Spotlight on Birthday

March 26, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome back, friends! I hope you aren’t giving up on me. I’ve had a string of weeks where things are just NOT going as planned. Do you ever have those? I’m about ready to trade up for something different. Whew! Between the day job and church music job, it has just been C-RAZY. And, of course, as we move into Holy Week next week, things will really ramp up before they calm down at all.

The kiddo’s birthday this weekend has me thinking of birthday cards today as we continue our spotlight technique design series. Today we’re using repeating text and emphasizing our focal point with ink as we combine the new Nature Walk and Wood Grain Wonders papers, which give us just the right masculine feel for this card.

We get started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock to compliment our subtle woodgrain pattern in the background that comes from the Wood Grain Wonders paper pack. Our focal panel is two patterns from the Nature Walk pack and we start by cutting out our background mat with the Perennial Postage dies and then cut our top sheet down to size to form the perfect mat. For the spotlight element in this design, we’re using repeated text and I chose a sentiment that would leave a nice border on all sides. To determine whether this sentiment was going to work, I rolled it end over end down the center to confirm I could stamp the full sentiment 3 times down the front of the focal panel. I started stamping the sentiment in a lighter color that stands out just so from the background and stamped it on both the top and bottom. For a solid-color panel, stamping tone on tone works well. Here, I decided that Pool Party ink would do the trick. (In hindsight, I probably should have chosen something like Mossy Meadow for just a touch more color in the background.) And then I stamped the sentiment in Pretty Peacock in the center and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. HINT: you can make embossing powder any color you want by first covering your stamp with Versamark and then your selected ink color. The focal panel is adhered to the mat with dimensionals and then wrapped in linen thread that is tied in a small bow. Some sparkle dots and frosted iridescent dots are added to draw the eye across the card diagonally. The full panel is adhered to the card front with dimensionals. And it’s as simple as that!

Since I’m running on fumes this evening, I needed one of the simpler spotlight techniques and I really love the repeated image style when I want a simple and eye-catching design but have limited time to make a card. I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see what spotlight technique we use next!

Product List

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

$14.00

Wood Grain Wonders 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[167428]

$12.50

Nature Walk 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[166912]

$12.50

With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[169063]

$20.00

Perennial Postage Dies

[162607]

$33.00

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

[147107]

$9.00

Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad

[150083]

$9.00

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Basics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165679]

$21.00

Linen Thread

[104199]

$5.00

Frosted Iridescent Dots

[165766]

$9.00

Sparkle Dot Essentials

[166991]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Spotlight on Flowers

March 23, 2026 susanfoxbowen2 Comments

Howdy, friends! Did you miss me? Last week didn’t exactly turn out as I had planned. I had grand plans for all of last week’s posts and then our schedules just kinda imploded. Between a major office furniture swap out and then a home update project, last week was chocked FULL and I didn’t have anything left for crafts.

Sooo here we are in a brand new week and I finally get to bring you all the fun ideas I have for this new design theme — the spotlight technique. Typically, this technique will, in some way, repeat a pattern or an image in a fresh, new way. Today, we’re using the elevated coloring method to spotlight a portion of the Flowers Fair stamped image.

We get started with a background of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. The focal panel backdrop is a quarter panel of white cardstock stamped with the Flowers Fair stamp and then cut to size with the largest Perennial Postage die. A second white quarter panel is also stamped with the identical image and then we use one of 2025 Advent Calendar dies to cut out a small portion of the image and then color it with Stampin Blends. The small colored panel is matted with pink shimmer paper and the two are adhered together with dimensionals. We wrap our background panel with pink ribbon before adhering it to our card front with dimensionals. The spotlight panel is adhered in place with dimensionals so it is just above its uncolored counterpart in the image below. The sentiment from the Rolling Waves stamp set is heat embossed in silver on Blackberry Bliss cardstock and then cut out with the Stylish Shapes banner due. Some pink flat pearls in opposing corners finish things off perfectly.

