Christian Cottingham 8/2/26 Christian Cottingham 8/2/26

Book of Spells, Yes Please

Spooky season is just around the corner, so why not make a book of spells with a surprise inside! Links to the YouTube video and supplies used are provided in this blog.

Nothing says Halloween like a book of spells! Today we will be making Halloween decor using the Kindred Stamps Treat Box Die. This book is definitely not filled with the candies it was intendant for.

You can watch the YouTube Video Here or by clicking on the icon from my blog:

https://youtu.be/aHzmBCiTiM0

Supplies Utilized:

Treat Box Die

Broom- HaHa

Salem Sisters

Cast A Spell Paper Pack

Watercolors

Magnetic Closure

Dimensions:

Book Cover:

Cut One: 7.5 inches by 4.5 inches piece of cardstock; Score at 3.25 inches and 4.25 inches on the 7.5 inch side

Closure Panel:

Cut One: 6.5 inches by 1 inch piece of cardstock; Score at 3 inches, 4 inches, and 5.25 inches on the 6.5 inch side

Pop-Up Mechanism:

Cut One: 2 inch by 0.75 inch piece of black cardstock; Score every 0.5 inch

Color Guide (Olo Markers):

House

NG9/ NG7/ NG5

O4.0/ O4.1/ O4.6

Y2.0

V7.2/ V7.4/ V7.6/ V7.8

Witch

OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0; R5.3

OR4.8/ OR2.6/ OR2.5

G1.5/ G1.4

BV1.7/ BV1.4

G1.8/ G1.7/ G1.5

OR3.7/ IR3.4/ OR3.8

G1.2

CG7

Book

WG3/ WG5

YG8.5/ K

CG5/ CG3

Ink Blending:

Blended Panel: Tangerine Twist/ Lipstick (Gina K Designs)

Helpful Links:

Cardigans & Cards Website/ Blog: https://www.cardigansandcards.com/

Cardigans & Cards YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CardigannCards

Facebook: Cardigans & Cards. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094533131569

Instagram: cardiganncards. http://instagram.com/cardiganncards

Kindred Stamps Website: https://www.kindredstamps.com?aff=97

Kindred Stamps Facebook Page: Kindred Stamps Fan Club

Kindred Stamps YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@KindredStamps

Christian Cottingham 7/22/26 Christian Cottingham 7/22/26

Craft Roulette Process Video Episode No. 328

Craft Roulette Process Video for Episode 328! Mr. Wheel didn’t stump me!

Oh Mr. Wheel you tried your hand once more to stump me, but here I am rocking it with not only one, not two, but three cards! This a process video for Episode 328 that aired on July 17th, 2026. Come on my adventure as I design and create this card with the parameters defined by the all powerful wheel…

You can watch the YouTube Video Here or by clicking on the icon from my blog:

https://youtu.be/Hf5Rxklju2I

Supplies Utilized:

Mission Watercolors
Hey Cupcake stamp set (Trinity Stamps)
Stickles
Nested Ovals Dies (Waffel Flower)
Random pattern paper from the stash

Color Guide:

Mission Watercolors in:
- Lemon Yellow (W521)
- Yellow Orange (W518)
- Quinacridone Permanent Red (W512)
- Quinacridone Crimson Lake (W514)
- Bright Clear Violet (W553)

Helpful Links:

Cardigans & Cards Website/ Blog: https://www.cardigansandcards.com/

Cardigans & Cards YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CardigannCards

Facebook: Cardigans & Cards. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094533131569

Instagram: cardiganncards. http://instagram.com/cardiganncards

Craft Roulette Website: https://craftroulette.live/

Craft Roulette YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CraftRoulette

Christian Cottingham 7/22/26 Christian Cottingham 7/22/26

Certified Hero: Kindred Stamps July 2026 Release

A hero is someone who shows up for you when grief is too hard to handle. The Certified Hero stamp set shows off the true hero’s.

Being a hero, just doesn’t mean superhero, it is the the heroes that show up for you when you need them the most. The Certified Hero stamp set shows off a group of friends being their when grief can either turn you into a villain or teach you who your ride or dies are. Let’s dig in!

But first, a public service announcement…This blog utilizes affiliate links. If you choose to click on the links provided to purchase, you are supporting me as I receive compensation for your purchase. If purchasing is not in your books, no worries, I hope you find inspiration for projects you design. By clicking on the links, you are letting Kindred Stamps know that you like my content and to keep bringing me back. Thanks for your time and now back to the regular scheduled shenanigans.

Project One: Cake First, World Later

This group of Certified Hero’s know what their path is but have their priorities set. Cake always comes first! Let’s break down this masked card.

A piece of white cardstock was trimmed to 5 inches by 7 inches. All of the images were stamped onto a piece of masking paper and fussy cut out on the line. This was done prior to the stamping of the scene.

The images were stamped in a specific order and then the masks were applied after each stamping. The first image stamped was the Purple Boy. This image is the character that is infant of all the other images. Next up were the Yellow Girl and Pink Girl. The Furry Boy and Headband Boy were then stamped. Finally the Robot was stamped and also masked.

With Lumbar Jack Plaid (Distress Ink) was blended from the outside to the inside with the heaviest ink applied on the edges and lighter in the center of the imaging lineup. When satisfied, the masks were removed. That’s my favorite part of masking!

The panel was trimmed down with an A7 nested die to allow a thick boarder around the panel. The sentiment was stamped on the top of the panel in pigment ink. To finish the card, a card base was prepared. A piece of black cardstock was trimmed down to 5 inches by 7 inches.

To assemble the card, the black cardstock panel was applied to the card base. Thin foam tape was applied to the to colored panel and placed onto the card base. This team each play there roll and are each a Certified Hero.

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Two: Friends Are Always There

When in a time of need, friends are always there and this crew from the Certified Hero stamp set are ready to spring into action. Let’s break down the dimensional card.

The Box Card Die will provide the structure. The base of the box card was cut out of two-toned paper (light color on one side and darker color on the other) with the darker color to be on the outside and the lighter inside. The side panel covers were cut with the opposite coloring (light on the outside and dark on the inside). The front panel cover was cut from white cardstock. Finally, the background layer piece was cut with the lighter tone facing forward and darker in the back and also cut from a piece of white cardstock.

Taking the background layer piece and some teal ink (Tranquil Teal Gina K. Designs) the panel was ink blended darker on the edges and lighter in the center. With the Halftone Circle Stencil, a glitter gel was spread in a thin layer and set aside to dry while the remainder of the card was prepared.

The five friends were stamped in alcohol ink safe black ink and colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The images were fussy cut out leaving a thin white boarder. The Robot and Purple Boy heads were stamped independently in the same teal ink as the background on the light colored side panels. The sentiment was stamped off to the right side in pigment ink on the white front panel cover.

The box card base was assembled with both double-sided tape and liquid glue. The side panel covers were adhered flat the side panels. The white background panel was adhered to the back of the card to allow a spot for a personal message. The stenciled background panel was glued flat to the background of the box card. Finally, the white front panel cover was backed with thin foam tape and adhered to the front panel.

The Certified Hero images were up next. The Furry Boy had thin foam tape adhered to the back of the image. He was then popped up with some foam tape and applied to the stenciled background.

To add support to the images on the middle tier of the box card, a thin piece of thicker acetate was trimmed and adhered to the back of the Headband Boy and the Pink Girl. The acetate was then adhered to the back side of the middle tier. Finally, the Yellow Girl was attached to the left side of the white sentiment panel.

This box card is a tribute to the friends that show up and live in the chaos with you making them truly the Certified Hero.

Card Size: Box Card (fits A2 envelope)

Project Three: All the Gang

This scene shows off all the images from the Certified Hero stamp set. Using a large card base to make a scene and transforming an A2 style scene die into a longer scene are two ways to get all seven images onto a card front. Let’s break it down.

Each of the images were stamped in alcohol ink safe black ink. The images were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The images were then fussy cut our leaving a thin white boarder around the images. Thin foam tape was applied to only the Purple Boy. These images were set aside to build the remainder of the scene.

An A7 panel (5 by 7 inches) was cut from a piece of blue cardstock. This was set aside. A piece of black card stock cut to the same dimension. The City Scape Die was placed approximately 1.5 inches above the bottom of the panel. This was run through the die machine. The City Scape die was then realigned on the same boarder and run through the machine again. By stretching the die across the panel, the scene was continuous.

The City Scape scene was adhered to the card panel. Placing all the images on the panel provided a placement guide for the sentiment. The sentiment was then stamped in pigment ink and set aside to dry. An A7 card base was prepped and the panel was applied.

Utilizing a scrap of gray flamed paper from the Flames Paper Pack, a pillar was cut out. Using a black fine liner brush pen, edging was applied to the pillar. The pillar was adhered to the feet of the villain.

To assemble the scene, the Robot and Villain with pillar were applied flat to the scene. Working from the outside in, the other images were applied flat to the panel. Finally, the Purple Boy was popped up in the center of the scene. This gang of unlikely heroes and their villain make take the battle center stage on this card.

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Four: Flying High

The Purple Boy and his Robot are proving they are Certified Hero’s in this single layer card. By utilizing simple marking and some ink blending the scene comes to life. Let’s break it down.

A piece of white card stock was cut to an A2 panel (4.24 by 5.5 inches). The Robot was stamped in alcohol ink safe black ink and then stamped on a piece of masking paper. The mask was cut out on the line and placed over the stamped image. A couple clouds were freehand cut out of the scraps of masking paper and set aside. The Purple Boy was stamped as it he was on this back. A mask was stamped, cut out, and applied to the image. The hand cut clouds were arranged and placed on the scene.

With all masks in place, the sky was ink blended with Blue Sky ink (Gina K. Designs). When satisfied withe the coverage the masks were removed and it was time to color. The Purple Boy and Robot were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide).

The sentiment was stamped in black pigment ink and set aside to dry to prevent smudging with my giant fingers. While this hung out, the card base was prepped, scored, and folded. The colored panel was adhered to the card base and these partners can continue with their shenanigans.

Card Size: 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches (A2)

Project Five: Villain Shake It Up

The Villain from Certified Hero is showcased on this card with his little helpers that can go everywhere. Using some pattern paper makes this shaker so fast to come together.

The Villain was colored with Olo Markers and fussy cut leaving a thin white boarder. (See Color Guide). This was set aside to prep the remainder of the card. A piece of red glitter cardstock was trimmed to 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches and adhered to a A2 card base.

From the Card Basic Dies, the large star was die cut from glossy black card stock. The Flames Paper Pack provided the perfect smokey a dark background that I was looking for. Once the section that tripped my trigger was identified, the large rectangle from the Card Basic Dies was centered and die cut out.

With all the pieces prepped, it was time to assemble the shaker element. For the shaker pouch, I used the plastic that the Certified Heros stamp set came in. (The stamp set is stored in a thicker sleeve for manhandling over the years.). The thin acetate was trimmed to be an inch larger than the Flames Paper Pack die cut. The corners were mitered to take some of the bulk out of the corner when the acetate was adhered to the panel. Strong double-sided adhesive was applied to all edges. The panel was centered over the acetate piece and 3 sides of the sticky tape backing paper was removed. The three sides were folded and pressed into the sticky tape. Allowing a non-sealed section for adding the sequins.

Black shiny sequins were sprinkled into the pouch and then laid flat prior the removing the sticky tape backer. The shaker was then shook and shook because you have to it’s a law. More super sticky tape was applied to the back of the shaker pouch making sure to have tape over the acetate and the Flames paper. A thin amount of liquid adhesive was also applied over the sticky tape and paper (to allow a little wiggle time… you know me I can’t lay something straight).

To finish the card, the star was adhered with liquid glue to the center of the card. The Villain was adhered with liquid glue over the star and a magnet was placed to hold the images in place on the acetate until dry. The sentiment “Hope Your Birthday is Next Level” was stamped in the inside of the card.

Card Size: 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches (A2)

The entire Kindred Stamps release will be available this Friday at 8am PST/11am EST. Be sure to subscribe to the Kindred Stamps blog to see a daily line up of sneak peeks from our amazing Design Team! Come join the Fan Club and release event to be part of the release fun, and you may just win some Kindred Stamps credit!!

Coloring Guide:

Purple Boy

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0
Hair> O7.8/ O7.7
Helmet> V2.7/ V2.6; RV1.5/ RV1.3
Shoes> NG9/ NG7
Belt> NG9/ NG5
Pants> NG9/ NG7
Kneepads> V2.7/ V2.6; RV1.5/ RV1.3
Gloves> NG9/ NG7

Robot

Body> NG3/ NG1/ NG0
Armor> V2.7/ V2.6

Yellow Girl

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1
Hair> NG9/ NG7; V2.7/ V2.6
Helmet> YO2.3/ YO2.2; NG3/ NG1
Shirt> YO2.3/ YO2.2
Buttons> R0.4
Boots/ Wheels: YO2.3/ YO2.2
Suit> NG3; NG9/ NG7/ NG5

Headband Boy

Flesh> OR3.7/ OR3.4/ OR3.2
Hair> O7.8/ O7.7
Armor breast plate> BG2.3/ BG2.1
Pants> B0.6/ B0.5
Gloves> BG2.3/ BG2.1; NG9/ NG7
Plasma> B1.1; BG1.2
Headband/ Belt> R0.4/ R0.3
Visor> BG2.3/ BG2.1

Pink Girl

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0/ R5.3
Hair> YO2.5/ YO2.3
Helmet> Or2.3/ OR2.2; RV1.5/ RV1.3
Shirt> RV1.8/ RV1.7
Breast plate> OR2.5/ OR2.3
Dress> RV1.5/ RV1.3
Tights> RV1.8/ RV1.7
Purse> OR2.3/ OR2.2; R1.5; R1.3

Furry Boy

Fur> B1.3/ B4.3/ B4.6
Eyes> YO0.2
Mouth> YO0.2/ NG9
Area Around Eyes> O1.3/ O1.2
Spikes> O1.3/ O1.2
Brows/ Claws> NG9/ NG7

Villain

Mask> NG3/ NG1/ NG0; R0.5/ R0.4
Eyes> Y1.4
Jacket> NG9/ NG7/ NG5
Pants> K/ MG9/ NG7/ NG5
Leg warmers> NG7/ NG5

Christian Cottingham 7/15/26 Christian Cottingham 7/15/26

Craft Roulette Process Video Episode No. 327

Craft Roulette Process Video Episode 327

Mr. Wheel, interactive cards don’t scare me!! Craft Roulette Episode 327 parameters were set and yet again, I succeeded in the challenge that was set forth. This week’s process video walks through how to make a spinner card for a fun interactive card using a single die to make a window and then some clear thread or fishing line to make the spinner.

