Birthday Explosion

July 29, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week is all about fun folds. I have to admit that I was pretty intimidated by fun folds at first, but once you’re brave enough to try your first one, there’s really no going back! Now, there’s nothing more exciting than adding another fun fold to my arsenal, especially when it’s an easy one that looks hard. *wink*

Today, we’re trying out a fun fold that I learned from my Luv2Stamp team leader Patty Bennett called the Explosion Pop-Up. And there are tons of variations of this fold out there that really dress it up and dress it down. I went with a pretty simple version for my first go.

We get started with a standard A2-sized card base of Pool Party cardstock. The two-panel focal panel starts with a backdrop of Pretty in Pink plaid from the Wildflower Birthdays paper pack that is diecut using the largest Textured Notes rectangle die. Then we cut a circle from the Pool Party and gold sheet using the Spotlight on Nature dies. To help set off the center of our focal panel, I mounted the circle panel atop a faux bow of gold striped mesh ribbon. Our focal image is from the ephemera sheet included in the Wildflower Birthday pack and mounted with dimensionals. A few gold drusy embellishments on either side set things off nicely and really bring the eye in.

The inside pop-up panel is a 6×6 sheet of the striped paper from the Wildflower Birthdays pack. I used more ephemera to decorate the left side. The sentiment panel is a small square of white cardstock that is stamped with a sentiment from The Right Words set in Pool Party ink. A few drusy embellishments on either end of the gold banner tie the design together nicely.

It takes just a minute to get the hang of folding the pop-up panel correctly. But other than that, this is a really simple fun fold that packs so much visual fun. Wanna give it a try? You can snag the free tutorial for today’s card here.

Product List

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[122924]

$14.00

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[166780]

$14.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164591]

$16.50

Textured Notes Dies

[165555]

$31.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

The Right Words Cling Stamp Set (English)

[165316]

$26.00

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

[147107]

$9.00

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

[165599]

$8.00

Drusy Adhesive Backed Embellishments

[164223]

$9.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Birthday Pinch Box

June 25, 2025 susanfoxbowen2 Comments

We’re already halfway through this week. I’m not quite sure how that happened! This week, we’re making 3D designs. And today’s design is a super simple fold-over pinch treat box. There are all sorts of variations of this box out there – mostly varying in size or shape. Regardless of which one you choose to make, the box comes together in a snap! And today’s birthday box uses the Wildflower Birthday paper pack and ephemera sheet.

The box itself is made from a full sheet of Pool Party cardstock. After scoring along both the long and short edges and making some strategic cuts, you fold in the flaps to create the bottom of the bag and the top flap. A quick little pinch of the sides at the top create the closure for the fold-over flap. I use small Velcro dots to act as my bag closure because I find it the simplest and most effective method, but I know some folks have used magnets and some have chosen to have a ribbon closure. But for me, I’ll stick with the easy button! *wink-wink*

I used two coordinating sheets of the Wildflower Birthday paper to decorate the bag. I intend to use this as a little birthday giftie, so I chose the sheet with cakes on it as the focal section (both front & back of the box) and then used the decorative scalloped sheet for the bag flap portion. I tied a bow using the gold striped sheer ribbon and decided I needed a little more oom-pah-pah for the bag flap, so I pulled a few gold twigs and a small leaf from the Wildflower Birthday ephemera sheet. Together, these elements provide the perfect eye-catching addition to the bag flap.

These gift boxes come together so quickly that it would be easy to trim and score a whole stack of cardstock in no time flat! If you’d like to give this cute gift box a try, you can download the tutorial here.

Product List

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[122924]

$14.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164591]

$16.50

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

[165599]

$8.00

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Tear & Tape Adhesive

[154031]

$7.00

Add All to Cart

birthday · Sentiments

Birthday Cake

June 18, 2025June 16, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome to the midway point of the week. Why does it always seem like the summer goes by in a flash? We’ve had a busy week this week with junior police academy going on, but the kiddo seems to be enjoying it and is learning a lot about what goes in to being a law enforcement officer. I love that he’s finding a new respect for police officers and ALL that they do behind the scenes!

This week, we’re designing our cards around sentiments. And you might be wondering why I chose this particular design theme, and I must admit it’s because I couldn’t choose a bundle or suite to feature. Lol! Seriously though, I find it challenging sometimes to use my sentiments in new or exciting ways and I always find design themes a great way to think outside the box. Today, we’re pairing up the With You in Mind stamps with the Wildflower Birthday pieces and Beautiful Bokeh paper to create this easy z-fold.