I hope you’ll drop in again to see what other spotlight methods we’ll be using this week!

Product List

Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[133675]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Pastels Shimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[167198]

$10.00

Flowers Fair Photopolymer Stamp Set

[167217]

$23.00

Rolling Waves Photopolymer Stamp Set

[167142]

$20.00

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

$10.50

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165678]

$21.00

Perennial Postage Dies

[162607]

$33.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

12 Days Of Crafting Advent Calendar (English)

[167335]

$99.00

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154892]

$11.00

Pretty In Pink Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack

[163824]

$11.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154883]

$11.00

2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems

[163781]

$8.50

Bubble Bath 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Faux Linen Ribbon

[167075]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · sketches

So Grateful

March 14, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome to the weekend. I hope you enjoyed some weather as lovely as we did here today. It was spring in every way — warm temps, breezy, and sunny. We got some spring cleaning done both inside and outside today.

And speaking of spring, this week we’ve been using all the spring flowers to create our projects and using a sketch as design inspiration. Today we’re pairing up the Delicate Dreams paper with a sketch from the gold folks over at the Global Design Project.

We get started with a base of Crumb Cake cardstock. our background panel comes from the Nature Walk paper pack. I used the Everyday Arches dies to create our focal panel. Our mat is a sheet of Misty Moonlight glimmer paper from the Peaceful Garden glimmer pack and then our focal panel is from the Delicate Dreams pack. The panel is wrapped with some white & gold ribbon tied in a decorative knot. The sentiment from the Sentimental Framing stamp set is stamped in Secret Sea on white cardstock and then diecut with the Word of Beauty dies and then adhered at the base of the focal panel with dimensionals. We finish things off with opal rounds and hues of blue flowers.

Thanks for hopping along with me this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series.

Product List

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Delicate Dreams 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[167498]

$16.50

Peaceful Garden 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Glimmer Paper

[165929]

$10.50

Sentimental Framing Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[165475]

$24.00

Everyday Arches Dies

[164629]

$29.00

Words Of Beauty Dies (English)

[167089]

$31.00

Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad

[165285]

$9.00

Hues Of Blue Flowers

[165930]

$9.00

Opal Rounds Assortment

[163298]

$8.50

White With Gold 3/8" (1 Cm) Ribbon

[166979]

$8.50

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · sketches

Have the Best Day

March 13, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

TGIF — am I right friends? It’s been a long week, but we all made it! I must say I’m lamenting the fact that’s it’s Friday just a little bit, but that’s because my kiddo is gone for the next week. It sure will be quiet around here!

This week, our design them has circled around spring and we’ve been using sketches to get the ball rolling. Today we’re bringing out an oldie but goodie. We’re pairing up the Perennial Lavender paper with a sketch from the good folks over at Freshly Made Sketches.

We get started with a neutral base of Crumb Cake cardstock. Our focal panel from the Perennial Lavender pack is double matted with a combination of garden textures foil paper and shimmer paper. The combination of the dark blue and light pink really bring out the darks and lights of the floral pattern sheet. The banner is cut from a purple sheet from the pack using the Stylish Shapes banner die, which serves as the perfect backdrop for the sentiment. The sentiment from the Cutest Crew stamp set is stamped in Gorgeous Grape on a white banner cut with the smaller banner die from the same set. The two banners are adhered together to form one panel and are then adhered over the pink ribbon with dimensionals. We finish everything off with a scattering of purple shimmer gems.

We’ll be wrapping up our series tomorrow and I hope you’ll drop by to see what pairing finishes things off.