You can watch the video on YouTube by clicking this link:

https://youtu.be/RS1NnBtWD_c or click on the YouTube icon to get to my YouTube channel.

While you are there, click the “Like” button if you have made a spinner card, or are going to now! If you feel inclined to join me on my crafty shenanigans, click the subscribe button.

Supplies Utilized:

Old Fart Couple Stamp and Die (Whimsy Stamps)

Notched Squares (Pink & Main)

Clear thread or fishing line

Color Guide (Olo Markers):

Both:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1; OR2.0; R5.3

Bride:

Pjs>R7.6/ R7.4

Slippers> BG7.5/ BG7.3

Robe> BG7.3/ BG7.2

Hair>V7.4/ V7.2

Rollers> R2.2

Groom:

Pjs> BG7.5/ BG7.3

Robe> O7.5/ O7.3

Slippers> R7.8/ R7.6

Helpful Links:

Cardigans & Cards Website/ Blog: https://www.cardigansandcards.com/

Cardigans & Cards YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CardigannCards

Facebook: Cardigans & Cards. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094533131569

Instagram: cardiganncards. http://instagram.com/cardiganncards

Craft Roulette Website: https://craftroulette.live/

Craft Roulette YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CraftRoulette

Christian Cottingham 7/5/26 Christian Cottingham 7/5/26

Craft Roulette Process Video: Episode No. 326

Let’s make a Dude Card! Mr. Wheel didn’t stump me this week on Craft Roulette. There is a link in the blog post that will take you to the process video.

Image will take you to the YouTube video

Dude cards don’t have to be complicated! You just need to focus on one thing that the dude in your life enjoys or likes. This weeks challenge, No, 326, Mr. Wheel was spot on and I accepted his challenge. This card was made specifically for my chicken loving step-dads birthday. With this card I was able to smash up multiple different amazing stamp companies to make the perfect card! Below you will find the Olo Markers in the Coloring Guide and links to my socials and Craft Roulette if you want to play.

You can check out the video by clicking here: https://youtu.be/rpyIF4FOyFQ. Feel free to like and subscribe if you feel so inclined!

Supplies Utilized:

Pink & Main: Spring Ginghams Pattern Paper

Unity Stamps: The Pecking Order (UK-1849)

Simon Says Stamp: Tiny Words Birthday

Lawn Fawn/ Simon Says Stamp: Purrfect Birthday

Waffle Flower: A7 Layering Dies

Color Guide (Olo Marker):

Chicken No. 1

WG3/ WG1

Chicken No. 2

RG5/ RG3

Chicken No. 3

O7.3/ O7.1

Beaks: YO2.5/ YO2.3

Tongues: R0.5/ R0.4

Word Bubble Shadows: CG9

Sky: B1.0

Grass: YG3.4/ YG3.2

Helpful Links:

Cardigans & Cards Website/ Blog: https://www.cardigansandcards.com/

Cardigans & Cards YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CardigannCards

Facebook: Cardigans & Cards. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094533131569

Instagram: cardiganncards. http://instagram.com/cardiganncards

Craft Roulette Website: https://craftroulette.live/

Craft Roulette YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CraftRoulette

Christian Cottingham 7/1/26 Christian Cottingham 7/1/26

Craft Roulette Process Video: Episode #325

It’s a Craft Roulette Process Video for Episode No. 325! Link to the YouTube video and color guide included.

Mr. Wheel has been spun, the parameters have been set, and I am ready for the challenge! Episode #325 aired on June 26th, 2026. This is my 35th submission card submission and first process video. Below you will find the Olo Markers in the Coloring Guide and links to my socials. and to Craft Roulette Feel free to like and subscribe if you feel so inclined!

You can watch the YouTube Video Here: https://youtu.be/C9-g4AOL_H4

Color Guide (Olo Markers)

Bird:

R0.6/R0.5

Clock:

Gold accents:

YO2.5/ YO2.3

Dark wood:

OR3.8/ OR3.7

Light wood:

OR3.7/ OR3.4

White wood:

WG3/ WG1/ WG0

Gnomes:

Flesh:

OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0; R5.3

Beard:

NG3/ NG1

Clothes:

G1.7/ G1.5; B0.5/ B0.6; R0.6/ R0.5

Hair:

OR2.6/ OR2.5

Shoes:

CG9

Heart:

R0.6/ R0.5/ R0.4

Ground:

YG3.2

Helpful Links:

Cardigans & Cards Website/ Blog: https://www.cardigansandcards.com/

Cardigans & Cards YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CardigannCards

Facebook: Cardigans & Cards. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094533131569

Instagram: cardiganncards. http://instagram.com/cardiganncards

Craft Roulette Website: https://craftroulette.live/

Craft Roulette YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CraftRoulette

Christian Cottingham 6/22/26 Christian Cottingham 6/22/26

Space Smut: Kindred Stamps June Release

Space Smut from Kindred Stamps makes all the space themed innuendos that your heart desires!! Check out this card and the other six cards I made with this set.

Mission Log… encountering a new Kindred Stamps release with Space Smut puns of the perfect kind… Well to the June release of Space Smut!! This small but mighty set is perfect for some spacey smutty puns! There is a card for every sentiment on this set, so buckle in friends before we head into warp speed.

This blog utilizes affiliate links. If you choose to click on the links provided to purchase, you are supporting me as I receive compensation for your purchase. If purchasing is not in your books, no worries, I hope you find inspiration for projects you design. By clicking on the links, you are letting Kindred Stamps know that you like my content and to keep bringing me back. Thanks for your time and let’s get naughty *wink wink*

Card One: Mission Log

Mission Log; Encountering A Very Attractive Life Form…. This Space Smut sentiment screamed galaxy and what better to show of the sentiment than some deep dark space!

The Ship from Space Explorers was stamped with alcohol safe ink on a panel of smooth white cardstock. A mask was stamped at the same time, fussy cut out on the line and then placed over the ship on the card panel.

The galaxy was ready to be made! Blue Lagoon/ Dark Lilac/ and Petunia (Gina K Designs) were blended haphazardly blotchy pattern on the card panel and over portions of the mask. Once happy with the mess on the paper, the Black Soot (Distress Ink) was applied liberally with a foam applicator over the entirety of the card panel. Allowing a lighter hand over the colorful splotches but still ensuring there was black over them. Once satisfied, a sprinkling of water was spattered over the very inky card panel. A piece of paper toweling was utilized to lift any spatter pooling that remained. With Perfect Pearls, in the color way Perfect Pearls, a fine spattering was applied.

The panel was allowed to drive. When ready, the mask was removed and color was to commence. The Ship was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The panel was set aside to completely dry for a day. There was a lot of ink on the panel and Distress especially needs a longer dry time.

The dried panel was cut down with the largest rectangle in the Card Basic Die set. The galaxy scene was prepped with an antistatic tool and the sentiment from the Space Smut set was then stamped with embossing ink. Snowfall Embossing powder was applied and head seat.

An A2 card base was prepped. A piece of teal cardstock was applied to the front panel of the card base. The galaxy panel was popped up with thin foam tape. This mission was accomplished!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Card Two: Compatible Life Form

Compatibility is what it’s all about! Boy oh boy, the Space Smut delivers! This sentiment goes with any stamp set, but The Next Space Explorers paired perfectly. Lets break it down.

The Next Space Explorer Woman was stamped in alcohol safe ink on a piece of smooth white card stock. The Woman was then stamped on a piece of masking paper and fussy cut out on the line and placed over the stamped imaged. The floor was sketched with pencil and then traced with a fine liner pen. Masking paper was applied. The floor was ink blended with Blue Denim ink (Gina K Designs). The mask was removed and placed over the blue blended floor.

A mask was then placed on each side of the center of the panel, leaving a “beam” area that was centered around the woman. A fine liner pen was utilized to trace the line on the masking paper. This was ink blended with a gradient appearance with Lemon Drop ink (Gina K Designs) with a heavier hand at the top of the panel and then lighter towards the floor. Once this blended, the masks were removed and new mask was then placed to cover the beam. With the remaining ink on the brush, a light blending of the ink was applied to tint the paper.

Pulling out the Dragon Scales Stencil, the card was centered and a thin layer of TCW Stencil Butter in Oyster was applied. The masks were removed carefully to prevent any smearing of the paste. The panel was set aside to dry.

The Woman was then colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The panel was die cut with the large rectangle from the Card Basics Die Set. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of the panel.

The sentiment from the Space Smut stamp set was stamped with embossing ink on a black cardstock that was prepped with an antistatic tool. Silver embossing powder was heat set. This was trimmed down to be a sentiment strip. A piece of thin foam tape was applied to the back of the strip.

To assemble the card, an A2 card base was prepped. A panel of black cardstock was adhered to the card base. The card panel was applied with the foam tape to the panel. With a yellow glitter pen a dotted pattern, heavier at the top of the beam and lighter at the floor level, was applied. The sentiment strip then adhered at the top third of the card centered in the beam.

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Card Three: Beam Me

Nothing like a little beaming to get the point across… Space Smut just makes me giggle. When I read the sentiment I know exactly what I wanted to do!

On a piece of smooth white card stock the Engineer from Space Explorers was stamped in alcohol safe ink. With a pencil, the computer, floor, and beaming stage was sketched. With a fine liner pen, the lines were traced and the pencil lines erased.

The Engineer was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The remainder of the scene was colored with Altenew Artist Markers with the exception of the light wall of the beaming stage (Olo Markers Y2.2/ Y2.0) (Floor> TG03/ TG02; Stage/ Computer> TG07/ TG05/Y817/ Y608; WG03/ WG01).

The sentiment “Beam Me Up Hottie” was stamped in a black pigment ink and embossed with Kindred Stamps Clear Embossing Powder. The panel was die cut from the rectangle die in the Card Basic Die set. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of the colored scene.

An A2 card base was prepped. A piece of orange cardstock was cut to fit the card base and adhered. The colored panel was centered and applied. This sentiment just pulls the scene together!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Card Four: Boldly

Time to Go Boldly…. Into a bedroom… The Space Smut stamp set sentiments take you boldly into the world on innuendos. Let’s breakdown this card.

The bedroom scene was put together first. On a piece of smooth piece of cardstock the square from the Card Basic Die Set was traced on the inside lines of the die. In this square sketch the Leader from Space Explorers was stamped in alcohol ink safe ink. The bedroom scene was sketched in pencil and then traced with a fine liner pen. All pencil marks were erased. The scene and Leader were colored with Olo Markers. (Bed> OR1.6/ OR1.4; NG9/ NG7; Carpet> YG1.7/ YG1.6; Walls> NG3/ NG1; NG5/ NG7).

A piece of black cardstock was then cut with the square from the Card Basic Die set. The colored bedroom scene was cut out along the boarders of the scene. The panel was glued to the black square die cut. Thin foam tape was placed on the back of the die cut.

The sentiment from Space Smut was stamped on a piece of black cardstock that was prepped with an antistatic tool with embossing ink. Silver embossing powder was heat set and the sentiment was trimmed down into a strip. Thin foam tap was placed on the back of the sentiment strip and set aside.

A piece of cardstock from the Galactic Paper Pack was die cut with the rectangle from the Card Basic Dies. Finally, a piece of black cardstock was cut to 4.25 by 5.5 inches.

To assemble the card, a card base was prepped. The black cardstock panel was glued to the card base. The Galaxy Paper Pack die cut was popped up on the card base with thin foam tape. The bedroom scene and sentiment were positioned on the card. This card goes boldly into the night.

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Card Five: Prosper

Be Long and Prosper…. This simple card shows off the Space Smut set perfectly with one image!

On an A2 panel the Pointy Ears image (Space Explorers) was stamped with alcohol safe ink in the upper third of the card panel. The image was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). A mask of the image was stamped and fussy cut out on the line. The mask was applied over the stamped and colored image.

The sentiment from the Space Smut set was stamped in pigment ink. Clear Embossing Powder was applied and heat set with a heat gun. A piece of masking paper was then applied in a straight line above the sentiment.

The burst dotted background was then stippled in with Olo Markers. The concentration of dots were placed closure to the image outline and lighter and further apart as the dots moved outward. The gradient of colors included: B0.7/ B0.6/ B0.5/ B0.4/ B0.3/ and B0.2. These colors were selected based on the color of the shirt.

The masks were removed and the stamped and dotted panel was die cut with the rectangle die from the Card Basic Dies. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of the die cut panel. A card base was prepped and a navy colored piece of cardstock was applied. The colored panel was then popped up on the base. This card didn’t take long to create, but it will prosper for a long time to come.

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Card Six: Prime Directive

Having goals is what it’s all about, and the Space Smut even says so! Here’s a breakdown of how this simple card was made.

The Next Leader (The Next Space Explorers) was stamped in alcohol ink safe ink on the bottom right corner of the panel. The image was also stamped on a piece of masking paper, fussy cut out on the line and applied to the stamped image.

A halo of ink was blended from the center of the masked image to the edges with heaviest application around the masked image to white on the edges (Cadet, Gina K Designs). To add some texture to the background, the Circuit Stencil (retired) was blended with the remaining ink on the brush in the same application process. Finally, the panel was spattered with Irongate Distress Mica Stain.

When the panel was dry, the mask was removed from The Next Leader. The image was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The completed panel was then die cut with the rectangle from the Card Basics Dies. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of the panel.

The sentiment was stamped in embossing ink on a piece of black cardstock prepped with an antistatic tool. Silver embossing powder was applied and heat seat. The sentiment was cut down into a strip and thin foam tape applied to the back. The Prime Directive has been established and the card is ready to be assembled!

