A Sweet Treat with Peppermint Gingies! 🍬❤️

Hello, crafty friends!

Today I'm sharing a super sweet Christmas card featuring two of the adorable "Peppermint Gingies" digital images from Sweet November Stamps! Aren't these two just the cutest little gingerbread friends?!

For this card, I decided to keep things clean and simple and let these sweet characters do all the talking! I stacked the two digital images together to create this playful little gingerbread tower. I just love how the top Gingie is perched on her friend's head, showing off her colourful peppermint treat!

I coloured everything using my trusty Copic Markers, adding lots of warm, golden-brown tones to the gingerbread and some fun, bright colours to their festive outfits and peppermint candies. I love how all those cheerful colours pop against the crisp white background!

To finish off my card, I stamped the perfect little sentiment, "A sweet treat for a sweet you," from another Sweet November Stamps clear stamp set. It couldn't be more fitting for these sugary little cuties!

And guess what?! There are three different sets of Gingies available in the Sweet November Stamps shop! You can choose from the Merry Gingies, Cookie Gingies and Peppermint Gingies. There's even an adorable cocoa-soaking Gingie available too! Seriously, how cute is that?!

Be sure to pop over to the Sweet November Stamps shop and check out all these deliciously adorable digital images!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Wishing you a little extra sweetness in your day!

Happy colouring! ❤️🍪

~ Ally ~ 

Lighting Up Winter on Main! | Catherine Pooler Designs & Pear Blossom Press Instagram Hop

Hello crafty friends!

Today I'm so excited to be joining in on a super fun Instagram Hop featuring Catherine Pooler Designs and Pear Blossom Press! We're lighting things up with some fabulous products from both companies, and I couldn't resist creating a sweet little winter scene that actually GLOWS! ✨

For today's card, I pulled out the adorable "Winter on Main" stamp and die set from Catherine Pooler Designs. I just love these charming little buildings! They remind me of a cozy small town all dressed up for the holidays, complete with a bakery, bookstore and a beautiful clock tower.

I stamped and colored my little winter village using my Copic Markers and then die cut all of the images. To create my background, I used the fabulous "Notecard Postage Die" to frame my scene. I love the fun postage stamp edges! The black background really makes all those snowy details and colorful buildings POP!

But here's where the REAL magic happens! 💡

 

I added a Pear Blossom Press "EZ Light" behind my scene to bring those adorable little buildings to life! The EZ Light features three tiny lights on one easy-to-use circuit, making it super simple to add some beautiful illumination to your handmade cards. I positioned the lights behind the windows and streetlamp to give my little village a warm, welcoming glow.

Just press the card and watch the magic happen! Isn't that SO FUN?!

I absolutely LOVE how the warm yellow lights shine against that dark, snowy sky. It really brings this charming little winter street to life!

Let's Hop & Win! 🎉

Now for even MORE fun!

Catherine Pooler Designs and Pear Blossom Press have teamed up for an amazing Instagram Hop! You'll see some incredibly creative light-up cards along the way, and there's even a chance to WIN!

🎁 Each company is giving away a $25 prize!

Be sure to head over to Instagram and join the hop, starting with @pearblossompress. Visit all the talented creators along the way for tons of inspiration and all the giveaway details!

You definitely don't want to miss seeing all these amazing light-up creations!

Shop the Products

✨ Catherine Pooler Designs: Shop Here

💡 Pear Blossom Press: Shop Here

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope my glowing little winter village inspires you to add some LIGHT to your next crafty creation!

Happy crafting! 💕

~ Ally ~ 

Jingle All the Way with Frosty Friends! ❄️⛄

There's just something about an adorable little snowman that makes a holiday card extra special! Today I'm sharing another festive creation featuring some of the fabulous goodies from the "Frosty & Festive" release from Catherine Pooler Designs! This sweet little snowman from the "Frosty Friends" Stamp and Die Set is all bundled up and ready to spread some holiday cheer!

I started my card by creating a fun and festive background. Using Cotton Candy ink, I stamped the scripty pattern from the "Holiday Textures" stamp set onto white cardstock. I just love the soft pink holiday writing! To add a little wintery magic, I stamped some sweet snowflakes from the "Jolly Jingle" stamp set using Cummerbund ink. The combination of the soft pink and bright blue is such a fun twist on traditional Christmas colors!

Next, I added a piece of colorful plaid patterned paper from the "Jolly & Bright" 6x6 Paper Pack, trimming it diagonally to create a playful split background. Those festive stripes of pink, green, red and blue bring so much personality to this card! I love how the diagonal design lets both patterns shine without competing with one another.