Product List

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Perennial Lavender 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[162593]

$12.50

Garden Textures 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Foil Sheets

[167125]

$10.50

Pastels Shimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[167198]

$10.00

Cutest Crew Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[167146]

$19.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad

[147099]

$9.00

Bubble Bath 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Faux Linen Ribbon

[167075]

$8.00

Purple Fine Shimmer Gems

[162611]

$8.00

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · sketches

Peaceful Birthday

March 12, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome back! I’m sure glad you stopped by today. This week, our design theme is inspired by spring and we’re pairing up our spring theme with a sketch each day to make it super easy to pull together a card each day. Today we’re using the Peaceful Garden patterned papers and pairing it with a sketch from the folks over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

We get started on our card with a base of Secret Sea cardstock. I chose a more neutral pattern from the Peaceful Garden pack and then a sheet that would compliment my chosen focal image. I placed the busier Secret Sea floral pattern on the bottom and then have the neutral Crumb Cake pattern as the half circle on top. The Layers of Beauty image is stamped in black on white cardstock and then the leaves and daisy centers are colored with Stampin’ Blends. The centers of the roses have a touch of Wink of Stella for a little twinkle. Our focal image is adhered onto the card front with dimensionals. The sentiment from the new Rolling Waves set is stamped in Secret Sea on a white banner that has been cut with one of the smaller banner dies from the Stylish Shapes set. The sentiment is mounted over some Old Olive rickrack with several layers of dimensionals. We finish things off with a few Old Olive sparkle dots.

This one is truly easy to make and such a stunner! I’m going to try it with some other larger floral images in the stash! I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see what goodies come to the party next.

Product List

Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165624]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Peaceful Garden 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[165917]

$12.50

Layers Of Beauty Bundle (English)

[163519]

$56.50

Rolling Waves Photopolymer Stamp Set

[167142]

$20.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad

[165285]

$9.00

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154885]

$11.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154883]

$11.00

Old Olive 3/8" (1 Cm) Specialty Rickrack

[167006]

$8.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

$10.00

Sparkle Dot Essentials

[166991]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · sketches

Glad We’re Friends

March 11, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome in on this wonderful Wednesday! I’ve been confused about what day of the week it is all day today. I’m pretty sure I’ve called it every day of the week but Wednesday. Not sure what exactly has me turned upside down, but hopefully I’ll keep things straight tomorrow!

This week, we’re exploring the crafty stash to create some spring-inspired cards and we’re using a new sketch each day to get started. Funny enough, Texas weather has decided to send us back to winter and we’re expecting temps back down close to freezing tomorrow morning. This week has truly been a don’t like the weather? just wait a minute kinda situation! So needless to say, I’m dreaming of all the pretty flowers I’ll be buying over the weekend.

Today we’re pairing up the Florals in Bloom paper with a sketch by the good folks over at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. We get started with a base of Secret Sea cardstock because I really love how the contrast provides an extra pop for our focal panel. The background pattern is a sheet of the Secret Sea patterned paper from the Florals in Bloom pack. Our focal panel is double-matted with a combination of Pool Party shimmer paper and some Berry Burst garden textures specialty paper. I love how this combination really pulls out the colors in the floral pattern sheet of the Florals in Bloom that sits in the center. I used a double twist of the new Berry Burst shiny ribbon as the drop-down element and backdrop for the sentiment. The sentiment is from the new Cutest Crew stamp set and is stamped in Secret Sea on white cardstock and then cut into a banner shape with the Stylish Shapes die. We finish things off with some Berry Burst garden epoxy dots.

I took some liberties with today’s sketch. What do you think of this variation? Can you see where I made some swaps? Do you ever go off the reservation from your inspiration piece? I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see what combo we play with next!

Product List

Secret Sea 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165624]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Florals In Bloom 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[165175]

$12.50

Garden Textures 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Foil Sheets

[167125]

$10.50

Pastels Shimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[167198]

$10.00

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

$30.00

Cutest Crew Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[167146]

$19.00

Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad

[165285]

$9.00

Berry Burst 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Shiny Ribbon

[167126]

$8.00

Garden Epoxy Dots

[167124]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · sketches

Perfect Day

March 10, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome back, friends! It’s quite the rumbly Tuesday here in our area as another line of spring storms is due to push through. But that’s okay because we’re bringing our own sunshine this week as we make more spring-inspired designs. This week, we’re pulling spring-inspired products from the crafty stash and pairing them up with a daily sketch. Today we’re using our Lovely Blossoms paper and Sketch 538 from the good folks over at Global Design Project. What I love about today’s sketch is it’s a two-for — two cards at once!