To assemble, a card base was prepped. A piece of blue cardstock was trimmed down and adhered to the card base. The inky spattered card panel was applied. Finally, the Prime Directive sentiment was placed as the anchor point for the character. Goal was achieved…

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Card Seven: Exploration

Ready for a long night of exploration?? The sentiment from Space Smut says it all… This simple card gets the point across and comes together in no time at all!

The sentiment from Space Smut, was stamped with embossing ink on a piece of black cardstock prepped with an antistatic tool. Gold embossing powder was applied and heat set. The sentiment was trimmed to be a sentiment strip and thin black foam table was applied to the back side. This was set aside.

The Celestial Paper Pack provided the perfect stars for the backdrop of this card. The paper was selected and cut with the rectangle from the Card Basic Dies. Thin black foam tape was applied to the back of the panel. Since I was cutting, a piece of black card stock was cut down to 4.25 by 5.5 inches. This will be the mat for the star background.

Finally, the Visor Man (The Next Explorers) was stamped on a scrap of smooth white cardstock. The image was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The image was then cut out leaving a thin white boarder. The boarder is intention as I didn’t want the image to get lost on the dark background. Thin foam tape was applied to the backside of the image.

To assemble, a card base was prepped. The black mat cardstock was applied. Finally the sentiment was applied to the top left third of the card and the Visor Man applied to the lower right third of the panel. Exploration all night long…

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Coloring Guide:

Space Explorers

Leader

Flesh> OR7.1/OR7.2/ OR2.0
Hair> O7.8/O7.7
Shirt> G5.3/ G5.2; YO2.5/ YO2.3
Pants> CG9/ CG7
Shoes> BK/ CG9
R0.6/ R0.7

Pointy Ears

Flesh> OR7.1/ OR7.2/ OR2.0
Shirt> B0.3/ B0.2/ Y2.3/ Y2.2; CG9
Pants> CG9/ CG7
Shoes> BK/ CG9
Hair> BK/ CG9/ CG7

Engineer

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0
Shirt> YO2.5/ YO2.3; R0.6/ R0.5
Hair> OR4.8/ OR4.7; OR3.7
Pants> CG9/ CG7/ CG5
Shoes> BK CG7

Ship

Lights/ Windows> Y2.0
Ship> WG7/ WG5/ WG3; OR2.5/ OR2.3/ OR2.2

The Next Space Explorers

The Next Leader

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0
Pants> CG9/ CG7/ CG5
Shirt> R0.5/ R0.6; CG9/ CG7/CG5
Hair> NG3/ NG1
Shoes> K

Woman

Flesh> OR7.1/ OR7.2/ OR2.0; R5.3
Hair> OR3.8/ OR3.7/ OR3.4
Uniform> R0.6/ R0.5; CG9/CG7

Visor Man

Flesh> OR3.7/ OR3.4/ OR3.2
Glasses> WG7/ WG5;; YO2.3/ YO2.2/ YO2.5
Hair> OR3.8/ OR3.7/ BK
Uniform> YO2.5/ YO2.3; CG9/ CG7/ CG5

Christian Cottingham 6/7/26 Christian Cottingham 6/7/26

Celebrating You All Year Long: Silly Geese Waterfall Card

Let’s make a circular waterfall card with some Silly Geese to celebrate all year long!

Let’s celebrate you all year long! This video will walk you though how to make a circular waterfall card featuring the Silly Geese stamp set from Kindred Stamps. There are so many images and a lot of the images can be used for all the seasonal references.

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/Im0xQrwfdvg

You can access the Kindred Stamps website by clicking on the affiliate links below:

Silly Geese: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/silly-geese?_pos=1&_sid=8e73d7978&_ss=r&aff=97

Kindred Stamps Website: https://www.kindredstamps.com?aff=97

Color Guide (colored with Olo Markers):

All Geese: NG3/ NG; Y2.3/ Y2.2

All Gold elements: YO2.5/ YO2.3

Valentines: R0.5/ R0.4

Bunny: RV0.1; O7.3/ O7.1

Rainy: Y1.2/ Y1.1

Summer: RV0.4/ RV0.2; RV0.2/ RV0.1

Bride & Groom: B0.3/ B0.2/ B0.1; NG9/ NG7

Turkey: OR3.8/ OR3.7; YO0.2/ YO0.1; O2.5/ O2.4; R1.7/ R1.4

Christmas: BG1.4/ BG1.2; R2.3/ R2.2; NG1

Reindeer: OR3.4/ OR3.2/ OR3.0; R0.6/ R0.5

New Years: NG9/NG7; R1.5

4th of July: B0.7/ B0.6; R0.5/ R0.4; YO2.3/ YO2.2

Halloween: G1.5/ G1.7; Y2.3/ O1.4/ O1.3

Birthday: R0.5/ R0.4; OR1.3/ OR1.2; Y2.3/ Y1.2; YG1.6/ YG1.4; B2.6/ B2.4

Thank you for Kindred Stamps for providing the Silly Geese stamp set for the making of this video.

Christian Cottingham 5/26/26 Christian Cottingham 5/26/26

Night And Day: Kindred Stamps May 2026 Release

Night and Day, no matter what, their love never faltered. You can check out the Night and Day stamp set from Kindred Stamps on my blog!

Night or Day, their love will find a way, don’t worry this stamp doesn’t come with a funky sound track, but it does come with 3 images and 2 sentiments. The Night or Day set from Kindred Stamps May release tells an epic love story that defies the bonds of love.

Project One: Trio

When you have a friend with you both Night and Day, you are always with someone how trusts you. This simple cards features all three of the images from the Night and Day stamp set with pattern paper to signify both worlds they each live in.

The three images were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide) and fussy cut out on the line. With a black fine liner, the images were edged to hide any cutting mishaps. The images were backed with thin foam tape and set aside.

The sentiment was stamped in black ink and trimmed to a thin strip. A piece of scrap black cardstock was trimmed to be the mat to the sentiment. The sentiment was adhered to the mat and then a thin foam tape strip was applied.

The Galactic Pattern Paper makes this card come together in a breeze. The sunrise scene pattern paper and the galaxy pattern paper were trimmed down to 2 1/8 inches by 5.5 inches. A piece of gold cardstock was trimmed to 0.5 inch by 5.5 inch strip.

To assemble, an A2 card base (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches) was prepped. The sunrise scene was glued to the left side of the card base and the galaxy on the right. To hide any cutting variants and to signify the transition of night and day, the gold cardstock strip was adhered in the center. The Thief was centered first on the card panel. Then the Knight and the Woman respectively. Finally, the sentiment was centered and adhered.

This simple card showcases the worlds that they live in and was a breeze to make.

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Project Two: Total Eclipse

A total eclipse is not only a sight to see but also the way to break the curse! So this card had to be made for the love that couldn’t be separated even if they are in different familial classes.

A 5 inch by 7 inches piece of smooth white cardstock will be the base for the scene. With a pencil, the sword and floor were sketched. The negative moon/ sun from the Desert Scene Stencil was traced at the top of the card. The lines were traced with a black fine liner pen and pencil markings erased.

A piece of masking paper was trimmed to 2 inches by 8 inches. The sword and sun were also traced onto a piece of masking paper and then cut out. The masks were applied to the card to allow for ink blending. The area just outside the sun was inked with Sweet Corn (Gina K Designs) whereas the remainder of the background was inked from outer edge to center with In the Navy (Gina K Designs). Before the mask were removed, the inked panel was spattered with Perfect Pearls, in the color Perfect Pearl. The masks were removed and the card panel was allowed to dry.

The Knight and Woman from the Night and Day set were stamped with alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The images were fussy cut our leaving a thin white boarder so the images had contrast on the dark panel. The sentiment was stamped in black ink and trimmed into a thin strip. A piece of black cardstock was adhered as a mat. Thin foam tape was applied to the images and the sentiment.

The remainder of the image was colored with Olo Markers. The church floor was colored with NG3/ NG1/ and NG0. The sun was colored with WG9/ WG7/ WG5 with darkest in the center. Finally, the sword was colored with CG3/ CG1 on the blade and CG7/ CG5/ CG3 on the handle.

The card panel was adhered to an A7 card base. The Knight and the Woman were adhered on each side of the sword. The sentiment was placed across the blade. The total eclipse turned our so much better than my brain thought it would. I was different coloring a sun with dark grey but it was worth it!

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Three: Spinning Love

Night or Day they are never alone. This reveal card shows how day becomes night and night becomes day. Lets break down this card.

A card base was prepped to 5.5 inches by 5.5 inches. This was set aside for assembly later. A piece of smooth cardstock was cut to 5.25 inches by 5.25 inches. Using circle dies, the 4 inch diameter circle was die cut out of masking paper. A second circle, 3.5 inch diameter, was die cut out of smooth white cardstock.

The larger circle mask was centered on the square 5.25inch by 5.25 inch piece of cardstock. Using a black fine liner pen the circle was traced. The masked panel was then ink blended with Jelly Bean Green and Fresh Asparagus ink (Gina K Designs). Gold spatter was applied. The mask was removed and the panel was set to dry.

The 3.5 inch circle scene was designed first. The Woman and Wolf were stamped with alcohol safe ink. With the Desert Scene Stencil, the mountains were traced onto the circle. A horizon line was also sketched. Finally, using a small circle, the moon was sketched. All lines were then traced with an alcohol safe marker. The Woman and Wolf were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The remainder of the scene was colored with Olo Markers (Moon: Y2.0/ Sky: BG0.8/ Grass: 1.8/ Mountain: WG7/ WG5).

This colored scene was centered on the inked blended panel leaving an equal boarder exposed. The colored scene circle was traced with pencil, including the location of the horizon line. The circle was traced with a black fine liner pen. The colored scene was removed for the design of the daylight scene. The Knight was stamped in alcohol safe ink, and the exact same scene was drawn. The Knight was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The remainder of the scene was colored with Olo Markers (Sun: Y2.3/ Sky BG0.2/ Grass: G1.2/ Mountain: WG5/ WG3). Some birds were were drawn in with a fine liner pen. Finally, the frame around the small circled scene was colored with the K Olo Marker.

The colored scene panels were ready to become an interactive element. With a pencil the center point of both small circle scenes marked. Using a ruler and a craft knife, the scenes were cut on the same side in the same spot. When cutting the panel with the knight, caution was taken to not cut into the black frame. The stand-alone circle was thread through the large panel. A small piece of card stock was glued to the back (not to the large panel) to act as a stopper. This will prevent the circle from being twisted completely out. A second thin strip of cardstock was applied to the back of the small circle on large panel to act as the handle.

The sentiment was stamped and matted on a piece of black cardstock and adhered to the thin cardstock handle. This was allowed to dry before playing with the mechanism. A little arrow was penned onto the handle and the handle was trimmed to fit the card front.

A piece of black cardstock was trimmed to 5.5 inches by 5.5 inches and adhered to the white card base. The completed interactive card panel was popped up with thin foam tape only around the edges and corners to allow the circle mechanism to rotate.

This two lovers transition at evening and morning and in this card you can watch them transform!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 5.5 inches

Coloring Guide:

Woman:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Hair> YO2.5/ YO2.3

Dress> BG0.4/ BG0.2

Wolf:

Fur> NG9/ NG7/ NG5

Knight:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Hair> YO2.3/ YO2.2

Cloak> R0.6/ R0.5; NG9/ NG7

Outfit> NG9/ NG7/ NG5

Hawk:

Body> YO0.1/ YO2.3/ YO2.7/ OR3.8

Beak> YO2.3

Claw> YO2.3

Thief:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Hair> OR3.8/ OR3.7

Tunic> O4.3/ O4.0

Boots> OR3.7/ O4.3

Pants> OR3.7

Shirt> O4.0

Christian Cottingham 5/15/26 Christian Cottingham 5/15/26

Super Family & Super SideKicks: Kindred May Kit

Need a family full of super heroes?? Look no further than the amazing cards that were made with the Super Family Kit from Kindred Stamps.

Nothing screams family time like a little family style crime fighting! The limited edition Super Family kit is available now and soon your crime fighting super hero hearts can be making your projects too! The limited edition kit can be ordered from the Kindred Stamps Website.

Now we interrupt this super kit with a PSA…This blog utilizes affiliate links. If you choose to click on the links provided to purchase, you are supporting me as I receive compensation for your purchase. If purchasing is not in your books, no worries, I hope you find inspiration for projects you design. By clicking on the links, you are letting Kindred Stamps know that you like my content and to keep bringing me back. Thanks for your time now lets show off some super powers!

Project One: Baby Bubble

When I saw this little guy in the stamp set I knew instantly that he needed to fly and the means of lift off had to be a bubble! I also wanted the card to be a single panel card. So let’s break it down.

An A2 panel was placed into my stamping platform. The Super Baby was centered in the top-ish middle of the card (technical math there…). He was stamped in alcohol marker safe ink. It was now time to sketch the rest of the card. With the circle from the Card Basic Dies, I traced the outer edge of the die with a pencil. Then I sketched some simple pine trees on the lower portion of the card. These pencil lines were then traced with a fine liner pen and all pencil lines were erased.

On a piece of masking paper, I traced the same circle from the Card Basic Die. The circle was fussy cut out on the line and then applied over the corresponding circle with the Super Baby. The trees were not masked because I knew my sky color was going to be blue. Blue and green are friends on the color wheel so I was not concerned if some of my blending got into the whites of my trees. The panel was inked from top to bottom with the concentration of color being on the top of the card and lighter on the tree line. Using three blues, the ink was blended from top to bottom with each color change stopping before the other ended. Meaning, the first color (Gina K Designs Blue Sky) was blended heaviest at the top and lightest to the tree line. The second blue (Gina K Designs Blue Raspberry) was blended heaviest at the top of the card and lightest to just below the masked circle. Finally, the third blue (Gina K Designs Blue Denim) was applied heaviest at the top and then lightest to the top third of the circle mask. This was repeated again to even out any blemishes.

The circle mask was removed and it was time to do some coloring. The bubble was colored with Olo Markers (B0.2/ RV0.1/ Y0.1/ Zero). The Super Baby was then colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide Below). Finally, the trees were colored with Olo Markers (YG1.7/ YG1.6).