For my focal point, I die cut a white arch using the "Nested Arch Dies". This created the perfect little home for my sweet snowman! I stamped the "Jingle All the Way" greeting in Martini ink, which coordinates beautifully with the green in the plaid paper.

Finally, I added my adorable little snowman from the "Frosty Friends" Stamp and Die Set. With his cozy striped hat, matching mittens and festive green sweater, he's definitely ready for some winter fun! I just love how his sweet little face brings this whole card together.

I absolutely adore how this card turned out! The mix of playful plaid, soft stamped textures, bright snowflakes and that darling snowman makes for such a cheerful holiday greeting.

The "Frosty & Festive" collection is packed with so many wonderful products for creating handmade Christmas cards. From sweet winter characters to fabulous backgrounds and dies, there's plenty to inspire your holiday crafting!

You can shop the collection at Catherine Pooler Designs.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this little snowman inspires you to get creative with your holiday cardmaking.

Happy crafting and jingle all the way! ❄️💕⛄

~ Ally ~ 

Frosty & Festive Frilly Frames

Hello crafty friends!

I’m back today with another festive card featuring goodies from the Catherine Pooler Designs Frosty & Festive Collection, and I have to say—I am completely smitten with the new Frilly Frame Dies!

This die set includes four different frame shapes—a circle, square, rectangle and oval—and I love how easy they make it to create a fun collage-style card like this one. Each frame has that sweet little pierced, scalloped edge that adds just the right amount of detail.

For my card, I die cut the frames from some of my favorite Catherine Pooler colored cardstocks: Blue Raspberry, Rockin’ Red, Cotton Candy and Martini. I love how bright and cheerful these colors look together!

To fill each frame, I reached for the Jolly & Bright 6x6 Patterned Paper collection. Mixing the different patterns behind each colorful frame created such a playful holiday look without making the card feel too busy.

Then came the cutest part—the Frosty Friends! I added several of the adorable snowmen along with some of the smaller festive images and sentiments to decorate each little framed area. These snowmen are seriously so sweet, and I love that each one has its own personality. The little bundled-up snowman with the glasses might be one of my favorites!

This card was so much fun to build because every frame became its own tiny holiday scene. The combination of colorful cardstock, cheerful patterned papers and those darling Frosty Friends makes the whole card feel bright, happy and festive.

And those Frilly Frame Dies? I can already tell I’m going to be reaching for them again and again. They’re perfect for creating little scenes, highlighting sentiments, making patterned paper focal points and so much more. Definitely a must-have from the Frosty & Festive Collection!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope this card inspires you to mix your favorite CP cardstock colors and patterned papers and create your own collection of festive little frames!

Happy crafting! 🎄☃️❤️

~ Ally ~ 

Stay Cozy with Frosty & Festive

Hello crafty friends!

There’s something about a sweet little snowman that makes a winter card feel instantly cheerful, and today’s card features one of the adorable new snowmen from the Frosty & Festive Collection from Catherine Pooler Designs!

This new release is packed with so many fun winter crafting possibilities. You’ll find everything from snowmen and birds to fabulous sentiments, beautiful forest-inspired fronds, and some really fantastic new cover plate dies. There are lots of pieces that can be mixed and matched for Christmas cards, winter cards, and those cozy projects that can carry you well beyond the holiday season.

For today’s card, I reached for the new Frosty Friends Stamp Set and coordinating dies. This set includes four sweet little snowmen, snowy accent images, and four adorable greetings. I couldn’t resist this little guy all tangled up in his colorful Christmas lights! I stamped him, colored him with my Copic Markers, and die cut him before adding him to the front of my card.

I wanted the background to stay soft and frosty, so I created a simple snowy landscape using Cotton Candy Ink. I gradually built up the color with three layers of ink, making each layer a little heavier and deeper than the one before it. I love how the different intensities of pink create the look of rolling snowy hills while still keeping the whole card light and whimsical.

To carry the wintery feel up through the rest of the panel, I stamped several of the snowflakes from the Jolly Jingle Stamp Set using Cotton Candy Ink. The tone-on-tone pink snowflakes are subtle, but they add just enough detail to make the background feel wonderfully snowy without taking attention away from my little Frosty Friend.

For one final touch of sparkle, I splattered the entire panel with the new Sparkle Gold Shimmer. Those tiny flecks of gold add such a pretty bit of shine when the light catches them and look especially lovely against the soft pink and white background.

