Tag: paper crafting

Winding Down

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

January and 2026 is now here! Where did 2025 go? I feel like it went by so fast… even with all the heaviness that came with this past year and a bit. But through all that heaviness, I gained some clarity. Even before all of this, I was starting to notice that my creativity was wanting to go in new and different directions. And so I had started thinking about my Stampin’ Up! business and whether or not to keep going or to start winding down.

While nothing has changed with my love of stamping and papercrafting, I really want to simplify things and be more present in my life… for myself as well as for my family. Add this to my new found love of watercolour painting and I decided to be more of a hobby demonstrator instead of a business demonstrator.

So what does this mean for you all?

It means I won’t be adding new content here, or on my YouTube channel. But the content isn’t going anywhere, so you can continue to check out what I’ve posted here over the past few years. If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you should have received my last newsletter before the winter holidays.

With that said, I don’t plan on not being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator any time soon. So I’m still here to answer any questions, etc. that you might have. And if you need any stamping or scrapbooking supplies, I’m still happy to hook you up. You can find all the info to contact me here.

For updates on what’s happening with Stampin’ Up! (e.g. promotions, etc.) and what I’m working on, make sure to follow me on social if you don’t already. While I won’t be posting as frequently as I have in the past, I’ll still keep these pages going. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram.

So while I am winding down my Stampin’ Up! business, I’m not going far. It’s just going to look a little different.

Winding Down

3 Ways to Emboss

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

There are a lot of different ways to level up your crafting projects! Add some patterned paper or ribbon. Use a punch or some dies. But one of my favourite techniques is embossing. Did you know that there are 3 ways to emboss? They are… heat embossing, dry embossing and embossing paste.

Heat embossing is the first technique I learned. And it’s still one of my favourites! To do it all you really need is a heat tool, VersaMark ink and embossing powder. The VersaMark ink is nice and sticky so the powder will stick to the cardstock or vellum. Then the heat tool will set the powder. You’ll know it’s done when the powder raises up and turns shiny. Make sure not to overheat the powder though. If heat embossing is something you want to keep doing, I’d also suggest getting a pair of tweezers to protect your fingers and an Embossing Buddy (to keep the powder where you want it). In the light, the white embossing powder of the snowflake actually shines a bit.

3 Ways to Emboss

Dry embossing is using embossing folders with cardstock or patterned paper. What dry embossing does is raise the cardstock or patterned paper with a specific design. There are a ton of different folders to choose from! Florals, woodgrain, swirls and so so much more. Sometimes it’s fun to add ink to the embossing folder so that ink ends up on certain parts of the cardstock.

3 Ways to Embossing

And last, but definitely not least, is embossing paste. To use embossing paste you’ll need a palette knife and some stencils. Just like with embossing folders, there are a lot of different stencils out there. Once you’ve picked a stencil, you’ll place it on top of the cardstock. To hold the stencil in place you can use the magnets from the Stamparatus or some washi tape. Next use the palette knife to spread a good layer of embossing paste over the stencil. Then slowly peel off the stencil and give the paste time to dry. I used a stencil and embossing paste to add snow to this tree.

3 Ways to Emboss

Embossing powder is a great way to level up your crafting! And these 3 ways to emboss give you lots of options!

Check out my online shop for just about everything you need to emboss your projects! And contact me if you have any questions.

How to Use Patterned Paper

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

We all love how pretty patterned paper is! Which makes it hard sometime to cut it up and use it on our projects. Am I right?! This was me for the longest time. I’ve been working at getting better at using my patterned paper for a little while now. So I thought I’d share about how to use patterned paper for your projects.

My first tip to help you use your patterned paper is to have it somewhere where you’re going to see it. It’s happened to all of us that we forget what we have in our craft stash because we don’t see it… myself included. Now that you’ve got your patterned paper at your finger tips it’ll be easier to match it up with your cardstock!