The sentiment was then stamped in black ink. I debated if I wanted white heat embossing, but decided on the black ink because my bubble, trees, and stamped image had a black line. To finish the card panel, the white gel pen got a workout. Lots of stars were dotted and highlights applied to the bubble and the Super Baby’s tooth.

With everything in place, it was time to adhere my finished panel to an A2 card base. My Super Baby was flying the sky’s in his own bubble and I couldn’t adore it more!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Project Two: Super Shaker

How can you not make a shaker card when you instantly see a frame?? To boot, the card comes together so quickly because of the Super Family Die Cuts that come in the kit… NO COLORING!! Let’s break it down…

The cover plate die from the kit was die cut 5 times from black cardstock. Four of the die cuts were glued together and set aside to dry. This will be the walls for the shaker cards. The fifth die cut will be used as a guide and then later used as the top to the shaker. But I am ahead of my self…

The cover plate die was then cut three pieces of pattern paper from the Power Paper Pack. The negatives from the cover plate will be put to use for this card. The die cuts were saved for another project. An A2 card base was prepped and the sentiment “Hope your birthday is super- cape or no cape” was stamped inside the card base.

Using the fifth black frame as a guide, the pattern paper negatives were paper pieced into the sections of the die cut frame. The die cut was then removed leave the pattern paper in the perfect positioning on the card base. The stacked cover plate die cuts were then adhered to the card base by centering over the pattern paper pieces. This method was used because of the sheer thickness of the walls of the shaker. Less chance I would get sticky stuff on the shaker walls.

A piece of acetate was cut down to an A2 size. The final black cover plate die cut was glued to one side of the acetate and set aside to dry while picking out the die cuts and layout that fit almost all of the characters. The pre-colored die cuts were trimmed to fit in the windows and adhered with liquid glue with the exception of the villain who had thin foam tape applied to his backside.

It was time to fill the shaker. The sequin pack from the kit was then sprinkled into each window of the cover plate die on the prepared card base. Glue was then applied to the die cut shaker wells and the acetate decorated topper was centered over the base. This was allowed to dry completely before the villain was adhered.

This shaker took no time at all by using the pre-colored die cuts! If you wanted to mass produce this card, you don’t have to make a shaker. Utilize the all the negative die cut pattern paper in different arrangements and add the colored die cuts and accents in each of the windows with some sequences. This would be cheaper for mailing and still will look super!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Project Three: Father’s Day

What a great way to wish a happy father's day to a super dad! This card was a breeze to come together with the supplies from the kit and one other staple die. Let’s break it down!

The Super Dad was stamped in alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). He was then cut out on the line and edged with a black fine liner brush marker. A piece of thin foam tape was applied to the back and the dad was set aside.

A piece of pattern paper from the Power Paper was selected for both the front and the backside properties. Knowing that I wanted the burst to come from the center of the soon to be sentiment, the piece had to be cut first. Using the Card Basic Dies large rectangle, I cut from the center of the pattern paper. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of this panel. The remaining pattern cardstock was then flipped so the red side was facing up. The pattern paper was centered and adhered to a prepared A2 card base (5.5 inches by 4.25 inches). The excess paper was then trimmed off with scissors. These scraps were saved for something I am sure. The foam taped rectangle panel was centered over the big white empty spot on the card base and smooshed down. The panel was set aside to do some die cutting.

Pulling out the super alphabet dies, the word Happy Fathers Day was die cut from black cardstock three times, and from a piece of same pattern paper as the background. These letters were all stacked and glued together. Using the grid on my Glass Craft Mat, the letters were lined up and a piece of low tack tape was applied to the top of the letters as a group. Liquid glue was applied to each letter. The entire letter unit was then centered on the card base and the low tack tape was pressed onto the card base until the glue had dried.

Once dry, the low tack tape was removed and the Super Dad was adhered to the lower left hand side of the card. Using the sequence from the kit, the red sequins were placed in a grouping around the sentiment to give an accent to draw the eye in.

Finally, the sentiment, “You don’t need a super suit to be my hero” was stamped in the inside of the finished card. Perfect sentiment to celebrate the dad/ father- figures in your life.

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Project Four: Super Birthday

The Super Family has their signature color so why not show it off?? This birthday card shows each family member in a fun graphic design! Let’s break it down.

The cover plate die provides all the geometrical pieces needed for this card. The cover plate die was cut from black card stock, and white card stock. The negative pieces will be inlaid into the cover plate die cut. Keep the center black panel, and the two top and the bottom panels from the white cardstock. On the white negative pieces, the Super Dad was stamped on the smallest top panel and the Super Mom on the larger panel. The Super Daughter, Super Son, and Super Baby were stamped on the bottom white panel.

Since I was stamping, the pulled the sentiment “ Have a super birthday” and positioned it on the top left angle of the black cardstock negative. The panel was prepared with an antistatic tool, and the sentiment was partially masked to only have “have a” exposed. This was inked with embossing ink. The sentiment stamp was cleaned and then placed on the lower right side of the panel. Partial mask was again applied and “birthday” was inked with embossing ink. The panel then was sprinkled with Snowfall embossing powder and heat set. The antistatic powder was buffed when he panel was cooled.

The word “SUPER” was die cut three times from red cardstock utilizing the alphabet dies in the kit. These were stacked and glued together. Using the grid on my Craft Glass Mat, the sentiment was lined up and with low tack tape, the letters were picked up and glue applied to the back of the letters. Finally, the word super was applied to the black panel and this was set aside to dry.

The white stamped panels were up next for coloring. The backgrounds were colored first on each of the panels. This was a conscious choice because I wanted the yellow to stay vibrant and did not want to risk touching the red from the suits and dragging it into the yellow. For the backgrounds, Olo Markers were blended from yellow to red with Y1.2/ OR1.3/ R0.4/ and R0.5. With the backgrounds complete, each of the images were then colored with Olo Markers and white gel pen accents (See Color Guide Below).

It was now time to assemble the card. An A2 card base was prepped. The black cover plate die cut was glued to the card base. Each panel was then glued into the respective gap. The sequins from the kit was placed on the contrasting colored areas (red on the black… black on the red). This family signature colors show off each member perfectly!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches (A2)

Project Five: Save the Cake

If you have super powers one must have priorities…SAVE THE CAKE!! This card showcases the Villain and the three super kids in an epic battle. Let’s breakdown how this single layer card was made.

On a piece of cardstock was trimmed to 5 by 7 inches (A7) panel. The Villain and the three siblings were stamped in alcohol marker safe ink. With a pencil the remaining scene was sketched and then outlined in a fine liner marker. All pencil lines were then erased.

With the card panel now looking like a color book page, it was time to color in the scene. The coloring was done in two different tones to give the illusion of the force field. The Villain, Super Daughter, Super Son, and Super Baby were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide below). The steam on the Villain’s feet were colored with Olo Markers B1.5/ B1.1/ Zero.

The scene outside the force field was colored with Altenew Artist Markers: Sky (B001); Tree (G245); Building (CG01/ Zero/ TG03/ TG05); Sidewalk (TG02/ TG03); Road (TG08/ TG07). Whereas the force field scene was colored with Olo Markers: Blobs (V2.6/ V0.6/ V0.3); Sidewalk (WG3/ WG1); Road (NG7); Tree (OR7.6/ YG1.6); Sky (B4.1).

The alcohol marker coloring was allowed to dry completely. The panel was then prepped with an antistatic tool and the sentiment was stamped with embossing ink. Snowfall Embossing Powder was applied and heat set. The colored panel was then adhered flat to an A7 card base. The white gel pen was the last hero on this card. To give the illusion of shimmer and warping, the white gel pen was stippled around and on the drawn black line of the force field.

The card was finally complete and fingers crossed the cake was saved!

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Six: Twist Pop Birthday

Just because the card is small doesn't mean it’s not full of surprises, especially when it comes to birthdays! This interactive twist and pop card is easy to make and you don’t need any special dies. Let’s break it down.

The front card panel was first up. The cover plate die was cut out of black cardstock and then out of a piece of yellow pattern paper from the Power Paper pack. A second piece of pattern paper was trimmed to create a red banner that will spread across the center panel of the cover plate. A thin strip of leftover yellow pattern paper was trimmed down. Utilizing the Card Basic Dies, a few red stars were cut from the pattern paper. Finally the sentiment was stamped in black on a scrap of white cardstock and matted on a small piece of black card stock.

To assemble the front of the card an A2 top-folding card base was prepped. The cover plate die cut was glued to the front of the card. The top and lower panels were paper pieced with the patterned paper. The center panel utilized a negative piece from the black cardstock. The pattern papers were layered and adhered to the black negative piece and the sides were trimmed. This panel was then adhered to the middle of the card front. The sentiment was adhered to the center of the card. Sequins from the kit were adhered in each section.

The inside was up next! The city scene paper and contrasting red pattern paper were trimmed to 5.25 inches by 4 inches and glued to the inside of the card. The card was set aside to dry while the remainder of the card was prepped.

The mechanism was up next! A piece of white cardstock was cut to 8 inches by 3 inches. On the short side, score at 1.5 inches (lengthwise down the center). With a ruler and a pencil, place a small mark at 2.5 inches and 5.5 inches measuring across the 8 inch side. You will need to mark on both the top and bottom of the front side of this strip. Score connecting the lines diagonally across from each other (it will look like an X). Fold on the score lines. The mechanism will fold in on itself when you make valley folds along the length of the strip. The mechanism will look like an arrow with a triangle and to flappy folded barrels.

The triangles on the mechanism are centered on the card base and adhered with both strong double-sided and liquid adhesive. This was set aside to dry. A panel of white cardstock was trimmed to 8 inches by 3 inches. This strip was scored at 2 inches, 4 inches, and 6 inches. The panel was folded in valley, mountain valley fold. This was set aside. Four pieces of patterned cardstock were trimmed to 1.75 inches by 2.75 inches. These panels were adhered to the scored panel.

The Super Dad and Villain were stamped in alcohol marker safe ink and colored with Olo markers (See Color Guide). The images were cut out leaving a thing white boarder and they were adhered to the outer panels of scored panel. Using the same star dies from the Card Basics Dies were cut out of a contrasting paper and arranged on the inner panels of the scored section.

A piece of cardstock was trimmed to fit inside the red pattern paper and stamped with the sentiment. This will allow for a place to write a note to the recipient. This panel was glued to the panel.

Finally, it was time to make the pop-out part of the twist and pop. The panel was glued to only the top left on one side of the mechanism, and then the bottom right on the opposite side. This was allow to dry before opening and closing, and opening and closing, and opening and closing… nope, you can’t stop once you start! This card maybe small, but it has a big surprise inside!

Card Size: 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches

Coloring Guide:

All images:

Flesh> OR2.0/ OR7.1/ OR3.2

Family Suits> R0.5/ R0.4; OR1.3/ Y1.2

Family Boots/ Masks/ Gloves> NG9/ NG7/ NG5

Super Dad:

Hair>YO2.5/ YO2.3/ YO2.2

Super Mom:

Hair> OR3.7/ OR4.7/ OR4.2

Super Daughter:

Hair> CG9/ CG7/ CG5

Force Field> V0.3/ V0.4

Super Son:

Hair> YO2.5/ YO2.3/ YO2.2

Super Baby:

YO2.5/ YO2.3/ YO2.2

Villain:

Hair> OR2.7/ OR2.6/ OR2.3

Cape> BG0.8/ BG0.7

Suit> NG9/ NG7/ NG5; NG1/ NG3

Christian Cottingham 5/3/26 Christian Cottingham 5/3/26

Pocket Notebook Just For Me

Let’s make a notebook just for you! You are worth it!

Ever searching in your tote or purse for a notebook to jot down something quick and coming up empty handed?? Well, let solve that problem and make a notebook just for you by you. You are worth it! Head over to my YouTube Channel to check it out!
This simple notebook utilizes the following supplies (affiliate links below):

Burger Family, Kindred Stamps: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/burger-family?_pos=1&_sid=22d0dde36&_ss=r&aff=97

Sweets Paper Pack, Kindred Stamps: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/sweets-paper-pack?_pos=3&_sid=cc44fcccf&_ss=r&aff=97

Card Basic Dies: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/card-builder-basics-die?_pos=1&_sid=0be568523&_ss=r&aff=97

Scrap paper or copy paper

Embroidery floss

Needle

Pokey tool of your choice

Coloring Guide:

Olo Markers: OR7.1/ OR7.2

Altenew Artist Markers: G715; B001/ B003; B027/ C015; TG08/C026/C017; C026/ R218

Concord & 9th: Ballet Slippers Ink

Diagram Templates:

Christian Cottingham 4/20/26 Christian Cottingham 4/20/26

Sparkle Friends: Kindred Stamps April Release

Need some happiness in your life?? Check out how the Sparkle Friends by Kindred Stamps was put to use!

Are you searching for happiness? The Sparkle Friends, Sparkle Friends Die Cuts, and Sparkle Dot Stencil are a perfect way to find and share your happiness. I just couldn’t stop making with the set! I had so much joy making everything. A memory game, a gift set, and some overall fun cards. I hope you find happiness in these projects!

Project One: Sparkle Pizza

Was your first date in pizzeria? The Rainbow Girl and King Boy from the Sparkle Friends stamp set found happiness devouring some ‘za and so can you. Let’s break down this single layer card.

A piece of 80 pound white card stock was trimmed down to 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches. The scene was sketched in pencil. The couch was first, the wood beams, light, and stones second, and finally the table with the pizza on it. The two images were stamped with an alcohol safe ink on the sketched panel. With a fine liner alcohol safe pen, the solid lines were traced making sure I did not draw through the King Boy or the Rainbow Girl. All pencil lines were erased which left a page like from a color book to fill in.

The Sparkle Friends were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The scene was then colored in with Altenew Artist Markers (See Color Guide). The colored panel was glued to a card base to hide the bleed through of the alcohol markers. The sentiment was stamped in the inside of the card. White gel pan and black fine liner pen were utilized to add some accents to the images.