We get started with a base of Cloud Cover cardstock. I chose two separate patterns from the Lovely Blossoms paper pack — the Secret Sea diamond pattern sheet and the small white floral pattern. Each pattern piece is cut to fit the card front on its own and then cut on the diagonal. We then mix and match our two patterned halves to create our two card fronts. I used ribbon to add a pop of interest between the two sections and decided to mix it up a bit between the two cards — one of the Cloud Cover wide ribbon and the other is Gray Granite trim. The sentiment from the new Rolling Waves stamp set is stamped in Secret Sea on white cardstock and then cut apart to create our two-part sentiment. I liked the contrast of the white sentiment panel with the darker Secret Sea pattern, so the sentiment stayed with that pattern across the two designs. We finish things off with some embellishments — moody palette glossy dots and opal rounds.

If you’re looking for a great way to turn out a lot of really cute cards for your stash, this sketch should be in your go-to stash! I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow to see what combo we put together next.

Product List

Cloud Cover 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[165621]

$14.00

Lovely Blossoms 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[167168]

$12.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Rolling Waves Photopolymer Stamp Set

[167142]

$20.00

Secret Sea Classic Stampin' Pad

[165285]

$9.00

Cloud Cover 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Textured Ribbon

[167182]

$9.50

Gray Granite 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Variegated Trim

[167511]

$8.00

Moody Palette Glossy Dots

[167180]

$8.00

Opal Rounds Assortment

[163298]

$8.50

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals

Blooming Thanks

March 9, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, everybody! I hope your week is off to a good start. I feel like the weekend went by in a flash. Anyone else hate the spring time change as much as I do?? I don’t know what it is about springing forward but it just doesn’t sit well with me. My poor body is doomed to be confused by the whole thing for at least another month. But onward and upward, I guess, right?

This week we are onward & upward to a new design theme. Except I would more call it a repeat theme with a twist. I enjoyed last week’s florals series in honor of spring so much and had many more ideas I didn’t get to that I decided it needed another week. So here we are enjoying another week of spring florals BUT we’re adding the twist of using a different sketch each day to get started. Today we’re pairing up the Lovely & Beautiful paper with Sketch 717 from the folks over at Freshly Made Sketches.

Our beautiful patterned paper is driving the bus on our color scheme today. We get started with a card base of Petal Pink cardstock. Our background is a sheet of the Calypso Coral floral pattern from the Lovely & Beautiful pack. Our front overlay panel is a sheet of vellum that folds over our card front and covers the sentiment panel and has one oversized flower in the center. When the see-through panel is closed, it nicely compliments the smaller foiled floral pattern underneath. We add some metallic gems and gold striped ribbon to this front-facing panel.

The smaller panel is the medium floral pattern with gold foiling and actually serves as our hidden sentiment panel. The sentiment from the With You in Mind stamp set is stamped in Versamark over the center flower in gold and is then heat set. Some pearlized faceted dots are added across the panel to draw the eye down and across.

What do you think of this fun variation on the sketch? I love the breezy feel of this card design. Can’t you just imagine yourself running in a field of wildflowers that are softly blowing in the wind? I hope you’ll drop in tomorrow to see what fun products we put together with our new design sketch!

Product List

Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146985]

$14.00

Lovely & Beautiful 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[166957]

$16.50

Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[167099]

$10.00

With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[169063]

$20.00

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165678]

$21.00

Adhesive Backed Metallic Gems

[163780]

$9.00

Pearlized Faceted Circles

[166978]

$8.00

Gold Striped 3/8" (1 Cm) Mesh Ribbon

[165599]

$8.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Add All to Cart

Botanicals · Online Exclusives

Sending Blossoms of Love

March 7, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome to the weekend, everyone! It’s a rainy Saturday here in North Texas. And while I have lots of things on the outside spring to-do list, the indoor activities won out today. I started the day providing music for a funeral and then spent the afternoon at the kiddo’s Academic Pentathlon district meet, where he placed individually in Literature and then took several medals with his team. And before hitting the home to-do list, I’ve stolen a little time in the craft room to bring some of my own sunshine to this overall dreary day.