Next up some design ideas to help you use your patterned paper…

Once of the easiest designs is to use your patterned paper as a background. Then all you have to do is add it to a card base, add a sentiment and en embellishment or two. With this design you want to keep things simple. You’ll also want to keep things simple if you have a busier piece of patterned paper. Like this…

how to use patterned paper

Another way is to use a smaller piece as an accent on your card. A little strip off to one side or on the bottom of your cardstock. Here’s an example I made using the Country Woods Designer Series Paper pack.

how to use patterned paper

And don’t forget, you can always add a small strip on the inside of your card. Or even on the envelope you put the card in. Goodness knows we all have enough little strips lying around!

Or you can do something totally different like I did here using the Celebratory Sips Designer Series Paper pack.

And if you’re looking for some pretty paper for your next project, check out my online shop!

Watercolouring with Christmas Greenery

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

Over the summer I took a break from my watercolour painting class. While I did miss the classes, I did paint a couple of pieces. I’ve also been looking for more ways to use watercolour painting with my cards. So when I was getting ready for Kathryn’s Krop 4 a Kure a few weeks ago, I thought it’d be fun to do some watercolouring with Christmas Greenery for my Make & Take.

When I first saw the Christmas Greenery stamp set in the September-December mini catalogue, I knew it’d be perfect for watercolouring! I tend to like the look of stamps with thin lines for this kind of project.

So to start I stamped the large floral image using Gray Granite ink on Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper, stamping off first onto a scrap piece of paper. Most of the time people use Tuxedo Black Memento ink. But I’ve found that as long as you give the ink enough time to dry, you can use almost any ink. I like the Gray Granite ink colour because it’s more subtle and there’s a bit of a brown/green tint to it… my painter husband would be so proud to hear me say that, lol!!

As for other ink colours, I used a few. For the leaves and ribbon I used Lost Lagoon. Then for the wheat I used Crumb Cake. And for the flowers I used Real Red and Crushed Curry. Once it all dried, I added another layer of colour to the flowers and leaves. I used the same idea as when I colour with Stampin’ Blends… adding more ink where I thought there would be shadow or wanted a bit more depth of colour.

Behind the bouquet there’s a piece of Country Woods Designer Series Paper, a Lost Lagoon card mat and Crumb Cake card base. And around the piece of watercolour paper is a piece of Linen Thread.

Watercolouring with Christmas Greenery

So pretty right?!

I can’t wait to do more watercolouring with Christmas Greenery. And maybe even some colouring with my Stampin’ Blends.

Check out another card I did using watercolouring here.

And you can find everything you need to do your own watercolouring with Christmas Greenery in my online shop.

Team Apple Cider

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

Fall is here! So the big question is are you team Apple Cider or team Pumpkin Spice?

I’ve been having a lot of fun crafting lately with the More than Autumn stamps and dies which totally lives up to it’s name. It’s a very versatile set! Which totally earns bonus points with me. And it makes it so you don’t have to choose. This week’s card pairs these awesome stamps and dies with the Country Woods Designer Series Paper pack. Another favourite of mine!

The card base is Cherry Cobbler with an Early Espresso design for the card front. On top of that are 4 Very Vanilla squares framed with more Cherry Cobbler cardstock. Each square has a different image stamped on the cup sleeve. There are so many cute images to choose from! And I think I used all of them on this card. I used Early Espresso ink that I stamped off on a scrap piece of paper first. In the centre of the four squares is another cup that I coloured using the Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blends. The cinnamon stick was coloured using Pecan Pie. And all of these are popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Underneath the squares I die cut part of the sentiment with one of the dies and some Cherry Cobbler cardstock. (I used the Fine Tip Glue Pen to stick it to the patterned paper. But you could also use adhesive sheets.) Then I stamped “apple cider” on a small piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I stamped off the Early Espresso for the sentiment and then popped it up too.

Team Apple Cider

Check out another project I made using the More than Autumn stamps and dies here. And you can find them in my online shop. Sadly the dies have been moved to the Last Chance section, so they’ll only be available for a little while longer.