Card Size: 5.5 by 4.25 inches (A2 Card)

Project Two: Sparkle Shaker

Nothing scream confidence more than a shaker and the Rainbow Girl from Sparkle Friends is beaming on this bright shaker cards. Let’s break it down!

The Rainbow Girl was stamped in alcohol safe ink and colored in Olo Markers (See Color Guide). She was fussy cut out on the line and then edged with a fine liner pen. The sentiment was stamped in a black pigment ink and fussy cut out. These images were set aside to make the shaker components.

The Strawberry House Die is the supporting element in the shaker pocket. An unexpected floral pop that will shake up the happiness is a great way to use small dies from supplies you already have. The strawberry flowers were die cut from 80 pound card stock. The flowers were placed on a stamping sticky mat and Wild Dandelion (Gina K Designs) ink was blended in the center only. The center of the flower also go a deeper dot of color with the Maple Yellow (Y207 Altenew Artist Marker). These were set aside to finish the prep.

The Sweets Paper Pack will provide the color pops for this card. The rainbow striped card piece was cut down to 4.25 by 5.5 card panel. Then the rainbow polka dot paper was trimmed down to 5 inches by 3.75 inches. Finally, a piece of acetate packaging was trimmed down to 6 inches by 4.75 inches.

The striped card panel was glued to the front an A2 top-folding card base. The shaker was assembled next. A strong double-sided adhesive was applied to the back side of the polka dot cardstock panel. This panel was centered on the piece of acetate. The acetate was adhered to three sides of the shaker, leaving a pocket for placement of the shaker elements. Iridescent confetti, iridescent glitter, and the colored florals (pretty side up) were placed into the pocket. The pocket was sealed shut. The now contained shaker packet was adhered to the center of the card base.

Finally, The Rainbow Girl and sentiment were adhered with liquid glue to the front of the shaker element. The card panel was allowed to dry completely before gel pen accents were applied. Nothing screams happy like this bright playful card that comes together super fast.

Card Size: 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches

Project Three: Sparkle Rainbow

How could you not have a Sparkle Friends rainbow?? This fun rainbow card covers all the standard rainbow colors with lots of bling, including a decorated inside panel. Let’s break it down!

A Slim Line card base was prepped and the score line enforced. The front panel of the card base was trimmed down by 0.5 inches. The card base was set aside while the remain prep was completed.

The Silver Guy from the Sparkle Friends was stamped with alcohol safe ink on Ranger Silver Sparkle Alcohol Ink Paper. When dry the images were colored with Olo Markers in a light tone on the body, and a dark tone in the same color way on the hair and nose (See Color Guide). These were set aside to dry completely.

A piece of water color paper was trimmed to 8.5 inches by 3 inches. Using a wet-to-wet technique a rainbow swatch was painted across the paper with thicker concentration on the base of the swatch and skinner on the top of the swatch. Altenew Cherry Blossom/ Red Cosmos/ Fiery Sun Set/ Pocket Full of Sunshine/ Green Hills/ Crystal Water/ and Shades of Purple watercolors were diluted to achieve the color intensity that I wanted. The panel was set aside to dry.

The colored images were fussy cut on the line and set aside. Finally, a piece of silver glitter cardstock was cut to 0.5 inches by 8.5 inches. It was time to assemble. The glitter cardstock was adhered to the inside panel of the card base. The sentiment was stamped and the teal colored character was glued flat to the base.

The water color panel was glued flat to the front panel of the card base. Using the grid on my Glass Mat, the Silver Boys were arranged in rainbow order in a straight line the width of the card. The Silver Boys were picked up with a piece of low tack tape to keep them in line. Liquid glue was applied to the head and hair only. The Silver Boys were adhered to the front card base with their feet lining up with the bottom card base. This will allow the card to stand propped open and give the card a little unexpected design flair. To finish the card some rainbow gems were placed above the images in corresponding rainbow colors.

Card Size: 3.5 inches by 8.5 inches (Slim Line)

Project Four: Sparkle Rave

Ready for a party? This card is ready and is gender neutral and comes together in no time at all!

The Silver Boy from the Sparkle Friends stamp set was stamped with alcohol safe ink on a piece of Silver Sparkle Ranger Alcohol Ink Cardstock. When dry, the Silver Boy nose was colored with an Olo Marker. He was then fussy cut out on the line and edged with a black fine liner pen. The sentiment was stamped on the same Silver sparkle card stock.

To make the psychedelic background, a 5 inch by 7 inch piece of Matte Black Ranger Alcohol Ink Cardstock was pulled from the stash. The deep matte finish of this card stock makes the neon inks pop off the paper. The background was “colored” with Ranger Fluorescent/ Radioactive/ Ignite/ Razzle/ Hyper/ Atomic/ Electric/ and Caution alcohol inks.

The alcohol ink background was adhered to an A7 card base. The Silver Boy and sentiment were popped up with black thin foam tape and placed onto the alcohol background.

This card took about 15 minutes from start to finish because of the limited coloring and allowing the sparkling Silver Guy reflect the neon color on the saturated matte black background. Shine a little black light on this card and you are at the rave with the Sparkle Friends.

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Five: Forest Hug

Just because you are small doesn't mean you can’t do anything you believe in especially when you have friends there to support you! This card scene shows off two of the Sparkle Friends in a forest scene that utilizes some unusually dies that you may already have in your stash. Let’s break it down.

The background was up first because of the dry time needed for the inky background. An A7 panel (5 inches by 7 inches) of white card stock was ink blended with Distress Oxide Inks (Kitsch Flamingo/ Shaded Lilac/ Salvaged Patina). When the blend was to my liking, I spattered the background with water. Picked up any moisture left with a paper towel and then spattered the background with Perfect Pearls in the color way Perfect Pearls. The background panel was set aside to dry completely.

From the Sparkle Friends stamp set, I stamped the Blue Boy and Pink Girl in alcohol safe ink. The images were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide) and cut out on the line. The images were then edged with a black Fine Liner pen to hide any cutting mishaps. These 2 friends were set aside to start the components of the forest scene.

To make the forest flowers and mushrooms, the following die sets were re-imagined: Strawberry House Die/ Fairy Cloche/ Bakery Treats Add-On/ and Entrance Gate Die. This sounds like an unusual pairing, but it meets all my needs!

From the Fairy Cloche Dies, all foliage was cut multiple times from white card stock. From the Strawberry House Dies the strawberry stem was cut out from white card stock and the stem was trimmed with scissors. From the Bakery Treat Add-Ons dies the chocolate for the chocolate dipped strawberries were cut multiple times as well as the stems to the strawberries. The chocolate chips were cut out of the same white card stock. Finally, the palm trees were cut out from the Entrance Gate Die out of white paper.

With all the piece it was time to start coloring (Olo Markers). The lily of the valley were colored with G1.4/ G1.2 for the leaves and then BV1.1 for some light color at the base of flower. The thistle was colored with BV1.2/ BV1.1 flower and YG1.7/ YG1.6 stem. The greenery was colored with G1.8/ G1.7 on all versions of stems. One piece of chocolate covered strawberry was trimmed down to act as the center of the flower for the Pink Girl to stand on. This piece was colored with Y1.4/ Y1.2. The strawberry stems (large and small) were colored with BV2.2/ BV2.0. To make stems for the daisies, I trimmed down some scrap paper to resemble the stems and colored with G5.3/ G5.2. The remainder of the chocolate strawberry pieces were colored with )4.1/ O4.3/ and O4.6 to now become mushrooms. The palm trees got a little haircut and the tree bark was colored with the same colors as the mushroom to be the stems. Finally, a few of the chocolate chip pieces were colored with Y1.4/ Y1.2 for the small daisies.

The scene was arranged and then adhered to the blended card panel with liquid glue. Finally, the sentiment “Let’s Hug” was nestled into the scene and stamped with pigment ink with a stamping block. The card panel was glued to an A7 card base. This card really showcases how a little imagination and a can do attitude can make something big!

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Six: Sparkle Memory Game

Need a quick gift for that is full of Sparkle Friend fun?? Or maybe a birthday party swag bag? This project comes together so fast and only used one stamp! The Sparkle Friend Die Cuts are a perfect way to “cheat” at making a project. Let’s break it down.

Sparkle Friends Die Cuts, Kindred Stamps

The Sweets Paper pack was utilized to decorate the inside of the box and for the memory cards. The cards were trimmed out of the same piece of pattern paper in the same direction to 3 inches by 2.5 inches. (Quantity: 12) The corners were round with a corner round punch. Two of each of the Sparkle Friend Die Cuts were pulled from the package and adhered with liquid glue ensuring that the opposite side of the card did not match each other (yes… I made sure you could cheat when you are playing the game). The cards were set aside to dry.

The card box was cut from the Treat Box die twice out of holographic card stock. The box was assemble and set aside to dry. The inside panels were lined with a pieces of Sweets Paper Pack. On a scrap of white cardstock, the sentiment was stamped in pigment ink and attached to a coordinating piece of pattern paper. This was attached with foam tape to the inside lid of the box. A thin strip of pattern paper was adhered to the top of the box and along the sides to give the illusion of ribbon on the box.

To finish decorating the box, the bow from the Gift Card Dies was die cut from white card stock and colored with Olo Markers (RV1.7/ RV1.5). The bow was assembled and glued flat to the bow to help protect the bow from little fingers peeling it off.

This project took just a few minutes to make and has a hit of nostalgia of playing this memory game and always wanting to have one that was in what ever obsession I was in at that time.

Project Seven: Dance Party

Nothing like a Happy Dance to send some birthday cheer! The Sparkle Friends are having a dance off and want you to join in. Let’s breakdown this card…

An A7 panel was trimmed down to 5 inches by 7 inches. Six stripes were sketched in with a pencil with a center point 1 inch below the edge of the panel. The stripes were colored in a pastel rainbow with Olo Markers (Y1.1/ G0.1/ B1.1/ R0.1/ O2.1). To achieve the same line texture, the spacing above and between the rainbow strips we colored in a burst pattern with an C018 Altenew Artist Marker.

All images from the Sparkle Friends stamp set were stamped in alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers. (See Color Guide) The images were fussy cut on the line and edged with a fine liner marker.

The dance floor taps into the Sweets Paper Pack. A strip of the pattern paper was adhered to the bottom of the colored card panel. I wanted a dance floor to also have a light up stage just like the dance shows of years gone by. So, I dug through my stash and found the Fairy Cloche Die. The base was the perfect dimensions and size for the Sparkle Friends to dance on!

The base was cut from white card stock and colored with Altenew Artist Markers (TG07/ TG05/ TG03; Y207/ Y106/ C004). The dance floor assembled and the feet of the Rainbow Girl and King Boy were adhered. On the label, I wrote Happy Dance with a black gel pen.

To assemble, the card, the dance floor was adhered with thin foam tape behind the dancing pair only. This allowed the dance floor and their bodies to be flush. The Blue Boy and Pink Girl were popped up with foam tape and applied to either side of the dance floor. Finally, the Silver Boy was dotted with white gel pen and Star Dust gel pen, ensuring I placed dots on the stamped lines to give the appearance of sparkle. He then had thin foam tape applied and centered above the dance floor scene. The finished panel was adhered to an A7 card base. The sentiment “Sending you a super sparkly birthday wishes” was stamped in pigment ink in the inside of the card with a stamping block.

To add even more retro nod to dance show of days gone by, I added iridescent stars scattered throughout. This happy dance that is a perfect way to celebrate a friends or family members birthday.

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches (A7)

Project Eight: Card Set

Bring in some bling by using Sparkle Dots Stencil! This gift set is the perfect way to spread some shiny sparkly cheer! Let’s break it down.

Colored cardstock that complimented each character was trimmed to an A2 panel (4.25 inches by 5 inches). On the Glass Mat, the stencil was taped with low tack tape on the left side only. This will act as a hinge for the gel placement. A piece of colored cardstock was centered under the stencil and 2 more piece of tape were applied to the Glass Mat to create a jig where the colored cardstock can be aligned with. Using Decofoil Transfer Gel Duo, a thin layer was applied to the first piece of cardstock. The stencil hinge was lifted and the colored cardstock removed. The next piece of colored cardstock was lined up with the tape jig and the stencil hinge closed. The gel was applied. This was repeated for all 5 panels.

While the gel dried, the Sparkle Friends images were stamped in alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The images were fussy cut out and foam tape applied to the back of the images. These were set aside.

Panels of foil were trimmed to just larger than the A2 card panel with a coordinating color for each of the images. I utilized Decofoil in Gold D’or, Summer Rainbow, and Rainbow. I also utilized Gina K Fancy Foils in Sparkling Silver and Turquoise Sea. The foil was applied to the colored cardstock (pretty side up). Though not required, I did utilize the Fuse foiling system to heat set the foil. Any laminator would work for this process.

The now sparkling panels were trimmed down to 4 inches by 5.25 inches. The panels were adhered flat to the prepared side-fold card bases. The colored images were placed in the center of the radiating Sparkle Dot Stencil. Finally the sentiment was stamped in the inside panel of the card.

This set of cards will be paired up with matching envelopes and placed in a little box for gift giving.

Card Size: 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches (A2)

Coloring Guide:

Pink Girl:

Hair: RV1.7/ RV1.5

Flesh: RV1.2/ RV1.1 (one in RV1.3/ RV1.2)

Headband: G1.4/ G1.2; B2.4/ B2.2; B2.6

Dress: G1.2; B2.4/ B2.2

Blue Boy:

Hair: BV1.7/ BV1.4

Flesh: BG7.3/ BG7.2

Vest: G5.2/ G5.1

Shorts: O7.5/ O7.3

Silver Boy:

Hair: NG1/ NG0

Nose: YG3.4

Body: NG3/ NG1; While gel pen/ Star Dust gel pen

Rainbow Silver Boys:

R2.2/ R2.0; R1.5/ R1.4; OR1.3/ OR1.4; Y2.3/ Y2.2; G1.7/ G1.5; BG2.7/ BG2.5; B2.6; B2.4; V2.6/ V2.4

Rainbow Girl:

Hair: BG1.4/ RV1.3/ Y2.3

Flesh: BV4.4/ BV4.2; R2.2; YG3.2

Jumpsuit: R2.3/ R2.2

Belt: OR1.0

Shoes: NG1

Purse: R2.3/ R2.2

King Boy:

Crown: YO2.5/ YO2.3

Hair: G1.5/ G1.4

Flesh: G5.2/ G5.1

Cape: NG; YG2.3/ G5.3; YO2.3/ YO2.5

T-shirt: NG; R0.5/ R0.4

Shorts: B0.5/ B0.4

Shoes: NG1

Pizza Scene (Altenew Artist Markers)

Wall: WG05/ WG03; WG 01

Booth: R335/ R318

Table: C026/ C025/ C017

Pizza: Y932/ Y821/; Y803; R107

Wood Beams: Y762/ Y932/ Y821

Floor: WG07

Light: C004/ Y106; C013/ C014; Y260/ Y025

Christian Cottingham 4/5/26 Christian Cottingham 4/5/26

Collector to Creator: Part 3

Are you stuck being a collector instead of a creator? This is the 3rd part to the series to overcome the fear of inking up your stamps and adding color to images. Come on the adventure with me!