We start our card with a base of Sea Foam Green cardstock and score as usual and then score one side in half again to create our Z fold. I chose a sheet of Beautiful Bokeh that has a lot of colors from the Soft Subtles palette as my background. This sheet is cut into 2-inch strips, leaving just a little edge on all sides, and adhered to each of our panels with the inside panel having a base layer of white to which we adhere the Bokeh strip so that it peeks through to the front when the card is closed. Next up, we cut a focal panel from the blue pastel ombre glimmer paper using the Textured Notes dies. I chose a large cake and a few balloons from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack (punched from the tag sheet) as the focal images. The cake is adhered to the focal panel with dimensionals in the center toward the top of the panel. The happy birthday sentiment from With You in Mind is stamped in Versamark and Coastal Cabana on a sheet of Coastal Cabana cardstock. It’s then heat embossed with some glitter embossing powder. I cut around the sentiment with paper snips leaving a nice shaped border on all sides. The sentiment is adhered over the cake stand at the bottom of the sentiment panel on a double layer of dimensionals. I tucked the balloon strings behind the sentiment, adhering the tails with glue dots, and then popped up the balloons themselves on either side of the cake on several layers of dimensionals. The focal panel is adhered to the left panel of the card (when the card is closed), leaving the right side free-floating so that the Z fold opens cleanly. We finish things off with some In Color shimmer gems.

Tomorrow we’re making our own patterned paper to help feature our sentiment. Stop in and check it out!

Product List

Soft Sea Foam 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146988]

$14.00

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131297]

$14.00

Beautiful Bokeh 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[164607]

$12.50

Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[164851]

$12.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164591]

$16.50

Textured Notes Dies

[165555]

$31.00

With You In Mind Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164747]

$20.00

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

[147097]

$9.00

Versamark Pad

[102283]

$9.50

2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems

[163781]

$8.50

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Mini Glue Dots

[103683]

$7.25

Add All to Cart

birthday

Day to Celebrate

March 22, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’re winding up our spring break week, and although it’s been a little windy, we’ve had beautiful weather to enjoy our time together. I worked the end of the week, so getting back into the groove has been a little challenging with us mostly being off our regular schedule. But hopefully we’ll all get back in the swing next week.

Today, I had a little time to whip up a simple birthday card. Not only does the kiddo have a birthday coming up, but we have several of his friends to celebrate with, as well. So I turned to the cute Wildflower Birthday paper pack for design inspiration for this card.

We get started with a base of Summer Splash cardstock. I cut a piece of the Lovely Garden polka dot paper using the Textured Notes dies to serve as the backdrop for the focal panel. Next up is the focal panel which is a sheet of the Wildflower Birthday foiled paper cut with the Perennial Postage dies. I fussy cut a cupcake from one of the smaller diecut elements from the birthday paper pack as the focal image and matted it with a gold foil circle cut with the Spotlight on Nature dies. I love how this really makes the cupcake pop against the fun patterns of the background. A twist of Summer Splash bordered ribbon gives that extra pop of color and pulls the eye to the center of the design. The sentiment from Day to Celebrate is stamped in Summer Splash on white cardstock and diecut using the Mixed Labels dies. A few Sunny Day iridescent dots add a subtle glimmer on either side of the focal panel.

I intentionally made this card in a more neutral color palette so the kiddo could give it to any one of his friends who is celebrating a birthday without having to worry about it being too girly or too masculine. This layout is one that is simple to replicate for any number of occasions, which makes this one a layout for the sketch book!

Next week is all about nature. I hope you’ll come along with me as we take a tour through the crafty stash to see what we can whip up with this theme.

Product List

Summer Splash 8 1/2" X 11 Cardstock

[163797]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper

[164591]

$16.50

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

[165524]

$12.50

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

$5.00

Day To Celebrate Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[164963]

$17.00

Summer Splash Classic Stampin Pad

[163809]

$9.00

Textured Notes Dies

[165555]

$31.00

Perennial Postage Dies

[162607]

$33.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Mixed Labels Dies

[164652]

$21.00

Summer Splash 3/8" (1 Cm) Bordered Ribbon

[163786]

$7.50

Sunny Day Iridescent Dots

[164696]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

Inspiration

Birthday Waves

February 13, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, our designs are focused on the combination of texture and sentiments. Today, I’m veering away from the simplicity of the design theme just a smidge as I incorporate more products in this design as we combine the Soft Waves embossing folder with the Wildflower Birthday accessories. And you may notice that while this design has a lot more accoutrement, it lacks nothing in the texture department – from embossing to chunky glimmer paper, there’s a lot going on here!