As for me, I’m team Apple Cider. How about you?

Apple Season

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

Fall officially kicks off on Monday! And while I enjoy summer, I just love the colours of Fall! Plus that means we’re in apple season which means apple picking and warm apple cider. I think that’s even been showing up in my craft room. The past little bit I’ve been having fun colouring with the More than Autumn stamps and dies. It’s such a fun combo to craft with!

This week’s card is leaning hard into my love of fall and apple season. I started by pulling out the retired Harvest Hello stamp set and punch and then added in a few pieces from the More than Autumn stamps and dies. The card base is Crumb Cake with a Cherry Cobbler card mat. I also used these colours for my inks; ink pads and Stampin’ Blends. With a little splash of Shaded Spruce.

To colour the apples I started with the Light Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blend. Then I added a little bit of the Dark Cherry Cobbler for some depth and shadow. To help with the blending process I then went over the dark edges with the light one more time. For the Crumb Cake and Shaded Spruce I just used one of the Stampin’ Blends. There isn’t a whole lot of space for blending on those parts.

Then I used the punch and die to cut out my apples. Behind the apples I have a piece of the Country Woods Designer Series Paper. The wood grains are great for fall themed projects! I also used the Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Blend to colour a piece of retired black & white gingham ribbon which I then wrapped around the patterned paper. The apples and part of the sentiment is popped up with Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals. And then I die cut the words “apple season” out of Cherry Cobbler cardstock to layer on top.

Apple Season

Check out another card I made using the More than Autumn stamp set and dies here.

And stay tuned for some more projects with this awesome set. I don’t think I’m quite ready to put this away just yet.

In the meantime you can head over to my online shop to find the stamps, dies and whatever else you need to make your own version. And when you’re done make sure to post it here. I’d love to see it!

Sweeter with You

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

One of the reasons we love summer in our house is that it’s strawberry season! So when I saw that the July Paper Pumpkin kit, Sweeter with You, was strawberry themed I was excited! I always make at least one of each of the original Stampin’ Up! designs. But I have so much more fun making alternative projects. And you don’t need to add much either. You can make fun alternatives using just pieces from the kit itself. Or by simply adding a little bit more cardstock or other bits and pieces you can make some great alternatives AND get even more cards out of your kit.

With the Sweeter with You kit, I made four different alternative cards. I shared the first two on social and here are the other two cards. Both use a combination of elements from the kit and the catalogue.

This first one uses two of the card bases from the kit. One as an actual card base. And the other to create a bag using the Notes & Totes dies. I added some Basic Beige for the straps of the bag and used Pool Party as my ink colour.

Sweeter with You

And for the other card, I used some Crumb Cake cardstock for the card base and Pool Party cardstock for the card mat. I stamped a bunch of little flowers using Pool Party ink around the edge of the Pool Party card mat. Then I layered on a few pieces from the kit. I stamped the sentiment using Crumb Cake ink. And I dry embossed the basket using the retired Cane Weave 3D embossing folder.

Sweeter with You

Even after making all these alternative projects, I still have a bunch of die cuts left over. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with those yet. Until then though I’m on to this month’s Paper Pumpkin kit, Farmhouse Floral.

In the meantime, you can check out a post I wrote about a previous Paper Pumpkin kit here.

And if you’re intrigued and want to make some Fall themed cards, then you’ll want to sign up for next month’s kit, Fall for Toile. You can do that here up until September 10th.

Watercolour Butterflies

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

I’m looking for more and more ways to incorporate watercolour painting into my card making. At some point I want to get into more scenes, etc. that I paint, but for know I’m keeping it simple. Like with this week’s card. I’m using a watercolour wash background and I crafted a few watercolour butterflies.