Are you ready to up your game and transition from a collector instead of creator?? Part 3 installment will show you two ways to start adding dimension to your colored images. The first fun fold card brings dimension by adding shadows and variation with colored pencils. The second project will walk through utilizing two alcohol marker combinations to increase depth in your images. These two projects utilize product from Kindred Stamps (affiliate links listed below).

You can head over to the Kindred Stamps YouTube Channel or to my channel to see how these cards were made: https://youtu.be/RJzgNf4rWPg

Kindred Stamps (affiliate links):

Pixie Dust: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/pixie-dust?_pos=1&_sid=1c1679c6b&_ss=r&aff=97

Celestial Paper Pack: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/celestial-paper-pack?_pos=1&_sid=a98b2e253&_ss=r&aff=97

Adeline Alpha Dies: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/adaline-alpha-die-set?_pos=1&_sid=4b69afbe3&_ss=r&aff=97

Sentiment Strip Dies: https://www.kindredstamps.com/collections/craft-dies/products/sentiment-strip-dies?aff=97

Color Guide: (Olo Markers/ Prismacolor Premier Color Pencil)

Pixie: Y2.3/ OC1098; YG1.4/ PC909; BG0.2/ PC1027; OR7.1/ PC1092/ PC1039

Girl: O2.5// O2.7; B4.3/ B4.1; B4.6/ B4.3; R5.3; R5.5; CG7; O7.1/ O7.3

Boy: YG1.6/ YG1.4; YG2.7/ YG2.5; R0.6/ R0.5; O4.6/ O4.3; OR2.7/ OR2.6; OR7.3/ OR7.1

Christian Cottingham 3/25/26 Christian Cottingham 3/25/26

Get Lost: March Kindred Stamps Release

I’d be lost without you! The Get Lost stamp set from Kindred Stamps tells us we should never grow up!

Never grow up… we know it’s a trap… bills to pay… deciding what to make for dinner every…single.. night…. The Get Lost stamp set gives us permission to never grow up and I am here for it! These boys are staying young as long as they can and so you can you! Let’s go back to our childhoods and go on adventures with our friends once more, no bills to pay, just friendship and imagination… but first a PSA…

Project 1: Marching Hill

The Get Lost boys are out marching and singing on one of their adventures. No hill to big for them to climb. This A7 card pulls in some die cuts and simple ink blending to make build the scene. Let’s break it down.

A panel of smooth white cardstock was trimmed to 4 3/4 inches by 6 3/4 inches. With a soft hand, the panel was inked in a gradient sunrise or sunset… you get to choose! Yellow on the bottom and blue on the top. Inks utilized: Gina K Designs Lemon Drop/ Dusty Rose/ Powder Blue. This was set aside to dry.

The Get Lost images were stamped in alcohol ink and colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The boys were fussy cut out on the line and were edged with a black fine liner brush pen to hide the irregularities in my cutting. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of the boys. These were set aside to prepare the remainder of the scene.

The House In The Hill Die will provide the hill, the grass, and finally the trees for the scene. Five trees were die cut from a deep green cardstock. The hill was cut from a medium green cardstock. Finally, a strip of medium green cardstock was cut twice with the grass die to make the length needed for the card. The hill and the base of the grass panel were edged with Gina K Designs Dark Spruce ink to give a little dimension. When dry, the hill was prepped with an antistatic tool, the sentiment was stamped with a watermark ink, sprinkled with Snowfall embossing powder, and finally heat embossed.

Thin foam tape was applied to the hill and the outer section of the grass to avoid excess bulk to the card. The center section of grass was glued flat to the hill. The hill was placed lightly to the card (allowing me to lift and tuck before pressing it down completely). The five trees were glued flat behind the grass and hill.

The Get Lost images were arranged marching up and down the hill! Finally some Stickles were applied across the sky line to give the card a little bling without taking away from its design.

Size: A7 (5 inches by 7 inches)

Project 2: Marching Rocks

Not only did they march over a hill, but across a stream with a waterfall! To get through the water without getting wet, the Get Lost boys are skipping across the stones. This slimline showcases their shenanigans perfectly.

The slimline card base was stenciled on with the Grass and Cloud Stencil with Innocent Pink (Gina K Designs). This was set aside to dry while the coloring commenced.

The Get Lost images were stamped in alcohol safe ink, colored with Olo Markers, and fussy cut out on the line. (See Color Guide)The edges of the stamped images were marked with a black fine liner. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of each of the boys.

Since I was inking up the stamps, I stamped the sentiment on a piece of scrap paper. Utilizing the Sentiment Strip Dies, the sentiment was positioned with the sentiment close to one side. A thin foam tape was attached to the back of the strip and set aside.

Green cardstock was die cut with the Tree Scene Die, twice on the same line for the length of 8.5 inches. A piece of blue cardstock was cut down to be the water. These two pieces were glued to the card base. The sentiment was placed on the top left corner with the sentiment lining up with the far left side. The overhang was trimmed off.

Finally, it was time to make some rocks. Looking through my stash, I found the Chocolate Candy Dies and thought… “self, don’t you see those rocks?” “Sure do’” I responded back. Pulling out some of the chocolate dies and a piece of gray cardstock, the rocks started to come to life. To give the rocks some “rockiness” a small blending brush and Stormy Sky ink (Gina K Designs) the rocks came to be.

The rocks were arranged flat along the base of the card with the overhang cut off. The Get Lost images were arranged skipping across the rocks.

Size: Slimline (3.5 inches by 8.5 inches)

Project 3: Marching Attention

If you watched Part 1 of the Crafter to Collector Series on YouTube (Kindred Stamps or Cardigans & Cards), you will recognize a great way to add some spunk to a card by keeping the theme with some paper strips. This simple card is bright and cheerful and has some unexpected twist to add interest.

Pulling out an assortment of green, yellowy-brown, orange, and yellow cardstock multiple strips were cut down. With a double-sided adhesive on a piece of copy paper approximately 2 inches wide was prepped and assembled in a repetitive sequence. The panel was trimmed into two 3/4 inch strips. These panels were adhered to the slimline on the top and bottom edges, leaving a crisp white center. Two thin black strips of paper were glued lengthwise along the the top and bottom striped strip line. This breaks the vertical lines, drawing the eyes to the white center panel.

The Get Lost images will fill out the center panel. The boys were stamped with alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). After fussy cutting on the line, a black fine liner was run along the edges. Thin foam tape was applied to the back of each boy.

The boys were spaced equally in a marching order across the white panel. One of the boys was turned upside down for an unexpected punch to add some playfulness to the layout. Finally, the sentiment was stamped on a matching piece of white cardstock and die cut with the Sentiment Labels Die set. The sentiment was popped up with some thin foam tape and centered onto the bottom striped section. This card pops with some simple colored card stock arranged in a fun pattern.

Size: Slimline (3.5 inches by 8.5 inches)

Project 4: Hiding Tree

Having a secret hiding spot is essential when you are living in the woods. This card is a go big or go home type of card, especially to fit this ginormous tree on it. Let’s dive in on this sticking but simple to make card.

The Get Lost images were stamped with alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers. (See Color Guide). The boys were fussy cut out and edged with a black fine liner.

A piece of white cardstock (8.5 inches by 5.5 inches) was cut down, okay who am I kidding, I took it from my card base stock…. I roughly sketched a tree on the card panel using the Get Lost images to determine the size of the openings needed for the entry points. Once my tree was sketched to my liking, I used a fine liner pen and traced the basic tree outlines (think of a coloring book page, just the black lines and you get to do the magic).

The sky was ink blended (Sea Glass Gina K Designs) with a light hand and no cares if it went inside the lines of the tree as it was going to be colored brown. I did leave the ground color free as that was going to be filled with an alcohol marker.

To color the tree, in sections I layered the colors. The tree base was inked with Altenew Artist Markers in Y911 (Sand Dunes). Then the wiggly lines were added with Y821 (Rocky Shores) and Y932 (Mocha). The grass was flicked into the sky with G702 (Frayed Leaf) and the path in front of the door was colored with Y911 and Y821 stippling.

The sentiment was stamped on a piece of white card stock. A mat was cut slightly larger from the same white cardstock and the colored with the Y932 and Y821 markers. The sentiment was glued to the tree card panel. Using a black fine liner, the lines were drawn to a point to act as the strings for hanging the sign. A silver gel pen dot was placed were the lines intersected.

To insert the Get Lost images into the tree, a craft knife was called into action. Small slits were cut and the boys were inserted and glued into place.

Finally, the card panel was ready to be glued to an A9 card base. It truly amazes me that just drawing some simple line and some sloppy coloring of squiggly lines really brings this tree house to life. I’ve always like bigger cards and this one is no exception!

Size: A9 (5.5 inches by 8.5 inches)

Coloring Guide:

Bear:

Flesh: OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Ears: R5.5/ R5.3

Suit: O2.5/ O2.7

Hair: OR2.3/ OR1.3

Fox:

Flesh: OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Mouth: R5.5/ R5.3

Hair: YO2.5/ YO2.3

Ears: R5.5/ R5.3

Suit: OR1.6/ OR1.4

Rabbit:

Flesh: OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Mouth: R5.5/ R5.3

Suit: RG5/ RG3; RG0

Ears: R5.5/ R5.3

Skunk:

Flesh: OR7.2/OR7.1/ OR2.0

Suit: NG9/ NG7

Raccoons:

Flesh: OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0

Mouth: R5.5/ R5.3

Hair: OR2.7/ OR2.6

Suit: CG5/ CG3/ CG1

Christian Cottingham 2/25/26 Christian Cottingham 2/25/26

School Skippers: Feburary Kindred Stamps Release

It’s that time of year where playing hooky is a law… The School Skippers know how to live it up!

We all need just one day off to escape the daily grind… get up… work… come home… work some more… feed your face… go to bed… and repeat… every… single…day… We should take inspiration from the School Skippers stamp set and just take the day off and live in the moment. This small but mighty stamp set is the perfect excuse to take some time for yourself live in the crafty moment. You are worth it!

Project One: Cruisin’

Going for a drive on a mental health day is a necessity, especially if you can have the top down and the wind blowing through your hair! The School Skippers were perfect inspiration. This simple card features a few dies and simple coloring to set the scene. Let’s break it down.

The background was cut from a panel of white cardstock with the largest rectangle from the Card Basic Die and ink blended on the top third of the card with Arctic (Altenew Fresh Die Ink) to give the illusion of the sky. A piece of gray card stock was then cut with the same rectangle die from the Card Basic Die. The City Scape die was positioned on the top third of the gray cardstock and cut out. This will provide the city in the back of the cruisin’ School Skippers.

On a piece of Express-It card stock, the car, grill, and tires were die cut from the Drive-In Memory Dex die set. The car was colored with Olo Markers (R0.6/ R0.5; NG7/ NG9; NG3/ NG1/ NG0; B1.0). The car was assembled with liquid glue. The sentiment was stamped onto a scrap piece of Express-It cardstock and trimmed to be the license plate of the car. This was glued to the front of the car.

The School Skippers were stamped in alcohol safe ink on Express-It cardstock and colored with Olo Markers. (See Color Guide). The images were fussy cut out and arranged with the Sick Boy and Girlfriend in the front seat and the Best Friend positioned in the back seat sitting on the bench of the convertible. Foam tape was applied.

To assemble the card a piece of black cardstock was adhered to a top-folding card base. The sky panel cut from the Card Basics Dies were adhered. The city scene from the gray cardstock was adhered to the sky panel. Finally, the car filled with the School Skippers were positioned on the lower portion of the scene. The crew was out cruisin’ and enjoying the sun!
Size: A2 (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches)

Project Two: Swing Batter Batter Swing

If you’re going play hooky, why not go to a game??? This simple card hits it out of the park and can be modified to any team colors!

The Best Friend from School Skippers was colored with Olo Markers on Express-It cardstock and fussy cut out. (See Color Guide). Foam tape was applied to the back of the image and set aside.

A piece of Express-It cardstock (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches) was masked with masking paper in the shape of a cone with the thinner edge on the bottom left corner and the widest part at the top right. This section will remain white. Next two pieces of masking paper were cut to 0.25 inch strips. These were aligned on the sides of the already placed masking paper. These stripes will be inked blue. With the paper prepped, it was time to ink blend. With red ink (Lobster by Lawn Fawn) the open areas of card stock were inked up. The thin strips of masking paper were then removed and sticky notes were applied on the edge of the red blended section lines. Blue ink was applied to the small striped sections (Blueberry by Concord & 9th). All masks were removed. With a pencil, I lightly sketched lines to write the sentiment. “Swing Batter Batter Swing” was written from left to right with font growing as it moved toward the top right corner with a fine liner pen. Pencil lines were erased and set aside.

Now that the background was ready, the Card Basic Dies were being put to use. The panel was cut down with large rectangle die. The smallest circle was also cut from the same Express-It cardstock. Die cutting complete, it was time to make a baseball! To make the stitch lining on the ball, the negative part of the die cut was sketched with pencil. Pulling out a red gel pen, stitching was drawn. The pencil lines were erased and I pulled out a light gray ink to edge the sides of the baseball to give it a rounded look (Soft Stone by Gina K Designs). Foam tap was applied to the back of the baseball.