Our card gets started with a base of Flirty Flamingo cardstock. The background is a quarter-sheet of Flirty Flamingo that has been machine embossed with the Soft Waves embossing folder and then mounted on a mat of Night of Navy cardstock. Our focal section has a lot of elements from the Wildflower Birthday accessories, including the strip of blue polka-dotted paper that serves as the anchor element. Then we have the foiled and striped tag that serves as the base for everything else in our focal panel. Our cupcakes sit atop a piece of the pastel ombre glimmer paper that is diecut with the Mixed Labels dies and the small circle cut with the Spotlight on Nature dies. Dimensionals provide some depth and give plenty of room for our pop of gold thread. The sentiment from Simply Said is stamped in Night of Navy on white and then cut with paper snips and mounted on top of the decorative banner cut with the Mixed Labels die from a sheet of Petunia Pop glimmer paper. Petal Pink foil gems finish things off and tie all our peachy colored elements together.

Tomorrow we’ll be pairing up our weekly design theme with a sketch. Any guesses on what catalog I may choose?

Product List

Flirty Flamingo 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[141416]

$11.50

Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[100867]

$11.50

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

$13.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper & Sticker Sheet (English)

[166620]

$21.00

Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[164851]

$12.00

2024–2026 In Color™ Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper

[163771]

$11.00

Soft Waves 3 D Embossing Folder

[164695]

$11.00

Spotlight On Nature Dies

[163580]

$35.00

Mixed Labels Dies

[164652]

$21.00

Simply Said Mix & Match Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[163756]

$17.00

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

[147110]

$9.00

Gold Twisted Thread

[164603]

$7.50

Petal Pink & Pretty Peacock Foiled Gems

[162587]

$8.00

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

[144108]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

January Mini Catalog · Sketchy Fridays

Sketchy Fridays: Birthday Cake

January 24, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Whew, we made it through another week. I don’t know about you, but it felt like the longest short week ever! Our littlest cat Chloe has given us a run for a money after getting fixed last week. Trying to keep a 7-month-old kitten from chewing stitches is like asking water not to be wet! We did our best but still managed to end up in the vet’s office late yesterday evening after she managed to bust open the bottom of her incision. Thankfully, it did not require emergency surgery, but she’s definitely not happy with the jumpsuit and new-fangled cone of shame we’ve acquired. *haha* But it seems like it’s going to keep her from making a repeat.

Now on to our crafty task at hand – Sketchy Fridays! For those of you who are new here, Sketchy Fridays is a weekly series where we’re using a card sketch to design our featured card. Right now, we’re working through a full series of designs using the card sketches found in current Stampin’ Up! catalogs.

This week’s card is based on Sketch #4 from the Stampin’ Up! January Mini Catalog. If you haven’t seen all of the sketches from the new catalog, you can download a FREE copy of the sketches here. Today, we’re pairing up the Wildflower Birthdays paper pack with some of the new pastel ombre paper to whip up a super quick and super lovely birthday card.

We get started with a card base of Berry Burst cardstock. Our background panel is a sheet of the pink/purple pastel ombre glimmer paper from the new catalog. A smaller, rectangular panel from the Wildflower Birthday tag and image sheet serves as the center grounding panel, and I added a twist of the gold thread around the panel to bring out the foiling in our focal panel. I used one of the larger image panel cards from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack as the focal panel and added a few of the flowers from the diecut sheet in the pack as our corner elements. I decided to use a ready-made sentiment from the Mixed Media Florals Memories & More kit and adhered it with dimensionals. A few Sunny Days iridescent dots across the card front really add the eye-catching pop that allows the eye to pass across our card design.

Tomorrow is dedicated to all things basketball as the kiddo’s school team is headed to a district tournament, so I don’t know whether the day full of games will allow for any crafty time. But here’s hoping!

Products used in today’s card:
Berry Burst cardstock
Wildflower Birthday, pastel ombre glimmer DSP
Mixed Media Florals Memories & More
Gold thread
Sunny Days iridescent dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[101650]

$13.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper & Sticker Sheet (English)

[166620]

$21.00

Party Dots

[164602]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

January Mini Catalog

Wildflowers for You

January 23, 2025 susanfoxbowen2 Comments

I love having a stash of cards that can apply to a myriad of situations. The new Wildflower Birthday bundle by Stampin’ Up! allows me to whip up beautiful cards perfect for any occasion. Today’s design pairs up the paper and diecuts to create this beautiful bouquet.