The way I created these watercolour butterflies was by making a watercolour wash on a piece of Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper. I started with Blackberry Bliss. Then I splattered some Lost Lagoon on top while the paper was still wet. This way the two colours will blend together a little bit. Once the paper dried I die cut the watercolour paper with the small butterfly dies from the Beautiful Butterflies dies.

Behind my butterflies I have another piece of Fluid 100 Watercolour paper. I started with a Lost Lagoon watercolour wash. Then I added Blackberry Bliss in the lighter areas. Once this dried I stamped a sentiment from the Notes & Totes stamp set using Blackberry Bliss ink. Then I stamped a few speckle clusters, from the same stamp set, using Lost Lagoon ink. I popped up all the butterflies with some Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then to finish it off I added a Rhinestone Basic Jewel to each of them.

Watercolour Butterflies

This is such a simple way to create some pretty watercolour butterflies!

Check out another card I made using a watercolour wash background here.

And check out my online shop to grab whatever you need to make your own watercolour butterflies.

Simple Watercolour Background

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

I’m still playing around with how to use more watercolour painting with my cards. It’s so much fun! And you can use a lot of the same stamping techniques. This week I’m keeping it simple though, with a simple watercolour background. I’ve always said that beautiful cards don’t have to be fancy and have a lot of layers. And this is a great way to do just that!

The card base is just a piece of Basic White cardstock. But on top of that is a piece of Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper that I used for my background. I started with a simple watercolour wash using Coastal Cabana and a Water Painter. Then I used my Water Painter to splatter some Berry Burst ink onto the watercolour paper. To keep it as flat as possible I put something relatively heavy on top of the watercolour paper while it dried.

On top of my simple watercolour background I created a Coastal Cabana frame using 2 of the square Stylish Shapes dies. The sentiment comes from the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set and is stamped in Berry Burst ink. This piece was also die cut using the Stylish Shapes dies. I just love how versatile this set of dies are! Then on top of that are some pieces from the Extraordinary Flora Washi tape. To make is easier to put on this project the washi tape was put onto vellum first and then die cut using the Extraordinary Flora die.

Simple Watercolour Background

I debated about adding some Rhinestone Basic Jewels or Iridescent Foil Gems. But decided against it to help this simple watercolour background really be the star of the project.

If you like this card, then check out another similar card I crafted here.

And you can find just about everything you need in my online shop to try and recreate this card for yourself.

Mini Pocket Folder

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

Earlier this week while I was scrolling social media, I came across this fun project from Stampin’ Up!. And when I saw it, I got excited to try and make one for myself. Making this Mini Pocket Folder was super easy! No fancy folding needed or all kinds of different pieces to be assembled either. Just 4 pieces of patterned paper and my decorations.

I’m using one of the floral designs from the Cheers & Sips Designer Series Paper pack. The one Stampin’ Up! shared also used this same patterned paper pack, but used one of the designs with all the little cocktails on it… they used it as a cocktail recipe holder. No matter what patterned paper you pick, you definitely want to make sure you choose a design where you like both sides. Otherwise it’ll end be a lot thicker than you want it to be.

So for the folder itself, all you need to do is cut a 12″ x 12″ piece of patterned paper in half. And double check the direction of the design before you cut! Then you’ll score both pieces at 4″ and 8″ on the short side of your patterned paper. Next you’ll use Tear & Tape Adhesive along the outer edges of the end panel of one piece to stick to the first panel of the other piece and create a pocket. And make sure the designs that go inside the pocket match. I used a small 1/2″ Circle Punch to create a little notch so that it’s easier to pull out whatever I end up putting in there. You can probably go up to about 1″ or 1 1/2″ for your notch.

Then you’ll fold all the panels in towards the centre. And to create another pocket at the front of the Mini Pocket Folder, you’ll want to cut off a triangle from that very first panel. Then you’ll add some more Tear & Tape Adhesive along the bottom and smallest edge to create the pocket.