To assemble the card, a top-folding card base was prepped. The baseball was placed on the top right with overhang. I centered the circle in the handwritten section of the panel. The excess was trimmed. The card panel was adhered flat to the prepared card base. Finally, the Best Friend was positioned in the lower right corner of the card. This simple card is definitely a home run and perfect activity for playing hooky!

Card Size: A2 (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches)

Project Three: Trip to the Museum

Need to recharge your creative energy when you are on your mental health day? Why not go to the museum! The School Skippers are checking out the Impressionist style art and so can you!

The School Skippers were stamped with alcohol safe ink, colored with Olo Markers and fussy cut out of Express-It cardstock. Foam tape was applied to the lower portions of the images (more will be applied during assembly once I knew were the images would be positioned in front of the art work). These images were set aside while the scene was being built.

Utilizing the Art Frames Dies, the back panels were cut for 3 frames (one large rectangle and two of an oval-ish frame. The frames for the back panels were also cut from matte gold cardstock. Pulling out some watercolors and size 2 round brush it was time to harness my inner Monet… well, I tried at least…. Little scenes were made with little smudges of color layered to look like mountains, floral fields, and some woodland trees… at least that’s what I tell myself. The colors came from the 12-pan Altenew watercolor set, however, all colors were pulled up off of my pallet so I have no idea what colors they were. Harness your inner Monet and pick was feels right for you! When the water color was dry, the gold matte frames were glued to the background. These were set aside to make the background.

Express-It card stock was cut down to 5 inches by 7 inches. With a pencil and ruler, a horizon line was drawn. This will be where the floor and wall meet. The floor was sketched in with perspective to provide a foreground. A grid pattern was sketched. A piece of masking paper was placed along the horizon line. With a light gray ink, the panel was blended lightly from the base to white at the top of the panel (Soft Stone, Gina K Designs). With the straight edge of the masking paper still in place, a black line was drawn with a fine liner pen. The masking paper was removed and it was time to color the flooring. With Olo Markers and a random color placement the little squares were filled in (WG3/ WG1/ WG0). With a colored pencil, the lines were darkened to give the illusion of grout.

The colored panel was cut down to fit the 3 frames lined up to the edge. The frames were then glued to the “wall” on the colored panel. The School Skippers were positioned with the Sick Boy in the lower right corner and the Girlfriend and Best Friend placed further up the panel to give the illusion of depth in the center to the left side. Foam tape was applied to the heads of the images as needed so they remained flat even when over laying the watercolored frames.

Finally, the sentiment was stamped, trimmed down, and matted with a piece of black cardstock. To assemble the card, an A7 card base was prepped. A piece of black cardstock was cut to 5 inches by 7 inches and glued to the card base. The trimmed panel was centered and glued to the card. The School Skippers know how to recharge creatively and you can too!

Card Size: A7 (5 inches by 7 inches)

Project Four: Pool Time

Why not spend some time relaxing if you are playing hooky?? The School Skippers are living it up enjoying some sun by the pool! There really is not to walk through with this card. Using some simple sketched lines and some colored images, the card came together in the amount of time it would take for a umbrella drink to be sipped on while sitting by the pool.

The School Skippers were stamped in alcohol safe ink on Express-It cardstock. They were colored with Olo markers and fussy cut out.

The background was sketched with a ruler and pencil and then outlined with an alcohol safe fine liner pen. The panel was trimmed down by 0.25 inches all around to provide a frame. The pool water was colored with Altenew Artist Markers (C022/ CG01- remember their numbering system doesn’t correlate like other brands). The brick work in the pool and then ground was Altenew Artist Markers (Y821/ Y932). The siding and door trim were colored with Olo Markers (NG3/ NG1) and the window shades were colored (NG0). The diving board was colored with Olo Markers (NG3/ NG1).

The sentiment was stamped and trimmed. A black mat was cut to fit the sentiment. The images and sentiment were adhered to the colored panel. An A7 card base was prepped and a piece of black cardstock panel (5 inches by 7 inches) was adhered. The colored panel was centered and adhered. It’s winter where I live and I totally could use some time sitting beside a pool with an umbrella drink in my hand soaking up the sun (someplace warm… not the frozen tundra I live in).

Card Size: A7 (5 inches by 7 inches)

Project Five: Float Singer

Perfect way to spend the remainder of your day of playing hooky then being on a float! The School Skippers know how to make an day worthy! The Box Card die is the perfect float for the Sick Boy to sing his germs away.

The Sick Boy was stamped with alcohol safe ink, colored with Olo Markers, and fussy cut out on the line. (See Color Guide). The image was set aside to prepare the float.

The Box Card die components were cut from a heavy weight black cardstock (Black Gina K Designs). The side panels and front panel were cut from blue glitter cardstock (PinkFresh Studio). The a piece of white card stock was utilized to cut two inner layer pieces. With a piece of gray cardstock (Soft Stone Gina K Designs) was cut with the same inner layer piece. The gray cardstock panel was then cut with the City Scape die.

One piece of the white cardstock was ink blended with light blue ink (Arctic by Altenew). The gray City Scape scene was glued to the inked panel. It was now time to assemble the box card. The black cardstock was assembled and then the side panels, front panel were applied. The inked background was adhered to the front of the card base, where the plan white panel was glued to the back of the base to allow a place to write a personal message.

The Sick Boy was attached to a small piece of thick acetate to add support to the Express-It paper. He was attached to the middle bridge of the box card. Every float needs some flags, and this float was no exception. On a piece of white cardstock, a drew two flags drawn with red gel pen, blue gel pen, and then some white dots to act as stars with a white gel pen. Thin black strips were cut from the leftover pieces from die cutting. A strip was applied to the back of each flag and the flags were secured in the front corners of the float.

The sentiment was stamped, trimmed down, and matted with a piece of the same black cardstock for continuity. This was attached to the front glitter panel with some thin foam tape. The float was done! School Skippers sure know how to take a day off! If you purchase this set, it is a law… you too have to play hooky… I give you permission!

Color Guide:

All images were stamped on Express-It cardstock

Sick Boy:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.3/ OR2.0
Teeshirt> CG3/ CG1
Jacket> YO0.1; CG7
Pants> NG7/ NG5
Vest> O4.3
Shoes> CG3
Hair> OR3.8/3.7

Girlfriend:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.3/ OR2.0
Jacket> CG3/ CG1
Vest> B0.7/ B0.6
Shorts> CG7/ CG5
Boots> CG3/ CG1
Hair> OR3.8/ OR3.7
Belt> O4.8
Bag> O7.7/ O7.5

Best Friend:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.3/ OR2.0
Shirt> CG3/ CG1; R0.6/ R0.5
Pants> O4.3/ O4.1
Hat> R1.7
Shoes> CG7
Hair> OR3.8/OR3.7

Christian Cottingham 2/8/26 Christian Cottingham 2/8/26

Collector To Creator: Part One

Go from Collector to Crafter in no time flat using Pixie Dust!

Are you a collector?? Purchasing all the stamps?? Organizing them and storing them away as your little preciouses? Let’s take the leap and go from Collector to Crafter. In this mini-series we are going to take simple steps to break out of the collector only mentality to being a creator!

In this video, we will be pulling out a set from deep in my stash and make 2 projects with it. Over the course of the video we will start breaking down the barriers to help you become a creator.

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/IVjd130t3Dk

This set utilizes the following products from Kindred Stamps. (Affiliate Links)

Pixie Dust Stamp Set: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/pixie-dust?_pos=1&_sid=1c1679c6b&_ss=r&aff=97

Card Basic Dies: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/card-builder-basics-die?_pos=1&_sid=0be568523&_ss=r&aff=97

Emerald City Embossing Powder: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/emerald-city-embossing-powder?_pos=1&_sid=6c2885516&_ss=r&aff=97

Kindred Stamps Website: https://www.kindredstamps.com?aff=97

Christian Cottingham 1/28/26 Christian Cottingham 1/28/26

Pocket Oz: Kindred Stamps January Release

It’s time to travel to a far off land with the Kindred Stamps 2026 release of Pocket Oz! Perfect for gift giving and home decor.

Come away with me on a tiny adventure to land that that’s full of life and color! The Pocket Oz stamp set from Kindred Stamps January release takes you on an adventure through a story of finding strength from within to stand for those without a voice and coming of age. It felt like home making these projects.

Project One: Dimensional Pocket Oz Overload

This card started as a home decor piece. It was going to go into a shadow box frame. I still think this would be amazing as such, but then I thought how can I make this into a card that can be sent to someone who can frame it themselves. This allows the recipient to have the frame that matches their own decor. Let’s breakdown how I accomplished the dimension with still be able to send it in the mail.

For ease of framing for the recipient, an A7 card base was prepped. An A7 panel was cut from a deep green cardstock and adhered flat to the card base. This was set aside. The black frame was prepped. Using a set of A7 dies, a frame was made by cutting 2 dies at the same time. Two pieces of black cardstock were cut at 1.25 inches by 4 inches. These panels were scored at 0.25 inch increments. The 1.25 inch side of the paper was aligned into the corner of the scoring tool with the lines going down the 4 inch length. The panels were accordion folded and adhesive was applied to on end of the mountain folds and these were adhered to the back side of the frame on the long sides. These will be the springs that can be smooshed down for mailing. A piece of gold cardstock was cut out of the largest frame die. The frame with springs attached was then adhered to the gold die cut. The framed panel was centered onto the card base. With the paper prep done it was time to get stamping!

With alcohol safe ink, the entire pocket was stamped once. Then the top scene only was stamped 2 more times. Finally, the four figurines and the sentiment were stamped. The images were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). Because the image will be cut out in layers, don’t waste your markers. For example, when I colored the entire pocket, I did not color the inside scene on the top scene. This section will be cut out at the grass line. For the second layer, I only colored the the castle and did a swipe of green on the grass just to camouflage any alignment mistakes. The scene was cut out on the line of the castle. Finally, the last scene was colored with only the sky and a swipe of green around the castle and the frame.

Thin foam tape was placed behind the castle panel. This panel was aligned on top of the base sky panel. Thin foam tape was then placed on the back of the grass on the entire pocket scene and aligned with the castle scene. Because I used the thin foam tape, the total thickness of this section is standard foam tape depth. The standard foam tape was placed only on the base section of the pocket. Adhesive was placed on the top of the pocket scene. The dimensional pocket was centered in the frame.

Finally, a piece of acetate was trimmed to fit between the frame side. This will act as a support for the figurines to prevent sagging as the piece ages. The figurines were lined up and adhered to the frame base and the acetate bridge.

To complete the card, the sentiment was matted with a piece of green card stock and attached to the side of the frame. The dimension is multilayered and can easily be inserted into a 5 inch by 7 inch shadow box or larger depending on the recipient’s liking. Pocket Oz is the perfect home decor that can be mailed!

Card Size: A7 (5 inches by 7 inches)

Project Two: Pocket Oz Emblem

When I saw the top of the Pocket Oz scene, I instantly saw an emerald that needed to be center stage on a card. It only needed it’s supporting cast to accent the card. Let’s breakdown this simple but sticking card.

The top scene and mini-figures were stamped in alcohol marker safe ink. The top scene and figurines were colored with Olo Markers and fussy cut out on the line. A black fine liner brush pen was used to edge the images to hide my cutting mistakes. The sentiment was stamped and cut into a sentiment strip. The same gold cardstock was utilized as a mat for the sentiment. These were set aside to make way for the card panels.

The background of the card panel was cut from a deep green cardstock to a 5 inch by 7 inch panel. Using a A7 card front die set, a piece of white cardstock was cut to provide a nice frame around the panel. A piece of 1 inch masking paper was centered on the white cardstock. With a tiny dot background stamp and Gina K Design Christmas Pine ink, a pattern was stamped onto the white panel. The masking paper was removed to reveal a white split in the pattern. Two pieces of gold cardstock were cut to 1/8 inch strips and glued to the white panel.

With all the pieces ready, it was time to assemble. An A7 card base was prepped and the green card panel was adhered to the base. The white panel was popped up with thin foam tape and centered on the card. The figurines and top pocket scene had thin foam tape applied and then were adhered to the card front. This emerald looking scene is star of this card and forces your eye to analyze the adorable scene. I just can’t even!

Card Size: A7 (5 inches by 7 inches)

Project Three: Gift Tag Gift Box

The Pocket Oz set works perfect for a gift set! I am always trying to find ways to give a homemade gift that have a pop of whimsy and don’t take me forever to make. Pairing Pocket Oz with the Treat Box die set made this gift set come together in a quick.

The Pocket Oz images were stamped with alcohol safe ink on white cardstock. Using Olo Markers, the individual pieces and the Pocket scene were colored (See Color Guide). The stamped images were fussy cut out and the edges inked with a fine liner brush to hide any mistakes in my not so stellar cutting skills. The sentiment was stamped 6 times and then cut into sentiment strips. These pieces were set aside.

To make the box that will hold the gift tags, the main die from Treat Box die set was cut from green card stock and assembled. The side panels and the front rectangle were die cut from gold glitter cardstock. These pieces were adhered to the box itself. The pocket scene was adhered with foam tape and liquid glue to ensure contact with the rough texture of the glitter card stock. The box was set aside to dry.

I wanted the tags to be simple but have lots of character and alcohol ink with some foil was the perfect pairing. To make the alcohol ink background, I pulled out some coated paper. In this instance, I dug in my hoarder stash and came across some old photo paper (remember when you printed photos at home on your printer???). Using Altenew Artist Alcohol Ink in Minty Mint (G201), some 91% alcohol, and the hand held blow tool, the design came to be. Thermoweb Decofoil in Gold D’or was pressed into the tacky areas of the alcohol inked background.

Pulling out the Treat Box die, the ornate label was used to die cut 6 tags from the alcohol inked paper. The tags needed some holes, so I pulled out the Chocolate Candy Dies for the small circle. You can use any small shape for this hole. I didn’t want to distract from the simplicity of the tag so the circle was my choice.

Each of the tags were assembled with a pocket piece and a sentiment. These were popped up with some foam tape. Finally a piece of twine was tied around each tag. The tags fit perfectly inside my Pocket Oz box and I can’t wait to give this gift to someone soon!

