products will be in the shop at 12 noon EST TODAY.

You're going to love all this holiday goodness!  More card creations coming tomorrow!

Happy shopping!

~ Ally ~

Catherine Pooler Designs ~ Vintage Plaid Christmas

Happy Sunday everyone!  We have a brand new Catherine Pooler Designs holiday collection coming to the shop!  This collection is called Holiday Magic and has two main bundles plus a whole lot more!

Today and for the next week, I'll be sharing projects featuring products from the "Greenery of the Season Bundle".

Again today, I'm working with the stunning "Greenery of the Season Bundle".  I have to say the "Holiday Spice" 6x6 patterned paper pack is so beautiful but the this light green plaid is my favorite so I cut a piece for my card front!

Next I stamped out all of the greenery and other items from the "Greenery of the Season".  I stamped out all the outlines of everything using Icing The Cake ink.  I used the following inks for each item; Poinsettias and red berries, Rouge ink; boughs, Sage and Eucalyptus; leaves, Wintergreen and Sage, pine cone & cinnamon sticks, Sand Castle; and finally for the orange slice, Tiki Torch and Tiara.  

I also used some Copic Markers to add further detail - like for instance, I used some red on the Poinsettia, browns on the pine cone, soft yellows for flower centres, and orange for the orange slices.

I cut out all of the greenery and pieces using their coordinating dies.

I cut a white panel from cardstock using the "Dots & Scallops Dies".  I also used the "Circles Dies" to cut a hole in the top of it.

I used some Icing on the Cake ink to stamp my greeting from the "Greenery of the Season" stamp set.

Make sure you join Catherine and Erika for all the live action this coming week!

You can check out these lovely ladies over on the Catherine Pooler Designs Facebook page or on their YouTube channel.

In honor of the anniversary of September 11th, this collection will go sale on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10th instead of the normal Wednesday reveal.

If you are a member of StampNation, you will be able to purchase your Holiday Magic goodies EARLY.  Sign into the CP Shop using the same email you use for StampNation and the products will be in the shop at 12 noon EST on Monday.

You're going to love all this holiday goodness!  More card creations coming tomorrow!

Happy shopping!

~ Ally ~

StampNation ~ The Great Outdoors

Happy Friday!  Today's card is for the newest StampNation Weekend Challenge and features a few Catherine Pooler Designs products. 

This weekend's challenge is all about the GREAT OUTDOORS!

I began by die cutting a panel of CP cardstock using the largest die from the "Dots and Scallops Dies".

I stamped and masked off the lowest wave line.  Then I stamped the little otter above the lower wave and the wooden post above the higher wave line.  I also stamped the little gull on the top of the pillar.

I began by coloring in the sky and then all the waves.  I fished off the colored panel by coloring in the otter and sea gull.

Next I cut a tag from the "Hearts-n-Tags Dies" from the Something Borrowed patterned paper pack along with a white cardstock tag.  I also die cut a circle die and stamped the greeting in Rockin' Red ink.  I adhered the tags and circle greeting to each other.

To finish off the card, I adhered the whole panel and tags to a piece of red and white striped paper from the "Fleur De" patterned paper pack.

Come check out StampNation for all the fun!  As a StampNation member, you get a few perks!  We have a free quarterly event and we have early ordering perks for Catherine Pooler Designs releases too!

Come join us!  Have a great weekend!

~ Ally ~

Catherine Pooler ~ Christmas in July

Over at StampNation every two weeks we provide a challenge for our members. This week's challenge is to create a card or project for Christmas in July

Today's card features a few Catherine Pooler Designs products. 

I began by stamping a variety of pieces from the "Winter Vibes" stamp set.  I used Oh Boy, Melon Ice, Pucker Up and Party Dress inks. I cut each piece out with it's corresponding die.

Next I stamped a whole bunch of the 3 sizes of snowflakes all over a a piece of white cardstock using the exact 4 same ink colors.

I die cut this panel with the largest die from the "Dots & Scallops Dies".

Then I cut a circle towards the top left hand corner of the panel.  I used the whole to position a greeting on my card base.  I stamped the sentiment from the "Seasonal Mix Sentiments" stamp set in Party Dress ink and popped the panel onto the card front using 3D foam.

And voila... a Christmas card to add to my stash!

Check out all the fun StampNation has to offer!

~ Ally ~