Mini Pocket Folder

And for the last and smallest pocket, I used a completely different design from the same pack of patterned paper. The pocket is about 2 3/4″ x 3 7/8″ with an extra 1/4″ on three sides which I scored to fold in so that the pocket pops up a little bit. Of course I added more Tear & Tape along those tabs. I also used my 1/2″ Circle Punch again to create another notch.

Mini Pocket Folder

To finish it off I added another piece of patterned paper, 2 2/8″ x 6″ scored in the middle. This created a nice edge and covered up the folds from the 2 large pieces of patterned paper. Then I added a few die cut butterflies in Bubble Bath and Blackberry Bliss using the Beautiful Butterflies Hybrid Embossing Folder.

I love simple projects like this Mini Pocket Folder! Now to figure out what I’m going to put in it! Any suggestions?

In the meantime, check out another card I made using some of the products from the Cheers & Sips suite here.

And head to my online store to grab anything you need to make your own Mini Pocket Folder.

Most Popular Stamping Supplies of 2025

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With so many different rubber stamping supplies to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start! Of course you always want to start with supplies you know you’ll use. But if you still need a little help, here are some of the most popular stamping supplies of 2025.

First up are stamp sets. The two most popular stamp sets so far are Beautiful Butterflies and Storybook Friends. I’ve been having a lot of fun with the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set! The fonts and sentiments are great and who doesn’t love butterflies?! (Check out one of the cards I made using it here) And those critters are just too cute! This is one stamp set that’s near the top of my wishlist.

Up next… inks. It’s hard to stamp without ink! And this year the top 3 colours are all new In Colours… Secret Sea, Strawberry Slush and Timid Tiger. Since Strawberry Slush is a returning colour, I’m not surprised by this at all. And Timid Tiger is such a nice shade of orange!

So I’ve covered stamps and ink… next up is paper. The most popular pack of Designer Series Paper is the Timeless Plaid DSP. Now I’m not big into plaid myself, but it is great for masculine themed cards so I totally get it.

And you know me, I love to add a little bling to just about all of my cards. The most popular embellishments are the new In Colour Flat Pearls. With three of these colours being the most popular are we really surprised with this one?

Then, last but not least, the most popular kit is the Heirloom Arrangements kit. I love all the layers in this kit! And of course you know I love butterflies. If I had an infinite crafting budge I would definitely grab this kit. It’s nice to be able to just follow instructions every once in a while instead of designing the whole card.

Are any of these most popular stamping supplies of 2025 on your wishlist or even in your craft stash?

Find them all in my online shop!

Most Popular Stamping Supplies of 2025

Create a Sunset with Blending Brushes

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

I had a few people over last weekend for an all occasions card class featuring the Notes and Totes bundle. There were a couple of simpler cards. But I also thought it’s be fun to CASE a card from Stampin’ Up!. (Not sure what CASE means? Check out this post) Especially since we got to create a sunset with Blending Brushes.

There’s a lot of colour on this card. So I went with a simple Basic White cards base. To create the sunset I used 4 colours. I started with Garden Green just below the half way point on the card base. Then I added a little bit of Calypso Coral. Next is Fresh Freesia. And to finish it off at the top, Balmy Blue.

In front of this, I added a Basic White fence. And we crumpled some Crumb Cake cardstock for the beach. Then on top of that I layered a Very Vanilla and Pecan Pie tote with a Fresh Freesia scarf. And no day at the beach is complete without a few other things. So I used some Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper to create the water bottle and sunscreen… Balmy Blue for the water bottle of course… and Calypso Coral for the sunscreen. I made sure the sunglasses matched the scarf. And then I finished it off with a Basic Beige sea star.

I heat embossed the sentiment at the top in white. But during the class we switched it to silver. I think the white would stand out more if I’d added a little more Balmy Blue.

Either way I think we had fun! It’s a lot easier to create a sunset with Blending Brushes than you might think.

Create a Sunset with Blending Brushes

Check out another card I made using the Notes and Totes bundle here.