Card Size: PUT MEASUREMENTS HERE

Project Four:Pocket Oz Waterfall

This interactive card makes the Pocket Oz set come to life! With a simple mechanism, you are able to flip through the scenes and see the pocket come to life. Let’s flip in…

The Pocket Oz scene was stamped 3 times with alcohol safe ink. One full pocket scene was colored and fussy cut out on the line. The 2 other scenes were colored on the base of the pocket only and fussy cut out on the line. The remaining stamps were stamped with alcohol safe ink, colored, and also cut on the line. All images were colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). The sentiment was stamped on a piece of white card stock, trimmed to a strip and colored with Olo G0.4. All pieces were set aside to work on the mechanism.

With a piece of black card stock (2 inches by 10.5 inches) was scored at 2.75 inches, 3.5 inches/ 4.25 inches/ and at 5 inches. The folds were reinforce by folding each score line with a mountain fold and a bone folder. A piece of double sided strong tape was placed on the front side of the mechanism. The tape is on the base of the same side as the 2.75 score line. This mechanism was set aside. The base of the mechanism was up next. A piece of black card stock 1 inch wide by 6.25 inches long was scored at 1 inch and at 4.25 inches. These pieces were set aside until the remainder of the card base was prepared.

A piece of green glitter card stock was cut into an A2 panel (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches). A piece of shiny gold cardstock was die cut with a frame die and adhered with liquid glue to the glitter cardstock. Using the magnets on the Craft Mat, the frame was allowed to dry completely with pressure to the glitter cardstock. Once dry, it was time to start assembly.

The mechanism and belly band will be assembled first. Using the glitter card base as a guide, position the belly band towards the lower portion of your card. Fold the mechanism at the 5 inch score line with the scored pre-folded mountain folds facing up with the sticky tape also facing up. Center the mechanism on the card. Adhere the mechanism to the inside of the belly band. Use a strong adhesive not tape runner. This is the only thing holding your mechanism to your card. Adhere the tabs on either side of the belly band to the back side of the glitter card panel. The panel can be adhered to the A2 card base (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches). There will be over hang that comes out under the belly band. This will be trimmed down when the card is assembled.

Now it is time to make the flipping magic. You may not be bothered by the alcohol ink bleed on the back of your images that will be seen when flipping the card. I didn’t like it. I glued my images onto a piece of card stock and then fussy cut them… again… Your OCD may let you skip this and I am so happy for you! I wish I could have. With the images all cut out again, it was time to assemble. A piece of shiny gold paper was cut down to frame the sentiment strip. The matted sentiment strip was centered and adhered to the belly band.

To place the images onto the mechanism, it is important that the images are only adhered to the individual sections between the score lines. This is what will lift and flip the image. If you adhere to all of the sections, you will have no flip just a flop. Working from the bottom section, adhesive was placed in-between the third section of score lines from the top of the mechanism. One of the base only designs was lined up without going over the top of the score line. The Metal Man and Lion were adhered to the base without going over the top of the score line. This process was repeated with the second base on the section of score lines and the Girl and Scarecrow. Finally, the complete pocket was adhered to the top section of the score lines. The two witches were adhered to the design. The remainder of the mechanism was trimmed to be flush with the card. I chose not to decorate this mechanism, but a “pull” stamp would be great to give instruction. Finally a couple shiny gold bits were placed on the sides of the belly band because why not!

Now you can flip open the scenes that can be played out in the Pocket Oz! Flip to your heart content!

Card Size: A2 (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches)

Color Guide:

All images were stamped on Express-It cardstock

Girl:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0; R5.3
Socks/ Shirts> CG1
Dress> B1.1/ B1.0
Hair> OR3.8/ OR3.7
Shoes> R0.5

Scarecrow:

Face> O7.3/ OR7.1; OR3.7
Straw> YO2.3
Shirt> YG8.7/ YG8.5
Hat> CG7/ CG5; OR3.7
Pants> OR3.7/ O2.7
Shoes> OR3.8/ OR3.7

Lion:

YO2.7/ YO2.5/ YO2.3; O7.7
Bow> R0.6/ R0.5

Metal Man:

CG5/ CG3

Good Witch:

Flesh> OR7.2/ OR7.1/ OR2.0; R5.3
Hair> YO2.3/ YO2.2/ YO0.1
Dress> R2.0/ R2.2
Crown> NG1/ NG0

Bad Witch:

Broom> OR3.4/ OR3.2
Flesh> G5.3/ G5.2/ G5.1
Hat/ Jacket> CG9/ CG7/ CG5
Hair> NG9/ NG7

Pocket Scene:

Road> YO2.5/ YO2.3/ YO2.2
Castle> G0.6/ G0.4/ G0.1
Clouds> G0.1/ G0.0
Sky> B0.2
Walls> G1.8/ G1.7/ G1.5
Grass> G5.3/ G5.2

All Bases:

G0.6/ G0.4

Christian Cottingham 1/25/26 Christian Cottingham 1/25/26

Underwater Birthday

Let’s head under the sea to shellabrate a birthday!

Making a scene card is a great way to showcase your coordinating stamps, dies, and stencils. Using a set from deep in my stash I was able to make a simple scene.

You can check out the video on how this was made:

https://youtu.be/DoCv4mWOL7o

Products utilized:

Underwater Buddies (Kindred Stamps)

Pineapple Die (Kindred Stamps)

Ocean Scene Stencil (Kindred Stamps)

Icing On The Cake (Pink and Main)

Gina K Designs Inks

Altenew Crisp Dye Inks

Distress Oxide Inks

Pink Fresh Studios Ink

Affiliate Link to Kindred Stamps: https://www.kindredstamps.com?aff=97

Coloring Guide:

Sponge:

Body- Y2.3/ Y1.2/ Y1.1

Shirt- CG3/ CG1

Pants- YO2.7/ YO2.5

Tie- R0.6/R0.5

Mouth- R0.6/ R0.5/R0.4

Crab:

Body- R0.5/ R0.4

Eyes- YG2.1

Pants- BV2.3/ B4.3

Shirt- B2.2/ B2.0

Mouth- R5.5/ R5.3

Belt- CG7/ CG5/ YO2.3

Snail:

Shell- R5.5/ R5.3; BV1.4

Eyes- YG2.1

Body- B0.2/ YG2.1

Squid:

Flesh- BG2.4/ BG2.3/ BG2.1

Feet- BV2.2/ BV4.4

Shirt- YO2.5/ Yo2.3

Starfish:

Flesh- OR2.2/ R0.2

Shorts- YG2.3/ YG1.2; BV1.4/ BV1.2

Mouth- R5.3/ R5.1/ R5.5

Marine Drifter:

BG7.3/ BG7.2/ B7.0/ BG7.6/ R5.5/ R5.1

Squirrel:

Suit- CG5/ CG3/ CG1

Flower Y1.2/ Y1.1; RV0.4/ RV0.2

Flesh- OR3.7/ OR3.4; O4.1

Acorn- OR4.3/ OR4.6

Mouth- R5.5/ R5.3

Nose- R5.3

Christian Cottingham 1/4/26 Christian Cottingham 1/4/26

Born To Be Brave Interactive Card

Born to Be Brave interactive card for a special Marine’s birthday!

Born To Be Brave, Desert Layering Scene Stencil, and Grass and Cloud Stencil (Kindred Stamps)

How else to make a 21st birthday special than by making it a pop-up! Best part is, there are no interactive dies required. Just some paper folded up to act as the pop-up mechanism. This video will walk you through the process. Once you master this pop-up once, you will be able to pop-up anything you can imagine!

You can check out the Youtube video that details how this card was made by clicking here: https://youtu.be/iYXRdNMRT3s

Card Basic Dies & Stitched Numbers (Kindred Stamps)

Kindred Stamps Supplies Utilized (affiliate links):

Born To Be Brave: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/born-to-be-brave?_pos=1&_sid=e68278780&_ss=r&aff=97

Cards Basic Die Set: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/card-builder-basics-die?_pos=1&_sid=0be568523&_ss=r&aff=97

Desert Scene Layering Stencil: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/desert-scene-stencil?_pos=7&_sid=9b7ef49a0&_ss=r&aff=97

Stitched Numbers Dies: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/stitched-numbers-die-set?_pos=1&_sid=afeadf188&_ss=r&aff=97

Grass and Clouds Stencil: https://www.kindredstamps.com/products/grass-and-clouds-stencil?_pos=1&_sid=62466c165&_ss=r&aff=97

Color Guide (Olo Markers):

Marine:

Flesh OR7.2/R7.1/OR2.0

Hair YO2.5/YO2.3/Y2.2

Hat CG3/CG0; BK/CG7/CG5

Belt CG3/CG0; gold pen Jacket CG7/CG5/BK; R0.5; gold pen

Pants B4.7/B4.6; R0.5

Shoes BK/CG7/CG5

Helicopter YG8.5/YG8.3/YG8.2; WG7/WG5; CG1/ B2.0

Card Size: 5 inches by 7 inches

Christian Cottingham 12/16/25 Christian Cottingham 12/16/25

Alrighty: Kindred Stamps Dec. Release

Alrighty… The Kindred Stamps December release features this private investigator and sentiments to boot! Check out my blog to see some inspiration!

Alrighty! Kindred Stamps blew it out of the park with this 4 inch by 4 inch stamp set. Two iconic poses and 3 perfect sentiments reflect this private investigator in the best ways.

Project One: Jersy Patch

The Bird Guy from the Alrighty stamp set was stamped on Express It white card stock with alcohol safe ink and colored with Olo Markers. See Color Guide. He was fussy cut out on the line and edged with a black brush fine liner pen to hide any cutting errors. This was set aside to work on the card base.

A piece of turquoise card stock was trimmed to 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches. Two strips of white Express It paper was cut to 0.5 inch by 4.25 inches. A piece of orange card stock was cut to 1 inch by 4.25 inches. The orange strip was prepped with antistatic tool and the sentiment was stamped with embossing ink. Snowfall Embossing Powder was sprinkled over the sentiment and heat set.

Pulling out the Card Basic die set, the circle shape was die cut from Express It card stock. With the O2.4 Olo Marker, the edge of the circle was traced to mimic the look of a patch. With all the piece ready, it was time to assemble!

The turquoise card stock was adhered to a A2 card base. The stripes were lined up using the grid lines on the Glass Craft Mat and placed on the bottom third of the card (white/ orange/ white). The Bird Guy was glued flat to the circle patch. With thin foam tape, the circle patch was popped up onto the top portion of the card base. Alrighty, the jersey sleeve was finally complete!

Card Size: A2 (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches)

Project Two: Blue Spotlight

This single layer card was a breeze to bring together. Alrighty, it’s not a true single layer because I didn’t want the alcohol marker to bleed through… but it is a flat card. So let’s break it down!

A piece of Hammermill 100 lb smooth card stock was cut down 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches. The Bird Guy was stamped with alcohol marker safe ink and then a mask was stamped. The mask was cut out on the line and then applied to card base. Knowing I wanted a spot light near the mask, blue ink was blended from the outside repeatedly to deepen the color intensity on the card panel leaving the center lower third uncolored.

With the panel ink blended, the mask was removed and the markers made their way to the desk. With Olo markers, the Bird Guy was colored. See Color Guide. The sentiment was then stamped with black pigment ink.

The panel was adhered to an A2 top folding card base. This card came together super fast and can mail so easily!

Card Size: A2 (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches)

Project Three: Confidential File

Some things are confidential, but the Alrighty stamp set is not! This card was designed to look like a file folder and I just love how it turned out. Let’s jump in!

A Neenah Dessert Storm A2 card base was prepared and formed into a file folder utilizing an envelope punch board. The front of the card base was decorated with layered strips of aqua, orange, and white card stock. A piece of white card stock was trimmed to 5.25 inches by 4 inches. The sentiment from the Alrighty stamp set was stamped in black pigment ink. To continue the color theme from the front page, aqua/ orange/ and white stripes were applied. This panel was adhered with glue only on the top of of the panel to give the paper the feel like it was attached to the folder. Finally, a thin strip of white card stock was trimmed to fit on the file tab and “CONFIDENTIAL” was written in red ink. The card base was set aside.

The Treat Box Die will provide the rectangle for the poster that will be clipped to the front of the file folder. This was cut out of white 80 lb card stock. The poster was stamped out with the letters from the Friendship stamp set to say “PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR CALL ME” while “No case is too small” was printed in with a pen.

On a piece of Express It card stock, the Ballerina Guy was stamped in alcohol safe ink. The Ballerina Guy was colored with Olo Markers (See Color Guide). To give the illusion that this was a photograph, the image was trimmed to a rectangle. With a pencil, lines were sketched very lightly to signify the boarder. The background of the image portion was colored with G0.1 Olo Marker. Any visible pencil lines were erased. Digging through my stash I found a paper clip embellishment that was perfect for “holding” the poster and picture to the file folder.

To assemble the front of the card, the rectangle from the Treat Box die with the stamping was adhered crooked (on purpose for once… IYKYK). The picture was then placed even more crooked over the rectangle. Finally, the clip embellishment was glued to the edge of the front file folder.

To add dimension, I added a drop shadow to the picture with a CG1 Olo Marker and then straight lines with a gel pen down each side of the photo. Just like that the confidential folder with a sweet message in the inside was complete.

Card Size: A2 (4.25 inches by 5.5 inches)

Color Guide:

Combined colors on images:

Flesh> OR7.1/ OR7.2/ OR2.0
Hair> O7.8/ O7.7/ O7.3

Bird Guy:

Tank> WG3/ WG0
Shirt> R0.4/ RK/ G0.6/ YO2.3
Pants> R1.5/ R0.6
Bird> B0.5/ BG0.4; YG1.4; Y2.3/ Y1.2; CG9/ CG7/ CG7
Boots> CG9/ CG7

Ballerina Guy:

Shoes> CG9/ CG7
Mouth> R0.6/ R0.5
Tutu> R0.2/ R0.1
Shirt> CG3/ Cg0; Black pen; PC929 Pink Prismacolor Pencil
Shorts> B0.6