I finished the card with the sweet “stay cozy” sentiment, keeping everything clean and simple so that adorable snowman could remain the star of the show.

The entire Frosty & Festive Collection is available now in the Catherine Pooler shop. If you love cute winter characters, versatile sentiments, snowy elements, and beautiful dies, there are so many fun goodies in this release to play with!

You can shop the new release here:
https://shop.catherinepooler.com?aff=49

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope this little pink snowy scene inspires you to pull out your favorite winter stamps, add a little sparkle, and create something cozy! ❄️💕✨

~ 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 ~ 

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 ~ 

Sweet November Stamps ~ Snow Days Are the Best!

For my December Sweet November Stamps PenPal card, I knew I wanted something playful, cheerful, and full of cozy winter fun—and the “Snow Days” clear stamp set was the perfect choice!

This set is absolutely packed with personality, and I challenged myself to use every single image from the set to create a fun, story-filled scene. From building a snowman to snowball fights and playful pups, this card just makes me smile every time I open it.

A Rainbow of Winter Fun 🌈

One of my favorite parts of this project was coloring a rainbow of winter clothing. Bright scarves, colorful coats, striped hats—it was such a joy mixing and matching colors while still keeping everything cohesive. Winter doesn’t have to be all neutrals, and this set really shines when you let the colors play!

All of the images were colored with Copic Markers, keeping the shading soft and playful to match the whimsical style of the illustrations.

 

A Fun Fold for Extra Storytelling

I also chose a fun fold design, which gave me extra real estate to spread the snowy scenes across multiple panels. It almost feels like flipping through a tiny winter storybook—each panel reveals a new snowy moment, and using all the images really brings the set to life.

The simple sentiment, “Snow days are the best days,” felt like the perfect finishing touch and ties everything together beautifully.

This card was such a joy to create, and I hope it brought a big smile to my PenPal’s face this December. ❄️💙
If you love coloring sweet characters, building scenes, and adding lots of personality to your cards, the Snow Days stamp set is an absolute must-have!

Thanks so much for stopping by today—I hope this inspires you to embrace color and have a little extra fun with your winter cards!

Happy crafting,

~ Ally ~ 

 

Sweet November Stamps ~ The Joy of Christmas

Today I’m sharing a sweet and cozy holiday card featuring the Sweet November Stamps "Joy" clear stamp set. This image just melts my heart every time — she’s full of warmth, cheer, and that magical holiday excitement that only Christmas morning can bring.

For this card, I colored Joy with Copic Markers, giving her soft, warm skin tones and rosy cheeks. One of my favorite parts of working with Sweet November images is how easy they are to customize. I changed up her pajamas to a fun pink heart pattern and added extra detail to the present she’s holding to make it feel more personal and festive. Those little touches really help bring the character to life and make each card feel one-of-a-kind.

To frame her up, I reached for some elegant Spellbinders ornate dies. The delicate details add just the right amount of sophistication while still keeping the overall design soft and whimsical. I layered the die cuts over a clean white card base to let Joy remain the star of the show.

I finished the card with the simple but perfect sentiment “Merry Wishes”, keeping the focus on the image and allowing the coloring and details to shine.

This card would be perfect for Christmas, winter birthdays, or anyone who loves a sweet, cozy holiday vibe. Thank you so much for stopping by today — I hope this card brings a little extra joy to your day! 🎄✨

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2026 to all!

~ Ally ~ 

Sweet November Stamps ~ Postage Perfect Winter Cuties

Today I’m sharing a bright and happy winter card featuring the adorable “Postage Pals: Snowmen” clear stamp set from Sweet November Stamps! This set is designed perfectly for postage-style die cuts—like the fun postage panel die from Waffle Flower that I used here—making it incredibly easy to create sweet little mini scenes in each window.

I had such a blast coloring these charming snow friends with my Copic Markers. Each little vignette gets its own personality—bundled-up scarves, cozy hats, and even a tiny squirrel friend peeking in. To tie everything together, I ink-blended soft snowy skies in each panel and added falling snow for that magical wintery feel.

To finish the card, I paired everything with a cheerful rainbow border and added the sentiment “You’re snow cute” right in the center window. Honestly… could these snowmen be any sweeter?

If you’re looking for a stamp set that works beautifully with postage dies, encourages scene-building, and delivers maximum cuteness, Postage Pals: Snowmen is an absolute must-have in your collection!

Thanks for stopping by today—stay cozy and keep crafting! ⛄💙

~ Ally ~