Our card begins with a base of Very Vanilla cardstock. I used the branch pattern from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack as the backdrop for the focal point. I chose the gorgeous floral bouquet from the diecuts included in the Wildflower Birthdays paper pack as the focal image. I wanted to bring out the more subtle details in the bouquet and ensure that the whole bouquet stood out against the subtle patterned background, so I cut a background mat out of the pink sheet of pastel ombré glimmer paper using the Spotlight on Nature dies and then adhered the bouquet onto the mat with a double layer of dimensionals. I added a twist of gold thread behind the stems and added a combination of gold sequins and In Color shimmer gems for that extra bit of sparkle.

This design allows for a last-minute addition of a small sentiment panel but very easily stands well on its own without a sentiment. I envision sending it just as it is and just love that the occasion won’t have much bearing on when and to whom I send it.

Tomorrow, we’re going to pair up our Wildflower Birthday bundle with a sketch. I hope you’ll pop in and check it out.

Products used in today’s card design:
Very Vanilla cardstock
Wildflower Birthday paper bundle, pastel ombré glimmer DSP
Spotlight on Nature dies
Gold thread
Neutrals sequins, In Color shimmer gems
Dimensionals
Adhesives

January Mini Catalog

Hooray for Cake

January 21, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

The new Wildflower Birthdays paper bundle released in the latest Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog is a fabulous addition to the crafting stash. This bundle includes double-sided foiled paper and coordinating diecut sheets. It’s a fabulous way to create beautiful cards on the fly. While this bundle doesn’t include sentiments, it affords you the opportunity to use the ones you have in your stamping stash. Or, as in the case of today’s card, perhaps you go the rebel route and create a design that doesn’t have a sentiment on the card front! *gasp*

We get started on our card with a base of Very Vanilla cardstock. The backdrop is a sheet of the lovely foiled Wildflower Birthdays paper in Pool Party. I wanted to create a party scene to impart the birthday theme, so I began with the gold banner and fringe draped at the top of our card front, which are adhered with dimensionals. To help the cake stand out and give the illusion of a tablecloth, I adhered a darker polka-dot rectangle from the Wildflower Birthdays diecut collection and then added the cake on top by adhering with a double layer of dimensionals. A few pink Party Dots finish things off.

What do you think of the rebel no-sentiment design? Fun, right? Tune in tomorrow for a birthday alternative that I just know you’re going to love!

Products used in today’s card:
Very Vanilla cardstock
Wildflower Birthday DSP
Party Dots
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[101650]

$13.00

Wildflower Birthday 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper & Sticker Sheet (English)

[166620]

$21.00

Party Dots

[164602]

$8.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

$4.25

Add All to Cart

January Mini Catalog

For a Great Friend

January 20, 2025 susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Monday, crafty friends! Long weekends always go by quickly, don’t they? This week, we’re starting a brand new design series using the Wildflower Birthday paper and embellishment bundle from the new Stampin’ Up! January Mini catalog. As the name implies, this bundle is great for birthday designs, but I hope to show you just how versatile this can be with a little ingenuity.

Today’s card design does indeed begin with a birthday design. We’re pairing up the Wildflower Birthday bundle with a sketch from the new mini catalog and some glimmer paper for a sparkly birthday wish for that special someone with a sparkly personality.

Our card starts with a base of Pretty in Pink cardstock. The background panel is a sheet of the foiled paper from the Wildflower Birthday paper pack that is matted with the Summer Splash glimmer paper. Our focal panel begins with a base of Pretty in Pink glimmer paper that is diecut with the Spotlight on Nature dies. Our focal elements are all from the Wildflower Birthday bundle. We layer up the slice of cake with a few of the foiled leaf fronds and place them over and around our sentiment panel. The sentiment from Mixed Labels is stamped in Melon Mambo in the center. A few gold low profile dots adorn the sentiment on either side. The whole focal panel sits atop a bow of gold thread. A few pink shiny sequins on either side of our focal panel help draw the eye in and add that extra touch of pink sparkle.

I just love this card full of sparkly fun – perfect for that friend in your life who is the life of the party! I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow to see another fun birthday design.

Products used in today’s card:
Pretty in Pink cardstock
In Color glimmer paper, Wildflower Birthday DSP
Mixed Labels stamps
Spotlight on Nature dies
Low profile dots, shiny sequins
Gold thread
Dimensionals
Adhesives

Product List