And if you want to give this a try for yourself, you can find the bundle in my online shop.

Summer Themed Handmade Card

Posted on by inkspirationwithteresa

So last weekend I got to spend the day crafting with a few people from my larger team. Its a great chance for uninterrupted crafting! I usually bring a few different thing cause I’m not always sure what I want to work on. This time I prepped everything for this weekend’s all occasion card class. And with the creative energy I had left I crafted a summer themed handmade card… or two.

I’m having fun crafting with the Notes and Totes bundle. And it’s a perfect set for summer! Because its a summer themed card I wanted it to be nice and bright. I started with one of the designs from the Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper pack that I haven’t used yet. So to go with it I used Daffodil Delight and Balmy Blue as my two main colours.

I framed the piece of DSP with some Balmy Blue cardstock. Then on the other side I stamped two of the smaller images. The sun with Daffodil Delight (of course) and the flower in Balmy Blue. I also “sprinkled” in some grains of sand using Crumb Cake ink.

For the sentiment, I split it up, so to speak, and then die cut it with one of the Stylish Shapes dies. I LOVE these dies! I popped up the sentiment with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. Then to finish it off I die cut a pair of Balmy Blue sunglasses and added a few Iridescent Foil Gems.

Summer Themed Handmade Card

I’m looking forward to making another summer themed handmade card using the Notes and Totes bundle!

Check out the card I made for last weekend’s Shoebox Swap here. And check out the bundle in my online store.

Notes & Totes

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So tomorrow I get to spend the day crafting away with a bunch of my larger team! Every few months we have an in-person “playdate”. We rent a big meeting room in a hotel in Burlington and spend the day working on whatever we want. Plus there’s great food and the company is hard to beat! As an extra bonus we can choose to sign up for a shoebox swap if we want. This is basically where you bring all the supplies needed to make a card you design in a “shoebox” for others to make. I’m using the Notes & Totes bundle from the new Annual Catalogue for mine.

I’m using some of the Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper to create cute tote bags to go on my card fronts. I didn’t have enough of one colour/design… I needed to make 18… so I used a Calypso Coral design and a Fresh Freesia design. The card mats coordinate with the patterned paper, of course. And for the card bases I’m using Basic Beige. The bits and pieces that make up the tote are also Basic Beige. And I used Basic Black and Calypso Coral/Fresh Freesia for the sunglasses. And I popped all that up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Behind the bag I stamped the small floral design in Basic Beige. And underneath the tote is a sentiment from the Notes & Totes stamp set in the coordinating colour.

Notes & Totes

I’m curious to see what I’ll get to make in tomorrow’s showbox swap!

I’ll share pics on social, so make sure to check those out. Here’s the link to my Facebook page and Instagram.

In the meantime, check out a post about the playdate we had to celebrate Stampin’ Up!s 35th birthday here. Cori from head office actually came to hang out with us!

Slimline Watercolour

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My creative juices were a little slow with helping my figure out what I wanted to create this week. Eventually the idea of using the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set to create a slimline watercolour cards of sorts popped into my head. Some of my inkspiration also came from it being Pride month. And I thought a rainbow of butterflies would be fun. It ended up turning into a watercolour background with butterflies I coloured using Stampin Blends.

The card base is Basic Black. Then I used Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia and Pool Party ink and a Water Painter to create a watercolour background. Once it dried, I added some speckles from the same stamp set using the same ink colours to do a sort of tone on tone stamping. I also added a sentiment from the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set using Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

For the butterflies, I stamped them all with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. Then I coloured them different colours to create a rainbow. I used Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Shaded Spruce, Pool Party and Highland Heather. Next I die cut them with the coordinating die and popped them up with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Slimline Watercolour

This card was fun to make and definitely fit my need to do some colouring this week! I hope you like the variation of a slimline watercolour card.

Check out another card I made using the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set here.

And don’t forget to head to my online shop for anything you need to make your own version! Be sure to post your card in the comments. I’d love to see it!