This week, we’ve been letting spring inspire our designs. And today is all about the gorgeous Lovely & Beautiful patterned paper, along with a few other things from the crafty stash, and a sketch as we create this beautiful encouragement card.

Because I’ve got a list of things to do, I wanted to create a beautiful card but without a lot of time spent on designing from the ground up. And what helps the most in those situations? For me, sketches are a must! So we’re using #719 by the Freshly Made Sketches team to make quick work of today’s card.

We get started with a base of Fresh Freesia cardstock. A sheet of the small floral pattern from the Lovely & Beautiful paper pack serves as our background pattern. A strip of Fresh Freesia helps break up our busy patterned background and we spruce it up just a touch by machine embossing our strip with the Beautiful Patterns embossing folder. From a scrap of one of the larger floral patterned sheets from the Lovely & Beautiful pack, I cut a gorgeous peony and adhered it on the left with dimensionals. The sentiment from the Fabulous Sayings stamp set is stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed in gold before being diecut with the Nested Essentials banner die using the extension method to get it just the right size. The vellum sentiment panel is adhered over the flower with mini glue dots. We finish things off with some pearlized faceted gems for just a touch of twinkle.

There are so many more beautiful spring florals in the current Stampin’ Up! lineup that I think we’re going to continue it for one more week. Do you have any current floral-y favorites you’d like to see? Maybe they’re in my stash. Drop me some suggestions in the comments! Until then, see you next week.

Product List

Fresh Freesia 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[155613]

$14.00

Lovely & Beautiful 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[166957]

$16.50

Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[167099]

$10.00

Beautiful Pattern 3 D Embossing Folder

[167097]

$10.50

Fabulous Sayings Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[167972]

$5.00

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder

[165678]

$21.00

Nested Essentials Dies

[161597]

$34.00

Pearlized Faceted Circles

[166978]

$8.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Online Exclusives · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Birthday Blossoms

March 6, 2026 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Friday! We have made it to the end of the week. And it was quite an exciting day for me. In the middle of a big work meeting today, we had a medical emergency. There’s nothing like someone crumpling in their chair to get the ol’ adrenaline pumping! Luckily, we could rouse the person and get them on their way for a medical evaluation pretty quickly. And on top of the excitement of the work day, it seems that the weather in our area is ramping up to make for an exciting evening. I hope it turns out to just be rain. I’m not sure my poor heart can handle anymore crazy adrenaline rushes today.

But on to our crafty fun for today. We are having another Sketchy Friday (even more appropriate than I originally intended!). For those of you who are new here, Sketchy Fridays is a weekly series where we use a card sketch to design our featured card.

This week’s card is based on the Freshly Made Sketches #722 sketch. A sketch like this one is the perfect way to use busy patterns and/or scraps. In our case, we’re doing both!

We get started on today’s card with a base of white cardstock. Since we’re using a lot of pattern, we want a nice neutral backdrop. A sheet of the Easter Joy pattern paper serves as our background. For the three diagonal corner strips, we combine the floral foil from the Pleasant Patterns pack, the pink sheet from Garden Textures, and the small floral foiled sheet from the Lovely & Beautiful pack. The two competing floral patterns are broken up with the solid textured sheet from Garden Textures. I wanted all of our fun patterns to show through, so the sentiment from the Fabulous Sayings set is stamped on vellum in Versamark and then heat embossed in gold. Before adhering our sentiment, we add a few floral bunches on either side from the Easter Time ephemera pack and then adhere the sentiment over them with glue dots. We finish things off with some pearlized faceted circles.

Product List

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00